Why start a faction?
Factions have a number of helpful uses, mostly involving organization and sharing. Factions have member lists, which allow players to easily find other like-minded characters to travel and interact with. Faction messages are helpful for organization. Funds can be shared among all members, for the purchase of equipment, supplies, and properties. Shops can be shared, to bring profits to the faction. Fixtures can be shared for easier management.
Getting Started
How to create a faction
- Enter "-factions" in chat
- Enter the name of your faction in chat
- Select "Create new faction"
Adding a Member
- Open the -factions menu and select the appropriate faction
- Enter the name of the character to be added, in chat
- Select the "Add Member" option
- Open the -factions menu and select the appropriate faction
- Enter the name of the rank to be added, in chat
- Select the "Create Rank" option
- Open the -factions menu and select the appropriate faction
- Select the "View Members" option
- Select the name of the Member to be altered
- Select the "Change Rank" option
- Select the appropriate rank from the list
Foremost in the mind of the creator of any faction should be the question of why. It will be much easier to decide who should be in the faction and what privileges they should have, if you've decided on a purpose.
What you can do with a faction:
- Track Members with the Member List
- Create a Command/Organizational Structure with Ranks
- Post OOC Messages to Schedule Meetings and Events
- Share Communal Funds through Faction Bank Accounts
- Share Shop Access
- Attach a Shop to a Faction
- Share Fixture Control
- Pay Salaries
- Collect Dues
Permissions can be given to each faction member, individually, but the easiest way to define permissions is by assigning them to ranks, and then assigning the appropriate rank to each member. The reasons for this are because each time a character leaves the faction and rejoins, permissions must be added again, while rank permissions are persistent, and it is very likely that multiple members will need the same set of permissions.
Editing Permissions
- Open the -factions menu and select the appropriate faction
- Select the "View Ranks" or "View Members" option
- Select the rank or member to be altered
- Select the "Set Powers" option
Track Members
Faction Owners can automatically see a full listing of current members, however all other members will need permission to see the list. The faction Owner must decide whether or not it is best for members to be able to view all available ranks.
- Under "Faction Management Powers", select the 'View Members' and/or 'View Ranks' options.
It may be a helpful to give other faction members permission to recruit. Organization is much easier if recruiters are also able to see rank powers, so that they can assign the appropriate rank.
- Under "Faction Management Powers", select the 'Recruit', 'Change character's rank', and/or 'View rank powers' options.
Factions Messages are very useful for organizing events, meetings, and outtings. When there are active messages in a faction, all members will be notified via the in game console. The Owner may wish to restrict permissions to add and remove messages, to reduce clutter and avoid removal of important information.
- Under "OOC Message Powers", select the 'View Messages', 'Create Messages', and/or 'Remove Messages' options.
Anyone can give money to any faction at will, via bank transfer. However, faction members will need permission to view their faction account's balance or withdraw funds. Faction members can also access the faction bank account via any Arelithian bank, and deposit funds directly.
- Under "Bank Powers", select the 'Check Balance' and/or 'Withdrawal' options.
By attaching a shop to a faction and assigning the appropriate permissions within said faction, members can be allowed to add and remove items from the shop, as well as altering prices. Permissions should be given with great care and forethought, as they may allow members to take items which belong to others. All profits from the sale of any item in the shop will go to the owner of the shop, unless the shop is set to give all or a percentage of the profits to the faction. Those options can be found by the owner of the shop, via the shop sign. The faction permissions are as follows.
- Under "Shop Powers", select the 'See Shop Owned By Faction', 'Place Item in Shop', and/or 'Remove Item from Shop' options.
Any Fixture can be attached to a faction by adding the {faction name} tag to the end of its name. Brackets [ ] are used for character names, while braces { } are used for factions. Fixture control can allow faction members to rename and redescribe any fixture with an appropriate faction tag, or remove messages from any message board with an appropriate faction tag. Care should be taken in giving the latter permission, as it can result in the unwanted removal of important messages.
- Under "Fixture Powers", select the 'Rename/Redescribe Fixtures' and/or 'Remove Messages from Message Boards' options.
Salaries are handled by character and not by broad rank. The chosen salary is paid in gold pieces, once per IG month. A total of all salaries can be found under the View Members menu, while individual salaries are found in parentheses, in gold text, following the names of each faction member.
- Under the main faction menu, select the "View Members" option.
- Select the member to be altered
- Enter the IG monthly salary to be paid, in gold pieces, in chat (enter 0 to reset)
- Select the 'Set Salary' option
Dues are handled by each individual character, and deposited directly into the faction account, once per IG month. A total of all dues can be found under the View Members menu, while individual dues are found in parentheses, in white text, following the names of each faction member. Dues cannot be forced by a faction, however, members who fail to pay their dues may be demoted or removed from the faction as punishment.
To pay a due to a faction, of which you are a member:
- Open the -factions menu and select the appropriate faction
- Select the "View Members" option
- Select the name of your character from the list
- Enter the IG monthly due you wish to pay, in gold pieces, in chat (enter 0 to reset)
- Select the 'Speak the due you wish to pay' option.