So as I stated a lot yet (and probably will) I started to get to know the factions through their background stories. While I’ve been logging everything from them to my notebook, I’ve been thinking, discovering a lot of game mechanics and also visual, aesthetic ideas, questions, desires – so my book is not really coherent from these days. I will cover these “changes” a bit like an update log* here (or something like that, I’m not a developer at all – or maybe I am now?) – let’s start with

THE CROWS

• They used to travel in the beak of their biggest individuals, in interplanetary routes, but a few centuries ago they conquered/discovered/bred their spacewhales to expand in interstellar space.
• They have some indicators for their “little crows” on the board, and if all territories are crowded (hehe) by them, they win.
• They have 4 classes: crowlings, warriors, parents and mother crow – the queen.
• They can’t use the common resources (and have their own set of cards?)

THE EMPEROR

• Nazgul, Abaddon, Roman hoplite, Illyrian helmet vibes.
• If the faction is in the game, it will only take X rounds at maximum.
• They start with one horseman, but could call down others – but there are only 4 total. And if all of them are on the board some BIG thing happens. Maybe they win? Also there are different abilities for each horseman.
• The different abilities are that they could use +1 die if they fight from an attacker/defender/advantageous/disadvantageous position.
• Energy-whip, glare as plume on the helmet and a lance? Long range weaponry?
• They could use their money mainly to stabilize/destabilize the situation?

THE CARNIVAL

• They gather information by fighting different factions – they get cubes from every non-lost fight, which they could use for various developments, on tech trees.
• There could be a winning condition when they fighted enough (in variety) and so they acquired the required knowledge.
• Tall individuals with drawn mask faces and barcodes on the figures. (This latest will indicate if it’s a robot or a human.)
• There has to be at least 1 human for each 10 robots – they will determine the humans at the start of the game? If they exceed the required human count, how will they put on a new one, that is a secret from the other players? Taking back all figures and rearrange? 
• All of the warriors move simultaneously?
• They could somehow sell their knowledge and information?
• The robots could be mercenaries also for other factions?

THE BEARS AND BEAVERS

• So they are two different species, the laser-beavers:
  • building gates
  • collecting trees
  • can’t fight
  • fatigue from laser-usage
• and the frost-bears:
  • digging caves
  • fighting and maybe slowing enemies?
• They can move faster because they know the terrain well.
• They could use the environment, the landmarks better?

GENERAL

• The impression of the board in play, aesthetics are highly important – but more abstract than detailed. 
• There could be different winning conditions, faction by faction.
• Or there could be a general point collecting, and the game ends, when one player is eliminated; or meets their faction’s winning condition (like a specific number of rounds have passed – emperor).
• Every faction has a special losing condition also?

So while these thoughts about the factions and the previously discussed game mechanics were whirling in me – somewhere here was the point when I started to replace my notebook with a dry and clean spreadsheet. So sad. Or not, as I really like order, even for its own. But anyways: necessary – for me at least. So soon, bye-bye notebook sketches. (And welcome digital tablet sketches, but let’s not rush forward.)

*It is definitely NOT like an update log, now that I re-read this.