RimWorld Ideology: Ultimate Narrative Guide to Crafting Unique Belief Systems

The Ideology DLC represents RimWorld's second major expansion, shifting the game's focus from purely physical survival to ideological and spiritual belief systems. At the heart of this expansion is the concept of a colony's ideoligion - a shared belief system that dictates nearly every aspect of colonists' lives.

Players can choose between 'fluid' ideologies, where beliefs evolve over time based on events, or 'static' ideologies, where beliefs remain fixed from the start. This guide will help you master the art of crafting compelling narrative experiences through belief systems that shape your colony's destiny.

The Fundamentals: Memes and Ideoligions

The building blocks of ideoligions are called memes, which are core tenets that define a colonist's worldview. These foundational beliefs can include concepts like Raider, Tree Connection, Transhumanist, Cannibal, and Human Primacy.

Players can either select from pre-made belief systems or use the fluid ideology system to create custom ideoligions from scratch. The specific combination of memes chosen is crucial. It determines the colony's unique precepts, rituals, social roles, and specialist classes.

Meme-Driven Aesthetics and Architecture

Beyond social rules, the chosen memes also dictate colony aesthetics and architecture. For example, the Raider meme favors imposing, defensive structures with spiked walls and brutalist designs.

In contrast, the Tree Connection meme requires buildings integrated with nature, using wood and living trees as structural elements.

Other memes create distinct visual styles:

• The Transhumanist meme features high-tech, sterile facilities with advanced lighting and futuristic designs.
• The Pain is Virtue meme incorporates grim elements like torture chambers and spiked furniture.
• The Cannibal meme often includes charnel houses and macabre decorative elements.

Social structures also influence design. The Collectivist meme emphasizes large communal areas, while the Individualist meme promotes private rooms and personalized spaces.

Rituals and Ceremonies

Colonies can perform various rituals to benefit their people. These events include dance parties, feasts, and blind sermons, which provide mood bonuses and can attract new converts to the colony's belief system.

Ideoligion Social Roles

Ideoligions can assign specific social roles to colonies. Two examples are the Moral Guide, a role focused on managing the spiritual health of the colony, and the Combat Specialist, who gains battle abilities but refuses to do manual labor.

The Leader Role

The Leader role is a special position that empowers a colony leader. These leaders can inspire others with speeches. They also unlock unique diplomatic and trade abilities for the colony.

Ideological Views on Slavery

With the Ideology expansion, slavery can become a core belief for your colony. This is possible through the 'Slavery: Acceptable' or 'Slavery: Honorable' precepts, which integrate it into your ideoligion core tenets.

Colonies that adopt these views provide mood bonuses to colonists who endorse the ideology when they own slaves. Conversely, if your ideoligion has the 'Slavery: Abhorrent' precept, the practice is forbidden. Owning slaves under this belief system will cause significant negative mood penalties for your colonists who find it abhorrent.

Controlling and Managing Slaves

To manage your slave population, you can use specific tools of control. Slave straps and slave collars are used to suppress resistance. These devices also allow for the remote punishment of unruly slaves.

The Role of Prisoners in Ideology

Prisoners serve several strategic functions within an ideoligion. A primary use for prisoners is to convert them to your colony's belief system, which makes them easier to recruit afterward.

Some ideoligions can also include rituals like executions or human sacrifice, making the capture of prisoners a strategic necessity. These mechanics can create significant moral conflicts. Colonists with different memes, such as 'Human Primacy' versus 'Rancher', will react differently to the treatment of prisoners, leading to internal social friction.

The Power of Relic Quests

A major addition is the quest for relics - powerful artifacts tied to your ideoligion that provide significant benefits to colonists. These items are central to your colony's belief system and offer powerful advantages. Pursuing them is a key strategic objective.

Conclusion

RimWorld's Ideology DLC transforms the game from a simple survival experience into a complex narrative generator. The key takeaways are understanding how memes form the foundation of your belief system, using rituals to maintain colony cohesion, strategically managing slaves and prisoners according to your ideology, and pursuing relics to strengthen your colony's spiritual power.

By mastering these systems, you can create truly unique and memorable colony narratives that reflect your creative vision.