I've mostly use old characters from previous campaings as antagonists....sometimes they were corrupted by power....they lost their soul to a foreign Power....etc.
Sometimes different villains can share a common goal or allegiance, but for differing/opposing reasons. For example, my group recently completed a long-running campaign that revolved around defeating a dark apocalyptic cult. The villains I threw at them along the way were (mostly) affiliated with the cult in one way or another, but each had their own agenda. Some were purists who served the cult out of loyalty, others were opportunists who aligned themselves with the cult for personal gain (or personal reasons) and still others were like double agents who seemed to be loyal to the cult, but proved to be secretly working against its aims (but were still enemies to the party due to opposing goals or allegiances, or even because of the sheer ruthlessness of their methods). Even a couple of members of the party had their loyalties tested over the course of the campaign, and on more than one occasion their backstories and personal motivations made them question whose side they were really on.
When you were talking about how to use Sloth my mind went to FMA 2003. Using Sloth as a desire for stasis or a desire to avoid any kind of responsibility. So a Slothful villain might make sure the 'worst' possible candidate is on the throne. Because that way they don't have to take on any more responsibility or work. A Slothful villain who is already on the throne might let huge parts of their kingdom decay rather then make the effort to fix problems. That could be letting regions of the kingdom starve instead of trying to combat famine, with magic or imports from other regions. Or it could be sacrificing regions and outlying areas to some kind of invading force/dragons/magic instead of trying to stop that. A Slothful villain could also be actively opposing necessary change just because they're alright with the way things are.
@dicebreaker I would love to see a "Top 5 Diceless RPGs" (or however you would construct the video - you're the pros). It is something I am interested in and I find you all very knowledgeable, trustworthy and balanced in your descriptions.
My friend and I had this chat this morning, especially for one shots where the BBEG needs some solid characterisation but most minor villains might not get enough screentime, or indeed be missed altogether. I had the gang be a social web of sorts, even considering how likely they'd be to betray the two bosses, but I think I maybe went too far considering they may never meet the party...
It should be considered an axiom that there are no great heroes w/o great villains and as such the bad guys should be as memorable and engaging as the heroes- although not quite so sympathetic (depending on what they are being 'villainous' about).
One thing I always think of when trying to come up with a villain: they think they're a hero. While Syndrome was a good example. I think the most compelling villain in recent memory is Baron Zemo in the. MCU, along with the Flag Smashers from Falcon and the Winter Soldier. You can empathize with the motives, but not the tactics.
There's a long history of villains in film and TV being given characteristics that play into queer stereotypes as for a while homosexuality was seen as immoral by wider society and therefore you could flag your character as immoral by playing up to those stereotypes. We mentioned Disney because they used those tropes a lot. Ursula from the Little Mermaid for example is directly based off of famous drag queen Divine. There's plenty online about it, on UA-cam as well. I recommend looking into it! - Wheels
@@dicebreaker Hm, alright. Odd verbiage tho, why not just say "they're given stereotypical gay traits"? I don't recall ever making any connection or thinking that a villain is portrayed as being gay.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I've mostly use old characters from previous campaings as antagonists....sometimes they were corrupted by power....they lost their soul to a foreign Power....etc.
Sometimes different villains can share a common goal or allegiance, but for differing/opposing reasons. For example, my group recently completed a long-running campaign that revolved around defeating a dark apocalyptic cult. The villains I threw at them along the way were (mostly) affiliated with the cult in one way or another, but each had their own agenda. Some were purists who served the cult out of loyalty, others were opportunists who aligned themselves with the cult for personal gain (or personal reasons) and still others were like double agents who seemed to be loyal to the cult, but proved to be secretly working against its aims (but were still enemies to the party due to opposing goals or allegiances, or even because of the sheer ruthlessness of their methods). Even a couple of members of the party had their loyalties tested over the course of the campaign, and on more than one occasion their backstories and personal motivations made them question whose side they were really on.
This is good writing advice, let alone RPG advice.
When you were talking about how to use Sloth my mind went to FMA 2003. Using Sloth as a desire for stasis or a desire to avoid any kind of responsibility. So a Slothful villain might make sure the 'worst' possible candidate is on the throne. Because that way they don't have to take on any more responsibility or work. A Slothful villain who is already on the throne might let huge parts of their kingdom decay rather then make the effort to fix problems. That could be letting regions of the kingdom starve instead of trying to combat famine, with magic or imports from other regions. Or it could be sacrificing regions and outlying areas to some kind of invading force/dragons/magic instead of trying to stop that. A Slothful villain could also be actively opposing necessary change just because they're alright with the way things are.
@dicebreaker I would love to see a "Top 5 Diceless RPGs" (or however you would construct the video - you're the pros). It is something I am interested in and I find you all very knowledgeable, trustworthy and balanced in your descriptions.
I really like those videos , it really help for the campaign I am dming
My friend and I had this chat this morning, especially for one shots where the BBEG needs some solid characterisation but most minor villains might not get enough screentime, or indeed be missed altogether. I had the gang be a social web of sorts, even considering how likely they'd be to betray the two bosses, but I think I maybe went too far considering they may never meet the party...
It should be considered an axiom that there are no great heroes w/o great villains and as such the bad guys should be as memorable and engaging as the heroes- although not quite so sympathetic (depending on what they are being 'villainous' about).
Two TAZ references... Wonder what Liv has been listening to lately 🤔 😁
My hero acidamea is a sequel to the incredibles where syndrome won… change my mind
One thing I always think of when trying to come up with a villain: they think they're a hero.
While Syndrome was a good example. I think the most compelling villain in recent memory is Baron Zemo in the. MCU, along with the Flag Smashers from Falcon and the Winter Soldier. You can empathize with the motives, but not the tactics.
Jyst see Gundam
What does it mean that Villains are often "gay coded"?
There's a long history of villains in film and TV being given characteristics that play into queer stereotypes as for a while homosexuality was seen as immoral by wider society and therefore you could flag your character as immoral by playing up to those stereotypes. We mentioned Disney because they used those tropes a lot. Ursula from the Little Mermaid for example is directly based off of famous drag queen Divine. There's plenty online about it, on UA-cam as well. I recommend looking into it! - Wheels
@@dicebreaker Hm, alright. Odd verbiage tho, why not just say "they're given stereotypical gay traits"? I don't recall ever making any connection or thinking that a villain is portrayed as being gay.