Dialogue exchange

[Superj3nius]

Has anyone ever had a chance where either they or their players (if you're a DM) got to exchange in any movie-like dialogue with the main antagonist? I find that as a player and DM once the figure makes themselves known as hostile or even the main antagonist then the players don't actually talk to the enemy but instead proceed directly to fighting it.
So does anyone have any memorable situations where the antagonist and players got time to exchange words?

 

[amerigoV]

In long campaigns, I try to get the PCs with the antagonist together before they truly are against each other. The best one was when I ran Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. I had the party visit Barovia before Strahd closed it off from the outside world. They had dinner with him (in real life, we had a sit down dinner and just dialogued for an evening).

I felt it gave him more depth and made him more "real" to the players.

 

[Dragoslav]

All the time.

It's hard to go straight into battle when the BBEG has abducted you -- isolating you from the rest of the party -- and has you chained up in his lair.

 

[VariSami]

I like the well-known "sly snake" trope of villains. As such, they'll probably tease and communicate with the characters before they can be sure that the antagonist is indeed the villain. They know it's probable (not always though) but cannot do anything about it. Works only in a social context, however - in a dungeon there are no lawkeepers to protect those who hide their tracks well.

At the moment, I'm playing with the concept of an Anarchist mentor in Planescape. He's already been introduced to the characters as an Indep. Actually, he's the "criminal" mentor of one of the characters with the Apprentice feat. The character is a part of the Revolutionary League as well but everyone else thinks she's a Xaositect. Neither are bad people - one's CG and the other CN. It's just that they need to keep their allegiances unknown which qualifies them for this thread, in my opinion.

I'll probably sneak in an actual villain at some point. Right now the level 1 party has drawn the interest of a Quasit who knows that two out of three are fresh Clueless and the last one drew its ire by telling it to pike it. Too bad Quasit only have non-humanoid Alternative Forms. However, a Succubus ally of its or a small-time cultist of the Abyss are always possible.

 

[Herobizkit]

Absolutely. In an epic battle between my party and the BBEG's group, the heroes were sorely outmatched. A third party entered, and a Mexican stand-off was had. The third party was there to try and capture my priestess for their Vampire Lord; the BBEG was poised to set off a massive anti-magical "EMP" device.

My priestess offered to go willingly with the Vampire followers if they helped her defeat said BBEG. The gesture shocked the rest of the party (all two of them who were still standing, plus her - her own brother went down first in the fray) and once the devil's bargain was made, the "EMP" was stopped, and I handed my character sheet over to the DM after a rousing farewell speech.

It was pretty epic, all told.