It's been noted in the thread before, but I'll tip my hat into this as well;
A good 'Player' Villain goes in with two things well understood.
1) Your purpose is to further enhance the 'heroes', be it through triumph or drama, hopefully both.
2) Your purpose is to ultimately lose.
While some will disagree on this, I feel my experience is enough to warrant my opinion. If anyone disagrees, that's fine. You will not change my opinion and I will not argue with you, because I simply do not care to.
If you do not approach with both in your arsenal, you will fail as a villain. If your mindset is geared into 'winning', you have failed as hard as you possibly can. While there are examples of the villain ultimately 'winning' in the end, this is not really a possibility in an MMO. And even so, this is done so rarely because it is very rarely successful.
Even rarer, in truth, is a properly-done PC-driven villain, because more often than not they fail to have both 1) and 2) in their mindset. This is when you have the overbearing individual who insists on their victory above all else, or insists on developing their character above the heroes.
This is not to say, as noted, your villain cannot win battles. You just must, at the end of the day, accept that you are meant to lose the war. You will be defeated. You will be killed, mysteriously vanish, or be converted.
Do not try to be one of those rare villains in literature that comes out ahead. Not only does this show a massive lack of experience in good storytelling, but it immediately puts the persona of a Mary Sue upon your head. If the 'heroes' empower your victories, triumphs, and so on? That is something else. But never, ever, try to force your victory.
As well, do not feel your villain cannot become developed. Your goal, in the end, is to leave a lasting impression, an impact that will not be so easily swept over. The best villains are the ones that do not need 'death', 'destruction', or 'anarchy' en-masse to be remembered.
When it comes to villainous 'groups', please be the one who backstabs the others. Evil is not fond of evil, and rarely do they share common goals. You, yes YOU, are number one. They are stepping stones. Crush them beneath your feet, because they are a greater threat than any hero will ever be.
Villainous groups will also need to make sure they have the noted mentality as well. Do not try to win the war, that is not why you exist. You exist to enrich the story of others, and to empower further exploits of grand heroism. You are meant to bring about an epic drama, with out falling into disastrous, overused stereotypes.
Go in ready to go out in a blaze of glory.
Now, on the flip side? Heroic PCs need to acknowledge that you need to be willing to lose the battle every so often, although a proper villain player will ensure nothing will happen with out your consent as well. The goal is to make a story. While you will ultimately be the victor in the very end, you should not be invincible, or end the tale with no scars.
A proper heroic PC player must be humble, realizing when the time is right for one of their losses to take place. They must not let the ultimate end of being the victor get to their head, as a grand epic does not take place when he or she that is invincible, curb-stompeths.
The Hero and Villain relationship is very delicate, and certain steps must be planned out. When properly executed, the impression it will have on all parties involved, will be worth the time spent.
In the end, this is all just my opinion. I've run into far too many would-be villains that aim to come out on top. Aim to be the 'winner'. This is unhealthy in many forms for roleplaying, especially in something as hard to force into shape as an MMO.
To both sides; be reasonable. Know your goals. Remember the outcome, but do not meta the outcome.
A good 'Player' Villain goes in with two things well understood.
1) Your purpose is to further enhance the 'heroes', be it through triumph or drama, hopefully both.
2) Your purpose is to ultimately lose.
While some will disagree on this, I feel my experience is enough to warrant my opinion. If anyone disagrees, that's fine. You will not change my opinion and I will not argue with you, because I simply do not care to.
If you do not approach with both in your arsenal, you will fail as a villain. If your mindset is geared into 'winning', you have failed as hard as you possibly can. While there are examples of the villain ultimately 'winning' in the end, this is not really a possibility in an MMO. And even so, this is done so rarely because it is very rarely successful.
Even rarer, in truth, is a properly-done PC-driven villain, because more often than not they fail to have both 1) and 2) in their mindset. This is when you have the overbearing individual who insists on their victory above all else, or insists on developing their character above the heroes.
This is not to say, as noted, your villain cannot win battles. You just must, at the end of the day, accept that you are meant to lose the war. You will be defeated. You will be killed, mysteriously vanish, or be converted.
Do not try to be one of those rare villains in literature that comes out ahead. Not only does this show a massive lack of experience in good storytelling, but it immediately puts the persona of a Mary Sue upon your head. If the 'heroes' empower your victories, triumphs, and so on? That is something else. But never, ever, try to force your victory.
As well, do not feel your villain cannot become developed. Your goal, in the end, is to leave a lasting impression, an impact that will not be so easily swept over. The best villains are the ones that do not need 'death', 'destruction', or 'anarchy' en-masse to be remembered.
When it comes to villainous 'groups', please be the one who backstabs the others. Evil is not fond of evil, and rarely do they share common goals. You, yes YOU, are number one. They are stepping stones. Crush them beneath your feet, because they are a greater threat than any hero will ever be.
Villainous groups will also need to make sure they have the noted mentality as well. Do not try to win the war, that is not why you exist. You exist to enrich the story of others, and to empower further exploits of grand heroism. You are meant to bring about an epic drama, with out falling into disastrous, overused stereotypes.
Go in ready to go out in a blaze of glory.
Now, on the flip side? Heroic PCs need to acknowledge that you need to be willing to lose the battle every so often, although a proper villain player will ensure nothing will happen with out your consent as well. The goal is to make a story. While you will ultimately be the victor in the very end, you should not be invincible, or end the tale with no scars.
A proper heroic PC player must be humble, realizing when the time is right for one of their losses to take place. They must not let the ultimate end of being the victor get to their head, as a grand epic does not take place when he or she that is invincible, curb-stompeths.
The Hero and Villain relationship is very delicate, and certain steps must be planned out. When properly executed, the impression it will have on all parties involved, will be worth the time spent.
In the end, this is all just my opinion. I've run into far too many would-be villains that aim to come out on top. Aim to be the 'winner'. This is unhealthy in many forms for roleplaying, especially in something as hard to force into shape as an MMO.
To both sides; be reasonable. Know your goals. Remember the outcome, but do not meta the outcome.
