Wow, my original post got chewed up quite a bit by formatting.
So, that was quite a bit of lost work,so let me summarize the important points and leave it alone.
A character you create, whatever title you decide to give it, is yours. This is what we call an Origonal Character. It deserves all the respects and protections that should be given to a character that is owned by a person. That is regardless of PC, Villainous Characters, NPCs, or Facilitator PCs.
A Villain is not, however, by function a "Player Character". A Player Character historically, especially in Final Fantasy history are protagonists. Even in cases of Player vs Player, each player is depicted as the protagonist of their own story.
A Villain, by contrast of say, a bad person, is a Character designed or utilized for the purpose of a story. Regardless of whether or not they are an Original Character. They function first and foremost as a Story Facilitator, rather than a Player or participator. A character claimed under the title Villain and are participating on a player level, is typically deceiving their role as part of their story, are participating in someone else's story - or simply playing an opposing faction (as per PvP style plots.)Â
To accurately play an active Villain, or an Antagonist, one removes themselves from the 'Player' role, and into the role of a story writer or a story facilitator. Those people, are expected to be the same or in close communication with one another. This communication, as an expectation is only required of player characters in the absence of a Storyteller/GM or facilitator role present.Â
Always remember:
A villain is a class of character specifically designed to give someone else's character a bad time, somewhere, at some point. This is inevitable. As such it needs be designed and presented in a manner that the affected player(s) will be amenable to have that bad time happen to their character, and enjoy the story it provides.
The separation of Story Facilitator roles (Storyteller/GMs, Facilitator PCs, Villains/Antagonists, and NPCs) from that of a Player Character is a function to further protect those people from the universal trappings of power and IC/OOC separation issues that these roles can become increasingly vulnerable to. In the case of Villains in particular, they're additionally more outwardly reacted against, hence their rarity outside of set contexts.
It's up to the "Villain" to prove that they are the 'rarer than gold' good type to the players (And Storytellers if they're simply being facilitator.) and not the other way around. Therefore, accepting the role is as accepting a greater responsibility than a typical roleplayer would. The prospective Villain player must respect the role they are taking, or they're most likely setting themselves up for a difficult and miserable time for themselves, and their prospective players.
So, that was quite a bit of lost work,so let me summarize the important points and leave it alone.
A character you create, whatever title you decide to give it, is yours. This is what we call an Origonal Character. It deserves all the respects and protections that should be given to a character that is owned by a person. That is regardless of PC, Villainous Characters, NPCs, or Facilitator PCs.
A Villain is not, however, by function a "Player Character". A Player Character historically, especially in Final Fantasy history are protagonists. Even in cases of Player vs Player, each player is depicted as the protagonist of their own story.
A Villain, by contrast of say, a bad person, is a Character designed or utilized for the purpose of a story. Regardless of whether or not they are an Original Character. They function first and foremost as a Story Facilitator, rather than a Player or participator. A character claimed under the title Villain and are participating on a player level, is typically deceiving their role as part of their story, are participating in someone else's story - or simply playing an opposing faction (as per PvP style plots.)Â
To accurately play an active Villain, or an Antagonist, one removes themselves from the 'Player' role, and into the role of a story writer or a story facilitator. Those people, are expected to be the same or in close communication with one another. This communication, as an expectation is only required of player characters in the absence of a Storyteller/GM or facilitator role present.Â
Always remember:
A villain is a class of character specifically designed to give someone else's character a bad time, somewhere, at some point. This is inevitable. As such it needs be designed and presented in a manner that the affected player(s) will be amenable to have that bad time happen to their character, and enjoy the story it provides.
The separation of Story Facilitator roles (Storyteller/GMs, Facilitator PCs, Villains/Antagonists, and NPCs) from that of a Player Character is a function to further protect those people from the universal trappings of power and IC/OOC separation issues that these roles can become increasingly vulnerable to. In the case of Villains in particular, they're additionally more outwardly reacted against, hence their rarity outside of set contexts.
It's up to the "Villain" to prove that they are the 'rarer than gold' good type to the players (And Storytellers if they're simply being facilitator.) and not the other way around. Therefore, accepting the role is as accepting a greater responsibility than a typical roleplayer would. The prospective Villain player must respect the role they are taking, or they're most likely setting themselves up for a difficult and miserable time for themselves, and their prospective players.
