I'm putting out an "all call" here to those players and DM's who've built a successful PC faction. While there is good advice to be found in general on the forums, when you don't know the questions to ask, you don't know what to look for.

So here's what I'm asking ... what specific things did you do to build your faction into a successful one? And how did you keep it from feeling like it was a job instead of fun?

I'd appreciate this advice myself, since I'm trying to get the Greycloaks back into operation.

And for me, well, sometimes asking people if they're intrested after/durring quests is often useful.

Outline factions goals, that will keep people interested. There's nothing more boring than a PC faction with no goals. Then recruit interested players to assist you with completing them. Always try and keep things moving in some kind of direction, and keep players busy!

The only "PC Faction" I've led was just a group of kobolds that ran around causing mischief in Lower, so there wasn't any forum work or anything involved, but one of the things that I think helps make it fun is to make sure everybody in the faction has a specific role to play. It doesn't have to be a unique role, but everybody should be in charge of some aspect of the faction, whether it's security, supply acquisition, entertainment, espionage, public relations, construction, or whatever else you can think of.

Try to come up with ideas for regular faction activities that don't require DM support (you'll often find DMs drop in on you anyways when you're doing these sort of things). Maybe you're a military force, so you go on training exercises at set times several times a week. Maybe your group does covert ops, so you meet regularly to pool information gathered. If you're a merchant group, meet to discuss price-fixing and how to edge out the competition. There are plenty of activities that can bring a faction together, and it's important to keep everyone feeling like they're in a faction, rather than just PCs who occasionally meet up and kind of have similar views.

You can evaluate performance on members of your faction, give them encouragement or discipline depending on what they need and what your alignment is. The main thing is to keep doing stuff together, because if you all go off separate ways, the faction tends toward disorder and dissolution.

Here's a short list of what's worked for me:

Unifying Factors

A good faction needs to have something that holds its members together. The easiest way to do this is with an ideology that pits them against established parts of Sanctuary in a way that brings gold or status to the members. Loyalty to a deity or an ideology (or both!) tend to work quite well. Upper or Lower patriots, thugs employed by Cyrus Doors to keep his inn running well, or Harpers devoted to something abstract like the greater good work well enough.

Achievable Goals

Having goals and working towards them are critical to the survival of a faction. Unachievable goals like subordinating every citizen in Sanctuary to Bane or leading an uprising of Sewer Town squatters and burning down the Spellguard Tower are great to work towards, but if you don't have smaller, more concrete ideas to work on along the way people will lose interest. Direct your Banite cultists to take positions of power in Sanctuary's government, especially on the Council, as well as taking influential posts in the Watch and Spellguard so that you'll have the necessary muscle to instill a theocratic tyranny when you're ready. On the other end of the spectrum, outright rebellion is equally difficult in the long run, but your followers can still make things difficult for the powers-that-be. Without going on a PVP rampage, you can still make life miserable for Agents and Watchmen by anything from infiltration to terrorism.

Openness and Recruitment

Recruit early and often. Have an abstract goal and methods of convincing PCs to join you in mind early, and start spreading the word as you quest and meet other PCs. This will be immensely helpful as you level together, as you'll begin to get a feel for each other's skills. If it's something that is too secret to really talk about openly, create a club or philosophical movement that will expose PCs to your ideas and let you slowly bring them into line with your vision.

I really don't recommend something that's extremely exclusive, like a group based on a specific race or alignment. If you want to thrive and attract members, it really should be a concept that will allow a wide variety of PCs to join.

Get an area where you loiter inbetween quests and make that area seem like the sweetest place ever. People being able to find you and know they can instantly be involved in some is important. Maybe uniforms are sweet as well. As a note on areas -- there's tons of abandoned property right now in Lower, and I know Montezzi is not the worst of landlords, I promise!

Be inclusive! New players, inexperianced players, what have you are way sweeter then old 'vets' with a giant ego. Make the concept inclusive. Religious cults, LG paladin half-Orc companies, CE elves of Malar Inc... Are all concepts where it is difficult to draw the requisite number of players to really rock out.

Having a cult of personality, tons of money, and a knowledge of what quests can be done is also great. There are quite a few easy safety quests that one well equipped character can drag parties on -- pretty much doing all the work alone. Anyways, maybe I will post more later. I am sure charm has a few tips too.

On relation to the LG Half-orc Paladin/CE Elf of Malar note, Sometimes racial things are weird, for example, the halfling community I tried to make, all the halflings I met were almost never of yondalla's children. So it depends.

Get a DM who likes you.

Player factions that thrive do so because a DM takes an interest in it and helping to make sure it works.

Every successful faction and character I have had, has had a DM or two that really liked the idea and helped make it fly. Typically, the trick is getting to the point where the DMs want to help you make it really take off at some point after you've already put a good amount of effort such as Scalebane and Kuo-toa Killer outlined.

Work at your goals from the very beginning. Don't just recruit people and then start focusing on your goals as this will cause the players you've already recruited to lose interest quickly.

Think of something original but also very inclusive. Mercenary companys have been created so many times, why not a merchants consortium? Guranteed to import the finest wares from all over the underdark! Having something original will entice players old and new as well as DM's for toying around with something new.

Word of mouth. Nothing is better at gaining potential members and DM attention than being the talk of the town. Run for council, become a local hero, murder a well respected PC/NPC, think of something that will rock the very foundations of Sanctuary and the great RP experiences will follow.

If people fit your faction ICly but you have worries with them OOCly than still hire them! Nothing is worse and this happens alot of EfU where IC things become different/in conflict due to OOC stuff, so much mixing happens that you are left inbetween IC and OOC. So keep it IC!

Yes AKMatt, seconded. I find that it's semi-fun to just hang with a specific group of people, but it's so much cooler with a purpose. Make some ultimate goals that are pretty huge, but some smaller, more realistic ones that you know you can realistically accomplish.

Good luck girl, and tell RIP he'd better help you out or I'll beat his arse!

To build it, Stick with it: All the major Player run factions have had a leader who has stuck with with the month to two months of in game recruiting, promoting, and pushing to make it happen. It does not happen overnight, or in a weeks time, it takes a month or two of in game action to really solidify your PC presence to the point that other characters 1) easily recognize you and 2) figure out that if they join with you, your PC will be around because over the past month or two they've interacted with you.

Everyone has made excellent points. I'd just like to add, in addition to finding people to join who will follow you, if you can, get a few that also want to lead. That is to say, find people with their own ideas and goals for the faction. This way if for any reason you can't be around, the faction should still run smoothly with someone else there to take charge of things.

Keep things fun for people in your faction by giving them things to do. You should try to give the PC's in your faction personalized projects, that can be either long term or short, but will keep them from sitting on their hands.

Often, a rank system could be the motivational thing you need. It will help people to have goals for their characters in the faction, and make sure that, as mentioned above, while you are away, the faction runs smoothly by the 2nd in command.

This will also keep the indimidating prospect of 99 acolytes and a dictator at bay.

I think keeping your faction busy and recruiting are the easy part. Being the leader of a PC faction and not having it feel like work is a completely different problem. I found it to be very intensive. Keeping all your underlings in line, making sure everyone is living up to their obligations, etc. It was hard-God-damn-work. I never figured out how to make easier.

The fringe benefits are pretty sweet, though. If you put the work in, people will be trying to get you to help them with everything. It's almost silly. The letters, PMs, and random IG interactions will land you in a thousand plots. Not to mention the sweet loot that comes with being involved in so many things.

P.S.-- Special thanks to Metro for starting conflict with the School of War. It really was great. Even if I was a little burned-out. :(

I wanted to keep it a surprise, but as soon as Montezzi and co. is gone, I will be making a long post on the intricate details on why Montezzi was successful, and what people should take home from it.

_trendymonster_ I wanted to keep it a surprise, but as soon as Montezzi and co. is gone, I will be making a long post on the intricate details on why Montezzi was successful, and what people should take home from it.

Thanks, Montezzi is a great faction RP wise, it's all ways best to learn from those who've had experiance in the matter.