How to Play The Enemies

 When I was young, I saw enemies as obstacles to put in front of players. If the players wanted to get to a goal, you pull a few goblins out of your pocket and throw them on the board. Eventually they reach the boss and I saw him as a thing to slay. If you're wondering what's wrong with this description, I invite you to imagine enemies in a new way for all TTRPGs. 

As I gained more experience as a GM, I realized then when the enemies acted as more than pawns, or when twists were added to their behavior, everyone had a lot more fun. This led me to rethink the way I was using enemies in my games and how I should play the enemies. Just as in reading or writing fantasy, you want the villain to be just as complex as anyone else. It's more engaging when you can relate with them in some way. GMing really isn't any different. 

Both big villains and henchmen are living creatures that have lives. So, as a GM I try to play them that way. It can make a big difference in the quality of your role playing and the fun you have. The first thing to consider is your disposable bad guys, the henchmen, the cannon fodder. Even they have a reason for putting their lives on the line and they have limits to the risks they'll take. You can add some role-playing flare to their fear of losing or decision to abandon their post. My enemies will virtually always retreat when they are losing. No one wants to wait around to die. Maybe they keep retreating further back into a dungeon, raising the number of enemies players must face at the end. Maybe one getting away means reinforcements will come. Maybe they'll beg for their life and turn on their employer so they can go home to their kids that night. 

What kind of motivations do enemies have and how should you play them? 

Criminals really aren't that different from most people. Their primary concern is to provide for themselves and their families, and to have some comforts in their life. Their motivation for being on the scene is to survive, finish a job, get paid, go home, and sometimes to hide their identity. Determination should be the driving force in role playing your criminal. No matter where they land on the "bad" scale, at the moment when they meet your players their primary concern is staying alive and completing their job so they can get paid. No one is going to stick around for an obvious slaughter. Better to lose the money and live another day. Also, thugs all have their own limits. Sometimes failing a job is better than mentally scaring themselves with guilt.  

Monsters can be similar or radically different. First, in many games what we call monsters are more like natural animals in the world that happen to be dangerous. They are most likely defending their territory, their young, or food supply. In this case, don't make them bloodthirsty, make them goal oriented. They want to drive the players away and likely won't pursue them if they retreat. An animal will fight to the death to defend their young though. 

A more intelligent "monster" may be the member of a primitive society with low understanding of empathy and morals. However, they likely still have a societal structure that they want to participate in. Take a little time to think about what that is and how it affects the encounter with your players. Will these creatures randomly attack anything they see or are they also defending a territory or trying to gain resources and valuables. They might have families they want to return to as well. 

Then there are true monsters! These are creatures of pure evil and malice, which many games possess. My idea has always been that these creatures have no fear of death and may welcome it for various reasons. Their motivations are completely different. They are usually less objective oriented, but rather look to cause all the pain and chaos possible. What does that include? Maybe that means avoiding combat with players to continuously attack the vulnerable. Maybe this means trying to disable a player rather than survive the encounter. It likely means making the move that causes the most pain in the creatures around it.  

Whatever the situation, your enemies should never appear mindless or void of personal feelings and goals. Weaving these ideas into your combat and role play can really change the game. It should make it more interesting, more satisfying, and more dramatic. 

As usual, you can contact me if you have any further questions. If you'd like to see me write a post on a specific topic. I am a GM supplement writer for hire. I will talk to you about what you're trying to create and put your ideas into a design to improve your campaign. 

You can find me on Twitter @flayer85

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