Faction Design: Empire Loyalists

1702728 - Jordan Cordina

(Group 1 for Brief 3)

Brief three's storyworld is available here.

Empire Loyalists
A faction opposing the new settlement consisting of members of the very Empire the town's residents sought to escape.

Despite the vast majority of citizens wishing to escape all manners of the oppressive empire's rule, some of those that settled here - relatives, partners or extended family of those truly embracing change - may once again wish for a number of the old empire's ways to be imposed upon the town. Indeed, as the vast majority of townsfolk believe in the founding Guru's teachings, those initially expressing Loyalist views would be ostracised.

Whilst Loyalists would be in the minority and wouldn't constitute a true "faction", they would certainly be an antagonistic group that affects the course of the average game - acting as the remnants of the old society's ideas.

Gameplay Implications
Empire Loyalists do not cause issues in the town's first three months whilst change is being enacted and people are settling into the new system. However, after the third month random events involving empire loyalists may begin. Triggered by settler unrest, these events would initially begin as rumours of dissatisfaction and reports of settlers holding secretive meetings. As settler unrest increases - caused by certain negative policies being enacted or certain events being triggered - Loyalist events making life difficult for the mayor and the other players will be made a little more common.

Examples of events are:
 * Mysterious "Illness" - A number of people around the settlement all seem to fall ill on the same day of each week this month
 * Effect: All trades the next two rounds are made are more costly as a result of the shortage due to the impact on the settlement's stockpile. However, this can be influenced by certain players volunteering to work exhaustive labour, exhausting their character but replenishing their chosen work station's resource levels.


 * Rumours of discontent - The mayor hears word that a group within the community heavily dislike either moves they have made or the consequences of the system put in place.
 * Effect: No immeditate effect, but can be triggered when discontent is impacted on by the mayor or the system itself. The mayor at the time may be prompted to rewite the law, abdicate, address the people or ignore the warning. Any of these outcomes have appropriately scaled in-game implications.


 * Loyalist Protest - Members of the settlement still loyal to the Empire stage a protest in an attempt to convert others to their cause and demand change in the settlement.
 * Effect: Unrest increases, and the Mayor's actions affect the outcome. If the protest is ordered to dissolute, there is a chance they may dissolute or refuse and cause more unrest. If some change is implemented unrest decreases and the chance of other Loyalist events decreases. If they are ignored, unrest within the populous for the disruption may increase or some Loyalists may even start violence. The outcome of this may result in effects ranging from labour shortage to prompting a town-wide protest causing the mayor to abdicate and the laws of the town to be re-cast.

If discontent within the Empire Loyalist faction reaches too high a point, members may start riots causing unrest, leave the town and take their relatives with them causing a labour shortage, or contact the empire and aid their agents settle in the town to cause further unrest.