SF theme

I have this mechanic, there are "rebels" that start a rebelion/coup/usurp and try to defeat you (the Emperor). They don't try to become independent or do it because they are unhappy (but that might be a factor too - people support them more if they are unhappy), they want to take over the power or simply destroy you.

I have a problem because the word "rebels" instantly gives you an impression of "poor honest people who fight the corrupted government", since that's the recurring theme nowadays :D While it's more like "a secret organization that brainwashed/coerced/terrorized part of population and now they started a rebellion".

I need, I don't know, a different name for this? Or some better explanation I could give to the player?

I think a better word might be "insurgency" or something along those lines.

I would suggest looking up what terms have/are used by the governments/loyalists when referring to the rebels they were fighting.

Some suggestions I have:

• Mafia
• Organised Gang
• Criminal Organisation
• Terrorists
• Cult
• Anarchists

When we support a group, we call them opposition groups, militias, rebels... When we don't, they're (in order of hostility) separatists, insurgents, terrorists.

Sometimes press just call it opposition.

vernacular can arise from other criteria, eg. a group prominently employing a symbol (or other strong association), negating the need for handles that reference their alignment.

The leaders of a coup?

Couldn't it simply be "House of whatever" meets "Sons of the Harpy"? (a different house or a relative like uncle et al)

This group may simply try to overthrow Emperor to claim throne.

+1 on Hodgman.

With the addition that since your game is from the POV of the ruler, it makes sense to choose one of the negative words. (maybe even use the full "scale" to indicate severity of the uprising)

A word closer to the neutral (maybe opposition?) might highlight the moral ambiguity of it all though, if that is what you want.

Using a "positive" word for the qroups you squat will make your ruler seem like a despot.

Interesting. What you have here is indeed not a rebellion, and these certainly aren't freedom fighters. What you have here is probably more blatant usurpers and traitors. What they are fighting for is power, not justice. So they would be considered anarchists or terrorists...Or maybe in Game of Thrones, Lanisters, hahaha. Anyway, you can call it a rebellion, because they are rebelling against the government, but they are not freedom fighters or anything that could be considered positive.