While there's already a thread for what AP should be up for 2015, I'd like to see some additions to the ROTRL and Skull and Shackles sets. I'll have another post regarding non-Adventure decks. But I'd like to toss out the idea of Faction Cards.
These would work similarly to the race/class/faction cards in the various editions of Munchkin. A Faction card, once acquired, would not go in your deck. It would be an "extra" card, akin to the Character card, outside of the deck.
I used the under appreciated Pathfinder Faction Guide as I was developing this concept. The class limitations are from the Good Class Choices listed. Not all of them would work, but there are two dozen factions in that Guide, plus others throughout various publications, like the Knights of Ozem.
Here are two sample Faction cards. My graphics skills are limited, obviously. They are clearer if you zoom out.
WHAT DOES A FACTION DO?
Each faction offers some bonus to characters.
WHO CAN BE IN A FACTION?
While the Pathfinder Society is open to all classes, other factions are limited, as defined on the Faction Card. Some factions could be made race specific as well (The Lantern Bearers, The Ninth Batallion, etc), though this may be too limiting.
DOES A FACTION CARD GO IN MY DECK?
Nope. It's an extra card, not part of your deck count. Just put it next to your Character card and don't forget to use its powers!
WHAT IF I GET A FACTION I CAN'T JOIN?
I went with banishing it to the box. You could hold it and give to another character between games ('Hey, I've got this friend that would be great for your group. I'll introduce you). But I just like the idea it's a neat opportunity that a character may or may not be able to take advantage of.
CAN I BE A PATHFINDER KNIGHT OF ANDORAN GREEN FAITHER?
No. Just one faction per character. More than one seems like overpowering things. If you acquire a new faction card that you like more than your existing faction, you would banish the current faction to the box and keep the new one.
HOW DO YOU ACQUIRE A FACTION CARD?
This is the most wide open part of the concept. There are many options, with the overall philosophy of "Do we want many faction cards in play, or should they be rare, like Loot?" driving method selection. There are three I'm comfortable with so far:
Blessing Deck - Either replace one of the 30 Blessings with a Faction Card: or add one Faction to the 30 Blessings. If a character turns the Faction Card over, they can attempt to acquire it. It does (if you replaced a card) or does not (if you added it to the 30) count as a turn. Up to you in the setup.
Replace a Boon Card in your Location Decks - I pool the required number of cards for each type then spread them out according to the Scenario Card. Using that method, I could randomly add one (or more..) factions into the card pool, replacing an Ally, a Blessing, a Weapon, etc).
Blessings Wild - Add all your Faction Cards into the Blessings in the box. Shuffle. You might get factions in your 30 card Blessings deck, you might get factions in your Location decks, or you may get none at all in a game.
And...A fourth option is to allow a character a Faction Card as a reward. Either choose one, or randomly pick three from the box, then choose to keep one of those three. Return the other two to the box.
COMMENTS PLEASE
Any suggestions to the concept? I also have a few factions with just one power instead of two. Sorta like deciding between a low magic or high magic game. I just wanted to get a little more out of the various Factions when I presented this idea. You could also have the second power be a check box to be acquired later, like on the Character Card.
BTW, there is a Shackles Pirates faction in the Guide, so that could probably be incorporated into Skull and Shackles as an "Any" classification, like the Pathfinder Society. Anyone can use that faction card in that game.
I just played another game of Munchkin (Base Set and first expansion) at lunch: that is one fun game when you have at least three players. I really like what race, faction and class cards bring to the game. Gender can also come into play, though there's not a card just for that.
Any thoughts from anybody on this proposal? Even comments on why it's a terrible idea? I truly would like to hear feedback.
By the way, your link doesn't have a file type. I guessed it was a PDF based on its size, and had to manually add the extension for it to work.
I'm not sure about acquiring the faction as if it were a boon. It seems to me that a Faction would be more closely related to a Role; similarly, I think it would make more sense to have to earn it rather than just stumble upon it randomly. Otherwise, I like the concept (though I do think your example factions would be extremely over-powered).
A thought did occur to me while reading/responding: This could be an expansion on its own, with stand-alone adventures for joining each faction (a trial as a prerequisite to membership) and faction-specific locations, adventures (see below), allies, weapons, loot, etc. The Faction card could have its own feats you could earn through additional adventures/trials.
As for how you earn the right to take the test, the concept of an adventure hook comes to mind. During the course of your adventuring, you could encounter a barrier, ally, item, etc related to a particular faction; that card would somehow allow you to take on the adventure mentioned above (usually defeat or acquire the card, though it could have more elaborate details and requirements).
The Adventure Hook idea could even be applied to the game as a whole. Seed the cards into their appropriate spots in the box, then after any scenario in which one or more hooks are discovered, the group picks one to attempt (could be at a later time) and discards the rest. That group would then have a single shot a side quest (if they fail, they must re-acquire the hook card before attempting it again).
By the way, your link doesn't have a file type. I guessed it was a PDF based on its size, and had to manually add the extension for it to work.
Well, shoot. Fixed. Thanks.
Corrected link to sample cards
The .pdf extension got dropped off the file. My bad. This link automatically loads the page.
The initial link still works, buy you have to know to use a pdf reader to open it. Bah.
@Flat
By limiting the Faction to specific classes, I kinda see them as being limited to certain roles. Though that could be stricter, I guess.
I forgot to list getting a Faction as a reward (like Loot). I came up with the Faction as a reward in my own Saving Darkmoon Vale Adventure.
Earning the card through completing an adventure is neat (though expansion decks are going to break my budget..). Tailoring the theme to that faction is a really cool concept that can bring some versimilitude into the themed Base set.
Question: if a Faction Adventure is specific to a faction, is the rest of the group losing out by doing this side trek that will only benefit one character?
I guess you could minimize that by having mulitiple copies of faction cards and any eligible class could "win" the faction. I've only used one of each, similar to only one of each class in the game. Or is it just viewed as another adventure to help a party member (which is more RPG like)?
Since posting, I've leaned more towards one power per Faction, rather than two. Or at the least, making the second a checkbox to be acquired later.
Question: if a Faction Adventure is specific to a faction, is the rest of the group losing out by doing this side trek that will only benefit one character?
I guess you could minimize that by having multiple copies of faction cards and any eligible class could "win" the faction. I've only used one of each, similar to only one of each class in the game. Or is it just viewed as another adventure to help a party member (which is more RPG like)?
I had the same question as I was writing this, but I didn't have an answer so I left it out.
I think having a solo trial (or limited to those eligible for the Faction) would be the most thematic... but this is a group game, and I doubt a group would want to sit around while one player plays a solitaire game (it would be different if everyone had their own copy and could do it on their own time, but that might not be that case).
So I think the best solution would be to have the whole group take on the adventure, but only those eligible would earn the Faction. Others could get a boon or a feat for their troubles.
As long as the Faction powers aren't game-breaking, I don't see any reason to limit the Factions to a single character if multiple are eligible. As such, there would probably have to be multiple copies (or a printable sheet). However, that's not to say there can't be exclusive ones.
Since posting, I've leaned more towards one power per Faction, rather than two. Or at the least, making the second a checkbox to be acquired later.
That's what I meant by "The Faction card could have its own feats you could earn through additional adventures/trials."