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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 8573312" data-attributes="member: 6785785">The old Marvel Super Heroes RPG by TSR had a means for this kind of thing in the form of Karma. The heroes and villains had pools of karma points they could spend for different effects. For the PCs, they were primarily spent to increase the roll of a result, but also for performing power stunts and advancing abilities. For villains, they were also spent to increase results of rolls, but also to trigger certain events or moves. It cost a villain 40 karma to make a getaway. I honestly think it's a lot more satisfying (or maybe only less dissatisfying?) to know that the bad guy got away because he devoted a resource to doing so rather than simply because the GM decided he got away. Better to know that the GM didn't use the Karma to bolster his rolls for that villain in order to save them for an escape; at least then, there's some decision making involved, and some kind of cost. I used to do that kind of thing all the time in my earlier GMing days. I like recurring villains, and I think that they can be great, but there are two things I've come to learn about using them effectively. First, don't overdo it. Not every villain needs to come back into the picture. You're not limited in the villains you can bring to bear... you can always make up more.Second, the best way to establish a recurring villain is to play them cautiously so that if they escape, it occurs naturally and by the rules, so that they earn their status as a recurring villain. Don't force it. Not so much the decision making on the part of the players, but more about how the GM decided "this is what I prepared, I'm going to ignore this player's use of an ability to bypass what I prepared". A bit different than the kinds of things you were talking about in your OP, and in the getaway examples, but I thought it worth mentioning.</blockquote>

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