On Being Evil

[Valkenr]

Keep in mind, unless this game enforces strict RP rules, there will be a large population of non-RP players, there are a lot of people looking for a game like this. These players will not differentiate between RPing Evil, and being a dick, to them, they are one and the same. And the majority of MMO players seem to pick the evil side, look at any mmo with good/evil and you are likely to see a 60/40 split.

I personally wouldn't find much satisfaction in taking down someone that is pretending to be evil, but I would have much satisfaction in taking down a dick.

There is not much to do to keep this inevitability down other than making it very hard to get an evil organization up and running. Being evil should require some serious dedication to the cause, and not be something that can be done silently. Evil organizations should not become prominent until late in the game's development, due to the difficulty of not being connected to the core community.

[Blaeringr]

Ryan Dancey wrote:

But in Pathfinder Online you could be evil with a purpose and there will be evil gods ready to reward you for your service.

Achaekek be praised!

[Obakararuir]

Goozumtight.

[Elorebaen]

Ryan Dancey wrote:

There aren't any "storyline" evil groups in EVE. There's nothing to be evil FOR. But in Pathfinder Online you could be evil with a purpose and there will be evil gods ready to reward you for your service. That will create a dynamic unlike anything seen in EVE.

I think the key thing to understand is that roleplaying evil EFFECTIVELY means being evil as a group, not a lone wolf individual. To really be roleplaying evil, you'll need to be trying to make a persistent change to the world in line with the kinds of goals of your patrons. And they won't care much about random murders or pick-pocketing. They'll want mass sacrifice, they'll want paragons to renounce their faiths, they'll want obedience on the part of the potent and fear on the part of the weak. En masse. Repeatedly. Sustainably.

Bingo. This is the sort of thinking that will make PFO great. Create ways/avenues/paths that not only support roleplaying but foster it.

[RobinPrescott]

What you would need, besides someone with the spare time to set this up, is an evil organization patterned after the ones that actually function well in the real world now, i.e. organized crime. Instead of being dedicated to specific evil deities and some sort of, "kill them all and take their stuff" only creed an actual semi-business model would add coherence to the company. You could actually set up the charter and potentially ally yourself with other evil or neutral groups to form evil nations that are basically after securing the bottom line. Especially since you could hire out as mercs to neutral or even desperate good nations when they come under siege. And hopefully, everyone will be coming under siege at some point :).
As an example of a command structure based off of La Cosa Nostra you could have:
Don--the main man, the one who runs the show.
Underboss--2nd in command.
Consigliere--a counselor, frequently has some authority, but primarily exists to offer advice and to settle disputes.
Capo--a captain, a leader in the company.
Soldier/button-man--a member of the company, one of the many foot soldiers who hear and obey.

And other organizations could pattern their companies after their yakuza, Russian families, Jamaican posses, outlaw motorcycle gangs, etc. The point is, evil can be organized and profitable IF people let go of the mentality that being evil means that you can do whatever you want. Instead, you work with the company to maximize the profits of the company.

[Kryzbyn]

Cosanostra is a lawful kind of evil. It seeks to build up and hold, and be as invisible as possible to rake in the profit from the unsuspecting masses.
The kind of deific reward evil Ryan is talking about seems more like world domination. A very visible, no apologies, evil.
In practice, it may be cool to run a guild or cc that way, but I don't think you'll get the 'Champion of EEVIL' title from it.

[LazarX]

Southraven wrote:

How exactly would a company who's flat out stated intention of "subjugating the world and feeding everyone's entrails to evil gods" actually function in a game like this? Can it? It's not something you could really advertise properly, I mean unless you find like-minded people quietly it's kind of hard to recruit publically..

With the exception of the oddball insane cult every now and then, no one historically has ever given such as a party line. The worst in history, the NAZI's, Pol Pot, the Crusaders, all committed their atrocities "for a good cause".

[Gwenn Reece]

Even those usually involved with such evil cults believe that they'll be given special spots or consideration in the horrible world/afterlife that they're striving toward.