[Cross-posted on soe4rp.wordpress.com]
Long story short, I am doing a character transfer from my old server to Sisters of Elune – and then a faction transfer.
The reason for this nuttiness? My main on the old server has gotten a bit stale. Recently, the roleplaying bug has bit me – hard – and I want some of the “goodies” that are currently stored on my main (Bind on Account items for another character, full tuxedo, gold, gold, gold…) available to my new characters.
The problem? Nobody needs TWO orc shaman on the same realm.
I have always wanted to try the alliance side, especially in the roleplaying community of Sisters of Elune. So my orc shaman will eventually morph into a dwarf shaman.
That gives me a brief window of opportunity to use the newly transferred orc for some villainous and dastardly deeds (cue evil laughter), provided one of my friends and compadres actually needs a villain to move their story along. Maybe an interesting confrontation, and then a nice, dramatic resolution (followed by a faction change, allowing the demise of the Horde character to actually happen).
This brings me to my point: how do you play a villain?
I am just slowly filling out the character's backstory. Any thoughts and recommendations for being evil (beyond twirling a mustache) are most welcome.
Long story short, I am doing a character transfer from my old server to Sisters of Elune – and then a faction transfer.
The reason for this nuttiness? My main on the old server has gotten a bit stale. Recently, the roleplaying bug has bit me – hard – and I want some of the “goodies” that are currently stored on my main (Bind on Account items for another character, full tuxedo, gold, gold, gold…) available to my new characters.
The problem? Nobody needs TWO orc shaman on the same realm.
I have always wanted to try the alliance side, especially in the roleplaying community of Sisters of Elune. So my orc shaman will eventually morph into a dwarf shaman.
That gives me a brief window of opportunity to use the newly transferred orc for some villainous and dastardly deeds (cue evil laughter), provided one of my friends and compadres actually needs a villain to move their story along. Maybe an interesting confrontation, and then a nice, dramatic resolution (followed by a faction change, allowing the demise of the Horde character to actually happen).
This brings me to my point: how do you play a villain?
- For one thing, my character cannot be t[i]he[/i] villain. That job is taken. I am more looking at a middle management position at Evil Incorported.
- Unless I was looking to make the character completely cartoonish, an evil character would not see himself as evil. In some cases, it’s a matter of “the end justifies the means”, or a desire to do something good, but going about it in the wrong way (for example, trying to bring about peace and order results in a controlling, totalitarians and oppressive regime).
- There is a time and place for outrageously evil characters, but when it goes too far overboard it can become laughable and predictable.
- The character needs to have a purpose, and the purpose has to have significantly more substance than “be evil”.
- There needs to be an intersection between the protagonist and the antagonist – and the goal of the protagonist ideally is in direct conflict to the goal of the villain. At the very least, if the villain was to succeed, it would bring significant harm to the protagonist.
I am just slowly filling out the character's backstory. Any thoughts and recommendations for being evil (beyond twirling a mustache) are most welcome.
Edited by Rongar on 4/14/2011 11:41 PM PDT
