Character Creation, Relations, and Factions

As we get to testing out the online system, I'm thinking about character creation more and more. A quick conversation with Z and another with B reminded me of a few things, so I figure I'll spell out some of my thoughts here.

The real question is how do we let people make the characters they want to and at the same time create a few cohesive groups? My old way would be to assign people. This is how convention games (table top and LARP) did it. Let's call this assignment. I also noticed this mechanic's usefulness in the Lurker at the Threshold expansion for Arkham Horror. I could assign people to create a character of the various clans and factions. Some might get assigned (or have the option for) a leadership role, but this would easily ensure we have a good array of factions. I could even still let people make some choices, such as ethnicity, road, or even clan. As long as there are 4 members of the Promethians, 4 Members of the Pharoi, and 4 members of the Cult of Typhon-Set.


A less great option is to just give people unrestrained choice and let the factions develop. This is more or less what we did in Toulouse, and it didn't work as well as it could have. But if the choice is truly unrestrained, it doesn't usually lead to coherent parties of characters. This is often what happens when everyone creates a character at home and then brings them to the table.

A good system is to have players suggest their own character relations, or even assign some. Discussion and self-selection gives the players the most freedom This is found in Dungeon World and Apocalypse World. Reign has a sort of this, where the PCs create a party affiliated with a company, but it isn't quite the same. This, however, relies on the PCs all chatting amongst one another, which seems impossible in an online game.

What I'm leaning towards is restricted choice. I'll suggest some specific set of factions (Ethnicity, Clan, Religion, Road, and Sect) and ask people to choose from a few of the suggested choices. There may first be a vote to see which ones are most popular, since my clan list has about 8-ish good options, though I could also do that myself and try to limit everyone to 3-4 choices in most cases.

Another option is to plant character seeds. I can give some character suggestions (possible clans, roads, sects, plus a short description) and people could choose those and grow them into a character. But unless the number of seeds is exactly the same as the characters and some faction elements are fixed, it wouldn't lead to coherent factions. But I might offer these in addition to the restricted choice, such that people have some ideas they can build off of.

For the record, I'm considering the following factions. If I was doing pure restricted choice, I'd probably have players vote on each of these categories to remove the least popular option or two, leaving 3 in most categories. Then ask players to chose to try to choose three main options.

DEMOS
There are four major ethnicities in Alexandria at the time:

• Copts. Native Egyptians. The Copts make up the lower classes but occasionally break into non-hereditary positions of authority.
• Greeks. When Alexander invaded Egypt, he left his native people behind. The Greeks ruled Egypt till Antony and Cleopatra lost their war with Caesar, but Greeks still make up the elite.
• Jews. A small but powerful group, the Jews of Alexandria have likewise been in Egypt for centuries and practice their faith since the Romans expelled them from Jerusalem and destroyed their Temple.
• Romans. The nominal rulers of the realm, the Eastern half of the Roman empire has always been run by Greeks, but many Romans still travel as soldiers, merchants, or visiting authorities.

Other populations are also quite likely, such as Berbers, Punes, Lybians, and Nubians from Africa or Syrians, Nabateans, Arabs, and Persians from Asia. Europeans might include Celts, Gauls, or Goths.

RELIGIONS
Some of the major religions of Alexandria include:

• Christians. These may include the Orthodox Christians who believe Jesus is God, and Arians who believe Jesus is was created by god. Though largely stamped out, Christian Gnostics believed that Jesus taught this material world is inherently evil but the soul can still escape the tomb of the flesh.
• Pagans. These may include traditional Greco-Roman pagans who believe the Gods are the embodiment of natural forces (and have adopted Egyprian names and customs), the Cult of Isis who believes Isis is the Queen of Heaven and all other gods are just manifestations of her, egalitarian Stoics who believe emotions cause our discomfort and suffering, or Platonists (Neoplatonits if you check Wikipedia) who believe in a single impersonal god.
• Jews, who believe they are the Chosen people.

Other religions include specific cults from Rome, Mithraism or Manichaeanism or Zoroastrianism of Persia.

SECTS
Four sects of Cainites feud in Alexandria:

• Children of Serapis. Staunch supporters of Humanity, the Osirians deny their vampiric condition. The Osirians believe humans must be protected from supernatural threats, including other Cainites. The Osirians also teach the mysteries of the Bardo, a discipline which helps maintain their humanity.
• Cult of Typhon-Set. A clan and a sect, the Followers of Set believe everyone else has been deluded, and strive to free them from captivity. Most outsiders, however, see them as corrupting everything they touch in the name of their dark god. Not all who join the sect are Setities by blood, however, and not every Setite is a member of this cult. The Followers of Typhon-Set teach Akhu, the divine magic of creation and their own Road of Typhon-Set.
• Church of the Black Magdelene. Another sect full of Setites though not completely, the Church of the Black Magdelene is a lesser Setite cult which wraps the Setite teachings in Christian Gnosticism.
• Pharoi. The beacons. Named after the Island of Pharos upon which the Lighthouse rests, these champions of Heaven strive to understand divinity and share the divine plan with everyone. The Pharoi teach their own unique Syballine Way, which allows them to glimpse the truth of heaven and lead them to Golconda.
• Prometheans. Yearning for the days of fallen Carthage, the Prometheans strive for a world wherein vampires and mortals can live in peace.

ROADS
Cainites have their own philosophies, which help them keep the beastial natures at bay.

• Heaven. The Road of Heaven teaches that there is an unseen order to the world, and a vampire finds peace when he lives in accordance with this order.
• Humanity. The Road of Humanity teaches that vampires must uphold the virtues of great men and women, including rationality, love, and courage.
• Typhon-Set. The Road of Typhon-Set teaches that the powers of this world are oppressive, and freedom comes from direct experiences of this truth.

Other roads exist, such as the Road of the Sin, the Beast or the Road of Kings. Some clans themselves teach minor paths, including the Ashuran’s path of bones, or the Lasombra’s path of night.

CLANS
Many clans still maintain strong ethnic ties. You need not obey the ethnicities listed with each clan, but most NPCs will have. The major clans of Alexandria include:

• Children of Haqim. The Vizier cast of Assamites has been in Alexandria since it was founded, so Alexandrian Assamites are known for their scholarly works more than their warrior ways.
• Brujah. Two waves of Brujah came to Alexandria. The first followed soon after Alexander the Great, while the others came from the ruins of Carthage. The Brujah are warriors and philosophers, though some internal feud divides their clan.
• Clan of Death. The Ashurans or Cappadocians are a scholarly lot obsessed with death who’s corpselike visages belie their interests. Many Ashurans would love to delve further into the secrets of Egypt, but they have only recently been able to gain any entrance into Egypt with the arrival of Greeks.
• Followers of Typhon-Set. Native copts, the followers of Typhon-Set have a reputation for corrupting anything they touch, but also follow a twisted faith in a dark god. While many of their clan are distinctly Coptic, the Alexandrian Setites have a much more Greek outlook, and use the terminology of the Greek elites.
• Malkavians. The Malkavians are touched by the gods, but have been kept out of Egypt by the Setites until the Roman conquest.
• Ravnos. While most Ravnos are wanders and thieves, the Alexandrian Ravnos entered the city shortly after Alexander himself, and are distinct from their brethren in that their usual sin is pride.
• Salubri. A rare clan of healers and demon-slayers, the Salubri often follow the Road of Heaven and founded the Pharoi sect.

Other clans include the Roman Lasombra, Nosferatu, Toreador, and Ventrue; the Greek Gangrel and Nosferatu, Persian and Nabatean Assamite Warriors and Assamite Sorcerers; Nubian Laibon; Syrian and Punic Baali, Tamil Ravnos, and Macedonian Tzimisce.