PlanetFall - Roles Guide

Here is a general guide for the available roles in the game. Some advice is given to help you establish a preference for one or more roles/factions. You do not need to sign up for a specific role - if you aren't sure or don't have a preference then we will try and assign you the best available role!

You can also sign up with a team of friends (just be sure to let us know who else you want to be on a team with!) - or by yourself. Either way we'll try and fit you in to the right role!

Roles

The majority of players in this game represent the major national and corporate factions taking part in the colonisation of Iris. Each of these teams has four player roles that are functionally the same (though they may have different names that reflect the differences between the factions).

Team Leader

This role is the leader, major political figure and/or primary negotiator for their team. These players will talk to other players as they see fit, either doing business and negotiation with other teams, or focusing on coordination or other issues within their own team.

Map Representative

This role is in charge of the team's security forces, and is the only member of the team allowed to go to the resource map. They will be claiming hexes for their own team and also likely coordinating and making deals with other Map Representatives about the use of security units, and agreements about hex claims and ownership.

Head of Operations

This role is in charge of the team's buildings and resources. This is a key role as they will need to liaise with the Leader about deals with other teams, with the Map Representative about which resources they have access to on the hex map, and with the Council Representative about how Council laws and decisions might affect their team's day-to-day operations.

Council Representative

Every turn, the Council Representatives of all of the teams will meet in the Colony Council. It is their job to discuss important matters and vote on new laws and legally binding decisions that will affect the entire colony.

Factions

Each team represents a faction with a significant stake in the Iris colony. There are nine primary factions, comprised of three National and six Corporate factions. [Note: For newer players, Corporate or Media roles are recommended - but not mandatory!]

National Factions

The Federated Atlantic Syndicate (FAS)

The FAS covers most of the North American and European landmasses, and has historically been a nation focused on financial power and demonstrating its own superiority wherever possible. It is the oldest of the three powers, and often sees itself as a world leader, and as a provider of freedom, capitalism and democracy - though the accuracy of this notion is often debated, especially by its critics.

It is arguably ahead of its peers in terms of technology and science, though this focus on maintaining a society supported by high-tech industry and comforts comes at a significant cost.

The Confederated Peoples of Asia (CPA)

The CPA covers most of the East Asian landmass, and many believed it was formed in response to the creation of the FAS. The CPA has a massive population, which it maintains control of through a strong focus on national identity and working towards the good of the nation. With its large population ever growing, its demand for industrial resources is starting to outstrip supply, and many are speculating that they are relying on the Iris colony to resolve this problem.

South American Nations (SAN)

By far the newest supranational power, the SAN have only recently come to be, with a pragmatic unification of the countries of Central and South America. Lacking the high level of industrial development enjoyed by the FAS and CPA, the SAN are looking to feed their newly combined population and create new large-scale industry.

The SAN has made a few overt moves that suggest a potential relationship with the CPA to oppose the FAS' influence, however many political pundits suggest that the SAN is likely to play both sides in order to avoid being sidelined as the newest and (relatively) smallest power.

Corporate Factions

Distributed Power

Originally one of the FAS' regional power suppliers, Distributed Power was able to grow through innovations in Solar and Geothermal power, combined with aggressive acquisitions of other power companies. It is now one of the largest power suppliers across all three of the major Nations.

NutriBio AgCo

As Earth's population grew, more and more farms were brought into large agricultural organisations and businesses, attempting to optimise food production on a gigantic scale. NutriBio was one such company, investing in genetic and agricultural research in order to maximise output and allow for food manufacturing in areas previously unsuitable for farming.

United Steel & Iron (USI)

As the volume of labour required for extracting and processing the Earth's raw materials grew, it slowly became apparent that the labourers and businesses involved were becoming a significant de facto political bloc. This was later formalised, first in the CPA, then across the world, with a series of treaties uniting labour unions, businesses and guilds. Eventually all of these groups coalesced into United Steel & Iron. Despite their relatively loose membership, they often speak with a united voice, and can easily approach the negotiation table with major Nations on an even footing.

Killian Mining

Killian Mining was founded by CEO Harriet Killian with the goal of taking a truly global view of mining. With the minerals and rare elements needed by all countries scattered across Earth, an international approach was to be required to efficiently obtain them. With a focus on employing experts in international diplomacy and law, and acquiring as many smaller mining companies as possible, Killian Mining slowly but steadily emerged as the leader in international mining operations. With the launch of the colony on Iris, they now turn their global view even further, being one of the earliest companies to volunteer to take part in the venture.

Munich-Seoul Applied Labs (MSAL)

As scientific and technological advancement started to accelerate, a few hybrid national-private scientific entities were created to focus and maximise scientific output and stay ahead of the curve.

The largest of these in Western Europe and South East Asia combined into Munich-Seoul Applied Labs. MSAL is now one of the most ambitious and prodigious research organisations in history - and with the scientific potential that the Iris colony holds, it was a surprise to no-one that they became involved.

Central Holdings and Credit (CHC)

After a series of financial crashes hit Earth's markets, many of the smaller financial institutions were wiped out, and subsequently bought by larger companies. One of the more aggressive companies was North American Holdings, which acquired 20% of the market in under a decade following the first major crash of the 2060s.

In 2098, North American Holdings acquired its biggest rival, Shanghai Credit Corporation, cementing its dominance, and changed its name to Central Holdings and Credit.

Other Teams

There are a few other important roles/factions that round out the game:

The Iris Colony Government (ICG)

Team Size: 4 players

Since the discovery of Iris, there was much political tension over how it would be governed. To avoid any further conflict, all of the nations of Earth agreed on a unified, neutral government that would have the interests of the colony itself as its only stated goal.

In order to avoid bias and allow for everyone to have a say in the running of the colony, the Iris Colony Government Council was formed to allow for a fair and democratic voting system, taking into account all of the important actors who would be present on the planet.

News Media

Team Size: 4 players

The News Media team will be challenging, investigating, questioning, and generally reporting on the activities of the other teams. News output will be a mix of posting text headlines, organising press conferences with players, and making 1-2 minute audio/video broadcasts to the rest of the players. Given the power they have over both information flow and public reputation, it's a good idea for other players to work to keep them on side - and as such the news team will be filtering other players' news and press releases, as well as doing their own investigations and constructing reports.

Control

Several players will be helping to run the game and manage certain parts of the experience. The Control Team are effectively a team of GMs ensuring that the rules are applied properly, and allowing players to interact with parts of the game that aren't established by existing mechanics.

Though the role is best suited to people who have attended a megagame before or who are familiar with this sort of responsibility, the Control team is open to anyone who is interested, and those new to the role will receive guidance and briefings on what they need to know. Many people enjoy taking on a Control role, as it allows you to see the game from another side, learning more about its systems and events from a more open and neutral perspective.