History BlackAndGrayMorality / TabletopGames

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' is nothing but this. Intentionally.

** Again, its not as much as normal "Good" as much as "being nicer and more rational than those around" or (at least slightly) caring about (their own) civilians and collateral. Tau is your typical militaristic expansionist state. Cain did admit that he actually shot a number of his own troops[[note]]For incompetence of all things[[/note]], absolutely abhors Xeno races and "traitors" [[note]]Humans that decided that Greater Good suits them better than rule of the Imperium. Often they weren't exactly [[JoinOrDie given a choice]] [[/note]] and sees nothing wrong to use criminals for target practice in military orphanage.
** It is saying something about the setting when you consider the "good" factions of the game: [[CantArgueWithElves arrogant space elves]] who [[FantasticRacism view humans as little better than filthy, stupid animals]]; the [[TheEmpire Imperium of Man]] which is an AntiHero ''[[HumansAreTheRealMonsters at best]]'', but would easily fall into villainy in most settings, where their policy against all aliens is [[AbsoluteXenophobe shoot first, talk later]] and have same attitude as aforementioned Eldar regarding aliens, but with a "slight" difference that while Eldar are mostly butthurt space elves that are limited to insults and schemes, Imperium is actually busy exterminating non-humans '''daily'''. Also they destroy entire planets of people if it is suspected to have a substantial corruption of Chaos, not to mention that their oppression is nothing short of fascism; and the communist [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Tau Empire]], whose leaders are powerful psychics that control their followers through mind control and their MO is "join us and serve the Greater Good, or we'll kill your entire race". That said, at least Tau bother with allies, the Eldar leave you alone unless you come up in one of their schemes, and the Imperium is fairly tolerable of you as long as you're human and believe in the God Emperor. Which is more than we can say for Chaos, Orks, Necrons, Tyranids, and Dark Eldar.

* The ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign world ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}'' lives for this trope. The world of Oerth is always on a knife's edge between Law and Chaos, and there is an organization led by Mordenkainen the Mage (who must people will recognize because his name appears on a few spells) that ensures that neither gains ascendancy... by any means necessary. Mordenkainen, in canon fiction ([[Creator/GaryGygax Word of Gygax]], however, has it that this wasn't intended originally, had he not been ousted from Creator/{{TSR}}) will work with the BigBad one week, and then lead a group of paladins against him the next... all to keep the balance between Law and Chaos correct.

* ''TabletopGame/((Paranoia))'' is divided into people who do evil things for personal profit, people who do evil things because they're fanatical nutcases, and people who do evil things because one of the first two types ordered them to. The closest people to "good guys" in Alpha Complex are members of secret societies like the Mystics, whose agendas are merely utterly selfish instead of actively destructive.

* ''TabletopGame/Paranoia'' is divided into people who do evil things for personal profit, people who do evil things because they're fanatical nutcases, and people who do evil things because one of the first two types ordered them to. The closest people to "good guys" in Alpha Complex are members of secret societies like the Mystics, whose agendas are merely utterly selfish instead of actively destructive.

* Most of the gamelines in [[TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness both]] [[TabletopGame/NewWorldOFDarkness incarnations]] of the World of Darkness present a system where the playable factions are some shade of Grey and are opposed by a faction who is Black:

** ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'' has the Pentacle Orders, an alliance between various Mage factions acting behind the scene who all have their individual flaws, opposing the Seers of the Throne, an AncientConspiracy and DeadlyDecadentCourt who willingly serve god-like tyranic beings into secretly ruling mankind.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} Fantasy'' is almost as bad as TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}. The main "good" races are arrogant elves, isolationist elves, power-hungry humans, grim feudalistic humans[[note]]that treat peasants as literal garbage[[/note]], {{Mayincatec}} lizards who practice human sacrifice, and [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves that are all the same, only with fatalism and grudges against everyone under the sun]]. You get the occasional hero; you also get regular sociopaths. Fantasy does, however, have good people like [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Emperor Karl Franz]], [[TheWisePrince Prince Tyrion]], [[TheAtoner Alith Anar]], and [[AnIcePerson Tsarina Katerin]], so it's not nearly as dark as 40k.

** Just for the forces of Order, the Stormcast Eternals may be heroes all, but they will still kill you if you are tainted with Chaos through no fault of your own, and not all of them will even feel bad about it. The Fyreslayers have channeled the honor of their Dwarven ancestors into following their mercenary code to the letter. The Kharadron Overlords are SkyPirates. The Daughters of Khaine are a terrifying murder cult who happen to despise the forces of Chaos and Death more than anyone else. The Idoneth Deepkin are isolationists being reluctantly forced to work with others, and who have to eat souls for their people to survive. The [[GaiasVengeance Sylvaneth]] range from slightly xenophobic at best to AxCrazy OmnicidalManiacs like Drycha.

** Just for the forces of Order, the Stormcast Eternals may be heroes all, but they will still kill you if you are tainted with Chaos through no fault of your own, and not all of them will even feel bad about it. The Fyreslayers have channeled the honor of their Dwarven ancestors into following their mercenary code to the letter. The Kharadron Overlords are SkyPirates. The Daughters of Khaine are a terrifying murder cult who happen to despise the forces of Chaos and Death. The Idoneth Deepkin are isolationists being reluctantly forced to work with others, and who have to eat souls for their people to survive.
** The forces of Destruction are mostly just there to fight and destroy because they like it.
** The forces of Chaos are involved with literal demonic entities.

** [[ForgottenRealms The city of Neverwinter]], which has its own campaign book as of 4th Edition. Sure, you have the standard ObviouslyEvil factions such as the [[EldritchAbomination Abolethic Sovereignty]], [[TheNecrocracy Thay]], the [[ReligionOfEvil Ashmadai]], and a [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent criminal empire of wererats]], but even the "good" factions don't come off particularly well. [[TheUsurper Lord Dagult Neverember]] is unquestionably helping the city recover after being ravaged by an erupting volcano, but he's a bit of a sleazeball and his reasons for devoting resources and money to the city aren't entirely altruistic. And [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters the Sons of Alagondar]], while certainly well-intentioned in their desire to see Neverwinter back in the hands of its people, are willing to murder, riot and hop into bed with the Dead Rats and Thay in order to see their goals achieved.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} Fantasy'' is almost as bad as TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}. The main "good" races are arrogant elves, isolationist elves, power-hungry humans, grim feudalistic humans[[note]]that treat peasants as literal garbage[[/note], {{Mayincatec}} lizards who practice human sacrifice, and [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves that are all the same, only with fatalism and grudges against everyone under the sun]]. You get the occasional hero; you also get regular sociopaths. Fantasy does, however, have good people like [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Emperor Karl Franz]], [[TheWisePrince Prince Tyrion]], [[TheAtoner Alith Anar]], and [[AnIcePerson Tsarina Katerin]], so it's not nearly as dark as 40k.

** It is saying something about the setting when you consider the "good" factions of the game: [[CantArgueWithElves arrogant space elves]] who [[FantasticRacism view humans as little better than filthy, stupid animals]]; the [[TheEmpire Imperium of Man]] which is an AntiHero ''[[HumansAreTheRealMonsters at best]]'', but would easily fall into villainy in most settings, where their policy against all aliens is [[AbsoluteXenophobe shoot first, talk later]], and they destroy entire planets of people if it is suspected to have a substantial corruption of Chaos, not to mention that their oppression is nothing short of fascism; and the communist [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Tau Empire]], whose leaders are powerful psychics that control their followers through mind control and their MO is "join us and serve the Greater Good, or we'll kill your entire race". That said, at least Tau bother with allies, the Eldar leave you alone unless you come up in one of their schemes, and the Imperium is fairly tolerable of you as long as you're human and believe in the God Emperor. Which is more than we can say for Chaos, Orks, Necrons, Tyranids, and Dark Eldar.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} Fantasy'' is almost as bad as TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}. The main "good" races are arrogant elves, isolationist elves, power-hungry humans, grim feudalistic humans[[note]]that treat peasants as literal garbage[[/spoiler]], {{Mayincatec}} lizards who practice human sacrifice, and [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves that are all the same, only with fatalism and grudges against everyone under the sun]]. You get the occasional hero; you also get regular sociopaths. Fantasy does, however, have good people like [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Emperor Karl Franz]], [[TheWisePrince Prince Tyrion]], [[TheAtoner Alith Anar]], and [[AnIcePerson Tsarina Katerin]], so it's not nearly as dark as 40k.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} Fantasy'' is almost as bad as TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}. The main "good" races are arrogant elves, isolationist elves, power-hungry humans, grim feudalistic humans, {{Mayincatec}} lizards who practice human sacrifice, and [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves that are all the same, only with fatalism and grudges against everyone under the sun]]. You get the occasional hero; you also get regular sociopaths. Fantasy does, however, have good people like [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Emperor Karl Franz]], [[TheWisePrince Prince Tyrion]], [[TheAtoner Alith Anar]], and [[AnIcePerson Tsarina Katerin]], so it's not nearly as dark as 40k.

** The Alchemical Exalted have humanity's best interests at heart (at least, the portion of humanity that they'r [[CaptainPatriotic sworn to protect]]), but are forced out of necessity to serve and uphold the tenets of an unimaginably restrictive, totalitarian regime. Worse yet, those that end up striking out on their own end up succumbing to [[TheCorruption Voidtech]], turning them into [[RoboticPsychopath Robotic Psychopaths]]. And even then, high [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul Clarity]] Alchemicals often end up incomprehensible a=to normal humans, not to mention completely ruthless in pursuit of their goals.

** the [[TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost regular Changelings]] vs [[TheQuisling Loyalists]] to the [[TheFairFolk True Fae]], and [[ArtificialHuman Prometheans]] vs [[BodyHorror Pandorans and (most) Centimani]]. The exception would be the werewolves, with the main factions being the Tribes of the Moon vs the [[WellIntentionedExtremist Pure]], who are both Gray. The Black faction in that gameline (the Bale Hounds, worshipers of [[MadGod the Maeljin Incarna]]) mostly sit on the sidelines. They are also one of the only things the other two can agree on [[EnemyMine fighting against]].

* Most of the gamelines in [[TabletopGame/OldWorldOfDarkness both]] [[TabletopGame/NewWorldOFDarkness incarnations]] of the World of Darkness present a system where the playable factions are some shade of Grey and are opposed by a faction who is Black. The majority of [[TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem vampires]] vs [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Belial's Brood]], the Pentacle Orders vs the [[AncientConspiracy Seers of the Throne]], the [[TabletopGame/ChangelingTheLost regular Changelings]] vs [[TheQuisling Loyalists]] to the [[TheFairFolk True Fae]], and [[ArtificialHuman Prometheans]] vs [[BodyHorror Pandorans and (most) Centimani]]. The exception would be the werewolves, with the main factions being the Tribes of the Moon vs the [[WellIntentionedExtremist Pure]], who are both Gray. The Black faction in that gameline (the Bale Hounds, worshipers of [[MadGod the Maeljin Incarna]]) mostly sit on the sidelines. They are also one of the only things the other two can agree on [[EnemyMine fighting against]].

** On a general scale, you can't find any faction that is good by our standards, but some sub-factions and characters, like several SpaceMarine chapters, a few Imperial Guard regiments, the occasional Craftworld Eldar protagonist, Literature/{{Ravenor}} and Literature/CiaphasCain '''(HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!)''' or the Tau count as good. Unfortunately, they are far outnumbered by less moral groups, {{Bad Boss}}es, [[WellIntentionedExtremist people who go]] [[KnightTemplar too far]] for their cause, and the Dark Eldar, Necrons, Tyranids and the forces of Chaos.

* The ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign world ''TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}}'' lives for this trope. The world of Oerth is always on a knife's edge between Law and Chaos, and there is an organization led by Mordenkainen the Mage (who must people will recognize because his name appears on a few spells) that ensures that neither gains ascendancy... by any means necessary. Mordenkainen, in canon fiction ([[Creator/GaryGygax Word of Gygax]], however, has it that this wasn't intended originally, had he not been ousted from TSR) will work with the BigBad one week, and then lead a group of paladins against him the next... all to keep the balance between Law and Chaos correct.

* The ''Necessary Evil'' setting for the SavageWorlds game-line starts out with all the superheroes of the world getting killed by a precision strike by invading aliens. The only ones left to oppose them (the [=PCs=] and their allies) are the supervillains.

** In ''TabletopGameGeniusTheTransgression'', the Peerage deliberately chose to be Grey because if you have a Genius go off on his own he'll often become [[TheUnfettered Illuminated]], and if the choice is between accepting jerks or have them wander off and turn into Mengele, you'd better get used to putting up with jerks. The Storyteller is advised to keep the players wondering whether the AncientConspiracy Lemuria is really that bad compared to the barely human nutbars in high-up positions in the Peerage. (The "black" role here is played not so much by modern Lemuria, which is just going through the motions, but by [[EmptyShell Clockstoppers]], the Illuminated, and the occasional Hollow Earth Nazi or Phantom Slaver Yeti.)

** In ''GeniusTheTransgression'', the Peerage deliberately chose to be Grey because if you have a Genius go off on his own he'll often become [[TheUnfettered Illuminated]], and if the choice is between accepting jerks or have them wander off and turn into Mengele, you'd better get used to putting up with jerks. The Storyteller is advised to keep the players wondering whether the AncientConspiracy Lemuria is really that bad compared to the barely human nutbars in high-up positions in the Peerage. (The "black" role here is played not so much by modern Lemuria, which is just going through the motions, but by [[EmptyShell Clockstoppers]], the Illuminated, and the occasional Hollow Earth Nazi or Phantom Slaver Yeti.)

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' is nothing but this. Intentionally. Every time it looks like another race, usually the Tau or Eldar, is starting to look more sympathetic than the fascist (among other things) Imperium, they'll start pulling off new atrocities in the next edition. In 40K, about the ''best'' you can hope for is a WellIntentionedExtremist or KnightTemplar who won't kill you too painfully.

*** Again, its not as much as normal "Good" as much as "being nicer and more rational than those around" or (at least slightly) caring about (their own) civilians and collateral. Tau is your typical fascist militaristic expansionist state. Cain did admit that he actually shot a number of his own troops[[note]]For incompetence of all things[[/note]], absolutely abhors Xeno races and "traitors" [[note]]Humans that decided that Greater Good suits them better than rule of the Imperium. Often they weren't exactly [[JoinOrDie given a choice]] [[/note]] and sees nothing wrong to use criminals for target practice in military orphanage.

** On a general scale, you can't find any faction that is good by our standards, but some sub-factions and characters, like several SpaceMarine chapters, a few Imperial Guard regiments, the occasional Craftworld Eldar protagonist, {{Ravenor}} and Literature/CiaphasCain '''(HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!)''' or the Tau count as good. Unfortunately, they are far outnumbered by less moral groups, {{Bad Boss}}es, [[WellIntentionedExtremist people who go]] [[KnightTemplar too far]] for their cause, and the Dark Eldar, Necrons, Tyranids and the forces of Chaos.

* ''{{Winterweir}}'' is an Anti-Traditional Fantasy RPG in many respects. As such, the Trow and humans killing each other are more likely to be decent people suffering FantasticRacism than not.

* ''{{Exalted}}'' tends to vary between this and GreyAndGrayMorality, depending on your exact portrayal of the different factions.