Every good TTRPG story has an antagonist–a villain, a big bad evil gal. They’re at the core of adventures or missions, responsible for all the bad that is happening, and which spurs our heroes into action. Dealing with them by foiling their plans, dispatching their underlings, and facing them in epic battle is what makes these games so much fun and rewarding.

But those antagonists aren’t a nemesis. See, I think a nemesis is much more personal then a mere villain. They’re much more complex, perhaps even larger than life in some sense. A good nemesis is always present, always on the minds of the characters, whether they’re directly involved in the current adventure or not. And they’re just as difficult to handle, always just out of reach.

A powerful CEO in a cyberpunk game; a dreadful ancient vampire lord in a dark fantasy story; a dark shadow from your past; a god too involved with mortal affairs.

A nemesis is more than just an obstacle at the end of the story. The relationship to them is complicated, and an endless source for drama and tension. Not every meeting with them must be a fight. The players can seek them out when they’re desperate, get involved in their schemes when they’re not careful, defend them against another threat out of a sense of moral duty.

A nemesis is the an extension of the the character’s motivations, ambitions, drives, and desires. And just as much they are the inverse of these things. A nemesis stands for everything the characters stand against, even if both want the same thing. And just like that, their conflicts can never truly be resolved. If they could, it would just be a mere villain. A story with a start, a middle, an end. A nemesis is part of the characters’ story, not just part of an adventure.

As GM, you can use a nemesis as great narrative tool. Force the characters to cross path with them in situations they can’t just attack them. Make them nearly untouchable, and then put them in the spotlight right before the characters. Make them the perceived heroes of the story, turning the world against the characters. Force the characters to make difficult choices regarding their nemesis. And remember, the characters are the nemesis to this villain. They would know everything they can about the characters, anticipate their actions, learn their behaviors, and identify their pressure points. A nemesis can show the players their weakness, their shortcomings, the lies they tell themselves.

This isn’t always easy to do, of course. It’s also not entirely necessary. Not every adventure needs to be connected to this larger, ever-present threat. That said, the outcome of the adventure or mission could be something the nemesis would find a way to leverage somehow. The party kills an evil dragon, perhaps the nemesis finds a way to resurrect its corpse later to bind it to their service. The players deal with a violent gang in a district in their city, allowing the nemesis to take control over that district for personal gain. Add some dramatic flair by having the nemesis reach out the characters and thank them. A bit of spite, some hubris, can go a long way to make the players hate-love their nemesis.