Greetings all,

Recently, my secondary group and I, with who I gather once every three months or so, have decided to give Pendragon a swing for a long one-shot game (weekend).

They are mostly D&D kinds of players, and I will run "The Grey Knight", which I think is as great a Arthuriana capsule as any scenario out there. Tournament, Morgana, mysterious magic, quest, Merlin, etc... It's not a classic without reason.

However, prepping the game we have started emailing back and forth about characters and settings, and one of the players (the one who plays our evil wizard/powermonger, quite well I have to say) is set on playing a scheming, dishonorable character à la Grima Snaketongue. Not good at fighting, but a real political animal who is very much set on amassing power at all cost.

Problem is, I don't really see how such an evil/antinomic character could be part of this game. I'm fine with some major defaults (greed, laziness, etc..), but a character ready to backstab his neighbour is really not my idea of Pendragon. So we spoke about it, and inevitably, the group now feels the game is a wee bit restrictive :)

I told them about the moral dilemnas, the grand stories and the ideals vs tradition, but I don't want them to spend a weekend they won't enjoy. I think Pendragon is such a powerful game that they could well be blown away (they do love roleplaying, and are very good at it most of the times), but they are very much ingrained with the D&D/class/alignment system.

So, what do you reckon? Maybe that's just me? Maybe I should indulge evil player envies and make him see how his behaviour is opposed to everything that the world stands for. After all, Pendragon is not about daisies and marshmallow rivers, it also deals with murder, incest, adultery, warfare, nastiness and cruelty...

Should I indulge the Borgia/Tudors approach or just go by the rules and hit them with Honor losses, etc...? Is being true to the spirit of the game better than having a fun adventure?

Tricky. A lot depends on the mindset of your player group. Will your "aspirant evilest" develop a persecution complex if he's constantly being shunned, belittled, or slapped upside his bonce for being dishonourable? Are they going to be able to adapt to roleplaying within a culture of consequences, where they aren't able to just fireball (or threaten to fireball) their way out of trouble? It's certainly easy to mistake Pendragon for a restrictive game milieu if they're used to epic-scale DnD and being the biggest, baddest asses in the setting.

Is there actually going to be opportunity for "knightly" scheming in the adventure you're planning to run? As you note, there's always room for a "face" in a party, and if he's really good at it, maybe he won't actually lose enough "Honor" to be stripped of his knighthood. I know players get typecast, but I'd worry a bit about trying to force a player that wants to play contrary to setting even after it's been explained to him and when it's just for one weekend. Can he not try something different this once?

Greg has always said Pendragon is a game about choices and consequences. I would let them make those choices, and then take the consequences. Unlike D&D, every knight NPC out there is more powerful than a starting knight and can smack them down

Sure there is room in Pendragon for evil knights. Sir Mordred is the patron saint of Scheming Bastards (literally!) everywhere!

Now, the thing to get across to your evil-knight-wannabe player is that Stupid Evil (AKA Chaotic Evil) will not prosper in Pendragon. No, what you want to be doing is to use the society's norms to your advantage; that is text-book Lawful Evil for your D&D-trained players! Maneuver your enemies to commit an insult with another enemy, and see those honor-obsessed idiots kill one another in a duel. 'Regretfully' offer your protection and guidance to the bereaved widows and orphans. And remember, you only lose (Public) Honor if the offense is known: no witnesses, no crime, as the evil mantra goes. Also, choose you betrayals carefully: the best backstab is the one where the victim actually thanks you for being such a good friend on his way to the gallows, oblivious to the last.

Grima Wormtongue is actually a good example. Middle Earth is actually a highly honorable setting, when it comes to the 'Good Guys'. Grima was able to mask his treachery as a way for Rohan to survive this coming storm (Sauron's triumph) whilst resistance would only invite destruction. But even then, Grima had to move within the confines of the rohirrim society: his power came from the fact that he was Theoden's closest advisor, and hence seen to speak with Theoden's authority. As soon as Theoden was brought back to his senses by Gandalf, Grima was finished. Now, if Grima had not been against Gandalf, he might have been able to talk his way free from even that. After all, they all thought Saruman was a friend. How was he to know that they had ALL been betrayed by that wizard? Grima was trusting that the medicine Saruman gave him would make Theoden better, instead of poisoning him. (Granted, Eomer would have still wanted his head.)

But that sets the rules for Smart Evil in Pendragon:
1) Don't get caught. This is the main rule that shields you from the consequences (Honor loss, people wishing to kill you in revenge via duels or simple murder). Alas, it is not always possible. (This rule goes double for schemers like Grima, who can't silence the accusers with a judicial duel.)
2) Cultivate allies (other PKs especially) and do not betray them; these are the guys who will help you survive when one of your scheme goes awry or even help you in your schemes. The higher the ally's status, the better. (But a word of warning, the higher-ups might not think you as indispensable as you are to yourself; you are likely to be more of a tool for them, rather than a partner.)
3) Never-ever betray your liege. Instead, become his right-hand man and use the devolved authority to dispose of your enemies (after framing them as your liege's enemies, of course).
4) In fact, never betray an oath (if you can help it). Not only will this preserve your Honor, but it makes people think you are honorable. It is easier to backstab people who trust you.
5) It is OK to betray enemies or rivals, especially if they don't know you did it (see Rule 1).
6) Always have a reasonable excuse for your actions: women are weak and at risk from robbers, so of course you took the widow under your protection, and so forth.
7) All the above rules are null and void if the payoff justifies the risks. (But note that this may result in a campaign ending.)

Uther Period is a period of might makes right. You don't step on the wrong toes and there is plenty of opportunity for evil and profit. The peasants can be abused almost without consequences, especially if they are your own. Another knight might get upset that you are messing around with his property. But if you are good with the liege and especially the King, you can go far.

Anarchy Period is almost made for scheming and backstabbing, especially at the start. Assuming you have built your powerbase during the Uther Period, this can be the big payoff, as you take over Salisbury. Failing that, you could see what is a price of a County in Cornish Court, or maybe you could sell out to the Saxons? It is so difficult being evil and having all these choices to make... And your loyal allies will of course rise as you rise; assuming that you can trust them to go along with your schemes. Alas, the truly honorable ones probably won't, but you will make sure to give a moving eulogy at their funerals and take their families (and lands) under your wing. It is the least you can do for your friends, after all.

Finally, do keep in mind that being an evil bastard should be confined to the character. Being evil knight so that you can screw the other players doesn't make you a Magnificent Bastard, but quite the opposite, and can easily result in you not being summoned back to the game group. (Not that I think this is likely the case in Greyblade's group, since they are apparently OK with him playing evil mages in D&D.)

Guys,

Thank you very much for your answers, I showed your arguments to my players and they all agree that it would be silly not to give the game a go. I hope a mixture of a great module (The Grey Knight), Arthurian mystique & epic, and my humble GMing skills will help make this a hobby-changing experience for them!

...Because I'm quite ready to hang up on D&D and co for good as I have "grown out" of it, but shhh, don't tell them that ;)