Create my 14th faction

[Commy]

I wasn't being serious...

[Ghidorah]

Suggestion (following on from Commy's idea):

Neo-Makhnovist Autonomous Confederation

“Political rights do not originate in parliaments; they are rather forced upon them from without. And even their enactment into law has for a long time been no guarantee of their security. They do not exist because they have been legally set down on a piece of paper, but only when they have become the ingrown habit of a people, and when any attempt to impair them will meet with the violent resistance of the populace” - Rudolf Rocker (that's a real quote, I'm too hopeless to write one myself)

A faction formed from a split by a confederation of militant anarcho-syndicalist labour unions, in the bloody aftermath of an attempt at brutal military crackdown on workers in general strike action. Ideologically driven by ideas of fundamental worker equality but just as importantly by the need to be free from all vestiges of the state and other heirarchies of power, and replace it with direct worker self-management in syndical trade unions. Not just drawn from drones but workers from all walks of life devoted to a new world free of statism and the oppression of ALL who seek to lead - even in the name of "the people".

Ideas (probably not at all balanced): +1 Industry from focus on industrial production
-2 Police from heavy resistance to any attempt at imposition of authority, as well as willingness and ability to organise mass wildcat strikes.
Free Perimeter Defences - represents construction of makeshift barricades, experience in street-to-street action, as well as militancy of population in defence of their homes against oppression.
-1 support - lack of heirarchy and ideological oppositon makes support of large standing armies difficult
-1 efficiency - lack of central decision-making structure

Aversion to police state (and possibly market - also I have no idea what -7 police would look like, but I don't imagine it's pretty, even if it doesn't break the game).

The idea is to be fairly builder-hybridish, using the industry for improving the homeland, but with good defensive capabilities that don't translate as well to offense. To be honest though, the bonuses/penalties I put there don't really seem to mesh well at all (I kinda made them up on the spot).
And they probably need more in the way of bonuses though...maybe a H'minee-like defensive bonus or a free former per base or something? Defensive bonus might be interesting - having guerrilla fighters who can actually hold their own in rocky or forest...but then bases might be too untouchable when combined with the free perim defence. Hopefully bad support and lack of police bonus would nullify that slightly.
I don't think an economy or planet bonus would be appropriate, really.

Anyway, just a thought.

[Chaos Theory]

Originally posted by Ghidorah
free former per base

You can't do that, anyway.

[Ghidorah]

Originally posted by Chaos Theory




You can't do that, anyway.

Bah, foiled! Is there some sort of list somewhere of all the more oddball characteristics you can give a faction?
I was thinking an interesting alternate approach to such a faction might be lots of penalties but no drones ever. Hideously hard to balance, though, and in any case progressively more underpowered for thinker level and below.

[Chaos Theory]

Go look in alphax.txt for mostly-complete descriptions of all the traits you can add.

You can accomplish dronelessness in several ways, with various tradeoffs:
Free punishment sphere in every base - no drones, no talents, reduced vulnerability to mind control (IIRC), and -50% labs.
NODRONE, 90 - no drones as a result of large cities, but drones can still arise from pacifism, bureaucracy, facilities, conquering bases, and probe activity.
TALENT, 1 - instead of starting with a citizen and receiving drones for subsequent population units, you start with a talent and receive citizens for subsequent population units. You can still suffer from bureaucracy, pacifism, etc, but it's very easy to keep drones in check.
SOCIAL, ++++++++++...++++TALENT (not sure if there's a cap on +'s) - you get X extra talents in each base, in a way similar to TALENT, 1, but not tied to base size.
SOCIAL, +++++++++++POLICE, FREEABIL, non-lethal methods (whatever the number is) - automatic +3 or higher police everywhere, with non-lethal methods as soon as it's discovered. With that sort of policing ability, drones aren't much of a problem.

[DarkCloud]

except the Catholic one, since I consider it interesting that the Vatican is the only truly true theocracy in the world.

Yes, ruling a grand total of perhaps 10,000 people in the Vatican and surrounding 6 miles

[DarkCloud]

One idea (although very weak) would be a Utopian faction...not like the Hive, but one that is very intent on keeping rural communities...your libertarian socialists, if you will...

They would be a lot like the gaians in the fact they are very freedom loving and would agree to preserving the planet...however, their main goals would be to have a socialist society where no individual has any power over others, popular vote rules everything, no central government exists...planet would just be a byproduct of their beliefs...

This faction would be hard to implement though, and would only represent a small amount of human society...

I actually think that this idea would be a good one to run with.

"Let the people chose to join the army. Let the people choose to work together. Let them retain their rights without government interference. Let the poor, the non-industrious die off or do as they will. To aid others is to shackle them to the state. Only by respecting their individuality can we allow them true freedom."
-Common Lord Damien Jacoby -The Sun Always Shines on You if the State Can't Eclipse it
Leader: Common Lord Damien Jacoby
Background: Survivalist gun-hoarder; Wilds of Montana, USA.
Technology: Doctrine: Mobility
Agenda: Preserve the individuals' rights. Free the others from the shackles of societal obligations.
Symbol/Insignia: A lone person surrounded by a circle and having rays of 'enlightenment' originating from him/herself.

+1 Probe (Loose-Lipped people don't usually last long in a 'loner-style' culture)
+2 Morale (Stalwart defenders of their outposts)
-1 Efficiency (...Replicating each others work... again and again.)
-2 Police (Individualistic people don't like oversight)
-1 Support (Not everyone wants to join the military and get killed, ya know.)
+1 Industry (Hard workers for themselves...)
Starts with free unit: Unity Speeder

If Included in a real AC game:
*They would always be at war with the Hive- their philosophical opposites.
*They would have a strong distaste for the Spartans and Free Drones.
*Cha-Dawn and Miriam are fiends.

*They would respect Morgan and Deidre to some degree.

*Neutral Relations with the University, Peacekeepers, and Pirates.

---
The only problem, of course is that it isn't planet based, yet strong on research...

[Commy]

I have to say, from the Wilds of Montana? Are you referring to the militia? Oh god, my Grandma wants to join that...

Anyway, I was thinking about it, but libertarian socialists would be to similiar to the Gaians...if I had to create such a faction, I'd give them this...

+1 planet--Simplistic Moral Order puts humans at the same level as planet...

+1 research--again, simplistic moral order has no moral oppositions to research of any kinds...

-1 police--opposition to authority and centralization...

-1 probe--culture has strong oppositions to keeping secrets, private property, open-ended culture and what not...

Tech: Social Pysch, maybe Ethical Calc...

[Commy]

Another Utopian faction I played and created was the Liberators...EXTREMELELY powerful faction that even sent the Hive running away...

+2 Growth--Philisophical beliefs of individual enlightenment (or some crap like that)

+1 industry--belief that all work is for the common good...

-2 support--extreme pacifist beliefs; against common philisophy to go to war or arm oneself...

-2 morale--ditto

Free Recreational Commons every base...

Starting Techs: Social Psych, Ethical Calculus...

Priorities: Explore, Build...

Idealogy: Eudaimonia; could not make police state or thought control choices...

I had the name of the leader as "Counselor Lewis Carson", background as a psychologist and moral philosopher...the name of the HQ was Zion...

The real problem is the -2 support, as with democracy, each unit costs 2 minerals to support, which is worse than Morgan and very difficult to deal with...

[Ghidorah]

Heh DarkCloud, that's a pretty damn nice idea too. But the philosophy there is closer to Objectivism and so kinda the complete ideological opposite to libertarian socialism....
Actually I reckon two factions like that in opposition could be kinda cool.

[DarkCloud]

But as for another faction more in line with what you desired (+Research, +Planet), how about this one:

The Geo-Scientists

“Only by shaping the world can we truly become one with it, but as we shape Planet, so too does Planet shape us. Living with nature means adapting to it and working with it.”
-Councilman Caretaker Volodymyr Pytor Godelslav, -Planetary Designs

Leader: Councilman Caretaker Volodymyr Pytor Godelslav
Background: Ukrainian Biologist/Botanist in the Crimea. He also investigated and studied the Environmental effects of the Chernobyl disaster. A major proponent of hydro-electric power, and innovator in alternatively-fueled energies for cars.
Symbol/Insignia: A hydroelectric dam.
Agenda: Innovation with respect for Planet. (Eco-Friendly innovation)
Technology: Centauri Ecology or Planet Empathy (if it’s a tech)

+2 Planet (A healthy respect for Planet)
+1 Research (Research is highly valued)
-2 Efficiency (Respect for planet while researching and building means that it takes longer to build things, and therefore, they cost more)
Buildings Cost +10% (Things cost more when environment is considered)

Free Tech: Biogenetics and Centauri Ecology/Planet Empathy

---
I think it’s balanced… if a tad on the weak side…

[DarkCloud]

Actually,you're right- I just went with straight libertarianism (american-style) rather than european-style.

-
And commy- why would a pacifistic faction be called 'the liberators'? Liberating something implies an action...

[Commy]

Liberators in thought, liberating people from oppression and what not...just look at the drones, they aren't considered an aggressive or militaristic faction, but they believe they are liberating workers from capitalist pigs...

[DJ_3TJ]

Have you seen the movie "Equilibrium"? Well, that's this faction about:

The Collective

*Insert some mind-boggling quote here*

Basically, the faction is centered around the common good; self-interest, human emotions, human relations(familiy and friends) etc. are blocked, possibly by forcing the whole population taking drugs that force this behaviour, like in the movie.

Stats
+4 efficiency: highly organised and structured social system and goverment
+1 morale: war is part of the strive towards the common goal
-1 research: less tendancy to deviate from existing protocols
+1 probe: infiltration by enemy probes more difficult by complex social protocols
Faction has no talents, social system deters any self-development of the individual
No drones generated by large cities, only by bureacracy, probe action or conquered bases(, basically the NODRONE setting), no human emotions means no personal discontent, bureacracy however hurts efficiency and hurts the common goal in the same manner)
x2 police effect, society is comfortable with any means of autority(is x2 police effect actually +1 police effect?)
Free tech: good question...

Agenda: Police state I guess...
Aversion: err...

You prolly wouldn't need any psych allocation or drone eliminating facilities with this faction in combination with police state. No GA's for this faction offsets this a bit. High efficiency is offset a bit by the -1 research.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by DJ_3TJ
Have you seen the movie "Equilibrium"? Well, that's this faction about:

The Collective

*Insert some mind-boggling quote here*

Basically, the faction is centered around the common good; self-interest, human emotions, human relations(familiy and friends) etc. are blocked, possibly by forcing the whole population taking drugs that force this behaviour, like in the movie.

Stats
+4 efficiency: highly organised and structured social system and goverment
+1 morale: war is part of the strive towards the common goal
-1 research: less tendancy to deviate from existing protocols
+1 probe: infiltration by enemy probes more difficult by complex social protocols
Faction has no talents, social system deters any self-development of the individual
No drones generated by large cities, only by bureacracy, probe action or conquered bases(, basically the NODRONE setting), no human emotions means no personal discontent, bureacracy however hurts efficiency and hurts the common goal in the same manner)
x2 police effect, society is comfortable with any means of autority(is x2 police effect actually +1 police effect?)
Free tech: good question...

Agenda: Police state I guess...
Aversion: err...

You prolly wouldn't need any psych allocation or drone eliminating facilities with this faction in combination with police state. No GA's for this faction offsets this a bit. High efficiency is offset a bit by the -1 research.

Wow this faction would be strong-- - The +4 efficiency allows you to choose police state/planned with 0 Efficiency for a while OR Demo/planned to Boom while at +4 efficiency you can FM it for a while with Labs at 100% OR popboom without problems.(depending on aversion you choose

Bottom line, if you are going for balance,I think you are grossly underestimating the incredible power of +4 efficiency. While agenda may be PS, I am thinking what the faction would look like running Demo/green/knowledge for +9 effieicncy (do effects even change that high up??) You should be able to run huge empires with little losses to innefficiency.

That said, they would be interesting to try out just to see if such a faction is as uber-powerful as I happen to think. I know that On turn one I would probably turn the sliders to 100% Labs to see how fast I can tech through my beelines