Luddic Church

The Church of Galactic Redemption
General Information
Starting attitude Neutral (0) Offers commissions Yes Allies Luddic Path (+75 Cooperative) Enemies Tri-Tachyon (-50 Hostile) Pirates (-50 Hostile) Illegal goods Recreational Drugs, Harvested Organs, Luxury Goods, AI Cores

The Church of Galactic Redemption or Luddic Church is one of the main factions in the Sector. They blame technology for the downfall of the Domain, and seek to return to a more pastoral lifestyle. Their most hated enemy is the technologically advanced and morally ambiguous Tri-Tachyon Corporation, though they do not condone pirates either. They have two offshoot factions, the Knights of Ludd and the Luddic Path.

Gameplay

The Church uses low-tech ships akin to the Pirate fleets. They only control the single system of Eos Exodus, with four inhabited planets. Tartessus is a major agricultural world and also produces large amounts of domestic goods. Baestis is an unruly trading port with a military base, Hesperus is an organics and ore production complex, and Ceyx is another of the Luddic Knights' military bases.

Lore

	Inspired by the martyrdom of a figure known as 'Ludd' during the fall of the Domain, the Church of Galactic Redemption is a hierarchical church with highly syncretic dogma formed from a core of Abrahamic texts and aprocrypha along with Domain-era reaction against perceived corruption, depravity, hedonism, and transhuman abomination. The Church offers a vision of life lived more simply, of agrarian virtue and humanistic values and prayer against the violence and technological alienation that's torn the Sector apart in the years since the Fall.
–In-Game Faction Description

	So with Ludd I was thinking of something both natural and spacey, both hippy and Starfarer. The double-ended tree didn’t quite work (and is an existing symbol for something or other, I discovered), so that is out. I was finally taken with imagery that alludes to cosmic swirls, like galactic arms and nebulae. Though I’m sure no one particularly shares the viewpoint of Ludd, I’d imagine the world as they see it being a whole interconnected being with its own greater needs whose importance outweighs the destructive hubris of human technophiles.
–David Baumgart, "Designing Faction Icons"

Knights of Ludd

	"The military branch of Luddic Church of Galactic Redemption, modeled on monastic warrior societies from previous millenia. In areas of Church domination they are authorized to enforce Technological Correctness as well as ensuring, through force, that virtue is promoted and vice chastised. In areas outside Church domination, when able, they covertly impose the same."
–Factions

Church of Ludd

	"Inspired by the martyrdom of a figure known as 'Ludd' during the fall of the Domain, the Church of Galactic Redemption is a hierarchical church with highly syncretic dogma formed from a core of Abrahamic texts and apocrypha along with Domain-era reaction against perceived corruption, depravity, hedonism, and transhuman abomination. The Church offers a vision of life lived more simply, of agrarian virtue and humanistic values and prayer against the violence and technological alienation that's torn the Sector apart in the years since the Fall."
–Factions

Path of Ludd

Main article: Luddic Path

	"The Luddic Path is a loosely associated category of radical, de-centralized, apocalyptic sects of Luddism that claim a truer interpretation of Ludd's Message. They view the Church as compromised and corrupt, putting worldly ego and pleasures before the Luddic Path in these end-times. The war of Armageddon is NOW and the lines are drawn -- it is only through forceful righteous action that the Good can be inspired to destroy Evil, that the abominations of humanity's hubris against God can be swept aside in a final act of redemption. Or so they claim; It should suffice to say that the Luddic Path finds itself at odds with nearly all other factions in the Sector."
–Factions

Markets

Gilead, size 7, Canaan Star System

Asher, size 5, Canaan Star System

Tartessus, size 7, Eos Exodus Star System

Hesperus, size 5, Eos Exodus Star System

References

The name itself is a reference to the English word "Luddite" which is a person who rejects technology and seeks to live in the style of a previous time. Often these have formed colonies in the past to live a pastoral lifestyle. The Amish with their restrictive and slow adoption of new technologies may be considered to have Luddite beliefs.

• \Fractal Softworks\Starsector\starsector-core\data\world\factions