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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CruelSummerLord" data-source="post: 3631633" data-attributes="member: 48692">Do all BBEGs operate in secrecy, behind the scenes, using complicated intrigues and plots, and all these other things, never confronting the good guys directly unless forced to?  Would it be bad tactics to want to engage your enemies directly, or to take pleasure in inflicting terror on your targets?  Surely a black knight might enjoy the thrill of combat, or a wizard relish the chance to display his power.  Surely some dragons, in their arrogance, might take pleasure in toying with the puny mortals, only bringing out the heavy artillery if they meet sterner resistance than they expected.  Sure, "Bad Guys Don't Fight Fair", but that doesn't mean they automatically target the PCs' defenseless loved ones, either-especially when the bad guy in question doesn't know where these loved ones live and can't afford to waste his limited resources trying to track them down and send his minions after them-especially when it turns out said loved ones live four countries away.  If PCs can't always get what they want, BBEGs can't always get what they want either; heroes only have so many resources, and so do villains.  Now, I'm not saying that villains can't be master plotters and intriguers, never revealing themselves unless absolutely necessary, working through several layers of secrecy and having tremendous resources at their disposal-but not every villain is like that.  Just because something might look like the best tactic, from a cold-blooded DM's point of view, doesn't mean the villain will automatically adopt it.  Whether it's out of a perverted sense of honor, a lack of resources, acting out of anger and a desire to personally crush their hated foes, or enjoying being able to display their power, villains can oftentimes act just as openly as any hero.  Great villains come in all forms: For every Professor Moriarty, there's a Darth Vader.  For every Pope Alexander Borgia, there's an Attila the Hun.   That's just my opinion.  Thoughts?Edit: Changed Sauron to Darth Vader to reflect what was pointed out in the first response.</blockquote>

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