Mike asked about the most vicious enemy, and my answer was in the context of a roleplaying game. We're on the GURPSnet list, after all. But is that the right answer?
A movie has two hours to introduce the villain and the hero and to show and tell the story. A book has several hundred pages, and just words to paint the images in the mind of the reader. In both cases, the director or writer controls the actions of all characters. A game has one or more afternoons/evenings to tell the story in that "improvised acting style" called roleplaying. The actors are all amateurs, sessions will be weeks apart, and there will be interruptions for coffee and pizza. How often did a GM plant plenty of clues, only to have the players go after a red herring? Writers can give us a few paragraphs in the mind of the villain. Directors and screenwriters can use "idiot plots" which work only if all characters forget all common sense. Game masters can't do that. They have to exaggerate the evilness of their villains to make things clear. Games with shades of grey are incredibly difficult to pull off. Or is that too cynical? Regards, Onno _______________________________________________ GurpsNet-L mailing list <[email protected]> http://mail.sjgames.com/mailman/listinfo/gurpsnet-l
