(caveat:  NOTHING I SAY BELOW SHOULD IMPLY ANY KIND OF PREORDAINED PLOT.  FUCK RAILROADING)

A few things:

1) One option (the traditional D&D one) is to make the game about the world.  Come up with a few factions, and start them up.  The most important thing about any faction, or NPC, or anything isn't it's super kewl powahz, or its backstory, or anything like that.  It's the entity's *drive* - what it is they're trying to accomplish.

2) If you're going for the "main characters in a story" model, you can look at the PC descriptions and lift things there, either directly from any backstory they have, or create foils for them based on their traits.  Those types of foils can either be essentially duplicates, or the opposites - a greedy character can have a 'foil' that's either another greedy character, or a total ascetic.

3) One thing I like to do is look at elements that people like from the "monster of the week" games, and carry them forward.  An evil sorceror that is using vamp blood to create a superserum?  Cool MotW.  If the players really like it, bring it back, and have him be part of a larger conspiracy.  One of the hardest things to do with large-scale campaign planning is figuring out what the players will think is cool - it's a lot easier if you just watch what they're doing and see what gets them excited.

I just throw in a short summary of the two post I had with The Butcher about this subject in case I skipped something.

I asked him how he made campaigns.

He answered "In any case, I feel the best way to avoid "monsters of the week" is to have interesting, long term, mastermind-type antagonists, as well as potentially antagonistic NPCs within the PCs' own faction."

In which I read the Sabbat as a long term antagonist and most other Camarilla NPC's and/or the other Clans as potentially antagonistic NPC within the own faction. Clan politics. In Requiem this is replaced with Covenant politics and your clan doesn't really matter. Which brings us to his next post.

"In our Requiem game, most conflict occurs between members of competing coteries. Sure, there are Lancea Sanctum guys in both our coterie and the bad guys' coterie, but the things that actually creates the conflict is that we (or in our game, the elders pulling our strings) are competing for the same resources. Because of the Traditions, this tends to be very indirect, with both sides sending everything from heavily armed mooks to journalists to hunters against each other."

These are the politics. He uses coterie (party) politics instead of covenant politics.

"VII and Belial's Brood are best used as bogeymen or as clear-cut, horrific anomalies that get everyone to drop their squabbles in the name of a good ol' witch hunt. I have yet to check out the Blood & Smoke chronicle but the Strix look like a promising foe."

And these two groups are the optional bad guys to replace the Sabbat in case you miss that stuff. Every new wod game has a few optional bad guys. Because they aren't incorporated into the game general setting material they always feel very tacked on to me. They did this of course to make it optional. If they included them into the setting background they wouldn't be optional anymore. So I get their choice, but something bugs me the wrong way about it.

Quote from: saskganesh;749443Estar's advice is pretty solid.

I'd like to add that a mission-of-the-week is an easy way to get a long game started with minimal upfront investment. If you just spend some time between games thinking about the consequences of the last mission's final result, you can use that as an opportunity for many further seeds.

Some bandits are in the woods. The players go and defeat them. Great. They get the reward, treasure and XP. Session over.

Now, some bandits got away. What are they doing? Do/did they have a boss? Do they need a new boss?  Who will they join with? Do they want revenge? Or just a better gig? Back in town, who benefitted the most from the bandits defeat? With the bandits out of the way, what are they going to do now? Do they have rivals? How do those rivals feel? Why are they rivals anyway? Do the players have new friends? Because they have new friends do they have new enemies? Who are all these new NPCs ? What else are those friends and putative enemies doing and how do the PC's fit into those agendas? etc.

Lots of speculate from what really could just be a generic wandering monster. Just keep asking yourself questions and the world fills itself in without a lot of effort. And with these details, it's not hard to come up with a bunch of hooks for further adventures.

Yes I could use this. This is pretty sandboxy and it will develop the game further and further.

Quote from: robiswrong;749449(caveat:  NOTHING I SAY BELOW SHOULD IMPLY ANY KIND OF PREORDAINED PLOT.  FUCK RAILROADING)

A few things:

1) One option (the traditional D&D one) is to make the game about the world.  Come up with a few factions, and start them up.  The most important thing about any faction, or NPC, or anything isn't it's super kewl powahz, or its backstory, or anything like that.  It's the entity's *drive* - what it is they're trying to accomplish.

2) If you're going for the "main characters in a story" model, you can look at the PC descriptions and lift things there, either directly from any backstory they have, or create foils for them based on their traits.  Those types of foils can either be essentially duplicates, or the opposites - a greedy character can have a 'foil' that's either another greedy character, or a total ascetic.

3) One thing I like to do is look at elements that people like from the "monster of the week" games, and carry them forward.  An evil sorceror that is using vamp blood to create a superserum?  Cool MotW.  If the players really like it, bring it back, and have him be part of a larger conspiracy.  One of the hardest things to do with large-scale campaign planning is figuring out what the players will think is cool - it's a lot easier if you just watch what they're doing and see what gets them excited.

1. The factions are already there. WoD is very factionalized (is that a word?).
2. Character driven. Yeah I could do that. Sandboxy.
3. This is my best bet. I could make NPC's who are part of a bigger faction. Or make NPC's who are behind the bigger faction. Or both.

Quote from: jan paparazzi;7494541. The factions are already there. WoD is very factionalized (is that a word?).
2. Character driven. Yeah I could do that. Sandboxy.
3. This is my best bet. I could make NPC's who are part of a bigger faction. Or make NPC's who are behind the bigger faction. Or both.

Great.  You've got factions.  Now, what the hell are they trying to accomplish?

Again - factions are like NPCs.  Their history, traits, etc. are all secondary to what they're trying to do - and to a great extent, the more specific, the better.

"Faction A wants to kill Faction B" is boring.  "Faction A is trying to research a ritual that will boil all of Faction B's blood in their veins" is a hell of a lot more interesting, and gives you a *lot* more to work with as a GM.

Also, factions as a whole are kinda boring.  It's the individuals *within* them that are interesting.  "The Gangrel want to kill stuff".  Dull.  "Jim the Wild wants to tear apart everyone who enters 'his' woods" is a bit more interesting.

As an example of "counter-PC characters", apart from the obvious level of "they're hunting me because they're my enemy", let's give a quick example:

You've got a PC that wants to overthrow authority Because Brujah.  You can work with this.

You can have an NPC that also wants to overthrow authority, and acts as a rival.
You can have an NPC that wants to overthrow authority, and acts to show the downside of doing so.
You can have an NPC that represents what *good* can come of authority and organization.
You can have an NPC that represents the bad parts of authority, and acts as a direct opposition.

Any NPC in these categories shouldn't just be a two-dimensional caricature, of course.  But adding these elements can tie the game into what the characters are about.

Quote from: estar;749381If you are a member of the City-State getting orders everyday then there going to be a "current mission" that is the focus. Which may wind up feeling like a monster of the week but that how life is when you getting order all the time.

Quote from: jan paparazzi;749442Yes this is the case.

Then you need to develop recurring secondary characters. While the city is a big place, the players are interacting with a slice of it. Within that slice there are variety of people, some are faction leaders, some are not. But if you want to make a more immersive sandbox then you need to flesh it out from top to bottom. And you need to keep the lives of the NPCs going after the session.

Then it a matter of plotting (i.e. movement plotting) where everybody is in relation to where the PC are at. When they intersect they are part of the encounter regardless whether they are involved in the mission.

The most common mistake with sandbox campaigns involving PCs being part of a mission oriented group is that referee focus only fleshing out what needed to run the mission.

And it common that when thing are fleshed outside of the mission the focus on high level personnel like the leaders and their leuitenants. For a sandbox you need folks down to what I call the "mook" level the ordinary rank and file.

The good news is you don't need to flesh out EVERYBODY for immersion to take hole. A dozen individuals usually does the trick. Look at how much mileage the Marvel Cinematic Universe gets out of a handful of recurring minor characters. (Sitwell, Coulson (later promoted), etc)

For example I went to Pittsburgh (I lives two hour north) on a regular basis to play a Fantasy LARP. My primary interaction with the locals were through the attendees of the LARP events. I also go to Pittsburgh to attend other gaming events, shop at game stores, and comic cons. Occasionally I will see some of the people I met at the LARP. The whole Pittsburgh Gaming scene is a subset of the entire population.  It is probable that I will randomly run into a fellow LARPer at another type of gaming event.

You are running a World of Darkness campaign. That has its own "scene". As different things happen the characters will meet people they have met before even if they are involved with what the PCs are focused on.

This is results in increased opportunities for interacting with the setting. Opportunities that exist concurrently with whatever the main focus is.

Quote from: jan paparazzi;749442No there aren't any mooks. These things are pretty uncommon in the world of darkness.

Every society has "mooks", the type I am talking about are the rank and file of the society that surrounding the World of Darkness. The people with limited focus or influence.

I am not talking about MMORPG style mooks which means weak creature that exist to get beaten up in numbers by more powerful player characters.

Quote from: estar;749563Every society has "mooks", the type I am talking about are the rank and file of the society that surrounding the World of Darkness. The people with limited focus or influence.

I am not talking about MMORPG style mooks which means weak creature that exist to get beaten up in numbers by more powerful player characters.

Ok, my bad.

So a wod city is almost the same as Gotham city, only you gotta downplay the crime/corruption theme (noir). It's there, but not as important. Replace that with the supernatural theme (gothic horror). Basicly swap out crime lords as the powerplayers for supernatural creatures (vamps, werewolves, changelings etc.)

The mooks are the same as in Gotham city. Run of the mill people working and living there. Some have jobs, others don't. Some have a home, others are homeless. So you end up with shopkeepers, beggars, muggers, people with shitty office jobs, police officers, medical personel, junkies, lawyers etc. etc. etc.

Quote from: robiswrong;749483Great.  You've got factions.  Now, what the hell are they trying to accomplish?

Again - factions are like NPCs.  Their history, traits, etc. are all secondary to what they're trying to do - and to a great extent, the more specific, the better.

"Faction A wants to kill Faction B" is boring.  "Faction A is trying to research a ritual that will boil all of Faction B's blood in their veins" is a hell of a lot more interesting, and gives you a *lot* more to work with as a GM.

Also, factions as a whole are kinda boring.  It's the individuals *within* them that are interesting.  "The Gangrel want to kill stuff".  Dull.  "Jim the Wild wants to tear apart everyone who enters 'his' woods" is a bit more interesting.

Ok, maybe I should just give you the factions to be clear what they are about. The way they come out of the box is each with their own ideology, but without clear goals. They are a big vague, which is a new wod trait. You know what I just copy paste them from TVtropes, because I find that site 1. funny and 2. a lot more clearer in explaining things than the White Wolf wiki.

The Covenants: The political parties and/or religions of the Kindred.

The Carthian Movement: Composed mostly by Neonates, the Carthians seek the best form of government for vampires based on mortal social systems which can be anything from strict Representative Republicanism to clan-based tyranny. Ironically, while Invictus-ruled cities generally tend to have the Carthian dissidents be the least amoral vampires in town, the Carthian-ruled cities detailed in the setting so far have all set new world records for going downhill fast. Apparently they make a far better opposition than administration.

The Circle of the Crone: An anthology of faiths and pagan cults that worships a variety of feminine deities incorporated in one entity, creatrix of vampires, the Crone (a.k.a. the Mother of all Monsters) and promote the idea that vampires are perfectly natural (in the way that leeches are natural). They practice the blood sorcery of Crúac that, as a downside, distances them from humanity.

The Invictus: The crème de la crème of Kindred society. Sheer force of meritocracy (Invictus screw-ups do not last long) generally makes them competent administrators, but since the faction has no code of ethics and their attitude towards political maneuvering is Machiavellian, Invictus-ruled territories are classic examples of ''At least the trains run on time."

Lancea Sanctum: Founded by the Roman Centurion Longinus, the Sanctified believe that God cursed them as vampires to unleash His Wrath upon sinners. They can range anything from Catholic (most common) to Jewish and Muslim in pomp and circumstance. Theban Sorcery, their kind of magic, is the invocation of dark miracles upon the world.
Blood and Smoke corrects their name to Lancea et Sanctum, and makes their focus Christian-only.

Ordo Dracul: By studying what it means to be a vampire, using a scientific method blended with occultism, they try to find a way to transcend the curse limitations, such as that little sunlight allergy. The result of such studies are the Coils of the Dragon, powers negate some of their weaknesses. They make heavy use of a student-mentor program.


Usually the Invictus-Carthians are politically against each other aka anarchy vs dictatorship. The Lancea Sanctum-Cirlcle of the Crone are religiously against each other as pagans vs Catholic church. The Ordo Dracul is the wildcard.

Which is all great background.

Now - who are the actual players in the factions?  What are they *actually doing*?

So the Invictus are this super meritocracy with no ethics, and the Lancea Sanctum are kinda religious nuts.  Seems like they don't like each other.  And you've got the Circle of the Crone, which probably don't like the religious nuts. Great.  And horribly static.

How let's say that Phillip is a member of the Lancea, and has been creating a movement to convince many vamps that *all* mortals are sinners, and that they're justified in killing any and all mortals.

This is pissing off Hans of the Invictus, who doesn't really give two shits about the mortals, but knows that indiscriminate slaughter is going to make things *very messy* as the mortal authorities take notice.  Messiness is not efficient, and would reflect badly upon him.

Meanwhile, Diana of the Circle is actually using her influence to convince (through spoooooooky means) Phillip of these things, in hopes that it will discredit the Lancea, because fuck them.  This ostensibly puts her in league with Hans, except the idea that she's willing to cause this much disturbance in order to have her little snit fit would definitely piss him the fuck off.

Now I've taken relatively static factions, injected actual NPCs into them, and given them actual plans and agendas, rather than backstory.

See the difference?

Note that this also asks a lot of questions about what *will* happen in the future...

Will Hans figure out who's starting the murder-binge in the vamps?
Will Phillip or Hans figure out Diana's involvement?
What repercussions will Diana's spell have magically?
Will the mortal authorities start making problems?
Will Hans' superiors start in on his shit for letting things get messy, and what does that mean?
Will Phillip escape the inevitable hunt for his sorry ass?
Will Phillip's movement become strong enough to defy and depose Hans?

Questions like this are awesome.

Quote from: robiswrong;749685Which is all great background.

Now - who are the actual players in the factions?  What are they *actually doing*?

I haven't got this part. But I do know how to get this covered. WoD usually comes with a political web. In a previous topic I came to the conclusion I also (or instead of) need to give the individual NPC's goals and motivations, just as the covenants.

Quote from: robiswrong;749685So the Invictus are this super meritocracy with no ethics, and the Lancea Sanctum are kinda religious nuts.  Seems like they don't like each other.  And you've got the Circle of the Crone, which probably don't like the religious nuts. Great.  And horribly static.

Usually the Invictus sides with the Lancea Sanctum since they are both conservative. The Carthians and the Circle of the Crone are both oppressed. The Carthians usually want an ally, but the Circle of the Crone are really divided and only unite when being in danger. The Ordo Dracul don't care for power and just do their research. So usually it's status quo vs. the Carthians/Cronies or Carthians/Order.

It doesn't have to be this way. The Invictus can side with the Order or a Roman pantheon spin-off Circle of the Crone. The Lance may choose for the Carthians as a partner. But yeah, it is really static. That's my main gripe with this. It is usually very potayto potahto to me.

Quote from: robiswrong;749685How let's say that Phillip is a member of the Lancea, and has been creating a movement to convince many vamps that *all* mortals are sinners, and that they're justified in killing any and all mortals.

This is pissing off Hans of the Invictus, who doesn't really give two shits about the mortals, but knows that indiscriminate slaughter is going to make things *very messy* as the mortal authorities take notice.  Messiness is not efficient, and would reflect badly upon him.

Meanwhile, Diana of the Circle is actually using her influence to convince (through spoooooooky means) Phillip of these things, in hopes that it will discredit the Lancea, because fuck them.  This ostensibly puts her in league with Hans, except the idea that she's willing to cause this much disturbance in order to have her little snit fit would definitely piss him the fuck off.

Now I've taken relatively static factions, injected actual NPCs into them, and given them actual plans and agendas, rather than backstory.

See the difference?

Yes this isn't bad. Better than most stuff I see in the books. There is something like this in the New Orleans setting about three power players. It's about a Catholic Lancea Sanctum Prince who hates Nosferatu and the Circle. There is a Voodoo Circle of the Crone leader who is also a Nosferatu, who betrayed the Prince in the past. Something about a failed spell to lower the Prince's blood potency. Therefor his hatred against nossies and cronies. And there is a Lancea Sanctum Regent of the French Quarter who uses both Catholic and Voodoo faith in his religion. He controls an area that is a so called "the rack" aka it's full of people at night.

Still my biggest gripe remains the static nature of the covenants. I really dislike the fact their relationships are already "set". I much prefer Hunter the Vigil which has 12 factions in the core and 12 factions or more in supplements. Those relations aren't "set". They don't form a society. They just occassionally work together.

Quote from: robiswrong;749685Note that this also asks a lot of questions about what *will* happen in the future...

Will Hans figure out who's starting the murder-binge in the vamps?
Will Phillip or Hans figure out Diana's involvement?
What repercussions will Diana's spell have magically?
Will the mortal authorities start making problems?
Will Hans' superiors start in on his shit for letting things get messy, and what does that mean?
Will Phillip escape the inevitable hunt for his sorry ass?
Will Phillip's movement become strong enough to defy and depose Hans?

Questions like this are awesome.

I totally get you. I think I will use this, but I will also add an outsider faction, which is totally antagonistic. TVtropes again:

Belial's Brood: Infernalists, self-titled the Forsworn, that believe that they should lose all traces of humanity and give themselves over to the Beast.
VII: They engage in terrorist acts against other vampires, and their minds can't be read beyond getting the image of the roman numeral 7. Beyond that, there is no set canonical explanation for who VII are; a variety of options are offered to choose from.

These two are the faction based versions of the Baali clan and the Assamite clan. The Brood are demon worshippers and VII can be multiple things. The VII book (which is really cool) gives three fully fleshed out options. The first two are about ancient grudges. The first makes them assassins from the Middle East (aka Assamites). The second makes them Russian. And the third is about mind control, but that will be a cluster fuck to GM so I won't use that.

Use it if you want, toss it if you want... it was an example I wrote in a few minutes that was really more about taking vague, faceless factions and attaching both faces to them, as well as giving them actual agendas.

I do find that in most cases, you're better off having at least three parties involved in your struggle.  One of them can be the PCs, but having three non-PC factions gives you a lot of possible things to have happening, space for allies, etc.

Keep in mind that a faction's allegiances may be set, but an *individual*'s allegiances aren't.  And factions are ultimately made of individuals.  While it's fine to have "Faction Stereotype 1579" as a nameless mook type character, it's better to have the actual people that are moving stuff around have a little more depth.

Quote from: jan paparazzi;749887There is something like this in the New Orleans setting about three power players. It's about a Catholic Lancea Sanctum Prince who hates Nosferatu and the Circle. There is a Voodoo Circle of the Crone leader who is also a Nosferatu, who betrayed the Prince in the past. Something about a failed spell to lower the Prince's blood potency. Therefor his hatred against nossies and cronies. And there is a Lancea Sanctum Regent of the French Quarter who uses both Catholic and Voodoo faith in his religion. He controls an area that is a so called "the rack" aka it's full of people at night.

And that's an interesting chunk of backstory and setting.  Now, what are they *doing*.  That's the key bit, going forward, and that's what's useful in a campaign.  The backstory is nice for giving you chunks of stuff that exist, but then you need to put it in *motion*.

I agree.
My setting was actually titled, "World of Factions" by an online player years ago.  
Igbar, one of the main play areas, has a decent list of main playable factions, for example...separated so that someone from a traditional RPG background might understand.

"FIGHTING

Archer
Bowyers of Ceminiar -- Martial order of the Ceminiarians
Calling Shot -- Quasi-military group; official martial order
Bristle Clan House Archers--former private guard now also a school

 

Bard
Bertrand's Bard School -- Drummer warriors; very loud and annoying to others; proud.
The Frigid Song -- Warrior Bards from the frozen north
Breath of Truth--Small bardic hall allied with the Church of Belial
Dire Tones-Sage/bards, heavily into chanting.

 

Fighter

Terrors of the Knife -- Assassin/Fighters of Vernidale. As much Assassins as protectors.
Kulranik Swords -- Professional caravan guards, versed in travel and the sword
Hadjel Bonded mercanaries-Teque Guild of Travel's merchants, allied with the Platform of Trade and the Armor of Trade.
Tudzudian Bastards-The Tudzu Caravan Guild's own wide-ranging scouts
Hasturian Swords-The guards of the Winfire trading guild.

 

Kensai/Bard
Martial School of Song -- the "Archers are pansies" guild

 

Martial Arts

Brightblue Limbs -- Martial artists from Xamdu hold
Green Dragon Clan -- Draconian and sly martial artists.
Mysteriarchs of Lathe-Igbar -- Commando-monks from Gwynell

 

Ranger
The Hunters of the Shade -- Verbren's hunters, trackers non-pariel
Cobranic School -- Snake Rangers of the Serpent Queen

 

Ranger/Druid
Defenders of the Land -- of Madrak/Vernidale/Amrist/Ceminiar. 4 different branches.
Defenders of the Land, Vernidale- Ranger's of the Earth Mother
Defender's of the Land, Amrist-Small sect

 

Samurai
Blue turtles -- The honorable enemy of the Red Circle
Unicorn Swords -- consiously multi-gender school of spear users...
Corobar's Iron Way -- By-the Book keepers of peace and bonded warriors to nobility.
The FerrinHold-Knights who guard the poor, grown out of Hallencoon precepts.

 

Warrior/knight
Caleb's Tactical-- Specialized vs humanoids, in small and large scale
Collegium Arcana-Igbar, Order of the Arcanic Swords--The warrior branch of the Collegium.
Lance and Slay -- How to kill on the open plains, great individual horse and bow skills
Order of Stenron -- The largest military order in the North
Order of the White Paladin -- Wear white and like it! Heavily Armored warriors who are used to being outnumbered...and winning.
The Armor of Trade -- The Knights of the Platform of Trade, the Church of Trade.
Matcher's Arm -- The Knighthood of the Hendelics (Bael), mainly mace and maille
Toffler's Defenders -- Marines for the Navy
Trabler Scarlet Pilums -- Military School of Trabler, heavy into cavalry
Tristonian knights -- The knights of John of Triston, Neblerian
Bone Knights of Orcus -- Recently invited to town

 

MAGIC

Alchemical
The Green Flame -- Fire mages, and the eye's alchemical branch
Vasko's Brew -- The blackstripe's poison makers
Kankenbite Surnaste-Pure Makersguild-broken off the Collegium Arcana

 

Mage
Alternative School of Magic --Independent, Irreverent, and in money trouble
Collegium Arcana-Igbar -- The huge, multi national consortium
Collegium Arcana-Igbar. Order of the Kankenbite--The Technocrat order
Collegium Arcana-Igbar, Order of Esdioj--The scrying branch
Red Witches -- Just Outside of Town, blood magic
Shell of Defense -- Igbar militia mages.
Fireblades -- Fire alchemists
The Tower -- Water mages

 

Sage
The Steel Libram-igbar--Ancient seat of learning
Greta's words-Language based school, Much Astrikon knowledge
Anueris Scribes - Finders of Knowledge, very explorer based.
Tuners of the Lute-Scholarly Songsters.

 

THIEVING

 

Assassin
Collegium Tortoris -- old and tiny (and weird)
Holders of the Straight Way -- Belial's Assassins, Ritualistic
Jocien's Knives -- The Blackstripes' warrior arm,
Karin Machinations -- The strong arm of the Eye.
The Scarlet Deductors - The newly formed investigative branch of the Scarlet Pilums
Restitution of Arlieng-The information network of The Sceding Tree

 

 

Thieves
Blackstripes -- Helipolian underworld centered on Coom Isle, in Devens.
Padisha of Pilfering -- independent, real thieves, not political
The Bully Boys -- The dock's underside, local and family-run.
The Eye -- Kasarack's boys, from the huge Stenron-based guild.
Pig the Red -- a small gang out of Tentmeet and the Hill.

 

RELIGION

 

Churches
Church of Weaves, Igbar -- Bamik, weaver god, many Hobbits
Church of Belial the True and Clear -- Belialist believe in Order, and in getting what
Church of Change (Jubilex of Chaos) -- Very social, and Chaotic
Church of Direction -- Arlieng the guide,many sages worship here, contains a Shrine to Oblimet
Platform Of Trade (Ogleic) -- The Trade God, the scales, Mercantile church
Church of Fortune (Ishma) -- Goddess of thieves and the hopeful, lucky Ishma
Church of The Living Earth (Madrak the Mighty) -- Huge, solid and Popular
Church of the Green Mother, Igbar (Vernidale) -- Vernidale, the Green Mother Druidic and neutral
Church of the Autumn Harvest (Amrist) -- very small, Seasons, harvest, From the North
Church of The Hunt (Verbren) -- The warrior arm of nature
Church of the Lawful Triumverate -- Nebler the Defender, Rakastra the judge, Abradaxus the Harsh--very popular
Messianic Church of the Theocracy of Nebler -- Nebler the Shield Many transplants worship here
Church of the Wild Hunt (Geryon) -- Chaotic and wild, The mighty lawlessness of The woods and fields
Church of Hosting (Woerter)- -- Host, and hospitality. The Meeting god

 

Shrines
Shrine of Amerer -- very small, neutral mages and bureaucrats
The Shrine of the Whole (Kiminus) -- Very small, God of Heroes and fools, of the whole person.
Shrine of the Sailor's Rest-Travelers and the weather.
Pastor's Shrine of Knowledge-Small shrine to Saint Renikson of Amerer, Telekonese sage
Hendelic Pawns -Small Shrine of Bael.
Shrine of St. Fredel--Small shrine in the Collar for the Patron of Childen and Childhood (part of the Church of the Living Earth)
Shrine of Mammon of Law.

 

MUNDANE

 

Builders
Jerian Fine Homes--Second generation designers and builders of homes. Specialize in Building in the NighTiche area. Under the Sceding Tree.
Pressit Guild of Constructure--Massive guild of Masons and Builders. Very little goes on without them. Based in the Trio Neighborhod.

 

Cooking
Tolmar's Bakery -- 3rd generation, amazing cakes
Bamik's Soups -- Children of the Weave eat here often

 

Cooking, service
Hostem's Hospitality -- The huge and famous restaurant, 3rd generation. Actual bar is upstairs (the Bowl'), eating halls downstairs.
Fen Tan Teas and Grappa--Harou school of Wastrian food
Parson's Wine and Dine--Omnian food, owned by Phidipiedies.
Saru Butcher's Hall--Meat men of Igbar, a serious school of butchery.
The Upper Crust--Very Well Known and well appointed eatery, with fresh seafood and Rascal Eggs.

 

Government
Ministry of the Unicorn -- School of government.

 

Painting
Goodeval Art school -- From the Stenron branch of painters.
Mosaics by Rentan --frescoes, mosaics,and other lifestyle artworks.
Tara Jeercourt-small school that does hisory of art and teaches the Stenron method.
Rettles Iron Sculpture -- new school of sculpture.

 

Sailing/shipping
Igbar sails! -- Sailing school, youth navy
Sheering Family Yacht Club -- Upper crust wealthy yachters
CrestPath Navigators--Mappers and Navigators, out of the Dockside of Igbar, very cut-throat.
The ShipRaisers Guild-- Dockside Guild based on raising sunken ships, allied with the Tower Mages.
The Blue City Steerage--Winfire Guild-backed Bright Lands outlet for shipping, out of the North Docks.

 

Smith

Collishaw's Ironmongery -- Great place to learn how to mend armor
Terviks Metalworks-Fine metalworking found in the best homes. IN the Hill Neightborhood.
Jorvak the Smith--Orcash smithing, very solid. Does some work for the Scarlet Pilums, in the North Docks.
The Unbroken Sword- Blunt weapons specialist (I know, the name...) based out of BravoTown.
Bedlam Blades-Pioneering the mass creation of metal, out of the Rip-Cut Crucible.

 

Social/Intellectual
House of Twazinia -- Harou hospitality school, old orbic version
Hostele School -- Large private school, mainly dealing with the sciences and trade, for boys 8 to 13. Room for just under 800 students.
Parshan House of Chance -- learn how to lose money like a pro
The Grounds of Dismissal -- Banneti's Coffee House
Capo Sheering Cavortment School -- University for math, science, and the classics. Normally for ages 13-18, mainly male.
The Bortion Mappers--The Bortian Clan of Lestchian started a branch here in 780RON. Based in the Collar.

 

Construction/Fashioning
The WoodenVenture--Specializing in cabinets and dressers. From the Leper's Bastion.
Restival Family Pottery- An extended famil7y work, established in 810RON, potters and makers of ceramics. Out of the Rip Cut Crucible.
Canticle The Carver--A shop of woodcarving in it's 4th generation, on the Street of Carvings in the Rip-Cut Crucible.

 

 

Trade
Wello House of Adornment -- learn the value of everything!
Birchright Quaffers Guild-Brewery Guild out of the Brewers Quarter.
Winfire Trading Consortium -- Old Trading guild, very Large. Trabler Aptor came from this guild.
Sceding Tree -- Traders of commodities, one of the largest
Bren Fashions--Guild of many clothiers. Works under the Vissipee.
Chiller's Coats and Waether Gear--Works under Vissipee, very old and well known.
Chernow's Libations-Dockside importer and distributor of alcholic beverages, under the Winfires.
Teque Guild of Travelers -- Guild Clan specializing in inns, wagons, land travel. allied with Sceding Tree.
Vissipee Trading Guild- Large trading guild, financially strong. Competes with Sceding Tree and Winfire.
Pen-Wiggle Traders-moneychangers and lenders, Compete with Bank of Stenron, recently fighting with Vissipees.
Bank of Stenron-2 branches of the multinational bank.
Sol's Bank of Worth--Small bank and savings institute, 2nd generation, under Vissipees.
Sarku Weavers of Bamik--Blessed rug makers, under the Winfires.
Tudzu's Caravans-Omnian Caravan Guild. Allied with Vissipee in Igbar.
Cheling's Loggers--Guild of loggers and woodcutters, recently added Old Tanik Carving Guild, Allied with WInfires.
Brekham's Wright's--Stone cutters and Builders. Alllied with the Winfire Consortium.
Churaq's Wagons-A klaxik and stunatu management group that moves goods, tied to Vissipee


Like I said at some point or another, I do these for the long haul.  So as Robiswrong metioned, you don't need to spec out everyone, but you do need to have a few people from every group that are 'faces' for it.
Understanding what neighborhoods and geographies different factions are in is as important.
Then consistency is always the handmaiden of verisimilitude.  You need to make sure that these stay consistent, and changes that happen in an area actually affect things.  I had one of my PC 'bases', the Sweet Retreat, which they had apartments rented at for over 6 years of real life play time, get destroyed recently...messily....so the reverberations of that have to be consistent in that neighborhood.

Quote from: jan paparazzi;749212How do you make long running campaigns instead of *** of the week?

I link long-running plots with a series of short goals. The short goals sometimes link into the long-running plots, sometimes don't. Often, they come from the players.

That seems to work well. The players have enough to get on with when they achieve their series of goals, then they uncover the main plots, or join them, or have plots of their own. They work for or against the main plots, or ignore them completely, or devise their own, which then become the main plots.

Quote from: robiswrong;749903Use it if you want, toss it if you want... it was an example I wrote in a few minutes that was really more about taking vague, faceless factions and attaching both faces to them, as well as giving them actual agendas.

I do find that in most cases, you're better off having at least three parties involved in your struggle.  One of them can be the PCs, but having three non-PC factions gives you a lot of possible things to have happening, space for allies, etc.

Keep in mind that a faction's allegiances may be set, but an *individual*'s allegiances aren't.  And factions are ultimately made of individuals.  While it's fine to have "Faction Stereotype 1579" as a nameless mook type character, it's better to have the actual people that are moving stuff around have a little more depth.

I know it was an example. I totally get all of this. I do agree with the last bit. I think you should have group goals and individual goals.

Quote from: robiswrong;749903And that's an interesting chunk of backstory and setting.  Now, what are they *doing*.  That's the key bit, going forward, and that's what's useful in a campaign.  The backstory is nice for giving you chunks of stuff that exist, but then you need to put it in *motion*.

Well, my main gripe with this faction based politics is that nothing really changes. The powers that be change, but fundamentally nothing "big" ever happens. You get a story or plot or myth arc or whatever you might call it. Regimes change and regime change again to their previous situation. In the end it's all just "puss in the corner" to me. I don't find it that interesting.

That's why I liked the earlier settings, because those all had epic conflicts. So I am really looking for something more epic to form my myth arc. I was thinking about using VII as some sort of League of Assassins with seven ancient vampires leading it. They can to a city of the vampires are getting too corrupt for their own good and VII kills them all.

Hmm - you don't want the same old politics and would like a more epic-scope set-up in the background - maybe you could combine the faction intrigue with an epic event?

Have one local faction totally in ruins at the outset--scattered members, their havens desecrated. Members in hiding, or fleeing to other factions. Maybe their destruction could be publicly blamed on VII or Belial's Blood, or whichever "outside antagonist" faction you choose. However, PCs may catch wind of rumors that some other group had a hand in things. Perhaps they were attacked from within--a rogue separatist sect?

This way, you have the political angle, but its not just status quo--something major happened, and that faction won't just bounce back. Everyone else will have to deal with the fallout, and that could set up some more conflict.