Hello, all! It’s been a few months since we called wrap on Season 2, and now there’s only a few days before the launch of Season 3. The community accomplished some incredible things during Season 2. For a full wrap-up, see here.
Now, we’re looking to the future. SWFactions is, incredibly, over 5 years old. From the beginning, it’s been a compelling sandbox that motivates great builds. We love the past seasons of Factions, but we want to strive to always improve and provide a great experience for everyone in the community. Thanks to the results from the Player Survey, we were able to clearly identify what worked and what didn’t about Season 2.
One problem in previous seasons was readability: we had gameplay systems that lacked clear purpose, overlapped with one another in confusing ways or just didn’t work the way you would expect. We approached Season 3 with three things in mind:
– Meaningful consequential choices
– Game Systems with obvious, distinct purpose that is quickly understood
– Incentivizing great LEGO Star Wars builds
After months of conversations, back-and-forth, playtesting, and writing, we’re excited about the improvements we’ve made to the game. We’re looking forward to seeing how the new rulebook will create compelling gameplay that serves a broader variety of players and interests.
While the core gameplay—posting builds—remains the same, it is supported by brand new systems that reward deeper strategy and pursuing your Factions’ goals, whether those are based in conquest, exploration, economic growth, or a bit of everything. Most of all, we wanted to reward players for modeling the Values we’ve all built together: Community, Creativity, and Culture.
The full rules can be found here
The New, the Revamped and the Discontinued
In adding new mechanics, we want to reward players steeped in strategy, but also those who want to just create fun builds or tell compelling stories.
The biggest additions are:
– Starfleets
– Resource Points (RP)
– Medals
– Credits
In addition to these, Assets are receiving a near complete makeover. You can read more about them in the next section or delve into them with the full release of the new Rules.
Some mechanics just don’t work or overlap with others. We’ve decided to remove:
– Era Builds
– Bounty Hunting
– Scouting Missions
– VP and VP Tiers
Quality of Life Changes
In addition to the website being updated to reflect the new rules, we are looking to streamline the player experience wherever possible. These are some of the changes we are looking to introduce:
All Faction pages will be receiving a brand-new coat of paint – you’ll see more of these changes as we draw closer to the start of the Season. Look forward to seeing revamps and all new Factions too!
Your Faction leadership will work to submit your posts through the Submission Forms from now on – work with them to ensure accurate information is sent in.
All graphics created for SWFactions will be available to download on a separate section of the website – including logos and sticker sheets.
New Interactive Map
One of the game’s best technical innovations so far, We are introducing an entirely new Interactive Map of the Star Wars galaxy, built from the ground up for the Factions game. In the past, we’ve had to use third-party maps of the galaxy that just couldn’t offer us features to support the game. This new map updates in real time, reflecting territory changes and fleet movements automatically.
Medals
Medals are how the game will recognize each Faction’s accomplishments, and serve as the endgame reward that determines the Season winners. Unlike VP, Medals are a robust, achievement-like system designed to reward a diverse variety of playstyles and Faction goals.
Starfleets
Fleets are units that Factions move around the galaxy map to gain access to systems, transport resources, and wage war. Season 3 will initially launch with a simplified version of the Fleet ruleset; our first major update will introduce more complex Ship and Combat rules.
Influence
IP Access is being split into two tiers. Earning 50 IP in a system grants an Outpost which provides Access to nearby systems. Earning 100 IP establishes Control; expanding your Faction’s territory.
Resources
Resource Points are required for obtaining Assets, building fleets, deploying starships, and activating Upgrade Assets. Players choose to earn either IP or RP each time they post a build. Unlike IP, you can build to earn RP anywhere in the galaxy, but as with Credits and Assets, RP must be transported with a Fleet to get it where you need it. This will flesh out the economic side of the game with more meaningful choices, and reward those who choose to keep building on their favorite planets instead of forcing players to always seek new territory.
Credits
Credits are earned for every build a player posts, equal to their build’s score. Credits are used to trade with others, as Factions can buy and sell just about anything: Influence Points, Resource Points, Assets, Ships, and even entire Fleets. Credits are also spent to use Action Assets and build Fleets.
Assets
Assets have received an overhaul for Season 3. They are divided into three types: Upgrade Assets, Action Assets, and Artifact Assets. Actions are played to create one-time special effects, while Upgrades are permanently assigned to your Fleets and Systems, providing perks and abilities. Artifacts are items of immense value.
Non-Player Factions
NPFs will contribute to the life and scale of the galaxy in Season 3. NPFs are Factions, both large and small, represented on the map to fill out the galaxy. Some might serve as allies, others might become rivals for territory. Just because a group isn’t in game as an NPF doesn’t mean you can’t use them in stories, and the GMs will consider proposals for new NPF’s as well.
Roadmap
Expect updates throughout Season 3 to add new gameplay mechanics and events. Some mechanics considered for launch have been given their own development windows, so they’ll come slightly later.
- Update 1: Starfleets Update
- Update 2. Battle Update
Some of these rule changes are pretty ambitious, and some will need balancing post-launch; we’ll keep a close eye on how the mechanics are working, listen to player and Leader feedback, and roll out patches as needed. We appreciate your patience! We hope the game will be deeper than ever, but also more elegant than before. It may take some tweaking to get that right.
We’re so excited to jump into the next era of this game, and hear what you think. The community is what makes this game special; it’s a genuine joy to play and build with you all.
