Introduction

Azeroth is in turmoil and strife, with cosmic powers beyond mortal comprehension toying with the lives of thousands to fulfil their evil goals. And thousands stand up to these threats, offering even their lives to stop them. Azeroth is a place where Heroes are made.

But how long can one fight against cosmic horrors? How long can Heroes operate, knowing that while everything they do is vital in a certain scale, they are but insignificant foot soldiers in the larger picture, major lore figures stealing all the spotlight us Heroes rightfully deserve? Hours, days, weeks, months of fighting, working our fingers to the bone and what do we get? A lordly "thank you, Hero" from our oh-so-glorious leaders before they reap all the benefits?!
This makes me mad!
Mad!!
I'll show them!!!
I'LL SHOW THEM ALL!!!

And this is why every Hero needs a Villain to match. Even if – like in this case – they are one and the same person.


What is a Villain?

Villain, miscreant, dastard, evildoer, ruffian. Even though the so-called "anti-villains" become more and more popular, the traditional image of the Villain is too deeply imprinted into the collective consciousness to be removed. Some associate villainy with widely perceived “evil”, but I believe this is not the case.

The Villain, above all, is a role. The Villain is as much a foil, a mirror reflection of the Hero as the Hero is to the Villain. A phrase often used to describe this relationship is “two sides of one coin”. It's a good phrase and certainly holds much truth. But an even better comparison would be two players unconsciously playing a game with each other, a game with victories and defeats small, large and dramatic, a game neither can end, in which there can be no final victor.

We call this game “roleplaying”.


Who wins?

This is the beautiful thing about roleplaying: characters are in conflict, but players cooperate with each other. As long as there is amity OOC, when both sides know it's about the story, not who “wins”, everyone is the winner. The reward? You take part in a beautiful, touching, action-packed storyline which fully satisfies your creative needs. On the flipside, if players get into character too much, if hatreds their characters tend to get out into the OOC area, everyone loses. Heroes and Villains are not supposed to win, players are. It takes but one selfish player to ruin this whole foundation.


What are Villainous Wiles and Flaws?

At their core, Wiles and Flaws are the same thing to a Villain Virtues and Flaws are to a Hero. Just like Heroes, Villains are not normal people. They do things no other would dream of. But while Heroes generally do the Right Thing, Villains have a trace of madness lurking inside their minds, madness which makes them do unpredictable things.
Sometimes this helps the Heroes such as when the Villains feels the irrational urge to confess the details of their evil schemes to them. At other times, this can seal the Heroes' doom, like when a Villain is perfectly willing to die to see his plans fulfilled.

Wiles and Flaws reflect this madness, while also helping with characterisation or, some might say, shoehorning the Villain into a certain archetype.

A Wile is some kind of strength, cunning or madness which allows the Villain to be larger than life, a real threat to the Heroes themselves, to their families, lands and maybe to the whole world.
Hint: aim low at first. No one likes a Villain who jumps from around the corner proclaiming himself Dark Overlord of the Twilight Cult or something.

Conversely, a Flaw is a character trait that does decidedly not fit a Villain. It can make your character a comic relief Villain, an ineffectual Villain who certainly never read the Evil Overlord List... or a humanised Anti-Villain.

Remember that just as in the case of Virtues, Wiles are not superpowers or RP guarantees. They are merely aspects of your Villain's character which, if played right, can make him or her stand out among the crowd and be a true menace to the Heroes.

This is great, a really nice and highly informative read! We've added it to the collection of cool stuff atop the Roleplaying forum.