Making Good Factions (For Your Dungeon)

 Hello. Today we will be diving into yet another aspect of dungeoncraft: factions. I feel like it's pretty well known among the OSR community that your dungeon should have factions, but rarely do I hear what a faction should be aside from a group of people with matching uniforms/aesthetics. So, today I will give criteria for what I find makes a good faction. Like the last post, this can also be a fine jumping-off point for making your own dungeon from scratch, as groups of people can define a place just as well as what people say about a place.

Factions, like people, need homes. They cannot exist in a vacuum, and need a backdrop (in this case, a dungeon) for their antics. Additionally, this setting backdrop can further reinforce faction themes or give you inspiration for further factions.

For this example, I will use the basic structure of the dungeon I implied in my last post. For those who don't want to read that post: the surface is the ruins of a keep, the first level is a set of dungeons which houses now-undead prisoners, the second level is a wizard's alchemical laboratory which is nestled deep within a set of subterranean caves and tunnels, and the third level is a set of overgrown catacombs which is the final resting place for an ancient wizard and their familiars.

With the setting established, let us begin.

Art by Konstantin Vavilov

Before we get to the specifics, I feel that it is important to define what makes a good faction. I believe a good faction is comprised of three specific things:

• An aesthetic. Be general so you can have some wiggle-room to make unique faction members, but be sure to be weird enough to have them stick in the player's heads. For instance, a group of roving skeleton guards is a workable aesthetic, but it becomes much more memorable if they have cast-iron helmets that look like fish heads. This is all to say, blend general and specific elements to get a unique result players will remember.
• A hierarchy of power. Factions are made of people, and people have varying amounts of influence. Defining a leader or two, their relation to their grunts, and how they hold power above their grunts is often enough to cement a leader. Although, you can get bonus points if you bend the faction's aesthetic in a unique way so they stand out among the crowd. Additionally, when people gain power, they begin to form goals of their own beyond the rest of the group. Giving a leader ulterior motives or other goals that the rest of the faction is not interested in/does not know about/must be kept a secret can lead to more intrigue.
• A goal. Something to ground them in the location (in our case, the dungeon) they are meddling with. Again, I feel as if having factions/NPCs with goals is often talked about in the OSR, but rarely with good examples given. Since a goal defines a faction's actions and reasons for staying in the dungeon, I will go to extra lengths to define good goals. They are:
• Not a means to an end. As vague as this sounds, it is important, because it is quite common to put "power" or "wealth" as a faction's goal in many adventures/dungeons. "Power" or "wealth" is not a goal, they are instead means to achieve a goal. Instead of just stating these means as a goal in and of themselves, we must step into the shoes of our faction we're making and get a little strange.
  
• Proactive. Reactive goals (like "guard the vault", etc) give you very little wiggle-room for intrigue and interest. For example, a reactive goal would be for a group of elves to "guard the forest" This gives them little action to do aside from sitting around and maybe picking off the occasional outsider. If you want to make this a proactive goal, first ask yourself if the elves want to achieve their protection of the forest destructively or constructively. For instance, a destructive (yet proactive) goal would be to "kill all non-elves in the nearby industrial city of Littleplume". Meanwhile, a constructive goal would be to "build a great wall around the forest," Both of these more proactive goals give the elves specific outlets to achieve their goals, and are more unique than to simply "acquire power/wealth" You can essentially roll up means with an end to create a more dynamic goal for a faction.
• Self-serving. There are rarely completely morally good/bad goals in factions. Do not be afraid to have factions with conflicting goals. If two factions have the same goal, consider rolling them into one faction for simplification.

While this sounds quite complicated, on paper it can be distilled into a few short snippets for each faction. When making your own factions and relationship maps, remember that you can always go over it again and use these bullets like a checklist, reworking the base idea that you had until it satisfies you.

Now, I want to take you through a process I'm using to generate my own factions and the relationships they have with each other/the environment. Remember, the basic setting I'm using is a dungeon. The surface is a ruined keep. The first level is a prison filled with undead, the second is an alchemical lab in a cave, the third is a set of catacombs that serve as the resting place for a mage and their familiars. 

I first begin ruining a blank piece of paper with the central setting, the dungeon. I split this into levels because factions can have relationships to (or goals towards) different environments, as well as each other. In the case of dungeons, I like to think of each level as a house for a family, and each level is an uncomfortable neighbor with each other. 

Next, I list out the main body of the factions, or the grunts, just sticking to a general concept, name, and look. I then like to go down the bullet points like a checklist, first making sure that each faction has an aesthetic before leaders or concrete goals. I also list the reasons why these factions currently dwell in these areas of the dungeon. This may or may not be necessary to (for instance, if it's a more beastly faction, it may be harder to say the purpose they live there aside from "it's their habitat), but I find that it can be useful to elaborate on the faction's relationship with the environment.

After this, I tackle the next item on the checklist, the faction leaders/notables. For these, I just try to add what the grunts of the faction would logically have as a leader. For instance, guards without a noble to oversee them would be strange. Wizardly pets without an owner would also be strange. Etc. I also attempt to bend the faction's aesthetic by either amplifying it or altering it (but not altering it to be unrecognizable) so when players see these notables, they can safely assume that they belong to their respective factions and are people of importance. Additionally, I add more relationships between the grunts and their leaders, along with leaders and other leaders that I can think of at the moment. If you cannot come up with relationships between different leaders, think about how you would respond to said leader given the circumstances. For instance, if I was Veroy the Green I'd feel uncomfortable with Sir Nic the Bold burying himself in my set of catacombs, and would have a negative relationship with him.

Once this is done, we get to the last main part of the factioncraft, the goals. Here, I give each main faction its own real-estate on the page. Then I will give each faction a general goal or two, and later I will give leaders their own motivations in the dungeon rooms. Feel free to get more specific during this part of the process, as now you should have somewhat of an idea of what each faction gen

Step 5 is optional, but I like it. Basically, just add some short complicating factions. These complicating factions are largely just grunts, and occupy a smaller area than main factions. Don't feel the need to give them some grand ambitions like the other factions. You can essentially treat these as bands of rival adventurers that may live inside of the dungeon and making life a mess for the rest of the inhabitants.

And that concludes this post. Compared to the last post, I think that it would likely be harder to use this method of mapping factions as a direct way to make a dungeon. The gears turn much easier if you have a very broad idea of what you want, and you can start with some really bold and interesting foundations if you use the rumor generation method of dungeon ideation. I think I find having a set number of principles to stick to when making a faction is the most useful, as compared to the overall mapping of the factions and their relations. This dungeon project is still undergoing massive amounts of work, so don't take anything you've seen here as something you will see in the final draft. I hope you found this helpful!

Making Good Rumors (And Later, Dungeons)

Long time, no see. I have been quite busy with life, so I apologize with the 2 year hiatus. I have recently been working on building a dungeon zine project and I have found it to be extraordinarily difficult to actually begin work on a dungeon and know if the concept is any good. I have tried a few methods and each time I find my ideas to be faulty in some way further down the line, or I lose faith in the concept because of a few messy details.

Not to get psychological, but I think this is because I struggle when participating in activities without much structure, like dungeon building. I personally like to make checklists for myself when I lack structure, although I have found that the art of dungeoncraft cannot really be put elegantly into a checklist.

So, I had to get unconventional. Instead of starting dungeons from some nebulous history, why not begin to generate ideas for dungeons by rumor tables, killing two birds with one stone. Basically, with each prompt/entry on the rumor table, a new concept of the dungeon is introduced. This way, with each rumor, the dungeon develops its own character and themes.

Of course, rumors need homes. Before starting the table below, be sure to have a dungeon entrance in mind, something that could reasonably breach the surface into the mythic underworld where all dungeons exist. The surface location could be anything, from a cave entrance to a ruined keep to a ruined spacecraft.

Art by Konstantin Vavilov

Before we get to the prompts to generate a dungeon, I feel that it is important to discuss what makes a good rumor. To me, good rumors are:

* Short and snappy (do not write paragraphs. Nobody speaks in paragraphs. Keep it to a single sentence and save the explanations for the GM if it is necessary, not the players)

* Able to pique player interest (typically by playing into their motivations, such as presenting an opportunity for treasure, knowledge, glory, secrets, a kickass vorpal sword, etc.)

* Strange and speculative (They change the image that the players initially had of the dungeon by introducing a weird concept. For example, "The prison used to hold criminals" is not a rumor, it states the obvious. "The prison used to hold animals who committed criminal offenses" is a rumor, because it fundamentally changes how the players view the dungeon by adding the concept of animals possibly living in the dungeon (even if this rumor is proven to be false, it will change the way they approach the dungeon))

Now, onto the table of rumor prompts:

1. A true rumor about what else lies below the surface of the entrance structure. Be general, give yourself some room to breathe. This is meant to add spatial complexity to a dungeon. For instance, a dungeon is boring if it is just a large set of caves with one theme, but caves with a secret lab as the 2nd level is cool.

2. A partially true rumor about another area that lies below the entrance structure. This is here to add more layers of complexity while giving yourself even more wiggle room. If you feel like adding more major locales to your dungeon, repeat these two prompts to your heart's content.

3. A true fact about the history of the dungeon below. Every dungeon has a history, even if that history is somewhat odd and disjointed as a result of being generated from a rumor table. It is a magical underground complex, go wild! Just remember not to ramble with your history, keeping it to one sentence.

4. A partially true fact about the history of the dungeon below. Adding more history, more wiggle room.

5. A true fact about what is currently going on in the dungeon. This is different from history, since the rumormongers may have to deal with these current events which are somehow related to the dungeon. This prompt is here to add a sense of livelihood to the dungeon. A set of ruins with just history feels like you are walking through something cool that you weren't there for, which often isn't much fun for players.

6. A partially true fact about what is currently going on in the dungeon. You know the drill.

7. A blatantly false and somewhat ridiculous sounding rumor. Now that you have a general idea of what is going on in the dungeon, it is time for you to have more fun. People like to lie and tell tall tales, and the players will joke about the fool who unironically told them this story, assuming they don't fall for it.

8. Roll 1d6. A (1: true, 2-3: partially true, 4-6: false) rumor about a specific treasure in the dungeon. All dungeons worth their salt have some legendary treasure. Whether it is Excalibur or a giant floating eyeball companion, the only rule here is that it should be cool and not mundane. Nobody is going to care that a +1 sword is in the dungeon, latch onto something that the players will immediately think of ways to use and abuse.

9. Roll 1d6. A (1: true, 2-3: partially true, 4-6: false) rumor about some of the flora/fauna in the dungeon. This could be useful for introducing possible recurring environmental hazards, which dungeons should have!

10. Roll 1d6. A (1: true, 2-3: partially true, 4-6: false) rumor about an NPC in the dungeon. This is a little strange, as you must be wise with who this NPC is. The average rumormonger will not know that "A giant beholder will offer you court if you present it a hearty meal", but maybe an adventurer would (and maybe they would like a favor for telling the rumor)

Before we get to an example I am using for my dungeon zine project, and before you get to writing your own tables, I find it important to know how to use these rumors for good setting building. After each rumor you should state in parentheses whether that rumor is true, false, or partially true for GM clarity. In these parentheses, you should explain what that rumor introduces to the dungeon. I find it useful to use improv guidelines as tools for riffing off these dungeon prompts. Simply put:

* If the rumor is true, say "yes, and..."

* If the rumor is partially true, say "yes, but..."

* If the rumor is false, say "no, but..."

With these principles in mind, here is the concept for the dungeon which will be in my zine:

Surface location: A ruined keep atop a flowery hill. Peaceful.

1. "A winding series of overgrown catacombs, filled with long lost treasure, lies beneath the ruined keep." (True. There are catacombs for a wizard and their followers, along with a grand tomb for the wizard's familiars)

2. "A wizard has constructed a lab in the dungeon, researching a powerful spell to take over the world!" (Partially true. There is a lab and a wizard, but he is researching methods to make an undead wife (with disastrous results))

3. "The dungeon used to hold the Punch Brothers, a gang that would rob the rich while disguised as jesters and bards." (True. The Punch Brothers used to be held here and their skeletons can still be found around the dungeon, sometimes animating to rob from treasure hunters!)

4. "The God of bees and nature used to live with his followers on the hill the dungeon was built on." (Partially true. The being living up there specialized in controlling nature and overgrowth, but it was a wizard and his followers that lived up there, not a God.)

5. "Newtling thieves have been spotted taking our art and retreating back to the dungeon!" (True. Newtlings are taking the surrounding villages beautiful works of art and putting it up in their caves to appease their Newtling God)

6. "Revolutionary bandits have been flocking to the dungeon because the outlaw Yaakov Yellowbones has returned from the dead!" (Partially true. Bandits are grouping up at the dungeon, but it is not because Yaakov is alive, rather an impersonator has very convincingly taken up the role of Yaakov)

7. "The dungeon is filled with mischievous cats and stalwart dogs who are in an eternal war lasting generations," (Blatantly false. There are no armies of cats and dogs, although there is a loose cat familiar called Magpie who steals from various dungeon inhabitants)

8. "A sword made of blackened bone, capable of raising an army of undead, is waiting to be wielded by the next adventurer who delves into the dungeon" (Rolled a 5, so this is false. The sword does not exist, however certain peculiar bones of blessed undead in the dungeon hold powers similar to this legendary sword.)

9. "Bring a pig with you, they will be able to scare off the many strange alchemical oozes in the dungeon and sniff out secret passages!" (Rolled a 6, so this is false. Pigs will not be able to scare off anything in the dungeon, however they may have a keen nose for several secret locations.)

10. "A garden-drake lives in the dungeon, and you can gain its friendship with exotic food (Rolled a 3, so this is partially true. The garden-drake is in the dungeon and is friendly, but it is not looking for food and will be offended if you bring it meat)

Additionally, there are some extra optional rules you can add to this procedure for generating a dungeon if you want more content outside of the dungeon. Namely, every rumor is reflective of the person or faction who is spouting that rumor. Inside each set of parentheses, include the name of the person or faction who is telling the party these rumors and what connection they have to the dungeon that is related to this rumor. This can be especially useful if you want to add some extra definition to a town close to the dungeon, and turn it from simply a place to restock to a place with factions that interact with the dungeon and may aid/harm the players with their interaction. For instance:

* "Revolutionary bandits have been flocking to the dungeon because the outlaw Yaakov Yellowbones has returned from the dead!" (Partially true. Bandits are grouping up at the dungeon, but it is not because Yaakov is alive, rather an impersonator has very convincingly taken up the role of Yaakov. Told by imperial soldiers, who are under orders to wait for reinforcements and storm the dungeon to capture any bandits and remaining prisoners)

* "A sword made of blackened bone, capable of raising an army of undead, is waiting to be wielded by the next adventurer who delves into the dungeon" (Rolled a 5, so this is false. The sword does not exist, however certain peculiar bones of blessed undead in the dungeon hold powers similar to this legendary sword. Told by twin necromancer adventurers, each controlling a rivalling adventuring party, looking for these necromantic spoils)

* "Bring a pig with you, they will be able to scare off the many strange alchemical oozes in the dungeon and sniff out secret passages!" (Rolled a 6, so this is false. Pigs will not be able to scare off anything in the dungeon, however they may have a keen nose for several secret locations. Told by Squaggus Blemishly, a town merchant who has recently set up shop outside the dungeon and is looking to nickel and dime adventurers)

The only caveat to this extra rule is that it may not work with some of the more general rumors, namely rumors 1 and 2, since these are made just to establish further structural complexity to the dungeon. The most plausible source of these more general rumors would be peasants and mouthy villagers who have not had any real personal experience with the dungeon. Additionally, this optional rule works best when you have a specific faction or NPC with some power telling them. For instance, the PCs will not see Richard Saint Jenkins, the town drunkard, as a potential player in the dungeon since he is a lone man without much power. However, if Richard Saint Jenkins makes it very obvious that he has either numbers (for instance, Richard is a member of the Littledale Keggers, a gang of town drunks who plan to storm to dungeon to get coveted Dungeon Ale) or power (Richard is a known business mogul, heavily investing in research into the dungeon for strange reasons) then this gives the PCs more to consider about Richard Saint Jenkins interest in the dungeon, and perhaps even give them more outlets to negotiate with this NPC for aid (or fail at negotiations and make a new enemy!) These rumors can also work well to establish rival adventuring parties and add more current events happening within the dungeon, transforming the dungeon from a series of dusty tunnels to a sandbox full of gunpowder, waiting to explode into factional chaos with player interaction.

And that concludes this post. I find that this method works for me because it is easier to a slightly disjointed list of exciting stuff that the players may enjoy rather than starting from a vague history and going from there. Of course, this is just a jumping-off point to make something bigger and more complex, a guide to get initial ideas before dungeon ecology, mapping, and etc. I hope you find this helpful!