I got my own homebrew modern horror setting in which my players are special police and are investigating the paranormal (mostly ghosts and spirits).
I am thinking about adding some factions who will also mingle with the supernatural, but in a different manner. I am a bit undecided about how to approach this. Shall I go for a Mass Effect approach and divide the factions in destroy, control or coorporate categories? Or shall I divide them in corporate, government, religious (including cults aka those who worship them) and occult (academics, bookworms) categories?
I would come up with some cool factions and then take a minute, look at them, and see where the divide for categories is.
The real heavy lifting isn't categorization, unless there's a specific theme you want to exploit and refer to you in your games, it's the cool factions. So come up with the cool factions, and then see how they divide up.
For instance, to my mind, the reason why Hunter: The Vigil's different hunter factions work isn't because they're neatly divided into categories, but because they each really has a killer idea at the heart of them. Rich thrill-seekers. Arabic drug dealers. Corporate exploiters. Government death-squads. Etc.
Are they all from different organizations or is there some overarching organization like the BPRD they are all a part of? If they are all part of one organization, they could be different specializations like academic consultants, security, tech types and so on. If they aren't, what ties the PCs together as a group? If they are a government group, the different groups could be different agencies with different areas of responsibility. If they are a private group, they could be from different companies owned by some larger parent company or something like that. it depends on what ties them together.
I'd consider the real world.
Most RPG setting factions are portrayed as seriously monolithic. There's usually a single, overarching goal, to which nearly everyone is dedicated, and that single goal is the reason people joined. The only real exceptions are the disaffected members who are pretty much there so the PCs have someone to suborn.
In the real world, it's so much more complex. People join groups because their friends or parents do, or because one facet of the faction's manifesto tickles their fancy, or they had nothing better to do at the time, or because everyone who matters belongs. Groups themselves have many conflicting goals: what's your local church? A charity? A social club? A place of worship? A religious education school? A political action committee? All of the above?
Quote from: jan paparazzi;878848I got my own homebrew modern horror setting in which my players are special police and are investigating the paranormal (mostly ghosts and spirits).
I am thinking about adding some factions who will also mingle with the supernatural, but in a different manner. I am a bit undecided about how to approach this. Shall I go for a Mass Effect approach and divide the factions in destroy, control or coorporate categories? Or shall I divide them in corporate, government, religious (including cults aka those who worship them) and occult (academics, bookworms) categories?
Why not both? Assign "method" and "goal" to each.
This way you can develop, religious organization aiming at destroying [things] and the other religious one, that wants to control [things]. If you know "Hellsing" anime, this is presented by its depiction in Catholic Church vs Protestant Church feud, what result in a clash and in a quite interesting hero vs monster enmity.
(http://orig02.deviantart.net/9012/f/2014/275/3/3/_hellsing__alucard_vs_anderson_by_kagefan_121-d81arhw.jpg)
Similar with corporate-corporate, corporate-destroy, corporate-control. At first glance each might be similar to every other, but when they rush to action, their preferences, aims, tactics and even equipment of their action squads may differ radically.
Alternatively, each faction (method) might consist of different branches (goal), usually working together or simply sending their representatives on different missions, relevant to their
goals. And sometimes they go in each other's way and then shit hits the fan. Yummy.
I usually quantify factions based on their goals, resources, and stereotypic type of members.
Divide them however you will - it's more important that you plan out a web of relationships between these factions.
Quote from: Rincewind1;878878I usually quantify factions based on their goals, resources, and stereotypic type of members.
Divide them however you will - it's more important that you plan out a web of relationships between these factions.
I agree. Don't do categories. That is how most factions in the nWoD is done and you said they suck. Well the three main lines suck. The limited lines feel organic and can work.
Quote from: Snowman0147;878892I agree. Don't do categories. That is how most factions in the nWoD is done and you said they suck. Well the three main lines suck. The limited lines feel organic and can work.
The WoD factions fall flat because they don't actually have clearly defined goals: they're glorified high school cliques. Compare this to, say, fan-splat Wraith: The Arising where the factions all had fairly simple and well-defined yet broad and most importantly
understandable motivations spelled out from the onset like "protect the living," "spread the gospel," and "purge the unclean" with everything else being built around that. Even the token hierarchy and rebel factions competed for haunted houses to maintain the economy (it makes sense it context).
In a modern horror setting. Depends on the type of horror?
Is it a more subtle horror like Call of Cthulhu? Then factions may be simply rival investigators and adventurers at the surface. But below that will be G-men starting to get involved, military experiments and worse, and below that will be the various cults, about none of home like eachother.
Is it a middleground like Beyond the Supernatural or Dark*Matter where weird stuff happens in public. But its off in the corners and not blatantly public. Easily swept under the rug? Then there may be factions of Ghostbuster style glory hounds, more active government groups, and cults may take on more public fronts.
Is it borderline full public like in Delta Green or Exoterrorists? Then you'll have grass roots organizations, conflicting government organizations, probably political ones, and cult fronts will swing from out in the open monsters to having a public friendly face or spindoctoring like crazy.
Quote from: BoxCrayonTales;878930The WoD factions fall flat because they don't actually have clearly defined goals: they're glorified high school cliques. Compare this to, say, fan-splat Wraith: The Arising where the factions all had fairly simple and well-defined yet broad and most importantly understandable motivations spelled out from the onset like "protect the living," "spread the gospel," and "purge the unclean" with everything else being built around that. Even the token hierarchy and rebel factions competed for haunted houses to maintain the economy (it makes sense it context).
Yup agreed. I won't do categories, I will just make up some cool ones and start worrying about categories later. Probably makes it all feel more organic and less contrived.
Quote from: Omega;878951In a modern horror setting. Depends on the type of horror?
Is it a more subtle horror like Call of Cthulhu? Then factions may be simply rival investigators and adventurers at the surface. But below that will be G-men starting to get involved, military experiments and worse, and below that will be the various cults, about none of home like eachother.
Is it a middleground like Beyond the Supernatural or Dark*Matter where weird stuff happens in public. But its off in the corners and not blatantly public. Easily swept under the rug? Then there may be factions of Ghostbuster style glory hounds, more active government groups, and cults may take on more public fronts.
Is it borderline full public like in Delta Green or Exoterrorists? Then you'll have grass roots organizations, conflicting government organizations, probably political ones, and cult fronts will swing from out in the open monsters to having a public friendly face or spindoctoring like crazy.
I think it will be more of the second paragraph. Some cults and maybe another government organisation or coorporation joining in. Mostly I want them all involved in the paranormal. I just want them to handle things differently than the players and their faction, which is mostly about protecting the citizens against the paranormal. Investigate and then exterminate. I can see groups serving the paranormal, worshipping it, studying it, trying to control it and making deals with it.
At the mid-point then you might have for example different research groups squabbling over who gets the specimines. Or even just inter-organization rivalry for resources and evidence.
One group might be interested in contact and/or negotiation, another could be xenophobic hostile, another might want what they think is advanced tech. One group might be a front for one of the entities for good or ill. A group might be totally insanely deluded that the horrors are just misunderstood. Another might think the same. And be right.
Then theres unrelated law enforcement agencies that may think the hunters are dangerous nuts. Or debunkers of the insane sort who refuse to believe even as some horror is eating them alive.
Or toss in a mystical organization that no one understands. But seems to be trying to curb horror incursions. Or horrors that police their own for going too far public.
What is the purpose of the factions in the game? To help define characters? To provide a framework for play?
Quote from: yosemitemike;879033What is the purpose of the factions in the game? To help define characters? To provide a framework for play?
Or as antagonists/hinderances? Or as aids?
Quote from: Omega;879061Or as antagonists/hinderances? Or as aids?
Mostly antagonistic. If the other factions are also playable the game becomes a lot more political and I don't care much about politics in a roleplaying game. It's good stuff for books and movies, but I don't like it in an rpg.
WARNING my post has some miner spoilers for the anime / manga / novel series durarara
starts here>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
Spoiler
some thing you might want to to take a look at is durarara!!! its got a strong focus on factions and there is some supernatural stuff going on one of the major characters is a dulahan and another has an intelligent sword .
might be worth a look for inspiration
spoils end here
Quote from: kosmos1214;879244WARNING my post has some miner spoilers for the anime / manga / novel series durarara
starts here>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.Spoiler
some thing you might want to to take a look at is durarara!!! its got a strong focus on factions and there is some supernatural stuff going on one of the major characters is a dulahan and another has an intelligent sword .
might be worth a look for inspiration
There is a
Spoiler
tag. It's especially good for keeping large images from widening the post and making it unreadable.
Quote from: jan paparazzi;879136Mostly antagonistic. If the other factions are also playable the game becomes a lot more political and I don't care much about politics in a roleplaying game. It's good stuff for books and movies, but I don't like it in an rpg.
If they are mainly intended to be antagonists, an easy way to define them would be by their agenda. That gives you an idea of what they are likely to want to do and how they are likely to respond to what the PCs are doing.
Quote from: yosemitemike;879257If they are mainly intended to be antagonists, an easy way to define them would be by their agenda. That gives you an idea of what they are likely to want to do and how they are likely to respond to what the PCs are doing.
Already working on it. I have two already and working and two others. Btw, I think an agenda is an easy way to define any faction, allied or antagonistic.
Quote from: rawma;879250There is a Spoiler
tag. It's especially good for keeping large images from widening the post and making it unreadable.
what is the exact command the message board fu is weak with this one
nm i found it my self
Kevin Crawford's "Silent Legions" has a great section on creating a mythos, cults and factions.
Early American fire departments fought over who got to put out the fires because they were paid by the insurance companies.
I love the idea of the ghost busters throwing down with the inquisition over who got to throw the ghosts out of 123 street.
Quote from: Headless;879472Early American fire departments fought over who got to put out the fires because they were paid by the insurance companies.
I love the idea of the ghost busters throwing down with the inquisition over who got to throw the ghosts out of 123 street.
At the moment I have a religious group like that competing with the police force.
I would just use real-life occult and alt-religious groups. But that's me.