Creating political power groups

[Mercule]

My approach is, essentially, just thinking about it a bit. I let things hit me in a semi-random order. Trying to put a process to it, it usually works this way:

1. Define the player(s) -- who will be encountered, are they the leaders or lackeys?
2. Define the goal(s) -- why are they doing what they're doing? What do they want?
3. Define the backer(s) -- no one is an island, especially at that level. Who is backing them? Do the recipients of the help know where it's coming from? Do they like their patron?
4. Define the opposition -- steps 1-3 for the adversary(ies) of this group.
5. Define the patronage goals -- why is someone "bankrolling" the project.

 

[STARP_JVP]

May I suggest you are assuming too much?
You speak from the belief that political power groups - parties, action committees, lobby groups, and so on, have any organisation. In my experience they are usually either

a) the followers of a particular person or
b) a group of random people who are united only by their hatred of another group of random people.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I use the following format:

Name: Name of the Group
Front: The selling line, what they appear as.
Appeal: The people that they target for membership
Agenda: Out-in-the open or hidden this is a list of goals that the group is looking to perform.​

Example:
Name: The Fellowship
Front: Concerned Citizens
Appeal: The poor or less than weathy
Adenda: 1) Hidden: To overthrow the king 2) Increase Power base with Membership 3) Place selected members into Positions of power.

A great resourse is the CIA Factbook.

 

[fusangite]

May I suggest you are assuming too much?
You speak from the belief that political power groups - parties, action committees, lobby groups, and so on, have any organisation. In my experience they are usually either

a) the followers of a particular person or
b) a group of random people who are united only by their hatred of another group of random people.

Ageed. I also think that it is dangerous to assume these groups have clear goals. This is a modern idea that comes from present-day election campaigns. Even if you just go back to how parties campaigned in 19th century elections, you'll see that in most societies, political groups don't have goals; they have interests.

 

[Quickleaf]

Describing Brown Bear and the Justice Hurricane was part of my strategy of preventing myself from getting involved again.

I could see that working.

I use the following format (snip)

I really like the simplicity of your format. It'll help me organize. Thanks!

 

[Altalazar]

When I retired from politics, one newspaper in my home town ran an interview that was about 40% a description of the Champions campaign I was in and the character I played. Describing Brown Bear and the Justice Hurricane was part of my strategy of preventing myself from getting involved again.

I wasn't exactly a major political figure where I lived (I never held public office) but when I was deposed from my old job, it did make the front page of the major daily papers in my jurisdiction.

That's an interesting political strategy - preclude your involvement by admitting you play RPGs. What does that say about our stature in society or the bigotry people must feel against gamers? I wonder just how many people would not vote for someone solely on the basis that they are a gamer.

 

[Altalazar]

May I suggest you are assuming too much?
You speak from the belief that political power groups - parties, action committees, lobby groups, and so on, have any organisation. In my experience they are usually either

a) the followers of a particular person or
b) a group of random people who are united only by their hatred of another group of random people.

That can also be a good basis for a political group within a campaign. Really just determine the personality of the one particular person from (a) above and then the rest of the organization acts accordingly.

Or find a group that is hated (in one of my campaigns, it was elves that were hated) and that was the basis of one rather large political group that controlled a nation.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I really like the simplicity of your format. It'll help me organize. Thanks!

Just a thought I have had in the back of my mind for some time, think you could add one more category to the format: Charisma and use it as normal, this would effect how the group interacts within the campaign. The member could either use their own charisma or the groups for test or maybe a bonus/minus to test.

It is not just Bob the Concerned Citizen but Bob of the Fellowship.