cyst13 Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 When the evil genius confronts the hero PCs with the full scope of his nefarious plans, I love to game out the scene, reciting the villain's speech verbatim. When he is done explicating how he shall conquer/destroy/perfume the world, I like to break out into evil laughter. It's the extra flourish which can really strike fear into the hearts of even those heroes with 75% dam. red. My question is, what is the ultimate evil laugh? Should I give a deep basso belly laugh tinged with malice? Or perhaps a sinister titter, implying an essentially slimy personality? How long should the laugh go on? Seconds? Minutes? How about that thing Letterman does where he laughs out loud for a while and then deflates it at the end with an "uhhhh" and a roll of the eyes? Basically I want to be able to make my players skin crawl at the mere sound of demonic mirth. I wish I could learn to laugh like Grampa Munster. He was the all time best ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 Re: Ideal Gloating Guffaw? Hmm. I can only say you need to practice. Hey, you're in portland. We can also get together over drinks and try them out on the other bar patrons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magmarock Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 Re: Ideal Gloating Guffaw? Oh, that'll go over well! Muahahahahaha! Eh. Mags Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 Re: Ideal Gloating Guffaw? Shoot us a message. Zornwil & I may be out on the town casing joints for the next world takeover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryBug Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 Re: Ideal Gloating Guffaw? Well, whatever the laugh, make sure it fits the Villain's personality... The Joker, for instance, has the "I'm so evil and crazy and I love it" thing, throwing his whole body into it, often to the point of having to lean against a piece of furniture or an underling and wipe tears from his eyes (and often then wipe out any underling foolish enough not to join in)... The key thing to convey here is how utterly thrilled and delighted you are at the pain and death you are about to unleash... Dr. Doom, on the other hand, if he laughs at all, does so very low-key and humourlessly, hands behind his back or lightly resting on the arms of his throne, less of a gloat and more of a dry chuckle at how perfect he is and how foolish these puny "heroes" opposing him are... If successfully done, the PCs should shiver at your cold confidence, your quiet amusement that they don't see how utterly unstoppable your plan is... Darkseid, say, is a little harder to pull off, as, head thrown back and hands on hips, you must combine these two approaches into a deep, lusty and highly amused BWAH HA HA HA HA... Tricky, and the hardest one to pull off without just looking like a parody of an evil villain, but if you get across the impression "I am completely sane, utterly confident AND totally thrilled at the pain and death I am about to unleash", well, let's hope the PCs have a spare pair of trunks in their utility belts... Remember, practice is key! When your pets run from the room in terror, you may be ready... and don't be like Dr. Evil! Know when to stop!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer84 Posted May 15, 2004 Report Share Posted May 15, 2004 Re: Ideal Gloating Guffaw? YOu wanna really freak them out? Give a shrill little girl giggle. That'll generally make the superheroes wet their tights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highwayman Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 Re: Ideal Gloating Guffaw? Yeah, I find the high-pitched, schoolgirl giggle a good indicator that you're facing someone who's gone completely 'round the bend, who has seen things no human being should and is desperately eager to share the experience with you. Either that, or a schoolgirl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZootSoot Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 Re: Ideal Gloating Guffaw? You want to sare you players? Try this, say the words "Moo hoo ha ha ha" in a dead pan Ben Stein monotone. I do lots of different evil laughs for different villains, when my players heard the villain do that one (before they knew anything about him) they actually tried to back out of playing that night (and not because they thought it would be boring). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyst13 Posted May 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2004 Re: Ideal Gloating Guffaw? Angry Bug, That was some awesomely detailed advice. Very useful. Thanx! And I'm damned glad that an evil genius such as yourself is all the way over in Edmonton. Though I might sleep a bit better at night if you were on a different continent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenixcrest Posted May 19, 2004 Report Share Posted May 19, 2004 Re: Ideal Gloating Guffaw? I had a master villain in an old DBZ Fuzion campaign with the little-girl laugh. He dressed like a matador on crack, and fought with a rapier. Also, as far as evil laughter goes, I'm quite fond of the following: "MWAH HAH HAH HAH HAH" "RUUUUUUAAAWGH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA" and, of course, the archetypal "HAW, HAW, HAW!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loraxxx Posted May 19, 2004 Report Share Posted May 19, 2004 Re: Ideal Gloating Guffaw? angry bug said it best--let the character of the villan dictate the laugh--the more real you make the villan seem, the more your players will relate to him/her one way or another.... that said, it's a good general rule is to be as mocking and condescending as possible, and if you know your players have 'buttons,' make sure your villans 'push' them.... i had a GM once let me play a version of my character that was in an illusion set up tp trap the hero--i had that version of my character 'spew' as much 'venom' as possible, because i knew he was speaking from the point of view of someone who HATED the hero.... the guy i was gaming with almost lost it--untill he realized he was being set up--then he enjoyed the opportunity to make the villan 'eat his words....' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryBug Posted May 19, 2004 Report Share Posted May 19, 2004 Re: Ideal Gloating Guffaw? Angry Bug, That was some awesomely detailed advice. Very useful. Thanx! And I'm damned glad that an evil genius such as yourself is all the way over in Edmonton. Though I might sleep a bit better at night if you were on a different continent. Today, Edmonton!! Tomorrow, THE WORLD!!!! Bwah HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!!!!! Oh, wait... I'm busy tomorrow... Okay, NEXT WEEK, THE WORLD!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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