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Tips/ideas for creating a successful faction


norrig

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Starting a thriving faction is no picnic and will require dedication, motivation and a hefty time-investment from you. 

While I may not have a faction here on GTAW (yet at least), I do have experience both running a faction and being a member of a faction.  Sure, anyone can start a faction, slap a quick forum thread together and pray for the best, but as we all seen hundreds of times, most factions fail and few will grow into a healthy, steady group. 

 

I've compiled a small list of things you should think about before starting it all up, some tips, a few ideas and a couple of my thoughts. Obviously there's way more to it, but here's a couple of things.
So, let's dive right into it and see what we got:

 

1.  Don't make your OOC friends co-leaders.

Sure, we all want people to play with and even though your friend might be a good guy, he's probably not the best man for the job. Ranking/hierarchy should be entirely IC. Not only is it extremely demotivating to see a random guy suddenly grab the seat you've been gunning for, but it's also a liability if the person is a poor roleplayer or rarely active. I'm not saying your OOC friends can't reach the position or co-leaders can't be your ooc friends, I’m just saying it should happen IC and not over discord.

 

2.  Think long-term

A faction should constantly develop, evolve and grow into something else than it was when you started. In my opinion, it’s more than fair to set high goals or dream big. For an example, creating a “robbery faction” or a “carjacker faction” is too specific and will quickly die out and become boring-and-repetitive, think bigger and broader. Which leads me to my next point:
 

3. Provide activities for your members

Your members need something to do. Even though it should be up to the individual to create his or her own roleplay, not everyone is equally skilled at it.  You should lead by example and offer opportunities and passive roleplay. If your members have a good time, they will be motivated to host and start their own activities. Some examples: Weekly fishing trips, Sunday-night poker games, hood brawls, cee-lo games on the block or a house party. Remember, even though you may be portraying a gang or a criminal association, your character is still a human being. Shootouts and robberies die out quickly.
 

4. Give your members a sense of pride and accomplishment by allowing them to progress in your faction.

I know that came off as an EA joke, but seriously though. Even if your faction is a tight, closed-group family faction you’d still have to roleplay with other people. You should make a big deal out of a member reaching his next rank, you should pay attention when a member is attempting to impress you and you should reward them if they’ve done a good job. A faction with no room for development is a boring faction with no incentive for a new player to join.
 

5. Designate an activity hub / hood for your faction.

A gang with a turf will naturally have their hub but other kind of factions may not. If you’re running, say, an Italian mafia, consider buying a restaurant or designating a park. A new potential member interested in joining your faction should be able to find you. A current member should be able to find other members without going to /f. Point is, create an area with more or less constant roleplay and even more roleplay will come to you and your members.
 

6. Invest yourself in the faction

If you’re planning on going on a 2 week vacation next month, don’t make a faction. If you only play during weekends, don’t create a faction. If you only play every other day, don’t create a faction. Again, lead by example, remain active, available and dedicated or you’ll lose. Post internal guides for your members, give them tips on how to better portray their character or post relevant videos.  Allow your members to roleplay with you and see your skills in action. You get the idea.
 

7. Screenshots matter

Keep your faction thread active with fresh, high quality screenshots with good roleplay. Most of your new potential members will browse the various threads, they will pick the one they like and they will judge yours based on your screenshots. Make sure your thread shows your faction from the best side, not your worst. Instruct your members to do the same.

 

8. Form outside connections and provide roleplay for non-members.

You cannot roleplay solely with your own faction, not only will it get boring after a while, you’ll go nowhere and reach no one. You will have to form outside alliances, you’ll need plugs and hookups for items and you’ll need customers if you’re planning on selling things. Point is, you may be a super-tough street gang, but you cannot be hostile to everyone. Even the toughest gangs in real life needs other people. Especially at the beginning! Be open and inviting.


9. Try to find a niche / create a unique idea.
If you’re aspiring for the “official status” you will have to do better than everyone else does. Having a direct “competitor” will only make it harder for yourself. For an example, starting yet another Mexican gang would be suicide at this point (05/12/2017). One of the current official factions “The Manno Crew” is a great example of a unique faction that stands out and naturally draws attention.

 

 

Feel free to add more points or let me know if I’m wrong. Obviously, you don’t have to follow these points to the letter and if your intention isn’t getting big or official you don’t have to follow these points religiously. The goal is to have fun after all, so make sure you actually have fun. 

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