North Korea? Game on!

ze bulette asked, in the comments to my last post, "Incidentally, I hope things cool off over there. What's the vibe on the street where you live?"

To tell the truth, here in Busan there's little to no worry about war heating up between North and South Korea (and thanks, Sarah Palin, for putting me on the wrong side in the conflict!).  Koreans aren't worried about it (angry about it, but not worried).  Ignore CNN.  They're just milking the exchange for ratings.

I do think the situation is a great way to add some conflict to a setting, however.  Two nations with a similar culture but opposing philosophy, and bad blood because of an old conflict between them where they were both pawns of greater powers?  Lots of campaign hooks there.

Throw in a despotic ruler on one side, who's anxious to make sure his son is accepted by the nobility/military elite as his successor so he's acting more belligerent than normal--sending his killbots/zombie hordes/orcs in raids across the border.

But neither side wants all out war.  The despotic ruler's side would likely collapse from the over-expenditure a war would necessitate.  The more open and free side would lose what little edge it's gained recently against the bigger powers in the world (or galaxy...).

That right there is a pretty good campaign background.  Lots of simmering tensions that the GM can exploit as adventure hooks, and as consequences of PC actions.

Who is the best villain on TV?

Back in high school, our social studies teacher asked that question to our class.  Then he offered up a few suggestions:

Back then, the season-long story arc was a rarity in TV.  It was mostly episodic TV, with mostly unrelated stories linked only by the fact that they happened to the same characters. 

And villains like the above were typically defeated in comical fashion, rather than dramatic fashion.  If there was drama involved with a villain, typically it was on a one-shot episode (or occasionally a 'to be continued' two-shot).

What's all this got to do with RPGs?  Well, I think it's just another way of saying "if the PCs find a way to defeat your villain early, let them."  There are tons of monsters, and NPCs are a dime a dozen.  If your players end up offing your BBEG, it's not that hard to make up a new one. 

Sure, there are times when letting a villain escape, comic-book or soap opera style, is appropriate.  And a good recurring villain can be fun, if used properly.  But if the PCs decide to actually put the hurt on the Green Goblin, Stephano or Skeletor rather than just capture, humiliate, and then put in an easily escaped prison/sanatorium, let them.

Yeah, let them kill Bargle.  He deserves it.