Thinking a bit about factions, a critical element of the later stages of SRPG. ‘Faction’ in this context is meant technically, by the following definition:
A faction is a non-exclusive collection of NPCs with a set of shared behaviors or traits.
You might notice that this definition sounds a lot like a Component. It is, and indeed there will be a ‘Faction’ component. There will also be more specific components that inherit/require the base Faction component. An individual NPC can have multiple factions.
For example, Gary the Blacksmith might have: Townsfolk, Human. The Townsfolk faction means he has knowledge of certain things (like the Baron, and the identities of most of the other Townsfolk), while the Human faction means he probably won’t go near Goblins if he can help it. He’s not as welcoming of new experiences as you or I.
Factions are useful for a lot of things, including common defense. If you attack a member of the Guard faction, other Guards in the area will intervene. If you clean up the forest, the Ranger Bob faction will have an improved opinion of you. If you REDACTED the REDACTED, the aethernauts will never forgive you.