Getting Factions To A Higher Quality

[Wes]

Kim, who admins one of our site's affiliates, the New World Project, wrote this article, Designing great factions for a great game – Tips for the perfect imperfect factions, for the Ongoing Worlds blog. I'm sharing it because it's very relevant to Star Army.

One of the things that's been a little concerning to me lately is how Star Army is adding a lot of new factions, but our overall number of active members (as in the amount of people who actually show up and log on each day) isn't much higher than it was two years ago. In theory this means of two things are happening: 1) Because there the ratio of factions to players has changed, there are less players per faction than there used to be, or 2) Players are juggling several factions at once, possibly at risk of burning out/feeling overwhelmed as they may reach a point where their commitments get bigger than their abilities.

In the article, there was a line that hit me pretty hard:

The same level of detail spent on designing the major factions can be just as important to ensure that the newly added factions are believable and contribute rather than detract from the setting.

Let's read that again and let it sink in: Factions can detract from the setting. In particular, factions can detract from the setting if they're not well developed.

Our huge lore and long life can be a double-edged sword. As I have been out there advertising the site to keep the new players coming, I have been learning a lot about what roleplayers in general are looking for and I want to apply that knowledge back home. One of the things I found is that there are roleplayers out there that won't join us specifically because there's so many factions to learn. There's only so much we can do about this, but I think that we should consider the way that the factions as a group are balanced and presented.

Which brings us to this:

Every major faction will sometimes resort to proxies and other vehicles to advance their geopolitical agendas and we were fortunate enough to create the space for these factions to exist. These have proven useful to allow those who were interested in making their own to have the space to do so, whilst allowing the factions to slot into the pre-existing setting.

It’s important to allow that space to exist for creative role-players who have that inclination but it’s also important to ensure that the initial balance of power that you strike remains intact so as to not undermine the game mechanics.

The setting should be pretty stable. Wars and events will happen, but the core of Star Army - the axle around which the site spins and what made this site a success, is the Star Army of Yamatai and we shouldn't try to change that. And if we reach a point where the site gets in trouble, I think we should focus on that core element instead of thinking that we can save ourselves by creating new factions, especially if those factions are going to be underdeveloped or pale in depth compared to Yamatai and other established factions, or if those factions lack the "critical mass" of players to be self-sustaining.

If Star Army was a bench at a bus stop, and a new player wants to decide whether to ride the bus with us, and Yamatai, Nepleslia, the HSC, and other successful factions are people sitting on that bench it's inviting. But if they're also sitting next to the rotting corpses of the Iroma and the Abwehran factions, suddenly that bus ride looks less attractive.

So I was thinking, and I know this could be controversial, that maybe we should use 2016 as a year to use and develop existing factions instead of making new ones. We must also consider "fading out" or merging some of the abandoned factions so they're no longer in play. Basically get the site more put together as a whole, and work on a more permanent faction to faction dynamic to the setting that's built to last and built to help players create RP.

 

[Syaoran]

Before I give my opinions and pointers on such a subject I'm going to ask. Do you actually want legitimate advice on this, or do you already have an idea that you're going to go with even if people want otherwise?

 

[Wes]

Well, my thoughts are that we need to finish the new factions that were already started, stop taking on more new factions during 2016, and basically try to improve upon existing factions to something like the level of RPG sourcebooks, while also leaving more, various "powder kegs" for RP fuel. The idea would be to get the site as a whole in a more "polished" state. It would be easier for us to do this if the RP had some boundaries in its size and scope, because, put simply, we have limited resources to divide between the factions (not just art money, but also time and attention). But I need to know what people think before I decide to commit the site to that.

 

[Moogle]

Well, I've been putting some old faction resources to use in the development of the GAO to make them a credible antagonist. And I've got a few burners cooking to set the stage for them.

(Credit to @paladinrpg and @OsakanOne for making very valuable contributions, especially because the Aexalli Centorious have hodge-podge ships)

I would suggest a year-long embargo on new faction submissions, but that's heavy handed and a little selfish of me, now that I've had my cake.

Yes, we should spend more time developing the existing material. We have SO MUCH out of date stuff on the Wiki it's unreal. I'm still encountering stuff from the PREVIOUS DR system when doing research. And so many old ships don't have any sort of art, and etc etc.

I say full speed ahead on makin' things better. Just uh. . . don't do a "me first."

 

[Syaoran]

Then I'll give you a full rundown on things as I see them then.

The first thing is the idea that it's possible to have too many factions, while not wrong, is not correct either. The number of factions a place can have depends on a lot of factors, and as long as they can be supported then it works. Doesn't matter much if people are juggling factions as long as quality is still maintained. SARP is a place that actually can support a huge number of factions, because there is so much room for differences. In fact ideally SARP should have a minor faction the size of a political agency at least, for every single race, even assimilated ones. (Granted that's not gonna happen and is only an ideal)

The two factions you mentioned as burned out husk, are actually some of the factions that should be last on the list to remove, because they're notably different from from the base line. Iroma uses substantially different tech, and Abwer has the potential to essentially become an empire of mercenaries in terms of their military. (That might not happen though) Rather than getting rid of them those are two factions we need to get in contact with the owners and stabilize them, because they have so much potential. This does not mean though just taking control of them, but keeping the faction down the path it was going that was allowing it to diverge from the norm in the first place.

In general SARPs faction problem isn't the number of them but the quality of a lot of them, and part of that comes from the limitations in place. Making a race if very very difficult, and it should be yes. But making a race is pretty much the only way you can start a faction out with new types of tech. The easiest way to keep a faction from being more of what's already there is with new technology. But SARPs technology market is very limited, like how pretty much if you want to make a new faction based on the Nepleslian or Yamatai races, you're almost forced to use Power armor as your main fighting force because of availability of anything else is kind of low. Now to be clear I'm not saying this -has- to change, but when considering how faction friendly the setting is this needs to be kept in mind.

Along with this we also have the somewhat unnatural peace between factions already. And the strength of security efforts, these things eliminate the most common cause for factions that are not new races, opposition to a cause or organization. And I think that is something SARP is really lacking in. Solid enemy factions. And I don't mean things like enemy races. But factions that oppose others. Like just an example, maybe a faction that opposes the size of Yamatai's army, or one that opposes Neplesllia's melting pot social structure.

Now as for what to do? I do not believe limiting factions is exactly the right choice. Rather increasing the quality of the factions would be the way to go. Because we need to add a few more factions, granted non player, but if we don't add them there isn't going to be much powder keg RP fuel to work with because even if you limit the size of the setting, there is no reason for any of the player factions to be at odds with each other for several years.

Summary: Factions need to focus more on not repeating what is already there, and we need to increase the number of factions formed specifically as opposition so that we can have catalyst for in RP Drama on a faction scale.

 

[Moogle]

(Addendum: I am one of maybe three people currently making enemies. So far I have the GAO and the Abominations. Who knows what I'll come up with next?~)

 

[paladinrpg]

Thanks for the hat-tip, @Moogle I'm very much enjoying developing antagonists along with you.

Definitely fully on board with trying to take old factions/races (and their assets) and trying to get them involved back into the setting. I've kind of made that my little hobby not just with resurrecting UOC/Jiyuu stuff but also increasingly with things like the Kehula, at Wes' suggestion. SARP has so much just laying about that just needs some TLC and a fresh coat of paint to be relevant again, and make that fun drama to get players engaged.

 

[Eistheid]

I want to state first of all that I haven't gotten around to reading the linked article, however I'll be commenting on that when I get the chance. For now I merely want to get some ideas out that have been floating around in my head.

First I'll state that I'm indifferent to whether or not we restrict the addition of new factions or races, primarily because I don't intend on ever creating a faction. I've purposefully chosen instead to develop characters into interesting setting elements, rather than making another race appear from the ether. With this in mind I should note that it is presently easier to justify and implement a Race/Faction from scratch rather than working IC to justify new research and development, largely because a new faction while a lot of work doesn't rely on supporting roleplay during its conception... Which is a little disheartening in my opinion.

My next point to address would be the need for "Powder Kegs" for these to work the main factions have to admit and work with the fact that they're fallible. They can't have perfect security or an absence of corruption, as that hurts our ability as players, and also for GMs to create stories. Yes we need structures that we can rely on staying in place so that we don't have plots finding that they no longer have a logistics chain, or resource to fall back on. At the same time we need to be able to hurt the factions IC in order to enjoy story. This however should be done only with explicit permission from the FM. Any scenario that could potentially damage a portion of a faction's infrastructure should be explained transparently to the FM and the worst case scenario should be discussed and made clear between the GM running the plot and the FM whose faction is hosting the event.

Moving on... I agree that much of our efforts as a community should be directed toward updating and improving much of what we have. I like being able to reach into SARP's past and bring out older units and use them in modern encounters. I think having old no longer fielded technology is one of the strongest points of the setting. The ability for players or GMs to bring up a relic of the past and present it in new situations against new threats or to engage players in unexpected ways is an invaluable tool. To this end I have been learning older pieces of the setting and there are at least a few that I already want to update to bring them up to present standards and make them more available for use in the setting. I am personally of the opinion that pruning should only be done when a setting element is 100% unredeemable, as old elements can be polished to shine again even if they don't come into common use. Just like a TTRPG's Core Books having a wealth of setting elements that might not get used is a resource that we shouldn't casually toss aside.

Finally I'll agree with what @Syaoran in my opinion seemed to suggest toward the end of their post; we need threats within the factions as much as external to them. Divisions and splinter groups within the whole benefit us all, even if they exist only as background events. I personally would love to see Setting News reports talking about how the Police or Military forces within Yamatai, Nepleslia, or Lor have dealt with a threat to the public such as a potential hostage situation, or even more mundane things like tracing a paper trail to see who has been embezzling funds. A strong faction isn't one that is untouchable and perfect, a strong faction is one that is seen actively dealing with issues and improving itself in an organic way. The parts that make the setting feel most alive are when we can see that groups are in motion.

I personally watch the news feeds and take note of events so that I can discuss them in character. Even if we're in another star system I would imagine that discussing the birth of a new Ketsurui clan member, or political activity surrounding the former UOC colonies would be something to do IC and would give our characters something to wonder over while they accomplish menial tasks between engagements.

 

[Nashoba]

I have to say that in some ways I find the topic of this a bit ironic given some of the newest things to be added to the SARPverse. I am all for quality, but that has to apply to both sides of the coin. We need to stay away from creating species that are just cardboard cut outs. To my way of thinking the NMX Mishhu and RIxxor are two of the same thing. Everything about them is cliche and two dimensional. That is why I will not use the Rixxor in any of my plots. Because I want a higher quality in my villians.

 

[Syaoran]

@Eistheid makes a point with the mentioning of the news. I can't speak for others, but I don't even really read the news section often, and for some races not at all, because I know that rarely will something dramatic be posted there, because there is no hostility or tension in the setting really.

And as for the Rixxor I haven't really looked at the race at all, but I totally agree with you on quality is only part of it @Nashoba, it needs to be quality -and- something different not more of the same.

 

[Firebrand]

In my opinion, and this is going to be controversial, I say we start setting things alight like the Fifth of November. If a faction doesn't have active plots and no GM who is doing stuff with them, We either find someone right now who is willing to take over and run a plot with the faction, or we burn the faction to the ground and use the ashes to bring new life to the setting. Like a forest fire.

I think we shouldn't just hold onto stuff who's players have left and aren't coming back because we -hope- they're coming back.

 

[Syaoran]

That's why we should be trying to get in touch with the owners of factions. But some factions are better left alone than going under new leadership if the leadership can't follow down the path the faction was already going on. And getting rid of them is just a waste of potential. We can always move them out of the lime light and use them like set pieces if they aren't salvageable. But destroying a faction that simply is just inactive is entirely a waste of resources. At least if they're still around people could make themselves former members of the faction to add diversity.

 

[Eistheid]

I'm of the opinion that burning factions to the ground is a terrible idea. It kills the potential of using the assets for story. It wastes hard work, and it potentially destroys things that players like even if they aren't capable of running the faction. At worst they sit as a tool to be used at a later date. Something that someone can update when it catches their fancy. There is no benefit that removing content gives us that can't be achieved through better communication to new players through guides and interaction.

 

[Syaoran]

Yeah if we don't want them to find the faction so easy cause it's unmoderated, then we can simply just remove it from the pages for new players talking about joining factions.

 

[Firebrand]

Or people can take over various factions and do shit with them. I know plenty of people who would probably play an Iroma plot.

 

[Eistheid]

You can't have someone take over the Iroma if you burn the faction to the ground because they're not actively in use. You've quite literally presented two very different ideas and worded it like they're the same thing.

 

[Firebrand]

Its an either or option. Either shit or get off the pot as they say.

 

[Syaoran]

It's not that though. Because that only applies if you're taking up someone else's space. What -benefit- is there to deleting them if we can't find an FM?

 

[Guard Dog]

Both extremes serve their purpose you just don't usually get them from the same individual. When you do it implies dissonance. This too serves something

 

[Firebrand]

It's not that though. Because that only applies if you're taking up someone else's space. What -benefit- is there to deleting them if we can't find an FM?

Because then, since they aren't PC factions being jealously guarded, they can be used as NPC antagonists or whatever. Hell, have them go the way of the freespacers for all I care. Just do something to clear out the dead matter.