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(It probably won't though.... :P)

It better not. I would hate to have to throw you in the stocks and drum you out of the order.

Yes, Gentyl as a bad guy doesn't work. I'll leave that to people who do it far better.

When evil rises in its full power, it surpasses truth and may wear the guise of good without fear.
-Stephen R. Donaldson
White Gold Wielder

((Old post, I know. With some of the recent discussions on the forums and after looking at the replies here, I wanted to try adding a bit to the guide above. Let me know your thoughts.))

As you develop your character more...

You have to know the rules before you can break them. Playing a villain is no exception to this.

Like any roleplay character, a villain starts as a basic two-dimensional concept. You might know a goal or two, some likes and dislikes and a general backstory, but most of the "meat" that comes with well-rounded characters is obtained as you journey through the world. Characters change, and with them, so changes the hero-villain dynamic.

The villain grows a heart (not the one he keeps in a jar on his desk, either), the hero is pushed into doing something terrible to vanquish the villain. (Arthas and Stratholme, anyone?) Suddenly the roles are reversed, and the story twists in an entirely new direction!

This is why the Villain Expectation is so much stressed in this guide. Remember the Golden Rule? Being able to take punishment and still keep your good humor is a very important skill to learn--and to teach. After all, it's not only the villain that gets punished in an epic storyline.

Oh, yes, heroes can lose, too!

Did you think I would say they couldn't? Most characters have faced off with the baddies several times in their roleplay life, but the baddies that get remembered are the ones who leave a lasting mark. Once your heroes begin to trust that you'll treat them well (OOCly, that is...), you can push the envelope of what your villain is capable of inflicting.

With mutual respect, anything can happen. And I do mean...anything!

The only question I have is:

How do you let people know you're a villain?

Do you advertise in the OOC channel? That seems a little awkward.

Plot in silence. Just like real villains, nobody proclaims their dastardly intentions. Then, stile suddenly and without warning, so as to gain surprise. That is how to introduce a villain properly, now, you may need the help of a few people in order to pull of your first act of evil, but the less known it is, the more spontaneous, the better for all involved.

We have announced in HordeOOC that we *are* villains, but our plots remain a secret. Our advertisement simply state that if you're looking to join a group of chaotic evil characters, or need villains for a plot, to contact us. You don't need to publicize exactly what you do that makes you so evil.

Ah. I had assumed things needed to be more direct then that. Not that I'm a villain, or anything.

Just good knowledge to have. Thanks for the thread!

The only question I have is:

How do you let people know you're a villain?

Do you advertise in the OOC channel? That seems a little awkward.

I've seen it done several ways.

--Hero asks a for a villain in an OOC channel or the like. Villain raises hand. Hero and villain talk out what they would like to see happen.

--Villain RPs through their life like normal, and people start reacting to them. (Most drama-rific but also most exciting--neither side is always wanting to have a fast one pulled on them, but spontaneity can't be matched for fun.)

--Villain asks weekly event host (tavern, etc) if they'd like a little "trouble" played out while the event is going on, but doesn't specify the trouble unless the host asks. Host agrees (or disagrees, and the villain goes on their way).

--Villain asks guild if they'd like a arch-nemesis. Guildleader and villain talk out the rules of engagement and so on, and then villain is set loose to cause havoc.

--Villain announces they're going to assault such-and-such a place at such-and-such a time. A few rules are laid beforehand, then let the games begin.

--Villain asks friend to be the first victim, who runs crying to everybody else who might want to join in.

--Villain announces they are out and on the prowl, and come what may to whoever catches them.

And so on...rule of thumb is that whatever gives the biggest OOC surprise is most fun, but also has the most potential for OOC drama.

Whatever you do, see rule one. Ask before you do anything with ramifications for the other character. Right before the punch comes, or several days in advance when people are discussing what they want to try in a storyline.

I'm tempted now to bring back Torvan, and his guild of sadistic pain mongers.
I loved playing him, and coming up with the backstory, but there was too much going on at the time to really flesh him out.
Maybe I'll ask here whether a Paladin turned Death Knight who loathes the Light now is called for? I can always repost his story in the CC forums. I felt it was innovative, exciting, and hits close to home.

The kind of guy who hides his identity by day, but works the shadows at night. I've got the quiet, caring, good yet misunderstood personality in Arlston. The over the top wacky and genial Frazzbolt who can turn the most dire situation into something awkward and fun, yet seems to be regaining his popularity the more I bring him to the recluse?

I'd love to have the brilliant evil mastermind, eloquent, yet bloodthirsty and filled with a barely controlled rage...

I've been a fan of writing short stories for a while now, so it would be interesting, perhaps give Alliance side RPers a common enemy of the Light who doesn't show up often, but always manages to throw a wrench in the good works. (Genevra I feel you and I can work out a thrilling story)

Wait, you mean he pretends to be a Paladin by day?

11/22/2011 08:25 AMPosted by Arlston

The kind of guy who hides his identity by day, but works the shadows at night.

Or is that a metaphor? I'm kinda bad with those.

You know, we've been busily attempting to establish an archnemesis guild in each faction (Homeland and Pia, of course) but we have a Horde guild we're, ahem, "allied" with and NO evil Alliance guild to, ahem, make a deal with...

11/22/2011 10:21 AMPosted by Opidea

Wait, you mean he pretends to be a Paladin by day?

Nah, he was a Paladin, who fell during the campaign against the Lich King when he called upon the Light, but nothing came. The Light abandoned him. So now he's dead, hates the Light, and everyone who uses it. He acts like a normal person, just some random old man who loves books in public, but he's secretly the man pushing crime and murder in Stormwind, trying to bring down the Cathedral of Light, and all who revere it. He's kind of a Paladin's worst nightmare, because he knows how they think and act.

That kind of Paladin turned DK.

All I ask for is a bit of subtlety, maybe some actual motivations, and a bit of.... style or character beyond "oh ho ho, I'm evil, watch me twirl my mustache." My favorite villains were those that had actual things they were trying to achieve and kept the world in the dark to that, playing things smart. I still remember Creator's plots and events from 5 years ago - the man had managed to play both the Horde and Alliance right into his hand, attract heroes and villains alike to join him on his dirty work. You'd be amazed what a bit of good PR, a cause, and something to distract people with can do. "For the Horde" was a very useful way to do that, heh. We'll wipe the Alliance out with this new plague, with your help ( and then maybe you next); schedule a public execution/sacrifice of a human woman - then use the blood and deaths from the inevitable alliance rescue attempts to fuel the real ritual. I recall my troll was actually about to join his guild before some of the other more chaotic less subtle villains in the guild started mucking about in his personal life.

Anyway, call it a preference thing, what will you, but I prefer that I /not/ be sure that my villains are scum that you might as well burn to ash - because in the world we live in, there's little reason /not/ to do that beyond the muddled thing that is killing other characters on an OOC level. "Someone stole some grain from us? Yeah, go ahead and kill them to take it back." Trust me, the guards would be killing you faster than the players could if you laughed in the streets while throwing a dead baby around.

A bit of ambiguity and grey areas can do wonders for things, folks - or at least /apparent/ grey area. Villain with good publicity, anyone? You might find yourself getting the sharp end of the sword less often if you can convince folks you don't deserve it. Feel free to have them assassinated /later/, of course.

11/24/2011 09:50 PMPosted by Arlston

c

Adding on to what I was saying, see! That kind of man. He's not going to be strangling a priestess on the steps of the cathedral while pissing in a holy chalice and then wondering why he's suddenly in the stockades, or even telling people he does. He's making an effort to keep his plans /secret/ because realistically, well, they'd pretty much crumble if they weren't. And even when some folks find out? Well, its a bit harder to murder the nice guy in the streets reading a book when even a few heroes are mixed in with the people defending him, vs having 90% of the public out to get you.

Edit: Huh that quote sure failed didn't it. Oh well, he posted like, right above me, can just read it >>

Its in the story of course. The villain is the challenging element to any hero. We are players here on the stage of WoW and as Gentyl said we should be interesting. I look forward to story events such as the ones Creator made. For me the story is the thing and a chance for any of my characters to participate and become interesting. My vote is for any villain or hero to create epic story that we can make our servers own. We have some great and unique villains, heros, and interesting characters right here and unique to our server. Love this thread and any ideas on how to be a more effective character for our RP.