I am humbled, thanks for the praise so far fellow contest submitters! There are lots of great choices so far.

Here is something worth mentioning about the design of this faction, related to the "no war allowed" affinity I see in many other submission:

Thoughts on why declaring war is important, or needs an alternative:

This faction still purposefully has the option of declaring war. However, war is heavily handicapped through their traits, encouraging them to be more peaceful and diplomatic. This is because war is necessary gameplay-wise for retaking lost territory, or expanding if other factions beat you to nearby systems. Imagine the case where an enemy declares war on you, they capture a system, and hold it until War Exhaustion (a new ES2 mechanic) forces the war to end. If you can't declare war back, you are forever unable to retake the system and are permanently crippled. Or imagine in another game, at the start surrounding factions expand towards you, leaving you no systems to colonize. Again, if you can't expand back you are permanently crippled. Because of this, I have reservations towards some of the other submissions that ban war outright, especially if there is no alternative system in place (some do find great creative alternatives). A great example of a faction that bans war but with a proper alternative, is the Roving Clans from EL. They had the unique ability to field privateer armies to fight their battles and enact (minor) conquests.

Another formula to make pacifism a viable option is to instead build upon the new mechanics being added to ES2. For example, enemy factions playing against the "Champions of a multi-race empire" may want to avoid diplomatic demands, thus they may chose either war (weakening them both), or to form an alliance (which yields improved trade bonuses, why yes please!). This retains a system of check and balances without the "nuclear" NO WAR ALLOWED trait.

That's just my 2 cents anyway. I could be wrong.

Fenarid wrote:

I like the idea but it seems a little OP. So many bonuses and so few negative traits. But you have my vote.

You bring up a good point. I've removed the +1 laws trait and replaced it with one that weakens their ships. The traits I've listed are primarily to give an idea of the strengths of the faction, and are of course subject to balancing. For instance, if they are still too strong, a -X% Science  production trait would suite them well.

Nyutek wrote:

I agree about this race, this is really cool ! But I'm not sure that could be work in a peacefull way (or that gonna be hard)

An empire who host other faction are more aggresive that peacefull but that my thought. anyway I like it too

Thanks for the Comment! I understand the concern. I would say "Pacifism" in a 4X game means aggressively pursuing power through non-militaristic means, rather than not being aggressive at all. As you note, this faction does have conflicts with other empires, specifically due to potentially leaching their population. I should point out for new readers that this ability is a standard mechanic in ES2, the unique thing to this faction is that it is not based on ideologies. So other factions can counter by enacting their own ideological-based propaganda. Anyway, conflict is necessary in a 4X game to keep it from suffering from "repeatedly-hitting-end-turn" syndrome. In principle, each empire is trying to overpower others, expand, and win. The trick to making a "pacifist" faction is thus giving the player a set of tools that encourages peaceful conflict resolution instead of resorting to military force. And this is what I attempt to do here, by encouraging Alliances through trade bonus traits, and increasing the effect of diplomatic demands by increasing Influence production. That's just my 2 cents anyway.

Many edits have been made, including:

• Added example faction-specific technologies that build upon their theme.
• Added a Homeworld anomaly to fit their lore, and changed their population bonus to Approval rather than Industry to counter anomaly and better fit their theme.
• Altered the "Non-confrontational" trait to only come into effect during battles outside of their empire, so that other factions can’t simply defeat them through conquest, but they themselves will find it difficult to conquer others.
• Changed the trait for alliance bonuses to work through trade rather than a bland flat dust bonus.
• Added Collectivists trait to further promote the multi-faction theme.
• Removed the bonus to laws trait and replaced with the -1 modules on ships trait to better balance the faction. (Thanks for bringing this up Fenarid.)
• Defined Homeworld type. (Thanks Tignok for this question.)
• Further defined their general stance on inter-empire conflicts in the Gameplay section (Thanks Nyutek for your comments.)

Future additional edits to the OP will be updated here.

Appreciate the votes so far!

     Make friends, not war! This faction is for those who want to lead a “Melting pot” empire, comprised of all races in the Endless galaxy (currently 24), including their own. They are built to maximize replay value and fun active gameplay, while leaving the awesome aesthetic and visual themes (and an offical name to match) open for YOU to invent, come part II of this contest!

Appearance

     This faction's gameplay style is compatible with being a race of: armored dinosaur-dragons, bark-skinned beasts, nomadic creatures in ornate robes, floating sky-jellyfish, sentient cyborg mushrooms, exotic space elves, etc... Indeed, many of your great ideas for appearance shared in part I of this contest could be re-fitted to this faction. Based on their lore, this race is highly varied in their physique, similar to how both Chihuahuas and Great Danes are still the same species of dogs. Beyond this, however, their visual theme is undefined. What do you seem them, and their ships, looking like?

Gameplay Description

       This faction's strength lies in their affinity, which uniquely allows them to attract multiple factions into their empire, thus increasing Influence  production. This is used internally to enact powerful laws, and externally to exact diplomatic demands. To avoid the demands, other empires are encouraged through the trade bonuses to form alliances.  This faction's war exhaustion weakens their ability to conquer, but their specialized ground troops strengthens their defenses if attacked. They are designed to be Pacifists, without being Passive (i.e. boring), by having a unique set of traits that encourage peaceful conflict resolution over military force. This is in contrast to many of the other (incredibly cool and creative!) submissions, that ban war outright without alternative solutions (see a post below for thoughts on why this is important).

     This empire has a high replay value due to their multi-faction theme. Each game will see the incorporation of different races into their empire, and each one offers unique population bonuses, encouraging different styles of play. In one game you may attract Sophons, boosting research and allowing for advanced treaties, laws, and infrastructure, while in the next game you may attract Haroshem, boosting food production and promoting rapid expansion. Also, the multiple simultaneous ideologies and phycological traits will encourage unique elections, increase the variety of available laws, and permit multiple possible outcomes to quests and events.

Faction Affinity:

• Able to enact Multicultural Propaganda: Attracts Population  to the system from factions not yet found there (of any ideology).
• Vocal Minorities: +3 Influence  on a system for each unique faction population.

Faction Traits:

• Collectivists: +100% population bonuses from other factions.
• Open Marketeers: +10% FIDS  from trade routes with branches in allied empires, and +5% FIDS  to allies with branches in this empire.
• Melting Pot Society: -50% score required to unlock political ideologies.
• Small Unit Tactics: -50% Population  threshold required to unlock faction-based troop bonuses.
• Non-Confrontational: +50% war exhaustion gained from battles fought outside their empire.
• Motley Crew Accommodations: -1 Support Module slots on ships. 

Homeworld: Possesses the anomaly Tilted Axis: +2 Food  and -10 Approval .

Population Bonus: Natural Kindred: +2 Approval   on a system for each unique faction population.

Political Ideology: Pacifist.

Faction-specific Researchable Technologies:

• Interstellar Broadcasts: +25% increased propaganda effect, and +100% increased propaganda radius.
• Multicultural Integration: Allows for construction of Amphitheater: +4 Approval , and +2 Influence  on a system for each unique faction population.
• National Media Network: Laws cost 25% less Influence , and +1 number of active laws allowed. 
• Diplomacy Tactics: +30% more FIDS  gained from Diplomatic Demands.
• Accessible Architecture: Allows for construction of Integrated Habitation: +2 population  on planets.
• Applied Linguistics: Allows for construction of Babel Tower: +5 FIDS  on a system for each unique faction population.

Biography

     This specie's homeworld once supported a wide variety of ecosystems. The passage of eons saw them evolve into multiple distinct subspecies, each physically adapted to a unique environment. In time they formed independent civilizations isolated by instinctive xenophobia. This was until a near collision with a rogue planet tipped their world on its side, suddenly terraforming it to have a single harsher climate that no particular group was accustomed to. From the devastation rose a newly unified civilization, predicated on the truth that no subspecies could survive their new home alone. Together they labored: the strong tilled the soil while the small tended fragile crops, the nocturnal worked in black mines to fuel furnaces manned by the hardy, and the clever invented new technologies for the dexterous to operate.
     They have since discovered the means of interstellar travel, and are eager to expand their commonwealth beyond their homeworld. Because of their history, they welcome the various exotic races they encounter as they explore the galaxy, and strive to maximize their greatest strength: diversity. They understand that their whole race is greater than the sum of its subspecies, thus their empire shall be greater than the sum of its factions.

Questions, criticisms, and contributions all welcome. I've tried to offer helpful comments on as many of your submissions as possible throughout. Sorry if I didn't get to yours, there were just so many awesome factions (nearly 200)! Best of luck to all!

TeddyTi wrote:

This is one on the best submission imo. You aren't the only one thinking about a multicultural faction but its gameplay fit so well. And you use the new mechanics interessingly. I'd love to play them.

Creatorri wrote:

You and I seem to have had the same general idea but implemented significantly differently. I think I like your idea of a melting pot better than my religious party idea.

balancer12 wrote:

Very well done, like the focus on gameplay design.

Thanks for the praise ya'll!

It feels like for ES2 the devs are trying to minimize the trump card that is a strong military, which can only be countered by a stronger military (stronger through technologies, tactics, size, whatever, but still stronger); a problem found in most 4X games. I've tried to work in the new game mechanics they have introduced to counter this problem, and also to make this faction a diplomatic powerhouse.

And I must say you all have good submissions too. I'll be keeping an eye on them this coming week.