NationStates Jolt Archive


Kraven’s Dark Arts: A Guide to Evil Role Playing

The Kraven Corporation
14-06-2006, 17:58
This is my advice guide to those who want to RP as a darker nation, or an “Evil” nation, a few people on MSN have asked me how I achived this so easily and so I decided that instead of repeating myself over and over again, I’d make this guide for people who wish to dabble in the darker arts, and so for your reading pleasure may I introduce you to: Kraven’s Dark Arts: A Guide to Evil Role playing.

Reasons:

Why is your nation evil, or why does it take on the evil personae? There can be many reasons for this, which you can either decide upon the creation of your RP and your first post, or can develop through the medium of RP, many people often start as a nation with good intentions only to be turned to the darker side of life by events that happen through out the world, from Genocide to rebellions, some nations turn evil during a civil war, where the darker faction of the nation managed to take control, be it through better tactics or the outside intervention of nations.

Exploring your nations darker side can be incredibly fun to write, the characters are often very deep and can be an exciting part of the role play experience, for example, your national leader could seem like a very noble and upstanding person when faced with the cameras of the General public, but on the inside, he’s a coward, scarred by power and afraid of leadership, so he hit’s the bottle hard every night…

Its this kind of angle that brings an exciting element to role playing evil nations…

How can you get other to recognise your evil, or at least begin to?

This can be done in many ways, by the gradual hinting that your nation has a darker past, or by hinting through present actions that your nation has an alternative motive, this is possibly the most difficult aspect of the RP, being able to keep your audience interested but without divulging too much information, or loosing your audience through long winded explanations of your past history.

Here is an example

Doctor Jenkins walked down the long corridor, it was surgical white, and the bright fluorescent lights made the crisp white walls only harsher, the Doctor looked through the small glass window of a heavy blast door, inside was a young woman, looking at her dishevelled shape, his mind was cast back to his early days as a doctor, his left hand started to tremble, and tears weld up in his eyes… he clenched his hand into a fist and quickly moved on…

From the above writing, we can see that something reminded the Doctor of his past, something he’d rather forget, yet the information is just vague enough to keep you hooked, and judging by the Doctors reaction to the girl in the cell… his past isn’t something that he particularly wanted to be reminded of..

Another key to role playing as a Darker nation is to write emotively, meaning to write in a style that people can imagine really well, via descriptive words and hitting them in an emotional context, this is another difficult aspect of role playing, being able to describe a situation in depth and detail, describing what people are seeing around them and using the smells of the room to make people wretch as they read it…

Let me divulge a little in the form of another example, as this is the easiest way I find to make people understand, followed by a little explanation.


The woman had been strapped to the dentists chair, the room was hot and against the black leather of the chair, she felt uncomfortable, as the sweat from her body made her skin cling to chairs upholstery, she looked around the room nervously, it was obviously some kind of bunker, as the gentle rumble of artillery exploding possibly many miles above was barely audible through the thick concrete walls that now surrounded her, her eyes strained to see something that was on the wall, it looked like something had been spilled onto the wall, then it dawned upon her.. The smell… the pungent smell that made her feel ill… stale blood, she couldn’t work out what it was, but the stain had made it obvious to her, her eyes quickly darted around the room as her breathing rate and heart rate suddenly increased as her natural flight or fight kicked in, she finally realised that she was in mortal danger…

As you can see from the above, the woman is in danger, she’s probably been drugged and brought to this bunker to await interrogation or more likely torture, the key here is to make the reader feel for the woman in the chair, connect with her and feel sorry for her as the Interrogators get to work, the idea is to make the person reading it, feel as though they are in the room as well, as though they themselves are actually in the woman’s position, generally when writing about NPC interrogations, to really strike a chord with people, I generally choose people that will cause the most outrage amongst the readers, such as Woman, old people, children, Fathers, Priests, this is the main key to being Evil, being able to play on peoples feelings and emotions.

Another idea as well, one that you can explore, is the fact that anyone can commit genocide, I’ve done it to two nations so far, Jagada and The Aeson, but it takes a special RP’er to make people feel for the people your butchering, simply stating in one or two lines that your butchering a thousand people, makes them just that, a thousand people.

However, making the people reading the genocide, feel for those you are killing by describing in detail a few of the executions will make people more outraged and will guarantee that if your looking for international outrage, again here is an example:



The soldiers stormed up the street, tipping over bins and shouting orders to the civilians that were stood in the street, carrying bags of shopping, children clung to their mothers in fear, as an Officer walked towards them, shouting something in a language they didn’t understand.

The soldier produced his pistol and grabbed the young child clinging to her mother, the woman cried, dropping her shopping and pleading to the soldier to leave her daughter alone, the soldier continued to bark orders at her, but again… she didn’t understand, on her knees before him she cried, begging the Officer to leave her child alone…

The Officer responded by putting a bullet through the skull of the child, fragments of skull, sinew and brain exploded over the mother and in a fit of rage, she threw herself at the Officer, a desperate attempt and retribution, but instantly two soldiers ran to the Officers aid and pulled her free, a rifle butt to the jaw line gave her ample time to rethink her actions…

She lay there moaning, crying softly, clutching her now broken jaw…

The Officer walked over, his pistol held limply in one hand, the Officer simply shook his head, then rolled her onto her back using one of his knee high Jackboots, the pistol was used once again, effectively silencing her moans as the bullet broke her skull, in a similar fashion to her child that was just executed moments before her….



From the above section of writing, I’ve made it obvious that the soldiers performing the execution simply didn’t care, but the woman pleaded for the life of her child, that was cruelly snuffed out before her.
Successfully writing to make people feel for your characters and those you are executing will bring new depth to your Dark role playing.

I hope this gives you a little help in writing for the Dark Side of NS, it can be the fun and entertaining to read, but most of all, I hope you enjoyed reading this, I was at a loose end today, so decided to rustle up this little nugget of information, please, Enjoy and if you like it, please direct others here.

Yours

Kraven
The Aeson
14-06-2006, 18:09
Take my nation for example. When I return, it's going to be much darker (and I was never exactly cuddly). The survivors of the Kraven Cleansing are ****ed off, and we want Kraven. Hell take anyone who gets in our way, and no alliance is too dark.

Walking that thin line between good and evil, and dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight.;)
Toopoxia
14-06-2006, 18:11
The soldiers stormed up the street, tipping over bins and shouting orders to the civilians that were stood in the street, carrying bags of shopping, children clung to their mothers in fear, as an Officer walked towards them, shouting something in a language they didn’t understand, the soldier produced his pistol and grabbed the young child clinging to her mother, the woman cried, dropping her shopping and pleading to the soldier to leave her daughter alone, the soldier continued to bark orders at her, but again… she didn’t understand, on her knees before him she cried, begging the Officer to leave her child alone… the Officer responded by putting a bullet through the skull of the child, fragments of skull, sinew and brain exploded over the mother and in a fit of rage, she threw herself at the Officer, a desperate attempt and retribution, but instantly two soldiers ran to the Officers aid and pulled her free, a rifle butt to the jaw line gave her ample time to rethink her actions…

She lay there moaning, crying softly, clutching her now broken jaw…

The Officer walked over, his pistol held limply in one hand, the Officer simply shook his head, then rolled her onto her back using one of his knee high Jackboots, the pistol was used once again, effectively silencing her moans as the bullet broke her skull, in a similar fashion to her child that was just executed moments before her….

:O

that was graphic, I don't feel like dinner anymore...

uh oh, here comes breakfast...

yes anyway after my short excursion to the toilet I wanted to thank you on helping me and other Evil nations better realise our dreams, thanks man.
Leafanistan
14-06-2006, 18:16
Also the whole 'Gray' between the Black and White is what I like to play.

Try blackmailing nations or people in them, RP a secret slaving operation, or the President getting a 'favor' from an intern. Milk them for all they are worth.

Corporations can have a lot of fun in those 'little' war RPs between two small nations. Pander to both sides. Nuke them or something and convince them it came from each other. Force them into war and sell them stuff. It is a great business.
Amazonian Beasts
14-06-2006, 18:18
I like it, Kraven...I gotta use these hints...
MassPwnage
14-06-2006, 18:40
Also, another way to be evil is to be downright psychotic. Don't just be "evil" in a utilitarian sense, have your characters ENJOY it when they commit acts of violence. Have them commit unecessary, totally unjustified acts of violence, have your government declare war on nations for no reason other than the need to simply lash out and hurt something etc. Being psychotic and unpredictable like that makes you downright scary.
Tenuria
14-06-2006, 18:44
Then there's atmosphere. See my intro thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=484708), for instance, which I'm basically using to build up an atmosphere for Tenuria's ultimate transformation into a truly evil nation.
Doomingsland
14-06-2006, 19:14
Also, another way to be evil is to be downright psychotic. Don't just be "evil" in a utilitarian sense, have your characters ENJOY it when they commit acts of violence. Have them commit unecessary, totally unjustified acts of violence, have your government declare war on nations for no reason other than the need to simply lash out and hurt something etc. Being psychotic and unpredictable like that makes you downright scary.
Yeah, lately I've noticed I'm much more into this style. Honestly, I find "acting" evil to be horribly overrated and overdone. I get sick of all these nations ruled by dark lords and whatnot.

Generally, when Doomingsland does something "evil", it's for a reason. For example, I once took a hundred or so Questerian POWs, skinned them alive, and hung them from their entrails in order to get their commanding officer to give up some information I needed.

Hell, then again there was this one time I destroyed a nation for no reason other than they violated my airspace with a recon helicopter...
Cruxium
14-06-2006, 19:27
See I happen to disagree with MassPwnage. Psychotic rulers who do pointless acts of aggression aren't technically evil, rather misguided or insane. Those nations who are quite aware of what they are doing and enact their plans with a cold, ruthless quality are the evil ones.

At the end of the day, anyone can play psychotic and do pointless acts of violence, but it takes something else to play a nation that is truly evil.
Gejigrad
14-06-2006, 19:51
[ "The soldiers stormed up the street, tipping over bins and shouting orders to the civilians that were stood in the street, carrying bags of shopping, children clung to their mothers in fear, as an Officer walked towards them, shouting something in a language they didn’t understand, the soldier produced his pistol and grabbed the young child clinging to her mother, the woman cried, dropping her shopping and pleading to the soldier to leave her daughter alone, the soldier continued to bark orders at her, but again… she didn’t understand, on her knees before him she cried, begging the Officer to leave her child alone… the Officer responded by putting a bullet through the skull of the child, fragments of skull, sinew and brain exploded over the mother and in a fit of rage, she threw herself at the Officer, a desperate attempt and retribution, but instantly two soldiers ran to the Officers aid and pulled her free, a rifle butt to the jaw line gave her ample time to rethink her actions…"

That was one sentence. D:

Anyhow, cheap gore doesn't get you anywhere. Personally, I find sinister nations, with a more subtle approach than nuking the crap out of you, to be scarier. Say, political maneuvering or puppeteering. Otherwise, you're simply an hulking ogre, and not a shade, or something of that ilk. ]
Tenuria
14-06-2006, 20:07
Yeah, lately I've noticed I'm much more into this style. Honestly, I find "acting" evil to be horribly overrated and overdone. I get sick of all these nations ruled by dark lords and whatnot.

Generally, when Doomingsland does something "evil", it's for a reason. For example, I once took a hundred or so Questerian POWs, skinned them alive, and hung them from their entrails in order to get their commanding officer to give up some information I needed.

Hell, then again there was this one time I destroyed a nation for no reason other than they violated my airspace with a recon helicopter...
Actually, Doom, you're probably one of my inspirations here. I don't intend to be "evil" just because I can; I'll be evil because I have a reason to, and because I like writing grisly Inkana Civil War-inspired scenes. Tenuria and its government will become much like the monsters under your bed: always watching you, sometimes lulling you into a false sense of security to awake you violently. The Sol Marii are supposed to keep Tenurians awake at night, and if I were a better writer, they'd keep NSers awake at night too. :P

We don't waste our blood.
Doomingsland
14-06-2006, 20:12
Wow, thank's, Ten. I'll be sure to keep an eye on your RPing. TG me if you want any tips or anything.
Jenrak
14-06-2006, 20:20
My country is one of the few with the psyche I've built. I've made a country valuing efficiency over excrement. While I could certainly turn my nation into a rampaging slab of evil intents, I prefer to do it the most subtle way ~ through economics and politics. My actions are evil, but in the end, I'm all business.
The Kraven Corporation
14-06-2006, 20:25
[ "The soldiers stormed up the street, tipping over bins and shouting orders to the civilians that were stood in the street, carrying bags of shopping, children clung to their mothers in fear, as an Officer walked towards them, shouting something in a language they didn’t understand, the soldier produced his pistol and grabbed the young child clinging to her mother, the woman cried, dropping her shopping and pleading to the soldier to leave her daughter alone, the soldier continued to bark orders at her, but again… she didn’t understand, on her knees before him she cried, begging the Officer to leave her child alone… the Officer responded by putting a bullet through the skull of the child, fragments of skull, sinew and brain exploded over the mother and in a fit of rage, she threw herself at the Officer, a desperate attempt and retribution, but instantly two soldiers ran to the Officers aid and pulled her free, a rifle butt to the jaw line gave her ample time to rethink her actions…"

That was one sentence. D:

Anyhow, cheap gore doesn't get you anywhere. Personally, I find sinister nations, with a more subtle approach than nuking the crap out of you, to be scarier. Say, political maneuvering or puppeteering. Otherwise, you're simply an hulking ogre, and not a shade, or something of that ilk. ]


Thanks, re-reading it, it did look a bit big, so I re-worked it, as for the Cheap Gore, that wasn't what I was meaning, it was just an example, there are other ways to do it, such as subtle maneuvering, but that just happened to be the example I wrote about :)

EDIT: Thanks for all the comments people, I do however understand where Doomingsland and MassPwnage are coming from, the random acts of violence can also be fun to play, hence why I have a very interesting puppet, that I'm using to blow of a bit of steam, the Logical Evil nations, such as Kraven is a very restrictive style to play, so to let of a little creative steam, I went wild...
Tenuria
14-06-2006, 20:27
Wow, thank's, Ten. I'll be sure to keep an eye on your RPing. TG me if you want any tips or anything.
[Hint: We've met before... I'm the evil puppet of a n00b you fought in Kregaia.]
1010102
14-06-2006, 20:29
When i rp evil characters I have them be just insane crazy mother$%#^s.

I was rp as tony Montana at the time so i had to some crazy stuff. like this little one:


"You lied before so I will cut your balls off!"

Tony sent the chainsaw right between his legs which were spread from his legs tied to the chair.


I had captured a guy from a rival gang and tied him to a chair and was interrogating him. I had asked him before to stop lieing and he didn't listen. so i cut his balls off.
Doomingsland
14-06-2006, 20:34
[Hint: We've met before... I'm the evil puppet of a n00b you fought in Kregaia.]
Kregaia...ummm...I don't seem to recall that...mind refreshing my memory?
Doomingsland
14-06-2006, 20:38
Wait, never mind, I know who's puppet you are :)
Jagada
14-06-2006, 20:40
Being evil beyond reason doesn't mean you have to be like Kraven, AMF, or others. You don't have to announce yourself to be evil. Allow people to think you are great and wonderful nation that seeks democracy and fuzzy liberalism. Carry out your agenda of evil under the veil of good intentions. As an old saying goes: "The path to hell is paved with good intentions." Bring nations close to you, make them dependant upon you, make them not only trust you--make them 'love' your nation like they do their own.

Then when you have achieved all this, wait until they are ripe for the pickings and then pounce on them with all your energy. Conquor them, and when they asked why you say: [insertevilyetfunnyremarkhere].

That is how to be evil and not get jumped by every pot-smoking democracy on NS. Kraven knows how it feels to announce yourself evil, and how many attacked him seeking glory.

EDIT: Also--you can be considered evil by being good. Example is when I attempted to invade Cruxium (that whole thing got IGNORED after an FT nation threaten to slag me, but thats beside the point) upon the grounds of Freedom of Religion. Actually no, I didn't try to invade him, I tried to blockade him.

I was made out to be the worst thing since Nazis. Democractic states on NS, who would have sent half their armies to invade Cruxium if I had pointed out that he was an Empire which everyone pretty much 'state-owned'. I, however, went in for religious freedom and thse democracies turned their guns at me.

The unwittingly helped a brutal dictatorship. In a sense that makes me evil in two ways. Firstly, they didn't see freedom of religion has vital and thus took it upon themselves for whatever reason to help the monarchy, and they saw my actions as 'evil'. Secondly, I made hypocrites out of democractic or 'peace-loving' nations by forcing them to side with a dictatorship, least they be looked down upon by the secular world for fighting in the name of religion.

So to be evil, all you have to do is choose to play a nation trying to do good, just not the type of good that mainstream people think is good--whatever that means. Lol.
Me li
14-06-2006, 21:03
There appeared a small dragonfly... Well it bore a strange resemblance to a dragonfly. If you were to ask a person "what the hell was that?" They would likely look at you peculiar and ignore both you and the creature. That would be until the Eyes started glowing and the holo-projector focused a dapper Cat in nifty shiny jack boots, cape, and rapier before the Dragonfly.

"Yah Know this evil thing looks kinda interesting. Crazy interesting, might give it a try."

He then Bowed and the Dragonfly took wing and quickly flew off.
Tenuria
14-06-2006, 22:52
Wait, never mind, I know who's puppet you are :)
As well you should. It's a public secret. :P

And Jagada... kudos. That's why I want Libertarian Police State status.
Kubra
14-06-2006, 23:08
In my opinion this soyhudl become a sitcky or be included in one of the stickies.
The Kraven Corporation
15-06-2006, 01:00
Bump for the night...
Leafanistan
15-06-2006, 01:26
In a similar vein, remember how to use propaganda. IC and OOC should stay seperate, and make yourself into the person on the moral high ground. Strawman arguements, false choices, outright lies, anything to get people on your side.