Cross-Post: The Foalkan Clans

So, one of the players of the currently defunct "Tinker Titan Rebel Spy" has been tinkering with some Psi-Wars material, and I wanted to address it, because whenever someone posts Psi-Wars material, I want to give at least a shout-out.  I find a little commentary helps as well.

Here is the post: The Foalkan Clans

Before I dive into any further commentary, I want to address the concept of "adding Psi-Wars material."  I wrote Psi-Wars to be used, and to be useful.  I'm not really a fan of people who thump RPG setting books and say "This is canon!" except in the cases of discussion ("Well, as written, the Akashic Order is a thing and it works like this...") where you want to establish the baseline "as written."  In your own campaigns, you should be able to do as you wish.  But more than that, I wrote it to be explicitly "large."  I see it as a framework in which you should be able to put your own material.  I did this because of my initial frustrations with gaming in the Star Wars universe, in that I found it difficult to see where I could put my own material or have my own adventures (this seems to be a somewhat common complaint, if the new trilogy is any guide).  Thus, if I see people trying to add their own material, then I know my design is succeeding.

When I "finish," I'd like to break out the setting into "degrees of canon," with the "white canon" representing the core truths on which the setting hinges (things like "There is an Empire" and "There is Communion"), "grey canon" which are things that are fairly central but can be customized to serve the campaign pretty easily, things like the state of the Cult of the Mystical Tyrant, the moral nature of the Empire, or the exact nature of the Skairos.  Finally, I'd like to have a "black canon," which is entirely optional elements that may or may not be included without issue.  Certain alien races, like the Traders or the cat-people (the "Asrathi") or the Shepherdist faith, are all examples. If you dumped them from your game, nobody would notice. Also, if you added them to the game, they wouldn't interfere.  I'd very much want to throw open Black Canon to whomever wanted to add to it, and hinge open grey canon a crack so people could offer their own interpretations and spins on particular setting elements.

So, this is a very long way of saying: If you write it, I will come.  Not only that, I'll probably try to find some way to enshrine it.

Onto the commentary.

General Commentary

The Name: The Foalkan Clans

Just a quick comment, the -kan of Foalkan Clans sounds very similar to the "clan," so much so that it risks becoming a tongue twister (the "Foaklan Clan").  I would consider changing that, either changing the word "clan" to something similar ("The Foalkan Tribes", "The Septs of the Foalkan," etc), or change the core name; I'm not sure where the inspiration for the name itself came from, but I suspect it could be rejiggered, if necessary.

I will note that it's only three syllables long.  That's good.  You rarely want more than that, unless it's pretentious ("I am Prestigia Sunwalker of the Maradonian Aristocracy") and monosyllabic tends to make the group sound simple and perhaps silly ("I am Gob of the Bleg") or extremely terse or maybe metaphysical ("Call me Te.")

The Mandalorian Inspiration

The Mandalorians are an odd bit of Star Wars.  Normally, I'd roll my eyes at them: there was one badass warrior in Star Wars who was a Mandalorian, so all Mandalorians are badass warriors; this is the same as how all Hutts are crime-bosses with dancing slave girls, and all Twi'leks are dancing slave girls or are former slave girls, or have to deal with slavery, etc.  That said, the Old Republic games, the Clone Wars and Rebels did a lot to rehabilitate and expand them, and they're a fairly interesting faction within Star Wars, even if it turns out Boba Fett isn't particularly special anymore.

I personally draw some inspiration from the Mandalorians too.  I had an idea for a pirate faction that were inspired by the Mandalorians, but I may ditch them, mainly because I find myself pillaging their technological ideas and giving them to the modern Ranathim as they lack interesting technology.  The rest of the "pirate" idea could be shifted to the Foalkan.

House Kain was also partly inspired by the Mandalorians, but is obviously far different in execution.  They have the "elite badass warrior" theme, paired with a technological excellence and an aristocracy, but they draw far heavier inspiration from the Metabarons and the House of the Bear from Houses of the Blooded.

I point this out not to suggest SalsatheGeek has done anything wrong, only to nod in agreement that the Mandalorians are a fairly fertile soil from which to mine.  I would suggest finding additional inspiration too, but I don't see a problem there either, as we see hints of the Venetians and the Old Republic and perhaps, I think, whispers of Mobile Suit Gundam?

I also like how they have a built-in hatred of the old Maradonian space knights.  I'm not sure this would translate into a hatred of the Templars of Communion, though, or how they would interact with the Empire.  I think the most obvious result of contact would be disdain for the Alliance and at least initial support for the Empire, at least until their love of robots comes out, then the Empire might turn on them, depending on how useful they are to the Emperor.

History

Most of the post seems to be a history justifying how the Foalkan became what they are today, but I'm a little lost, based on that post, as to what they are today.  According to what it says on the tin, they are technological, psionic, and pro-robot and have mechas, but what sort of psionics do they use?  What sort of technology?  What really sets them apart?  I'll come back to these questions below, but as a general comment, I think it's better to have this sort of thing worked out in some detail, enough that they're "playable" at least in concept, and then worry about their history.

The Spur

So he mentions that the Faolkan are in a place "Between two arms."  Can you do that? Sure!  A galaxy has its core, of course, and it has its arms, and these represent the densest concentration of stars and tend to be fairly easy to travel via hyperspace.  However, that doesn't mean that the space between arms is empty.  First, obviously, there are stars everywhere, so it's possible to be on a star that's between arms, or even outside of the galaxy proper.  A few such stars have been mentioned already (like Lith'vaika).  But even when you look at arms, there are stretches of dense stars and gas that don't really fit on the arms.  I've heard these called "spurs" and we occupy one such, the "Orion Spur."

I don't like to talk much about Earth, because I want to emphasize that humanity's origins aren't that important (and we're emulating works like Star Wars, Foundation and Dune which have the origins of humanity lost to time), but I do have thoughts on it.  Consider Earth "black canon," an optional truth you could add, and one that shapes how I write things, but isn't set in stone.  I see the Earth as on a spur outside of the light arm, which made it very difficult to travel via hyperspace, and thus the Earth didn't, and never discovered hyperspace.  Instead, it sent STL colony ships many thousands of years ago, and three, the one that colonized Westerly, Denjuku and Maradon, were near enough to regions of hyperspace that were easy enough to travel, where able to kickstart an FTL civilization.  The location of the actual home of humanity is thus hidden behind a region of space difficult to travel via FTL, and also lost to the mists of time.

The Faolkan Clans might inhabit a spur between the "Ranathim-controlled" and "Cybernetic Union controlled" arms of the galaxy, far from the original region held by humanity.  This would give them quite a few star systems to play with, but would also isolate them somewhat from the rest of the Galaxy.

Questions

I find that the best "criticisms" are those that make the creator think and revisit their work, and I find questions are the best means of accomplishing this.  These are the same sorts of questions you should be asking yourself, dear reader, whenever you create any setting element!

How can I use them as a player?

Whenever I create a setting element, I ask myself "Who cares?"  The GM is a good answer, and new factions can be villains (I don't expect, for example, for many people to play as members of the slaver empire, for example) or sources of storyline (the Eldoth can be played, but they're really more meant as a source of mystery and cool relics and haunted sites).  Even so, the most interesting options tend to be for players.

Acknowledging that "You can't" is a valid answer, and then perhaps diving into a how GM might use them, I'm curious how I, as a player, would use them.  What sorts of templates do they most commonly use?  Are they bounty hunters? Space knights? Ace pilots? Smugglers?  I'm sure that "yes" will apply to most, but what are the most iconic, say, the top three?

And how does being a member of the Faolkan clans impact these choices? If "Bounty Hunter" is the top choice, how is a Faolkan Bounty Hunter different from a Ranathim Bounty Hunter, or a Shinjurai Bounty Hunter?  No doubt as you answer the rest of these questions, the answers to this one will materialize, but it's good to have it in mind.

Also, they are not "the Faolkan" or "The Faolkan Clan," but "the Faolkan Clans," plural.  Is there more than one?  Do I have some choices of which Faolkan Clan to belong to?  Do I have opinions about the rest?  Are there, thus, subcultures within this culture?  If so, which ones?  As you expand this out, I wouldn't make it too big or too complex.  Ultimately, this is a minor option that won't likely see a ton of use, so maybe either three clans that make a big impact on your character, or more numerous clans that make almost no impact (nothing but a name, or perhaps a unique perk that they can access).

What is their culture like?

The discussion of the Faolkan mentions that they believe in justice, open-mindedness, independence and technological excellence.  But if I walked the Faolkan worlds, talked to the Faolkan, what are they like?  I often find I reference my distancing mechanics from Iteration 5, which are frankly some of my favorite posts to come out of Psi-Wars; they're a good way to spin up a culture quickly. Let's walk through a few.

What are their Cultural Values

The Cultural Values post offers numerous ideas about what a culture could value, and I think the Faolkan Clans post hints at these pretty nicely.  Clearly, they value Independence and Universal Justice (I suspect they are less "tolerant" than that they believe the law should apply equally to everyone, and have broad views as to what "everyone" should mean).  I tend to go with three, but I'm not so sure that's possible here.

Their focus on technology might mean they value cunning. That suggests a certain open-mindedness, but also implies a tricky race that values technical excellence.  Combined with their independence and belief in justice, what you get starts to look like vigilante hackers.  If they're going to be badass warrior-types, I would recommend Courage.  They are known for their combat competence, and they have initiation rites, which are traditionally violent or dangerous.  There's also a suggestion that despite their innovation, they tend to cling to their identity and their traditions, which suggests either traditionalism or tribalism, depending on how you view it.  They're tendency to splinter into clans certainly suggests some tribalism, as well as their fervent belief in their self-identity despite being nearly obliterated.  There's some tension here, between cunning and tradition, between universal justice and tribalism, but interesting cultures often have tension.

I will note that these lesser values might serve as the basis for your clans: a clan that favors technical excellence and trickery, a clan that favors courage and excellence in battle, and a clan that maintains the traditions of the past.

Also, are they honorable?  Do they have a code, an idealized sort of member of the Faolkan?  He would certainly need no help (independent) and he would enforce the law (Justice) wherever he went, without caring about class, race or religious distinction, which makes him sound a bit like a "Masterless Man," like the heroic ronin or the wandering lawman from the wild west.

What are their conceptual themes?

A broader question that might help with all of this is the core themes this culture follows, which these cultural traits embody.  If you had to describe them in a few words (Maradonian: Elegant Space Fantasy Knights and Princesses; Shinjurai: Traditionally Cyberpunk; etc), something that would capture their look and feel, what would it be?

Do they have any interesting distancing mechanics?

We've got a lot to pick from.  I wouldn't go overboard here: this is a minor subdivision of humanity, rather than a major, setting-dominating faction, so too many details would both require too much attention and make them quite alien, which I don't think is the intent (though sometimes, we do want that sort of thing, even with humanity!).  I'd go with 1-3 interesting tidbits, though I often find that tends to bloom in a logically consistent way. It really depends on how much work you're willing to do, and how easy it is for a player to digest.  

A quick sampling:

• Do they have a unique language?  Their isolation might have led to some linguistic changes, or perhaps an accent or dialect.  What purpose would the language serve? It would help isolate the culture, making it harder for natives to talk to the rest of the galaxy, or creating a means by which they can quickly identify an outsider.  In the very least, we should think about what sorts of names they have, if they're different from the bulk of humanity.

• What's their sense of fashion? How do they dress?  How to the prestigious show their prestige?  How to members of a clan proudly show their membership to that clan?  How do they show off just how resilient and independent they are? And how do differing levels of society show their role (what's "sexy," what's "tough," what's "classy," etc)?

• What games do they play? They're big into initiation rituals and proving themselves; that suggests a certain level of competitiveness.  Do they play strategy games? Video games? Do they have big, grand sports of some kind?  A spaceship equivalent to formula 1 would give them a chance to compete on a technological level, while pitfighting or gladiatorial battles would let them show off their combat capabilities; long treks and endurance races would let them show off their survival skills, etc.

• What food do they eat? Are there unique resources available in their region that supplement their diet?  Is there a fine delicacy that other people are willing to make the trek to the Faolkan worlds to try?  By contrast, is there any outsider foods this insular people are secretly (or openly) really fond of?

What philosophies do they follow?

The religions of Psi-Wars tend to get everywhere, and the Faolkan have likely at least heard of them.  They're probably fairly hostile to the Akashic Order, especially with their origin mythology of attempted enslavement at the hands of the Akashics, but how do they feel about other philosophies? Do their associations with technology make them open to Neo-Rationalism? Does their proximity to the Ranathim-dominated part of space mean they've been exposed to the rugged and cynical philosophies of the Mystical Tyrant?  How do they feel about the cults of the Ranathim? Have any taken hold?  When True Communion swept the galaxy, where they caught up in it?  Or do they follow some simpler faith, such as Shepherdism or some form of tribal shamanism?

Even if they don't follow one of these philosophies, how do they feel about the philosophies? Are there any they particularly hate or, if they don't have a society-wide adherence, there are nonetheless noted minorities of that faith within their society?  If I sought spiritual guidance in the Faolkan worlds, where would I turn?

Psychic Powers?

So there's mention of psychic powers, but no further discussion of it.  What is their relationship with psychic powers, what sorts of powers are they known for, and how do they cultivate their powers?

First of all, psychic powers aren't common.  If left in its natural state, you have a small portion of the populace who is "naturally psychic," and that person will either need to cultivate their own talent, or find a mentor.  Societies that have this sort of approach tend to look like fantasy worlds where some people have the capability to be wizards, but most people don't.  They either value their psychically capable, or they fear them.

You can up the odds through genetic engineering.  Eugenic engineering is safer and creates less madness, and it's the approach of the Akashic Order.  It might be tackled in the Clans, if each clan has their own preferred psychic power.  This tends to be a delicate process, requiring careful records and deep understanding of psychic potential, and its results tend to be less spectacular than what can result from simple natural occurrence or direct genetic engineering, but it means that the society specializes in certain powers and is good at training its members in those tricks.  Direct genetic engineering is much more dangerous and tends to create bonds with Broken Communion, whether known or not, and is not something I've really explored.  I would expect that such a thing creates starker, more intense powers than eugenic, but often with scary limitations and lots of failed experiments, which means the society may become a bit leery of psychic powers, and their practitioners might be strictly controlled and watched for deviance.

Finally, there is communion.  Through sufficient enlightenment one can gain psychic powers, or at least so the Cult of the Mystic Tyrant and True Communion argue, and to some extent they are certainly correct.  Someone had commented in Discord that surely the Faolkan know of Communion, but I will note that the Akashics never figured it out on their own, and the Divine Mask cults had an inkling, but never understood its full depths.  The Eldoth were aware of something, but never really grasped it and honestly feared it.  Real understanding of communion is like grasping the Unified Theory of the Paranormal, and is fairly limited, mainly the schtick of True Communion.  That said, some especially powerful psychic do accidentally stumble into it, though they usually don't understand what they've done.  It might be worth discussing what forms, if any, of Communion their psychics interact with.

Robots and Technology?

We see that the Faolkan are exceedingly technological, that they value robots as people, and that they have mechs.

The presence of Mechs is fairly unique (not totally unique, but fairly), and it implies that they have their own industrial base.  It might be worth exploring what other weaponry they have that's unique to them, but you might have to wait on that until I finish Vehicles, which is sooner than later.  For mecha, for now, I suggest Modular Mecha from Pyramid.  It's close enough to the TL.

I'm curious about robots.  You say they treat them as equals, but where do they come from?  Is there a unique neural network architecture that the Faolkan uses that makes them more suited to individuality? Do they use a common human version of neural networks but have their own, more independently programmed models?  Or do they get their robots from humanity and/or the Traders and just treat them like independent, fully-citizenship beings?  Said a different way, do they import an R2 unit and give him full citizenship, or do they make their own androids with a distinct appearance and give them full citizenship. And not to dive too deeply into history, but why and how did this come about?

And how do they feel about the Cybernetic Union uprising?  Did they agree with it when it first started? Do they agree with it now that the Imperial propaganda machine is in full swing and pointing out (legitimate) atrocities performed by the Cybernetic Union?  Do they think it's a monster that needs to be stopped, or do they think it was a good idea that went off-kilter and could be put back on track?

Faolkan Kung Fu?

If these guys are badass warriors, what makes them badass, beyond their technology?  Do they have elite warriors? If so, how do they fight?  Are they soldiers who work in unison?  Barbaric warriors who each seek their own glory?  Carefully disciplined guardians of the peace?  Do they have unique martial secrets and capabilities that they've developed?

Have I heard of them?

At the risk of diving back into history, are there any signature characters from the past or present that might pop up, that I might have heard of?  Answering this is a good way to personify certain cultural elements by pinning them to a particular character (perhaps there's a famous robot that helped them see the importance of their contributions; perhaps each clan has a head; perhaps their most famous psychic abilities were pioneered by a particular personality).