Throes of the Tarrasque | Faction Wars

A simple minigame for mechanized inter-Faction conflict using a standard deck of playing cards (52 cards + 2 Jokers).
System: p. 1-3, Faction Creation: p. 4, Faction Record Print Sheets: p. 5-6.

How to Play:
1. Resource Phase
1.1. Deal cards to each Factions = their Power.
1.2. Assign 1 card to each Asset.
2. Action Phase
2.1. Roll to determine which Faction acts first. Complete the Actions of the desired Assets.
2.2. Proceed to the next Faction, and so on until all Factions have acted.
3. Headlines Phase
3.1. Record Crippled and Lost assets.
3.2. Write brief narratives for notable events & deliver to your players (or inject into the next session).

System:
In this system, each Faction has Assets, and Assets spend Resources to take Actions.
A Faction is a group united by beliefs and objectives. It might be an Adventurer’s Guild, an
Interplanetary Pharma Corporation, or the Hawkins PTA. An Asset is an individual arm of a
Faction, such as the Guild’s blacksmith workshop, the Corp’s lawyers, or a PTA member that’s
really into Muay Thai. Resources are abstract: each card represents a collection of materials,
contributions, and opportunities that the Faction accumulates by various means - - information,
compromising intel, weapons, training, etc.
Resources allow Assets to take Actions, such as Attacking, Recruiting, etc.
Each Asset is designated as one of four Types: Cunning, Wealth, Force, or Support1. Cunning Assets
use Spades cards to take Actions, Wealth Assets use Diamonds, Force Assets use Clubs, and
Support Assets use Hearts.

Asset/Resource Types:
● Spades: Cunning | intelligence & counterintellingence, propaganda, research, informants, etc.
● Diamonds: Wealth | investments, natural resources, benefactors, banks, manufactories, etc.
● Clubs: Force | hitmen, assassins, soldiers, gunships, thugs, weapons systems, etc.
● Hearts: Support | medical clinics, mechanics, transportation, etc.

1. Draft Phase:
Shuffle the deck. Deal cards to each Faction equal to their Faction Power2. Take a moment to look
over all the cards on the table, then assign a Resource to each Asset. The order in which you assign
them isn’t especially important, but keep in mind that you’ll find out the turn order at the
beginning of the Action Phase.
Each Asset should have a Resource card. The Asset Type and card type must match in order for
the Asset to take an Action, but even if there’s a mismatch it’s important that each Asset has a
card to act as a temporary token for the Asset during the Faction Battle. If the Asset’s type doesn’t
match its allotted Resource card, turn the card face down to act as a placeholder.

1
We’ll circle back to Type Designation in the Faction Creation section on p. 4.
2
Ditto.
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2. Action Phase:
To determine the turn order, line up your Faction Records (I like mine from lowest Faction Power
to highest. ) and roll a die with at least as many sides as you have Factions. Whichever number you
roll will be the first Faction to act. Allow each Asset with a valid Resource card to act (in any order),
turning the cards face-down as they’re spent, then proceed to the next Faction in your lineup.

Resources for Actions:

● Numbers 2 - 10: An Asset may Attack another ● Queens: The Asset may Capture another Faction’s
Faction’s Asset. Both the attacking Asset and the resource. Trade this card for any card on the table,
defending Asset spend 1 card of a matching type regardless of type. This Asset may use the Resource
from their respective Faction’s Resources. Roll a or trade it to another Asset within the Faction to
d20 for each, add the card value: highest total wins, use. The Asset that had its Resource stolen cannot
ties go to the defender, and the losing Asset is take an Action this turn; turn the card face down.
Crippled. Crippled Assets cannot take Actions - turn ● Kings: The Asset may Recruit another Asset. Note
Crippled Asset’s cards sideways. Support Assets it in the Faction Records; it is available in the next
cannot attack, but Cunning, Wealth, and Force Faction Battle. The Faction receives +1 Faction
Assets can each attack any type of asset. Any Asset Power to support the new Asset.
from the defending Faction may substitute itself as ● Aces: The Asset may Attack, adding +1 to the d20
the defender to protect the targeted Asset. Face roll. If using the Additional Systems described
cards and cards without a type-match defend with below, the Asset may instead use their Type
a flat d20. Ability. Once a Faction has used an Ace’s Type
● Jacks: The Asset may Hijack another Faction’s Ability, the Ace cannot be Hijacked or Captured.
resource. Trade this card for any card on the table ● Jokers: The Jokers represent Sabotage, betrayal,
of the same type; this Asset may then take another or bad info. This Asset is automatically Crippled at
Action with its new card. The Asset that had its the beginning of this Turn. Yes, you must give it to
Resource stolen cannot take an Action during this an Asset. If this Asset receives a new Resource card
turn; turn the card face down. (resulting from the action of a Queen or Deep
Pockets from the Additional Systems) the Joker’s
Crippling e ect is nullified.
Support Assets (Hearts):
Hearts Face cards (Jacks, Queens, Kings, Aces) facilitate the same actions described above, but
numbered Hearts cards restore Crippled Assets. A numbered Hearts card can Restore any Asset
currently with a card of the same value or lower, or any face card. They can’t defend other assets,
but they may act outside of turn order and revive an Asset at any time. When an Asset is revived, it
may act again beginning in the next Faction Battle.

Crippled Assets:
A Crippled Asset cannot take an Action this turn - unless they are revived - and may only defend
with a flat d20 roll. If a Crippled Asset is attacked and loses, it is Lost. Lost assets are considered
dead, disbanded, disenfranchised, or otherwise rendered permanently useless to the Faction.
Remove the card from play and mark the Asset as Lost on the Faction Records. Reduce their
Faction Power by 1. If an Asset is Crippled but not Lost at the end of the Battle, they are no longer
Crippled at the start of the next Faction Battle.

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3. Headlines Phase:
The heart of this system lies in the GM’s creative rationalizing of the cards’ activity. Play in good
faith, and play for your Factions as they would naturally behave. Some Factions might be unaware
that another Faction’s Assassin exists. A mad wizard might attack all Cunning Assets first as
challenges to his intelligence. A CEO might hold grudges and ignore tactical advantages in order to
destroy one specific Asset that wronged them. A smart HOA president may lie in wait, attacking
nobody, building strength.
Ultimately, it’s all for the Headlines Phase. On the table, one Clubs card beats another Clubs card;
the fun is in describing the battle between the Mercenary Band and the Goblin Clan. On the table,
a Clubs card loses to a Spades card; the fun is explaining how a group of lawyers neutralized the
threat of orbital strikeships by challenging their System Entry Visas. Each piece of the Faction
activity is fodder for unique stories. A 2 of Diamonds is a weak return on a land investment, a 10 of
Clubs is a powerful new ammunition for a Grav Tank Battalion Asset, and a Jack of Spades is a
damning piece of kompromat unearthed by a Private Detective Asset and used to coerce an enemy
Patron Asset for resources. Even a Lost Asset is fertile creative ground.

Additional Systems
The following systems add complexity to the Faction Battles. Consider running the vanilla system first. These are presented
in the order I suggest adding them.

Ranks: When you arrange a Faction’s Assets,

arrange them as a pyramid: the First Rank
containing 1 Asset, the Second Rank containing
2, the Third Rank containing 3, etc. The
leadership unit (the mad wizard, board of
directors, or cabal of hockey moms) will be the
First Rank Asset, the two underneath it will be
the Faction’s deputies, the next-in-command.
The deputies’ subordinates (if they have any),
Attacking Assets may only attack opposing
comprise the Third Rank, and so on.
Factions from the bottom up.

For example, the Faction above has 10 Assets; it therefore has 4 Ranks, all full. Opposing Assets
may only attack the 4 Assets in the bottom row of this Faction (Ace, 7, King, 3). If the Asset
represented by the Ace is destroyed, it exposes the 10 to Attacks. Losing the 7 exposes the 10 and
the 6. Higher-Ranking Assets may defend lower-Ranking Assets as per usual.
The Rank system yields its most interesting fruit in the Headlines Phase. When Assets are Lost,
bricks fall out of the pyramid and weaken the entire stack - the Faction has no choice but to
restructure. Assets will be promoted, demoted, moved around; all prime opportunities for
interesting narrative developments if the PCs are intimate with the Faction.

Type Abilities: Assets with a type-matched Ace Resource card can perform their Type Ability as
their Action.
● Cunning: Tactical Advantage | This Faction’s Assets may attack Assets of any Rank during this turn, instead of limiting
their attacks to unprotected Assets.
● Wealth: Deep Pockets | The Asset procures additional resources for this round. Deal 3 more cards to the Faction and
distribute as desired. Giving an Asset a new Resource card replaces the old card.
● Force: Scorched Earth | All Crippled Assets in a chosen Faction are Lost.
● Support: Covered Retreat | All Crippled Assets in this Faction are restored.

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Faction Creation and Stats
Creating a Faction is easy: determine its Faction Power and determine Assets. Faction Power is
the group’s prowess compared to other Factions, generally from 3 through 15. Factions may fall
below a 3, but if a group would begin with a Faction Power below 3 it’s probably not worth building
into a Faction. A good rule of thumb: give small Factions a 3, midsize Factions a 6, and large
Factions a 10.
The Faction can support a number of Assets equal to their Faction Power. The Asset Echelons
available alongside this system will include banks of suggestions organized by genre and Type, but
don’t hesitate to incorporate your own. If a session generates a surprise trio of Demolitions Expert
triplets with ties to an Adventurers Guild, add them to the Adventurers Guild Faction as an Asset.
Just assign them a Type when you create them (likely Force in this case) and add them to the
Adventurers Guild’s Faction Record. A Faction may have more than one of the same Asset, such as
a shadowy insurgent group with many Spy Assets.
If a group or thing operates as a single unit and would hurt the Faction if it’s lost, it will probably
make a decent Asset. Likewise, if your Party keeps bumping against an amorphous moon cult, it
might be worth turning it into a new Faction to vie for power against the others in your world.
Give them a name, determine their Faction Power, and start noting Assets on a new Faction
Record sheet. A long-running Party may even build their single captured sloop into a Shipping
Empire Faction worthy of rubbing shoulders with other major powers in the region.

Faction Records:
Printable Faction Records are the last page of this document. Page 5 is the vanilla system
(no Additional Systems) & page 6 is formatted to include Ranks. Print more than you need.

Utility
This system’s utility is primarily in longer sandbox campaigns where the shifting balance of power
between Factions generates new leads and session opportunities. At its simplest, Faction activity
should surprise and inspire. Underdogs gaining unexpected advantages, powerful patrons
suddenly compromised- it should be an exciting minigame for the GM to play. Prepare to track
long-term campaigns by Factions; I suggest running a Faction Battle after every adventure or once
per in-game month, whichever is more frequent. To get the most out of your Factions, introduce
your PCs to Assets and keep the Assets involved in their story. Let the actions of the PCs have deep
impact upon the Faction and the world. If they destroy an Asset during gameplay, it’s Lost
regardless of the Faction Battle.

Mission Statement
A tool for GMs to quickly mechanize the activity of their Factions in many systems. It should surprise and inspire the GM and present
player-facing interaction between factions.
- For DMs: should be easy to use and quick to add to their session preparation.
- Mechanism: a set of rules that will mediate and balance Factions in their activity against one another.
- Their Factions: this tool won’t build factions, but rather be a set of mechanics that can be applied to factions already created
by the DM. It will accommodate diverse Factions goals, and will not play out randomly but allow directed action.
- Many Systems: I will compile different Tables for different genres, but the mechanics themselves should apply to Guilds vs
Mercenaries in D&D, Pharma Conglomerates vs Psychic Cults in SWN, and Pearson Labs vs the Hawkins PTA in Kids On Bikes.
- Surprise & Inspire: the mechanics will be dynamic and exponential enough to provide lots of possibilities and inspire new and
unique activity between factions.
- Player-facing: the players want to know the headlines from the frontlines, and will be most affected by street-level conflicts
rather than corporate mergers. The Faction is the Arm, and the system will provide nimble fingers.

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 Faction Name: Asset Type Asset Type

_________________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

_

_________________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

_

Faction Power: ____ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

Faction Info: ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

Notes:

Faction Name: Asset Type Asset Type

_________________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

_

_________________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

_

Faction Power: ____ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

Faction Info: ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________

Notes:

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Faction Name: ___________|____ [Asset|Type] Faction Info:

_________________
___________|____ ___________|____
Faction Power:
________
___________|____ ___________|____ ___________|____

___________|____ ___________|____ ___________|____ ___________|____

___________|____ ___________|____ ___________|____ ___________|____ __________|____

Notes:

Faction Name: ___________|____ [Asset|Type] Faction Info:

_________________
___________|____ ___________|____
Faction Power:
________
___________|____ ___________|____ ___________|____

___________|____ ___________|____ ___________|____ ___________|____

___________|____ ___________|____ ___________|____ ___________|____ __________|____

Notes:

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Changelog:
1.1
- How to arrange Factions for start of part 2
- Revived Assets can now act immediately upon revival.
1.2
- Ace Resources cannot be stolen once used.
1.3
- Support Assets can act out of turn order.

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