Factions, a lore-driven community game mode, is looking for more lore writers

CupcakeTrap·Nov 10, 2014·4 votes·928 views

http://i.imgur.com/gPQaPHj.png

Factions is a community game mode and lore initiative. Inspired by the original Ionia versus Noxus match, Factions pits the nations of Valoran against one another in matches fought with faction-specific Champion rosters and uses the outcomes to determine the course of an ongoing storyline. (Yes, Summoners exist. Yes, the League exists. We believe in the radical proposition that League of Legends lore should contain a League of Legends.)

An overview of our lore to date: Factions Lore

Factions has grown dramatically since it began over a year ago. We think it's time we brought in some more hands. For a long time, I've been saying that we really should reach out to the League fanfic/lore community. Today, I decided I ought to finally do so.

If you're interested, click here and send in an application. Lack of Factions experience is not necessarily a problem, provided you're familiar with League lore generally.

4 Comments

SubVertigoNov 10, 20142 votes

I like this idea, and would actually love to see this implemented into the game by riot somehow, but that would take a LOT of work.

CupcakeTrapNov 11, 20143 votes

I like this idea, and would actually love to see this implemented into the game by riot somehow, but that would take a LOT of work.

Thanks! I think it's possible that Riot would implement a Factions game mode as a featured game mode, but I can't imagine them adopting "Factions writ large", i.e., lore developing through match outcomes and Summoner decisions, at least not without a complete change in Narrative's direction. Their current attitude is the polar opposite. Let's look at the two main elements of Factions lore.

Match outcomes influencing the story

Factions: The core concept, Lana.
Narrative: They retconned the League of Legends itself from League of Legends lore. Not only are they not using League matches to set the course of the story, they are violently opposed to the very idea of the League existing, even in the background.

Summoners voting to decide what their faction does next

Factions: A significant part of Factions since the beginning. Many major events have occurred because of what Summoners decided to do. Summoners are prominently featured in Factions lore as characters.
Narrative: They retconned Summoners entirely. Not only that, but even after saying "well, you're still Summoners in the game", they have been issuing kill-orders on any voicework that references Summoners or the League. (This has been going on for over a year: VOs inevitably strip away any reference to Summoners. Garen doesn't even say "To the Fields of Justice!" anymore.)

A game mode? Sure. Adopting Factions in the sense of using matches and Summoner decisions to set the course of future lore? No way. Not because of the amount of work it would take—bear in mind that Factions is run by a handful of volunteers working in their free time, while Riot has an enormous team and virtually limitless resources at their disposal—but because it's antithetical to Narrative's current modus operandi.

Ethereal311Nov 11, 20142 votes

I have enough stuff to do at the moment and I have my own personal lore agenda (mainly in creating a political climate for Valoran), but I would be more than happy to write a few lore pieces. I wouldn't count on much though from me, but here's my own work about Xerath that is significantly different compared to how most fanfics have been written.

CrazedPorcupineNov 11, 20141 votes

Hey everyone, I'm a current member of the Lore staff right now. And this is actually really big. The community has grown so large that we as staff have been swampped with getting things out on time and really need the help. We love the League universe and want to see it justice. We honestly don't really care how much time you have, as long as you are able to contribute in some way at least once or twice a week. Remember, Factions is built entirely on the time of volunteers.