Saeth's Roleplaying Guide, Vol. 2 - Evil Exposed

Saeth's Roleplaying Guide, Vol. 2 - Evil Exposed

PDF

Print

E-mail

Written by Saeth Ceathue
Thursday, 10 July 2008 08:55
Evil Exposed A BONUS EDITION OF SAETH’S ROLEPLAYING GUIDE INTRODUCTION First off, to get started, it’s necessary to define exactly what evil is- “What is evil?” Before answering even this seemingly simple question, however, it’s also necessary to recognize that both “good” and “evil” are subjective terms- that is, subject to interpretation by individual viewpoints. For example, a sadistic blackguard may be able to justify his evil actions to himself, believing himself to be good and just, when in fact he may be committing horrible atrocities. Does this mean the blackguard isn’t evil, then, if he believes himself to be good? Or is he evil based on some predetermined norm? Typically, the answer to this question is subject to a predetermined norm. If killing, murder, and other atrocities are commonplace and generally accepted in a (theoretical) society, then the villain may be considered to be someone who is good and just since he is cooperating with the societal norm (Note: Such a situation would only arise if the society is nearly or entirely driven by atrocities). In a society that is predominantly driven by good works, generosity, kindness, and so on, then the societal norm would define such a villain as evil, since he isn’t cooperating with the societal norm. Therefore, to properly answer the question, “What is evil,” the answer would be going against whatever societal norm is generally accepted by the community. THE TWO TYPES OF EVIL Objective Evil Objective evil is the obvious type of evil. They’re evil, they know it, and they don’t care. They make little effort to hide their true nature, and often enough utilize direct means to hurt others and commit atrocities. This type of evil is generally shorter lived than its counterpart, subversive evil, mainly because that this type of evil is much easier to root out and defeat (it’s easy to defeat what you can obviously see). Unfortunately, these types of evils also tend to be more powerful and dominating than forces aligned against them, making their defeat much more difficult, but no less short-lived. An example of this type of evil is Shiro Tagachi (Guild Wars: Factions). Writer’s Note: This type of evil is typically regarded as “cliché,” and, “stupid,” by roleplaying veterans (objective evil villains are often undone by their own stupidity). It’s a good starting point due to the ease of this type of evil for people new to the evil front- but be prepared to face some disdain from the more experienced roleplayers. Subversive Evil Subversive evil is a much more dangerous, profane, and difficult evil to not only defeat, but also to play and utilize. Subversive evil attempts to emulate the societal norm with the intention of later on backstabbing and using whatever influence it had gained by that point to wreck untold destruction and devastation. Backstabbing is the most common tool of this type of evil, but often times the weapons it employs can be emotional or covert- not necessarily physical. An example of this type of evil is the Undead Lich / Vizier Khilbron (Guild Wars: Prophecies). Writer’s Note: This type of evil is extremely difficult to play as it can take a significant amount of dedication and patience in order to weave a proper web of intrigue and trickery. However, the reward and satisfaction from the experience at the end is often much higher than simpler evils. KEY ELEMENTS OF EVIL For advanced roleplayers, playing as the villain can be like a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stagnant world. Most often, such player villains are a severe minority that has a plethora of handicaps, and the roleplaying handicap is what makes playing a villain much more exciting. Regardless of the type of evil, however, all villains share a few basic traits between each other. Intent to Hurt or Distress All villains have evil intent- that is, the intent to hurt others physically or cause emotional distress. From horrible tyrants to the simple thug, all villains will inevitably victimize someone at some point in time. Without this element, there is nothing to hate or fear about the antagonist, and thus, the drive for people to oppose the villain isn’t present, and therefore, the conflict cannot take root. Why Evil? All villains have a reason for what they do- from loneliness to a warped childhood, all villains exhibit a dramatic past that made them into the abominations they are today. Some of the most interesting and exciting backstories can be made for villains- one should never neglect the use of the “why,” when creating a new villain. The Goal or Objective All villains ultimately have a goal they work for, whether it is for pure sadistic pleasure or for the power to rule the world. Without the driving motive or objective, a villain doesn’t have a reason to actively commit atrocities, and whatever acts he or she does will ultimately seem empty otherwise. The Odds All villains in the typical setting are opposed by overwhelming odds, either by numbers or power. Usually, a villain has one or two advantages that he or she uses to get an upper hand, but ultimately, all villains are eventually defeated in most storylines or plotlines. For an evil antagonist, the threat of death and an eternity in the Underworld is very real- from the very beginning, those who wish to attempt to play a villain must recognize that they are likely to be defeated at some point, and that their defeat will ultimately mean the perma-death (See the original Roleplaying Guide, Advanced Topics) of the antagonist (though exceptions, such as redeemed villains, do exist- this topic is covered below). MECHANICAL EVIL With that out of the way, the next obvious topic to cover is exactly what evil involves and how it works out in the long run. Villains take a great deal of planning and the assumption of a lot of risk- one error in the entire plan can ultimately result in the downfall of that villain. Depending on the actual type of evil used, however, that villain may either be careless (Objective Evil) or scheming (Subversive Evil). Here, we’ll cover some of the more abstract interactions and mechanics that villains can encounter. A Hint of Good The most unique villains are the ones that exhibit not only an overbearing amount of evil, but also a few hints of good scattered throughout their personality. These hints of good should be fairly obvious or prone to come about when exposed to likely situations, and can often add a very original and unique experience to those who interact with the villain. A few examples of such hints of goodness might be that the villain is a family man or woman, and refuses to cause harm or distress to others who have families, or that the villain is married and genuinely loves his or her counterpart. Hints of good can often prompt efforts at redemption; another topic covered later on. Finally, hints of good can also severely blur the line between the good and evil inside a villain, making it difficult for people to actively oppose the antagonist. Interaction with Other Evils While objective evil is generally known to consist of loners who are selfish, subversive evils tend to band together cooperatively to weave their webs of lies and deception. Since the threat of being discovered is very real, such threats often force cooperation between even the most treacherous evils- up to a point. This makes survival much easier for these evils, while still accomplishing their goals- but take care; once the goal is accomplished, such coalitions often break down into civil war, though exceptions do exist. Corruption of the Good The most profane task any villain can accomplish is the corruption and subsequent failing of another person’s ethical and moral values- in effect, turning a person into another villain. Since such a task often involves a web of trickery and deceit, objective evil isn’t well suited to accomplishing such a task, but subversive evils excel and revel in it. A good example of such corruptive subversive villain would be a dark priest who gains followers under false promises, luring them to corruptive power only to be consumed by it. Redemption of the Evil Conversely, the most righteous task that any person can accomplish is the redemption of a villain. Effectively, another person restores the villain’s ethical and moral values to be in cooperation with the societal norm. This is an often-employed tool used in some plots to allow a safe exit for a villain who would otherwise be permakilled. CONFLICT Obviously, the purpose of the villain is to create conflict- but how far should that conflict go? Since the villain’s purpose is to create conflict in order to alleviate a possibly stagnant or boring atmosphere (and ultimately to further enjoyment and excitement of all parties), a villain goes too far when players are no longer happy about it OOC. The Limit Limits should be set for each community that explicitly defines exactly how far villains may go, according to the preferences of that community. Consider this to be a line in the sand where no villains should go- flat-out murder may be acceptable in some communities (though such things should be approved by all parties, especially in an MMORPG world), but things such as rape are almost always far beyond any community’s sensitivity tolerance. Players should decide beforehand what that limit ought to be. Communication When using a villain, some sort of OOC communication should be given to the community that it’s being used for. This prevents potential misunderstandings and possible interpretation of actions as genuine- merely the statement that a villain is a villain is often enough to mean that the player behind that villain is not acting with genuine malicious intent. Failure to do this can hurt feelings of all players involved and degrade the excitement and fun of everyone. However, such communications should always also mention and caution against metagaming (See the original Roleplaying Guide, Advanced Topics). Timeframe Always define when the conflict will begin and approximately how long it will last- some conflict can reinvigorate an entire community, but too much of it can become just as boring as having none at all. Set a tentative end-time for the conflict, and ensure there is a period between the conflicts with villains so that the community involved can rest, mend, and prepare for the next one. Respect Fellow Players Some players may not be experienced enough, or simply may not want, to participate in another player’s planned conflicts. If this is the case, such limits should be respected- never invaded- by the villain (as this constitutes actual OOC villainy). Such storylines or plotlines should ignore the presence of exempted members of the community, but it is also the responsibility of those players to give communication to everyone that they don’t wish to participate (See Communication above). The Community Limit Villains are made specifically for a certain community, so they don’t translate very well into other communities. Limit villain sphere-of-influence to only be within the community it was created for (or in our case, the guild). Outside participants should have the option of participating, but they should be made aware of it before becoming involved. Trust Perhaps the most important concept for any player who intends to create a villain in an unplanned storyline (“freeform”) is some degree of trust from the overall community. No matter how grim the situation involving a villain becomes, there should always be some degree of trust that the player who is working behind that villain will not push the storyline too far or abuse the vulnerabilities of others unwarrantedly. Some measure of trust can be accomplished via communication (See Communication above). CONCLUSION As stated before, playing a villain can be a very rewarding experience, give a surge of vigor to a stagnant or boring setting, or just create some good conflict for others to indulge in, but it must be handled carefully and properly so it doesn’t become intrusive to other people’s play styles. Each community must decide exactly how it wants to embrace villainous characters and storylines- there is no written standard. The elements outlined here are the basic groundwork, but they are by no means the actual building.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 10 July 2008 09:17 )