As one of the resident "villain" RPers, I figured I would chime in with my two cents.Â
I agree with you on some points. There are many ways to play a villain, from the mustache-twirling baddie who's in it for the evil alone to the outwardly innocent criminal mastermind, and everything in between. However, there was one thing that I -do- disagree heavily with:
"Money, Power, Women; they do not influence a Villains agenda."
I have to object here, as someone who plays a largely hedonism-driven "villain" type. Xheja is a poisonmaker, but she continues to do it for money and power -- two things that allow her to live out her life as she wants it, unhindered. When she started, there -was- a sort of sadistic amusement there in it that urged her along for reasons. But now, that sort of dark desire to do harm to others is (mostly) under control, leaving the motivations of money, leisure, and status behind to keep her doing what she's doing at the detriment of others. Â So I think it's hard to say a blanket statement like "A villain is not motivated by anything but a desire to do evil" or some such.Â
That all said, I really agree with Cylin on not trying to pigeonhole what makes a "good" villain. There's too many types, motivations, methods and other factors. There will never be a good "one size fits all" villain because if you really think about it, who the "villain" is in a situation is all purely relative. And if a certain type isn't your cup of tea? Don't RP with them.
I agree with you on some points. There are many ways to play a villain, from the mustache-twirling baddie who's in it for the evil alone to the outwardly innocent criminal mastermind, and everything in between. However, there was one thing that I -do- disagree heavily with:
"Money, Power, Women; they do not influence a Villains agenda."
I have to object here, as someone who plays a largely hedonism-driven "villain" type. Xheja is a poisonmaker, but she continues to do it for money and power -- two things that allow her to live out her life as she wants it, unhindered. When she started, there -was- a sort of sadistic amusement there in it that urged her along for reasons. But now, that sort of dark desire to do harm to others is (mostly) under control, leaving the motivations of money, leisure, and status behind to keep her doing what she's doing at the detriment of others. Â So I think it's hard to say a blanket statement like "A villain is not motivated by anything but a desire to do evil" or some such.Â
That all said, I really agree with Cylin on not trying to pigeonhole what makes a "good" villain. There's too many types, motivations, methods and other factors. There will never be a good "one size fits all" villain because if you really think about it, who the "villain" is in a situation is all purely relative. And if a certain type isn't your cup of tea? Don't RP with them.
