Faction Rules - What do we like?

[Fenris-77]

I do the following for my factions now combining Fronts, some Blades in the Dark Turf rules and pushing PC Hooks I came up with this:

NAME: Redbrand Bandits	TYPE: Criminal Street Gang (Level 2)
TERRITORY: Phandalin and Surrounding Area Local Trade Routes	STABILITY: +2/5 Lieutenant jostle for power, Glasstaff has respct but not loyalty.
PURPOSE To extort Phandalin for profit	Long-Term: to gain control the local Trade Routes
Approach: Intimidation, Extortion, Violence	PC Inroads: Impress a Lieutenant or do a "simple job",
Structure: Ruffians: Minor Thugs, loud, disposable Lieutenants: Street Captains, the visible face, each carving out his own little territory Leader: Iarno Glasstaff, he prefers the shadows, stays out of the limelight	NPCs: Iarno Glasstaff (Leader - Wizard) Lieutenants (3) the Bruiser (controls the extortion racket) the Smiler (trying to manipulate the council) the Banker (coin is power - so control the coin purse)
Holdings: Secure Hideout Secure Warehouses Black Market (Weapons, Drugs, Magic Item)	Assets: Minor magic Items Glasstaff (Arcane Boons) Informants Network
Allies - Local Bandits Bugbear Mercenaries Tolerated by Zhentarim (for now!)	Rivals - Town Authorities Harpers Cragmaw Goblins
GRIM PORTENTS Townsfolk openly intimidated Redbrand numbers swell Cragmaw retaliation raids begin Trade routes become unsafe Harpers initiate covert investigation Open conflict in the streets IMPRENDING DOOM: Phandalin becomes a criminal stronghold	PLAYER HOOKS Direct Conflict Oppose the Rebrand and hunt down their leadership Infiltration Work for the Redbrands Climb the ranks from thug to lieutenant, choosing who to betray along the way Cut In Start your own gang and try to get a cut of the action Gang War Tip off the Cragmaws and let chaos bloom

Anyway as you see I love Factions they are a great worldbuilding tools that help signal what's important in the campaign, provide clear NPC motivation and help anchor PC engagement within the ongoing narrative of the world.

This is great. Really well thought out.

 

[aco175]

This is great. Really well thought out.

I agree. A 1-sheet template would help sort out many factions. Some larger ones like the Harpers might need a few with having factions within factions. Depending on how deep you want to go with things.

I was also thinking of the old book Cloak and Dagger for Forgotten Realms. I had a dozen or more pages on several groups operating along the Sword Coast and gave a lot of history and background as well as current motivations and leadership. Some might feel like an old style and likely needs more player facing things if done today, but worth a looing at.

 

[Vaslov]

Most rpgs I play I have a faction play of some sort going on. For the last decade or so I have leaned into Kevin Crawford's systems from his X without Numbers series of rpgs. They have just enough detail I can run them without too much time and keeps me as a GM surprised on the outcomes of what the various groups achieve or fail at. They also suggest interesting ideas I would not of considered on my own when scanning the options. The Stars Without Number books with the basics of faction play are free and a great place to start.

By chance I am running two Hyperboria games that had the exact same start. The results of the faction play, along with player action, has given the main base home town very different feeling.

In "the dark timeline" table the party has failed a few missions due to getting a bit focused on the loot and ignoring some troubles. Locals are getting more desperate and turning to even darker forces to protect them. The town has put up a Shrine to Cthulhu thanks to the cult's help with some recent flooding. A few low level daemons are are the loose in town causing all sorts of mischief behind the scenes and creating some new factions I didn't start with. The local rangers and town militia have changed their tactics and are now recruiting even younger help to deal with all the ongoing issues. The local farms were lost due to some ongoing faction play making the long term sustainability of the town in question. That said, many of the characters have some money stashed away so they are more successful adventures financially by wide margin.

Meanwhile in "the best timeline" the party has been very focused on doing good deeds for the town. The party is as poor as dirt struggling to even put food on the table as they have been passing up opportunities for a fast buck to deal with town issues. The locals very much appreciate their efforts and are slowly starting to help them out when they are in a tight spot. The town is growing and the farms are having an unexpected bumper crop harvest.

It's been a fascinating experiment to run.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Thread #2 in my ongoing urban play series.

Lots of games have factions and the rules used to represent them are all over the map. It might be the most diverse item in RPG design, or one of them at any rate. The range of ho mechanical vs descriptive vs detailed is really quite breathtaking.

So a few examples that I like that influence my own writing and design:

REIGN - probably the best mechanical take on factions for RPG play ever written (it's pretty much the whole point of the game) - very crunchy
Blades in the Dark - maybe the best pick up and play faction system in any RPG
Spire - a game the runs on its factions - super evocative and very well focused on the overall power structures and even better integrated into the overall system design than Blades (in some ways)

There are lots more, but this isn't supposed to be a Fenris-77 bibliography.

So, for your games, in any genre, what are you looking for in faction write ups, mechanics, and other related whatsits?

It depends. In games where the players want to be leaders or at least champions of their factions, i might use the Star wars Saga Edition's Organization rules. If they all have the same faction they work for, i might use the aquisitions inc rules. Otherwise i just treat the factions like Patrons or the players only really interact with them in the sence of interacting with Linsdey, the handsome and charming but also a jerk laywer from the Wolfram and Hart law firm.

 

[Fenris-77]

It depends. In games where the players want to be leaders or at least champions of their factions, i might use the Star wars Saga Edition's Organization rules. If they all have the same faction they work for, i might use the aquisitions inc rules. Otherwise i just treat the factions like Patrons or the players only really interact with them in the sence of interacting with Linsdey, the handsome and charming but also a jerk laywer from the Wolfram and Hart law firm.

You're the first person to bring up Acquisitions Inc, but I'm glad you did. That book has so many awesome ideas in it, even for games that aren't satire.

 

[Maxperson]

So factions as joinable? I get that. Some factions you can't join though. Take, as a random example, the noble families of city X. A faction? Yes indeed. One you can join? Not so much. Not all factions map to the thieves' guild model.

That's certainly true, but I can take the same write-up and run with it. Maybe the PCs can't join and earn X when they are promoted to Scion, but the nobles in the city who are Scions will have that little extra. The same with goals, history, etc.

What I like to see are levels/ranks in the faction, with little extras that come with each rank. As well as a list things that will improve your standing with the faction. These extras don't have to be Earth shattering, or even combat related. Even a simple 20% discount on potions and alchemical items from the Alchemists Guild is a nice perk, or information about a dangerous ruin in the Messedup Mountains.

Like was mentioned earlier, I also like to see faction goals and its history. I want to know why it was founded, who founded it, what it has been doing for the last 1200 years, etc. Important NPCs are also good.

If the factions are built into a specific setting and not just a stand alone faction book, I also like to see which factions are rivals, enemies, friends, won't speak to, etc., as well as the reasons for those feelings. Oh, and the major locations you can find each faction.

 

[Fenris-77]

That's certainly true, but I can take the same write-up and run with it. Maybe the PCs can't join and earn X when they are promoted to Scion, but the nobles in the city who are Scions will have that little extra. The same with goals, history, etc.

What I like to see are levels/ranks in the faction, with little extras that come with each rank. As well as a list things that will improve your standing with the faction. These extras don't have to be Earth shattering, or even combat related. Even a simple 20% discount on potions and alchemical items from the Alchemists Guild is a nice perk, or information about a dangerous ruin in the Messedup Mountains.

Like was mentioned earlier, I also like to see faction goals and its history. I want to know why it was founded, who founded it, what it has been doing for the last 1200 years, etc. Important NPCs are also good.

If the factions are built into a specific setting and not just a stand alone faction book, I also like to see which factions are rivals, enemies, friends, won't speak to, etc., as well as the reasons for those feelings. Oh, and the major locations you can find each faction.

This brings up the important notion of scale. The fewer factions you have the more detail you can afford to go into for each. The city book I'm writing has something like 30 factions total, so obviously I won't do that level of detail for each. I have maybe 10 or 12 core factions that perhaps warrant a writeup approaching this level, but the rest will need a scaled down version. The details provided in each case is what I'm thinking about.