RPGs with evil protagonist

[Cthulhu_is_love]

Coming from this thread: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/why-am-i-so-autistic.99666/

I had the following question: Are there RPGs where you HAVE TO play the bad guy?

And I think of it in a Dungeon Keeper way of playing the evil baddie.
The only game which jumps into my mind is Wizardry IV but are there others?

Share ur eternal wisdom with the hivemind.

Also: Is this topic worth an own thread?

 

[Stainless Veteran]

Coming from this thread: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/why-am-i-so-autistic.99666/

I had the following question: Are there RPGs where you HAVE TO play the bad guy?

And I think of it in a Dungeon Keeper way of playing the evil baddie.
The only game which jumps into my mind is Wizardry IV but are there others?

Share ur eternal wisdom with the hivemind.

Also: Is this topic worth an own thread?

Well, many hentai SRPGs, VNs and SLG have p. evil protagonists. In western games evil is mostly played for laughs (DK, Overlord) or it's played just for the shock value (Manhunt, Hatred), or both (Postal). I don't really remember any western RPG where you can be just evil and that's it though.

 

[Athelas]

If you're forced to role-play as evil, can they still be considered role-playing games?

 

[abnaxus]

Rance isn't evil, he's only protector of cute girls.

 

[Zarniwoop]

NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer
Knights of the Old Republic. You HAVE TO play the bad guy, but you can decide to become a good guy again.

 

[Athelas]

NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer

It's perfectly possible (and in fact easier) to suppress your spirit hunger so much that the spirit energy you get from suppressing is greater than the spirit energy you lose in a day, never requiring you to feed.

 

[felipepepe]

Wizardry IV and Paper Sorcerer.

Ultima VIII: Pagan could qualify as well.

 

[Zarniwoop]

NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer

It's perfectly possible (and in fact easier) to suppress your spirit hunger so much that the spirit energy you get from suppressing is greater than the spirit energy you lose in a day, never requiring you to feed.

You're still the bad guy, you just don't act out your evil urges.

 

[Somberlain]

Hatred

It's an RPG, you play the role of The Antagonist.

 

[Zed]

rance is immoral, not evil. just like all the japanese are.

 

[Karwelas]

Planescape Torment as bad guy. It is fucking amazing how cruel you can be in this game.

 

[Ismaul]

If you're forced to role-play as evil, can they still be considered role-playing games?

So many ways to sin.

 

[Stainless Veteran]

rance is immoral, not evil. just like all the japanese are.

Rance is omnialigned

But seriously, given western mentality that rape is way worse than murder (and anglo definition of rape continues to stretch every day), most h-protags are pretty evil.

 

[pippin]

Ultima VIII: Pagan could qualify as well.

Not really, since you're a good guy at heart who is forced to do bad stuff. Although summoning Satan was cool as fuck.

 

[V_K]

Legacy of Kain, sorta-kinda?

 

[Athelas]

Legacy of Kain, sorta-kinda?

Stopping the Circle of Nine is a good thing. As for blood, you can maybe get by just drinking from bad guys.

Also, not an RPG.

 

[bminorkey]

Let's also discuss RPGs where you *can* (but aren't necessarily forced to) be exceptionally cruel as well because otherwise there's like... 5 legit answers tops to this question

 

[sser]

Of Orcs and Men has you playing what is essentially the 'bad guy' to the rest of the world. You technically have a 'good guy' story but your main character is described as having done horrible things to others and orcs in general really fuck shit up when they get angry.

 

[Cthulhu_is_love]

Let's also discuss RPGs where you *can* (but aren't necessarily forced to) be exceptionally cruel as well because otherwise there's like... 5 legit answers tops to this question

Yeah, seems legit if there are this few games. Thought there would be more obscure old games nobody ever played. Seems like i have to play japanese eroge games with evil cephalopod protagonist.

Maybe someone still has an idea...


Therefore: MUTATE

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

While not being RPG, don't all Sim city-like and other Tycoon games make you an evil character ? Treating people like cattle/tools, building useless shit for profit, expanding only to keep the brutal capitalist system you've created from collapsing and so on. Those games make you a suit, the ultimate evil character.

 

[Zetor]

Short answer:
Any game where you play a murderhobo... which is quite a lot of them.

Long answer:
In many/most jrpgs and jrpg-ish crpgs, you play an inhuman monster that lives only to kill stuff, and relaxes between killing sessions by looting the houses of innocent villagers. The next time you take that potion from the chest in the old man's house, revel in the thought that you have just condemned him to an agonizing, painful death in exchange for a low-end healing consumable that will become useless in a few gameplay hours.

Also blah blah ludonarrative dissonance. Most rpg characters are remorseless killing machines that'd rather leave a panicked near-death enemy lying there in a pool of his own blood, ignoring his pleas of mercy... because he is bodyblocking a healthy enemy from getting near the party's frontline.

This also makes the bg1-2-tob story work much better than it should. More rpgs should recognize that the PC is an unstoppable engine of merciless murder (and sometimes petty theft), inspiring death cults, serial killers, etc.

edit: also I'm p. sure going against the Geneva Convention counts as evil... has anyone finished JA2 or any other game taking place in the modern era without using landmines and mustard gas? How about flamethrowers and incendiary ammo? Did JC Denton ever fire a WP round from the gep gun in your playthrough?

 

[Fowyr]

Some modules for FRUA and Blades of Exile.

 

[Perkel]

Planescape Torment as bad guy. It is fucking amazing how cruel you can be in this game.

never tried that

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