How can we help smaller factions grow?

[Tefka]

I don't like using the word "help" when it comes to faction upstarts. We're not going to "help". We're going to provide tools for small faction owners to use to help themselves.

The world "help" gives me a welfare vibe. Nobody's entitled to having a faction, and many more will fail than those that succeed. There's a lot of people who think just creating a group and having a cool idea will achieve success. It's so much more than that. It's work. You get from it what you put in.

 

[Akio Kahoshi]

There is nothing wrong with offering help when someone needs it, nor is there nothing inherently wrong with welfare. Its when its abused, or given to those that don't need or deserve it that it becomes a problem. Sometimes all the help people need is to be given the tools to succeed on their own.

 

[Tefka]

Of course, but I don't want the context misunderstood as favoritism towards a specific type of faction. The same functions offered to small factions will be offered to large factions, that's all I meant.

 

[Selena Halcyon]

On the whole entire topic of the writer thing mentioned earlier by some. I do not like to think in those terms. They become problematic for me because quite often I find that they limit who I RP with. Reason being, is that it becomes a "oh I like to RP with these people" kind of thing. And see, I just want to RP. RPing to me is not about the OOC. I try and leave the IC to itself and write with whoever whenever. The only time that who the writer comes to play, for me, is if I know the person can be something of a problem. Do I have my favorite writers? Sure, but I also definitely have favorite characters. I also find that when people focus too much on writing with writers they end up making up very artificial and contrived IC relationships. I would rather not do that, and have a much more authentic character relationships.

 

[Jsc]

I don't like using the word "help" when it comes to faction upstarts. We're not going to "help". We're going to provide tools for small faction owners to use to help themselves.

Winning. Wow. I can totally speak further in this context. I mean, if these were available when I started assisting with the Republic Faction, I would have had a smoother time,

• Defining Major, Medium, Quasi, and Minor Factions and the Privileges of each. (I had no idea)
• The importance of Delegation and having a back up. (Tegs was amazing and sexy)
• Someone to go to and ask questions or report bugs to about the FactionCP and all the Buttons. (I eventually just pushed all the buttons)
• A guide of how to talk to your members and communicate with those your serve as Admin. (I was completely totalitarian like Ceel)
• A guide of how to organize your forums easily and avoiding 'Private Frat Club Secret Intro-Society' thingies. (Mason helped me a ton here. Cheers to him. I was lost.)
• A guide to absorbing or incorporating Sub-Factions and Staffing them. (Winged this. Mistakes were made.)
• A guide on how to go about creating Faction-Wide Policy while still communicating with your member base. (Feedback is good. Popularity can be misleading.)
• A guide on transitioning leadership and the importance of IC Leadership Roles mixing with OOC Leadership Roles. (OOC Admins overruling IC Senators got messy)
• When to allow a heated discussion and when to close an abusive argument.
• The unique understanding of not allowing Alt-Lovers to swamp the Training needs of Primary Characters.
• The unique understanding of not allowing Infiltration and Meta-Gaming.
• Faction Tech Discussions, Working with the RPJ's, and Communicating with your rivals to build competitive gear. (Kaine was amazing in helping me build competitive PvP gear to match his own Sith stuff.)

I could go on for days. Anyway. You get the idea. As a Faction Leader? There is a lot to learn, a vocabulary to speak, and a way of interacting with people that must be achieved. Anything less requires more humility than I had. Haha.

Cheers. And good luck to all our Small Factions.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

I definitely think that some assistance should be given to new factions...a 'pack' you might say which contains tips from other leaders, some assistance on using the control panel and some recruitment ideas.

One important thing we should do is encourage would be faction creators to stop...think about how popular their idea is, what their strategies and goals are, what they want to happen, then work on a plan to make it that way.

I will disagree with Jay though; factions are important because they allow writers to work together through their characters. Characters are what makes the RP. A writer who really enjoys writing a character is going to do more, and do more creatively than one which they don't like.

 

[Judah Dashiell]

On the whole entire topic of the writer thing mentioned earlier by some. I do not like to think in those terms. They become problematic for me because quite often I find that they limit who I RP with. Reason being, is that it becomes a "oh I like to RP with these people" kind of thing. And see, I just want to RP. RPing to me is not about the OOC. I try and leave the IC to itself and write with whoever whenever. The only time that who the writer comes to play, for me, is if I know the person can be something of a problem. Do I have my favorite writers? Sure, but I also definitely have favorite characters. I also find that when people focus too much on writing with writers they end up making up very artificial and contrived IC relationships. I would rather not do that, and have a much more authentic character relationships.

I think it depends. I like some writers on here but despise their characters and vice versa. I like to RP with some writers but I also love joining in with new folks I may have not known before. I will say I am drawn to a faction where I do know someone. Sometimes its hard to break into a new group and RP because everyone else is running with their group/friends and doesn't want to take the chance. Crazy cycle

If a small faction has a great idea and a few dedicated members, it will survive. However like many said, weird cultural offshoots or certain species/clans will have a harder time.(Unless you're the Marzullos )

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

Omega Pyre I guess is the exception to the rule. However, we are exceptionally lucky to have a dedicated and very helpful group of writers who have made us a real force to be reckoned with.

But again, it was down to @[member="Cira"] gathering together a great group of people based on the idea and working with them to help it succeed. Any faction can work, even the Nerfherders of Hoth, if they have people willing to see it through.

I will say one other thing about OP, most of the members use that character as either their primary or one of their primaries. That's the most important thing to remember; alts are cheap and easy to make, but unless you have a writer willing to commit big time then you won't get as far as you might.

Hope this helps...and thanks to all the people at OP again.

 

[Darren Onyx]

Unless you are planning on becoming allies, I don't think we should actually help smaller factions. I mean you can't just help a faction only for you to attack and or threaten them later on. It just doesn't make sense. Now I do think we can add or take away some rules that help them get started but when it comes down to it, I say they have to fight in order to join. Just my opinion.

 

[Tefka]

It's already way too easy to start a faction, but that's just my opinion. The majority of the community, it seems, differs on this.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

It is way too easy...but in many ways that's preferable to the other method.

 

[Yuri Caedus]

Sorry for being a bit late on coming into the Vong conversation but i'd like to start it back up if you all wouldn't mind. Or at least put in my input towards it. The majority of smaller factions aren't going to get new people, it's just not going to happen. Especially very new people who may or may not know as much about star wars as some of the fanatics of the community. (Such as myself, so it's not a dig.) Which means that they're going to do one of two things. Join the Jedi or Join the Sith. Because it's in the movies and they know what it is, they have absolutely no clue what an Echani is or what a Yuuzhan Vong is; however, the majority of the smaller faction members are going to come from either members within the community or people who know the Star Wars universe a bit better have roleplayed on other Star Wars sites and wish to not transfer their characters.

That being said, an example of how the Vong could amass a lot of people to its side is of course utter domination. Just like the canon Vong came in an annihilated super powers of the galaxy such as the New Republic. So much of posting and writing in a roleplay like this isn't even how long your empire has been around or how long you have been around. Granted it helps, but it's not all of it. If you've been around for years and your writing is lack luster and sub-par, yet you face a brilliant writer who just came into the community a few months ago, nine-times out of ten in something as even as a space battle they're going to destroy you and dominate you. Writing is an art from the way you portray yourself to the way you portray your characters, and how you can dominate others through writing. The major thing here though is that if a Minor faction wants to get people to come into its folds it needs to make big moves across the galaxy. People want to be on the winning side of things, they want to be able to dominate other players and other characters to allow their character to reign supreme. (It's human nature, and the human condition.) Also making these big moves across the galaxy provides roleplay for people, and what to roleplayers love best? Roleplay. People of the community may be magnetized to roleplay if they see a lot of it.