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[Ruddygreat]

The Luddic church is an institution of immense piety compared to the rest of the sector, standard architecture in the sector is extravagant so it would make sense for the church to want more simplicity, especially a church *against* technology and extravagance. Their ships look simple, their outfits too, their structures should also be simple. The presence of God is only in places where the presence of Man is weak, extravagant churches go against that, frescos, statues, it all goes against that

(lol at telling the guy who writes the lore what the lore is)

Though more seriously - as you pointed out, the luddic rejection of technology is in relation to the rest of the sector, by our standards they'd still be using wildly advanced technology (for instance, one of the skulls in the version of the first image that david posted to twitter has what looks like an implant in it's skull, the knights use power armour, etc) & it makes sense that the relatively mundane tech would get used in their architecture (and allow for fancier structures).

And well, since you're comparing the luddic church to the catholic church, compare st. peter's basilica to say st. albans' cathedral or a local church; the more "central" places of worship are (by necessity) larger and (because the clergymen who run the place want to look fancy) more impressive. This tracks pretty well onto what we can see of the illustrations (imo), the shrine on hesperus is kinda small and out of the way, it's more of a military base than anthing- while the shrine on (probably, given that it's a nice looking world) gilead is a much larger affair that presumably gets many more pilgrims & has to accommodate for them.

There's also, y'know, this bit from the blogpost that effectively excuses the differences, every shrine is different, each one will adhere to the principles they see fit and in ways that they see fit.

Back to Luddism: no religion is a monolith of belief. Keeping doctrinal purity, particularly over interstellar distance and across borders, is like building a tower out of dry sand. It’s a constant effort to pull outliers back into line, and meanwhile all sorts of people keep finding all sorts of ways of relating to and interpreting the tenets of the Luddic faith.

Shrines give us a way to show this: each shrine is on a different world with its own problems, factions, and people, and themes.

and re: the actual content of the blogpost - this is all great stuff, it's lovely to see that the two most "nothing" factions (SD & LC) are getting some much-deserved attention! though, ngl this has me almost worried that the PL is gonna get kinda left in the dust, but eh, they've still got some interesting stuff going for them.
time to go back to my regularly scheduled "longingly looking at the retribution's sprite", I can't wait to play around with it!

[Plantissue]

Lovely to see the Luddic Church get some attention, especially in regards to reconcile the apparent technology hating aspect we see with Pathers and the fact that they are an interstellar civilisation afterall. I rather like the depiction of the churches, I was expecting a very 40k inspired look and got pleasantly suprised by something else. In real life, religious buildings such as churches were at the forefront of monumental architecture of their time, though in the Luddics case it seems to only merely be at the forefront of style. Though it seems in the case of the interiors it is very 40k inspired. Though in real life (tm) catholic churches are actually full of masses of candles, though many do replace candles with electronic candles nowadays.

No, I really don't want to look out for cliffracers anymore. In the case with how Morrowing handles religion, I had always thought the intention is of a Thus spake Zarathustra styled parody of how bizarre and contradictory religious text looks to outlanders outsiders complete with written religious text techniques.

[Serenitis]

It's taken me a little while, but I've finally pinned down what shrinequest reminded me of.
Remember Homeworld?
Okay. Well, it had a standalone half-sequel called Cataclysm that was a essentially a closer focus on one specific nation/clan within that group after they made it "home".
The game itself is standard Homeworld RTS stuff, if a little goofy (read: amazing). But that's not relevant. So where's the dumb hors going now then...?

It came with a fairly chunky thermal-bind instruction manual, as was normal at the time. (PDF)
And about 20% of this manual was basically a story/"history" book, full of all kinds of stuff about how this one group changed over the years leading up to the game etc.
And specifically how they built a "trail" of temples along a hard to follow path that ended up becoming a sort of religous tourist attraction.
And that's what my memory pinged on. Funny what meat recalls...

Kinda happy I remembered that game, cos now I'm gonna find where it's gotten to and see if it will work on a modern system.

[FooF]

It's taken me a little while, but I've finally pinned down what shrinequest reminded me of.
Remember Homeworld?
Okay. Well, it had a standalone half-sequel called Cataclysm that was a essentially a closer focus on one specific nation/clan within that group after they made it "home".
The game itself is standard Homeworld RTS stuff, if a little goofy (read: amazing). But that's not relevant. So where's the dumb hors going now then...?

It came with a fairly chunky thermal-bind instruction manual, as was normal at the time. (PDF)
And about 20% of this manual was basically a story/"history" book, full of all kinds of stuff about how this one group changed over the years leading up to the game etc.
And specifically how they built a "trail" of temples along a hard to follow path that ended up becoming a sort of religous tourist attraction.
And that's what my memory pinged on. Funny what meat recalls...

Kinda happy I remembered that game, cos now I'm gonna find where it's gotten to and see if it will work on a modern system.

That's right! I forgot the Somtaaw started off as this religious group with a pilgrimage among the mountain tops before eventually becoming miners. I love the Homeworld series and though Cataclysm didn't have the gravitas of the original, it was still a very fun game. I remember pre-ordering it back in the day. Can't wait for the 3rd one.

Anyway, maybe the player character will achieve some sort of enlightenment if they go the distance down the Pilgrim's Path. I want it to be a lore dump full of half-truths wrapped in sacred dogma so that we can glean some of what life was like before the Collapse and what caused it but I also want there to be good challenges and conspicuous in-game rewards that make it worth doing if you're not a lore hound. Ultimately, like I said in my first post, I hope that completing the quest helps the player navigate whatever final crisis the game throws at you.

[SafariJohn]

David mentions Morrowind because it had a sidequest that was visiting various shrines of the Tribunal religion. https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Pilgrimages_of_the_Seven_Graces

[Twilight Sentinel]

The Luddic Church never struck me as particularly iconoclast.  They don't like the rampant use of advanced technology or the abuse of luxuries, but that doesn't mean that they dislike architecture or artwork praising of the divine.  If anything, grand temples, extravagant shrines, and other theocratic art is on point considering we already had Beholder Station.

[Neldonax]

For a person that usually doesn't care much about lore posts, this was very interesting. I really like where the game is going, having a world where each corner of the sector has a unique feel to it.

Well, thank you!

Oh, a quick question, David: Can the more overlooked Independent worlds like Eldfell or Cethlenn expect some uniquification identity upgrade, too? Being Independent is a downgrade in appeal by itself, but colonies like Nomios and Maxios manage to leverage the faction theme to feel peerlessly unique. Agreus got its little spotlight in the Gate campaing; can we expect more of these in the future?

Ah, answering is outside the scope of this blog post. (But, ahem, the logical conclusion of the approach thus far described is to emphasize unique interests of various underserved locations.)

Mayasura is the one that got "colony dropped" not long before the game start, right?

I want to say yes to troll everyone, but no.

Though I do wish more about how the politics work got more detail.  It kinda sounds like the Persean Sector almost still operates as a polity under Domain law?  Maybe the courts operating in different star systems still use the same body of law, but interpret it differently?  Because while the Hegemony is fine as just an army, how a corporation exists without a government to define it boggles the mind (a corporation is literally a limited legal exemption from liability if you spend money how government tells you).

Yeah, my model is (perhaps obviously) the post-Roman Empire. Everyone appeals to (or against) a formerly shared source of legitimacy (or illegitimacy) but is starting to drift in their own directions.

(What's a corporation whose 'parent' state has withered away? Maybe just another state with a peculiar theory of legitimacy and rights/responsibilities that probably resembles feudalism in some way? Just speculating off the cuff here; talking about Tri-Tachyon is, alas, outside the scope of what I want to get into here ... )

I dislike the high elf architecture, the luddics are meant to be highly pious and humble, not these extravagant high towers and ***.
...
Luddics have so much potential please do not *** this up so bad

Hi! Welcome to the forums.

While I think there is a compelling point at the core of your post, you've managed to botch it by coming off as a huge jerk in how you've said it. Please take a moment to review the forum rules, particularly the first rule. If you want to persuade people of anything through writing you are going to have to seriously re-think how you're expressing your thoughts here.

I'm feeling charitable today, so here's a reply: I think there's an argument to be made for the architectural style of "solarpunk-gothic", but I actually don't love that a lot of people immediately think "Rivendell", so... I'll think about how to better visually express what I'm going for.

You should really try to express the pious nature of the church, yes gothic architecture exists, but the catholic church was never the most pious institution, or the most orthodox when it came to rules. The church gives me eastern orthodox vibes, bending rules, reading through the lines, and the general dislike for technology with them trying to have everything as simple as possible. It could all just be my headcanon, but the church and the path are my favourite factions. Gothic architecture in my opinion comes off as a middle finger to God, building as high as possible and desecrating the sky. The luddics also exist in a world where high class architecture is normal, if their nature is to contradict the world, they should be building basic, yet still expert crafted stone structures.
Their space architecture should also look a lot more like current "low tech" space architecture, especially russian stuff.

[smithney]

Their space architecture should also look a lot more like current "low tech" space architecture, especially russian stuff.

Oh man, have you picked a terrible combination of time and topic to spout that something should "look like russian stuff" xD On a related note: Have you thought that perhaps in game, Pathers are thinking what you are thinking and have about as much power as you do to change something about that?

[Neldonax]

The Luddic Church never struck me as particularly iconoclast.  They don't like the rampant use of advanced technology or the abuse of luxuries, but that doesn't mean that they dislike architecture or artwork praising of the divine.  If anything, grand temples, extravagant shrines, and other theocratic art is on point considering we already had Beholder Station.

Beholder station is a modified research outpost, the inside of it is pretty empty and lacks iconography.

And that's my point, the church hates luxury and extravagance, so their architecture being extravagant is a slap to the face

[Igncom1]

Depends on the church really considering Baroque architecture.

[Sozzer]

in neldonax's defense, any notable irl church is very humble, understated, and simple

[ForestFighters]

And that's my point, the church hates luxury and extravagance, so their architecture being extravagant is a slap to the face

Just because they hate the reckless consumption of worlds done by the Domain, doesn't mean they all have to be poor, know-nothing people living in dirt or stone huts. There may be some sects that follow that, but the Luddic faith is a relatively new and evolving one, the doctrine is still forming, and the ideas of what it should be are vague. Boiling down the entire group into anti-tech dirt-eaters makes the faction a cardboard cutout to laugh at. The extremists are either going to be pathers, or completely irrelevant farming communities, not the ones with the major churches. The Luddic church is at the end of the day, still a space-faring polity, they need technology, they just don't want to use it as excessively as the Domain did.

And anyway, what better way to show the glory of God than a massive, awe-inspiring cathedral. That's why people made them.

[SCC]

Yeah, I got the notion of post-Roman Empire, but feudalism was largely a reform of the de facto slavery of the late Roman Empire.

Feudalism was a product of unstability. Free men would become serfs and pay various taxes, while the nobility would protect them. It worked well enough at the time.
The parallel to Starsector would be, if all factions were pirates who just sometimes trade instead of robbing one another. Old security structures are gone and the world becomes a dangerous place, so you go for the thing that stops you from dying ASAP. It would be similar, if all Starsector factions were more like pirates, only occasionally trading instead of robbing you. Some people would rather die than submit, but some prefer living to dying. Greek mentality.
Rather would I, in the sun's warmth divine,
Serve a poor churl who drags his days in grief,
Than the whole lordship of the dead were mine.

Similarly, what the heck is a "credit"? Fans have called it "space bitcoin", but... credits are actually useful and stable. I'm not answering anything at all besides "scifi money".)

A fiat currency. Unless it can be used for something and absolutely cannot be replicated with something else. For example, you can make a knife out of copper or iron, if you lack one or the other. If ship loicences charge you 500 crabbits commission and you cannot make that ship (or a substitute ship) without them, then they actually get some intrinsic value. Also, just like in real life, they're the funny numbers that stop the gov't from throwing you in jail for not paying taxes.

this is all great stuff, it's lovely to see that the two most "nothing" factions (SD & LC) are getting some much-deserved attention!

You wrote "SD" instead of "PL" there. SD was characterised alright as a totalitarian dictatorship, run by a egotistic dictator elevated by a cult personality, who rose to power during an intervention in a volatile system. PL, on the other hand... is not Hegemony.

[Neldonax]

And that's my point, the church hates luxury and extravagance, so their architecture being extravagant is a slap to the face

Just because they hate the reckless consumption of worlds done by the Domain, doesn't mean they all have to be poor, know-nothing people living in dirt or stone huts. There may be some sects that follow that, but the Luddic faith is a relatively new and evolving one, the doctrine is still forming, and the ideas of what it should be are vague. Boiling down the entire group into anti-tech dirt-eaters makes the faction a cardboard cutout to laugh at. The extremists are either going to be pathers, or completely irrelevant farming communities, not the ones with the major churches. The Luddic church is at the end of the day, still a space-faring polity, they need technology, they just don't want to use it as excessively as the Domain did.

And anyway, what better way to show the glory of God than a massive, awe-inspiring cathedral. That's why people made them.

You're missing my point, i'm not saying they should live in mudhuts, i'm saying the church should take more inspiration from less famous real life architecture that might not be so well known to westerners.
Have you played hl2 lost coast? Think of that. That style of architecture.
If you want my honest opinion, the new church lore feels like it was written by a westerner, someone who doesn't live in a society that actually holds the Church and religion very highly, here the idea of a church shooting up to the sky was almost heresy until just 200 years ago, i just think the church should have more obscure, cooler inspirations rather than the boring well known western stuff

[Yendorc]

[...] The church gives me eastern orthodox vibes, bending rules, reading through the lines, and the general dislike for technology with them trying to have everything as simple as possible. [...]

If the church gives you eastern orthodox vibes, then you should be totally happy that the image looks as it does tbh.

Spoiler

[close]

also you should just accept that your vision of a games faction seems to diverge from the vision of said games creators.
just chill and either accept it, or make a mod to change it would be my suggestion