Matt Mercer On Villains And What We Learn From Them

Thank you @matthewmercerheroes need good villains they help
define the world that you’re creating
and they also express our greatest fears
because of this I talked to critical
roles Matthew Mercer about villainy and
story any world any world you create is
going to be a reflection of your values
some extent as a dungeon master
so one when you begin to create a world
that also is a chance to look at what
your values are if you have been able to
define them as you said when you create
a villain you’re creating a character
that you think exemplifies an aspect of
villainy what is it that makes them a
bad person in your eyes to me a good
villain and a good story is an
individual that is still believable in
their causes you can have your maniacs
you can have your vile murderers who
just argue no the thrill of destruction
is is key to their existence that’s fine
but that also won’t lend to a long-form
narrative my opinion as strongly as a
villain that believes that they are not
to build a villain that believes that
they’re doing is the right thing to do
and nobody else understands their
purpose or if it’s a vengeance based
play and you understand why they’re
doing what they’re doing even if you
don’t agree with it if you can somewhat
emphasize with the villain that puts you
in the moral quandary of trying to
understand who’s really the bad guy and
what am I willing to sacrifice to stop
them what are they willing to sacrifice
to keep us from stopping and that to me
is a much more dangerous threat than
just a basic
armored evil entity that wants to
destroy the world
so we out the when you can when you
create your own world these moral
decisions these these villains these
antagonists are born out of your outlook
on life and you’re trying to make the
world a better place you’re trying to
use these heroes the device of this this
party to eradicate or at least subdue
these villainous forces these these
people that are trying to undermine and
destroy what you think is a good life
good exist is a good world
and part of the journey is for you and
the players to learn what it means to be
a hero it means to be victorious well
what do you give up to win and at what
cost
I think Kurtz Estrada or any of the
Raven loft games are a great example of
Heroes that go into a very distinctly
evil place but by the end of the
campaign who’s really the villain at
that point a lot of parties doesn’t get
to fighting straud they may be on as
much a monster as he is and I think that
those stories to me are much more
fascinating because it helps to use a
player and use the dungeon master really
kind of pick apart the human condition
and a very subconscious fun game at the
table with beer and away as opposed to
having a very distinct and sophisticated
book club with friends and glasses of
red wine sushi which is fine it can do
that to us I’m not judging it but
rolling dice and playing improv fantasy
at a friend’s house you’ll still be
surprised and what you can learn about
yourself
and what it means to be a good person
through these adventures that you create
and I think I don’t know that’s where
the reason why I think D&D makes the
world a better place every now and then
I’ll have a frustrating moment in my
life I’m like I get it I see why the guy
is the bad guys and comics poison the
water main and I was like shaking my
head me like no no no no I the
possibility of redemption is a very
strong narrative tool if your hero’s
believe that this villainous character
has any opportunity to redeem themselves
then it doesn’t become just a slaughter
fest there is an option there is the
possibility that they might be able to
show them the wrong of their ways and
either have them you know be punished
accordingly for it and possibly learn
from these mistakes or in their final
moments come to terms with the reality
that they were wrong all along I think
those are important moments for us to
learn as people how to be better people
you need to see that perspective of
seeing somebody go over to go off the
deep end somebody to go to extreme
lengths and to to give in to that
unbridled hate or vengeful nature that a
lot of people do naturally and be able
to live through this narrative in a very
safe space amongst friends
like any good story any good TV show or
any good book or any good movie you
learn a little bit about yourself each
time you go through these stories but
with the joy of role-playing games is
you’re invested fully into it both your
imagination and your actively altering
the narrative with the choices you make
and you can’t help but be viscerally
affected by the story of a really good
villain that you’re pursuing and trying
to possibly save as well as bring them
to justice
I generally I don’t necessarily create a
character and then tailor a story to
them I create a story for a villain and
then tailor what kind of character build
or character would fit for that so for
me I wouldn’t say the villain characters
are my player characters more than they
are a device for me to explore some of
these moral quandaries
for myself and my players and kind of
learned through that I’ve taken some
topics like how much is a person willing
to sacrifice for someone they love if
someone you truly loves that obsessive
level of love and the world it’s you
against the world bonnie-and-clyde style
how far you willing to go to try and
maintain and salvage that relationship
with the one versus the many and I think
there’s something really primal in the
truth of that a very dangerous you know
when you’re so focused on one other
person and what you have that nobody
else matters that becomes a very
dangerous villain I’ve also touched on
topics like cost toxic masculinity the
victimization of one’s own experience
now taking responsibility for the fact
that you you might be a difficult or
inseparable person at times and blaming
others for how they react to that and
victimizing yourself while still also
putting up the idea that you’re always
right and the world is against you I’ve
created villains that tackle
you know elements in megalomania and and
you know a selfish level of obsession
and I could say each villain do certain
because I’ve created is starts as a seed
of a person I’ve met probably and
probably all of you have meant to
because all of us have the Pops in
linear ourselves to be
villain that’s even the nicest most
wonderful people have dark thoughts it’s
just part of being a human being it’s
those that let those dark thoughts
control their actions and overrule their
conscious mind and consume and become
the defining characteristic of the
personality those are the ones that
eventually the heroes have to rise up
and set down
for taking the time to tell me about your new book! https://t.co/Vb7yMJdy88 . Looking forward to checking it out!

— Todd Kenreck (@ToddKenreck) June 7, 2017