Evil capitalism?

Do you think people will complain if we say capitalism is evil?

When we decided to include Heaven and Hell in the game, we wanted to muddy the waters on what’s good and what’s evil. It would be too easy to say angels = good and devils = bad. Instead, we built an overall philosophy for each side that would guide their actions, allowing players to decide which is truly good or evil. Heaven believes the group trumps the individual (it’s more important for a person to take care of others) while Hell believes the individual trumps the group (a person should look out for themselves first).

Here’s the problem: Capitalism becomes Hellish. The mentality of free markets and individual rights fits into Hell’s philosophy. On the flip side, Socialism becomes Heavenly thanks to its emphasis on group welfare superseding individual rights. You could even say conservatives work for Hell and liberals work for Heaven. And while we are trying to portray Heaven and Hell as good or bad depending on your point of view, you can’t associate something with the word “Hell” without some kind of negative connotation.

Not exactly what we planned, nor what we believe. Yet that’s what some nuts will take from the game. “This game teaches kids that Republicans are evil and bleeding-heart liberals are holy!” (Given that PCs will sometimes be asked to arrest or even kill angels, perhaps this is the least controversial part of the game.)

Should we worry about that? Not sure. However, we will take steps to lessen all of this. Businessmen do not equal evil; only the ones like Kenneth Lay. And Heaven is responsible for killing hundred of thousands by bombing Seattle during a war with the Hegemony–not exactly following a Thou Shalt Not Kill ethic. Still, it will be interesting to see people’s reactions when Triune is eventually published.

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