VN Boards Archive

[VN Boards Archive]

Welcome to the Vault Network forum archive.

This is not a complete archive, time didn't allot us the opportunity to properly backup the majority of the boards deemed "expendable". Most boards on this list have at least 20-40 pages archived (non-logged in pages, 15 topics per page).

Popular boards may have as many as 250 pages archived at 50 topics per page, while others deemed of historical signifigance may be archived in their entirety.

We may not agree with how the board shutdown was managed, but we've done what we could to preserve some of its history in lieu of that.

Please enjoy the archive.
~ Managers, Moderators, VIP's, and regular posters.

Author

Topic: The problem with the evil overlord destroys home town trope....

Yossarian_42 Title: RUSH > ALL Posts: 43,073 Registered: Feb 28, '02 Extended Info (if available) Real Post Cnt: 40,466 User ID: 651,769	Subject: The problem with the evil overlord destroys home town trope....
	is that they never sufficiently explain why some giant empire is expended the resources and effort necessary to kill the entire population of some tiny village. I'm not sure which is actually worse, no explanation or the ridiculous, 'prophesy made me do it and I am accidentally causing said prophesy to be fulfilled' nonsense. -----signature----- If I have burnt my bridges I will walk on water. If you're on the shore, then you're sure not me, oh My seething wrath and urge for blood is fueled by searing hate. I'm X X X bitch, triple X rated.
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vn_jurojin Title: Insolent Insomniac Posts: 9,633 Registered: Dec 20, '01 Extended Info (if available) Real Post Cnt: 9,526 User ID: 559,342	Subject: The problem with the evil overlord destroys home town trope....
	There are a few books that give pretty decent explanations as to why villages were wiped out. Feist used a good one when he wiped out Talon's village in whatever book that was...book 423 in the series or something. And, Michael Stackpole wiped out several populations wholesale in his series that starts with Dark Glory War with resources or keeping secrets given as reasons. edit In fact, I really can't remember the last time I read a book where no reason was given for that kind of destruction. Hunger games, also used the trope (District 13 was wiped out as an object lesson in response to an uprising..etc.). -----signature----- (none)
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Yossarian_42 Title: RUSH > ALL Posts: 43,073 Registered: Feb 28, '02 Extended Info (if available) Real Post Cnt: 40,466 User ID: 651,769	Subject: The problem with the evil overlord destroys home town trope....
	I would wager essentially all books give a reason but my complaint is I don't think that reason is typically sufficient to justify the expense the evil empire is undertaking. Not to mention rational people don't go off in to the middle of nowhere and destroy pointless villages on a lark. I think it ties back to the monolithic evil empire trope where they are presented as having unlimited resources and being evil for the sake of itself. Some author's come up with a decent reason and occasionally it actually ties in to the plot and makes sense but a lot of the time it seems contrived at best. You can tell when the author really doesn't have any clue how to justify but understands its stupid when they make it a matter of prophesy. -----signature----- If I have burnt my bridges I will walk on water. If you're on the shore, then you're sure not me, oh My seething wrath and urge for blood is fueled by searing hate. I'm X X X bitch, triple X rated.
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vn_jurojin Title: Insolent Insomniac Posts: 9,633 Registered: Dec 20, '01 Extended Info (if available) Real Post Cnt: 9,526 User ID: 559,342	Subject: The problem with the evil overlord destroys home town trope....
	That's the lucky thing about evil doers in books, evil characters don't think like we do. I tend to agree with what your saying, but, as always, I'm a bit more lenient than you are. Merely an inadequate reason for the destruction isn't enough to annoy me if it fits the personality/society of the antagonist(s) that are doing the act. If it seems out of character and there isn't a good reason, yeah, then I get annoyed. -----signature----- (none)
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