SneakyJack on 25/2/2009 at 22:07

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I was thinking after playing the fan mission Hidden Agenda that it fleshed out the backstory to the Mechanists in my mind a little and shaped how I saw them as a faction a bit. Over the course of playing hundreds of fan missions my views on the original mission's factions have become pretty skewed - I usually take fan mission lore into account when thinking of the overall feel of how the faction operates.

It got me wondering - how do you view the different factions in your own mind?

I guess I'd sum it up like this for myself:

Hammerites: The Hammers in my mind are noble beings that are fairly fanatic when it comes to religion but mostly try to do the right thing. They are very protective of their beliefs and their property but overall seem to be a somewhat non confrontational faction.

Mechanists: A splinter faction of the Hammerites - they seemed to have ditched religion more for the belief in machines and technological advancement. They rely on their creations for money and for protection - and are far more shifty and untrustworthy than their Hammerite brethren.

The Order Of The Souls: Perhaps the most frightening and mysterious faction in the Thief universe, these guys were created by DrK for his Rocksbourg series and in my mind are now officially part of Thief canon. They flourish in darkness and harness supernatural powers and creations - and use fear to their advantage. With their long and somewhat mysterious history and interesting take on things - you can tell that they are not only fighting for their own survival (and staying hidden and protected) but are also out to.. advance their own agenda one way or another. I can't wait to see how this faction evolves in Rocksbourg 4 and where they end up - perhaps the most interesting Thief faction to me.

The Keepers: From what I've seen in the original missions and fan missions alike - The Keepers are the most self centered bunch in Thief. They rely on their mystery and "prophecies" to control people like Garrett and cause them to do things they otherwise wouldn't do in order to shape the fate of the world and the things in it. Always vague and fairly uninteresting to me - I wouldn't mind seeing The Keepers replaced by The Order Of The Souls in future fan missions to spice things up a bit. I understand why they are in the Thief universe, but I think they have been taken as far as they can go without new developments or some shocking twists - so my interest in them is not very high.

The City Watch: Always my favorite enemies to see populating a mission - these guys are the classics. From their hilarious speeches and mutterings to themselves - I see these guys as average everyday folks that are just working hard to make a living and to keep their unappreciative nobles or captains happy. Private guards always seem to have it rough due to the nobles constantly berating them and expressing their displeasure due to the guards not meeting their ridiculous demands. They seem to always be concerned for the well being of their fellow co-workers and are sent into a rage when one of them is found harmed - and I can respect that aspect of their character. Someday I hope to see a fan mission in which the guards are forced to side with Garrett against another faction - it would be great to see some scripted action events where the guards put their lives on the line to aid Garrett in a struggle against another group in the Thief world.

The Thieves: The "everyone for themselves" cutthroat faction of the Thief World - these guys and gals terrify me. Their blinding speed and skill with weapons makes me see this faction as the most dangerous out of all the groups in Thief. I truly slow down when I'm confronted with an area full of them - though I'd like to see more missions use them to their fullest potential. Thieves don't really have alot of backstory - but they don't really need to - and in my mind are under-appreciated in Thief.

Pagans: I'd really like to see more missions that better flesh out this faction - their motivations are pretty clear but in my mind they are basically the "tree worshipping hippies" of the Thief world. I don't really have much to say about them other than their speech inflections are interesting and they seem to lack much of a backstory other than what small bits we are given in the original missions and a few fan missions here and there. The pagan faction has seemed to be completely ignored in most new missions - their presence is much greater in the older missions I've played through recently.

The Undead: I see this faction as the fun vacuum of the Thief world. I avoid undead missions due to it not really being my thing - and I find that any more than one or two of them in a mission will completely take me out of it. Obviously personal preference - but I only see a very limited place for them in the Thief world and they quickly become boring and seem very one dimensional to me as far as use. I really enjoyed their use in missions like The Seven Sisters - they truly had a reason to be there (a plague turning folks into zombies) and were in a city environment along with regular human guards. It was the perfect mix of reasoning, purpose and location - perhaps future missions will integrate them in a better fashion after the example was set by Lady Rowena.

Creatures: It's hard to give creatures personality and purpose - but for the most part I've enjoyed how they have been used in fan missions. I see them as arrow or sword fodder other than a few examples where they were used as pets or to further a story. I really enjoy when creatures play a part in an objective (One I remember is following a mouse to a location in a mission) and I think it was a mission by Sterlino that used a mouse to deliver keys to you in a prison escape - that was really clever and used creatures wisely to give them a new dynamic.

I may have missed a faction or two - but you get the idea. I'd like to know how you personally view factions - not how you are supposed to according to thief lore. :D

Dante on 25/2/2009 at 23:14

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Hammerites symbolize order, progress, and (vaguely) Christianity, all of which I believe in. Unfortunately, they're pompous snobs and they couldn't speak modern English if their lives depended on it.

Pagans represent chaos and are nuts, so I don't like them so much. They're funny though. And they also fail at English.

Mechanists are crazy.

jtr7 on 25/2/2009 at 23:39

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You best have tongue firmly in cheek. As awesome as many a fan mission are, they can never be official canon, even if the honor is more than deserved. "Thiefy Factions", not "Factions in Thief". ;)

R Soul on 26/2/2009 at 00:53

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Can I be their leader?

Digital Nightfall on 26/2/2009 at 16:34

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please don't do that...