## Player Factions Player Factions are what unite the players together. Helps the GM to define the style and scale of the game the players want to play. It also provides the players with an entity to complete objectives to improve, a money pit to take on debt to help, a place in the world and a way to interact with and impact the universe around them. ### Creating a Player Faction Creating a player faction is relatively simple. It should be done once all the players have finished Character Creation, or before players start. The players must work together to create the faction, so that they all become invested in it together. #### Step #1 Determine Size of Faction The Step to Faction Creation is to determine your factions starting size. It is generally recommended for new players to start as a Small Faction, and if they want to work their way up to larger factions throughout a campaign. Through a group or Game Master may wish to start the players in a medium or large faction. The size of the faction informs of scale on which they operate, and thus what kind of goals the faction might undertake, the size of other factions who they might interact with, and most importantly in faction creation: the amount of Assets and Upgrades a Faction starts with. ![[Faction Size VS Number of Assets & Upgrades Table]] #### Step #2 Determine Category of Faction After the Factions size has been determined, the players should figure out what Category the faction is. Is it a combat faction, an economic faction, or a social faction. The table below offers some examples of different types of groups for each faction at different sizes. The faction Category provides another helpful tool to the Game Master in creating adventures, as it provides the overarching style of campaign the players want to engage in. ![[Size and Category Examples Table]] #### Step #2.2 Apply Faction Stat Changes and Skills Based on the category chosen for the faction. You gain one +2, and two +1's to the attributes listed. For the skills you gain two of the Skills at Level 2, four at level 1, and six at level 0. If you already have all the relevant skills at equal or higher levels, these skills are wasted. | Type | Attribute Changes | Skill Changes | | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Combat | [[Fortitude]], [[Reflex]], [[Brawn]] | [[Endurance]], [[Resist Torture]], [[Demolitions]], [[Heavy Weapons]], [[Melee Combat]], [[Throw]], [[Dodge]], [[Gun Combat]], [[Gunner]], [[Steal]], [[Recon]], [[Track]], [[Lockpicking]], [[Tactics]], [[Intimidate]] | | Economic | [[Intelligence]], [[Education]], [[Technical]] | [[Appraise]], [[Listen]], [[Logic]], [[Profession]], [[Streetwise]], [[Accountant]], [[Business]], [[Law]], [[Research]], [[Scholarly Studies]], [[Bargain and Commerce]], [[Bribery]], [[Steward]], [[Credit Rating]], [[Persuade]] | | Social | [[Charisma]], [[Social Standing]], [[Attractiveness]] | [[Forge]], [[Language]], [[Lip Reading]], [[Knowledge]], [[Advocate]], [[Deception]], [[Inquire]], [[Leadership]], [[Carouse]], [[Charm]], [[Human Perception]], [[Personal Grooming]], [[Wardrobe and Style]],[[Diplomat]], [[Fast Talk]] | #### Step #3 Determine Faction Reputation The players should pick one to three (1-3) key words to describe their factions reputation. What others think about them. Below is a list with some possible options, but the players should not feel restricted to just using these. #### Step #4 Determine Faction Goal As a group determine what the goal for your faction is. It might be as simple as: become rich, become famous, take over your parents empire, get revenge on the gang who robbed you, etc. In the NPC section there is table with some ideas for goals. #### Step #5 Determine Faction Starting Relationships The players are now going to create or pick four factions. If the GM has generated a subsector and created factions, or is using a premade subsector with premade factions, the players should pick from the relevant factions. Otherwise, the GM is encouraged to work with the players to come up with some factions with-whom the players are working with. ##### Step #5.1 Pick One as A Friend. Select or come up with one faction - it is recommended of equal size as the Players faction - to be friendly with, and mark them down on the faction sheet as such. ##### Step #5.2 Pick One as A Contact. Select or come up with one faction - it is recommended to be one size above that of the Players faction - to be a contact of, and mark them down on the faction sheet as such. ##### Step #5.3 Pick One as A Foe. Select or come up with one faction - it is recommended to be one size above that of the Players faction - to be a foe of, and mark them down on the faction sheet as such. ##### Step #5.4 Pick One as A Rival. Select or come up with one faction - it is recommended of equal size as the Players faction - to be a rival of, and mark them down on the faction sheet as such. #### Step #6 Pick out starting Asset(s) and Upgrades Based on the size of the faction, refer to the table below to determine how many Assets and Upgrades for those assets the faction starts with. The list of assets is in the [[Faction Assets and Upgrades]] sub-section of the [[Faction Rules]]. Assuming the characters cannot cover the cost of the asset, then the faction takes out economic debt to acquire the asset. If the players got a ship in character creation, the value of the ship is a quarter its purchasing value. For calculating asset costs for Faction creation, similarly treat the ship as reducing the cost of a ship asset by 1/4 per ship owned. So if three players own a ship, the cost of the asset is reduced by 3/4ths. ![[Faction Size VS Number of Assets & Upgrades Table]] #### Step #7 Each Player Provides 1 Fact about the Faction/Asset/Upgrade Once the factions size, category, reputation, goal, and starting relationships have been chosen, as well as the factions asset(s) and upgrades, the GM should then go around the table and provide one fact, nugget of info, etc, about something related to the faction. This might be that the ship has creaky floors, that one of the contacts is known to pick their nose, that one of the upgrades actually has plants inside of it, or some other part of the faction, its assets or relationships that the player has an interest in. This helps the GM flesh out the world, and the gives the players a sense of ownership over their version of the setting. #### Step #8 Each Player explains why their Character is part of this Faction. Once each player has provided 1 fact about their faction, the players should then go around themselves again and explain why their character is a part of this faction. Is it revenge against one of their characters Contacts whose associated with a rival faction, or perhaps its just a blind pursuit of money or power. The point is there is a reason each character is here with this faction now, and it should be mentioned now. This is a great way to bring together the [[Making Connections]] rules in Character Creation. #### Step #9 Determine Faction Name The last, and probably most difficult thing to do, is to determine the factions name. Good luck. ### Playing as a Faction The core to playing 'as' a faction is that players are using the factions assets, perusing the factions goals thought the use of Faction Assets or by playing missions to accomplish the goals. Players should use their assets to make money, to get loans to get even more assets to get more money to pay off the loans and get even more assets or upgrades. The following is some advice on how to play as a faction, both for the players and the Game Master. Players and groups are free to ignore playing as a faction if they wish, especially if the group is only meeting for a one shot or a convention game. #### Is the Faction Active or Passive? This is the key question, if the faction is active, then the players are actively working towards their factions goals, and it is the primary driver of the campaign & the story. This might be the characters playing as a group of traders vying to become merchant princes one day, and so are very invested in each of their assets, watching them develop as their merchant empire grows. Alternatively the faction may be relatively passive. Perhaps the players are simple traders, wanting to make a profit. They don't care to buy many faction upgrades or assets outside of their trade ship. This is fine too. This might also take the form of a Noble who has many investments scattered around and act as assets, but the whole of their social faction is not the focus compared to a complicated love triangle between the noble, a foreign lover, and a spouse in a loveless marriage whose appearance is everything holding the faction together. The assets and income matter much less in a passive campaign then an active one. #### How are Decisions made An important conversation to have is how will decisions be made. Is the group a democracy of equal weight? Is it an dictatorship of a single player with a group of advisors? Is it an oligarchy of those who have a vested interest vs the hired guns who are voteless? The choice is the players. But generally some form of democracy is recommended, this is a group of players after all. But if the democracy wants to vote themselves a dictatorship, who is this book to stop them?