Faction Application Guide

[Fox]

During my time being apart of the Diverge community (particularly in my time as staff) I have read almost every faction application that has come through and seen a lot of similar flaws in applications that people fall into. So I've taken it upon myself to create a guide for all of you who are thinking about applying for your own faction. It will be broken up into points for TLDR and a write up after for those of you that are interested in bettering their application.

 

Don't take this as gospel, or the be all and end all of making an application. This is just my take on it. I will probably update it over time too.

 

 

Pre-Application

Things you should get right before even making the application.

You need experience to be a don/boss/leader

Whilst being a leader of a faction can be fun, it can also be quite taxing. Everybody that joins your faction will be looking at you to guide them and to provide the bare basis of roleplay. You are the glue that holds the faction together. Whilst some first time Don's are can flourish in the role, it is highly encouraged that you get some experience in playing the server before becoming a Don. Learn the skills, learn how the discords work. A higher play time can only be better for your application.

 

Write down your ideas

I find it highly beneficial to write down your ideas before you start writing an application. What kind of faction do you want to run? what names do you have in mind? any backstory ideas, even fun and interesting RP ideas. Anything you write down can be referred to. I found this really helpful when I made my own application, when I was hitting brick walls - i could refer back to my notes. 

 

 

DO-NOT's

Things you should avoid when writing your faction application

Don't use AI to generate your application

The use of AI in a faction application is a nono. Some people spend hours on their applications, and to use AI to generate your application is a big slap in the face to the people who have really worked hard. However using AI as a tool can have it's benefits. If you start getting a bit of writer's block, using AI as a tool to give you some ideas may be helpful, but do not copy it verbatim as that won't get you anywhere.

Don't copy other applications

Copying another application and changing a few words is entirely pointless. Make your application your own creation. Use other accepted applications as a benchmark, reading those and understanding why they were accepted will be very helpful.

 

Be overpowered

When writing your application consider that if you're accepted you will likely start small. There isn't much point in writing a backstory that you 'run the streets of NY'.

 

 

DO's

Things you should do or consider when writing a successful application

Be unique in your faction name and heritage

We get it, it's 'Mafia RP', the most popular heritage is going to be Italian, but try to think outside of the box. Whilst Italian can be an interesting pick and offers a great range of RP. There are organised crime gangs in every part of the world, so if you have a good idea... why not make it into an application? the freedom you can have whilst picking a unique heritage is only as far as your imagination can take you. 

 

Spend a lot of time on your backstory

Your backstory is critical to your application getting accepted. Think about your roots, your heritage and your faction name. Be creative, think outside the box or consider using a real gang that has existed, that way the backstory is all ready for you to review and put into your own wording. 

In my opinion a good backstory should answer these questions:

 

- Where the faction comes from

- The name of the faction

- The main players

- What got you into illegal operations

- How and why you landed in New York (If you're a jamaican faction, why are you in New York)

 

Write up a nice backstory and read it through a couple of times, and pick out anything that doesn't make sense or doesn't feel right and rewrite it. Have someone else read it.

 

Use images

Images aren't a requirement when making an application, but they help greatly. Not only do they break up potential walls of text but they can help show the reader exactly what you're talking about. I've seen some great applications where people have made scenario's inside the game itself. You could use real images of mobsters, or pictures of places etc. 

 

Come up with some unique roleplay examples

Now you've got your backstory written up, come up with some good examples of what roleplay you would bring to the table. What separates you from all of the other applicants and current factions in the server. Some great examples are things like, what business you want to run, what events would you like to host.

 

Make sure you meet the word count

The backstory section has a minimum word count of 250. Make sure that you at least hit this. Anything after that is a bonus! the more expressive you can be, the better tha backstory will read.

 

 

Common Pitfalls

 A few common mistakes or things that make an application look worse off.

 

Declaring what drug you want in your backstory

Try not to declare what drug your faction is in, in your backstory. There is no guarantee that you will end up with that drug if your application is approved. 

 

Grammar and punctuation

Try to use proper grammar and punctuation in your backstory. It shows that you've spent time on your application and you actually care about the people who read it.

Repetition

I've seen so many applications where people repeat certain things and it makes the reader check out. For example, a lot of the time people will repeat the name of the boss. In one case the name of the boss appeared in the backstory over 24 times, it just looks kind of sloppy.

 

 

Edited November 26 by Fox