Second, this post is about the big bads in the game that will start next week. So players beware: if you can compartmentalize and not use info your characters don't know, all is well. But if you want to be (hopefully!) surprised, then please read no more.
Now that we've taken care of that, I was reading a post from Johnn Four Roleplay who puts out some good advice. Sometimes I even try to read it and apply it. A recent post caught my eye about the villains in your story. We all know the player characters should have goals. In Traveller it is usually credits or a better star ship, or more toys. In the Fantasy Trip, experience and better weapons. The current game one of the players wants to be able to open his blacksmith, so is working towards getting the experience and skills. As I have the Amazing Shops and Inns from Loresmythe, we may be able to use those rules to make it a special place. Anyway, I feel a good game the characters need an overarching goal beyond surviving the next dungeon. And this post said that the villains need that as well - they have to have a winning end point in mind other than being a thorn in our heroes side. With that in mind, I got a broad outline of the main bad guys in the game and what their end goals are. Or at least a couple of them at any rate.
Corsairs has some broad characterizations for those opposing our characters. Known as scoundrels, it is a way of grouping characteristics and helps to define the playing field.
Way behind the curtain and pulling the strings we have a Sir Wysym Pycey of the Alderal Empire. He is the one, or at least the most visible one, bribing and corrupting the Council to allow for mining on Teboa. The players may not ever see him except via his henchmen and stooges. His goal is to mine Teboa as long as he can and amass great wealth. He does not care about it sinking into the Molten Sea. He provides the finances and the grand plans. He would be a Governer level scoundrel.
Now, his primary agent in Teboa is Lady Erin Gysby. She has two real goals: helping to achieve Sir Pycey's goal as well as get enough money to retire a woman of leisure. She has almost enough and is hoping this is her last job. Lady Gysby is Sir Pycey's contact, and lives in a modest estate he maintains in Deathorp, the capital of Teboa. She would be considered a Lieutenant level scoundrel. She has three main contacts she uses to carry out her missions.
She has a 2 master ship which I've yet to name, and it's captain is George Horn and his first mate, Rey Smythe. The captain's first priority is the ship, the second doing Lady Gysby's tasks. The captain would be a Steady Wind level scoundrel, and the First Mate a Master Gunner. Rey Smythe tells the crew what to do based on what the captain tells him. The crew would be considered Pirates. I'll have to find some cool deck plans - more image delving!
Lady Gysby also employs an Edmund Altes as a spy and a contact into the rougher edges of society. He would be considered a Smuggler, knowing the ins and outs of the various towns and villages. He has several Picaroons in almost every place. The running footsteps from the previous post would be one of those picaroons.
The final scoundrel, who may or may not really be a scoundrel, is the head miner Franklin Gavit. He is boss man to dozens of miners and would be a variant on the steady wind scoundrel template. He employs picaroons as miners.
Lady Erin:
Captain George Horn:
Edmund Altes, Spy:
All I can say is thank goodness for Pinterest and other image sites! You can find anything on the web!
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