Stability

[jtanzer]

Right now I'm writing a campaign sourcebook for a homebrew sector, and I'm having trouble with the main mechanic. That mechanic, which right I'm calling Stability (because I'm unimaginative) is intended to be a measure of how strong and influential a faction is. Right now, the most I've been able to come up with as far as mechanics go is that completing missions and helping a faction will make it grow stronger (very original of me, I know). This would tie into the larger web of diplomatic relationships. The end goal is one where the various factions react to the gameworld in a dynamic and logical faction.

The basic guidelines I've come up with are:

1. Stability can have positive and negative values, though it can only ever be positive or negative. Positive stability represents a healthy economy, strong military, a cohesive society, and diplomatic pull. Negative stability represents a poor economy, weak military, fractured society, and little diplomatic influence.
2. Stability will move towards the extremes (i.e. factions with positive stability will continue to be positive, and factions with negative stability will continue to be negative)
3. Weaker factions will ally with or against stronger factions depending on current diplomatic perception.
4. Faction Stability is independent of each other.
5. At intervals there will be faction missions that act as 'checkpoints' if you will where a weaker faction can either grow stronger or become weaker. Succeeding at one of these missions will give a temporary boost to that faction's stability, increase relations between that faction and the PCs, and 'lock in' the stability value that triggered the mission, preventing stability from falling below that value . Failing that mission will have the opposite effect, and instead of preventing stability from falling below a certain value, it will lower the maxiumum positive stability value.

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The best villians are the ones the PCs create.

[CRMcNeill]

I don’t have much to offer on an initial read through, but I recall WotC having rules for Organization Stats in their Force Unleashed sourcebook. Might give you some ideas.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[garhkal]

Is 'stability' mostly a backround factor in game? IE if a pc makes a politics roll, or bureaucracy roll, if his 'faction' has positive stability that roll would be made at a lower difficulty?
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[jtanzer]