Your Alignment Doesn't Excuse Your Behavior

If you’ve ever GM’d for more than five minutes, you’ve probably heard a player say, “Hey, it’s not me doing that, it’s just what my character would do.”

And nine times out of ten, they say it right after doing something that completely derails the game. 

It’s the alignment excuse. “I’m Chaotic Neutral.” “I’m Lawful Evil.” “I’m just playing my character.” Like putting it on a character sheet gives them permission to act like a tornado made of red flags and questionable decisions. 

The same thing happens in the real world. 

People use labels like personality types, star signs, Enneagram numbers, job titles, and even trauma to explain behavior they don’t want to be accountable for. “I’m just direct.” “I have no filter.” “I’m a disruptor.” “That’s just my leadership style.” As if naming the behavior makes it untouchable. 

But here’s the thing.
You don’t get to avoid responsibility just because your chaos is labeled. 

I’ve seen players blow up a session and then shrug it off because “that’s what a Chaotic Good rogue would do.” I’ve seen people in meetings steamroll their coworkers because “they’re just super Type A.” At some point, it’s not about the label. It’s about the impact. 

And let’s be honest. Alignment is supposed to be a guide, not a get-out-of-jail-free card. 

Your character can be Chaotic Good and still care about how their actions affect the party. Your work personality can be “bold and assertive” without making your coworkers feel like they’re in a hostage negotiation. You can be a survivor of something awful and still be expected to grow, reflect, and not inflict that same chaos on others. 

One table I played at, a character was labeled as evil, but what they really seemed to mean was that they didn’t operate with the same moral compas as the rest of the group. They weren’t villainous, just unpredictable. Not cruel, but hard to trust. It made for some interesting dynamics, but only because the rest of the group was constantly adjusting to avoid conflict. And over time, that gets exhausting. 

Because it’s not just about how we behave. It’s about how we expect others to bend around our behavior. Some people hid behind “chaos” because it feels safer than vulnerability. Some people lean into a villain role because it’s easier than letting the group count on them. And some people avoid being called “good” because they associate that word with people who didn’t earn it. 

But none of that erases impact. 

Whether you’re at the table, in a workplace, or out in the world, you don’t get to throw your hands up and say, “Well, that’s just how I am.” Not if you’re playing with others. Not if you’re leading. Not if you’re showing up in a community with real people who are trying to make things better. 

Alignment is just a compass.

It’s not a defense strategy.