I was thinking about writing ‘Anatomy of a Faction’ today, outlining the elements of a faction. Working through the list, I realized it’s pretty close to my Entity Template, so I figured I’d try that first.
Below, I largely treat ‘faction’ and ‘organization’ interchangeably. One can say that by definition they are not the same thing, but for my purpose they’re close enough.
Just as geography can have ‘subgeography’ (kingdoms and duchies, etc.), factions can have subfactions. Subfactions are described much as factions are, but unlike geography are not necessarily ‘pure subsets’. That is, a county is wholly contained in a duchy, which is wholly contained in a kingdom. A faction within a guild (which is itself a faction) can have members who are not in the guild. For simplicity, these can be treated as external but close allies, if helps to keep ‘subfaction’ a pure subset.
Checking the Entity Template
I’ve copied the short form template here, now I’ll see how it measures up to my expectation.
Name
Titles and aliases: Of course these would be here.
Role
- Theme: What purpose does this faction serve in the game? Yes.
- Purpose: Why do they exist, what are they trying to do? Yes.
- Goals: What are they trying to do, to achieve their purpose? Yes.
- Threats: What do they threaten or what threatens them? Factions exist because of contention. Yes.
- Rewards: Why do people seek out a faction, or seek to gain favor with the faction? Yes.
Relationships
Faction-oriented games are going depend heavily on relationships of all types, and changes in those relationships.
I started to write that all three types are relevant, but it possible all relationships are ‘conflicted/neutral’. Still, I think that would be a particularly complicated scenario; all relationships can be valid.
- Allies/positive: Yes
- Enemies/negative: Yes
- Conflicted/neutral: Yes
Identification
- Description: How can you tell a place or person is part of a faction? Yes.
- Signature: How can you tell a faction is involved in something, even if not present? I struggled with this one for a time, then thought of guild badges. “This place is under our protection.” Yes.
- Location: Where are they, or where do they have power? Yes.
- Scope: How do they fit into the campaign? Is the faction relevant only to this scenario? Does the Thieves’ Guild hold a grudge and is a recurring threat? Yes.
Status
- Entanglements: What current plots is the faction involved in? Yes.
- Hooks: How can a faction become involved in a scenario? Player agency includes the ability to change the shape of a scenario, such as by using faction connections. Yes.
- Events: What has recently happened to the faction? Yes.
Mechanics
Varies by entity type.
Story
Optional, often not included at all.
Evaluation
My Entity Template covers almost everything I need for narrative purpose. The only thing missing is the ‘mechanics’ of a faction.
While the details vary between games and rules sets, all faction/organization rules I’ve seen have common elements. Most everything else is covered above, the only things I see missing are grades, benefits, and costs.
Membership and Rank Criteria
There are guidelines or rules for joining and gaining rank within an organization. Whether it is a guild or a secret society, “in” and “out” are important distinctions. There are almost always distinct grades or ranks within an organization, and changing grades has requirements also.
These criteria can be difficult to meet (show ability, find a sponsor, pay a fee, make a sacrifice). Or in the case of conscription and being pressed into service, “not have a way to evade or be excused”.
Benefits and Obligations
“Rank Hath Its Privileges”
Being at different grades in an organization has different degrees of reward and responsibility. These might or might not be commensurate, but the relationship is there. Many can be explicitly articulated (pay scale or dues). Others can be implicit: most thieves’ guild members get arrested but ransomed by the guild, high-grade thieves are ‘untouchable’.
Closing Comments
I was pretty sure the Entity Template would cover what I need. I try to work at the narrative level, which is pretty consistent across entity types. The mechanics are more specific, but as best I can see, the primary consideration for factions and organizations is narrative.
Nice to have a thesis work out easily for once.