NPC Factions and NPC's

[Davin]

Don't forget Penn, that within that core group of 7 factions, there is a lot of hatred between some of them.

To say that the Roder would like to see the Banner wiped out is a given.

Is it necessary that the families have that much hatred between one another, so they want to see the others completely wiped out?  Or is it sufficient to want to see them simply "beat down" to impotence?

The Getham uses their economic clout in an attempt to reign in the Boda.

This would be more like what I was thinking about.  Each family would want to be mostly "in charge" with the others more "under control" rather than "wiped out".

I do think though, that the three OTG religions needs a religious opponent from the start.  Whether that be a strong NPC heretic opponent or a player led faction (ie... the B&F) is the question.  Banner and OOH players from the Ring join those factions for a reason.  To fight.

I agree that the religions need direct opponents as well as competition between themselves.  I'd like to see a disorganized NPC "faction" for them to fight in general, rather like bandits.  You can think of bandits as small unrelated groups making a local nuisance of themselves pretty much anywhere you go, but without an overarching "faction" with a "plan" to which they report.  Some sort of heretical "faction" might fill the bill here, if we can keep organization minimal or nonexistent.

OTOH, organized factional religions (probably based on other gods) are of a different flavor and may provide for new opponents after we get started.  We may want them as just NPCs or we may open them up for the players to have fun with.  I was originally thinking of the B&F as the general religious opponents, but I think perhaps they'll require too much organization to fit the previous category and they might be better off coming in (eventually) as a full faction (PC or NPC, as we feel is appropriate at the time).