Should class limits define factions?

AJ · 2005-07-29T00:40:40

Say that you run an operation or faction by interacting with characters and hiring NPCs. It could be being a cult leader with a protected hideout, a scavenger commune, or a group of drug-dealing mercenary rebels. If the nature of your operation/faction is defined by its members and equipment, do YOU as a player need a specific class to help define your faction? Or is it potentially more intriguing to have the faction more of a hodgepodge of personalities who, as long as they work together, make the faction what it is? Specifically, what I'm asking is whether or not the faction should be formalized. If you have formal limits, it suggests a system where there are characters of a certain class that will join and modify a certain group. It's potentially easier to understand because it's structured. For example: Only thieves join thieves guilds, and you wouldn't find a thief guild which had as its member a fallen paladin or disgraced corporate spy. OTOH, the other system would be based on personality limits (who can work together). You could have a rag-tag band of "chaotic good" smugglers made up of a couple of gunners, a harlot, a priest, and a fugitive doctor and his psychic sister (*ahem* apologies to Firefly fans[smile]) The power of the latter faction would be based on whoever's in the faction, and how well they work together (i.e., not well if they're too busy backstabbing each other). But the latter form of faction building is also more freeform, which may be harder for some grapple with because few of us can relate (I think...) Thoughts?

Game Design and Theory Game Design

Started by Wavinator July 25, 2005 05:20 PM

19 comments, last by Trapper Zoid 19 years, 6 months ago

Trapper Zoid

1,370

July 29, 2005 12:40 AM

Quote:
Original post by Wavinator
I think the really tricky part is going to be in how the player declares to the world "this is my faction and this is what we stand for."

I can see randomly generating NPCs that seek the player out based on this declaration, but I'm not quite yet clear on how the player makes the declaration.

I haven't played any MMORPGs and so I'm not really informed in the scope of what these guilds stand for, but could you implement this with some sort of template for defining what the guild stands for?

I'm thinking you could implement this with some sort of "Guild Registration Form" that the PC has to fill out to create their guild. As part of the registration the player must answer a series of questions to define the nature of the guild.

As an example, you could have a question such as:
- Q. What do your guild members feel about taking another's life?
- A1. Only the strong deserve to survive
- A2. Killing is a necessary evil
- A3. Only kill in self-defense
- A4. All life is sacred
- A5. No opinion

If you carefully crafted the questions to be appropriate for your RPG universe, and then had a way of translating that to your NPCs personalities, you could determine which NPC types would join your guild.

Should class limits define factions?

This topic is closed to new replies.

Popular Topics

Recommended Tutorials

Should class limits define factions?

This topic is closed to new replies.

Popular Topics

Recommended Tutorials

Reticulating splines