Any of you guys struggle with playing a bad guy or even an asshole character? I can't get off the path of good

Any of you guys struggle with playing a bad guy or even an asshole character? I can't get off the path of good.

An asshole is just something other people call someone, it's just a name. Anyone called that has a personality that someone doesn't like, often times with character aspects many cultures would consider bad, and personalities are the result of various factors to form the whole that somebody has decided to not like. You can play a character with flaws, or with viewpoints going against what would be considered the norm, but trying to automatically play as an "asshole" as if it's an identity on its own will make you fail.

Why would you want to get off the path of good?

I can play a good asshole character when the rest of the party are self-centered irredeemable assholes. I can unleash a lot of bile when I can count someone's body count by each encounter and then utter in the end "and only two of them were in self defense."

I have a hard time being a cunt in vidya rpgs.

In tt, I just need to have a character framework where it makes sense. Less asshole, more different-but-rational value scheme.

Because a previous friend of mine said my characters are too samey for always being good guys, unlike this other guy who tends to play the questionable team mate or edgy character.

It's easy to play a bad character even if you have a good streak - just play a good character following moral code very much different and even opposing that whcih is commonly used. You also get bonus points for not being edgy and evil for the sake of evil.

Do you think it would be fun?

Playing a badguy isn't that hard, playing what people THINK of as a badguy can be.
Alot of people think "playing an evil guy" means you have to kick every puppy and steal from every orphan you come across rather that just being willing to do some very bad things to accomplish your goals.

Hell a well crafted villain might go out of his way to do a nice thing or two either for personal reasons (a gang boss giving that begger kid a gold piece cause he clawed his way up from the gutter and knows that kid's feel) or because he thinks it evens things out (help fund an orphanage to "make up" for all the orphans you make as a brutal mercenary) or an "even evil has standards" sort of thing (Vampire Lord rips the heart out of some asshole torturing a kitten because "For darkness sake i'm a monster but really, a kitten?! Who DOES that?")

>I have a hard time being a cunt in vidya rpgs.

>Play Planescape:Torment
>Decide I'm going to do an evil jackass run
>Insist I'm fully capable of doing it
>Have to stop after selling Dak'kon into slavery for pocket change.
>Can't bring myself to play it again

The description of Dak'kon's reaction to being sold was fucking heartbreaking.

I really enjoye ME1 where you could play a (justified) Xenophobic asshole.

I really missed that in 2 & 3 "Power of Friendship" setting.

That being said, play 4X games against people, you will quickly unlock your inner cunt.

The problem with good/evil paths in video games is that they have to balance the gameplay.
we usually define "evil" as a selfish easy path to gain and reward. To super-simplify things you'll hurt others for your own benefit be it cheating, stealing or actual injury.
Good on the other hand is willing to benefit others at your own cost.

The problem comes in vidya when you can't have one path that rewards being a dick and another than "punishes" being a goodguy or it feels like you're penalizing the player.
The first Dishonored game did this and i hated it, you /could/ be a heroic avenger but it's like 10 times harder, knockouts take a long time to pull off and almost every upgrade, item, and power you unlock is deigned for Stabby McMurdermask.

Infamous kind of did the opposite mistake where it felt like alot of the "evil" choices where just being a dick for no reason rather than "I'm a bad person" like throwing cars at buildings "because it's fun lulzsoevil"

>play 4X games against people
or Battle for Wesnoth
or something similar

No because I'm naturally a cunt. So all my good characters struggle with not being assholes and trying to be the bigger man. Mostly just not calling people cunts when they're being cunts and being polite, occasionally having to hold back and not lash out in a fit of rage because someone struck a nerve and said the wrong thing about the wrong person because I';m a big man child and my characters share my anger issues albeit to a larger extent due to the disconnect from reality.

Yeah man, there's nothing I hate more than edgy cookie cutter Evil character. When people commit morally opinable acts, they usually try to justify themselves, or to "make up for it", if they're not complete sociopaths.
Then again, I just can't play a character that does Evil for the sake of it. All of my Evil characters were opportunists, maybe overly cruel, but I just can't make them violently murderous without a good reason. It's my limit. Even my kyton warblade, a literal devil, did what he did just for that juicy soul trading, and happened to be one of the most rational members of the party.

My current character, who I actually really liked, was also my first evil one.
I played him as essentially fun and likeable, pretty generous with money, and loveably harsh with his 3 henchmen (think drill-sergeant).
But also completely uncaring for life.

He only murdered a few people, really, and never did the really questionable stuff when there were any witnesses, but it was fun. It was fun to watch the rest of the party slowly realize that the facade he put up with them was entirely that, and he was the coldest most brutal sort of opportunist.
And since no one ever really saw him do the truly shady stuff (but everyone sort of knew) it gave characters a chance to take the easy moral path, when he'd say; "Let me handle it" or something similar. Everyone kinda knew he would do bad stuff, but no one knew-knew, and they didn't want to (in character at least)

Agreed, and while I suppose it's different for fantasy creatures /literally/ made of evil, think of "evil" people in real life, they either think they're the heroes of their own story or they're so damaged that they're running a different system entirely

Not to invoke godwin but even the Nazis didn't just go "Fuk da Jews lol i'm so random!" they either built up an entire mythos about their proud power metal viking ancestors being fucked over by le happy merchants and if you just get rid of them, the gypsies and the fags then Germany will be awesome in no time flat!"

the most evil fucks out there honestly believe they're doing the right thing, y'know.

are you sure you're playing Good? or just a fucking wuss who errs on civilian safety?

if that's the case, your GM should maybe up the stakes so you're more inclined to make dangerous choices and live with the consequences.

Nah it's easy. Don't try to be bad. Be (as perceived by your character themself) "neutral." You're not tipping cows to be mean. You're doing it because it is fun. Hurting the cows and the farmer are jusy side effects. You're not killing elves because you like murder. You're killing them to do a good deed in the eyes of your goddess Lolth. Focus on the good in being bad. It isn't the "greater" good, but there's good none-the-less.

So it's more about being less considerate, a "fuck you, I do what I want" sort of behavior?

Well tip number 1.
Don't be an asshole to the party. Ever.
It's okay to be tongue and cheek for humor but do not try to fuck over your party or go full asshole on them - even if they trigger your character, have them act a bit more cold towards the party at most.

Tip number 2.

You don't have to be the biggest asshole, you can act 'nonchalant' about things with a bit more negativity added to it. IE
"Yeah this ale is okay I guess - for peasant's."
Suddenly you grab a few people's attention, some might be angry with you to the point where they will attack you for noticing their ale tastes worse than pisswater.
Some might agree with you and offer you a different type of ale that isn't pisswater.