Hello, everyone!

Originally intended to answer a question from Lλmbdλ on Discord, I wrote a news article about the classes available for character creation in the core rulebook.
If you like this format, I will continue to publish articles giving my perspective on each culture and the challenges encountered during their design.
These news items will of course be followed by a Game Design perspective written by Valentin!

Before opening the topic on the Classes/Schools of Arts available in the core book, I would like to share my philosophy on the subject to explain the meaning behind my approach.
A quick note before you read on: I don't claim to be a historian or even a role-playing expert. I'm just talking about what I like and basing my thoughts on that :)
Anyway, enough introduction, let's dive into the wonderful world of...

CHARACTER CREATION

Like many role-players, character creation is one of my favorite parts of the game, even though I'm mainly a GM.
It's a time for fantasies, promises of adventure, and future memories that will be talked about for years to come around the campfire (or in the kitchen over cold pizza).
It's where we balance our wildest desires with rigorous optimization.
It's also an opportunity to engage in endless (and dubious) debates on the subject of “Nature VS Culture.”

Nature VS Culture

There are two camps when it comes to character creation: the Nature party, where the choice of character determines the gameplay, and their opponents, the Culture party, where the player alone determines the gameplay.
Nature party members are often associated with D&D, Warhammer, and fantasy in general, but they have also made their mark on science fiction with Shadowrun, video games (Elder Scrolls, World of Warcraft, Dragon Age, etc.).
The idea is simple: a people/race/ethnic group represents bonuses (and sometimes penalties) whose selection will determine gameplay. Selecting an orc will push the player to play a fighting class and lead to more “brute force” roleplay. The limitations of this character will be a source of drama and connection between the different player characters.

Asymmetric gameplay, where each player complements the others, has become the norm. Some characters are designed to take damage (“tanks”), others to inflict damage (“dps”), others to use magic (“healers,” “casters,” “dots”), and so on.
This specialization is also found in wargames and strategy in general, encouraging players to try different styles of play to find the one that suits them best.
Without any notion of optimization, the creation of so-called “Nature” characters encourages a certain form of consistency: you can create a dwarf thief in Warhammer, but will he really be effective? Wouldn't it be better to make him a racketeer or a swordsman, professions more suited to his “fighting nature”?

If the player wants finesse, why not go for the agility bonuses offered by elves or halflings, or even a legendary “Jack of all trades” human—average at everything?
The success of the Nature approach lies in its simplicity, where “form” equals “function” as in “nature” (meaning “observation of the real world”).

Conversely, supporters of Culture view the character as a product of their environment and therefore of the game's thematic proposal. For them, character creation must be stripped down to leave room for the player, the actor, and the game master, the storyteller and director. The differences between characters will be narrative (backgrounds) or minor (bonuses, powers, handicaps, etc.), even if very significant, because they are unique. All these traits have one thing in common: they serve to enrich the narrative. Here, the dwarf can very well be a thief if he has—for example—a +1 bonus for actions related to theft. His build will matter less than the bonus chosen by the player.

Overall, it is the narrative tool chosen by the player that makes sense, not their avatar.
The strength of this proposal lies in the narrative, in which the character is included from the moment they are created. Here, the game master does not have to create everything from scratch, but can improvise thanks to their players, who themselves become creators through their choices. In Culture games, the system takes a back seat to facilitate interaction and the social contract.

However, this method is not without its critics, especially regarding the lack of consistency in the worlds offered (physical form has little or no impact on gameplay) and the variety of playable characters (the more abstract the game, the more the choices tend to have the same probabilities).

And what about MIR in all this?

Valentin and I like games from both camps, and this will be reflected in the creation of characters and class choices by civilization. From an outside perspective, MIR is a “Culture” game, but the class system and Civilization bring it closer to “Nature.” The concept of Stigmata linked to culture roots the game and its themes on the “Culture” side, but the two non-human species - Delnataar and Azgranor - allow for a very “Nature” approach where the game changes format.

In short, our ambition is to offer you a narrative (Culture) AND asymmetrical (Nature) gaming experience.

And to clarify our intention (and at the same time respond to poor Lλmbdλ), I will present the gameplay of each people with their classes to give you the keys to understanding it.
Let's start with...

THE SYSTERIN EMPIRE

The flagship faction of MIR, the Systerin Empire was the “vanilla” nation, with no specialties or flaws, easy to access and quick to learn.
And that was a problem.
Often neglected in favor of others with more character (did you say “Anicéa”?), the “standard” factions struggle to show their specificities in gameplay, which often boils down to “they can do everything.” I therefore undertook a fundamental reworking of the theme of the Systerin Empire—perfection—to better reflect it in the writing and scenarios.
The Unicity network, the entity used by the Cult of Unicity to assign destiny and partners to citizens, has become a central element in character creation, as it is the source of all Imperial Arts (with the exception of Alchemy). The Systerins are materialistic religious figures: spreading Unicity increases the power of the network and their Arts.
Converting the masses to the word of Systerin, working for the Empire, and enforcing Unicity are no longer just roleplay aspects, but become the basis of gameplay.
The stronger the faith in Systerin's messianic promise, through the Monad or the cult of Unicity (there are subtleties between these two concepts, which we will come back to later), the more stable and easier to use your Arts will be.
Conversely, failing to convert or gather others to Unicity will make your Arts more unstable.
Difficult to reconcile with the life of a MIR Agent, you say?
Well, yes! Unless they are a Voice of Unicity, most Systerin agents will not have the time or skills to expand the network's reach.
This will make the use of their Arts more unstable and therefore less frequent... but no less interesting!
Systerins choose their moment to make an impression, rally NPCs to their cause, and use the power they have gathered to achieve their goal.
Moderation in all things, perfect balance—that is what all Systerin aspire to, especially when they are not on familiar ground!

CLASS

Guardian: Cataphract

The Cataphract uses the Unicity network to modify its mass in space: it manipulates time, or more precisely, the flow of time in the Unicity dimension.
Attack faster, slow down your opponents' movements, go back in time (yes, it's possible, because Unicity is a fixed dimension, unlike time!)...

The possibilities are endless, but the price to pay is very high, because this brutal use of the Unicity network triggers your Stigmata or, worse, causes you to suffer speed changes after the fact. Often silent, the Cataphract is nonetheless trained in the arts of the court, enabling him to respond to the barbs of sharp-tongued courtiers or assist the Chapter Diplomat during a perilous Intrigue.

The Cataphract's gameplay favors surgical strikes over the avalanche of blows of a berserk warrior. He is an elite bodyguard, not a hired killer or a monster-slaying knight. Choose your battles and demonstrate the superiority of the Empire... when the time is right.

Diplomat: Imperial Agent

Introduced by Callia, the Imperial Agent excels in the roles of emissary, spy, or even assassin. Their Arts of manipulating emotions make them essential for investigation, infiltration, or Intrigue, master skills in the MIR Hunts. If that weren't enough, Imperial Agents are the only ones—along with mercenaries—who possess a “loose” destiny, meaning they can act against the interests of the Empire without suffering the Stigmata—a handy trait when playing both sides.

Unfortunately, this freedom is not to the liking of the Cult of Unicity, which sees Imperial Agents as pawns in the service of the Senate. As a result, Imperial Agents are not allowed to join the paradise of Unicity upon their death (they are not dissolved in the black liquid of the towers of destiny) like other citizens.

In terms of gameplay, an Imperial Agent player has a reduced Stigmata and can criticize the Empire without risking triggering it, but does not benefit from the stability provided by the Unicity network.

Esoterist: Alchemist

As in the scenario “The Feast of Ashes,” Alchemists embody the genius and superiority of the imperial civilization over the barbarians. Fragile, they are tools at the service of the Chapter, capable of building where there is nothing, destroying invincible opponents, or simply changing reality. This power comes at a price, more precisely, a cost in essence. While by day the Alchemist is a hero, by night he is a murderer obsessed with accumulating resources. Independent of the Unicity network—Alchemy is an Art that predates the Unicity network—Alchemists remain limited by their collection process, which requires them to kill men to obtain energy. Essence can be recovered in combat, but this is no easy task, and the Alchemist will quickly be tempted to attack the weakest, who are unable to defend themselves or complain.

Here again, it's all a question of balance: by behaving like a monster, the Alchemist risks compromising the Chapter's mission, but conversely, by refusing to collect or kill for essence, he may find himself unable to act when the time comes.

The secret of this gameplay lies in the social aspect, because without a good cover to hide his crimes and buy silence, an Alchemist is nothing.

After all, don't they say, “With great power comes great cover”?

Mage: Voice of Unicity

After terrorizing hundreds of convention tables, Filia has become the icon of the MIR: speak and they will obey!
Behind this apparent simplicity lies a class with a complex role, because the Voices are not there to fight, but to extend the influence of Unicity.
Thanks to them, Systerin Agents benefit from bonuses and can act to the best of their ability. This ability makes the Voices often targeted—read “attacked first”—by barbarian populations unwilling to be invaded by the Empire once again.
Even the Imperials themselves view this mystical order with suspicion: giving orders through the Unicity network is normally the prerogative of the Fate...
Moreover, the cult of Unicity does not appreciate the order of the Voices and may well take action to counter their influence in the game!
In conclusion, the gameplay of a Voice of Unicity is clear: convince, assert authority, command the masses.

But, like all Mages, you will need strong Guardians and ingenious Diplomats to achieve your goals.

The Voices of Unicity are direct, sometimes a little too much so...

Madling: Sleeper

Introduced at the end of the “Hide and Seek” scenarios and throughout “An Ordinary Hunt,” Sleepers are veritable time bombs. Possessed by the Unicity network, dark matter pulses within them, enabling them to launch devastating attacks. To maintain control over their characters, players embodying these Madlings will be forced to expel their dark matter at regular intervals. Without doing so, the power contained within will emerge as soon as the player fails a Corruption test, and the longer the Sleeper waits before releasing it, the more painful the awakening will be...

You play an avatar of the powerful Unicity network, but you are terrified by its unstable nature, and your social skills are diminished, as is your ability to think.

It's not that you're stupid, but concentrating requires so much energy—literally: you can't express yourself without risking triggering your powers!
The question posed by this class (like most Madlings) concerns the Chapter: will you trust the Sleeper or condemn him to eternal sleep?

That's it! That's all for the Systerin Empire! I still have looooooads to add, but that will be for book 1 :)

Adrien