Factions

[DreamWeaver]

Ok.....  I give up.  I can't see any good reason why factions can't be empty (or nearly so).  They just won't grow noticeably and won't accomplish very much (just NPC play).  But I can't think of why that won't work from a technical point of view.  If you're willing to play in very inactive factions, then why should I stop you.

So, fine -- we'll spin up all the possible factions and let your clans choose how they want to play.

I would like to introduce the concept of "organized" factions (ones that have a shared set of goals and seniors to help direct them) and "disorganized" factions (just independent groups doing whatever they feel like).  Independents would be a disorganized faction (no seniors and no ranks) that players can play in and they can do whatever they feel like.  In addition, groups like Bandits and similar "general" enemies would also be called disorganized factions with no leaders or goals (other than making trouble), but I'd like to (at least to try out in the beginning) make those all NPC factions if we could.  These NPC factions would be used as enemies to all players (of at least one faction or another) and therefore someone is nearly always available to "fight".

Comments?

I like this idea a lot Davin!!!

I feel then that the following should be listed as "organized" factions:

- Imperials
- Boda Family
- Getham Family
- Roder Family
- Merk Verk
- SOA
- Cymru
- Seeker
- Banner Religion
- Gift Religion
- Ring Religion
- Order of the Hand Knighthood Religion
- Blood & Fire Religion
- Serkeanar Religion
- The Cult of the Dark One Religion

The list of "disorganized" factions:

- Bandits
- Pirates
- Heretics
- Barbarians (SeaKings)
- Skelts (Celts/Pics)
- Guilds
- Brotherhood (Mob)

I feel this will give you many factions that will allow players to go into all directions, plus I would open up "all of Midgard" giving a large gaming area allowing for players to return to their own beloved stomping grounds(Map Areas). Now I understand that your going to reduce all cities to almost ruins with almost nothing in them, with almost no city defences. Also most cities will be Independent , with a scattering being declared for some faction with a smattering of a cpuple factional offices and temples across the continent even in some of these Independent cities.

Next don't allow factional regiments to exist in the beginning, and also make players earn any hand outs by doing tasks and roleplaying in character for their factions that they exist in. Also my advice it to make "every startup clan' start as a Independent clan, and make them declare for whatever faction they want. Make them role play it out, find a factional office or temple and talk to someone at that faction building to be excepted within that specific faction. Once again make players roleplay being excepted into a faction that they might want to join. Also have the players define what they might be interested on startup so you can put them near to either a declared city or some factional offices/temples that they can interact with and etc. Yes this will need some travel and special action use, but it will be clearer what the players want to do.

Now the whole issue of startup skills needs to be addressed in game start so players know what they can do. Sorry Davin but startup skills will help to define a clan and its future in the game and in any faction. You must allow players to be able to define these (10) skill/level points and then just build the code later on that uses or manages them.  This is a important element and needs to be defined for players, as it is something everyone remembered and always worked with. Not having it is a huge hole, to not at least fill the void with the stop gap of the past. It would be easy to build something to use them.

[Davin]

I feel this will give you many factions that will allow players to go into all directions, plus I would open up "all of Midgard" giving a large gaming area allowing for players to return to their own beloved stomping grounds(Map Areas).

I'd kinda still prefer to start people closer together and let them expand mostly based on movement rates and desire.  It's not going to be any fun if there's nobody in the same region as you and all you're doing is wandering around lost in a forest or a figurative desert.  I think that with some inter-player interaction being more likely for more players then it will be more interesting to play.  If somebody really wants to go off on his own, well then he gets what he deserves.

Expansion into other continents would be possible, but not until ships become available to get you there.

[Davin]

Now the whole issue of startup skills needs to be addressed in game start so players know what they can do. Sorry Davin but startup skills will help to define a clan and its future in the game and in any faction. You must allow players to be able to define these (10) skill/level points and then just build the code later on that uses or manages them.  This is a important element and needs to be defined for players, as it is something everyone remembered and always worked with. Not having it is a huge hole, to not at least fill the void with the stop gap of the past. It would be easy to build something to use them.

<sigh>  Do you have any idea how little development time I have available and how much longer it will take me to bring up skills in the beginning?  If everyone is willing to wait for months more just to get skills, then I guess I can schedule that in.

[Davin]

Next don't allow factional regiments to exist in the beginning, and also make players earn any hand outs by doing tasks and roleplaying in character for their factions that they exist in. Also my advice it to make "every startup clan' start as a Independent clan, and make them declare for whatever faction they want. Make them role play it out, find a factional office or temple and talk to someone at that faction building to be excepted within that specific faction. Once again make players roleplay being excepted into a faction that they might want to join. Also have the players define what they might be interested on startup so you can put them near to either a declared city or some factional offices/temples that they can interact with and etc. Yes this will need some travel and special action use, but it will be clearer what the players want to do.

And yes, I'd like to make factional resources much smaller and harder to get, details TBD.

I'd already planned to make everyone (and almost all cities) start as Independent.  Hopefully there will be enough factional options scattered around that clans won't have too much trouble finding a way into their chosen "profession".

[DreamWeaver]

Now the whole issue of startup skills needs to be addressed in game start so players know what they can do. Sorry Davin but startup skills will help to define a clan and its future in the game and in any faction. You must allow players to be able to define these (10) skill/level points and then just build the code later on that uses or manages them.  This is a important element and needs to be defined for players, as it is something everyone remembered and always worked with. Not having it is a huge hole, to not at least fill the void with the stop gap of the past. It would be easy to build something to use them.

<sigh>  Do you have any idea how little development time I have available and how much longer it will take me to bring up skills in the beginning?  If everyone is willing to wait for months more just to get skills, then I guess I can schedule that in.

Davin, do as it was in the past, just have a text field that holds the Skill Info for each character. Then as you can work out the code to use the skills and do a conversion/replace to role out your new code. Basically the initial text field will help define the skills as it did in the past for the game in all versions of Midgard. Then develop the code and etc. Then once you can get it out of the code then convert it.

[Davin]

Before that I have to decide what's available and how it can be used, and that's the hardest part.  If someone decides on skill XYZ and then I decide that it needs to be quite different from what he thought (perhaps with a different name), then all his hard work and planning is lost.  I don't want to be doing that to anyone.

[DreamWeaver]

Before that I have to decide what's available and how it can be used, and that's the hardest part.  If someone decides on skill XYZ and then I decide that it needs to be quite different from what he thought (perhaps with a different name), then all his hard work and planning is lost.  I don't want to be doing that to anyone.

 Well put forward the skills here and let us help you.

[Davin]

We can work on it, but it'll take some work to coordinate between skills and the kinds of effects we'll want to see.  I'm still too busy talking on the forum at present to even think about it right now, but we'll get there.

[TheDarkSide]

So let's review the status of the faction so far:

Listed as "organized" factions:

- Imperials (open)
- Boda Family (open)
- Getham Family (open)
- Roder Family (open)
- Merk Verk (?)
- SOA (?)
- Cymru (open)
- Seeker (open)
- Banner Religion (open)
- Gift Religion (open)
- Ring Religion (open)
- Order of the Hand Knighthood Religion (?)
- Blood & Fire Religion (closed - to Evil)
- Serkeanar Religion (Closed - to Evil) 
- The Cult of the Dark One Religion (Closed - to Evil)

The list of "disorganized" factions:

- Bandits (Closed)
- Pirates (Closed)
- Heretics (Closed)
- Barbarians (SeaKings) (Closed)
- Skelts (Celts/Pics) (Closed)
- Guilds (Closed)
- Brotherhood (Mob) (Closed)

is this true?

[Davin]

Hmmm....  unfortunately I don't yet know very many details of a lot of these factions that were added along the way, but that sounds like the direction I was thinking about.

I think the Merk Verk is probably a good PC candidate (unless I misunderstand what they're about).  The SOA is questionable, I can see it going either way.  I don't know much about the OOTH so I'll need to do some more research or have you describe it for me.