I would like to make this thread for a listing and background for all those out there who might be playing villains.Â
During my days in swg, I played a really bad boy of a villain there. I am not gonna play one on here, but I can say it was the best RP experience of my life ever, table-top, forum or in game.
I would like to see if anyone would like to come forward and announce themselves as a true villain here.Â
I know we are fighting the Garleans and they are the bad boys, but I would like to see if anyone fancies themselves a Kefka or a Sephiroth sorta person.
I am not trying to say that anyone would ever rival the Garleans, but it would be strange to think that somewhere, someone would not thirst for power over others or seek to destroy others unless they were a Garlean.
I would just like to give a chance to people here to make themselves known in case anyone wanted to have a good bad guy to go up against.
Whether you are a cold blooded killer, a black mage in search of that one spell to rule them all or mad clown who has had enough with the world in general, here's your chance to become known.
Hope some people will reply with some good bad guys!
Rule one of being a villain: Don't tell people you're gonna be a villain. Hehehe.
I've seen a few people do it (and been one) and it's definitely a hard thing to do. Most people will not tell you if they are though, it's much more fun when it's a surprise.
Please bear my newness to these all, as I have a probably silly question.
How does RP Linkshell works for those who play the villains? I can't imagine a IC mercenary Linkshell, for example, would keep a person who is antagonistic towards them all. Even if they're a villain undercover, the gig is up after the eventual betrayal.
Is a villain destined to be forever Shell-less? Or is there a Villain Linkshell or somesuch?
(03-31-2013, 10:30 PM)Myal Wrote: [ -> ]Please bear my newness to these all, as I have a probably silly question.
How does RP Linkshell works for those who play the villains? I can't imagine a IC mercenary Linkshell, for example, would keep a person who is antagonistic towards them all. Even if they're a villain undercover, the gig is up after the eventual betrayal.
Is a villain destined to be forever Shell-less? Or is there a Villain Linkshell or somesuch?
I had this particular event happen to Deirdre. She was an undercover Garlean spy for the longest time, and ended up joining a shell called Everwatch well after she had abandoned being a spy 'for the good side'. After establishing relationships and ranking within the shell, it was eventually let out that she was a spy (even though she had stopped working for the Empire).
As a result, she was cast out of the shell, and probably 85% of the members still think she is on the bad side and are wary of her.
It really depends how you play it out, but it's more fun going along with what would happen to your character than planning your character around being in a particular shell. When being an antagonist, you have to be prepared for people to hate you.
That being said, being in a linkshell isn't going to make or break your RP. A lot of us are freelancers, and some of us get more RP than those in shells! So far, I have not seen a villain shell, and I really don't know how that would go over.
I'm astonished that despite writing a weekly column on roleplaying, I haven't actually written about villainy since July 2010.
The key is, as Deirdre is hinting, that no one is ever a villain. Deir herself wasn't a villain; she accepted a job spying on people she didn't know at the time in order to keep her children safe. Rhio worked with (not for) the Empire for a while, but that was part of a ploy to get closer to someone. I've had a character attempt to murder pretty much everyone she knew, because she genuinely believed this was the greatest kindness she could give them.
Unfortunately, the problem here is one of scale. Being villainous with justification doesn't leave your character feeling like a villain, but passing beyond the pale into full-fledged awfulness leaves everyone with a burning desire to perform an impromptu vivisection on your character. You need someone entertaining enough to be worth leaving alive while still being vile enough that people genuinely want to counter their agendas.
In terms of a full shell... I'm not sure if it would work to have a persistent member of a group known to be villainous, but it could work in short doses. You'd be jumping shells a lot, but you could certainly play up the idea that the person in question is basically being kept on a short leash by the group's leadership. Until he or she finds a way to slip the rope, so to speak.
Every villain thinks they're a hero. Every hero is someone's villain.
Also, I've seen some successful RP guilds in other games based around an evil premise with evil leadership, but more greyness in the general membership. Criminal syndicates, canon-baddie recruitment fronts and whatnot.
Perhaps more apt is to say that every character, regardless of what I guess can best be called "alignment" should have specific reasons and motivating factors supporting his or her decisions. As has been said, most textbook "villains" do not consider themselves to be such, and may simply have radical views, an alternate perspective on right versus wrong, an entirely different set of priorities and values, or other motivating factors upon which they make decisions that go against what most would consider to be the moral fiber. A character once said to a different character that I RPed, "Your 'right' is different from my 'right'!" - and that stuck with me.
That all being said, I recall a LS,
The Slaughterhouse Dogs LS that attempted something like this. Though I cannot honestly attest to how successful that endeavor was as I don't recall having any interactions with them, though I'll admit the concept was interesting.
My old main character from 1.0 is actually going to be in a villain role this round. I'm in pure agreement on its difficulty. It was a huge challenge for me but it was also the most fun I've had playing a character.
For my own character's story purposes, I'm going to be RPing a new character who will be very antagonistic. Her own personal beliefs and motivations cause her to act in such a way that my character sees her as horrible and evil, but she herself does not think so at all. I don't anticipate any other characters she may interact with seeing her as a "villain" either. (Unless, of course, they are really close to Manari)
I made her as someone with very strong personal beliefs that tend to contrast the normal way of thinking. She isn't "evil" but she does believe that she is "right" and other ways of thinking are inferior. But she's also a great actress who knows when to voice her opinion and when to blend in with the people around her.
And OOCly I don't really consider her a "villain" either, since I've made an effort to make her a plausible and convincing antagonist. I believe it's completely true that villains in RP can't walk around like Dr. Evil loudly announcing their plots to rule the world, or else they would get jumped by other players all the time, haha. However, the RP community could certainly benefit from players RPing characters that act as good antagonists, it just needs to be done well for it to be effective in RP.
I have to say I'm reading this with great interest. While I don't play a villain, I do ADORE the nasty bads. I tend to want my characters to be in a massive amount of danger all the time and having one or more antagonists is pure fun for me.
I do love role playing the victim but it also doesn't mean my characters are push overs or door mats either. Deep, dark, rich story lines are completely awesome and with really good RPers (no drama queens, know how to keep IC and OOC separate, communicate OOCly constantly to make sure things are still good, have the limits and expectations conversation beforehand and during), there's nothing else like it.
RPing a villain sounds like a cool idea that I would like to try. However, I have never really RPed so I'm wondering how you would go about antagonizing someone... Would it be more like interfering with someone's story line?
I was also thinking, why can't there be a linkshell of villains. Anyone know Venture Bros.? I'm thinking of something like the guild of calamitous intent. Heh. A linkshell providing villains for heroes on a short-term/long-term basis
I myself am actually thinking of playing a corrupted Duskwight Elezen ambassador, but I dont know yet I have a few character ideas planned just gotta decide what one >_>
I've RPed a few villains before - some which are made just for the role and some which just develop into a villain over time.
The only thing I'd really do from now on is that, unless for an event / storyline, I wouldn't make a character with the intent of being evil myself. Saying that, depending on how things play out IC when the game launches, I could totally see my own character becoming villainous.
Broken hearts, betrayed trust and such can all turn the nicest people into a 'villain'.Â
So I guess I'm not entirely sure if I'll be playing a villain yet, but it's definitely on the cards!
I have rp a few villains over my extensive rp career. In some games like UO was easier in completing the effect of being evil, ie player killing. Others it took more strategy.
With my main I wouldn't but an alt I would. Who ever heard of an evil healer?
I shall heal you so you live!!! muahahahahaha take that!!
There should always be variety in rp or then it becomes bland, for if there is love there must be hate!
<- all I had to do to become a villain, It's the shades man!