Some of these examples are great.  I never completely understood the 1E definition of CN as an alignment.  Sometimes I thought it was kind of like how scientists speculate that such and such thing is an example of a positive such and such thing.  There must therefore be an opposite, negative such and such thing, (even if we haven't found one yet) and  Gygax included it because it just logically followed there had to be an opposite for Lawful neutral on the table.

Quote from: IggytheBorg;844134Some of these examples are great.  I never completely understood the 1E definition of CN as an alignment.  Sometimes I thought it was kind of like how scientists speculate that such and such thing is an example of a positive such and such thing.  There must therefore be an opposite, negative such and such thing, (even if we haven't found one yet) and  Gygax included it because it just logically followed there had to be an opposite for Lawful neutral on the table.

So it's basically the dark matter of alignments.

jg

Until now, that is how I sometimes thought of it.

Would the Hulk be chaotic neutral?  I don't think he favors good over evil TOO much.  He just wants to smash whatever's bothering him at the moment.  And he sure as hell doesn't give a damn about laws and rules.

Quote from: IggytheBorg;844134Some of these examples are great.  I never completely understood the 1E definition of CN as an alignment.  Sometimes I thought it was kind of like how scientists speculate that such and such thing is an example of a positive such and such thing.  There must therefore be an opposite, negative such and such thing, (even if we haven't found one yet) and  Gygax included it because it just logically followed there had to be an opposite for Lawful neutral on the table.

Yeah, a lot of problems with alignment comes from the idea that because a lot of Good and Lawful people want to promote Goodness and Law for their own sake, that means that Chaotic, Neutral and Evil people are dedicated to promoting Chaos, Neutrality and Evil for their own sake giving you barking mad definitions of neutrality being stuff like "wants to make sure that there isn't too much good or too much evil so will ally with whichever side is weaker."

You just don't need people sitting down and planning out how to maximize the amount of evil in society for there to be lots of evil around.

Quote from: IggytheBorg;844812Would the Hulk be chaotic neutral?  I don't think he favors good over evil TOO much.  He just wants to smash whatever's bothering him at the moment.  And he sure as hell doesn't give a damn about laws and rules.

That's another great example.

JG

Quote from: RPGPundit;843933Are there more serious people who are CN?

If we take a delve into real life, Hunter S. Thompson is most likely that.  You can always use the character he inspired, Spider Jerusalem as an example - his moral moments were punctuated by absolute amorality, and although he hardly "lacked a conscience", he didn't seem motivated by any sort of desire of good towards his fellow man (rather the opposite).  

Anansi is another classic one, as is Coyote, several incarnations of Loki, and many other trickster gods.  Although certainly featuring in humorous stories, the characters themselves are not humorous.  Rather far from it.  

As much as Game of Thrones is overrated and over referenced, it's still good.  Sandor Clegane has no loyalty but to himself, and is hardly good or evil.  

Lieutenant Kilgore might slam into Chaotic Evil, but his motives really aren't really pure evil.  He just really, really, really happens to enjoy war.  And napalm.  

Peter Pan is as joyful as he is murderous, and known to switch sides at a whim.  Don't trust Disney.

How does Crowley's Law of Thelema "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" fit in?

Any true anarchist group though the idea on an anarchist organization always filled me with amusement.

I think the key with CN is to be aware that it can be a giant rage monster like the Hulk but it could also be the quiet loner sitting in the corner of the bar minding his own business.

If you think about Fight Club the narrator (Ed Norton in the movie) is probably CN. He has effectively decided to opt out of the world. However he lacks any drive to do anything about it and doesn't want to take any action.
Tyler Derden however chooses to promote Chaos actively, thus providing the drive the narrator lacks, but in doing so he has to adopt a set of rules as Project Mayhem needs organisation to work. Does that make him L or is he still CN as his aims are to create a anarchic end state?

CN types

i) Mad - Hulk
ii) Random - Dice Man
iii) Loners - Riddick
iv) Anarchists - Twelve Monkeys
v) Rebels - James Dean

I'd say Han Solo at the beginning of Star Wars: A New Hope. It's not until the end of the movie that he turns out to shift over to Chaotic Good.

Quote from: Omega;842498Yeah.

Base interpretation is that its chaotic without anything to define it. And really that could be any sort of relatively odd or crazy characters from Mel Brooks to Pinkie Pie.

The big thing is that there is neither maliciousness nor kindness in it. Or if it is, its incidental or accidental to the general randomness.

The real issue though is. How is the player playing it? Because trying to go on a serious adventure or talk to the mob whole Joe is playing the accordion and throwing pies is at times going to put the stress test on someone elses patience.

Pinkie Pie has been CG at times.

Quote from: GreyICE;844999If we take a delve into real life, Hunter S. Thompson is most likely that.  You can always use the character he inspired, Spider Jerusalem as an example - his moral moments were punctuated by absolute amorality, and although he hardly "lacked a conscience", he didn't seem motivated by any sort of desire of good towards his fellow man (rather the opposite).  

Actually, I think if you read his stuff, it's pretty clear HST had a profound moral sense. He was just completely jaded by the time he started seriously writing, a utopian anarchist smart enough to know (unlike most utopian anarchists) that he lived in a world that he absolutely knew would never be as good as he imagined it had the potential to be.

Quote from: jibbajibba;845001How does Crowley's Law of Thelema "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" fit in?

Not at all. However, the (total mis-)interpretation some people have made of the Law of Thelema could fit CN.