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I may be Evil, but I'm not Stupid There are a number of armies in the 40k universe that are commonly viewed as evil. This may present a role-playing challenge for good players, however. The most commonly accepted definition of evil these days, at it’s base, seems to be a concern for the self above all others. Popular portrayals of evil, however, seem to mesh this with something else, usually rudeness and insanity of one form or another. The problem is, that if you are insane, you don’t use your resources well and you won’t get far. I’ll leave the rest of this article to my Dracon, El T’taes. I may be evil, but I'm not stupid. …or rude, or insane, or unthinking, or childish and petty. Sure, I can be callous and cruel when the situation demands, but I won’t throw away good men just for a whim. Those Warriors cost me time and effort, as well as resources to train or to hire, getting them killed off to satisfy a whim would be a ridiculous waste. This sort of illusion about evil is perpetuated by those few insane dictators that rose to power through others’ fear of their unpredictability. Very few of them spent much time at the top, since that insanity made them inherently unstable and incapable of wielding power effectively. Although their instability lost them the power they had gained quickly, it also gave them a wider reputation than those of us who maintain our power through rational means.
There is a song about a Mon-Keigh pirate named Blackbeard, that goes, “He shot his First Mate in the hold one day and said, ‘I don’t give a damn. If I don’t kill someone now and then, you’ll forget who I am!’” Now, keeping one’s retainers on their toes and fearing or respecting you is a useful thing. However, one should not give them the idea that their master is too unpredictable. Not only did Blackbeard there lose a valuable sailor and assistant (a First Mate is not just any old Mon-Keigh, but an experienced seaman that has earned the trust of the Captain) but he also gave the rest of the men the idea that, no matter how hard they work for him or how much they do, he might just put a bullet in their back at random. I’d be looking for the opportunity to ambush him or jump overboard as soon as possible if I were on that crew. Simply because I am
evil doesn’t mean I have to be rude
either. You will get much farther with
a smile and a gun than with a gun alone. Insulting someone or ignoring
them just makes them mad. If I want them to do something for me, or
even just keep myself in their good favor, I’ll be the height of
courtesy. On the other hand, should I want
to anger
them so that they will make irrational decisions, insults and abuse are
the
order of the day. Just because I don’t
like someone doesn’t mean I’ll be rude to them either. Sweet words and
kindness lull the mind into
false security, and a dagger in the dark is worth a thousand blades at
dawn.
Too, there are certain
actions
which seem obviously evil, but may be counterproductive. At times,
certainly, it may be useful to
shoot fleeing enemies in the back, so they will never bother you again.
At other times, however, allowing them to
escape may be a useful device. If they
escape, they may fill the ears of others with tales of your power, with
your
reputation growing with each telling. In addition, if enemies hear that
you don’t shoot them as they
run, they
keep that option in the back of their minds, meaning that they will
never fight
like their back is against a wall, since they “know” that running away
is an
option. Remember that if you invade
your enemies minds, their hearts will not be in the battle.
“Look out for number one.” While that sounds like a good idea, it’s just that sort of short term planning that prevents Chaos raids from becoming true Black Crusades. Certainly, I would like to be the leader, but if that’s not practical, I’ll support an Archon that could be the leader. I will offer what assistance and advice I can and make myself invaluable to him or her. Being the power behind the throne is good for me and will allow me to increase the power of my Kabal, without making me a big target. In addition, should the Archon become a liability, it will be much easier for a trusted advisor to know of coming trouble, or make a quick assassination if necessary. Know what you want and why it can be good for you.
Thank you, El T’taes. Remember that evil still has the same problems as good, it sometimes just uses a different set of tools. If you enjoyed this, email me and let me know |