About the Factions
In S.D.Z.A. there is plenty of choice and it’s not a case of you can ONLY take certain things in certain Factions – there are a lot of ‘mix and match’ possibilities. Good vs Evil are pretty much the only restrictions, and even then with mind controlling psychotropic drugs and electronic control collars - that line can get a little Fuzzy.
Humanity
At the end of the Day, the Earth is filled with people – normal folks just trying to do their job, or even survive. These are the regular “Human” Factions that n the base game.
Regular Folk – Not So Regular.
A lot of people spend most of their lives within the City States, the surviving Communities during the Year of Chaos walled themselves off – only rarely trading with other City States. Corruption became rife in a lot of these cut off communities – they rarely let in new blood, and thanks to the Neo-German alliance and their National Sport of 'Death Ball' Gladiatorial-Like Sports became the norm for entertainment – Shanty Dwellers (those who live in shacks and old trailers just outside the city walls) would fight for the right of Citizenship, but even those who won rarely survived their wounds to join the elite. Even when they did, life inside the safety of the Walls was rarely what they expected.
Self Sufficiency and Recycling became the key to survival both inside and out of the Walled Cities – food gets recycled as fertilizer or feed for livestock, bodily waste from both humans and animals gets turned into fuel. Nothing is wasted.
All these factors go to make for tough and hardy stock (not to mention they are cunning) and these “types” form the Core of the Human Faction. Rednecks, Shanty Dwellers, City Security, Wasteland Warriors – all are possible within the SDZA Rules and Setting.
The Rangers have what is considered to be one of the Toughest jobs on the planet, these brave Men and Women regularly risk their lives for Civilians and Military alike - if there's a Dinosaur, Wildlife, or Territory problem, they are the ones called in to sort it. The Ranger Movement (or D-Ranger/Dinosaur Ranger depending upon your preference) grew from the Staff at the first Dino-Parks - originally their membership comprised of the regular Staff, Veterinarians, Palaeontologists, Experienced Zoo Keepers, and Animal Behaviour experts hired to work at and maintain the Dino-Parks – during the Year of Chaos when the Dinosaurs escaped the Dino-Parks, and started roaming wild and free - the remaining governments of the world hired most of the original Rangers to help monitor, control, and even capture escaped and wild Dinosaurs in an attempt to control the situation - though their modern Duties and responsibilities are greater today – acting as border guards and peacekeepers, Rangers often Deal with Carrion Outbreaks and Criminal Problems outside a City States walls as well.
Uni-Tech are the Corporation responsible for the Dino-Parks and the subsequent mess created - they can be played as either bad or good guys (depending on your own perspective). They have the best Weapons and Technology in the game, and so tend not to show up in great numbers. Ruthless, Efficient, and Direct are words that best sum-up Uni-Tech.
Cops and Government Types - Special Agents, the Military and Private Security – then there are the “Super Troopers” (as the general Population call them) the super-elite A.S.P. Troopers of N.A.T.O. With the increased need for Military Aid during (and after) the Year of Chaos – N.A.T.O.s mandate became more that of a World Military Police Force, than just a European Peace Keeping force. Varian Blackwood, Agents Sculder and Mulley, and Jacob Nexus himself generally work in this area (though Varian maintains his own Private Security as well).
The Primes of the Initiative (F.O.N. Operatives)
Our beloved Super Beings are technically split three ways, you have the Sanctioned Primes - those that work for the Initiative. These are your "Freaks Of Nature" Operatives, though they function on their own (and even have their own Troopers) they can be included in with any "Good" Army, so Military, Government types, and Human "Survivors". If you field F.O.N. Operatives with a Sentry Unit however, you may only ever take one Sentry – as they have a distaste for ‘Inorganics’.
The Carrion & the Giaour
The Carrion aren't your "predictable" Zombie faction - you will even see some humans mixed in with Carrion on the battlefield. There are Rednecks who have lived in the Barrens so long they've become cannibals and live alongside the Carrion - picking up their leftovers for food -they are basically a clan of modern Ghouls. The "Giaour" as they call themselves function as "back-up" for Carrion Forces or you can field a Force of Giaour and take a few Carrion as cannon fodder. They may even take a special Prime Character, known only as "The Prophet" . . . .
The Brotherhood
The Brother faction is the most exclusive (whilst politically being the most inclusive) - and has the least "mix and match" potential. They are led by the children of the original Rebels who almost started the war between the Normals and the "Chosen" (as they choose to call themselves), the Brotherhood is made up of Primes (both lesser and greater) and their Supporters. Rebs, Primes, Morlocks (pale skinned tunnel dwellers, de-evolved into APE Like Creatures by the R.D.S. Virus), Mutt's and the feared Caprican Legion make up their Number.
The Caprican Legion
The original Caprican Legionnaires were former ASP Troopers who manifested Mutations brought upon by the R.D.S. Virus - the crack 12 Man team led by Major Caprican, fearing for their position and status - not only within the Ranks of the ASP Troopers, but also society as a whole, vanished into the Wilderness. Taking with them a cache of ASP Trooper weapons and gear Only to show up some time later fighting amongst the ranks of the Brotherhood as the white clad Caprican Legion.
The Caprican Legionnaires are never seen without their Unique Helmets, different in design to the Regulation ASP Trooper gear - more menacing and completely covering their heads. The stories go that the Legionnaires are so deformed, so twisted by the R.D.S. Virus - that they never show their faces out of shame.
Other stories tell of them augmenting their slowly decaying bodies with stolen Varian Blackwood Technology, and that they are more Machine than Man now - held together by their now dirty and stained white Armour and stolen cybernetics have fully bonded with their twisted and broken forms.
Utterly Loyal to Major Caprican and totally ruthless, when fighting the Legionnaires barely utter a sound other than in response to their Leader - "By Your Command" . .
The Dinosaurs
Along with regular Dinosaurs, you have "Smart" Dino's who lead their brethren and the True Breeds that are species that breed true, unlike their more tragic brethren the Mutts (see below) that are actually evolved Carnivores rather than hybrids. Unless you have a Torem leading your Dinosaur Faction (A Torem is a type of True-Breed that has manifested Prime Powers) you may not mix Carnivores with Herbivores.
The Seraphis Institute
These are the 'Men in Black' of S.D.Z.A., a shady Organization made up of Primes, and ex Government Types, and Freelance Agents. Whilst ostensibly fighting on the side of Good, their long term objectives are unknown.
The Outsiders
The Outsiders are those rejected (or those who reject) Society – some by choice, some by an accident of Fate.
Most (not all) Primes come about because the RDS Virus affects them that way, Mutts because the RDS Virus passes back into the Human population from the Dinosaurs and "carries" some of the Dino characteristics with it - this leads to either Mutt's being Born to healthy individuals who were Carriers - or spontaneous "change" caused by the Infection.
The "Mutts" - poor souls are those who through exposure to early versions of the R.D.S. (Reactive De-evolution Syndrome) Virus ended up as twisted fusions of Dinosaur and Human.
Primes born outside of Communities generally join the Brotherhood, those who don’t join
the ranks of the Ronin - Rogue Primes who refuse to work with either The Brotherhood or the Initiative. Though the don’t always start out as Outsiders (some are ex Institute for example) they always end up as such.
The Highwaymen - ex Military, ex Rangers etc. - people who get "danger addicted" and want to make a lot of money fast - they are a Faction in their own right, but can also work with Good or Bad guys as Mercenaries - unscrupulous Highwayman can be in the Hire of Uni-Tech - whilst another could be working to bring much needed supplies to a Shanty Town.
The Time Knights
Strange Robed Figures have been seen of late, swathed in heavy purple robes trimmed with strange hex designs.
They carry strange sidearms, that can project focused streams of plasma - 'Plasma Blasters' they call them, people who have encountered these strange individuals have heard them mention their weapons by name.
They possess powers akin to those of the Primes, yet when scanned with a Visor do not show up as such. In fact on the rare occasions where a blood sample has been taken from these Strangers, its been ascertained that it has human and non-human characteristics - and that there is every indication they are immune to the R.D.S. Virus.
These brave 'Knights' always seem to arrive in the nick of time, to help or aid the enemy. Though the dark ones generally wear Black, Dark Grey, or Dark Burgundy robes and alien looking helmets - these Marauders seem hell bent on causing as much chaos and destruction as possible. But their robes sport the same strange designs.
Where they come from, or what their motives are are unclear - but it's obvious these strangers are a force for good, and evil . . . .
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