What does "BBEG" stand for?

Traditionally in tabletop gaming and Role-Playing Games, BBEG is an acronym for Big Bad Evil Guy or Girl. it’s essentially a shorter and quick way of describing a specific type of non-player character who serves as the main villain of a game campaign or scenario. In the instance of us as a retail company, we have adopted this rather cool acronym to be short for Big Bad Evil Games!

 

What’s makes a good BBEG?

We get asked this question quite often, so as experienced gamers ourselves we have put together a few key points of advice on this:

1. Make them flawed in some way. Most epic level Villains have a truly evil motive that is a flawed solution to some sort of perceived problematic world. Wanton destruction for no reason never makes a great BBEG. Think Thanos from the Marvel Universe and his solution for bringing a balance to the universe or even a Villain from any of the James Bond movies – the one thing they all have in common is a grand goal for bringing about a major change in the world. Make this goal simple in essence to understand (no matter how convoluted and plot twisty the BBEG’s plot is) and you will have a Villain who is not only well thought out but also one which is understood and even in some cases relatable.

2. We find the best BBEG are always initially shrouded in mystery until the final act of any story. Drop subtle hints (and sometimes some not so subtle ones!) throughout the plot of your RPG or tabletop game until about the halfway point. Then suddenly reveal them in all their evil glory!

This reveal should be dramatic and should push the players to realise that this BBEG has been working in the background since they began their campaign. They should also realise that they cannot defeat them without gaining support, developing further powers, or by chipping away somehow at their power base to stop them and their dastardly plans. In Harry Potter, our heroes realise that they cannot simply face Voldemort in combat as soon as he rematerializes as he is far too powerful a foe. They must first quest to find and destroy his Horcruxes to make him vulnerable and then in the final showdown at the end of the story they succeed only because they had the foresight and direction to do this.

3. Make it personal – this is probably the best piece of advice that we can give. Not only does the BBEG have his / her / they / them / their master plan that our heroes need to stop – one or more of our player’s characters should have their own personal story and destiny intertwined. In the first Star Wars movies, Luke Skywalker’s father is Darth Vader! Now you can’t get more personal than that!

Big Bad Evil Games