Any new factions?

[Any new factions]

Are there going to be any new factions out ? The rules are very interesting, though.

[JM Games]

Got plans for three new factions, all with very different feels- but I'd like to hear any suggestions from players

[T0RA]

I was thinking a 'fourth reich' kind of faction, focusing on blitzkrieg-type tactics, with stormtroopers and such.
Given the nazi aims for a 'master race', their armies could involve large amounts of genetically-modified soldiers.( the effects of the genetic modification allows for some creative interpretations. Personally, I was thinking of werewolves.)
Their armor units could also probably have some kind of 'transformers' theme applied, to increase their versatility?
Background-wise, given Germany's part of the WA, they could probably be mercenaries or something, led by a puppet hitler-esque figure but controlled by a darker powers?
Just tossing ideas around.

Or while its still on alternate history, include some kind of japanese-based faction, focusing on energy weapons? Powerful, yet unstable plasma weapons, sonic grenades, with decently-trained troops, but weak armor vehicles. Focus on harrassment/ fast assault rather than massed numbers, might make an interesting army?

Just some ideas given, hoping its not too cliche.
Sorry if my english is not the best , its my second language.

[JM Games]

You read my mind :-) well, sort of- Japan is going to be transforming mechs, ninjas and all kinds of fun stuff.

With regard to the Nazis, since the background is that Germany won the First world War, they don't really fit. However, there is too much potential for development with a force like that, so I was going to include them as a major terrorist sub-faction within The Brotherhood, with their own special units and doctrines, particularly focusing on the occult- werewolves, vampires and all that sort of fun stuff.

Nice ideas, thanks for your post!

[T0RA]

This game's gonna be awesome when it comes out! Good job.

[T0RA]

I'm guessing the third faction is gonna be aliens or something, like Greys or somesuch?
I was also thinking of a 'mad-science' like faction, possibly a subfaction of Futurecorp. Background wise, with Futurecorp as the 'shady high-tech corporation', this could be an Experimental Combat division or something.
I've made an army list, and it basically contains frankenstein-ish Constructs, self-replicating Prometheans, and psychics undergone some kind of mutation to enhance destructive capability in exchange for life expectancy.
Vehicles would probably be more along the lines of large, bizarre Constructs, hovering spinning buzzsaws, etc. You know, stuff the 'evil villain/mad scientist' uses in certain films.
Just an idea, if you think its workable i could keep working on the army list.

[JM Games]

Now that I'd like to see! In fact, I can see a possible rival corporation (perhaps a drugs cartel based out of South America, as they haven't really been involved yet..) - stealing technology, kidnapping scientists etc. At the very least a major Brotherhood sub-faction.

And yes, the Greys are going to make an appearance, and the Brits/ Commonwealth.

These sound like some d**n good ideas. I'd be very interested in including them in the gamne development, possibly some concept art too?

[T0RA]

Nice, I hadn't though of a rival corporation concept!
I'll get right on finishing the Army lists, and maybe bettering up the backstory.
Concept art still remains in my head, and I'm not such a great artist, so i'll probably bully my friend into drawing.

[JM Games]

If South America is their main staging location, Inca mythology and mysticism are something we could incorporate into their feel- match that up with some twisted pulp techno concepts and we've got ourselves another faction :-)

[T0RA]

Gonna be busy for a while now, school's getting a bit hectic.
Basically, gonna put down some ideas I had.
I'm not so good at writing backgrounds, but the basic premise is a drug cartel, kidnapping scientists or raiding labs, etc, and finding that weapons production is much more profitable than simply selling drugs.
Vehicles are not done yet, although I was also thinking of large, synthetic beasts of destruction 'Chimeras', bio-droids, and tanks with the drivers neurally and surgically infused with them.


‘Junkers’
- Low cost, armed with improvised weaponry
- Act more like bezerking mobs
- Equippable with drugs, with variable effects? (not combat drugs, but they should have combat-related effects regardless? Painkillers might make them more resistant to damage, but diminish their accuracy?)

Enforcers
- 6-8 units in a squad
- Poorly trained thugs, compared to Futurecorp’s troopers
- Equippable with a variety of combat drugs (Anything from synthetic adrenaline to boost movement and CC, to epi-shots that keep a trooper alive for a few more round before he dies)

Constructs
- 3-4 units per squad?
- Think ‘frankenstein’-type synthetic humans.
- Require guidance by a Docent (the leader of the squad), else will engage in random activities, such as idling, going bezerk, or attempting to feed off corpses.
- Do not require morale checks
- Weapons should be close-combat focused, such as Shotguns. Was thinking meat-cleaver kind of weaponry.
- Options for Implants – Adrenaline glands, claws, heat-sensing vision, etc.
- Tough, difficult to kill.

Auxilliary

Nerually-implanted Chimpanzees
- Bezerk, raving chimpanzees. What more to say/
- High mobility.

(Tentative name. Can’t think of better one) Observers
- 1 observer, 1 assistant, 2 bodyguards
- Ability to regain control of constructs/chimps/chimeras that go out of control
- Ability to perform some degree of repairs on ‘dead’ constructs.

Vehicles

(can’t think of better name either) Cutters
- Floating, gyroscopic buzzsaws.
- Either manned or unmanned.

[T0RA]

Oh, and the 'Junkers' are supposed to be common drug addicts, forced into combat as cannon-fodder or diversions. Make up a name of a super-addictive drug, something like 'Heat' or 'Rush' that would MAKE people desperate enough to fight just to get it.

[deltaforceop]

Hey guys,

This is getting really interesting -- we could create almost any faction and fit them into the existing system! Let's keep at it!

[JM Games]

Open source wargaming, that's the future :-)

TORA's faction idea definitely merits inclusion- I've got a backstory in the works for them that involves combat drugs research, Roswell, kidnapping and all sorts. Stay tuned ;D

[t0ra]

While I think you probably tire from hearing from me, I have another suggestion to further expand the scope of this conflict :
Africa.

Presumably, the Western Alliance and Commonwealth still retain colonies within Africa, providing them with much-needed resources, manpower, oil, etc.
The Soviets realize it may be a while before they can divert forces to engaging the WA and Commonwealth in Africa, and thus utilize agents to antagonize, arm, and organize the local population, proving cheap arms, training and even training anyone shown with latent psychic powers methods to utilize their powers in combat.
While they fail to create anything resembling a modern, organized army, they do manage to allow a local warlord to band together several bandit and rebel groups.
With the large-scale withdrawal of troops from the Continent to reinforce the Western Alliance and Commonwealth in the wake of Operation Barbossa, the Warlord sends his men to beseige the cities, only to be repelled by better-armed and better-trained colonial troops. Yet the war is not over, and the Marauders still seize every opportunity to raid villages, harass convoys, and deny resources to the Oppressors of the WA...

Since then, their tactics have developed more along the lines of harassment, outflanking and high mobility, rather than soild armor or infantry divisions.

The army should focus on highly mobile mechanized vehicles, such as machinegun-armed Warbikes, heavy-weapons Trikes, Technicals, and such.
Infantry are generally scouts/skirmishers. Weapons may border on archaic, or be cheap, massed-produced Soviet imitations. This may include poisoned blowpipes, bows, and barbed spears designed to wound units and thereby limit the enemy's effectiveness (a common guerilla tactic).
However, unlike the brotherhood, it is NOT stealth or information-warfare based : rapid mobility of fast-moving infantry to outflank, surround, and close in with the enemy rather than outgun them.

Auxiliary troops may include :
Snake-handlers : Men with limited psychic ability, able to hypnotize a venomous snake into becoming a living weapon, and extension of his will. usable in CC, as well as acting as a mobile trap.
Shamans : Local witch-doctors, and spiritual leaders, any with psychic potential are trained to a limited extent, mostly support abilities rather than destructive ones. Hallucinations on enemy troops, causing confusion, and the ability to sacrifice himself to turn a single soldier into a temporarily invulnerable Avatar of the Ancestors?

personally, I was thinking of the Mongolian Golden Horde when I suggested this. But then again, Mongolia's already involved, so why not Africa?

[JM Games]

Why not indeed :-D

The only problem at the moment is getting enough separation between the"horde" armies, as I'd got very similar concepts in mind for the Chinese faction (and similar occult/mystic ideas for the Jihad Pact faction). The background does fit very nicely though, and Africa is under-represented alot of the time, so there is definite potential there.

I would look at keeping a more traditional/ tribal feel, as we're dealing with WWII happening fifteen years or so later- most African nations would therefore still have been lower tech colonies. I would look at something along the lines of the Abyssinian army that fought Mussolini.

But this is all very good interesting stuff, I think we're onto a winner here :-)