Discussion Tips for Going Major from the OGs

[Aether Verd]

Given the recent conversations on Chaos about majors and whatnot, I figured I'd be an old head and share what I know on the subject.

For the uninitiated, I've been no-lifing this site since 2013 and have had the honor of founding seven major factions in my time on the board. I've also been part of numerous faction staff teams!

Suffice it to say, I know how various forms of sausage are made!

Topic for today: Tips for Going Major

1. Know who you are - this is the step you should take before you click "add faction." As FO, you should know your concept, what makes you different from factions of similar alignment (e.g., Light Side) or genre (e.g., Criminal) that are active or previous. You should know what story you want to tell to get started and have an idea of where you want to go.

2. Build your starting five - To go major you need five members and a month of activity. Great! This is the part where I'd recommend reaching out to people on a 1-1 basis. Pitch them your idea and, most importantly, see if they'd be interested in bringing their main character to your faction. Why main? Simple. No matter how wild and fickle one's muse is, they always come home to the main character eventually.

3. Write like hell - from the second you make your faction page, hit the ground running. Whenever you make a faction, everyone on the site sees it go live. (It's a good idea to have your graphics ironed out for your faction forum early if you can, but if not it's okay). You have a precious window where folks are paying attention to you and what you're doing - capitalize. Post your intro stories, get those invested folks writing, get an interest check or LFG going - write like hell. If you're lacking anything such as graphics or factory gubbins? This is the time to ask the board for help as, again, all eyes are on you.

4. Keep your nose clean - sounds like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised. Applying for major isn't just an activity check, it's a you check. If you have a troubled past? You've gotta prove you're not that same person by behaving. If you have a problem child in your starting lineup? You've gotta prove you have them on a tight leash. Be cordial in all you do. Be mindful of what your members do, because what they do = what you're doing.​

Now, mandatory disclaimer - I don't know how site staff evaluates majors or if you'll be guaranteed going major if you follow these steps. What I do know is that this is my methodology and I've had the privilege of adding a color to the map each and every time. If you want this? You can do it.

Make people part of the journey, you've got this!

To my other MFO peers, if I'm missing anything or if you have any helpful advice for map game hopefuls, please chime in!​

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

takes notes

makes the Jedi faction she's always dreamed of having

(Edi voice: That was a joke.)

 

[Aether Verd]

Adelle Bastiel - brb crucifying more Jedi

 

[Arris Windrun]

I think you hit the nail on the head.

I'll add my own experience from TSC POV. My previous factions were honestly meh. (Sorry to the Primeval diehards if any of you still exist somewhere, but I was really young and edgy.)

I think what was really successful for TSC was just honing in on a big vision and writing ourselves there, regardless of whether it panned out as a faction. We intended to hit GE because they showed up to our Conclave and threw a challenge. We pivoted from hitting Jedi Enclaves to answering that challenge, because it made sense in-character.

We ran the Sith Academy to turn acolytes of various backgrounds into frontline soldiers. Many writers took that story a step further, tying their personal narratives, goals, and grievances into the plot. Then we hit Tapani because we needed loot to justify our growth. We're building an army - what feeds them? Munitions, food, ships, soldiers. How do you get those quickly? Money.

The build-up to going major and invading was really fun, and we had a few escalating interactions with the GE to get us there. We did what we set out to do, and we wrote every chapter to get there! So everything we're doing right now just honestly feels like stretch goals.

We also built a working relationship with major factions from the get-go because we wanted people to know that we can play ball, and got a head start on those OOC relationships and found hooks for how our factions might interact. Shoutout to Brandyn Sal-Soren and Lorn Reingard for working with us on Genarius.

So, mirroring what Guy said, I dunno and cannot authoritatively state anything about app approvals, but I know our decisions and narrative reactivity did help build that organic growth, creating OOC and IC dynamics between writers and characters that meant we could stick together and keep pushing story, regardless of what the board or IRL threw our way.

And the really, really cool thing is, whenever TSC dies or goes minor down the lane, our surviving characters will have so much history and drama to weave into future stories regardless of whether the faction is there.

You can, actually, just write your way through it.

 

[Adelle Bastiel]

Adelle Bastiel - brb crucifying more Jedi

Why do you hate me?

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

1. If you're going to write a faction that isn't Sith, Mandalorian, or Jedi, be prepared to do a lot of heavy lifting. These are the bread-and-butter factions of the site because everyone immediately recognizes what they are, understands the basic kinds of stories they offer, and already knows what sorts of characters fit within them. If you're building something less familiar, or attempting something that has not been done before, then you're going to need to teach people what the faction is and why they should care about it, and show them how to participate. Give tangible examples that are familiar and clear story opportunities they can easily latch onto. The potential writer pool will naturally be smaller, so try to keep your expectations realistic and realize that most of the story will be coming from you and your core group.

2. As the opening post says, you need to write. Public threads and faction-forward stories are important, and you should look for opportunities to collaborate with other factions, but do not underestimate the value of private threads. One-on-one or small-group stories can give members room to develop relationships, establish their character's place within the group, and feel as though they are part of the story rather than simply standing somewhere in the background of it. Once people feel personally invested in the faction and the characters within it, they are far more likely to participate in its larger plots.

3. Develop a thick skin if you're going to be an MFO. Not everyone is going to like your ideas or always think particularly highly of you, and that is something you have to learn to live with. Leadership makes you visible, and visibility is always going to invite criticism. Some of it will be fair, and some of it will be needlessly personal and it's best if you try to rise above it and let things go, which is usually easier said than done. Listen when people raise legitimate concerns, own your mistakes when you make them, and adjust.

4. Have fun with what you're writing. If you apply for major, and staff tells you, 'not this time, come back and try again'. Do that. Feel down about it for the time that you need to, ask for clarification if you need it, and try again. What's the worst that is going to happen if you continue to try?

 

[Kitter Bitters]

1. Know who you are - this is the step you should take before you click "add faction." As FO, you should know your concept, what makes you different from factions of similar alignment (e.g., Light Side) or genre (e.g., Criminal) that are active or previous. You should know what story you want to tell to get started and have an idea of where you want to go.​

​

​

Can you elaborate on this a bit? Do we need more than just “I wanna be a Jedi” for example?

Also thank you for posting this. It’s so nice to mentor others when you’ve done it before

 

[Aether Verd]

Kitter Bitters - Happy to elaborate!

And yes, your concept should go a little bit beyond "we just want to be Jedi". Why?

We'll stick with Jedi for this example. Right now there's the High Republic flavor of Jedi, the Farworlds flavor of Jedi, the remnant GA flavor of Jedi, and various rebellion flavors as well. You've also got canon varieties too! So, if you say "I want to be Jedi" you have to answer the question of "how do I stand out among this sea of options?"

Because you'll be asked that question. Why should someone join your Jedi vs. HR Jedi, for example. You need to be able to differentiate yourself and make your case. Can't do that if you don't clearly define who you are.

That all make sense?

 

[Kitter Bitters]

Aether Verd that does!!

So for a story or the idea of where you want to go … should you have a big narrative in mind?

Like “I want to tell a story about a Jedi civil war” or is it more really focus on what sets your Jedi apart?

Just using Jedi as the example. I think these are questions folks have asked in the past.

 

[Alina Grayson]

Aether Verd that does!!

So for a story or the idea of where you want to go … should you have a big narrative in mind?

Like “I want to tell a story about a Jedi civil war” or is it more really focus on what sets your Jedi apart?

Just using Jedi as the example. I think these are questions folks have asked in the past.

I'm not an OG like the other people in this thread, but my personal thought from being a faction admin, basically since joining the site. Overall narrative is important, but that narrative has to be pliable. Writers can and will throw curveballs. Adjusting to what your writers do makes it more dynamic and interesting rather than. 'This is our narrative, we are going this way'

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Since we're handing out advice, I want to also state something;

As an MFO, as a Faction Admin, whatever - you also need to understand some details on what makes people want to write with you. Its going to sound shitty, but you need some characters with gravity - be they the characters themselves ( Darth Carnifex for example), or the writers (Jon, for example). You need to know how to let go of part of your character, and accept that you are now a gravity well for RP. The more weight you bring, the more people will fall into your orbit - and that is extremely important for sustained faction. Think of any major faction with longevity, and I gurantee you, you can think of 4 or 5 characters that defined that faction from the jump. Know that you need to be, and must be, that gravity well of RP. As a faction, that is your first and only purpose - be a center of good stories.

How do you do that? You participate in other peoples stories. You make their characters feel important in their narratives - and you make writing with you fun. If people feel like they get more out of a story with you than they do taking away (say if you're absolutely needing to prove you are totally cool and a master of the force and very powerful), then people will want to RP with you more. Eventually, you build that wake into tangible reputation - lore, story, a narrative people can recognize, a brand image as was stated before. You need to be good at writing something for people to want to write with you - or at the very least, you need to be a social person. Very social.

On the other point of this;

When you volunteer for a position like that, there is this idea in many peoples heads that it will be the power fantasy they think it will be, or they want the power and control of it. I have no idea, but MFO tends to call a certain type of person who think they're machievelli reborn.

I want to state it clearly - you are absolutely not. You're not going to win peoples hearts over. They aren't going to like you all that much. And nobody is going to care. Those 'secret messages' you're posting in a DM with someone you trust - they won't stay there. You will get blasted for it, now or later. There is nothing people love more than tearing down someone of importance - and they will try constantly to do just that. You need to know how to handle drama, and you need to know how to control yourself and your faction so you don't get on the bad side of not only other factions, but the admin team.

If you pop off the handle everytime someone tells you no? You're not cut out for it. You need to grow up, then give it a shot later. That's harsh, but its real. The second you become a problem child and make the OOC community worse off, you will build a wall that you will have to surmount to get back on the good side of not only the community, but the staff team themselves. Admins don't have to like you, but they should at least know you mean well and aren't causing issues.

And the last thing - don't think you're going to outsmart the admins, or other MFOs. State things clearly, treat people how you want to be treated, and be nice. Its the bare minimum. Thinking about dropping a random, no-contact, no-setup invasion on your neighbor because it would feel cool? Don't do that, I promise you, it will not be as cool as you think it is. Want to become an MFO and start a faction so you can crusade and get back at all the things wrong in the community? Don't bother, that's cringe and you're going to suck at it anyway.


tl;dr:

The site needs MFO's who are willing to sacrifice a bit of themselves for the community and their faction. That means your stories, your wants, your behavior are all a big deal, and you need to keep all that in mind. The only reason you should ever want to be an MFO is to make stories people like, never for some stupid "I want those guys off the map" or "I want those characters to stop being around". Grow up, learn to enjoy writing, and stop stressing whatever fantasy you think comes with being an MFO.

 

[Kitter Bitters]

Darth Empyrean

Forgive me because I am woefully unaware of how major factions really handle themselves, but I thought invasions were supposed to be a surprise? Like in real life you wouldn’t announce before you attack, so I thought that was the mechanic? Then the shock value was why people got onboard?

Or are they supposed to be planned?

These are good things to know for anybody who’s like me and has never really done MFO stuff.

 

[Darth Empyrean]

Kitter Bitters

People tend to show up to invasions because its a known hotspot for RP, and people talk about it for a while. I wouldn't say its because its a surprise - or else every unexpected thread would pop off. For players, there is a warning generally saying "we're going to invade someone soon" from staff. Defending factions sometimes mention it, but not always.

The point is more so that its a big deal OOC, and can be stressful trying to manage all of that. Invasions can make or break a faction, and they do awful things to morale when you lose. The courtesy is to reach out and coordinate with another major - not drop it on them so they have to scramble to figure out whats going on.

Any invasion the TSO had while under me was open, and we discussed it long before with the receiving faction to make sure it was a good time, at a nice date, so on. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to feel pressured or obligated to deal with a random invasion, and that was the point I meant. Its not nice, and not worth stressing other writers out over a fictional rp board.

 

[Kitter Bitters]

Darth Empyrean

Ohh that makes sense. I guess it would be a lot to organize and stuff. I’ve never really even thought about that.

Its more of a notice OOC vs IC so that all the staff can get ready. Makes sense.

Thank you!

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Yeah usually both factions involved in an invasion know about the specifics well ahead in advance so that both sides can be prepared for when it happens, it makes collaborating with your fellow writer easier when you're all on the same page.

Kitter Bitters

 

[Kitter Bitters]

Yeah usually both factions involved in an invasion know about the specifics well ahead in advance so that both sides can be prepared for when it happens, it makes collaborating with your fellow writer easier when you're all on the same page.

Kitter Bitters

How early do the rules say you have to let the other faction know? I’m guessing this is why factions have to plan stories ahead of time?

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

How early do the rules say you have to let the other faction know? I’m guessing this is why factions have to plan stories ahead of time?

The rules say this:

• A Major Faction must give one week's notice of their intention to Invade a hex in a Declaration thread in the Roleplay Discussion forum. When this thread is created please tag an Admin so they are aware of the Invasion.

And you can read more about what all goes into invasions, here.

That said, most MFOs will appreciate you reaching out before posting the declaration, even though it's not a requirement, ideally well before the one-week deadline, to let them know you're interested in writing an invasion. That gives both factions time to discuss the story, find a timeframe that works, and prepare their members. The rules only require one week's notice, but invasions are usually planned further in advance because they can take a lot of time to put together.