The Girl With a Tiara...

Hawtsauce. I vote your trailer be the official trailer. :thumbup:

Good vid. Sounds like an interesting update, more after watching that. :thumbup:

Reavers aren't evil and Lords aren't good. It's more like...well, more like...here, let me quote Mark Rosewater on the Magic: the Gathering color pie.

 

Id like to make a quick aside about white and the concept of good. Good and evil are labels used by people to signify whether something promotes their values or attacks their values. Something that promotes the values you believe in is good. Something that attacks the values you believe in is evil. Each color in Magic believes strongly in the thing it seeks. Therefore it sees itself as good and the enemies that oppose it as evil.

 

Many humans share some global beliefs (the taking of a human life is wrong, for example). Some of whites tenets line up with some of these universal human beliefs. Therefore white is sometimes seen as the color of good. Ah, but white is neither inherently good nor evil. White, as well as every other color in Magic, will do things that can be labeled both good and evil, and even that might not be consistent from person to person. Preservation of life is very white. Most of you would probably classify that as good. Fascism is also very white. Most of you would probably classify that as evil.

 

I mention this because I believe its important to separate the white-black conflict from good versus evil. Morality versus amorality. Light versus dark. Purity versus corruption. The white/black conflict takes on many shades, but "good versus evil" is far too subjective to use properly. Lets take one of the elements of the white/black conflict, the rights of the group versus the rights of the self. This conflict pits socialism versus capitalism. Capitalism is the black side of the argument. Is capitalism inherently evil? I dont think so. (Although I know there are those that would disagree with me.) Ill talk more about black (including its good side) when we get to Black Week.

 

I cant talk about black without discussing the touchy issue. Is black synonymous with evil? I believe no. Sure, people associated with black can be evil. Its clearly the color most prone to becoming evil. Most traditional evil fantasy villains fall into black. And early Magic flavor clearly played up the evilness of black. But having a high predisposition towards evil is not the same as being evil. Let me explain.

 

The color wheel is a tool used to give structure to the games flavor. Each point (aka color) on the wheel represents a different philosophy. When a color embodies a sentiment, its unique to that color. Allies of that color might be sympathetic to the sentiment but they do not embody it outright. Thus, the first reason black cannot be synonymous with evil is that its not limited to black.

 

Every color on the color wheel is capable of committing evil acts in the name of that colors philosophy. White will create fascism. Red will commit manslaughter. Green will violently destroy things and blue will wantonly steal them. Evil is not about beliefs but actions. And all five colors are capable of doing evil things.

 

Second, many of the things black embodies can be used for good. For example, black is the color that stresses the importance of the individual. This is a fundamental part of things like capitalism and the American Constitution. Selfishness has its good uses. Sometimes, people really should put themselves first.

 

Third, people often confuse amorality with immorality. Black isnt against morality. It simply doesnt believe it means anything. An amoral person is just as likely to commit moral acts as immoral ones.

 

So yes, black mages often can be evil. But black as a color is not inherently evil. Being influenced by blacks philosophies does not necessarily mean that one will commit an evil act. That being the case, we cannot say that black represents evil. More closely aligned with evil than the other colors? Fine. More ripe with potential for evil? Sure. Evil? No. And thats a very important distinction.

 

It's more like that.

Reavers aren't evil and Lords aren't good. It's more like...well, more like...here, let me quote Mark Rosewater on the Magic: the Gathering color pie.

-snip-

I see what you're saying. Its just the way Jagex characterized it at the end was:

 

Become a Reaver if you enjoy constant change, like roleplaying the 'evil' or 'anti-hero' role, wish to focus on group work rather than individual work, like to prevent things being static and if you fancy yourself as having a fiery personality.

 

It doesn't necessarily mean that the faction is evil incarnate but does tend to lean toward evil actions. Also I think this part of your post sums it up as well:

 

So yes, black mages often can be evil. [...] That being the case, we cannot say that black represents evil. More closely aligned with evil than the other colors? Fine.

 

Still, thanks for digging that up, interesting read :).

Lol is that you with the mining cape Lady Shahdie?

Lol is that you with the mining cape Lady Shahdie?

Yeah :lol:, a whole army of me along with a gender change! While I do have quite willing and helpful friends, I tend to do a one-woman show most of the time. Also I don't wish to disturb my friends at 3 AM in the morning when I get these ideas he he he.