Competencies

Competencies are a faction's equivalent of skills. Like characters, factions roll their competencies when they want to accomplish something that matters. Having a competency assumes that the faction has the necessary means in the form of personnel, equipment, expertise, assets and contacts.

Naturally, there is a matter of scale. There are tiny local factions like neighborhood gangs and gigantic global factions like megacorporations. When factions of different scales confront each other, their Influence is used as a modifier to their competency rolls. The same holds true when a faction acts against a character or progress, but the faction's focus or disposition is used instead.

Factions have six competencies, arranged in a pyramid. One at level 3, two at level 2 and three at level 1. They are assumed to have all other competencies at level 0.

• Black ops — Sabotage, assassination, and other things requiring a dirty hand.

• Corruption — Dishonest and fraudulent conduct of business. Bribery.

• Diplomacy — Managing relations with other factions in a sensitive and effective manner.

• Finance — Finding and managing money and other liquid assets. Getting loans.

• Human resources — Having, finding and keeping the best people for the job.

• Intelligence — Getting information through contacts, data mining, espionage or any other means.

• Legal — Using laws, regulations and bureaucracy to your advantage.

• Logistics — Managing the supply chain. Getting something to the right place at the right time.

• Manufacturing — Making things in large volumes.

• Marketing — Positioning a product or idea so that it achieves success.

• Net ops — Fighting in the net. Having data security. Breaking others' data security.

• Operations — Running a multi-level organization. Managing subordinate factions.

• Public relations — Getting along with people. Persuading, apologizing etc…

• Research and Development — Creating new technology.

• Resources — Having liquid and fixed assets. i.e. being rich.

• Security — Defending against physical threats.

• Strategy — Making and executing complex plans with multiple layers.

• Trading — Buying and selling things. Making a profit.

• Urban warfare — Literally, fighting with other factions in a city.