Joining a Family in Requiem grants characters access to a number of benefits, but also many obligations. Families use Society Membership to define who is in the family, and what’s expected of them. Society Membership has three levels: Basic, Proficient, and Master. Each family also has its own trade list; learn more about these unique items here.

Basic Society Membership

Becoming a member of a Family only requires that the Family Head (or another Family member approved by the Family Head) accepts you into the Family. They will add “Basic Society Membership: (Family)” on your sheet. This level of involvement includes the following benefits and expectations:

  • Access to the Tier 1 Family trade item. These may be purchased once per event at the cost of 5 wagers.

  • Protection as a Family member under the Treaty of the Fold. Specifically, if someone kills the character, not only will they be executed, but so will their closest associate. 

  • The character must not actively work against the Family; doing so is probably the only way to be removed from the Family. 

Proficient Society Membership

This level of Family membership requires an Action Request. A player may submit this request no earlier than their third month as a member of the Family. The staff will give them specific tasks to be completed to earn this level of membership. This level of involvement includes the following benefits and expectations (cumulative with previous levels):

  • Access to the Tier 2 Family trade item. These may be purchased once per event at the cost of 10 wagers.

  • If accused of a crime, the High Lord Executioner will discuss the situation with the character's Family Head (or their representative) before proclaiming judgement. This negotiation usually (but not always) results in a lighter sentence. 

  • The Family may call upon the character to undertake missions from time to time: refusal may result in loss of this level or removal from the Family.

Master Society Membership

This level of Family membership requires an Action Request. A player may submit this request no earlier than their third month after attaining Proficient Society Membership. In addition, the player must register on the Survivor Ethos System (SES) for CvC without limitations. The staff will develop a custom mod for them to prove their worth to the Family. This level of involvement includes the following benefits and expectations (cumulative with previous levels):

  • Access to the Tier 3 Family trade item. These may be purchased once per event at the cost of 30 wagers.

  • If accused of a crime, the High Lord Executioner will take the word of an individual with Master Society Membership, except in the face of damning evidence. 

  • The character must fully support the Family in all conflicts and take missions for them. They should expect to kill or be killed during Honor’s Fall. 

  • “Blood in, blood out.” If the character fails the Family or tries to leave, they should expect the rest of the Family to try to kill them.

Honors Fall

Every year, in August, the protections of the Treaty of Fold ends, and the Families are allowed to fight each other directly. This bloody conflict will affect all Family members, and the higher the level of membership, the more significant the effect. At the very least, all Family members can expect to be targeted, and should not aid any individuals from other Families. At the Proficient level, they’ll be tasked to get directly involved in the violence, hunting rival Family Heads and protecting their own. And at the Master level, they’ll be targeted for death themselves. Anyone requesting Master Society Membership should assume they’ll die at least once a year. 

Player-Created Families

Players can start their own families if they meet minimum requirements and submit a special action request. Player-created Families receive the same benefits as NPC Families; however, instead of Trade Lists, the staff will help players in Patron Families create unique blueprints for them to use.

Players can create a Patron or a Ward family.  To qualify as a Family, you must have the following:

  • A Family Head based in DRNY

  • A minimum of 13 members (Patron) or 7 members (Ward)

  • At least 10 members (Patron) or 5 members (Ward) who are local or attend at least half the DRNY games a year.

  • A Family purpose (i.e. muscle, drugs, brews, etc.) (Patron only)

  • A Patron Family to sponsor the family (Ward only)

  • A charter that includes the following:

    • A common goal, a reason to exist: what brings these people together?

    • Rules: What is or is not allowed. What may lead to promotions or punishments?

    • Structure of command: How are decisions made?

    • Coming and going: How does one get into the family? How do they get out?

    • (Recommended) Ranks: If the Family Head is unavailable, or otherwise indisposed, who can make decisions on their behalf?

    • Rewards and punishments: Are there advancement opportunities if someone is successful? What happens if someone breaks a rule?

Characters advance similarly in Player-Created families, but do not require an action request to advance or staff involvement. Characters must still wait until their third month at the current level to advance, and Family Heads should develop specific requirements for doing so.