First off, I’d like to make it absolutely clear that I am not suggesting any balance changes here. This is merely a statement of the issues I have with ToL’s current “Four Factions” categorization system and the steps I would take to alleviate them now, leading to a better game.
Let’s start by looking at the four factions, as described by the ToL wiki:
The Blue Dragon
The Black Rose
The Cult
Neutral
I have three immediate objections to this categorization: Neutral is considered a faction (when in reality it is the absense of one), two factions start with the same letter, and the names are, for the most part, rather uninspired. Let’s tackle these issues one by one.
First off, the Neutrals should in no way be referred to as a “faction” anywhere. The entire point of neutral roles is to meet their own objectives by their own means. Referring to them as a faction may confuse players attempting to figure out the intricacies of ToL’s conversion-based system. A slight change, I know, but one that I feel should be made. In addition, we should totally change from the basic cursive “n” as a symbol of the neutral roles into the much more visually interesting and symbolic aleph (א), to represent the many possibilities and roles neutral roles can take.
Secondly, having the BD and the BR makes it more confusing than it should be at a glance to determine what everybody is talking about. I’ve even seen somebody accidentially say Black Dragon before. Even if these mistakes are rare, the fact that they can potentially occur quite easily is a fault of the game. Therefore, I suggest that one of these factions recieve a name change to something similar, but different.
Lastly, all of the faction names are bland and boring. Blue Dragon isn’t technically bad (even if it is quite bland - a color and an animal, wow), but Black Rose and Cult are both short names that lack any gravitas or impact. Therefore, to assist with the previous issue and spice things up, I propose that the Blue Dragon be officially rename the Azure Dragon (AD for short). This name has a bit more pop, feels more elegant and royal, and fits the nature of the faction better than “Blue Dragon” does. In addition, I also recommend changing the name of the Black Rose to the Blackrose Faction (BF for short), a far more intriguing and intimidating name, befitting a group of dark dissenters willing to sink to murder to achieve their goals. Lastly, I recommend officially changing the Cult to the Cult of Mithras (Cult for short), simply because the longer name gives them a more weighty feeling, portraying them as zealots with a sinister purpose rather than just any old cult, which is especially helpful due to the cult’s presence in other Mafia-style games (and the disdain most feel towards such factions).
Doing all of the above changes the simple yet easy-to-confuse faction names we currently have into a list of much better-sounding and easier to keep track of heroic nobles and traitorous villains. Shaving it down to three official factions will help to introduce new players to the world in a streamlined manner, and clearing up the BD/BR confusion will lead to clearer communication during games. Assuming that it doesn’t take too much effort to change the game’s official artwork, I suggest that any of these suggestions that are going to be implemented be done sooner rather than later, while the community has time to adjust and while these are less rolecards to change.
but that seems worse than the original, if anything, mystery and intrigue and whatever is taken away