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Message: <blockquote data-quote="nameless" data-source="post: 551989" data-attributes="member: 1543">I think that staying in power means having loyal followers. To have loyal followers, you need to motivate them; that probably means giving them things they like, and linking those rewards to faithful service. The trick is, eventually they will want what you have, and probably betray you to get it.So you make yourself seem invincible, by whatever means necessary. Your position is non-negotiable, but there is plenty of room for advancement. By gregarious to your highest support staff, and make it clear that promotion to the second-tier is possible. If you can make your seconds-in-command fight amonst themselves, then all the better. It assures that they will never be able to concentrate power and overthrow you.Of course, this also means that you need to share the spoils and share power. That's okay, because the alternative isn't very good either. If you're really cunning, you can make the people you share power with think they are acting in their own interest but really helping you anyways. The important thing is that the people you rely on are reliant on you, and they know it. If you need to lie, don't just lie on the important issues, lie on the petty ones too. A mix of big truths and small lies makes it very difficult to find a big lie and a small truth when they finally come about.In the metagaming "I've seen enough bad fantasy movies" way, a villain needs to be wary of his high-ups being sympathetic to your subjects. Betrayals don't happen for petty reasons, it takes a pretty compelling cause to change sides. As long as you allow free expression of concerns, it's not likely that the feelings would get out of control. Also watch out for unique magical items which can be your downfall. Assuming your people do their jobs correctly, it's not the teeming masses who will be your downfall, it's the adventurers. No plan is infallible and no fortress is impenetrable, so you just need to give the adventurers ample opportunity to screw up. To stop disguises, make sure all your security knows each other better than the adventurers can. To stop covert groups, make sure that the fortress has good lines of sight and an effective alert system.-nameless</blockquote>

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