The Villain Had a Hard Life

So I know 'The villain thinks he's right' has been done to hell and back, but what would your party do if they found out that your main enemy's whole plan was for some sort of attempt to take back the life he feels he had stolen from him or to make sure at least a few people are saved from living lives like he did?
Say, I don't know, a hardass settlement leader in the apocolypse who has a strict curfew and harsh rules with severe punishment but actually just wants to make sure nobody questions him so the children in his settlement can grow up in safety and have enough to eat because he never did?

Actions can still be judged outside of motivation

Look man, i understand shit's tough, but the moment you raise your hand to hurt me or my family, you're done.

So he wasn't a cartoonish all evil cardboard cutout of a person. Maybe that'd bother you if you wanted to pretend you were the all good and utterly infallible protector of everything kind of hero while brutally murdering shit left, right and centre. But if you aren't wallowing in that kind of nonsense, why would something like this bother you? All the mooks you chopped up like it was a Cold Steel commercial to get to this guy probably had just as good justification for their actions.

But I guess plenty of people do want to have all the blood run off them like water off a goose so they can pile up the corpses and still be the shining hero, or there wouldn't have been much of a puddle for Spec Ops to make a splash in.

You mean before or after they kill him?

I'd definitely try to talk them down, and even see if I can figure out a way to get them what they want without having to do whatever evil plan they think is necessary. Of course there's always the possibility that their problem is something that can't be fixed. In that case, I don't know what I could do except try to kill them as painlessly as possible and hope that I'm sending them to an afterlife where they can heal.

I know what it's like to feel the way you describe, and it's something I wouldn't wish on anyone, and I don't think I could condemn them for doing whatever they can to escape it.

I still have to kill him. I mean, it's a sad story, but why does that change anything? He's still the bad guy.

DMs who try to do this always make my mind boggle. We've come all this way to kill this guy, I'll feel like a right idiot if I DIDN'T kill him. Shit has to be done, man.

I had a hard life IRL and I'm either not a villain or an extremely innefectual villain. No sympathy.

So let me get this straight.
You've had a shitty time, I can't deny that, but you somehow decided that this was a good excuse to ruin things for other people instead of helping them? And no, forcing people to live by your rules or die isn't "helping" them, shut your face.

That makes it even worse than someone who just does evil for the hell of it. I hope you're still alive before we get to the part where I feed you your own lungs, you piece of shit.

>The villain is trying to reclaim his rightful lands, stolen from his people after a brutal conflict and a harsh treaty

One of my villain-of-the-week was a Dirge Singer (think necromantic Bard) that reanimated the town deads trying to revive his lost wife.
Last battle at the wife's tomb have 2 phases:
1. MJ thriller with the bard commanding a dancing undead horde;
2. He and the ghost of his wife;

When dead, his ghost and the ghost of his wife go rest.

Sometimes people just break. Something happens that they can't handle and their mind just falls apart.

And when that causes them to be a danger to themselves or others they get put away or put down.

Bro you posted the answer to your own question. Big Boss's goals and motivations were 100% understandable and sympathetic. We had 2 whole games dedicated to showing what kind of life he led and how his hardships and strife shaped him into the man he was. Not to mention a 45 minute monologue at the end of MGS4. He was a great man, an amazing soldier, and a legendary leader.

But no one is running around giving Solid Snake shit for killing him, twice. All the well intentioned goals and sympathetic motivations in the world don't mean shit when you start doing the things Big Boss did. He wasn't an evil man, but that doesn't mean he didn't deserve to die.

Same with The Boss.

>He wasn't an evil man

Lets not be so hasty. He used child soldiers and stirred up conflict so he could recruit more child soldiers.

>He used child soldiers
It's not like they had anything better to do. Plus it looks good on their resume when they apply to jobs in future. Better than dicking around playing video games or shitposting on mongolian carpet-weaving forums I'd say.

There's no such thing as villains. You're telling me everyone in your party is a saint? What type of delusion are you living?

Venom Snake rescued child soldiers and was trying to rehabilitate them and give them a chance at a normal life. That's pretty damn respectable for someone who runs a mercenary outfit and calls himself a demon.

Venom Snake used child soldiers, not Big Boss. Finish the game before you go around talking about it like you know what you're saying.

And he got fucking killed at the end of Metal Gear 2 for generally being batshitzania about it. With a fucking spraycan flamethrower, no less.