Faction Guide
| “ | Until now in world's history, whenever we've had a dark age, it's been temporary and local. And other parts of the world have been doing fine. And eventually, they help you get out of the dark age. We are now facing a possible dark age which is going to be world-wide and permanent! That's not fun. That's a different thing. But once we have established many worlds, we can do whatever we want as long as we do it one world at a time. | ” |
| —Isaac Asimov, speech at Newark College of Engineering, 1974 | ||
Nearly 40% of all Fen are independent, either as neutral as humanly possible when it comes to politics[1], or generally liking many different groups but not enough to join any of them. (These Fen are often called "Neutrals" and "Generalists", respectively.) The rest belong to one or more factions - something of a cross between a nation-state, a political party, a business, a social club, and a mutual-aid society, but not quite like any of those types of groups.
Confusing? A bit, but think how much worse it is to the people who live there.
Contents
Major Factions
These six groups, listed by size, are the largest factions in Fenspace:
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United Federation of Planets - a.k.a. Trekkies, Trekkers, or FedFen - 50 px Galactic Republic - a.k.a. Warsies
- The Wizarding World - a.k.a. Wizards or Potterites
- Interstellar Alliance - a.k.a. Fivers or Rangers
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Independent Faction - a.k.a. Browncoats, Whedonites, or Jossies -
Crystal Millennium - a.k.a. Senshi
Minor Factions
While smaller than the "big six", these factions are still notable:
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This is not an exhaustive list of minor factions - if there's a noticeable fan base for a work of fiction or a fantastic concept, then there's likely a minor faction for it somewhere in Fenspace.
Fen Corporations
| “ | A race limited to a single planet, possessing a high knowledge of mechanics but with its basic machines of industry and war requiring a large capital investment, will inevitably tend toward collectivism under one name or another. Free enterprise needs elbow room. | ” |
| —Poul Anderson, Margin of Profit (1956) | ||
Even in Fenspace, people have to work for a living. The Boskonians may see crime as acceptable, but the rest of Fenspace doesn't...
Major Fen Companies |
Non-Governmental Organizations
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Pseudo-Factions
Some groups blur the lines between "faction" and "business," "social minority," or "hobbyist group." For example:
Again, this is not an exhaustive list.
Earthbound Factions
Some fen groups do not actually go into space, for reasons of ideology, source material or personal preference. Instead, they exist -- mostly hidden -- in the 'Danelaw.
Once again, not an exhaustive list.
Enemy Factions
The people in these groups are considered outlaws and terrorists by the Fenspace Convention. The whole point of the Space Patrol and Great Justice is to arrest or subdue (respectively) enemy factions when they arise.
- Boskonians - a.k.a. Black Hats, the Dark Kingdom, Death Eaters, Pirates, Reavers, Shadows, Sith, or less-flattering things we can't list in a family publication
- Turnerites - a.k.a. Skinheads, Space Nazis, Church of White Jebus, etc.
Notes
- ↑ Which means not at all neutral, of course.
- ↑ Most Blue Blazers would say they technically count as a subset of the Pulpers, but the sheer size and scope of Dr. Banzai's operation leads this
TroperEditor to separate them into their own faction.
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