RPG Factions

[RenleyRenfield]

In-game factions = (VtM Camarilla, D&D Harpers, Fallout Brotherhood of Steel, Mage Awakening Adamantine Arrow, Infinity PanOceana, Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, Thieves Guild, etc etc etc)

What do you look for as a player when it comes to in-game factions?

As a player, what are most games missing when it comes to the info you need to use a faction in your games and plots?

As a player, what RPG books have the best faction(s) that you have gotten ages of plots and interaction from?

If you are GM then al same, but from GM perspective....

 

[aco175]

I wish I used factions more. As the DM, I should have the npcs be in more factions to introduce the players and PCs to more options.

As a player I would want more options to how the faction is going to influence the game and thus the PC. Being a Harper might be cool, but how does that help me? Does that come with allowing me to have a NPC contact that I can go to for knowledge or just a mechanic that I can roll a history check with advantage.

 

[RenleyRenfield]

I agree! I think there are in-character plot reasons. But those can be vague or 'soft' Having some mechanical benefit sounds good too!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think the WotC ones that I've seen are really boring, personally, and feel like "OK, sign up to get boons X and Y, and we'll never talk about them again."

As a DM, I'd much rather have factions that are obvious movers and shakers in the setting, with information on what they're going to do in setting X or adventure Y if the PCs don't alter the situation in some fashion. Then, if the PCs want to join up with a group, they're going to be part of something dynamic happening, rather than having it just be a meaningless club they join. And if they don't want to join up, they can see the consequences of that happening as well.

It's fine if there's some factions that are just guilds to join for perks, like an adventurers guild that's the source of healing potions and such, but those should be the exception, not the rule, as they currently are, IMO.

 

[overgeeked]

I love factions in games. They can be so much fun. I don't really have any book recs with pre-written factions, but do have one on making your own. Check out The Game Master's Handbook of Proactive Roleplaying. It's a great guide for building the setting, NPCs, factions, etc around the PCs and their goals.

The short version is: ask the players what they want and put obstacles in their way. Makes things so much easier. With factions you can have them be aligned with, against, or intersecting with the PCs' goals in various ways to generate interesting play. The factions' goals also interact with the other factions' goals. And of course these all shift over time. You can get some really great, dynamic play from this kind of set up.

 

[dragoner]

Leads to interact with the faction on say an encounter table, or map location, is what I do.

 

[zakael19]

My personal gold standard for Factional play is of course Blades in the Dark. When I've been building setting type stuff for any other games, I find myself trying to actively mirror that format. In a more traditional format, the way that the 4e Neverwinter Campaign Setting operationalizes a bunch of the classic FR factions into here-and-now plans and plots that then have direct hooks into each character's chosen backstory is the next best thing I've seen.

In both cases, IMO the key is letting the players have some degree of "picking the factions they care about" early on (ideally starting with char creation / session 0). Then you're invested.

 

[The Soloist]

If you like factions and character interactions with them, 13th AGE, is the game for that. The system of character creation and setting building is design to foster that.

The 2e is not out yet but the books have been printed:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pelgranepress/13th-age-second-edition-storytelling-action-fantasy-game/posts/4513175

 

[payn]

In-game factions = (VtM Camarilla, D&D Harpers, Fallout Brotherhood of Steel, Mage Awakening Adamantine Arrow, Infinity PanOceana, Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, Thieves Guild, etc etc etc)

What do you look for as a player when it comes to in-game factions?

Mostly motivations and agendas. Who are they and what do they want? Where do they fit into the setting? Who are their allies and enemies? What does it take to join them? Fill in those blanks with interesting details and you will have me hooked.

As a player, what are most games missing when it comes to the info you need to use a faction in your games and plots?

Well, thats a tricky question. I appreciate few specific details so that I or my GM, can take it in directions we want to go. I think the tendency to make factions super secretive that are untouchable to the PCs until the faction tries to kill/recruit them is one thing to avoid. It's ok to have a few, but there ought to be some very public and open ones too. Oh, yeah, more than two or three factions as well. I want a setting that feels like a world of depth, and having white and black hats only tends to dampen that fast.

As a player, what RPG books have the best faction(s) that you have gotten ages of plots and interaction from?

Paizo's Golarion, inner sea, and various adventure paths. Folks often over look how much setting material is included in their adventures.

If you are GM then al same, but from GM perspective....

Im both so my replies are general.

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

As a GM that always run sandboxy campaigns, creating my own factions and organizations is part of my prep fun. I get inspiration from rpgs but even more from literature, media, history and current real world events. In general, I find rpg factions way too clumsy and on the nose, simply not beliavable - I prefer a bit more dynamic and subtle approach.

I’m just about to start up a Savage Pathfinder campaign, heavy on roleplaying, intrigue and conspiracy, beginning in Osirion. And while I’m inspired by the vast amount of Golarion lore, I still create my own factions and organizations, and flesh out stuff only mentioned in passing.

There are of course exceptions, like Delta Green where established factions and organizations are a core part of the game.