For those of you who want to make a Greenskin Faction for my campaign, here is the template. Feel free to include some fluff about the Faction, their leader, etc. Looking forward to seeing your ideas! FACTION TEMPLATE Faction Name: Faction Strength Score: Faction Leader: Motives: Objective:
I recently made a choice to end a campaign that was going for 2-3 years. It wasn't on a positive note, with grand finale or anything, players just lost interest. I think the reason I had to end it that way was because I focused far too much on factions, story, and not forcing players to follow a certain path. That led to a campaign where overall plot was well developed, but session-to-session "sandbox" stuff was underdeveloped and dragging on, players were getting bored with the setting itself since they spent 20 sessions over a whole year interracting with 5 factions within a single city- and it didn't matter how much I developed those factions, with multiple npcs and subquests, because they were walking around the same city, same streets, and felt (wrongly, but it doesn't matter) that plot wasn't moving forward at all. TLDR: Don't focus too much on factions, lore or worldbuilding, you're running a game first and foremost, don't let other players get bored just because you have to set up something big 2 sessions from now. P.S: Of course, I'm not saying I was the only issue... actually no, that's exactly what I'm saying. At least I ended it to start something new, instead of dragging it on for another year.
I am juggling some of these issues in a game I am running. Something that I want to work in to the gameplay is not just having factions and politics, but ensuring the players have compelling tie-ins that give them an investment in those factions. Factions aren't just quest-givers or antagonists, the players belong to them in some capacity and share their goals directly. Pleasing or angering your own faction can be a big deal in how much they are willing to back your personal goals, stuff like that.
@Starhalv2427 Factions rock! I don't really think you did anything wrong with the way you styled your game, but I personally think 2-3 years is too long for a single game with the same characters. I think different adventures, new characters, new conflicts is the best way to go. I'm happy to worldbuild 3 to 5 factions (across a region, not a city), and run the story for a year or so, but eventually we'll move onto something else otherwise I too get bored.
@Zarathinius I agree with this. It's important to involve your players in your factions. I think having player characters with little amounts of backstory or purpose can help with this as players may feel encouraged and motivated to actually join one of these factions, especially if there are perks or opportunities.
You may be interested in borrowing ideas from an older RPG called Reign by Greg Stolze. In that game the factions, called companies, have five different qualities. Rather than a single faction strength, they have: might, treasure, influence, territory, and sovereignty. Might represents the ability to command martial capabilities. Treasure is the ability to command monetary resources. Influence is the ability to command knowledge and influence. Territory is an abstraction of population and infrastructure. And sovereignty is an abstraction of loyalty and morale. I hope these ideas are helpful. I found them useful in a campaign I ran a number of years ago.
Faction Name: The Barrow Trogs Faction Strength Score: 5 Faction Leader: Zogox The Orc-Eater Motives: Occultism, Demonology, Cannibalism Objectives: The turning of other Greenskins into Barrow Trogs, the summoning of both demons and undead, the attaining of magical items affiliated with the occult, and of course the destruction of human civilisation and the desecrating of their holy sites. Faction Leader and Faction Details. Zogox was a normal troll once, albeit with a particular taste for Orc flesh. It was when he came into contact with a demon possessed circlet that he changed. In the dimness of an ancient barrow, the dim witted troll found a twinkling silver circlet, inlaid with sapphires, emeralds and rubies. When he placed it atop his head however, Zogox found his mind invaded by a force of hungering hatred. The spirit of a cannibal demon had been locked inside the circlet, as punishment, by the dark gods for its non stop eating of its own kind. A long and painful mental battle was fought inside Zogox's very head, but in the end, he gave in to the evil influence now held a glint of malicious intelligence in his eye. Zogox would drag whatever Greenskins he caught down into his barrow and, using the circlet, would turn them into pale skinned, milky eyed, cannibalistic Trogs. The circlet also changed how Zogox looked, his once cactus green skin now a shade of putrid puss yellow, his eyes having become unblinking boreholes with singular burning white dots in the centres, his body twisting and deforming with demonic corruption. And so the Barrow Trogs would live on this way, creating more of their ilk from the strong and eating those who were weak, becoming alienated from the rest of Greenskin kind, resorting to magic and demon summoning to bolster their power, turning human corpses into flesh hungering Ghouls and Zombies and taming all manner of strange underground beasts and monsters.
Two rpgs that have excellent factional mechanics are "Blades in the Dark" and "The Sword, The Crown, and the Unspeakable Power." They handle things differently, but in both cases they strongly encourage or even require players to establish ties and build reputation with factions. This becomes an excellent two-way street for PCs to call on resources and allies that aren't strictly based on their own personal abilities, and for the GM to create drama for PCs by obligating them to factions through favors or debts. Building and burning bridges with these groups gets the PCs involved in events that are bigger than they are (at the beginning, at least).
Faction Name: Troggo's Gobbo Malodorous Troubadouros Troupe Faction Leader: Troggo Jr. Motives: Revenge, Fame, Love of Music Objectives: Humiliate Beautiful Bardstars United entertainment group. Find out how Troggo Sr. really died. Win the music competition in Sunstone Midsummer Tournament (no goblins allowed).
Why wouldn't you start at goal objectives at 0? In most TTRPGs characters drop when HP reaches 0. It's a measurement of progress, so unless they've made progress, it should be at 0.
You ended your Campaign? you need a new view of what a Campaign is. Think of it as a place! how do you end a place? Stop thinking of a campaign as a story! The world, your world exists whether there is a story in it or not. the players can discover that story, or not, maybe you dont even know what the story is, just create the place! and a few players in it, and creature more players as needed. Create a history of sorts, and let the future create itself!
I love to discover my World with my players. There are 'plots' going on and my player interact with what they interest them. I do not have a BBEG, just a lot of morally grey antagonists, some my players befriend and some they fight.
This can be a valid way to write and run a campaign, and it's very rewarding for the right group. It also can put a very large creative burden on the GM and can make the players feel disconnected or uninvolved if they don't have any attachments to the stuff that's going on. If the campaign is too perfectly written to be a living place without any players in it, then players may struggle to see their characters as an integrated part of the setting. A few good GM practices can really make this style of worldbuilding shine, like involving players in the worldbuilding process itself. It offloads some of the GM's creative work load and instantly gives players a feeling of the game being partially their responsibility, rather than a GM's toybox for them to make a mess in.
Have you read The gamemaster's handbook of proactive roleplaying by Jonah and Tristan Fishel. I feel like your ideas here are pretty similar to that book's suggestions relating to factions
I haven't, no. I did know that this idea wasn't original, but I couldn't remember what video I watched from years ago that discussed this concept. Obviously I've adapted and changed it (I think), but I'll check out the book. Thanks!
2:36. That what D&D is. Without the element of emergent story you have been missing out on the whole point of the game. Otherwise you are just directing a play where the actors don’t know the script. Welcome to Dungeons & Dragons my friend. We’ve been waiting decades for your arrival. Enjoy BECMI Forever! Long Live King Elmore!!
Faction Name: The Vile Mountain Kingdom of Hraganir Faction Strength Score: 5 Faction Leader: The Jotunn Warchief Hraganir: A great towering giant who rose to conquer the many quarrelling orc, goblin, ogre, troll, and giant tribes of the mountains. He is a ruthless yet cunning warchief. Hraganir's more intuitive mind, as well as his strength, led him to dominate the mountains are the hills and meadows below. However, the expansive of his kingdom was cut when he reached the river where Sunstone resided. Besides that, Hraganir is quite suspectable to greed, particularly precious metals, gems, and magical items, but is not easy to persuade. He is honorable to a small extent and quite smart compared to most other giants and giant kin. Motives: Conquest, Wealth, Hunger, Slaves, Occultism Objective: 1) Conquer the neighboring lands of Sunstone, as the lands hold a great artifact of value known as the (insert name). He and his more powerful servants take the illusionary forms of human diplomats from a far land, secretly tearing the lands of Sunstone from within by trickery and persuasion and making it an easy target for Hraganir's hordes. Along the way, these spies steal and plunder the artifacts and treasure from the noble elite without a suspicion. 2) Unknown to any, Hraganir is a devout follower of the demonic forces. He gifts the wealth he plunders to the dark gods and too sacrifices the slaves he captures. Hraganir wishes to expand the influence of the powers of evil beyond the river. 3) Destroy the remaining dwarven bastions within his mountains and surrounding lands.
Birthright (the best TSR setting they ever made) does factions and factions without religion really well and grounded... Most realisitc setting of any DND setting.
Faction Name: Cursebone Orcs Faction Leader: Warda the Necromantic Priestess Motives: Forbidden Knowledge, Spread Fear, Special Status Objectives: Gather information (kidnap & torture), Manipulate allies, Something hidden in tombs beneath Keep of Sunstone Cursebone Orcs are an eclectic mix of clever soothsayers, zealous bodyguards and fanatical assassins. They play nice with other greenskin factions as long as they're properly feared and respected. After all, it's not mundane power they're after, but something more sinister.
An alternative for making a faction goal check could be to roll a d12 (or even a d10 or d8, if you are okay with factions having to earn certain resources or do certain things to earn a small bonus to these rolls) and if you roll OVER the current number they gain a point. This way it could potentially take a bit longer for them to complete their plans, and if going with d8 as the check die, would never be able to without securing important resources.
Faction Name: Ulu’Dasch Clan Goblins (Translation - Clan of Grene’s Kin) Leader: Dag’Grene: a large, strong Goblin specimen with bulging eyes and pectorals. His warts glisten in the moonlight. He is burdened with the constant task of feeding, sheltering and protecting his growing clan. His 23 mates and 136 children and extended family have been pushed out of their previous underground home by a band of trolls from the mountains. Dag leads his clan with sharp cunning and his skill with axe and sling in their quest to build a new home for themselves. They have occupied an old human wilderness fort that was buried in a landslide some time ago. They have attacked homesteads and trade wagons looking for food, supplies, and weapons. Dag has successfully found several safehouses in nearby underground caves known only to a few natives in the area. When the humans come looking for the goblins in force, Dag leads the main forces away with his hunters while the rest of his clan seeks refuge in these hidden places. So far, Dag has been able to elude the military might of Sunstone with minimal losses, but he seeks to turn the tide! Three Motives: Hunger, Expansion, Survival Three Objectives: 1) Take control of (insert region name) by harassing and destroying smaller human patrols and using guerilla tactics to avoid larger armed forces from Sunstone. 2) Establish/strengthen contact with the secret cult of (insert dark god) within Sunstone Keep by deploying warbands as directed by cultist contacts in exchange for food, weapons and minor magic items. 3) Ulgischt’Grene, son of Dag, leads the shaman of the clan in seeking new magicks and rituals along with human captives for use as ritual sacrifices (and food). There is a witch, Alegna, living at the edge of (insert region name). If they can not convince Alegna to teach them her magick one way or the other, Ulgischt plans to eat her to steal her powers!
Very nice. I would advise having more than 3 factions. 3 makes it very easy for the players to get two to ally and take out the outlier. 5 is the golden number. 7 becomes convoluted and can be confusing for players.
@DanielBranigan-cn3nz I would avoid even numbers. As that can easily become 2 v 2 or 3 v 3. Uneven numbers ensure there will be an outlier faction to keep the players off balance.
I would recommend reading The Prince by Machiavelli or look into the history of the House of Borgia of Renaissance Italy. They provide the textbook of scheming, conniving, manipulating, bullying, shifting alliances, etc. It is to politics what Sun Tzu is to military strategy.
So glad to have stumbled upon your channel! I may or may not have watched a video before but I don't think I have? Anyway. I started with the village hex maps and stayed for the factions!
I think certain things should be randomized because it's a dice game and we're trying to tell an organic story. As a DM, I don't like having control over every decision or situation, hence why I use d6s to roll for Random Encounters whilst my players are travelling. If you'd rather decide everything beforehand, that's fine.. but I just enjoy the opportunity for things to go differently to what I had planned or expected.
Hey Loki, not sure if you are aware of the RPG called Swyvers. It seems like you'd be perfect for DM'ing a game with it. Even the artwork harkens to your channel's style, and Shadowdark illustrations. I saw the review on Dave Thaumavore RPG Reviews's channel: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7yKO2i4y1UI.html
