Roleplaying the bad guy

[Emberhair]

In life, there are no truly good people with hearts of purest snow. Furthermore there are no truly evil people with lumps of iron for their heart, sitting in a black ribcage of Dark Lord despair.

 

But there ARE dicks. 

 

Rather than being a noble hero or mr nice guy, i wanted to try and RP a truly unpleasant person. I have been VERY careful about this, and given my RP character a lot of thought. He is arrogant, vain, stubborn but also a coward. However it all comes from a story based place as to why he's like that. He is never a troll or intimidating beyond the realms of RP and he ALWAYS buckles when threatened so the other roleplayer is in the power position in the confrontation. That way, the player behind the character never feels threatened IRL.

 

Needless to say, my RPs are confrontational when i RP with this particular character. It never EVER spills out into OOC but i find it limits what i can do with RP as obviously, no ones character wants to hang out with mine (and why would they? He's an arse.) 

 

LONG STORY SHORT: Has anyone else here ever roleplayed the bad guy, and what issues or successes have you found roleplaying this particular type of character?

[Aaron]

I never rp bad guys because with my take on everything related to rp and even media reception. 

 

Unlike most I WANT the bad guy to win and be strong as fuck. If Aaron ever has a PC villian I want the villian to outclass Aaron in every way. Nearly always win the fights they have and be the king of mind games. 

 

Makes it all more satisfying for that one day when the hero does beat the villian and is set at ease.

 

However, most people want to play the hero should any problems arise so they can get praise IC or hey, maybe it's just how their character would genuinely act in said situation. I don't know.  But just my personal experience, if I were to play a villian, id play one that's a legit threat. Sadly a legit threat villian to most random you try to rp with will be assumed as godmoding.

 

Im actually missing a ton of holes and such in what im trying to say honestly atm and wish I had time to thoroughly break down what im saying but alas mobile typing is hell.

 

In a brief nutshell, from my experience people tend to want to be the savior rather than the underdog and if your villians even remotely capable of lolstomping them (I feel strong villians if done right make the best villians no question rather than similarly capable or weaker ones. The hero is supposed to be fighting a uphill battle) most assume"This random is godmoding lol im done.

[Emberhair]

I never rp bad guys because with my take on everything related to rp and even media reception. 

 

Unlike most I WANT the bad guy to win and be strong as fuck. If Aaron ever has a PC villian I want the villian to outclass Aaron in every way. Nearly always win the fights they have and be the king of mind games. 

 

Makes it all more satisfying for that one day when the hero does beat the villian and is set at ease.

 

However, most people want to play the hero should any problems arise so they can get praise IC or hey, maybe it's just how their character would genuinely act in said situation. I don't know.  But just my personal experience, if I were to play a villian, id play one that's a legit threat. Sadly a legit threat villian to most random you try to rp with will be assumed as godmoding.

 

Im actually missing a ton of holes and such in what im trying to say honestly atm and wish I had time to thoroughly break down what im saying but alas mobile typing is hell.

 

In a brief nutshell, from my experience people tend to want to be the savior rather than the underdog and if your villians even remotely capable of lolstomping them (I feel strong villians if done right make the best villians no question rather than similarly capable or weaker ones. The hero is supposed to be fighting a uphill battle) most assume"This random is godmoding lol im done.

 

This is a fair enough point. If part of a RP FC or linkshell, I think it would probably be best to establish in OOC that the villain is super overpowered. If this is all agreed by the participants, then the villain will not be godmodding. Thats the only viable way i can see that being done.

 

Thing is, my character is just a pompous spoiled brat. He's not a villain and anyone could beat the s**t out of him. I've had some branching stories playing a bad guy of this nature, but no where near the scope as when i play a good guy. Also playing a bad guy in the quicksand with random players is almost impossible as you just come off as aggressive. Even when i /tell them that my character is bad. I do worry/wonder sometimes if other players just think im a troll or a bad player because my character acts this way. In other words, their opinion of my character spilling over into their opinion of the IRL me. Never been confirmed but just a worry i have.

 

I'll be Aaron's villain if you want, muwhahaha.

[Khaine]

This is a fine line to walk, I too have an antagonistic character, granted she was a former villain that was allowed to live after the story arc that introduced her came to a close. She is extremely arrogant, highly confident and she tells it like it is. She can be a hard character to find or get RP on for these reasons. I find that similar characters and players that like RP with a little chaos enjoy having her around. 

 

I personally love playing as her but the lack of good RP makes it quite difficult. If you want to have some fun I'd be more than happy for her to bump into your character.

[Aaron]

I never rp bad guys because with my take on everything related to rp and even media reception. 

 

Unlike most I WANT the bad guy to win and be strong as fuck. If Aaron ever has a PC villian I want the villian to outclass Aaron in every way. Nearly always win the fights they have and be the king of mind games. 

 

Makes it all more satisfying for that one day when the hero does beat the villian and is set at ease.

 

However, most people want to play the hero should any problems arise so they can get praise IC or hey, maybe it's just how their character would genuinely act in said situation. I don't know.  But just my personal experience, if I were to play a villian, id play one that's a legit threat. Sadly a legit threat villian to most random you try to rp with will be assumed as godmoding.

 

Im actually missing a ton of holes and such in what im trying to say honestly atm and wish I had time to thoroughly break down what im saying but alas mobile typing is hell.

 

In a brief nutshell, from my experience people tend to want to be the savior rather than the underdog and if your villians even remotely capable of lolstomping them (I feel strong villians if done right make the best villians no question rather than similarly capable or weaker ones. The hero is supposed to be fighting a uphill battle) most assume"This random is godmoding lol im done.

 

This is a fair enough point. If part of a RP FC or linkshell, I think it would probably be best to establish in OOC that the villain is super overpowered. If this is all agreed by the participants, then the villain will not be godmodding. Thats the only viable way i can see that being done.

 

Thing is, my character is just a pompous spoiled brat. He's not a villain and anyone could beat the s**t out of him. I've had some branching stories playing a bad guy of this nature, but no where near the scope as when i play a good guy. Also playing a bad guy in the quicksand with random players is almost impossible as you just come off as aggressive. Even when i /tell them that my character is bad. I do worry/wonder sometimes if other players just think im a troll or a bad player because my character acts this way. Therefore, their opinion of my character spilling over into their opinion of the IRL me. Never been confirmed but just a worry i have.

 

I'll be Aaron's villain if you want, muwhahaha.

Sure lol. Hope hes not too annoying though as Aaron has a habit of just walking away from people who annoy him without even a warning. 

 

OOC tho we can be best bros n stuff

[Emberhair]

This is a fine line to walk, I too have an antagonistic character, granted she was a former villain that was allowed to live after the story arc that introduced her came to a close. She is extremely arrogant, highly confident and she tells it like it is. She can be a hard character to find or get RP on for these reasons. I find that similar characters and players that like RP with a little chaos enjoy having her around. 

 

I personally love playing as her but the lack of good RP makes it quite difficult. If you want to have some fun I'd be more than happy for her to bump into your character.

 

Yo Khaine, thanks for the reply.

 

Would love it if they met up, haha. 

Im glad you see my point though. I will say that gang/mob mentality from good players to focus on hating my character makes it more enjoyable for them. Im happy for that as they truly have a good time showing off their strength to a villain. But it leaves us baddies with bad RP unfortunately.

[Blue]

RPing bad guys can give less RP but a certainly higher quality of roleplay, trust me. Your character's development is more prominent, more interesting and more meaningful. Easygoing characters actually have an harder time developing and maturing than us bad guys do, because we start from the bottom, and our growing is more evident than theirs (since they start as friendly, mature, social etc. character, any change towards a higher maturity is less evident).

 

I've been RPing bad guys since 2006 since I seem to be... pretty good at it, or anyway, better than I am at RPing social butterflies. My main advice to you is to find yourself a close group of people to RP with, and spend a lot of time with them, ESPECIALLY OOC. OOC bonding here is the key, because people who know you OOC know that your character isn't OOC-bleeding bad feelings at them, while someone who has just met you might think otherwise. Knowing you OOC, these people will make efforts to keep around your character, and eventually firm IC bonds will form, without the need to break character on either end.

 

The second tip is: be creative to be with others. I'll explain it with the example of Kenjii, my character from FFXI. He was a big introvert, rude jerk, with a good side that could only be seen after a while with him (see trop: Jerk with a Heart of Gold). When he initially first met the rest of the group of roleplayers, it was impossible to keep him around. He was annoyed by them and wanted to not deal with them. So what did I do to make it so he'd go out adventuring with them? I had his boss (an NPC under my control) force him to escort those adventurers, threatening to fire him if he wouldn't comply. That's how Kenjii was forced to travel, camp, and live with the others for a while, until he got too involved in the plot and couldn't just walk out of it. Soon enough, I noticed that others' characters came to mine often, even just to talk to him, despite his awful personality, they were actually intrigued by him. And now they are the best of friends (yes, it's crazy, but we still do RP on FFXI).

 

Third and last advice: Don't be just a wallflower. If people don't come to you, RP NPCs talking to you (this is easier to be done with a small group of close friends; NPCs/secondary characters not visible on screen seem difficult to be accepted by Open World RPers for some reason). Tell your story to those present through small bits and hints, and don't spill out all your tragic past on the go. The beauty of bad guys is their rich past, the STUFF that made us the way we are, and you should consider this as a treasure to deliver in very small doses. Personally I like very lengthy plots, and sometimes it took a year for a certain detail of my characters' past to be revealed. Maybe you don't like long time roleplay though, so adjust as you see fit. Just keep in mind, that once all the beans are spilled, your character loses 70% of its Interest Factor. You have to ensure your character becomes interesting through other means (deeds of the present, goals of the future), before you run out of "past secrets points", so to speak.

 

(What does that have to do with wall-flowering, you ask?)

 

Back to the FFXI example: I was not the only "bad guy" in our group of roleplayers. There was another, a chick, that simply stood to the side all the time and waited for people to go to her, only to brush them off quickly with non-sensical quotes that really didn't tell anything about her and only pushed the others away more confused than before about her. I, instead, while keeping my Moronic Jerk attitude IC, did contribute to the plot and actually had my character show some degree of interest in the others as well, making sure each exchange with them to be meaningful, and sometimes forcing my character to go to them, instead of waiting for them to come "click" me (Ex: "Oi. Why are we still here? Did you get us effin' lost?"). In a few weeks, the other "bad guy" RPer was OOCly complaining that Kenjii (my bad guy character) was getting all the attention from the others and "stealing all the girls" (in a non-romantic way, cause my character did not care, but a lot of the female characters seemed much into "changing him", it's a Beauty and the Beast thing I guess?). The reason behind that was that she hadn't really tried to interact with the others, being a wallflower and waiting to be talked to like an NPC, while I did take the initiative.

 

Your OOC powers are immense, and they are a must when RPing a Bad Guy. So again: OOC bonds with who you RP with, use of NPCs to force your character to interact/stay near others, and initiative (no wall-flowering) are the three keys to successfully RP a bad guy.

 

Happy Grumpying!

[Emberhair]

RPing bad guys can give less RP but a certainly higher quality of roleplay, trust me. Your character's development is more prominent, more interesting and more meaningful. Easygoing characters actually have an harder time developing and maturing than us bad guys do, because we start from the bottom, and our growing is more evident than theirs (since they start as friendly, mature, social etc. character, any change towards a higher maturity is less evident).

 

I've been RPing bad guys since 2006 since I seem to be... pretty good at it, or anyway, better than I am at RPing social butterflies. My main advice to you is to find yourself a close group of people to RP with, and spend a lot of time with them, ESPECIALLY OOC. OOC bonding here is the key, because people who know you OOC know that your character isn't OOC-bleeding bad feelings at them, while someone who has just met you might think otherwise. Knowing you OOC, these people will make efforts to keep around your character, and eventually firm IC bonds will form, without the need to break character on either end.

 

The second tip is: be creative to be with others. I'll explain it with the example of Kenjii, my character from FFXI. He was a big introvert, rude jerk, with a good side that could only be seen after a while with him (see trop: Jerk with a Heart of Gold). When he initially first met the rest of the group of roleplayers, it was impossible to keep him around. He was annoyed by them and wanted to not deal with them. So what did I do to make it so he'd go out adventuring with them? I had his boss (an NPC under my control) force him to escort those adventurers, threatening to fire him if he wouldn't comply. That's how Kenjii was forced to travel, camp, and live with the others for a while, until he got too involved in the plot and couldn't just walk out of it. Soon enough, I noticed that others' characters came to mine often, even just to talk to him, despite his awful personality, they were actually intrigued by him. And now they are the best of friends (yes, it's crazy, but we still do RP on FFXI).

 

Third and last advice: Don't be just a wallflower. If people don't come to you, RP NPCs talking to you (this is easier to be done with a small group of close friends; NPCs/secondary characters not visible on screen seem difficult to be accepted by Open World RPers for some reason). Tell your story to those present through small bits and hints, and don't spill out all your tragic past on the go. The beauty of bad guys is their rich past, the STUFF that made us the way we are, and you should consider this as a treasure to deliver in very small doses. Personally I like very lengthy plots, and sometimes it took a year for a certain detail of my characters' past to be revealed. Maybe you don't like long time roleplay though, so adjust as you see fit. Just keep in mind, that once all the beans are spilled, your character loses 70% of its Interest Factor. You have to ensure your character becomes interesting through other means (deeds of the present, goals of the future), before you run out of "past secrets points", so to speak.

 

(What does that have to do with wall-flowering, you ask?)

 

Back to the FFXI example: I was not the only "bad guy" in our group of roleplayers. There was another, a chick, that simply stood to the side all the time and waited for people to go to her, only to brush them off quickly with non-sensical quotes that really didn't tell anything about her and only pushed the others away more confused than before about her. I, instead, while keeping my Moronic Jerk attitude IC, did contribute to the plot and actually had my character show some degree of interest in the others as well, making sure each exchange with them to be meaningful, and sometimes forcing my character to go to them, instead of waiting for them to come "click" me (Ex: "Oi. Why are we still here? Did you get us effin' lost?"). In a few weeks, the other "bad guy" RPer was OOCly complaining that Kenjii (my bad guy character) was getting all the attention from the others and "stealing all the girls" (in a non-romantic way, cause my character did not care, but a lot of the female characters seemed much into "changing him", it's a Beauty and the Beast thing I guess?). The reason behind that was that she hadn't really tried to interact with the others, being a wallflower and waiting to be talked to like an NPC, while I did take the initiative.

 

Your OOC powers are immense, and they are a must when RPing a Bad Guy. So again: OOC bonds with who you RP with, use of NPCs to force your character to interact/stay near others, and initiative (no wall-flowering) are the three keys to successfully RP a bad guy.

 

Happy Grumpying!

 

Wow thanks for the tips! I completely agree with everything you said. My villain backstory is so much better than my good guy one. And people really do love having an adversary of sorts. Also, not being funny, but that bit about the girls wanting to change you had me in absolute hysterics!! 

 

I think everyone here will benefit from what you said. So thank you. 

 

TO EVERYONE: Do people mind if i add you in game? Could use some like-minded villains in my friend list.

[Blue]

TO EVERYONE: Do people mind if i add you in game? Could use some like-minded villains in my friend list.

 

:thumbsup: Come bad at me, bro!

[Khaine]

Please feel free to add me. This character is Khallendra Kane, but you can reach my on Talon

[Emberhair]

Please feel free to add me.

 

Im Emberhair Waltzhearth in game. Are you Talon Kane?

[Val]

In life, there are no truly good people with hearts of purest snow. Furthermore there are no truly evil people with lumps of iron for their heart, sitting in a black ribcage of Dark Lord despair.

 

But there ARE dicks. 

 

Rather than being a noble hero or mr nice guy, i wanted to try and RP a truly unpleasant person. I have been VERY careful about this, and given my RP character a lot of thought. He is arrogant, vain, stubborn but also a coward. However it all comes from a story based place as to why he's like that. He is never a troll or intimidating beyond the realms of RP and he ALWAYS buckles when threatened so the other roleplayer is in the power position in the confrontation. That way, the player behind the character never feels threatened IRL.

 

Needless to say, my RPs are confrontational when i RP with this particular character. It never EVER spills out into OOC but i find it limits what i can do with RP as obviously, no ones character wants to hang out with mine (and why would they? He's an arse.) 

 

LONG STORY SHORT: Has anyone else here ever roleplayed the bad guy, and what issues or successes have you found roleplaying this particular type of character?

 

I've been on both sides of the conflict, both as a good guy staring down the foe and the villain trying to get the upper hand. I think the confrontations should be considered with give and take. The good guys can't always win, yet neither can the bad. I think it's good that you've been very careful about it. I echo the sentiment. My villain, Melfice, is meant to be very powerful. Yet, because I acknowledge that not everyone may like that kind of confrontation, I generally avoid large crowds with him or keep him away/out of conflict unless the person knows what they're getting into. Even still, I allow people to get the upper hand should they find a way to do so. I'm not against it at all!

 

It does tend to limit your RP unless you manage to make the character social. Melfice, for example, hates interacting with people but he does so if he feels the need and finds it to be worth his time. He is arrogant and condescending to those he finds intellectually inferior to him, which includes most people. Many don't like to interact with him because of his overall personality, but others do because they find it intriguing.

 

I try to position my villain as an accessory to other people's plots rather than a main character for my own. With this in mind, I think it helps for me to assist others and provide the machinations for whatever plot or goal they have. Melfice doesn't kill or cause harm because he wants to, but because he has to in order to further his own goals, whatever they may be. Sometimes he helps the heroes/good guys, sometimes he's against them, and sometimes he does things because he's curious and wishes to see what kind of reaction it will garnish from someone or because he believes they stand to learn something from the hardship. It's left for some very entertaining RP and I think people that interact with him tend to enjoy him and never quite know what he'll do, which is all the fun for me!

[WhiteLycanXII]

Nins ain't a bad person, but she's done bad things. She's been through some bumps, and it's made her jaded to the point where she's got no qualms about making amoral decisions. She's held a woman in unlawful detainment to provoke the ire of a person she's been wanting to kill. She also plotted the assassination of a woman simply due to her ties to the void.

 

Yet in spite of all of this, she seems to get off scott-free, for the most part. I can never figure out why.

[Telluride]

Also, remember that not all dicks SEEM dickish.

 

I have a villain character who hasn't seen public RP yet, but is the antagonist I am developing in a story chain I'm writing over time. In public, he would be charming, generous, and open, the sort of person with whom you might share a glass of cognac and perhaps a wry, yet upscale, story.

 

He does not come across as 'evil' or even really 'dickish', unless... unless... the subjects of his obsessions came up. Even then, he would retain his calm, for of course, his views are correct and reasonable, and what kind of naive fool are you to not see that?

 

Think of Ozymandias / Adrian Veidt from the Watchmen. Never once did he act truly dickish. Arrogant? Yes. Capable of murder and violence and intrigue? Hell, yes. But not for their own sake. You simply aren't capable of seeing the grand vision he has, even though it may crack the world open.

 

Villains don't have to act like an ass. The most chilling ones are the ones who, as Hamlet observed, can "Smile, and smile and be...a....villain!"

[Warren Castille]

Curious language here. Are we talking villains, or "bad" people? Heroes/Villains are a clear cast, but being a dick isn't exclusive to one side or the other. You can be a massive jerk and still be a hero on the front lines of war for your Grand Company. Similarly, as Telluride pointed out, you can be a charming schmoozing schemer everyone adores who plans to ruin the world.

[Harmonixer]

Something to keep in mind for 'bad guy' RP is that generally just means you have an opposite view of who else you are RPing and may or may not be trying to intentionally be conflicting.

 

I don't believe it to be a good idea to outright claim to be an antagonist without a goal and gameplan for what's to come. I also have a bias to vagueness and subtlety.

 

Having RP'd villains for quite some time, it's easier to just observe people. Yes, you have to creep a little. Reading character sheets, study their habits in character and sometimes if you really want to fuck with someone roll and alt and just throw things out to gauge reactions.. Get into peoples heads. Ask questions if you can, find out their fears and prey on them.

 

From there, you can tailor a character for specific intents and see where YOUR RP fits in with theirs.

 

Do you simply just want to be a dick?

 

Are you trying to help their character grow?

 

Or just yourself?

 

 

I've said it to friends many times before, but sometimes my villain characters came to be simply by disagreeing with someone. They made me into an enemy without a lot of effort on my part and everything fell into place. Other times I communicate to them OOCly and as how they would feel about having something like, a rival or if they would like to help me for my RP.

 

 

 

Most of the time from what I've observed- RP is a self serving practice.

 

It's rarer to come across people who want to really entertain others and not just themselves. You'll tend to have much richer and engaging experiences from people who want to work off each other than say your average white knight that needs a reason for his nightly erp.

 

If you are content with just being a 'bad guy' then settle for old tropes and be mostly prepared to be forgotten shortly after you start.

 

If you want to really be known as 'that one dood who kinda made me the badass i am today, but not before he wrecked my shit' then you'll have to work for it. Just as well, you should grow just as much as they have if it turns out right.

 

 

Simple repetition is okay. Pick habits, but focus on motivations and tactics. Set goals for yourself and try to reach them. Prepare to deviate as needed but always seek to reach them eventually.

 

 

Also, it helps if you aren't actually a dickbag. Don't be mean simply to do it. This is for entertainment for all parties and should be enjoyable. It's a shared form of media. It's art, respect it and you'll always do well.

[Emberhair]

Curious language here. Are we talking villains, or "bad" people? Heroes/Villains are a clear cast, but being a dick isn't exclusive to one side or the other. You can be a massive jerk and still be a hero on the front lines of war for your Grand Company. Similarly, as Telluride pointed out, you can be a charming schmoozing schemer everyone adores who plans to ruin the world.

 

You're absolutely right, no one is an archetype and thats what my opening post was addressing. 

 

It was more a question. I was asking what peoples personal experiences were when roleplaying a bad guy. By bad guy, i can mean villain, unlikeable person or anywhere in between. Im speaking VERY generally. Simply stating about characters that lean more towards chaos than lawful good, in whatever shape or form. How does the community react to your play style when you RP as one of these characters?

[Emberhair]

UPDATE: I roleplayed as my Duke's Bratty Son character in the quicksand today and it was a huge success. The two people i roleplayed with told me it was a lot of fun and they were really intrigued by him. They even forgot about roleplaying with eachother and were both just bouncing off me. We all had a great time. 

 

That was completely spontaneous by the way, no linkshell or fc. So it can be done guys! Just find the right peeps!

[Gone.]

Frankly you're already on the right track. You're communicative and respectful to the players around you and that goes a long way in any RP, antagonistic or not.

 

I don't agree that playing a villain will necessarily net you better RP in the long run as Blue said, nor do I think playing a good natured character decrease one's chances of maturing; to be honest, I find that insinuation absurd when there's infinitely more ways to grow outside of morality. Even then, there's plenty of angsty and/or edgy sorts out there that are some combination of bland, laughable, one-dimensional or just straight-up offensive making the 'darker' side of things all that much more of a shallow pool to pick from.

 

I do, however, agree that OOC bonding helps a lot, though once again, this goes for all RP, especially anything that goes past a casual level. Also think Harmonixer asks a lot of good development questions, though I'd definitely pass on the OOC stalking and just straight up ask. Some people just won't be interested no matter what, you know?

 

In regards to my personal experiences; they're similar to Khaine's with a character that has some of the issues Telluride describes. In this case, it's my beloved but much maligned Foxglove Kyo.

 

To preface: I personally would not consider her a villain, though I think some would given her previous, albeit relatively short blood-soaked Garlean service. For me she is more of antiheroine, or at least that is the direction I'm trying to go in given a number of her inspirations (Think Nicholas Winding Refn's protagonists, Snake Plissken, Lady Snowblood, countless leading ladies in the Shaw Brothers erotica canon, Walter E. Kurtz, etc.)

 

At first meet, she's typically defensive or otherwise off-putting, sometimes even creepy and/or downright mean. While her reasons for being this way are both sympathetic and entirely understandable, it still hasn't prevented Foxglove from earning a negative reputation within the community. This has left her frequently dismissed before she has a chance to shine with her more charming, compassionate side she keeps locked away.

 

That's the thing; she's not a sociopath, just a multi-dimensional character made of numerous, conflicting layers. There are times where she misses all that power and control, sure, but ultimately she has remorse for her actions, frequently haunted by them in her thoughts and dreams despite any questionable desires that may still linger.

 

On the one hand, you have to develop the character right and play them thusly. On the other, there's also that reliance on the players around you to do their part, as well. Unfortunately today's average roleplayer lacks the patience for anything more than positive, casual interactions that satisfy on the short-term. Long-term plotting just really isn't in vogue, certainly not in the 'mainstream' if you will.

 

This combined with every other issue previously mentioned puts characters like ours at a great disadvantage. Sad, but unfortunately true. That said, if you truly love what you're playing, then by all means, keep at it; you may not find them tomorrow, but there's someone out there's that's going to appreciate what you're doing and it's going to be worth the wait. It almost always is.

[Khaine]

UPDATE: I roleplayed as my Duke's Bratty Son character in the quicksand today and it was a huge success. The two people i roleplayed with told me it was a lot of fun and they were really intrigued by him. They even forgot about roleplaying with eachother and were both just bouncing off me. We all had a great time. 

 

That was completely spontaneous by the way, no linkshell or fc. So it can be done guys! Just find the right peeps!

 

That is great to hear, I can only hope I have the same luck the next time I give it a go.

[Sophia_Grave]

One of these days I'm going to do a write up for playing the antagonist in RP, but primarily, it comes down to communication and planning. Everyone involved (OOC-wise, of course) needs to be okay with your antagonist screwing things up for them, and you yourself need to be prepared for long term consequences for your character.

 

I also like to work toward a clear goal that forcibly involves others. Its easy to be avoidant or run away for either side, and that's no fun, since conflict is the whole point.

 

And remember, being simply a rude jerkface is a world's difference from playing the bad guy.

[cuideag]

I play a not very nice person who has, on occasion, definitely sat on the villain side of the line. It's been said a few times already and because it is a very, very important thing I will say it again: communication. I've had to coordinate a lot more on the OOC level than I have with any other character. Figuring out directions to take stories and plots, developments and characterization, and the ever important making sure that folks don't get OOC burned by whatever IC stuff goes on.

 

Also something I have found to be very important to consider: motivations. It's well and good being a jerk, but if your character is a jerk for the sake of being a jerk then it might read more like a gimmick than genuine characterization. Also super important to keep in mind that being a jerk will have its consequences. Another reason why OOC communication is super important. My lady avoids places like, say, the Quicksand because it makes zero sense for someone with a record like hers to just shoot the breeze in so public a place. She's had several attempts at her life and doesn't really have a lot of people she would call friends so really it's been kind of a lonely life for her. But communication and coordination can help you keep things rolling and keep yourself and whoever you RP with involved so you don't end up feeling isolated because, well, your character is a jerk!

[Hammersmith]

Badguys are inherantly antagonistic.

 

Which means they're also inherantly disruptive to RP

 

Which means they're not a lot of fun to play outside of the GM/ST position.

 

Which means they're disposable and are inherently a mayfly position.  

 

No one here is playing a real Badguy if they're attached to their char.  The best you can muster is morally grey.

 

Anything more means you're either being a jerkwad or you're running a story for other people.

 

One is alright.

 

The other means you should probably stop RPing

[industrythirteen]

I love playing villainous characters. I love it when others play villainous characters, too. One of my friends from AION played one of the best villains I've ever seen in an mmo. He had one pretty simple rule he followed, which was in order to give the character shelf life, the character needs to believe that deep down, what they are doing is right. There is no muwahaha-ing from the evil laboratory, no kicking puppies or stealing candy from babies. No mustache-twirling. No brooding edge-lording off in a corner. I suppose anyone can do that, but it's just window-dressing at that point. For me, it is the sincerity in what that character believes, and a willingness to do things and get things done in a way that may appear to be selfish, cold, and calculating, even inhuman. Those methods may be cold and emotionless, but they may none the less be the most expedient measures to solving whatever problem that character is facing. 

 

But, above all, I feel that if I am to play such a character, I must, at all times, without exception, talk to everyone whom I get involved with at any level. I must tell them what I am up to, and I must, must, must have their consent, managing the conflict as tightly as possible on an OOC level. I have seen roleplayers on the defensive, I have been on the defensive as well, when I've felt people have just neglected to get my consent or given me the simple courtesy of a conversation. It is an ugly, ugly thing. When I've talked with people, I've been able to give our audience a much better show, a better storytelling and roleplaying experience. Prepare for tit-for-that; winning some and losing some scenarios. My priority is first and foremost, to those viewing the scene, should there be other folks around. 

 

I also think that these characters do have a limited shelf life, regardless of how well they are played, handled and managed. The villain or antagonist in any story is generally an obstacle to be defeated. However, roleplay is unique in that it deviates from a typical story-telling structure, where the concept on Sonder comes into play. When I play a villainous character, I want that character to eventually be shaped into something new, as the fall and redemption are tropes of which I am particularly fond. Not everyone is into that, but I'm pretty sure if my character is not challenged, if that character is not changing, my character is probably dying.

[Nebbs]

Yes I have plays the whole range.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head in the OP, in that others will want to play with you or not based on their attitude, though also from an OOC enjoyment point of view.

 

So No 1 - be an enjoyable character to RP with by enabling others to play their characters.

 guy...

 

Loveable - the rouge the bad person who is really a good person, these are easy enough to play and it can be a light dusting of bad applied.

 

Flawed - your character has a flaw which makes them bad but people can relate to them and will accept them as friends and associates.

 

Redeemed - you were bad but now you are good. So you act good but with flavours of bad and people can hate you for your past.

 

Necessary Evil - they don't like you, their friends don't like you, but they have no option than to deal with you. Become unnecessary and expect them to turn on you.

 

Enemy - here you will be the target of ..well rejection, hunted and death. Don't expect to be with the others as a player, in some aspects you are an NPC to them.

 

Just to reiterate, whatever you play let your self be engaging and enabling of others RP.