Reaver Mercenary Co.

[Diomedes]

I've seen a lot of Reavers in the last little bit from a number of angles. I've seen you guys as QCP and during short stints as a hunter and as a Corsair. I figure it's time to add my reflections and hopefully you can take something good from it.

First of all, you guys are way too good at your jobs. I'm no pvp ace, probably on the order of average. Which basically means if I log in and there's anymore than one of you within two systems of my QCP I don't even bother to undock. That's meant as a complement to your skills. I have almost always seen Reavers on lately, and somehow all of my characters seems to be hostile to you. Congratulations on breaking canon through overwhelming presence, I've fought Reavers more than the KNF, RM and Mollys combined. Mostly that's a good job to you guys. 7 Reavers splashing anything undocking from Crete was a bit much when it started with two corsair fighters (two battleships did pass through mostly trying to either dock or leave).

Okay, constructive points. You have a colourful organization (apologies for the pun, way too easy), but I don't feel your players are taking full advantage. I can't tell one Reaver apart from the other; the dialogue follows the same tones and word choices. There are some lines and "hons" dropped all over, seemingly regardless of which colour is talking. The Reavers have an opportunity (unlike a military) to be really diverse and have differing personalities, even in the short notices given to hostiles. 12 Jaynes may sum up the Reavers attitude, but 1 Jayne, 1 Samuel L Jackson, and 1 Liam Neeson would be way more interesting.

I also tried tossing something different to the Reavers with my Hunter, who is not exactly what you would call reliable or dedicated. Yes, it was an attempt to pay them off to leave me alone. The Reavers played along long enough so they could use the delay as an excuse to blow away my shields while I was typing and then never responded to the final offer. Not a big issue here, but I would suggest that variety should always be looked for. The offer could be turned down or even used as a ploy as in what happened in this case. I would just urge your members to at least sometimes listen to such offers as a way of changing the normal way of things. And of course, this all depends on each character's personality too: are they out for blood first or coin first?

I guess that's the biggest gist here. The Reavers stand out for being a bit unique and colourful. Don't let that slip away into routine as encounters become more common and begin to consist of the same line then shootout. Real characters and people aren't generally flat or 1-dimensional, try to fill out the Reavers too. No one is saying they have to (or should) react the same way to every encounter.

One final comment, and it's about technology. You've made some killer tech deals that have put you in a good position. Seeing culverins floating around the Omegas was a bit of a surprise, I was unaware Gallic tech could be taken past the Taus at this point. Overall with the technology, my best suggestion would be this: if someone made a hypothetical "Can I do this with my freelancer if I get the permissions" thread on the forums and the general community veteran response would be "uh no, despite it being legal by the rules" I'd like to see the Reavers shy away from it as well. The disadvantage here is that you would lose a bit of the freedom on some tech combinations. The advantage is likely better held perceptions of the Reavers, with less feelings of cliquishness or double-standards. Not a huge deal in the end, just seems to be the community standard for everyone else.

Apologies for the wall of text. Hopefully you can take something positive out of it.

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