How Regions and Faction Work
From CamMelbourne
Exactly how Factions and Regions work.
What is a Region?
A region is one of the nine areas that make up Melbourne. These regions are Frankston, Dandenong, Lilydale, Hawthorn, St Kilda, Yarra, Brunswick, Tullamarine and Footscray
The borders between regions are vaguely defined. This is intentional, since this is supposed to be a general kind of system. Keeping track of the exact location of every piece of influence doesn’t add much fun, but does add a lot of work for STs. Having a vague general area is enough. If you are unsure which area your background merits fall into, make a call yourself.
What is a Faction?
Broadly speaking, a Faction is like a coterie, but a little more formal and limited. It is a collection of vampires working together towards a goal. That goal is controlling the various Regions of the city, as a starting point. Of course, some Factions will do more than that, and there is no reason not to.
Although Factions generally have a leader, it is only important for the Faction controlling Yarra to agree on who leads them. This is because of the ability of the Faction controlling Yarra to add +1 Status to its members once for each level of Status their Leader holds.
How do I join a Faction?
Roleplay. Talk to current Faction members and cut some deals. When the Faction considers you one of them, then you are.
How do I make my own Faction?
You just declare it in your downtime report. There is no XP cost or minimum requirement, other than a PC wanting to do it. Congratulations, you are a Faction Leader.
How are bonuses distributed?
Members of a Faction that successfully controls one or more Regions will be able to take advantage of the Regional bonus. Controlling multiple regions gives the choice of multiple bonuses - but only one can be taken by an given Faction member. The one exception to this rule is the +1 status from the Yarra Region. The Faction Leader can distribute this +1 Status to as many Faction members as they personally have Status
Can Factions work together?
No. It isn’t a preferential voting system. Which ever single Faction holds the highest total of relevant background merits in a region controls it.
Can I belong to more than one Faction in different Regions?
No. You can belong to one Faction only.
So what are the relevant merits again?
The merits are Allies, Contacts, Retainers, Resources, Haven, Staff and Herd.
What are the bonuses?
Frankstone - +1 Intimidation
Dandenong - +1 Streetwise
Lilydale - +1 Animal Ken
St Kilda - +1 Expression
Hawthorn - +1 Occult
Brunswick - +1 Empathy
Yarra - +1 Presence + Status
Tullamarine - +1 Subterfuge
Footscray - +1 Larceny
The VST encourages others to make up scraps of histoy like these to give meaning to the bonuses for each Region.
