This is Faith in Play #105: Relationships, for August 2026.
This article was inspired by comments in Hector Miraz’ Faith and Fandom: Level Three about toxic relationships.
Kenneth Branaugh as Iago
Last month I wrote about Loneliness, and noted that for many people being alone was intolerable. Some people, to avoid being alone, will surround themselves with people who are simply not good for them–gangs, cliques, crowds, insiders, or sometimes influential individuals who make us feel like we’re not alone, but who aren’t particularly good for us–enablers, instigators, tempters.
In Agatha Christie’s last Hercule Poirot story, Curtain, she creates a villain (Stephen Norton, referred to by Poirot as “X”) who is a genuine challenge for the detective. The man has never killed anyone, but he has managed to manipulate others into doing so, or attempting to do so, many times, and generally in innocuous ways that just seemed like an unfortunate thing to have said or done at that moment. Poirot cannot demonstrate that the man was ever criminally liable, but he was frequently culpable, and Poirot had gathered sufficient evidence of that culpability to determine that something had to be done–but also recognized that the law could not, and never would, stop this person.
That might be the ultimate in toxic relationships, but I, at least, have observed people who always bring out the worst in others. Whether like Christie’s villain they seem to get some pleasure from doing so, or whether it’s just that they’re bad apples whose rot spreads to the rest of the barrel, when they are around, someone, and maybe everyone, is a bit less kind, less nice, less human than they ordinarily are.
In terms of gaming groups, if there’s someone at the table who has this effect on others, you should consider whether the influence of others on him is going to mitigate that, possibly make him a better person, or whether it would be better to exclude him in the future. But in terms of characters within the game, this concept can be an interesting story element. Is there someone, in the party or in the vicinity where the party tends to camp, who tends to bring out the bad side of those with whom he interacts? Is he daring people to do something, or challenging them, or bribing, blackmailing, enticing? How blatant are his efforts? Is his influence limited to peripheral characters, or does it extend to player characters, members of the party? And what kinds of things does he encourage? Are they dangerous, can-you-do-this stunts? Are they illegal, stealing from someone? Are they truly heinous, killing someone?
Does he act like Stephen Norton, with quick single pushes to get someone over an edge? Or does he, like Othello‘s Iago, take the long road, slowly building jealousy, envy, hatred, fear, or some other negative motivating emotion? Is it just personal pleasure, or has he manipulated circumstances such that the crime will profit him or advance his position in some way, possibly merely by enabling him to blackmail his victim into doing other things for him?
There’s a lot of potential in such a character, as Shakespeare and Christie both demonstrate. Ultimately, though, he can be defeated by recognizing the toxic nature of the relationship and insulating against it. Be careful of such people in your own life, but consider whether they should exist in the lives within your game.
Previous article: Loneliness.
Next article: Choosing.