YMMV / The Player of Games

• Complete Monster: Emperor-Regent Nicosar of Azad is a master player of the ruthless game of Azad that determines everything in the empire's society. A sadistic psychopath, Nicosar rules via torture, murder and brutality while broadcasting regular videos to the population with the "losers" facing mutilation, death or rape. Women are also seen as second-rate citizens, with abuse and violence towards them accepted, and any females who assault a male are summarily tortured to death. Despite his seemingly benevolent and passive façade, Nicosar rules over the Empire with an iron fist, regularly executing any who would try to rebel against him, and subjecting his own men to terrible torments should they cross him. When Nicosar plays the novel's hero Gurgeh, Nicosar is bested in Azad and orders his guards to massacre all the spectators, deciding if he has to go down, he'll simply kill every single one of his own subjects in the process.
• Crosses the Line Twice: Gurgeh being shown a set of instruments made from human bodies, including flutes made from femur bones? Horrifying. Gurgeh quipping by asking if the flutes come in pairs, or are there just a lot of one-legged music critics out there? Hilarious.