User blog:Master Sima Yi/Assassins vs. Templars: "good vs. evil"

"We both strive for the same end, Ezio. Only our methods differ. Do you not see that? Peace. Stability. A world where men live without fear."

- Prince Ahmet, leader of the Byzantine Templars from 1509 to 1512.

It has been a few years since we fought the evil reign of the Borgia and the Italian Templars as the benevolent Ezio Auditore da Firenze, with the aid of his Brotherhood of Assassins. After we had traveled through Italy battling Rodrigo Borgia's corrupt conspiracies, we settled in Rome to face his son Cesare's murderous tendencies and ambitions of conquest. We witnessed several decades of the Assassins trying to free the people of the Italian city-states from the dark rule of the Templars.

The Italian Templars of the late 15th and early 16th century had imbued the minds of the majority of the fans that the belief that all Templars are evil. While Assassin's Creed made the player think about whether their actions were the right ones to make, and Assassin's Creed: Revelations tried its best to erase the "Templars only want power" mentality, and Assassin's Creed III made us see the Templars' goals briefly through giving us control of Haytham Kenway, the series still seems to be overshadowed by the 'black and white' view of the universe that Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood provided us with.

Freedom and control
I personally believe that the "Dark Age of the Order", as the Templars refer to the time under the leadership of the Borgia, is the main blame for this. But of course, the concept of "peace through control" is understandably not put in a very positive light either, by both the Assassins and Erudito. When you put "control" against "freedom", it is understandable that people would go for the latter. But I don't think it is ever clearly defined that the Assassins want peace through freedom and the Templars want freedom through control. But it is never explicitly explained what they would do and what would happen if the Assassins achieve freedom for all, or the Templars acquire control - so how can we really favor any over the other? In the end, both of them want peace, and the concepts of "freedom" and "control" have

The Assassins understand that the people do not want to be under the control of the Templars: freedom is what every human being wants. Freedom to do what they want to do. In some aspects, I suppose you could see the Assassins as being anarchists; but they do seem to be in support of one government or another in most cases. Democracy is likely the Assassins' favored form of government, as it gives the people freedom to choose who to lead their country. However - as the Templars do continuously emphasize - people are flawed.

People make mistakes and do the wrong things. With freedom, it is likely the people may cause chaos or start a war. With a democratic government, it is possible a weak-willed or incapable President may be elected. Leaving the fate of the people in the hands of the Templars, who are men of knowledge and science (sans the Borgia etc), will likely prevent these mistakes from being made. After all, the Templars don't mean to make the people into personal slaves, but to achieve under their guidance. But when the people are controlled, it is only imminent that they will eventually revolt, as history has shown time and time again.

To me, it seems to be like an endless cycle, and that both Assassins and Templars are fighting for flawed ideologies. But of course, playing these games puts us right in the middle of the conflict, and it is only logical to take sides - but isn't it a little too easy to just blindlessly take the side the protagonist is a part of?

Benevolence and ruthlessness
I suppose when picking either side, the individuals who play a part in the conflict have an influence on what side we feel more inclined towards supporting. Both Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze have been well-received by the fans, both for different reasons. Even though Altaïr was an arrogant man when we first met him, both individuals are men of honour and duty, and that creates a connection with the player. We are more inclined to support the Assassins than the Templars, who then automatically become "the bad guys". When we were introduced to Haytham Kenway, that all started to change a bit. Haytham was also well-received by the fans due to his persona, but I couldn't help but get annoyed by how many times I read "even though he is a Templar" on the internet. I suppose it is understandable, but I still find it frustrating.

WILL FINISH THIS TOMORROW OR LATER THIS WEEK.