BattleTechWiki talk:Project Factions

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Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission a Faction?

I've been thinking about NGOs in the BattleTech universe and how to cover them in articles, specifically what InfoBox to use. (InfoBoxFaction seems a good fit.) Which made me think wether the MRBC should be considered a faction? It's an edge case, but I think it should. Opinions? Frabby (talk) 07:30, 11 January 2022 (EST)

It feels a little weird to classify a limited purpose inter-governmental agency as a faction. It makes sense for general purpose organizations (say the UN in real life, or the 2nd Star League in Battletech), but doesn't seem to fit for limited purpose organizations (like say the International Whaling Commission in real life, or the MRBC here). --HF22 (talk) 08:00, 11 January 2022 (EST)

This is kinda something I have been working on for a few months in the background, I find the term "faction" to be something I am increasingly unhappy with in a similar manner to "minor" from a few years ago. I have already split a lot of the "factions" and Organisations into sub-categories a few months ago and at some point in the near future the Faction InfoBox is getting an overhaul. I am undecided on exactly what that overhaul entails though. Right now the options are:

1. Split off different types of faction and organisation with specific infoboxes.
2. Build a faction box with lots of different sections that can essentially be custom built into anything.
3. Build a very bare bones minimalist faction box and let the article text carry the weight.

As with all things of this nature, feedback is not only appreciated but desired.--Dmon (talk) 12:41, 11 January 2022 (EST)

This probably doesn't belong on this particular talk page, but fwiw I feel we need to consolidate the Infoboxes and have fewer of them, not more. Probably your #3 proposal, though I'm certainly also agreeable to #2 to a degree.

As for what comprises a faction, phew. Nobody would deny that ComStar and the Word of Blake are factions. The New Avalon Catholic Church at least uses the InfoBoxFactions template, is categorized as a "Religious Organisation" which is a subcategory of "Organisations" which is a subcategory of... Factions. I actually like the generic nature of the word Faction. Any somewhat unified, cohesive power - state, NGO, organized religion - is a faction, imho. This whole train of thoughts started when I stumbled across the redlink for Doctors Under Fire (in Legacy (Anthology)); another such NGO would be the BranthKeepers. Looking them up, their article also has the InfoBoxFactions. Looks like we're already doing it. Frabby (talk) 13:58, 11 January 2022 (EST)

I think this could work if we just swapped the terminology around - Make "Organizations" the top level category, with "Factions" a second level subcategory, at the same level as the current organization subcategories (i.e companies, criminal organizations etc). HF22 (talk) 16:19, 11 January 2022 (EST)

The more Infoboxes there are, the more difficult it is for editors to get it right. Simple is good. Simple with good documentation/instruction is even better.--Cache (talk) 19:34, 11 January 2022 (EST)

I am leaning towards a mixture of option 1 & 3. The bulk of factions and organisations should get a very basic InfoBox: Organisations with maybe 5-6 sections:

• Image
• Type NACC = Religious Organisation, Yakuza = Criminal Organisation, MRBC = Trade Association, Doctors Under Fire = Humanitarian Organization?.. Any kind of NGO you can think of. Also government departments willl get this box, MIIO = intelligence agency, Civilian Guidance Corps = Law enforcement agency, League General Accounting Office = government agency/deparment?
• Founded
• Dissolved
• Affiliation/parent organisation
• Headquarters?
• Area of operation? = so Vagabond Schools would be Outback
• Leader? NACC = Battlepope?

And then I want to spin off Nation States into its own infobox that is fairly close to the current Faction box.. So planets, capital, military, intelligence etc.

Then there are a couple that already have a box, like corporations due to me wanting to eventually split off factories into a "division" of the corporation. Noble Houses due to family tree format, and sports team.. Mostly because we kinda already had one and CungrVanck asked for a better one. Only other infobox that might be worth considering is a Military organisation one as a tool to try and help tame the fairly wild format issues the top level armed forces pages have seen over the years. Again feedback is not only appreciated but desired. --Dmon (talk) 20:18, 11 January 2022 (EST)

This approach makes the most sense to me Dmon - Gets my vote. --HF22 (talk) 21:40, 11 January 2022 (EST)