Factions

A social game for Metagame 2026, played entirely over text with the Herald.

The goal. Be in the biggest faction when the deadline hits, with as many people as possible beneath you in its recruitment tree. Recruit, poach, defect and scheme to get there; your score is your downline times your faction's rank multiplier, and six points completes the quest.

Deadline: to be announced.

Start a faction Join one

Or text FOUND to +15555550100.

The rules

1. Text the Herald to found a faction, or get in through a member's invite link. Everyone you bring in, and everyone they bring in, is your downline.
2. Using anyone's invite link moves you and your whole downline under them, even within your own faction.
3. At the deadline, factions rank by headcount. Multiplier: ×3 for #1, ×2 for #2, ×1 for #3, ×0 for everyone else.
4. Only each faction's top ten recruiters (by downline size) score. Score = downline × multiplier. Six points completes the quest. The ten highest scores overall get a title.
5. Leaving takes your downline with you. Anyone in it can reply STAY within the hour to go back. A founder leaving is a merge; the top-ranked stayer inherits the old faction.
6. Firing a direct recruit expels them alone. Their downline can reply FOLLOW within the hour.
7. If more than half a faction sits under one person, they can COUP. The founder becomes their recruit.

A founder can dissolve their faction, stranding everyone and freeing the name. Free agents at the deadline score zero. No base points, no headcount cap. Faction ties in headcount go to the faction founded earlier.

About the Herald's texts

Factions (Metagame 2026) is a conversational text-message game for attendees of the Metagame 2026 conference. Messages come from the Herald, the game's automated announcer, at +15555550100 (tap to text).

• How you opt in. You start the conversation: text FOUND to +15555550100, or tap an invite link a fellow player texted you, which opens your messaging app with JOIN <code> prefilled. Nobody is messaged who hasn't texted first. By texting the Herald you agree to receive game replies and notifications at that number.
• What you'll receive. Replies to your commands, confirmations before anything irreversible, and notifications when another player's move affects you (someone joins under you, your recruiter leaves, a coup, a firing, the final results).
• Frequency. Message frequency varies with play. Expect a reply to each text you send, plus occasional notifications when other players act on your faction (typically a handful per day during the conference, at most a few dozen on the final day).
• Cost. Message and data rates may apply.
• Opting out. Reply STOP at any time to stop all messages. Reply HELP for help. You can also simply stop texting; the Herald only ever replies to you or tells you about moves in your own faction.
• Privacy. Your number and the name you give are used only to run the game and are never sold or shared for marketing. See the privacy policy and terms.

Privacy · Terms · Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Message and data rates may apply.