Basics
For a new faction ask yourself a few questions:
- Is it already made?
- Are the names / themes taken?
- Is it a clone?
- Would it work?
Reasons
-If its already made, unless you're making it better or taking its idea and developing it, its not going to be good or helpful to the game.
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-If the names or theme are taken, people will complain about it and compare your faction to roles with the same names or theme. Say your a copy cat.
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-If you're making a faction that is just a blue version of the mafia. Don't waste everyone's time. No ones going to bat an eye at an already made faction.
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-If the faction itself cant work well together or work so well alone that it might as well not be a faction. Its not a good idea. A faction should have an impact on the game, work well together and be weaker alone. (Unless your faction has an idea of having less people, but ill get onto that later)
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Faction ideas
Currently there are 2 main ideas for a faction.
- Keeping the game going until a set point
- Killing off everyone who is against you
Or a combo of the 2. However, if you can come up with a new idea. Try it, people like seeing new and unique roles/ideas.
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Roles that tend to be needed
Starting with killing off your foes. You're gunna need certain roles. These include:
- A Killer (or a way for the whole faction to kill someone)
- Some sort of investigative (Your faction needs info to work with)
- Some role that can hide / disrupt info (Without it, unless you're making a faction that are detection immune, your faction will need a way to not be found)
- Other roles that can impact the game in the factions.
You can make roles that defend other faction members, but they tend to be frowned upon as killing factions should be on the offensive
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For factions with a set day to survive to, they need different roles...
- A killer or way to kill (not as much as the other factions, as this is a survival faction, however, its a good idea to have a way to get rid of threats)
- Investigative (to know who will become a threat / who will make the game end quickly)
- Disrupting roles (roles that role-block, blackmail, destroy info, etc. As these will make the game last longer and that is the whole point)
- Defensive roles (they are needed to keep your allies alive in a survival faction)
Other roles that can impact the game in the factions favour
Do not add too many killing into this faction as its meant to survive not kill
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Invest Results
All evils need a claim. So try to match abilities to set results. If a role can invest, put it with Investigator / Consig / Mayor. If it was somewhere else, how would it claim and explain its ability. It wouldn't, it would die. Putting them with roles like medium isn't a good idea as non provable roles or easily faked roles are hung often. Examples include medium, sheriff, survivor, executioner, lookout, etc.
Make sure there aren't 2 roles from the faction inside the result, unless they cant be in at the same time. This would be unfair and get them hung too easily.
Worst case, make your own results. Or even a whole different game mode. But be warned, people may not like this idea.
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Conversion
Myself, I don't mind conversion roles. However the majority of people dislike roles that change win-cons, they can take away wins from people. So avoid this idea unless it fits in and makes sense. But Vampires are a bad example, so don't make a vampires 2.0
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Balance
Basics. Don't kill so fast its no fun and OP. Don't kill so slow its pointless (unless its a survival). Don't make them all night immune. etc etc, this is obv. Also don't make them all defy basic game mechanics, but having like 1 or 2 is fine.
New ideas could break many of these rules to fit in. But don't be stupid about it.
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Amount
Basic of a faction is that you want at least 5 roles that work together. And normally have 1 leader in the faction. But as stated before, you can change this. Max is 11 (maybe 12 - 13) as there are 11 invest results thus far. Of course to add more, make it so it cant appear with the other roles from the faction that are in the invest results.
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Feedback
No one likes being told "ITS SHIIIIIIIT" however. Feedback tends to be your friend. It tends to build up the faction and fix parts of it. If everyone is telling you its bad. Find out why. If you don't agree with their changes, you don't need to add it, however, ask others what they think. Its suggested to changed to what the people want.
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Lore and summary
People love lore, but do it after balancing. Balance > Lore. If you have an EPIC lore...but a role that makes people want to jump off a bridge. Its not going to work. People tend to only read a lore if -
A) The faction is good
B) The role in the faction is good
C) If they like what you have done in the past
Lores help build up a factions character and theme.
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What I tend to do
I myself having made 3 factions. Two being Killing all and one being a survival. I aim for a few things.
Unique despite similar goals - Example is that the Demon and Elemental Faction have the same goal as the mafia faction. However they have different roles and mechanics. Demons could be said they are a mafia with different roles. But well, most factions will be. The mafia just happened to be first. The Elemental faction have a same goal, but all roles can kill and do diff actions. (Made a 4th, that one is Guardians with a "Special" goal)
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Ignoring thee non faithful - People have said many times that new factions wont be added and that I'm wasting my time. Spectre0 is a perfect example. However, Coven was added. Already proving them wrong. So even if you get hate, unless its hate about your roles being bad, ignore it, move on.
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Aiming for 11 roles - as there are 11 results, I always aim for 11 roles.
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Sub alignments - Within a faction adding sub alignments makes it easier to understand and look better. Its helpful to split up the roles. Try to make the sub alignments roles similar in ability. Example - A role that can blackmail should be with a role that can vote-block.
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Roles from others - Taking an idea from others isn't bad as long as you ask permission and refer them. I tend to change the idea slightly.
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Power - roles shouldn't be different in power. One may be less powerful in one way but must make up for it in another way. Having some weak and some strong isn't a good idea. Its too swingy
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Using new effects - Ive used effects that arent in game. All the effects I use -
Blackmail (The person cant talk)
Chat-Block (Cant see chat)
Vote-Block (Means people cant vote people up)
Role-Block (Stops them doing their night action)
Decision-Block (Can vote people up but cant inno / guilty)
Vote-Switch (The persons inno and guilty vote is switched (vote inno make you guilty, vise versa)
Switch-talk (The person can type in chat and when they do they will see their messages, but no one else will. Its much like blackmailing but they arent told. Other people who have the same effect however can read eachovers. So It can end up like a secret chat)
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Examples
The Guardians - http://www.blankmediagames.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=70617
Spirit Faction - https://www.blankmediagames.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=67945
Demon Faction - https://www.blankmediagames.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=60114
Elemental Faction - https://www.blankmediagames.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=67995
The Cult - https://www.blankmediagames.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=61234&hilit
The Bratva - https://www.blankmediagames.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=61358&hilit
Neo-town - http://blankmediagames.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=67750
Thieves Guild - http://blankmediagames.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=67255
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Helpful Link - The discord is great for balancing and asking for people's opinions - https://discord.gg/QdGQyq
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Helpful People - Pm these people as they will help you and have experience / knowledge - Me, Timurtheking, Parallax, Buckeyenation, Mrincendary88, Gooose26
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-Sh99er (Moderator of Faction Development Discord)