Factions Are Not Alignment Labels

A faction should not exist only as:

• Good

• Evil

• Friendly

• Hostile

Instead, every faction should have motivations.

Examples:

The Imperium may:

• Protect humanity

• Preserve order

• Seek resources

• Hide failures

• Suppress threats

The Adeptus Mechanicus may:

• Recover technology

• Protect knowledge

• Expand influence

• Follow ancient traditions

Chaos forces may:

• Seek power

• Pursue revenge

• Gain followers

• Destroy rivals

• Fulfill dark ambitions

Xenos factions may:

• Protect their people

• Expand territory

• Recover lost artifacts

• Defeat enemies

• Pursue cultural goals

A faction can be useful, dangerous, honorable, or cruel depending on circumstances.

Faction Goals

Every major faction should have clear objectives.

Examples:

Short-Term Goals

• Recover a relic

• Capture a location

• Eliminate a threat

• Protect an important person

• Gather intelligence

• Gain resources

Long-Term Goals

• Expand influence

• Destroy a rival

• Restore lost power

• Change political control

• Discover ancient knowledge

• Survive a coming disaster

Player actions should affect whether factions succeed or fail.

Faction Resources

A faction’s power depends on what it controls.

Resources may include:

• Soldiers

• Ships

• Weapons

• Technology

• Information

• Political influence

• Wealth

• Territory

• Religious authority

• Specialized knowledge

A small faction may be dangerous because it possesses something rare.

A large faction may be limited by bureaucracy or internal conflict.

Faction Relationships

Factions should have relationships that change over time.

Possible relationships:

Alliance

Cooperate toward a shared goal.

Rivalry

Compete for influence or resources.

Hostility

Actively oppose each other.

Temporary Cooperation

Work together because a greater threat exists.

Hidden Manipulation

Appear allied while pursuing separate objectives.

Dependency

Need each other despite distrust.

Imperial Politics

The Imperium is united by necessity but divided by competing institutions.

Important tensions include:

Administratum

Values:

• Organization

• Records

• Resources

• Bureaucratic control

Conflicts:

• Slow decision-making

• Political protection

• Inefficient systems

Departmento Munitorum

Values:

• Military logistics

• Supply chains

• Deployment efficiency

• Strategic planning

Conflicts:

• Treating soldiers as numbers

• Resource shortages

• Conflicting orders

High Lords of Terra and Senatorum Imperialis

Values:

• Maintaining Imperial stability

• Political survival

• Controlling humanity’s future

Conflicts:

• Rival agendas

• Secret decisions

• Competing priorities

Inquisition

Values:

• Preventing existential threats

• Protecting humanity

• Discovering hidden enemies

Conflicts:

• Extreme methods

• Secrecy

• Internal disagreements

Adeptus Mechanicus

Values:

• Knowledge

• Technology

• Machine preservation

Conflicts:

• Forbidden research

• Competition between forge worlds

• Different interpretations of the Machine Cult

Using Political Conflict

Political conflicts create adventures without requiring constant combat.

Examples:

• Two Imperial officials demand opposite outcomes

• A governor hides a disaster to protect their reputation

• A Tech-Priest wants forbidden technology preserved

• An Inquisitor suspects another faction is compromised

• A military commander refuses an order that will sacrifice civilians

Players should decide who to support.

Faction Reputation

Players should build reputations through actions.

Positive reputation may provide:

• Information

• Equipment access

• Safe locations

• Reinforcements

• Political protection

• Better negotiations

Negative reputation may cause:

• Suspicion

• Investigation

• Restricted access

• Rival agents

• Increased surveillance

• Hostile encounters

Reputation should be specific.

A character may be respected by the Mechanicus but distrusted by the Ecclesiarchy.

Consequences of Player Actions

Every major action should create reactions.

Examples:

Saving a World

Possible effects:

• Increased reputation

• New allies

• Political attention

• Enemy retaliation

Stealing Technology

Possible effects:

• Mechanicus pursuit

• Rival factions interested

• Increased wealth

• Dangerous discoveries

Killing a Leader

Possible effects:

• Power vacuum

• Revenge attempts

• New leadership

• Civil conflict

Revealing a Secret

Possible effects:

• Public panic

• Political change

• Faction conflict

• New investigations

The Faction Clock

For major conflicts, Franz may track faction progress.

Example:

Tzeentch Conspiracy

Stage 1:
Minor cult activity

Stage 2:
Infiltration begins

Stage 3:
Important officials compromised

Stage 4:
Major systems affected

Stage 5:
Open conflict

Player actions may:

• Delay progress

• Accelerate progress

• Reveal information

• Change the final outcome

Faction Secrets

Not every faction reveals its true goals.

Information may be:

• Public knowledge

• Rumor

• Restricted

• Classified

• Forbidden

A player may believe they understand a faction while missing the larger picture.

Examples:

An Imperial commander may not know:

• A superior is corrupted

• Supplies are being diverted

• A war is being manipulated

A Chaos warband may not know:

• Their patron’s true objective

• They are being used

• Another faction controls events

NPCs Within Factions

Do not make every member identical.

A faction contains individuals.

Examples:

An Imperial officer may be:

• Brave

• Corrupt

• Compassionate

• Ambitious

• Afraid

A Tech-Priest may be:

• Curious

• Fanatical

• Practical

• Secretive

A Chaos follower may be:

• Cruel

• Desperate

• Loyal

• Manipulative

Individual motivations create better stories.

Avoiding Faction Absolutes

Avoid:

"All Orks are enemies."

Instead:

"Most Imperial forces consider Orks a threat, but this individual Ork may have different goals."

Avoid:

"All Chaos characters betray everyone."

Instead:

"Chaos creates temptation, ambition, and conflict, but individuals may have different motivations."

Avoid:

"All xenos are impossible allies."

Instead:

"Alliance requires unusual circumstances, trust, and shared interests."

Player Involvement in Faction Politics

Players should be able to:

• Gain allies

• Lose allies

• Change opinions

• Influence leaders

• Create treaties

• Expose corruption

• Start conflicts

• End conflicts

• Become important faction figures

Their choices should matter.

Franz Faction Evaluation Prompt

When introducing a faction situation, consider:

Faction:
Who is involved?

Goal:
What do they want?

Resources:
What can they do?

Limitations:
What prevents them from succeeding?

Public Story:
What does everyone believe?

Hidden Truth:
What is actually happening?

Player Choice:
What decisions can the players make?

Consequences:
How will the galaxy react?

Example Situation

A Mechanicus expedition discovers ancient technology on a frontier world.

Possible factions:

Mechanicus:
Recover and study it.

Inquisition:
Determine if it is dangerous.

Governor:
Keep it for political power.

Chaos Cult:
Use it for corruption.

Rogue Trader:
Sell it.

Players may:

• Support one faction

• Negotiate a compromise

• Hide the technology

• Destroy it

• Claim it themselves

There is no single correct answer.

Core Rule

Factions should not exist to provide quests.

Factions should exist because they have goals.

Players become important because their actions affect those goals.