SOCIETIES & CULTS FAQ

(rulebook reference, page 105)

WHAT DOES SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP MEAN?

Society Memberships are recorded on your character sheet and represent that your character is an official member of a gang, group, or organization. Society Memberships are specific to local chapters, not part of any canon group or organization. They can be social, cultural, or economic by nature.  Examples - a fan club for a champion Dogs Head team, a group promoting acceptance of Retrogrades, an organized mercenary company.

In SoCal, Societies are controlled by Story agency and will include Casted Characters or Extras. If you are organizing a group composed only of LCs, you can simply do that on your own. There is no need to seek approval for an official society in such a case. For example, LCs already tend to organize into town factions based on who they camp with.

WHAT ABOUT FAITH SUBSECTS?

Subsects of canon Faiths are not Societies, but rather variants in faith values and practices, not membership in a particular group. Faith subsects are not specific to local chapters.

WHAT ABOUT CULTS OF FAITH?

Approved Cults do require Society Membership, because they are specific to local chapters.

WHAT ABOUT FINANCIAL SISTER ORGANIZATIONS?

These are unrelated to Societies. If you have Master Financial Influence you can create a sister organization by submitting the appropriate Action Request.

WHAT ARE THE MECHANICAL EFFECTS OF SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP?

The primary benefits are non-mechanical - you get a unique play experience and built-in character ties - but there are a few mechanical benefits.

If you suspect your character and another may share membership in a Society, you may use the OOG symbol and ask “Clarify: Society Membership [Society]?” This represents that you recognize them as a member. You are welcome to develop more clandestine signals, but it is necessary to allow OOG clarification so that Story can send out characters who are members without having to learn your quintuple verification secret handshakes.

Red Star characters with Faith powers may use them on members with whom they share a Society Membership. The default Society for Red Star in SoCal is the El Dorado Cell, but any shared Society will do. Cult Faiths function the same as canon Faiths.

Finally, certain items require a shared Society Membership to be of benefit (e.g. Warlord’s Faceplate).

HOW CAN MY CHARACTER JOIN A SOCIETY?

This is detailed in the description for the Society. In most cases, joining a Society requires an Action Request.

HOW MANY SOCIETIES CAN A CHARACTER JOIN?

A character can join any number of societies as long as their requirements do not conflict. For example, a character can only join one subsect of Murder, Inc. Similarly, Cults all require induction into their Faith, and are therefore mutually exclusive. Living up to the conflicting expectations of multiple Societies can be a challenge, but as long as their rules allow it you may join as many as you wish.

CAN MY CHARACTER START WITH SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP?

Only if the rules for joining that Society state that you can. Many allow this through an Action Request and out-of-game discussion with the players already participating.

I HAVE AN IDEA FOR A SOCIETY, HOW DO I CREATE ONE?

First, you need a minimum of 6 LCs looking to join and be involved in the Society.  When you are ready, submit an Action Request. The template will prompt you with the questions you should consider.