Tell me about Affiliations

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Too many books, too little time ...

I don't yet own DMG2 or PHB2, but the notion of Affiliations sounds really good to me. My Midwood campaign (Story Hour coming back sooner or later) has several groups that I'm thinking of statting up as Affiliations, if it'll actually add anything to the game:

* The Tarsisian Empire (with ranks from slave/criminal, resident, citizen and then up through nobility)
* The Barony of Midwood (with ranks reflecting service to the baron, with knighthood a stop along the way)
* Clan Glangirn and Clan Farrin (two rival dwarven clans, sort of like the Hatfields and McCoys, but with battleaxes)
* The Wit's End Gnomes (including a non-gnome rank for those who want to ingratiate themselves)
* The Church of Lothian (which is a very hierarchical religion where the various ranks have practical benefits and very real obligations)
* Various others, like for wizards' colleges and such

Do these seem like the sorts of things that Affiliations are good for, or are they something different? Is there a practical benefit to the players and DMs for having Affiliations written out?

Is anyone else using them? If so, what do you use them for and how well are they working?

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I'm not currently running a game, but affiliations will be a sure thing next time I do. They provide a nice framework for providing tangible benefits to players for in-game activities that are distinct from class abilities. They can also help encourage players to participate more fully in the world, and are a good source of plot hooks for the DM.

There isn't anything in there that experienced DMs couldn't/didn't already do, but should they become commonly included with source books and such, they'll be IMO an invaluable addition to the DM's toolkit.

I just wish they were OGL so other publishers would be encouraged to use them in a consistent manner.

 

[Agent Oracle]

Affiliations are a great way to ground players in the reality of their setting. I'll give you a basic overview (without copying directly) as a means of explaining.

There are two basic kinds of affiliations: Social affiliations, and Racial affiliations. Social affiliations are people with a common intrest, that come together to promote a specific cause. Racial affiliations are only open to people of a specific race.

Now, the reason to join an affiliation? they can be viewed as another kind of reward for adventuring. Gold can be stolen, Levels can be lost, But friends are forever. Well, at least untill you screw up REALLY badly.

A little example

Think about this: You've gotten in way over your head. Anthros is dead, Trimper lost his arm, and you and Tira'tia are wanted by the crown for a crime you did not commit.

Luckily, the Brotherhood of Bahamet is allways there. They'll ressurect Anthros, Pay for Trimper to get his arm regenerated, and provide as much assistance as they can to make sure your name is cleared. That is the kind of reward that a good affiliation can provide. You do some work for them, they do good work for you.

So, really, what do they actually do?

Whatever an organized network of allies would do for you. Sure, initially, they'll only provide basic assistance (Gathering information, setting you up with places to stay, etc.) but as your status in the organization rises (either through contributions, or furthering the group's cause) so do the rewards. Furthermore, you can be a member of multiple affiliations, granting you far reaching benefits!

Okay, so are these all, like, the shriners or what?

Uh... okay, no. There's a wide diversity in affiliations. Ten seperate types (everything from buisnessmen to spy rings) with scales that range from "five guys and a rotting ballistae" to "five battalions and flying dragon support"

Woah, sounds good so far, how do I join one?

Well, every group has some kind of critera for members (you must be THIS SHORT to join the Gnomeish Legion) but these criteria are pretty logical and fairly achievable.

For instance: only humans who grew up on Dragon Island may join the Dragon Island affiliation. The best way to get ahead is to contribute gold to the hoarde of one of the dragons from dragon island (though advancement is slow and pricey). Soon, you start seeing benefits, like a +4 bonus on social interactions with other residents of dragon island, and you gain a supernaturally long life. Ultimately, you become a Dragonmaster, among other things, you recieve +8 bonuses to ride dragons, and you become completely immune to dragonfear, and, as a human, you gain a life span that elves would wonder about. (I think that it pushes "death from old age" back to 400 years for a human)

Conversely, The Chalice (an organization first mentioned in the pre Complete Divine splatbook "Defenders of the Faith") is open to many people, provided that they dispise fiends as much as the Chalice Knights do. The easiest way to get ahead is to apply yourself to the cause kill some fiends, and eventually, they'll start giving you things to help you on your quest, just for being a member. Things like free potions, free spells, ultimately, they start letting you borrow magic items from their vault (not major ones, but one of good value nonetheless)

What If I don't want to join one of the groups in the book?

There's a full set of instructions for creating your own group, including FOUNDING your own group. (though, being the founder of a group can sometimes take more effort than it offers rewards. I mean, you'd pretty much be sitting back in an executive position sooner or later)

 

[Turjan]

I find it very nice that, with DMG2 and PHB2, some of the mechanisms I like in HeroQuest found their way into D&D. Somehow, D&D is like a sponge. And this time, I mean it in a positive way .

 

[Old Gumphrey]

Hero Quest? Can you extrapolate on that?

 

[Turjan]

Hero Quest? Can you extrapolate on that?

Oh, HeroQuest is a game by Robin D. Laws and Greg Stafford, with a d20 roll-under mechanic (see this pdf for an overview) and good old Glorantha as setting. I just mentioned it because stuff like the companion spirits in DMG2 or establishing affiliations are major points in that game, where social interactions are quite important.

 

[Agent Oracle]

* The Tarsisian Empire (with ranks from slave/criminal, resident, citizen and then up through nobility)
* The Barony of Midwood (with ranks reflecting service to the baron, with knighthood a stop along the way)

You'd probably never need a slave/criminal ranking (unless people could advance their way out of slavery / criminal status) . There's a great example of how to run a simple Kingdom / civilization level affiliation within the "Castle Mairo" affiliation. There you start with basic "free citizen" statusm with no benefits.

From there you become a hero, and gain a minor social interacton benefit.

ultimately, you ascend to being the Knight Baronet, and gain comand over the services of an honor guard, with over 15 men at your direct command, including air support.

* Clan Glangirn and Clan Farrin (two rival dwarven clans, sort of like the Hatfields and McCoys, but with battleaxes)

There's also an example of one of two Orc tribes that are feuding. Good stuff if you're interested.

* The Wit's End Gnomes (including a non-gnome rank for those who want to ingratiate themselves)

Racial affiliations actualyl have negative rank modifiers for people not of their race. it'd be nigh impossible to prove yourself to the wit's end gnomes.

* The Church of Lothian (which is a very hierarchical religion where the various ranks have practical benefits and very real obligations)
* Various others, like for wizards' colleges and such

Churches and colleges are both given as examples in the book.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Churches and colleges are both given as examples in the book.

Which? PHB2 or DMG2? I'm going to get them both, eventually, but I want to keep my slate as clear as possible, since Ptolus is going to be dropping like a cinder block on my doorstep soon enough.

 

[bento]

I'm using the "The Order of Ancient Mysteries" as an affiliation group (from DMG2).

At first the party (now 4th Level) will be given assignments from a local member (archivist NPC), then after they've proven themselves, be invited to join.

I see it as a good source of adventures, much better than "a guy bumps into you in the tavern..."

 

[Turjan]

Which? PHB2 or DMG2? I'm going to get them both, eventually, but I want to keep my slate as clear as possible, since Ptolus is going to be dropping like a cinder block on my doorstep soon enough.

PHB2 has even a play example.