History Main / NoCampaignFortheWicked

* Averted in ''VideoGame/LiveALive'', the final chapter allows you to [[spoiler:play as Odio and kill everyone else]].

[[folder:BeatThemAll]]
* While in the seventh ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'', every kingdom gets his own campaign, even the more agressives ones, neither Dong Zhuo nor Zhang Jiao are playable in the Story Mode. They do, however, get one stage each in the Xtreme Legend expansion
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** In the 20th Anniversary edition, Nephandi (mages who have corrupted their avatars and now work towards [[OmnicidalManiac Descension]]) are not allowed as PlayerCharacters. The Book of the Fallen discusses the reasoning for this in detail; while realizing that there's nothing they can do to stop players from running such a campaign if they really want to, the authors strongly discourage it because the Nephandi are meant to be genuinely disturbing perpetrators of real world horrors of the worst sort, not LaughablyEvil cartoon villains in black robes. As such, players running Nephandi PlayerCharacters would be either missing the point or acting out some really disturbing scenarios that many people would find too disturbing to enjoy.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'', it's played straight, as the campaign has you battling against the Octolings, and you can't play as Octolings in the multiplayer, either. This was changed in ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'', as the Octoling named Agent 8 got a campaign through DLC, and completing it unlocked playable Octolings in multiplayer.

** In the 2nd game you can play as [[BigBad Archibald Ironfist's]] top general [[NoCanonForTheWicked though it's a non-canon path]]. The 3rd game and its expansions have quite a few campaigns that let you play around with the evil armies (and those ''are'' canon).

* Averted throughout most of the ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' series. In the 1st game, there are four available lords to choose from, two of which the game identifies as 'evil' and two which are identified as 'good', though given that the campaigns are ''identical'' except for lacking the scenario that is about conquering the lord you play as there isn't much to indicate their actual morals (except for the canonical victor, the Knight Lord Ironfist, which the manual paints in an ambiguous light). In the 2nd game you can play as [[BigBad Archibald Ironfist's]] top general [[NoCanonForTheWicked though it's a non-canon path]]. The 3rd game and its expansions have quite a few campaigns that let you play around with the evil armies (and those ''are'' canon). Mostly played straight in the 4th game; the most "evil" main characters are a half-dead AntiHero necromancer [[spoiler: who saves the world from a death god]], and a pirate who spends most of her campaign [[EvilVersusEvil fighting even worse pirates and sea monsters]]. The 5th game and its expansions has only one campaign with an evil main character. It makes up for it by making said character ''the most evil person in the franchise''. Also technically in the second campaign you play as the villain of the first one, but he is in the process of HeelFaceTurn when you control him.

* Averted throughout most of the ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' series. In the 1st game, there are four available lords to choose from, two of which the game identifies as 'evil' and two which are identified as 'good', though given that the campaigns are ''identical'' except for lacking the scenario that is about conquering the lord you play as there isn't much to indicate their actual morals (except for the canonical victor, the Knight Lord Ironfist, which the manual paints in an ambiguous light). In the 2nd game you can play as [[BigBad Archibald Ironfist's]] top general [[NoCanonForTheWicked though it's a non-canon path]]. The 3rd game and its expansions have quite a few campaigns that let you play around with the evil armies (and those ''are'' canon). Mostly played straight in the 4th game; the most "evil" main characters are a half-dead AntiHero necromancer [[spoiler: who saves the world from a death god]], and a pirate who spends most of her campaign [[EvilVersusEvil fighting even worse pirates and sea monsters]]. The 5th game and its expansions has only one campaign with an evil main character. It makes up for it by making said character ''the most evil person in the franchise''.

** BECMI (Basic/Expert/Companion/Master/Immortal) D&D, Immortals boxed set (1986). Player controlled {{PC}} Immortals are forbidden to be from the Sphere of Entropy, because creatures from that Sphere are all evil. All Entropy Sphere Immortals are {{NPC}}s.

*** Splatbooks for ''TabletopGame/{{Forgotten Realms}}'' discourage the playing of evil-aligned characters and/or warn than options present for such ones are strictly for {{NPC}} use only.
*** ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' campaign setting supplement ''Domains of Dread''. No {{PC}} is allowed to be a domain lord, because long before they could achieve this they would become so evil that they would change into an {{NPC}}.

** 2nd Edition supplement ''Aztlan'', Blood Magic part of Gamemaster Information section. It is specifically stated on multiple occasions and in large print that PlayerCharacters are not allowed to learn or use Aztlan blood magic or summon blood spirits. In later editions learning BloodMagic instantly turns you into an {{NPC}}, no exceptions, because good shadowrunners don't do that sort of thing.

This is especially obvious in WWII-themed FirstPersonShooter games; it is usually the case that even though you can play both the Allied and the Axis sides in multiplayer, the single-player campaign allows you to play only as the Allied side. Whether this is because developers believe that given that they're, well, [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazis]] players will not or should not be allowed to play as the bad guys, or because historically they lost and they feel that [[GodwinsLawOfTimeTravel leading them to victory feels a bit weird]] is difficult to say, but it is worth noting that RealTimeStrategy games, flight sims, tactical wargames and grand strategy games usually allow you to play the Axis in single-player mode. This may have something to do with the player being more removed from the action in those types of games as well as just how awesome German ''machinery'' were.

** In the ''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension'' 20th Anniversary edition, Nephandi (demon/devil worshippers) are not allowed as PlayerCharacters.

* ''TabletopGame/DCHeroes RPG''. It is literally impossible to play a criminal or super criminal under the rules as written. The rules specifically assume that the PlayerCharacter will be some kind of suerhero.

* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'': Being the original (and recurring) FinalBoss of the series, Satan a.k.a. the Dark Prince played it straight during the ''Compile'' run, but it's been averted in most ''Creator/{{Sega}}'' games that feature him: his own story modes in ''VidoGame/PuyoPuyo15thAnniversary'' and ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo20thAnniversary'', as well as being Ringo's playable partner in two chapters in ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo7'' and can be added to your Skill Battle team in ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoChronicle'' and ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris2''.

* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'': Being the original (and recurring) FinalBoss of the series, Satan a.k.a. the Dark Prince played it straight during the ''Compile'' run, but it's been averted in most ''Creator/{{Sega}}'' games that feature him: his own story modes in ''15th Anniversary'' and ''20th Anniversary'', as well as being Ringo's playable partner in two chapters in ''Puyo Puyo 7'' and can be added to your Skill Battle team in ''Puyo Puyo Chronicle'' and ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoTetris2''.

* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'': Being the original (and recurring) FinalBoss of the series, Satan a.k.a. the Dark Prince played it straight during the ''Compile'' run, but it's been averted in most ''Creator/{{Sega}}'' games that feature him: his own story modes in ''15th Anniversary'' and ''20th Anniversary'', as well as being Ringo's playable partner in two chapters in ''Puyo Puyo 7'' and can be added to your Skill Battle team in ''Puyo Puyo Chronicle'' and ''Puyo Puyo Tetris 2''.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2'' is pretty much "[[TheOneWith The One Where]] You Get To Play As [[CharacterS/KingdomHeartsOrganizationXIII Organization XIII]]". DoubleSubverted in the main story, however, since the main character, Roxas, is the Organization's TokenGoodTeammate [[spoiler: who ends up [[DefectorFromDecadence defecting from them]] by the end of the game]].

** 3rd Edition supplement ''Matrix''. {{Artificial Intelligence}}s are able to create otaku (people who can enter The Matrix without using a cyberdeck). Since the only {{AI}}-created otaku in the game are the evil ones created by the ruthless AI Deus, game masters are advised to not let players play them.

* ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'': Being the original (and recurring) FinalBoss of the series, Satan a.k.a. the Dark Prince typically plays it straight, but there have been some aversions: his own story modes in ''15th Anniversary'' and ''20th Anniversary'', as well as being Ringo's playable partner in two chapters in ''Puyo Puyo 7''.

* The ''TabletopGame/{{Alternity}}'' game's ''TabletopGame/StarDrive'' setting. In ''Magazine/{{Polyhedron}}'' magazine #139, the RPGA (Role Playing Game Association) declared that its "Living Verge" campaign would not allow PlayerCharacters who possessed the moral attitudes Despicable or Unscrupulous or the trait Amoral. In other words, they weren't allowed to be the ''TabletopGame/StarDrive'' version of evil.

* In ''[[VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}]]'', it's played straight, as the campaign has you battling against the Octolings, and you can't play as Octolings in the multiplayer, either. This was changed in ''[[VideoGame/Splatoon2]]'', as the Octoling named Agent 8 got a campaign through DLC, and completing it unlocked playable Octolings in multiplayer.

* In ''[[VideoGame/Splatoon]]'', it's played straight, as the campaign has you battling against the Octolings, and you can't play as Octolings in the multiplayer, either. This was changed in ''[[VideoGame/Splatoon2]]'', as the Octoling named Agent 8 got a campaign through DLC, and completing it unlocked playable Octolings in multiplayer.

[[folder:TurnBasedStrategy]]
* In the three ''[[Videogame/NintendoWars Advance Wars]]'' games (Advance Wars, Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising, Advance Wars: Dual Strike), you can't play as Black Hole in Campaign Mode. However, in other modes, the Black Hole [=COs=] are playable.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Godlike}}'' ''Will to Power'', which covered the Nazi side of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII in the game. It said that players couldn't play Nazi characters and if they did, they should "get some help".

* The First Edition of ''TabletopGame/StarWarsD6'' originally had ''all'' PCs be members of the Rebel Alliance from the start with no information or support given for a GM to run campaigns focusing on independents, let alone Imperials. This gradually shifted with the publication of new sourcebooks and a change of tone in the rulebook itself of and by the final edition of the game a Rebellion focused campaign was merely the default among many options.

* Harebrained Schemes' ''VideoGame/{{Battletech}}'' allows the PlayerCharacter's mercenary company to take jobs from a multitude of Inner Sphere and Periphery factions during the story mode... But you are never given the option to take jobs from or side with the [[TheUsurper Aurigan Directorate]], [[spoiler:or the Taurian Concordat as long as they're backing the Directorate]], and the main campaign always involves supporting Kamea in overthrowing the Directorate. The game justifies this in that your company were hired as her CadreOfForeignBodyguards, and thanks to her backers in the Magistracy of Canopus Kamea owns your company's not-insignificant debts to a variety of "break your kneecaps"-style Periphery banking institutions.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife: Opposing Force'' worked similarly to the Elite's campaign, with you as one of the marines that invade Black Mesa to cover up the AlienInvasion by killing everyone, alien and human alike. However, your helicopter goes down before you can get your marching orders (and apparently, neither do any of the grunts you encounter later and recruit to help you), so the whole game is just killing aliens, as well as the Black Ops who show up to mop up any survivors from either side. Though there ''is'' talk of finding and killing some guy named "Freeman" that you never actually meet... eh, he's probably not important.

* ''{{VideoGame/Vietcong}}'' has only an American campaign following a single character. The sequel has a short Vietcong campaign though.

* Averted in the (Czech-made) ''Vietcong 2'', which does have a campaign where you play as the Vietcong, although it's much shorter than the American campaign, and portrays the Vietcong in a reasonably negative (albeit ironic) light. Played straight in the first one though.

* ''MetroLastLight'' released a DLC pack that contained numerous mini-campaigns from the [=POVs=] of various heroes and villains from the main game, including members from the enemy neo-Nazi and neo-Soviet factions as well as the [[EnsembleDarkHorse fan favorite]] villain Pavel.