As possibly the record holder for possessor of most PC souls on the server, I feel like I should add my two gil.
A lot of good discussion, and some points I hadn't considered before. First and foremost, when assuming the role of antagonist it is important to establish clear lines of communication so that all parties involved feel comfortable and are having a good time. Find out what everyone is looking for in an interaction, and make sure that people are comfortable with the darkened corridors down which a villain can sometimes lead. I learned early on to set up rules and expectations at the get go, it save a lot of frustration down the line. I've run into more god modding heroes of light who think they should win by default than I have god modding baddies.
People like playing the hero. The sense of doing right, and having people thank you for it is intoxicating. And more often than not, people just like to get along. I think that's why most tend to shy away from characters who they think won't fit in. Villains are outcasts by nature. Their mode of thinking runs counter to society at large, and that friction is the source of conflict. Someone mentioned it earlier, that a good villain needs to believe that they're doing right, and I agree. In their minds, the heroes are foolishly resisting a plainly obvious truth.
Constructing a decent villain character isn't any harder or easier than constructing a hero character, it just takes a different kind of player.
A lot of good discussion, and some points I hadn't considered before. First and foremost, when assuming the role of antagonist it is important to establish clear lines of communication so that all parties involved feel comfortable and are having a good time. Find out what everyone is looking for in an interaction, and make sure that people are comfortable with the darkened corridors down which a villain can sometimes lead. I learned early on to set up rules and expectations at the get go, it save a lot of frustration down the line. I've run into more god modding heroes of light who think they should win by default than I have god modding baddies.
People like playing the hero. The sense of doing right, and having people thank you for it is intoxicating. And more often than not, people just like to get along. I think that's why most tend to shy away from characters who they think won't fit in. Villains are outcasts by nature. Their mode of thinking runs counter to society at large, and that friction is the source of conflict. Someone mentioned it earlier, that a good villain needs to believe that they're doing right, and I agree. In their minds, the heroes are foolishly resisting a plainly obvious truth.
Constructing a decent villain character isn't any harder or easier than constructing a hero character, it just takes a different kind of player.