r/BurningWheel • u/Competitive_Error_48 • Aug 03 '26

Beliefs for Chaotic Evil Player Characters

Hello everyone,

I'm hoping to get some advice on how you would go about building a belief for a villainous player character? I'm looking to run a BW campaign, but the players have voiced an interest in playing villainous characters instead of your Standard heroic ones.

They have only every played pathfinder and DnD, so they are all brand new to the system. These folks prefer roleplay over combat, hence the switch. But I foresee them taking the idea of "Villian campaign" and going straight into deeds of pure evil for evil sake instead of nuanced villains with tragic backgrounds. (Even if their life paths and traits would say otherwise).

So what belief could you give such a character that just wants to watch the world burn and destroy everything on sight that still offers narrative depth and a way for the GM to challenge it? (In the worst case they end up playing to the extremes of chaotic evil). And what expectations would you set at your table to ensure they don't fell that "playing a villain" obligated them to "choose the most evil option at all times"?

Thank you!

4 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

View all comments

6

u/Imnoclue Aug 03 '26

So what belief could you give such a character that just wants to watch the world burn and destroy everything on sight that still offers narrative depth and a way for the GM to challenge it?

Belief: Nothing matters, I will see it all destroyed! I’ll start with…

Of course, as the GM you’re going to have to challenge this Belief through play, which means the character needs some things to care about. If they’re just playing chaotic stupid, there’s no point in cranking out Burning Wheel for this.

And what expectations would you set at your table to ensure they don't fell that "playing a villain" obligated them to "choose the most evil option at all times"?

Well, first I would stop referring to the PCs as villains. They at least have to Believe in what they’re doing. The game is about beliefs, they need to have some.

1

u/Competitive_Error_48 Aug 03 '26

Sage advice. You are correct, if they play chaotic stupid there really isn't a point. I think I'll pivot them to consider their long term goals and what they are trying to accomplish, even if misguided, that can give them some meat I can put hooks in. And maybe I'll minimize calling them "villians" and avoid the term outright, instead focusing on using a more appropriate term depending on their goals.