Factions, Antags, and Lore

src/SUMMARY.md

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ Development
 - [Design Pillars](development/design-pillars.md)
 - [Design Documents](development/designs/design-doc-main.md)
   - [Greencomms Removal](development/designs/design-doc-remove-common.md)
+  - [Factions, Antags, and Lore](development/designs/design-doc-remove-common.md)
 
 Guides
 ------

src/development/designs/design-doc-lore.md

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+Factions, Antags, and Lore
+=====
+This document details how introducing limited sections of lore around certain elements of the game can improve immersion. This primarily concerns factions and species.
+
+This concerns only official lore that will be introduced in-game, not people's characters or their own writing.
+
+## Premise
+
+The goal of having lore is to give the station a setting, to make the "world" feel bigger than simply the station you are on, and to provide players with a prompt to work with and expand upon. In the case of antags, it makes them feel as though they are acting on behalf of a faction's interests, rather than just being "John Evil". Additionally, the line between antag and non-antag can be blurred, leading to more dynamic outcomes.
+
+This document will only briefly touch on certain lore specifics, serving primarily as a guide and a set of standards. It will also address lore as it pertains to game design, focusing on antags, special roles, and theming.
+
+## Writing Lore
+
+Lore should focus on providing a background or explanation for certain parts of the game. Anything written should be a brief, broad overview, like the first few paragraphs of a Wikipedia page. It should not be long, monotonous, or overly detailed. One page maximum.
+
+Lore should not be restrictive; people should easily be able to integrate their existing stories into any proposed lore. It is a building block for people who want it, not an all-encompassing document on how characters should be written.
+
+Lore documents should be mostly self-contained. They should not cover miscellaneous events that don't relate to any specific portion of the game (e.g. a random battle between The Syndicate and Nanotrasen).
+
+## Factions
+
+There are decidedly 4 major factions:
+- Nanotrasen
+  - The corporation which owns and manages the stations the players are on. They are a phoron/plasma research company which rose to prominence through their development and subsequent monopoly on energy weapons. This monopoly gives them a unique and uneasy relationship with SolGov, their would-be overlord, granting them immense sway in SolGov's internal affairs.
+- The Syndicate
+  - An organization of several different groups of various sizes and forms, united by the goal of diminishing Nanotrasen and their influence in the sector. Founded by Cybersun Industries, the organization effectively acts as a counterbalance to Nanotrasen's growing influence.
+- SolGov
+  - The de-jure government ruling over both Nanotrasen and the Syndicate. In practice, their rule is flimsy and highly contested. SolGov rules over a vast number of systems from their capital, Earth, and their governance is highly bureaucratic, inefficient, and Kafkaesque.
+- Galactic Independence Coalition
+  - Otherwise known as the GIC or simply "The Coalition", they are a faction which has taken up widespread rebellion against SolGov rule. Although they can unite on the basis of independence, they lack a clear and definitive ideology. They include disgruntled union workers, people harmed by ill-governance, advocates for civil rights, and bandits and warlords who only seek to take advantage of the chaos and confusion.
+
+These main factions are not necessarily the *largest factions* in the setting. However, they are the ones most involved in the current situation with Nanotrasen.
+
+There are also various minor factions that exist within the game; more can be added via PRs to the main repo.
+
+Any faction, major or minor, should include all of the following:
+- A clear ideology, principles, motivations, or objectives
+- Distinct theming from any existing faction
+- Some form of significant presence in-game
+- A guidebook page detailing all of the above
+
+Meeting all of the above does not mean a faction will be accepted automatically; any new faction is subject to review by maintainers.
+
+A faction may be accepted while lacking some of the above, provided there is reason to believe the remaining qualifying factors will be added later on.
+
+## Antagonist Integration
+
+Antags should rarely be "a guy who is evil"; they should be associated with a faction of some form wherever possible. Their objectives, equipment, and so on should be associated with that faction as well. By tying antags closely to a specific faction, you give clearer prompting for how they should act and what motivates them, beyond just what their objectives entail.
+
+The relationship between factions shouldn't purely be antag versus non-antag, there should be room for ambiguity and middle ground, leading to situations where there is uncertainty and room for intrigue. This can produce varied and exciting outcomes, and it slows down many of the potential knee-jerk reactions that can happen between crew and outsiders.