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Old 08-12-2004, 12:19 PM   #2
Brody
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: North Carolina
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I don't think it's a matter of being evil enough, as a player. I've dabbled in my share of villains, so I speak from some experience: It's about putting yourself in the mindset of a villain, with all the proper justifications and motivations to explain away the "evil" behavior. I share the opinion voiced by others that the best way to play a villain is to not think of them as a villain, but simply as a selfish individual who thinks that they are a hero in their own way.

Colin Neidermeyer, my brutal xenophobic ex-military officer turned king, didn't think of himself as evil. He blamed aliens and other offworlders for all the problems that befell Earth (and he *was* right, from a certain point of view). He considered aliens less than human, untrustworthy, and part of a recipe for the destruction of his civilization. And, given his background as a demanding, unforgiving military commander, he didn't brook any kind of foolishness from his followers. During his existence, Neidermeyer boiled tiny Nemoni aliens, forced a soldier to break his own fingers for bungling a mission, and ordered another soldier to punch himself in the mouth for being a smartass. He gave another underling a choice between breaking his own fingers or being shot - when the underling refused to break his own fingers, Neidermeyer shot him dead.

The player at the keyboard certainly recognized Neidermeyer's actions as evil. But when you're playing a role, whether it's a hero or a villain, you must walk a fine line between detaching yourself - you aren't your character - and investing emotion in the role. Look at actors playing villains in movies. The best villains are played by actors who demonstrate for us that the character isn't acting out of purely psychotic, unwarranted malice. In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, as an example, Khan Noonien Singh pursues Captain Kirk and the Enterprise not because he's a burly villain who just wants to twirl his mustache and mwahahaha! at the screen. He wants revenge for the death of his beloved wife and Kirk's abandonment of Khan's people on a planet doomed to disaster. So, if you're playing a villain, it's best to play one who has appropriate motivations for the behavior (even if those motivations have been distorted totally out of proportion).

As for how a "bad guy" deals with newbies - well, there's only so much slack one can cut. But I've tended to have my villains interact primarily with the more experienced roleplayers - the ones I *know* can handle the sometimes violent, abusive behavior. With unknown quantity players, the best I can do is try to make it abundantly clear they're treading on dangerous ground. Then, if they still fail to get it, they suffer.

For example, a guy once showed up on the Tomin Sirocco cruise liner, trying to hit up Neidermeyer for investment money in an art gallery. Neidermeyer didn't know the guy. Had no reason to trust the guy. So, after making it clear he was less than enthused about the idea of investing, Neidermeyer ordered a couple of his minions to drag the newbie off, break a couple of bones and shake him down for his money. Neidermeyer then took over the art gallery. But the newbie got out alive.
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