The Winter Court: A traditionalist group that seeks to preserve the Old Ways of the Serenwilde. More inclined to be anti-city and rigid in their opinions of other organizations. They would focus on keeping the ways of Seren before the coming of Kethuru and keeping the purity of our world and commune.
The Tribe of Nintoba: Mostly an offshoot of the Serenguard, a more pragmatist group primarily concerned with the defense of the remaining wilderness, and to varying degrees preventing the spread of corruption. They are most accutelyy aware of the potential for disaster and corruption. Some more combative members would see pre-emptive strikes as a good thing.
The Spirit Circle: A progressive faction that seeks to actively restore the beauty of nature. Perhaps that comes inthe form of scouring corruption from the land, or in the forms of adding poetry and beauty to the world, they actively seek ways to repair the world, rather than hunkering down as heartily in tradition as the Winter Court. The would have many interactions with the great spirits.
I think at some level we all do have to tilt our heads a bit and realize that the majority of the RP for any city, except maybe Hallifax and Gaudi I guess, consists pretty much entirely of 1) their mages/druids/wiccans 2) their guardians/wiccans/druids 3) their warriors and 4) the general city RP that everyone's partially in on. Any splitting up of the RP side of things will have to be along those lines, in which case it's just "drop the bard and monk guilds and loosen up classflex a lot;" while different groups incorporating parts of those RPs will be a little more interesting, but with the risk of losing that concrete sense of identity that comes from exclusivity, at least as far as guild secrets or rituals or the like go.
The Winter Court: A traditionalist group that seeks to preserve the Old Ways of the Serenwilde. More inclined to be anti-city and rigid in their opinions of other organizations. They would focus on keeping the ways of Seren before the coming of Kethuru and keeping the purity of our world and commune.
The Tribe of Nintoba: Mostly an offshoot of the Serenguard, a more pragmatist group primarily concerned with the defense of the remaining wilderness, and to varying degrees preventing the spread of corruption. They are most accutelyy aware of the potential for disaster and corruption. Some more combative members would see pre-emptive strikes as a good thing.
The Spirit Circle: A progressive faction that seeks to actively restore the beauty of nature. Perhaps that comes inthe form of scouring corruption from the land, or in the forms of adding poetry and beauty to the world, they actively seek ways to repair the world, rather than hunkering down as heartily in tradition as the Winter Court. The would have many interactions with the great spirits.
I feel like the Spirit circle would be pretty hard naturey. In my mind I imagine them going out into the wilderness constantly to commune with the spirits living out in nature with them rather than trapped inside walls, they'd be the ones that were freaking out the most about the road being built through the forest, wanting to rehabilitate the world so that the spirits can return to the lands that they've lost because the cities have built on them.
FWIW, I'm also against instituting the caste system as the Hallifax factions, but I don't think factions proposed in the OP necessarily have to go that way. The way I see it, the point is to take roleplay elements of an organisation that have previously been implied or nebulous and bring them to the fore. Hence the Institute of Art and Science, for philosophy/research/higher-minded snootiness; the Skylark Company, for that dystopian Shadowrun-style corporate feel; and the Bureau of Collectivism, for the Soviet-style comrade five-year plan schtick. There's no reason a fighter or an artist or a scholar couldn't be in any of those.
I'm not wedded to those three factions in particular (although I will admit to liking them!) but I think we can definitely do better than just designing factions which are obviously just RP/combat/something else for each org, or effectively just merging guilds and giving them a new name. Ideally, we should be adding a layer of character depth here: you'll still have what is currently 'guild' roleplay, associated with the skills you've chosen, but hopefully you'll also have a new avenue, associated with your faction!
tl;dr Mechanically, factions will replace guilds, but I think it's best if, thematically, they transcend them.
Warhammer calls their machine-worshipping Mars priests the Adeptus Mechanicus for maximum copyright reasons. And yeah, they have a unit called a Tech-Priest Enginseer. (I know this from working in a hobby shop.)
Do you think an in-game post would be in order to make non-forum-using players aware that this discussion is happening?
Some players have complained that they hate the forums and are disconcerted when the admin tell them in-game to go look at the forums so we decided not to make an announcement post. Estarra also does not consider this "official" at this point and doesn't want to consider making it official with a post until we get to that point (if we ever do).
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SylandraJoin Queue for Mafia GamesThe Last Mafia Game
"Oh yeah, you're a naughty mayor, aren't you? Misfile that Form MA631-D. Comptroller Shevat's got a nice gemstone disc for you, but yer gonna have to beg for it."
Although the Moondance Coven will always be the Moondance Coven for me, I do feel also that we have much to gain in this new direction if implemented well. I'm imagining that eventually, people will join these factions for RP and therefore would not be required to join one to have a class. This would require communes to have concrete advancement paths independent from the factions, potentially unifying the commune members into similar goals (improving the commune, bringing gold/power to the commune). More resources going to the commune instead of the guild would also mean more opportunities for everyone to grow (gold or credit prizes for commune-wide events etc). I think this unified advancement would solve any lack-of-teacher problem. Factions would serve to group together people of similar main RP concern, which looks to be the messy part. Maybe to start, we could all have two factions first: one faction RP focusing on bolstering the different aspects of the commune - worship of the Great Spirits, exploration of the meaning of the Winter Court, empowering the commune gods/nexus (this faction can be the event organizers), while another faction's RP could be on exploring the commune's role in the world - the anti-city nature, the duty of purifying, the importance of influencing, etc (this second faction could also be the one to take care of enemy statuses). And there could just be divisions inside those two factions, for diversity then you just bring applicable lore from your guild into your faction. Regarding faction leadership, I think their only function would be to advance people in their chosen focus within the faction, and not be representative to the council. Commune councils would then have to be elected by everyone in the commune (since some may choose to not join a faction), it would probably only be a bonus if you're a member of a faction and your faction supports you. I'm very interested to see how people respond to this in-game.
I think she said the same thing as me, but before me and possibly better than me. Ten points to @Phoebus !
As regards the specific faction proposals, I like those too. The way the themes are broken up is exactly what I was trying to express: factions should be a layer over and above guild-/skill-specific roleplay. My one concern is that all three seem to be nebulous clubs or societies with associated philosophies, which I think is less fun than if we ground the factions by making them specific IC things, the way guilds are. The Institute is a guild, but it's also nominally a research institute. The Shadowdancers are a guild, but they're also nominally a coven. I think we should aim for factions to be likewise, e.g., the Skylark Company or the Institute of Arts and Sciences, as opposed to just the Order of <Insert General Philosophy>. (I actually don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that the harmony/efficiency/higher-purpose trichotomy that Phoebus proposed maps reasonably well onto the bureau/company/institute in the OP.)
I think she said the same thing as me, but before me and possibly better than me. Ten points to @Phoebus !
As regards the specific faction proposals, I like those too. The way the themes are broken up is exactly what I was trying to express: factions should be a layer over and above guild-/skill-specific roleplay. My one concern is that all three seem to be nebulous clubs or societies with associated philosophies, which I think is less fun than if we ground the factions by making them specific IC things, the way guilds are. The Institute is a guild, but it's also nominally a research institute. The Shadowdancers are a guild, but they're also nominally a coven. I think we should aim for factions to be likewise, e.g., the Skylark Company or the Institute of Arts and Sciences, as opposed to just the Order of <Insert General Philosophy>. (I actually don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that the harmony/efficiency/higher-purpose trichotomy that Phoebus proposed maps reasonably well onto the bureau/company/institute in the OP.)
Ahehm, anyway, I see your point about making them solid things. You're actually not the first person I've heard that from! I admit to focusing entirely upon the names/purposes of the groups, not so much where they actually are based out of. If you have ideas about that kind of thing, I'd love to hear them. I'll think on it myself, too, but...
The issue I am running into here is that there are too many assumptions that would be made by designating existing institutions as the coalitions of Hallifax, because pretty much everything is already tied to a caste somehow. For example, it would be a massive pain to get people to see "Skylark Company" and not assume "warrior caste", because that is where the Company exists in the system. As much as I hate the caste system being applied to players and would love more than anything to ignore it, it is still a major part of the city's identity, and saying that the Skylark Company and an Institute of Arts & Sciences aren't bound to their respective castes just because feels rather inconsistent thematically.
I already hate that you feel stuck as a scientist in the Institute, an artist in the Symphonium, or a warrior in the Sentinels, because it's determining for you right out of the gates the kind of importance you're supposed to have within the city due to the rigid caste system background. We turn a blind eye to it as players for the most part because it sucks hard to enforce, but it's still there. Nothing in Hallifax is free of a strict tie to a caste in its identity. I get that it helps integrate ideas into the city thematically, but it's frankly an irritating limitation on what you can do with your guild, and who you have to be as a character. I don't want the same thing to happen to coalitions, which is why I specifically avoided it in my ideas.
Ok, I went off on a tangent there a bit. Pulling myself back in some, my point is that every notable thing in Hallifax is tied to a caste by design, and having coalitions be named for groups that are already tied to specific castes makes me nervous. Do we have options that are considered a solid part of the city, but aren't within the caste system?
Just a random thought while I'm doing something else. There's no reason why the coalitions have to be tied to anything per se. In Magnagora, for example, we could name the three coalitions:
Infernal Aristocrats (short name Aristocrats)
Machina Maximus (short name Machina)
Masters of Nil (short name Masters)
Would certain classes or RP styles be concentrated in any of these coalitions? Perhaps, but the point is that coalitions would constantly evolve through the player members as the histories of the coalitions develop over time. If the coalitions start as relatively blank states, it would truly be the players who determine ultimately what they become.
Hmm. Maybe something more "steampunk" in nature for the title of the Machina Maximus.
@Portius is there a pithy and correct latin phrase that could be "god out of the machine" or "out of the engine" other than Deus Ex? Deus Ex Nihilo? (god out of the machine...void?)
"Mechanicae" could work as a word.
Instead of "Cogsworth of Queen Victoria" er Magnagora has terminology referring to a Queen so "[Something mechanical] of the Queen" maybe.
Screwing around with German translations on Google I suggest "Unaussprechlichen Vorrichtung" (Nameless device) or "Unaussprechlichen Zahnrad" (Nameless cog (?))
Someone who is literate in German clean this up (and possibly puralize) please.
For "Masters of Nil" I think an admin decision needs to be made about the lore. Does the new organization have mastery of or subservience to the entities on/of Nil.
The long term and current Nihilist situation is subservience. Which would influence the title.
I think she said the same thing as me, but before me and possibly better than me. Ten points to @Phoebus !
As regards the specific faction proposals, I like those too. The way the themes are broken up is exactly what I was trying to express: factions should be a layer over and above guild-/skill-specific roleplay. My one concern is that all three seem to be nebulous clubs or societies with associated philosophies, which I think is less fun than if we ground the factions by making them specific IC things, the way guilds are. The Institute is a guild, but it's also nominally a research institute. The Shadowdancers are a guild, but they're also nominally a coven. I think we should aim for factions to be likewise, e.g., the Skylark Company or the Institute of Arts and Sciences, as opposed to just the Order of <Insert General Philosophy>. (I actually don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that the harmony/efficiency/higher-purpose trichotomy that Phoebus proposed maps reasonably well onto the bureau/company/institute in the OP.)
Ahehm, anyway, I see your point about making them solid things. You're actually not the first person I've heard that from! I admit to focusing entirely upon the names/purposes of the groups, not so much where they actually are based out of. If you have ideas about that kind of thing, I'd love to hear them. I'll think on it myself, too, but...
The issue I am running into here is that there are too many assumptions that would be made by designating existing institutions as the coalitions of Hallifax, because pretty much everything is already tied to a caste somehow. For example, it would be a massive pain to get people to see "Skylark Company" and not assume "warrior caste", because that is where the Company exists in the system. As much as I hate the caste system being applied to players and would love more than anything to ignore it, it is still a major part of the city's identity, and saying that the Skylark Company and an Institute of Arts & Sciences aren't bound to their respective castes just because feels rather inconsistent thematically.
I already hate that you feel stuck as a scientist in the Institute, an artist in the Symphonium, or a warrior in the Sentinels, because it's determining for you right out of the gates the kind of importance you're supposed to have within the city due to the rigid caste system background. We turn a blind eye to it as players for the most part because it sucks hard to enforce, but it's still there. Nothing in Hallifax is free of a strict tie to a caste in its identity. I get that it helps integrate ideas into the city thematically, but it's frankly an irritating limitation on what you can do with your guild, and who you have to be as a character. I don't want the same thing to happen to coalitions, which is why I specifically avoided it in my ideas.
Ok, I went off on a tangent there a bit. Pulling myself back in some, my point is that every notable thing in Hallifax is tied to a caste by design, and having coalitions be named for groups that are already tied to specific castes makes me nervous. Do we have options that are considered a solid part of the city, but aren't within the caste system?
I think you're right, and I think the essential problem is with the way the caste system is designed: any activity or group of people that is artsy or scholarly is going to use the caste system as justification for claiming to be "better" than any activity or group of people that is less so. I don't see any way around that, really, except to have factions which are so nebulous and ill-defined as to be bland. Given the situation, I'd prefer to just develop the coolest, most interesting faction ideas possible and then implement them in a way that actively discourages conceptually linking certain factions to certain castes.
@Kaalak not off the top of my head. I suppose you could do something with the different types of minor divinities, but I'd have to go pickijng through a thesaurus for anything other than deus ex machina.
Any sufficiently advanced pun is indistinguishable from comedy.
I'll toss some other ideas, this has got my creative juices flowing:
For Glomdoring (though I haven't played a Glom I an while)
It's all about different means of acheiving Wyrden Supremacy
The Summer Court: The coopted remains of old Gloriana.(and foil to the Winter Court of Seren) They are graceful, elegant and represent the new nobility of Faethorn. Embodying the dark beauty of Night, they are ruthless, manipulative but also move with the grace of the Fae. They spread Wyrden supremacy through mastery of Faethorn, through poltical dealings and subterfuge, and webs of manipulations. From an elegant wiccan manipulating their way through Maeve's court with rumors to an Nekotai courtier with a velvet glove over the iron claw, their elegant and seductive facade masks the merciless nature of their forest. Stylewise, I imagine a dark fae noblity
The Black Nest: Following the lead of Mighty Crow, this faction spreads Wyrden surpremacy through outright domination.Unsubtle and domineering, they embody the Blood Thirst and force the world to kneel through savage might. From controlling and perverting Spirits, to forcing the Wyrden flora upon the land, they take no prisoners in their forceful approach to spreading the Wyrd. Embracing undeath and nature spirits alike, their brutal goal remains clear: The world will submit to Crow and the Wyrd. , Style-wise I envision something barbaric and primal
The Cult of the Dark Dream: Drawn from the mad whispers of the Illithoid and the Voice of Mahalla, this sect of mystics and ritualists spreads Wyrden supremacy through mystic secrets and arcane power. The believe that forbidden knowledge is the birthright of the Wyrd and through ancient secrets, mad rituals, and lost artifacts, they will bring about the Dark Dream of the Wyrd. They seek the lost secrets of the world, unafraid of soulless power or other trivial concerns like moralty (or sanity). From the mad alchemist cultivating a garden of horrors to the barely-sane visions of a dreamweaver disturbing forces best left untouched, their fearless quest for dark knowledge is sure to bring about the glory of the Wyrd. Style wise, I see then as either shadowy and secretive, or slightly alien and sort of mad.
I'm not super intimate with Glom ideas, but each faction seems to have room for different roleplay types, and the ideas just started flowing.
For some reason, I just dont see Glomdoring having a "Summer Court" that is representing or even mentioning Old Gloriana. If anything, they'd probably be despised.
Also I think if a cult was to embody a spirit, then they would have to embody all of its aspects, not just one, as you did with Blood Thirst.
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EveriineWise Old Swordsbird / BrontaurIndianapolis, IN, USA
As far as I'm aware, Glomdoring would be the legitimate successor to the old Summer Court as far as the fae are concerned.
Everiine is a man, and is very manly. This MAN before you is so manly you might as well just gender bend right now, cause he's the manliest man that you ever did see. His manly shape has spurned many women and girlyer men to boughs of fainting. He stands before you in a manly manerific typical man-like outfit which is covered in his manly motto: "I am a man!"
Daraius said: You gotta risk it for the biscuit.
Pony power all the way, yo. The more Brontaurs the better.
As far as I'm aware, Glomdoring would be the legitimate successor to the old Summer Court as far as the fae are concerned.
This is my understanding too, and it causes lots of problems. I've given a speech about how Glom still represents the facet of Summer, just out of context/control.
***************************[ THE GEOMANCERS GUILD ]**************************** Guildmember Rank Position GT GNT CGT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Person NOV On On On ******************************************************************************* Currently, there is 1 member on this Plane and 2 on other Planes.
**********************[ THE GRAND DOMINION OF MAGNAGORA ]********************** Citizen Rank Position CT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sakaki Master On Person Serf On ******************************************************************************* Currently, there are 2 Citizens on this Plane and 10 on other Planes.
This is what I just logged in to. Yes, you definitely need to trim off a few guilds (and maybe even cities). Condensing the players you have into less orgs will bring everyone together, helping immensely in the long run when newbie #231 joins and actually sees other people in the city with him or her.
The bolded also hurts you guys probably more than you realize.
***************************[ THE GEOMANCERS GUILD ]**************************** Guildmember Rank Position GT GNT CGT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Person NOV On On On ******************************************************************************* Currently, there is 1 member on this Plane and 2 on other Planes.
**********************[ THE GRAND DOMINION OF MAGNAGORA ]********************** Citizen Rank Position CT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sakaki Master On Person Serf On ******************************************************************************* Currently, there are 2 Citizens on this Plane and 10 on other Planes.
This is what I just logged in to. Yes, you definitely need to trim off a few guilds (and maybe even cities). Condensing the players you have into less orgs will bring everyone together, helping immensely in the long run when newbie #231 joins and actually sees other people in the city with him or her.
The bolded also hurts you guys probably more than you realize.
You do realize that the reason you had 10 people on other Planes is because you took that cut and paste while the Flares were happening, right?
Comments
The Winter Court: A traditionalist group that seeks to preserve the Old Ways of the Serenwilde. More inclined to be anti-city and rigid in their opinions of other organizations. They would focus on keeping the ways of Seren before the coming of Kethuru and keeping the purity of our world and commune.
The Tribe of Nintoba: Mostly an offshoot of the Serenguard, a more pragmatist group primarily concerned with the defense of the remaining wilderness, and to varying degrees preventing the spread of corruption. They are most accutelyy aware of the potential for disaster and corruption. Some more combative members would see pre-emptive strikes as a good thing.
The Spirit Circle: A progressive faction that seeks to actively restore the beauty of nature. Perhaps that comes inthe form of scouring corruption from the land, or in the forms of adding poetry and beauty to the world, they actively seek ways to repair the world, rather than hunkering down as heartily in tradition as the Winter Court. The would have many interactions with the great spirits.
'Machine Cult' seemed a neutral term to me.
I suppose we can go with Technomantists
- Infernal Aristocrats (short name Aristocrats)
- Machina Maximus (short name Machina)
- Masters of Nil (short name Masters)
Would certain classes or RP styles be concentrated in any of these coalitions? Perhaps, but the point is that coalitions would constantly evolve through the player members as the histories of the coalitions develop over time. If the coalitions start as relatively blank states, it would truly be the players who determine ultimately what they become.@Kaalak not off the top of my head. I suppose you could do something with the different types of minor divinities, but I'd have to go pickijng through a thesaurus for anything other than deus ex machina.
One suggestion is maybe a more organized method of folks weighing in for each org.
For Glomdoring (though I haven't played a Glom I an while)
It's all about different means of acheiving Wyrden Supremacy
The Summer Court: The coopted remains of old Gloriana.(and foil to the Winter Court of Seren) They are graceful, elegant and represent the new nobility of Faethorn. Embodying the dark beauty of Night, they are ruthless, manipulative but also move with the grace of the Fae. They spread Wyrden supremacy through mastery of Faethorn, through poltical dealings and subterfuge, and webs of manipulations. From an elegant wiccan manipulating their way through Maeve's court with rumors to an Nekotai courtier with a velvet glove over the iron claw, their elegant and seductive facade masks the merciless nature of their forest. Stylewise, I imagine a dark fae noblity
The Black Nest: Following the lead of Mighty Crow, this faction spreads Wyrden surpremacy through outright domination.Unsubtle and domineering, they embody the Blood Thirst and force the world to kneel through savage might. From controlling and perverting Spirits, to forcing the Wyrden flora upon the land, they take no prisoners in their forceful approach to spreading the Wyrd. Embracing undeath and nature spirits alike, their brutal goal remains clear: The world will submit to Crow and the Wyrd. , Style-wise I envision something barbaric and primal
The Cult of the Dark Dream: Drawn from the mad whispers of the Illithoid and the Voice of Mahalla, this sect of mystics and ritualists spreads Wyrden supremacy through mystic secrets and arcane power. The believe that forbidden knowledge is the birthright of the Wyrd and through ancient secrets, mad rituals, and lost artifacts, they will bring about the Dark Dream of the Wyrd. They seek the lost secrets of the world, unafraid of soulless power or other trivial concerns like moralty (or sanity). From the mad alchemist cultivating a garden of horrors to the barely-sane visions of a dreamweaver disturbing forces best left untouched, their fearless quest for dark knowledge is sure to bring about the glory of the Wyrd. Style wise, I see then as either shadowy and secretive, or slightly alien and sort of mad.
I'm not super intimate with Glom ideas, but each faction seems to have room for different roleplay types, and the ideas just started flowing.
Also I think if a cult was to embody a spirit, then they would have to embody all of its aspects, not just one, as you did with Blood Thirst.
Guildmember Rank Position GT GNT CGT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Person NOV On On On
*******************************************************************************
Currently, there is 1 member on this Plane and 2 on other Planes.
**********************[ THE GRAND DOMINION OF MAGNAGORA ]**********************
Citizen Rank Position CT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sakaki Master On
Person Serf On
*******************************************************************************
Currently, there are 2 Citizens on this Plane and 10 on other Planes.
This is what I just logged in to. Yes, you definitely need to trim off a few guilds (and maybe even cities). Condensing the players you have into less orgs will bring everyone together, helping immensely in the long run when newbie #231 joins and actually sees other people in the city with him or her.
The bolded also hurts you guys probably more than you realize.