These groups were presented to the participants in the Matrix Game before the game's start as possible organizations and power blocs to involve in the game. A few of them were used fairly prominently, but most remained in the background.
Group Game Description
Period
----- ------ -----------
Agoraphobes All Crippled in all human environments.
Biolab Techs All Technicians & engineers responsible
for maintenance of lifesupport &
hydroponic labs
Chenoir family All Officer family. Powerful backers
of Colonist faction
Deepteach Labs All Repositories of human knowledge.
Fennen family All Officer family. Pierre Fennen
was the first Captain of the
Magellan (died in-flight).
Insystem Pilots All Pilot orbital craft within the
Atlas moon system and between
Atlas and Newhome.
Kalamays All Computer experts. Named after
Lydia Kalamay, who identified the
Virus and saved Magellan
Mining Techs All Work the moons of the Atlas moon
system to mine organics and
inorganics.
Naturals All Humans tracing descent to Magellan
crew, generally leaders of society
Riggers' Guild All Early game: elite technicians who
did EVA work on Mazgellan in-flight.
Mid & Late game: all dock & shipyard
personnel who do EVA work.
Synthetics All Humans tracing descent to the
Chenoir birthlabs. A minority in
Early game, majority by Mid game
University Students All Early game: at the University
orbiting Osoro. Late game: several
Universities throughout Fennen
Augustin Chenoir Early Governor of Newhome colony
Drive Engineers Early Crew responsible for Magellan's
ramscoop.
First-Gens Early Crewfolk who survived the entire
journey of the Magellan
Interface Crews Early Scramjet & interface craft crew
& technicians. An industrialist/
orbital group with possible
colonist sympathies
Newhome Pioneers Early Survivors of first Colonist
expedition to Newhome & their
descendants
Virus Victims Early Magellan crew in frozen sleep when
Kalamay's Virus struck who suffered
psychological effects due to the
Virus. Not a confirmed group.
Second-Gens Early & Mid Crewfolk born during the Magellan's
journey, but before entry into the
Fennen system
Steering Committee Early & Mid Original governing body of Magellan,
evolved into early government of
humanity in the Fennen system.
Freeloaders Late Orbital residents who deliberately
exploit their stations' socialist
policies to live in indolent squalor.
Would not have been tolerated prior
to Late game.
Interstellar Late Residents in systems adjacent to
Colonists Fennen
Interstellar Late Pioneers. First to use the
Probe Crews sadurtha FTL drive, first to enter
new systems.
Interstellar Late Cooperative crews of FTL transport
Transport Crews ships. Generally travel
established routes only.
Realtechnik Late Gagarin industrial cooperative,
Industrial Combine built first successful human FTL
drive
Warp Engineers Late Experts responsible for designing
& building FTL drives.
Sadurtha Medical Mid Traded the sadurtha FTL drive to
Caste humans in exchange for the human
genome.
Sadurtha Trapper Mid First to contact humans. Could be
Caste friendly or hostile.
Chenoir Birthlabs Mid & Late Orbital facilities around Atlas'
moon Chenoir
Entrepreneurs Mid & Late Newhome- and Orbital-based
businessmen
Gagarin Industry Mid & Late Orbital facilities around Atlas'
moon Gagarin
Osoro University Mid & Late Orbital facilities around Atlas'
moon Osoro