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+---- Thread: Factional Redesigns (/showthread.php?tid=130655)
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RE: Factional Redesigns - Davin - 01-09-2020
I'm putting my comments here (driven from another thread) because they're more general in nature...
I would be happy to provide lots of alternatives to play, provided we have enough clans to play in them. I started with the seven factions because that's the history everyone is used to, but I'm not opposed to killing off some of them and replacing them with new ideas, just so long as we're not running around with only a couple of clans in each faction. But I was hoping that simply redefining the "standard" factions to have other abilities that you have come to know and love in the "extra" factions, might give players enough incentive to play them. After all, if a faction's benefits are all the same then the only real difference is the factional name, isn't it?
For a (rather extreme) example, what if you changed the Boda to include the basic capabilities of the Merk Verk? Would you then need a separate Merk Verk faction or would playing the Boda fill your desires for that sort of play? What other combinations might be reasonable, where you get favorable abilities from different factions merged together into one (regardless of what its name is)?
As far as adding new factions later on, I think that would be quite reasonable if we have enough population in the game to support them. In such a case, I'd be willing to relax the rules on changing factions if the players would rather switch to one of the new ones at around that time. I have no interest in keeping people from having fun - that's what the game's all about! Those kinds of restrictions are there to prevent abuse more than anything, and if you're not abusing the system then I'm happy to let you do many things that are technically "against the rules".
If we do start switching around though, I'd rather not end up with factions devoid of players. If that's the case then the faction wasn't fun enough to play in the first place, and that's what I'm trying to avoid here with this "group redesign". Let's make the factions fun from the beginning! If a faction can't be made fun to play, then let's drop it now and start over by designing a different faction to replace it.
If we have to, we can rewrite the whole history and start completely over with the factions. If you ALL wouldn't be upset by not having the Imperials, three Families, and three Religions, then I see no reason to keep that structure. We could start over with maybe a half-dozen brand new factions to choose from. I just figured that most people like seeing those available, even if they also have preferences elsewhere. Or, as mentioned before, we can merge things together and create more diverse factions. What would happen, for instance, if we combined the Seekers with one of the religions giving the benefits and play-ability of both?
What sounds like a structure that everyone would enjoy? Would you rather have two feuding families, one standard religion, the heretics, and a pure military group? I'd rather not have a faction that everyone likes or that everyone hates - each should have its pros and cons, its friends and enemies. If you need a religion like the B&F, then also give me a non-religious faction that they are willing to cooperate with (perhaps something similar to the SoA?).
Does that help explain what I'm trying to accomplish? Not too many choices for the population, good game balance, some built-in friends and enemies to provide conflict and cooperation, and above all everything should be fun to play!
RE: Factional Redesigns - DreamWeaver - 01-09-2020
Hmmm a total faction redesign...
Well if you took that approach with the game, I would stick with the Meteor Strike still and then say after the ruins some new factions started taking shape.
Have a couple of NPC only factions that are super Bad...
- - NPC -Maybe a <Evil> Empire faction that is repressive and wants to Conquer and Conquest everyone, as it spreads it evil grasp across the lands...
- - NPC - A Pirate based Nasty Bad Arse faction that sails the seas and raids everyone...
- - NPC - A Bandit based faction that plagues everyone across the lands
- - NPC - Heretic Religion faction (based off of the old Gods)
- - PC House 1 <Name> Redesign the Boda
- - PC House 2 <Name> Redesign the Roder
- - PC House 3 <Name> Redesign the Getham
- - PC Religion Faith of One true God <Name> (Redesign &Combine the Banner, Gift, Ring)
- - PC Religion Faith of Moorlock <Name> (redesign & Combine B&F, Searkanar, Cult)
- - PC Merc - Land Based <name>(Redesign and combine the Merc Verk and SOA)
- - PC Naval Merc -Naval Based <name>(Redesign Buccaneers, maybe use the Swashbucklers)
- - PC Faction of a different flavor <Name> (redsign an combine the Cymru & Seekers)
That would give you a great mix of factions and Enemies and Allies to play with. It would also give you pure NPC factions to use as the games Bad Guys. That would give you (4) NPCs, and (8) PC factions to work with and fill out your game.
RE: Factional Redesigns - DreamWeaver - 01-09-2020
OK lets just redesign the core factions and make them better and more complete!!!
RE: Factional Redesigns - Davin - 01-09-2020
That doesn't sound too bad in general.
The "evil empire" type sounds difficult to balance, as it would have to be powerful to do what it needs to, but it might be too powerful to combat easily. And given that combination, why would not everyone else band together to get rid of them right off the bat?
The "naval merc" would need to be deferred until I have naval operations running, of course, and Pirates wouldn't have anyone to attack without PC ships in use.
I'm not sure I see what good an NPC "Heretic" would do for the design, but come up with something if you like and see what kind of balance we can work out. (Or just wait until some future time when they "appear" to players in the game system.)
For your extra faction, are you thinking something along the lines of mystics and/or researchers of lost antiquity?
I'd like to see what you have in mind for combining the other types, as well. And of course we'd like to get a number of folks contributing and providing a consensus for us to follow. (Anybody know what kind of a quorum we might need?)
Don't forget to work out combinations of cooperation and with antipathy.
RE: Factional Redesigns - DreamWeaver - 01-09-2020
Davin Wrote:That doesn't sound too bad in general.
*** You could name the something like T'Aleen Empire
The "evil empire" type sounds difficult to balance, as it would have to be powerful to do what it needs to, but it might be too powerful to combat easily. And given that combination, why would not everyone else band together to get rid of them right off the bat?
*** You have stated that at game start, most cities will be small and mostly ruins, with almost no defences and very little for city structure. You could say that the T'Aleen Empire seems to been able to build up a couple of cities with some defences and some regiments. Realize having some forces and looking like your got the upper hand is always a good start.
As to all the factions banding together to fight them, that is possible but not very likely. Maybe over time, but they would keep spreading like the plague.
The "naval merc" would need to be deferred until I have naval operations running, of course, and Pirates wouldn't have anyone to attack without PC ships in use.
*** I understand that the Naval has to wait at this time, but Pirates can always rad coast lands and cities.
I'm not sure I see what good an NPC "Heretic" would do for the design, but come up with something if you like and see what kind of balance we can work out. (Or just wait until some future time when they "appear" to players in the game system.)
*** The Heretic or <Named Religious faction> would give the religious factions someone to hate and hunt and fight against, maybe the Blood & Fire.
For your extra faction, are you thinking something along the lines of mystics and/or researchers of lost antiquity?
*** At this point I am not sure, as I said maybe we just stick with the core 7 factions and just redesign them to be better.
I'd like to see what you have in mind for combining the other types, as well. And of course we'd like to get a number of folks contributing and providing a consensus for us to follow. (Anybody know what kind of a quorum we might need?)
Don't forget to work out combinations of cooperation and with antipathy.