D&D 5E Evil parties that don't fall apart: ideas, suggestions, experiences?

[steeldragons]

Yes. About "evil" groups. In one case, corrupt cops and the other a motorcycle gang. There is plenty of material as to why these groups stayed together for so long. Probably the most relevant is surviving against a greater "evil" force at play.

I don't see evil as the reason why groups fold. I think it's the perceived chaotic aspect. As long as there's a goal, which every campaign should have, there's really no reason to turn inward.

Yeah. It all sounds great and reasonable. And the idea that a group with a goal should have no problem sticking together works great...as several other posters have said. Logically, conceptually, it makes perfect sense.

I simply have not seen that work, in the long term, in actual play with actual people.

 

[Scripture]

I simply have not seen that work, in the long term, in actual play with actual people.

When bad things happen to bad people...

 

[steeldragons]

When bad things happen to bad people...

Excuse me?

...I'm not sure how to parse this...are you saying I'm a bad person because I haven't seen this work in play?

I don't know if I'm supposed to be insulted or not.

 

[Scripture]

Excuse me?

...I'm not sure how to parse this...are you saying I'm a bad person because I haven't seen this work in play?

I don't know if I'm supposed to be insulted or not.

I have no idea who you are. Why would I insult you?

 

[steeldragons]

I have no idea who you are. Why would I insult you?

Right. Hence my confusion...again...with your statement. Nevermind. It's not worth usurping the thread (more than it already has been) over.

 

[Stalker0]

To me is to upfront create a strong bond between the characters to explain why they won't murder and betray each other.


And really hammer it in to the beginning, force it into the character backgrounds. If you can start from there, then the party operates as normal in respect to each other....they are just evil as hell to everyone else

 

[77IM]

I ran a Savage Worlds campaign where the PCs were the lieutenants of the Dark Lord. Just before the game starts, said Dark Lord is slain by the forces of good, and the PCs are entombed for 1000 years. When the PCs wake up, they receive orders from the Dark Lord to engineer his resurrection... But do the PCs really want to do that? Or would they rather break free of the Dark Lord's control? Worse, some of the Dark Lord's other lieutenants have also awoken -- and they are really not nice people. What are they up to?

I think what helped this party was
1) Shared goals; there was nothing really to be gained by attacking teammates.
2) Shared background; the PCs knew they could trust each other (to an extent).
3) Shared enemies; the rival lieutenants were really despicable, and the forces of good were also a problem. The PCs had to work together or they'd be vulnerable.
4) Shared expectations; this group had been playing together for years and just had a more collaborative attitude than competitive.

In short, anything that helps a GOOD party function also helps an evil party.

Especially setting expectations. If you want to try an evil party, have a nice long talk with your gaming group about it beforehand.

 

[MarkB]

As fun as it can be to DM games where the good guys save the day, I do wonder what it would be like for the PCs to be ruthless, black-hearted scoundrels who would drown a box of kittens if the price or cause is right. What would be a good setup for an evil party that would not immediately devolve into in-fighting or disrupting the entire story?

Good question, but maybe the best people to answer it are your players. One approach that works (for both good and evil parties) is to ask your players, as part of their character-creation process, to come up with and document the reasons why their character would not screw over or turn on their fellow party members. If each character has strong motivations to keep the party together, and if the players have built those motivations themselves, they're likely to hold up better than any imposed situation.

You can take this further, into collaborative character creation. FATE-based systems, especially The Dresden Files, are great for this - establish pre-existing ties between individuals in the party, which form into a network of bonds of mutual reliance or respect.

 

[Haffrung]

Yes. About "evil" groups. In one case, corrupt cops and the other a motorcycle gang. There is plenty of material as to why these groups stayed together for so long. Probably the most relevant is surviving against a greater "evil" force at play.

That's the key. The PCs need to stick together because they're threatened by a force that's even more evil, and more powerful. Many Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay campaigns operate under that principle. The PCs are unscrupulous, selfish, untrustworthy bastards, but they're up against insane cults and horrible chaos fiends.

 

[GameDoc]

I think people often make the mistaken assumption that evil characters are unable to form bonds with others. Not every evil character is a total sociopath.

Evil characters can still fall in love, have some sense of wanting their children to be happy, honor their family, befriend others with similar mundane interests that have nothing to do with conquest and power (e.g., sports, art, hunting).

Evil can be about how you regard (or disregard) those who mean nothing to you or can do nothing for you. Tywin Lannister, Darth Vader, Grendel's Mother, Tony Soprano, and Magneto are all evil characters who at times are motivated by a sense of love or connection to another person and even occasionally a lofty ideal or two. They just have no moral qualms about what they'll do to protect who and what they care about.