Minor Faction Suggestion

[Valdus Bral]

Look at it.

​

Minor Factions are still Factions yet the Map Game, for better or worse, has seemingly always been all about the Major factions. As far back as the archived map goes there's never been a time when the map was getting close to be entirely dominated. My suggestion is: Why not allow a Minor Faction with X amount of unique active writer accounts (something like 2-3) be allowed to claim one unclaimed hex for themselves? This hex would, for all intents and purposes, be required to be invaded by another faction in order to have it removed. A few stipulations:

• Minor factions cannot invade Minor or Major factions.
• Minor factions may not do dominions to gain other hexes.
• If a Minor faction's hex is taken via invasion then they are required to make a rebellion thread against the major faction who has invaded and now claims the hex. Or they may pick an unclaimed hex.
• If the hex is invaded, lost, but not claimed by the major faction that initiated the invasion the minor faction may choose to setup on a new unclaimed hex or do a dominion reestablishing themselves.

This would allow minor factions to have a noticeable presence, create a seamless transition to a major faction, and allow for a lot more story. More rules can be added, but no one is going to miss a single hex held by a small amount of players and if they do - try to take it from them.


Edit: Just clarity, there would be no ability for a minor faction to now gain a mandate. So if they are invaded the base, unmodified invasion rules for defenders would apply.

 

[Jsc]

Why not allow a Minor Faction with X amount of unique active writer accounts (something like 2-3) be allowed to claim one unclaimed hex for themselves?

Or,

Why not allow Minor Factions, with 5 or more writers, after a 30 day waiting period, be allowed to claim a single Hex for themselves on the Map. And, and. For every 5 or more writers they have? We give them another hex. Up to a maximum of 3 hexes.

Thoughts? [member="Valdus Bral"]

 

[Gerhard Manndorf]

The problem I can see with this is the sheer numbers that constitute a Major Faction. For example, the CIS has an incredibly large amount of active writers, and as such, if an invasion against a minor faction with about 5 writers is started, they will be overwhelmed. Minor factions cannot keep up with the stuff that comes with the map game, and that is why they are not part of it (in my opinion)

[member="Valdus Bral"]
[member="Jay Scott Clark"]

 

[Malok]

Or,

Why not allow Minor Factions, with 5 or more writers, after a 30 day waiting period, be allowed to claim a single Hex for themselves on the Map. And, and. For every 5 or more writers they have? We give them another hex. Up to a maximum of 3 hexes.

 

[Jsc]

The problem I can see with this is the sheer numbers that constitute a Major Faction. For example, the CIS has an incredibly large amount of active writers, and as such, if an invasion against a minor faction with about 5 writers is started, they will be overwhelmed. Minor factions cannot keep up with the stuff that comes with the map game, and that is why they are not part of it (in my opinion)

[member="Valdus Bral"]
[member="Jay Scott Clark"]

Well,

What if we made it so that the minimum number of participants for an Invasion was 5v5. Then, we could allow up to 5 more writers as "Helpers" for each side. So, now we're at what. 10v10.

Ah. And of course. We'd make it so that "Participation" would be a victory condition that did not favor "total posts" or "total writers". Rather, just a median measure of activity.

Would that be cool [member="Gerhard Manndorf"]

 

[Valdus Bral]

[member="Jay Scott Clark"]

My suggestion was meant to be a starting point. I figure that it would evolve as time goes on, incrementally - but your additions aren't bad. I honestly have no idea how many unique writers there are floating around so I am not sure how quickly the hexes would be filled, possibly being used to block the growth of another major faction. I don't disagree with your suggestion, but I am wary of large changes too quickly so mine was meant to be a conservative starting point.

[member="Gerhard Manndorf"]

To be clear, this isn't to get the factions in the map game such as dominions and invasions. By all IC standards they should lose against a major faction and this is reflected by the lack of mandates and player count, otherwise they should be a major. This is only meant to give minor factions a claim to a single small region of space, 1-2 planets, which they can say they control. They can then enter diplomacy and eventually give reason to why they are now spreading (becoming a major faction) instead of popping into existence. It allows the minor to carve out a bit of galaxy for themselves.



My goal isn't to make Minor factions a force on the map, but rather to represent the stories and diversity of groups available to players in a more visual and meaningful way.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

As far back as the archived map goes there's never been a time when the map was getting close to be entirely dominated.

For some reason the archives go only as far back as March 2018, but there have been two time periods in which the map was pretty much almost entirely dominated. I couldn't find the exact one I was looking for so here are two others;

^ February 2015

^ not sure about the time stamp

Why not allow a Minor Faction with X amount of unique active writer accounts (something like 2-3) be allowed to claim one unclaimed hex for themselves?

There are no rules that state a major faction must do dominions and grow its cloud. If a minor faction has its 5 writers (tbh I think even 5 is too low of a number for the amount of work site staff needs to go through) and the activity to apply for Major - they are completely within their rights to do so, and remain a single hex faction for as long as their activity warrants them remaining a Major Faction. Then the extra set of rules would also not be required. Any major factions that are not neighboring their capital hex would also not be able to invade without requiring new rules, because of how the current rules are set up.

Personally, I would love to see the blossom of many more small Major Factions on the map. Not just single hexes - but really just a bunch of small ones with various goals and ways of operation. Have more city states and less giant monsters. Maybe in the future

 

[Jsc]

[member="Valdus Bral"]

All of my posts in this thread are direct quotes of our current rule set.

 

[Valdus Bral]

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

The first image looks as if the territory is based off of planets owned instead of hexes. Keeping that in mind there's still a lot of room, if we were to translate the fact that a hex today is 1-2 planets, there would barely be any room taken. Though those look like when the site was much more active.


As for the part about major factions and the map. The point is that minor factions are easier to start up and there are plenty around right now. This isn't about going major and keeping a single hex or about having a bunch of 1 hex majors. It's about rewarding those minor factions with high activity - but not enough players or activity to be a full blown major faction - with a hex of their own, a visual and mechanical bonus. That bonus can then be used to jump start their influence cloud whenever/if they become Major in the future, along with all the benefits of being major (dominions, invasions, and mandates).

Map visibility is a decent recruitment tool and can be used for stories. It would also mean that Major factions have more reasons to interact with minor factions. The current standards for Major factions are too high for many minor factions to go for, otherwise they'd be major more likely than not. The activity requirements for Majors would need to be changed if we want to see more majors.

 

[Valdus Bral]

[member="Jay Scott Clark"]


I assume I overlooked a large dose of sarcasm saying nothing should change. Assuming that's true, the activity requirements for majors is what seems to be keeping minors from going major. That being said there's no reason to have a large clouds of barely active majors. Instead, offering a single hex to a minor isn't nearly as strenuous on the map.

 

[Kaden Farr]

The activity requirements for majors is what seems to be keeping minors from going major.

Which is exactly why they shouldn’t have a hex.

Also, have you seen how many minor factions that pop up and get 2-3 writers then just sit and do nothing? There is no reason for a change here because the activity doesn’t warrant it. The barrier to Major is not massive for those willing to do the work.

 

[Jsc]

I assume I overlooked a large dose of sarcasm

No. You overlooked the current rule set. Going so far as to make a suggestion thread to change them without even reading them in the first place.

And I'm disappointed.

 

[Matreya]

LotF ftw

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

[member="Valdus Bral"]

As for the part about major factions and the map. The point is that minor factions are easier to start up and there are plenty around right now. This isn't about going major and keeping a single hex or about having a bunch of 1 hex majors. It's about rewarding those minor factions with high activity - but not enough players or activity to be a full blown major faction - with a hex of their own, a visual and mechanical bonus. That bonus can then be used to jump start their influence cloud whenever/if they become Major in the future, along with all the benefits of being major (dominions, invasions, and mandates).

Map visibility is a decent recruitment tool and can be used for stories. It would also mean that Major factions have more reasons to interact with minor factions. The current standards for Major factions are too high for many minor factions to go for, otherwise they'd be major more likely than not. The activity requirements for Majors would need to be changed if we want to see more majors.

The activity for factions to become Majors are to have 5 unique writers and a wee bit of activity. Here's an example. The CIC did it with 3 threads. If a minor faction can't give those extremely low numbers, they have no right to take any kind of place on the map game. There have also been plenty of minor factions that had these numbers and more and did not wish to become Major and participate in the map game.

Any Major Faction starts as a Minor Faction. They're super easy to start. It literally just takes a button. You don't even have to make pretty graphics for it (though that does help attract members).

I don't think you realize how low the current standard is to become a Major Faction - [member="Jay Scott Clark"] has been quoting directly from the rules, and I'm giving you hard numbers. If any perception exists that there needs be more, it needs to be corrected.

The main thing your suggestion gives - is creating more work for site staff. The visibily minor factions get, most of whom will likely fall before becoming Major because map visibility isn't what's keeping from going Major - is too tiny a gain when compared to the price that others will have to pay for that.

 

[Siobhan Kerrigan]

If a minor faction can't give those extremely low numbers, they have no right to take any kind of place on the map game. There have also been plenty of minor factions that had these numbers and more and did not wish to become Major and participate in the map game.

This.

Been running a minor faction for several years (since 2014, to be precise). Told several faction stories, participated in other factions' Rebellions and Invasions (and even instigated an absurdly long Rebellion at one point, which kinda sparked a big war). Could probably drum up the numbers to go major if I really wanted to (getting on the map is relatively easy, though staying on it is less so).

And thoroughly lack the desire to go major because it simply does not interest me. I don't find Dominions interesting (purely a case of personal preference on my part), and don't feel like grinding through them to get an SSD that will probably see as much use as the Kaiser's High Seas Fleet, if not less. It also would not suit the character I'm writing.

When I wanna join an invasion, I just merc for whichever faction I feel like backing. Hell, a minor faction can 'rule' a planet by subbing it in Codex and simply keeping it off the map. It just doesn't get to colour a blob on the map or build the SSD-shaped status symbol.

 

[Fabula Caromed]

Like, do you have any idea just how many minor factions we have? Seven were created just this month. Almost 30 non-major factions created this year meet the standards you propose. That's thirty dead hexes, since the most of these haven't done jack-diddly since their founding. Those that have been active to merit any form of recognition seem utterly content to be minor, or have already transitioned into major.

At three unique writers, you're more than halfway to qualifying to be a major faction already. Getting two more should be painfully easy if your idea is strong enough to support an active writer population. If it's activity that's the differential factor, then you'd be proposing we lower the standard from its current minimum of three faction threads. That's insanity. Based on that logic, [member="Scherezade deWinter"] and I could hold a map hex.

There is almost no conceivable way to drop the standards for a map presence any lower than they currently are.

 

[Valdus Bral]

[member="Jay Scott Clark"]

You're not disappointed you're feigning disappointment in attempt to bring up your image by bringing someone else's down.



There's too many people responding assuming that there's enough "unique active writer accounts" within minor factions to actually dominate the map. That isn't at all the case. The vast majority of minor factions are alternate character accounts who are barely active. This is meant to reward the few active minors that fit within the category, not to make dead major stand-ins.




Edit: There's also the point being missed that becoming a major faction isn't the issue, it's staying a major faction without falling behind the activity requirements. You shouldn't lower major faction requirements, but that doesn't mean that just because you aren't lowering major requirements that you can't increase minor faction rewards.

 

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

I am legitimately severely disappointed in your lack of understanding such a simple concept,[member="Valdus Bral"].