As a House Major, the House is the ruling power of an entire planet. Several Minor Houses serve its interests and it is a serious contender in the politics of the Imperium. The House has agents and soldiers at its command and is a leading force in at least one area of commerce. Unfortunately, this sort of power does not come without making enemies. Spies and assassins are everywhere, and there are many rival Houses, Major and Minor, that covet the power and resources the House possesses. Having established the general level of your House, we now turn to what it produces, or what it is famous for. As most Houses rely on mercantile power and CHOAM shares for their fortune, each House has developed a specialty in an area of business or produce that is important to the Imperium. We call these areas of acumen domains.

Your House begins with one primary domain and two secondary domains. It also has two enemies: the first is a House Minor in its service, the second is another House Major.

A primary domain is the area your House is most famous for. This is because it is something the House is considered to be one of the best in the universe at. Whatever it is, the whole universe knows your House is the best one to provide it. This might be a unique resource like spice, but it could be a common product your House is the unrivaled expert on. A primary domain need not be especially glamorous, but its power is unmistakable. While many sneer at the pundi rice of House Atreides, it is a staple food on hundreds of planets. For the Harkonnens, their control of the spice trade makes them vastly wealthy, but it is a power that can be taken by the Emperor, can only be found in one place, and is coveted by every other House and faction in the universe.

A secondary domain is an area that the House is known for but is not their main source of income. However, it is still lucrative. The House is considered a serious contender in this arena of business, but is far from controlling a monopoly. They are vying with several other Houses in their attempts to make it a primary domain and the competition may be exceptionally fierce. This means that a primary domain is a narrative aid to explain what your House really does, but a secondary domain shows where the House is in conflict and what business direction it is moving in.

It is important to note that a House's domains are not the only areas of business in which they engage. Even a Minor House will have several interests, and those of a planetary power are vast. Just because industrial produce is not a domain for a House does not mean their home planet is empty of factories. However, they can only excel at a few things given the powerful competition among the Houses. So, for most Houses, it makes business sense to play to your strengths and corner a particular area of the universal free market.

The nine domains that follow are grouped into areas of expertise for the sake of simplicity. They are further subdivided to help offer ideas for what precise domains might be found within each area of expertise. In some cases, you might even choose domains from the same subsection. A farming House might make three different types of crop produce for their primary and two secondary domains. There is nothing wrong with creating new areas of expertise if what you want your House to excel at isn't listed. Each area of expertise is divided into the following sections:

• Machinery: This is any large-scale machinery or devices that might be created, either by the area of expertise or to help craft or maintain the area of expertise.
• Produce: This is something the area of expertise actually produces. Many areas of expertise offer several different types of produce.
• Expertise: Your House excels at training or managing the people who lead the area of expertise.
• Workers: Your House either trains or produces dedicated staff who are responsible for doing the actual work that makes the area of expertise flourish. They are usually required in large numbers.
• Understanding: This is the theoretical part of the area of expertise and allows a House to develop secret new techniques or strategies they might share with others, for a price.

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ARTISTIC: Artistic domains may not be very powerful, but they grant the House both fame and respect across the universe. Those famed for their performers might also use the opportunity to put spies within a traveling company. The (in)famous Face Dancer spies of the Bene Tleilax were originally designed as performers (officially at least).

• Machinery: Stage effects, scenery pieces, scenic art, lighting and sound systems
• Produce: Plays, poems, novels, comedy sketches, musical pieces
• Expertise: Playwrights, poets, composers, directors
• Workers: Actors, stage crew, musicians, speakers, traveling companies
• Understanding: Philosophy, literary criticism, theatrical performance styles

ESPIONAGE: Intelligence operations and secrets are the meat and drink of many Houses. As such, there are several who are renowned for supplying the mechanisms of the spy trade. A few even infiltrate other organizations to learn their secrets, not for themselves but so they can sell them to others.

• Machinery: Surveillance devices, sensors, jamming technology
• Produce: Information and secrets from other Houses, probably by a particular specialty (such as military secrets or blackmail information)
• Expertise: Spymasters and agent handlers
• Workers: Agents, spies, infiltrators
• Understanding: Particular forms of espionage and counterintelligence techniques

FARMING: Houses that rely on farming tend to be pastoral and peaceful places. However, their power lies in creating something basic the other Houses may not realize how much they rely upon.

• Machinery: Tractors, harvesters, large-scale farming equipment
• Produce: Crops and animal products (from special wheat to sheep and cheese)
• Expertise: Stewards, land managers
• Workers: Farm laborers, shepherds, and herders
• Understanding: New farming techniques, such as crop rotation and animal husbandry, that increase productivity

INDUSTRIAL: Industrial Houses tend to control planets full of factories and production facilities, but most do not let productivity destroy their home. Industrial items can range from filmbook readers to Guild Heighliners, although any technical House must take care to follow Butlerian proscriptions on what they develop.

• Machinery: Factory machines, spacecraft, large vehicles
• Produce: Mass-produced goods, refined alloys, toys
• Expertise: Supervisors, business managers
• Workers: Factory workers, craftsman, mechanics
• Understanding: New techniques for business management and factory operation

KANLY: The next step forward from espionage is assassination. To avoid chaos, the Great Houses agreed on a set of rules for assassination to prevent a slaughter. These forms of kanly are designed to limit both assassinations and the inevitable responses and are ruthlessly enforced by all the Houses. As such, they are also a lucrative area of business.

• Machinery: Assassination weapons and traps (hunterseekers, mines, bombs, etc.)
• Produce: Poisons (not just to kill but to stun or weaken and to be near-undetectable)
• Expertise: Assassin masters, operation planners, and trainers
• Workers: Assassins, thugs, infiltration specialists
• Understanding: Means of assassination, infiltration techniques, deadly combat strikes

MILITARY: While war is rarer than assassination, no House wants another to see they have a weak military, as that may be considered an invitation. Military actions are costly and logistically difficult, often requiring expensive Guild payments to move troops to another planet. But if you want to take land or facilities from another House you need soldiers to claim and occupy it.

• Machinery: Battlefield weapons, artillery, large-scale shields, tanks
• Produce: Ammunition, personal weapons, small arms (rifles, pistols, etc.)
• Expertise: Tacticians, officers, strategists
• Workers: Soldiers, engineers, pilots, logistics personnel
• Understanding: Military strategies and new tactics

POLITICAL: To some Houses, politics is their meat and drink. These social gadflies don't just play the complex games of the Landsraad for extra power, they make these games their business. They don't have much personal power, but they have powerful friends, very useful for a Minor House seeking to rise. Such Houses are the ultimate courtiers, and the leaders of style  and etiquette. They know who is doing what to whom and how to get the ear of the most powerful figures. However, they also make good mediators, understanding the complexities of House politics and how to keep everyone happy.

• Machinery: Couture fashion, expensive trinkets, courier services
• Produce: Information, secrets, and favors, possibly even from the Imperial House
• Expertise: Political analysts, mediators, diplomats, fashionistas, social planners
• Workers: Courtiers, spies, administrators, servants, entourage
• Understanding: Diplomacy techniques, forms of etiquette

RELIGION: Faith still plays a large part in the society of the Imperium. It remains a force powerful enough to create leverage in business ventures and is even a service that can be sold. The trappings of religion are popular, and some Houses have found a way to monetize religion and package it for sale.

• Machinery: Churches, statues, prayer beads, religious symbols, religious books
• Produce: Prayers, hymns, religious and inspirational writings
• Expertise: Philosophers, clergy
• Workers: Choristers, altar servants, community managers
• Understanding: New religious philosophies, new forms of faith

SCIENCE: While the tenets of the Butlerian Jihad remain in force, it does not mean humanity cannot research and develop new scientific ideas. Many Houses have a research and development department to advance their domains and keep ahead of the competition. This domain often couples well with Industrial domains where a House might take full advantage of what they discover, rather than pass it on to others to make money from.

• Machinery: Laboratory equipment, quarantine areas, entire scientific facilities
• Produce: Chemical compounds, drugs, genetically adapted humans and animals
• Expertise: Scientists and researchers
• Workers: Lab assistants and managers
• Understanding: New scientific research (many different possibilities in many areas)

Let's begin with the primary domain of our House, so as to keep the discussion simple. Once we've decided what the House is famous for, we can move onto secondary domains. Please make your suggestions as specific as possible, such as Science (Understanding): Genetic Manipulation or Kanly (Expertise): Master Poisoners. The central trio of Houses from the novels — Atreides, Corrino, and Harkonnen — have as primary domains Farming (Produce): Pundi Rice, Military (Workers): Sardaukar Soldiers, and Farming (Produce): Spice, respectively. Please do not stray into discussions of secondary domains. We'll get to those soon enough.

Well, since spies were a major theme, I propose as primary one of the three:

The obvious: Espionage (Workers): Training Spies
The runner-up: Political (Workers): Training spies/courtiers
The outlier: Artistic (Workers): Travelling companies.

[Shai Hulud: I do not recall any explicit mention of spies.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:38, Thu 04 Apr.

My suggestions:

Primary Domain: Industrial - Machinery
(Perhaps this is what original brought us wealth and power to be a House Major, before recent changes in the shipping lanes with CHOAM because of a rival House?)

[Shai Hulud: Please hold off on discussing secondary domains for the moment, we want to settle on what our House is noted for before anything else. Also, please suggest the specific thing you have in mind. What kind of industrial machinery does the House manufacture?]
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:07, Thu 04 Apr.

Just FYI, The Great Game: Houses Of The Landsraad introduces a detailed system for House management for those who may be favorably inclined toward more crunchy development mechanics. No obligation to use them, just letting you know what's available.

What if we manufactured Holtzman Suspensors, which are used for a dizzying array of products, and necessary for modern quality of life and labor. Very valuable.

What do y'all think?

That would be Industrial (Produce) more than Industrial (Machinery). You could make glowglobes, suspensor chairs, suspensor tables, suspensor belts and harnesses.

I was also including the suspensors for large scale things, like ships, industrial sized machinery, construction equipment, etc.

[Shai Hulud: Large-scale things would be Industrial (Machinery) and a completely separate domain.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:14, Thu 04 Apr.

What about Military: Machinery?  We could make Thopters or tanks and the minor house in our employ could make a major part of the components.

And a military primary focus may lead to more opportunities for intrigue than a manufacturing one. [Shai Hulud: Industrial espionage will always provide opportunities.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:17, Thu 04 Apr.

Hmm, I don't know why I got that impression. I am fine with everything so far, though I would be more inclined towards military production. [Shai Hulud: Someone clearly wants to be the galaxy's foremost arms dealer. LOL]
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:19, Thu 04 Apr.

I like the idea of Kwyna's outlier of Artistic (Workers): Travelling companies being our Primary domain. [Shai Hulud: Again, please leave discussion of potential secondary domains off until we have settled on a primary.]

Characters can have whatever role they like, but would travel as part of a performing company to mask their true work. [Shai Hulud: The player-characters would not themselves be members of a House theatrical company, but House agents would use said companies as cover.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:26, Thu 04 Apr.