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Fionnlagh · 08-12-2004, 11:55 AM

There's certain characters I just can't play, because I'm not evil enough. I admit it. People who know me will agree. My feelings get too entwined with my characters to play an unfeeling and sadistic character. I can play a *violent* character with the right motivation. I can play a *shady* character. But I can't do heartless and sadistic well.

On the opposite end of the scale, I know some guys who just plain *are* sadistic. They're unfeeling bullies in real life, and that comes out naturally in their roleplay. It also usually comes out in their behavior on OOC channels and such.

To get to an actual point though, how do those of you who play a sadistic and unfeeling character but aren't really very sadistic yourself approach doing so? How do you torture, mame, and kill the innocent, the helpless, the captives? Or even the minion who's stepped out of line, or competitor who's come into your grasp?

What happens when a newbie stumbles into things? How do you take appropriate action for your character, and yet help the newbie player learn and want to come back?

There's two parts really to this, I think. One part, of course, is your personal ability to not follow your heart but follow the IC heartlessness of your character. But the other half of this involves the OOC interactions...both being liked OOCly while playing an unliked character, and the OOC effect of having to damage or destroy another player's character whose story you really don't want to see end, but ICness demands it.

Such a character doesn't have to be the epitome of evil in his society either. It could be a well-respected but brutal slave owner in a 19th century game, for instance. He may be polite to everyone but the slaves. But RPing brutality to the slaves, particularly if the slaves were not created as slaves but on a game where wars or other methods allow a free PC to be forced into slavery, requires some ability to disconnect player feelings.

My own method of handling this is that I rarely try such a character, and usually falter after a while when I do. I'm interested in how others pull it off, because I've seen some very well played.

08-12-2004, 11:55 AM	#1
Fionnlagh New Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 12	There's certain characters I just can't play, because I'm not evil enough. I admit it. People who know me will agree. My feelings get too entwined with my characters to play an unfeeling and sadistic character. I can play a violent character with the right motivation. I can play a shady character. But I can't do heartless and sadistic well. On the opposite end of the scale, I know some guys who just plain are sadistic. They're unfeeling bullies in real life, and that comes out naturally in their roleplay. It also usually comes out in their behavior on OOC channels and such. To get to an actual point though, how do those of you who play a sadistic and unfeeling character but aren't really very sadistic yourself approach doing so? How do you torture, mame, and kill the innocent, the helpless, the captives? Or even the minion who's stepped out of line, or competitor who's come into your grasp? What happens when a newbie stumbles into things? How do you take appropriate action for your character, and yet help the newbie player learn and want to come back? There's two parts really to this, I think. One part, of course, is your personal ability to not follow your heart but follow the IC heartlessness of your character. But the other half of this involves the OOC interactions...both being liked OOCly while playing an unliked character, and the OOC effect of having to damage or destroy another player's character whose story you really don't want to see end, but ICness demands it. Such a character doesn't have to be the epitome of evil in his society either. It could be a well-respected but brutal slave owner in a 19th century game, for instance. He may be polite to everyone but the slaves. But RPing brutality to the slaves, particularly if the slaves were not created as slaves but on a game where wars or other methods allow a free PC to be forced into slavery, requires some ability to disconnect player feelings. My own method of handling this is that I rarely try such a character, and usually falter after a while when I do. I'm interested in how others pull it off, because I've seen some very well played.