CREATING FACTIONS
A faction consists of a group of people united in action toward a common goal.
Core Faction Design
☐ FACTION NAME
What do the members of this faction call it?
☐ FACTION GOAL
What goal do the actions of this faction promote?
☐ FACTION PLOT HOOKS
What secrets does this faction hold?
Additional Faction Design
☐ FACTION REQUIREMENTS
Are there qualifications, rituals or ceremonies required to join this faction?
☐ FACTION UPSTREAM
What faction exists above this faction in the pyramid or hierarchy?
☐ FACTION DOWNSTREAM
What factions exist below this faction in the hierarchy?
☐ FACTION ALLIES
What other factions cooperate with this one?
☐ FACTION RIVALS
What other factions rival this one?
☐ FACTION ENEMIES
What other factions oppose this one?
☐ FACTION ORIGIN OR HISTORY
What is the origin or history of this faction?
☐ FACTION LOGO
What image, flag, or patch does the faction use for identity?
☐ FACTION MOTTO OR SLOGAN
What inspirational phrase does the faction promote?
☐ FACTION HEADQUARTERS
Where is the faction based?
☐ FACTION HEAD
Who is the “head” of the faction?
☐ FACTION HEAD GOALS
What are the goals of the “head” of the faction?
☐ MAJOR SUB-FACTION HEAD
Who is the head of the most powerful sub-faction?
☐ MAJOR SUB-FACTION GOALS
What are the goals of the most powerful sub-faction?
☐ MINOR SUB-FACTION HEAD
Who is the head of the next or minor sub-faction?
☐ MINOR SUB-FACTION GOAL
What are the goals of the “left hand” of the faction?
☐ FACTION OFFICERS OR LEADERS
How many troop officers or leaders can the faction command?
☐ FACTION SOLDIERS
How many mid-rank or specialist soldiers can the faction command?
☐ FACTION GOONS OR GRUNTS
How many goons or grunts can the faction command?
☐ FACTION ASSETS
What additional assets does the faction hold?
☐ FACTION FACILITIES
What additional bases, offices, facilities, or installation does the faction hold or operate?
☐ FACTION VEHICLES
What vehicles can the faction field for operations?
☐ FACTION PRIVILEGES
In general members of a faction get access to the faction resources as a power base.
That can include access to faction assets or calling on other faction members.
This could easily be extended to include other kinds of privileges.
For example: Factions that are powerful enough to get custom laws favorable to them.
Those could be religions or speakers of a language.
☐ FACTION INTERACTIONS
Take the list of faction types and make a matrix out of it with the types as both rows and columns.
Then each cell of the matrix is how those faction types interact or affect each other in the form of privileges.
What privileges can a government faction grant to a religious, corporate, or other faction?
What privileges can a religious faction grant to a government, corporate, or other faction?
☐ FACTION RESTRICTIONS
Finally, for any “plusses” like privileges, there should also be balancing “minuses”.
What about restrictions on factions or their members in addition to privileges?
What restrictions can a government faction impose on religions, corporations, languages, or customs in the setting?
What restrictions can a religious faction impose on governments, corporations, languages, or customs in the setting?
Types Of Factions
◢ Creating Governments
◢ Creating Organizations - Societies, Academies, Foundations, Institutes, Leagues, Cooperatives, Unions
◢ Creating Laws
◢ Creating Politics
◢ Creating Corporations
◢ Creating Religions
◢ Creating Customs
◢ Creating Languages
Additional Resources
Roleplaying Tips #0393 - Have Fun With Factions
Roleplaying Tips #0447 - How To Create Factions - 3 New Tips
Roleplaying Tips #0599 - 3 Line Cultures: How To Inject Races And Factions With Flavour
Roleplaying Tips #0643 - Horde-ing => Creating Factions The Fast And Easy Way
Roleplaying Tips #0644 - The Faction Pyramid Technique
Roleplaying Tips #0652 - Walking The Faction Pyramid, Magic Trinkets, Magic Banking
Roleplaying Tips #0695 - Crossing Swords With Factions - How To Build Quick Guilds For Your Kingdom
Roleplaying Tips #0724 - The Potion Factory for Fun Faction Finagling
Roleplaying Tips #0872 - Factions Done Blades In The Dark Style
Roleplaying Tips #1012 - Two Quick &
Easy Faction Play Tips
Roleplaying Tips #1068 - 7 Ways To Roleplay Factions Better
Roleplaying Tips #1165 - Factions & Villains - 3 Reader GM Tips