It is critical to developing good faction lore; it is the only way to build and lead a successful faction on a roleplay Server. This guide will teach you how to build good Faction Lore and how to put it into action as a faction in-game.
WHAT IS FACTION LORE?
The terms "lore" and "plot" typically refer to your faction's backstory and history, with "plot" referring to the group's present activities and the many obstacles they will encounter in the future as a result of previous events. The lore of your faction will serve as the cornerstone upon which your faction will be founded. It's critical that the lore is detailed, exclusive, and engaging. Your party will be forced to function in a manner that is consistent with its lore and backstory. Your backstory will be applied to and developed further when you RP on the server and grow your party.
FACTION TYPES
There are different classes Criminal Factions are described from the Lower Class to Higher Class, this means based on the lore and backstory of your faction determines the class of your faction. Based on the class of your faction it determines where your HQ would be located, what kind of guns you possess, and what clothing you would wear.
There are several factors that go into forming a faction, one of which is deciding which group you want your faction to fall into when it is formed. If you ever achieve official status, the kind of faction you wish to be will decide what kind of RP and scripts you find to be accessible to you in-game, as well as what kind of RP faction management will be expecting to see based on the RP you had been doing and your forum posts. The following are the most Common Lawful Factions: These are common types of Criminal factions.
- Street Gangs (Lower Class)
- Cartels (High Class)
- Mobs (High Class)
- Crime Families (High Class)
- Crime Syndicates (Mid-High Class)
- Paramilitary (Mid Class)
- Motorcycle Club (Mid-Illegal)
You MUST determine what kind of faction that you would like to pursue as, wanting to switch from a Lawful to Criminal faction or vice versa is not done as easily as you think. It is not something you just do by the scripts in-game but, it must have proper roleplaying growth and betrayal, if all these things are done lastly you would have to re-apply for official status if you were to do this.
The faction lore that you choose and commit to will set you apart from other organizations and factions on the server. The choice of your lore should motivate your roleplaying experience, and help you decide what kind of faction you will be and become. When writing the faction's lore, have the following points in mind:
- Where does your faction originate from and who were the creators of it?
- What is the history behind the creation of this faction? What was the history behind what it leads up to the present time?
- What was the reason this faction caused it to form and be created?
- What past victories, defeats, achievements, and tragedies have arisen with the faction?
- Where did this faction originate from upon creation?
- What has been the history of your faction's operations?
- What commonalities do the members have in terms of history, values, mindset, and backstory?
It's crucial to catch the essence of the faction you're attempting to build while developing the lore. We don't expect players to be specialists on the traditions, ideologies, or history they're attempting to imitate, however, we do expect you to be able to portray your faction as realistically as possible based on the lore you do represent, even if it's in a simplified manner. Your faction's lore will evolve as you learn more about the RP you're imitating or as you recruit members that are more familiar with what to expect and how to display the lore that is and is being developed.
If you're coming up with an entirely new idea, you will find it more difficult to make the lore clear at first sight, but as your appearance on the server becomes more recognizable, people may finally catch on. It's critical that the lore is plausible and logical on a Heavy Roleplay Server. For instance, you cannot RP that you can not be a group from another planet with martian superpowers. The reason this can't be done as this is not possible in real life. Also, it can only be plausible in the world of mythology. It can not be used as lore due to it being unrealistic and not making any sense in the real world.
PRESENTATION OF THE FACTION
As a faction member, it is critical that you portray yourself in such a way that it seems as though certain incidents might happen in actual life, by making it plausible and completely immersed for the players playing with you and those who notice your roleplay based on realism.
This is accomplished by portraying your faction in line with your lore and Roleplaying your character in a manner that is fitting for the faction you are attempting to represent. Take these factors into consideration when determining how you would like to present your faction when on the server:
- What vehicles will you and your members drive and be seen in? Will the vehicles being driven be based on their rank in the faction?
- What is the name of your faction and how are you identified? What kind of values does it hold? Ideals, perhaps? What is the cultural background of this faction that you have created or are a part of? What ethnic group is this faction-based upon? What is the origin of your faction?
- What will be the best place for us to search and locate your faction? Where will they gather in groups?
- What will be the apparel of your clothing in the group? Would it be based on ranks meaning that each rank wears something different? Will there be a specific color being worn by this faction?
CLOTHING & APPAREL
Clothing is very crucial to the lore of your faction and the identity your faction may hold, wearing the clothing of your faction will represent your faction’s identity and it would reflect the position of each faction's member.
Clothing can differ in value from faction to faction, based on the complexity of the faction. A normal criminal street gang, for example, needs to be more obsessed with colors than that of a Mafia, which would be much more involved with appearance. Whereas green attire for the Families is expected in GTA V, a green three-layered piece suit for a Mafia to wear is not something expected to ever be seen worn by them. The reason for this is as it contradicts the organization's identity as a respectable organization. With that said, one might expect to see the Mafia's made-men dressed in dark suits with a fedora and tie, looking presentable, whilst the lower ranks could dress more casually or wear more street-appropriate clothes like tracksuits. Tracksuits were used as a day-to-day life type of clothing as they didn't want to be seen as thugs and were upper-classmen.
Clothing may be linked to the faction’s ranking hierarchy in some situations. Depending on the form of faction, the clothes worn by that faction will differ. People who are members of a street gang will have a tattoo that represents their place in the gang that allows them to stick out and be seen, allowing them to reflect their status; but, if everybody wore full overalls, there would be no discernible distinction between them. When compared to a mob or even a mafia, though, there is a clear distinction between these groups or street gangs. This involves the higher-ranking member, who will be more visible and stand out as a symbol of their standing.
It is absolutely In-Character if other parties and factions impersonate yours, and Faction Management will not interfere in either way. You pick a certain hue or dress at your own risk because someone will imitate it. It's important that you can recognize your party members regardless of the colors or outfits they're wearing on a daily basis. If you can't do this, you'll need to devise a method for quickly determining the factions at any given time.
VEHICLES
You should determine what kind of vehicles that your faction can use when developing it. Vehicles should be appropriate for the faction's lore and appearance, we don't allow factions to just use the fastest vehicles. When choosing which vehicles your group can use, keep the following in mind:
- What kind of faction do you belong to? For example, a mob, mafia, or crime syndicate would use high-end vehicles such as sedans, professional related vehicles, and sports cars, a motorcycle club would use chopper-based motorcycles, and a street gang would use low-end vehicles, SUVs, and low-riders. Also, if you were a racing faction you would drive expensive and fast cars.
- What is the wealth of your faction? What cars you would drive would be determined by the resources of your party. Since it is impossible for a street gang to run a luxury automobile, a supercar or a very fast car will not be seen driven by a lower-class party such as a street gang unless it was robbed by some group of citizens. While you RP as a collector, a high-end faction will not be seen pulling cheap cars, chopper-based bikes, or low-riders. If something, you'll see a high-end faction riding Hakuchou-style bikes. It's also impractical to see everybody driving RVs or vans if you're a wealthy faction.
- Will there be different vehicles and requirements of the vehicles based on your faction's ranks between low ranks and higher up ranks? Will there be a specific color chosen based on their ranks or all one color?
These should be weighed against your own personal identity. Will it be appropriate for a more reputable and higher-classed faction to drive in the same colors as a street gang? When it comes to a street gang, it's better to display the same or equivalent gang colors in order to connect with other members of the faction and it helps making it easier to distinguish and represent their color to other gangs, demonstrating dominance and power. Professional and higher-classed factions do not want to draw attention to themselves, so a palette of natural and professional colors would be needed, such as blacks, whites, and greys.
RANKING STRUCTURE
Ranking structure, hierarchy is an essential part of the Faction. A question you should ask yourself is… What kind of rating system would your Faction use to determine the type of hierarchy that will lead by the group? Is it going to be dependent on the ranking of hierarchy and determining as a group, like a board of directors? Or will it be that one person makes the decisions and they would be final like a monarchy?
The rating hierarchy is crucial to your faction's organizational identification because it is what drives a lot of internal RP. This would have an effect on the external RP with other factions. It will also determine which form of roleplaying each participant will be allowed to engage in. If you're a Mafia, the high-ranking shouldn't be seen participating in street crime; instead, they should be running activities and making choices, while your henchmen deal with some of the more low-level crime. If you're a member of or the leader of a Crime Syndicate, your position can determine what roles you have within the faction, such as asset and treasury management or gang diplomacy.
It should have an influence on how participants handle one another. This will be unacceptable for a low-ranking member of a crime organization to undermine you because the founder would be deemed a major priority by the other enemy groups. Of course, this completely depends on the RP on the situation. If you're a bad faction leader or representative, your fellow members can and possibly will collaborate to force you out of the gang. your rank should be linked to your identity. For example, a Crime Syndicate may consider its leader to be its "Father", who makes all their decisions and tells them what to do and they have no choice. Your position can also affect your personal appearance; for example, representatives should not be used as having a higher ranking than the hierarchy, as this can be counterproductive depending on the specific faction you are in.
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