G M A N N O U N C E M E N T:
◼ WEEK 04: As the first round of secondary plots are coming to an end, let's discuss antagonists. So far there hasn't been anything too serious in the RP but what are your thoughts on antagonists? What makes a good villain for you? Do you like them unhinged, do you like them cold and calculating? Do you prefer an NPC villain or one who is directly portrayed by another player? What's good about being bad?
I feel like I should probably respond to this, seeing as I'm playing the only Player-Character
'villain' so far. I guess that also answers my preference over NPC & PC villains. I just feel as if player-villains are allowed to be more dynamic as opposed to NPCs because the writer has to react to everyone else whilst also working towards his own interests. An NPC doesn't need to worry about other players so much, since they're generally given a plan by the GM from the start and won't often deviate from that plan because the direction of the roleplay is usually dictated by the GM through the use of NPC villains. As a player-villain, I can't just start blowing shit up or doing things that might affect the RP at large without prior consent so I'm forced to play more reactively.
As far as
good villains go, I think they have to be able to trigger some kind of emotional response from the viewer/reader, whether it's sympathy, anger or humour. Emotional attachment is pivotal to whether a villain can be considered 'good'. The Joker, for instance (and since everyone else is using him as an example), is a hilarious villain for me. I'm attached to him because I find what he does funny. Not so much in a good way, but in a way that so far removed from what I'd ever do. I laugh at him because he's so outrageous. That emotional response he commands from me is what makes him a good villain.
If I had to choose between unhinged and calculating, I think I'd go calculating based on my own character. I mean, I don't really class him as a fully-fledged villain just yet. I don't think he's quite reached that status. I've merely placed him in a villainous role, which is kinda what I wanted to do with him so you guys could witness his growth over the course of the roleplay. Speaking of emotional attachment earlier, that is what I want for Tobias eventually. But in order to do so, I need you guys to see his journey. And I believe if he were simply an unhinged villain, he wouldn't be able to earn that attachment as well he would if he were cold, calculating and willing to work behind the scenes.
