Vagrant Raiders (VR-)

[Kazinsal]

The request and rationale for a Vagrant Raiders ID:

Hear me out on this one -- the Vagrant Raiders are requesting a player faction ID for ourselves. Currently, the Vagrant Raiders are using a Pirate ID, the usage of which has several inherent flaws we cannot correct without using a different ID, each of which would have several flaws unto itself. As a result, we are requesting the creation of a server-side player faction ID for the Vagrant Raiders, a draft of which (and appropriate technology nerfs) I have attached to the bottom of this message.

Historically, the Vagrant Raiders used the Lane Hackers ID and IFF, and were originally granted status as an official faction using that combination. However, as relations in and out of roleplay with the Lane Hackers official faction deteriorated, we were moved to a combination of Freelancer IFF and Pirate/Smuggler IDs for our main ships and Special Operative ID for our capital ships, including the VCS Metropolis (ref: "Vagrant Raiders and the Lane Hackers").

When we lost our official faction status in 2011, and the faction basically disbanded, all of our SRPed capital ships were -- as you know, and as one of our former leaders let you know regularly -- placed in Bastille as the SRP had been assigned to our founder and original leader (atlantis2112), and not the faction as a whole. This has been a mild inconvenience, as inactivity wipes have claimed several billion credits in capital ships. However, I will not harp on that matter. It is mostly irrelevant to this request and serves only as a point in the OORP history of the Vagrant Raiders faction.

Two months ago, I returned under the request of Switchback to assume control of the Vagrant Raiders. I did so. I brought Thexare back with me. Since then the Vagrant Raiders has been growing as a faction, and we have changed our goals in and out of roleplay significantly, to the point where some of our actions as dictated by our RP borderline on rule breakages. I will detail that later.

As a result, we, the Vagrant Raiders, are requesting a private player faction ID to be assigned to us. Detailed below are the reasons we are requesting this ID:

1. The Vagrant Raiders are no longer simply a band of pirates.
   The Vagrant Raiders are the official house military of the house known as Natio Octavarium (ref: ). The requirement imposed upon us with the Pirate ID to make a valid, reasonable demand of goods or services before attacking causes issues with regards to wars the Vagrant Raiders are and may later be involved in, as the opponents do not have to make a demand before opening fire on us. Building on this requirement, if they comply with the demand, we cannot open fire on them, but they can engage in perfidy, attacking us openly while we are being paid, for example.
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2. The Pirate ID forces reputation hacks that prevent in-game reflection of our in-RP repuations.
   Currently, the Vagrant Raiders are friendly to the Kingdom of Bretonia (ref: "TO: Kingdom of Bretonia | FROM: Natio Octavarium") and neutral to the Republic of Liberty (ref: "TO: Liberty Government | FROM: Natio Octavarium"). The Pirate ID forces us to be repped -0.9 with the militaries, police, intelligence agencies, and corporations of all houses. Bases which we should logically be able to pass by unscathed will fully open fire on us. NPC patrols openly engage us mid-roleplay in game, disturbing the roleplaying environment. We would like an ID such that its reputation hacks reflect the reputation our faction and the house we represent has with other factions and houses and their militaries and corporations, and not the outlawed reputation of generic pirates and unlawful scum.
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3. The Pirate ID is universally seen by many indies as an open target.
   This is an extension of the previous point. Many independent house militaries will see a player being shot at, see that they have a pirate ID, spit out a few minimum-requirement lines, and open fire. This happens with indies flying, in Liberty for example, anything from a Liberator to a Liberty Assault Carrier. While this is in direct violation of reputation notices posted by primary fleets and other entities dictating RP reputations with other factions such as the Vagrant Raiders, many indies do not notice this. We prefer mechanical and roleplay-based solutions to issues like this instead of hiding behind the rules with rule violation reports, which simply does not look good for anyone at all in cases like this.
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4. Many factions who are friendly to us are not allowed to ally with Pirate ID ships.
   An example of this being house militaries like the Liberty Navy and the Bretonian Armed Forces. They (and we) are, in accordance with rule 6.9, not allowed to ally in combat with each other as it would be considered an action against the NPC factions represented. Pirate ID, being rephacked hostie to the NPC factions of said allies, would cause both parties to violate 6.9 when we ally ourselves with each other in combat.
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5. The Vagrant Raiders wish to set their own RP-restricted tech chart entries.
   The Vagrant Raiders have certain tech chart cells that we would want to use more efficiently in 4.87 and others we don't have any intent to use. While this is a minor point -- I would say point two is the most important -- we would not benefit in-RP from tech entries such as 4.87 Rheinland Civilian technology (we are hostile to Rheinland corps and forces and therefore have no way nor reason to easily get a hold of the technology) but due to our past allegiances with the Lane Hackers we could benefit from a lesser nerf to Lane Hacker guns. Additionally, there are corporations setting up in Natio Octavarium space that intend to begin production in-RP of technology in the future, and this technology would, if added to the game itself, be something that the Vagrant Raiders would definitely have more access to than your generic pirate, who would have to have it sourced from the local black market instead of the manufacturer itself.

In deliberation with the high command of the Vagrant Raiders, we submit the following as the proposed Vagrant Raiders ID:

Pilot carrying this ID is a Vagrant Raider, who:

-- Can attack any ship that is hostile to them within the guidelines of the rules.
-- Can raid systems claimed by factions and houses hostile to them. Vagrantly.
-- Can enforce the laws of Natio Octavarium within its space.
-- Can demand cargo and credits from ships inside Natio Octavarium space and ships belonging to hostile factions, and attack them if they do not comply.
-- Cannot use transports with more than 4,300 cargo.

Allowed ships: Fighters, Bombers, Freighters, Transports, Gunboats, Cruisers
This ID may only be used if you are a member of the official player faction.

The restrictions placed upon the ID would allow us to attack hostile factions, just as any other military can, within the guidelines of the rules, and allow us to continue cargo transport operations to our allies (ref: "To: The Vagrant Raiders | From: TAZ", "To: Corporations of Sirius, Allies of Discord | From: TAZ | File: "Barn Raising"). The increase in cargo limit to 4300 would allow us to use the Pirate Train, a ship we often used when the Smuggler ID was around and when we used the Lane Hackers ID. Additionally, the ID would allow us to enforce the laws of Natio Octavarium within its sovereign territory as detailed in the house post (see the reference in point one), which we feel is important to us as the house's official military and de facto police force.

You will likely notice that the ID allows cruisers to be used by holders of the ID but not battleships. This is because we intend to self-regulate our usage of capital ships as appropriate to our RP, as any faction worth its name should, but we intend to SRP a single battleship (the VCS Metropolis) for use as a flagship. We have little interest in a fleet of capital ships, but we would like to have a few in the event something goes horribly wrong (the SCRA is in a similar situation) and the right to RP the construction of one when we see fit through RP and mechanical means instead of requiring admin intervention.

The tech chart settings as requested by the Vagrant Raiders for our ID, from both a balance and an RP perspective:

• 100% - Generic Civilian Guns/Ships, Sirian Civilian Guns/Ships, Border Worlds tech, Natio Octavarium Guns/Ships (in the future, possibly), Generic Unlawful Transports
  
• 90% - Bretonian Civilian Guns/Ships, Liberty Civilian Guns/Ships, Rheinland Civilian Ships (for the Tiger Shark), Zoner guns/ships
  
• 75% - Rheinland Pirate Cruiser, Outcast Ships, Outcast Capitals
  

In-RP, the Vagrant Raiders have one Storta destroyer left (it is currently in Bastille lacking an ID) and one Tridente -- thus the cell for Outcast Capitals. It is highly unlikely we would construct any further Stortas or Tridentes. We are currently in negotiations with the Red Hessian Army for military cooperation in Rheinland, which could eventually lead to the purchase and construction of a Rheinland Pirate Cruiser.

A new, more reasonable ID request with a limited piracy ZOI has been drafted as a request to be implemented.

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Retired, permanently.