I'm usually not one for formulas. I believe one can paint oneself into a corner that way, or make themselves stale with "good old fashioned storytelling." I even bristle at the mention of act 1, act 2, act 3, even though that's the basic recipe in all storytelling. However, some stories benefit from basic tropes; especially those that are supposed to be familiar and fun. Relic Worlds has a lot of that flavor to it.
As such, in each book I purposely set out some basic formulaic outlines to follow. One of these elements is the antagonists. I became inspired when Red Letter Media was analyzing a film, and they brought up the basic villains in Indiana Jones movies. There's the brains behind it, the muscle or fighter, and the one who represents the society in which they're living. Beloq is the brains. The Nazi commander is the muscle or fighter. (He's sort of more of a leader, but he commands the soldiers who go after Indy.) And then there's the guy wearing all black who represents what Nazis are all about. Each of the Indy movies have this combination.
I may be copying a bit close by doing this, but I found that it works for my stories. I try to keep the connection as widely varied in each book as possible, but having that familiar archetypes of the brains, the brawn, and the one who represents the world they're dealing with has been a great way to keep me focused on the familiar elements of this kind of story that make it work for the ones who want to see it.
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