What is a Group? A group is a team of players who claim land together, manage its resources, and build their own keep. Every faction starts out as a group. What is a Faction? A faction is a group that has proven itself to the admin team. Factions own a realm and can declare war on other factions. What is Influence? Influence is the currency of the faction system. It is earned through in-game activity, hour by hour, and spent on claims, war, upgrades, and upkeep. Every member of a group or faction brings one influence, so the more players you have, the more influence you can hold. When a member dies, through combat or any other means, the group or faction loses one influence. Lost influence regenerates one hour after the last member's death. How to Form a Group Apply on the forums at https://bladesandbanners.com/forum/35-group-applications/ using the form below, and make sure you meet the requirements first. The more unique and creative your concept is, the higher your chances of being accepted. Requirements 20 Signees 100 Influence (x) Gold Application Form Group Name: Backstory (300 words minimum): Culture (300 words minimum): What does your group bring that's new to the server?: Have you tried applying for the same concept before?: The more unique your concept is, the higher your chances of being accepted. Groups vs. Factions Groups Can claim land, manage its resources, and build their own keep Earn influence, but can only spend it on claiming land Factions Own a realm, which is essentially a nation: a full territory under your faction's rule, rather than a few claims of land Earn influence the same way as groups Can spend influence on claiming land, declaring war against another faction, or upgrading infrastructure to make their land more abundant Declaring war requires a good escalation play and costs a large amount of influence Now what? After Your Group Is Accepted Your group's thread will be moved to the Groups subforum. From there, you can show off your progress, activity, and creativity in the thread, and most importantly, have fun. Keep posting your progression regularly. If there is no progression for a month, the group and its thread will be locked and archived. Becoming a Faction Once you've shown the admin team that your group is active and stays out of trouble, we may promote it to an official faction.