If it's dark and brutal for the sake of being so then it's stale and boring to me. There needs to be a reason behind the unethical paths characters take and exploring the morals, and philosophy of what is behind the deeds. The world plays a big role in limiting the characters power to be all good in our eyes. Which will lead to some juicy perplexions of who is right and wrong in a roleplay where one is portrayed as a hero or villain at first.