Having played a villain in the past, the problem boils down to "It's fun, but..."
The character in question wasn't a Machiavellian villain, or anti-hero or what have you. I played a straight up chaotic evil, nihilistic psycho/sociopath who did things simply because they seemed amusing at the time (note: This was several years before the Dark Knight and Heath Ledger's Joker would make such a character a bit too cliche). It was a good time while it lasted, and I still look back on him fondly.
The problem was that, in actual interactive RP, he was totally ineffectual. You can't be spontaneously evil/murderous in a world filled with characters who aren't yours. You can't build up a secret, grand master plan to conquer the world because somewhere along the way you're going to have to talk to the people you're trying to suppress/destroy to make sure they're okay with X happening to Y at Z time. The outcome of events are known before the curtain rises, fights are scripted, et cetera and so on. Most of your villainy will be relegated to forum posts and trying your best to be threatening in chat.
I'm not trying to discourage anyone from being the bad guy, but just know that it's more work than it looks like on paper. It's a constant dance between playing the character the way you'd intended and not crossing the line into godmodding. It's balance, compromise, and (alot of the time) frustration. If you're willing to put in the work it can be a very fun, rewarding experience, but it's never as simple as "I'm evil! Fear me!" You have to remember that nine times out of ten the good guys win, and you can't go around killing the cutie to get your point across.
The character in question wasn't a Machiavellian villain, or anti-hero or what have you. I played a straight up chaotic evil, nihilistic psycho/sociopath who did things simply because they seemed amusing at the time (note: This was several years before the Dark Knight and Heath Ledger's Joker would make such a character a bit too cliche). It was a good time while it lasted, and I still look back on him fondly.
The problem was that, in actual interactive RP, he was totally ineffectual. You can't be spontaneously evil/murderous in a world filled with characters who aren't yours. You can't build up a secret, grand master plan to conquer the world because somewhere along the way you're going to have to talk to the people you're trying to suppress/destroy to make sure they're okay with X happening to Y at Z time. The outcome of events are known before the curtain rises, fights are scripted, et cetera and so on. Most of your villainy will be relegated to forum posts and trying your best to be threatening in chat.
I'm not trying to discourage anyone from being the bad guy, but just know that it's more work than it looks like on paper. It's a constant dance between playing the character the way you'd intended and not crossing the line into godmodding. It's balance, compromise, and (alot of the time) frustration. If you're willing to put in the work it can be a very fun, rewarding experience, but it's never as simple as "I'm evil! Fear me!" You have to remember that nine times out of ten the good guys win, and you can't go around killing the cutie to get your point across.
What a monstrous sight he makes, mocking man's best friend
When both the wolf and lion crave the same thing in the end
The Lion | Monty's Wiki | The Wolf
When both the wolf and lion crave the same thing in the end
The Lion | Monty's Wiki | The Wolf
