Villains, more than any other characters, are hard to play right. I've seen them done wrong way too often to count: poweremoting tryhard edgemasters, wannabe masterminds who aren't as smart as they think, people who get defensive when you try to foil their actions or show they have consequences. And it often ends in an OOC argument as they whine they're the one who should win and complain they're being oppressed by people playing goody-two-shoes.
Between this, and the fact that I don't really like RP conflicts between PCs, I must say I don't like villain characters much. The few times I've seen them done right, they were in one of those categories:
1. Evil but not a villain - the character is a total jerk but doesn't actually do anything villainous. Not sure if it counts.
2. Amusing villain - they're either funny and silly or an over-the-top ham, but either way, fun to play with. Hard to take seriously, but fun.
3. Small-time crook - the character is a pickpocket, a swindler, or someone similar. They want your money, not your life, and will use trickery, not brute force, to get it.
4. Doomed villain - the character is played with the assumption that, in the end, they're going to lose. It's less like a player character and more an NPC antagonist in a story you're telling for other players.
Between this, and the fact that I don't really like RP conflicts between PCs, I must say I don't like villain characters much. The few times I've seen them done right, they were in one of those categories:
1. Evil but not a villain - the character is a total jerk but doesn't actually do anything villainous. Not sure if it counts.
2. Amusing villain - they're either funny and silly or an over-the-top ham, but either way, fun to play with. Hard to take seriously, but fun.
3. Small-time crook - the character is a pickpocket, a swindler, or someone similar. They want your money, not your life, and will use trickery, not brute force, to get it.
4. Doomed villain - the character is played with the assumption that, in the end, they're going to lose. It's less like a player character and more an NPC antagonist in a story you're telling for other players.
