An adversarial role is one where you play to achieve the character’s goals without breaking character to make it fair for the players. Players are excited about the challenge that an opponent who is genuinely playing to win creates but it can be hard to do when you are used to not going that hard. There are habits that are beneficial when playing a collaborative role that harm you when you play these roles and other habits that you will need to take to heart when playing these roles.
The game has other parts that will make it fair for the players and will clue them into the background. The players will enjoy themselves because they will feel the genuineness of the play. Don’t worry about giving them a performance or to stage whisper any secrets, it will feel less honest. Achieve your goals without showing mercy, hesitation or backing off.
People are forgiving when they win but they are not forgiving when they lose. Be sure to follow all of the rules even things that feel like a formality. The players will be looking for any sort of out to avoid defeat. Avoid ambiguous situations that can lead to claims of confusion such as breaking character. Don’t gloat keep, the best sportsmanship.
Try to play a collaborative role later to try to balance stuff out. You can’t just run over them like this every time. They need to see that you also want them to enjoy themselves.