Smuggling Vs Legal trading

[badkarmasix]

Let's just forget the whole "get rid of the smuggler ID" arguement. It exists. Personally, I don't think it needs to be removed. I does serve a purpose, if only to remind the owner of his/her RP...which is sorely needed in many cases. Same goes for the trader ID. Or any ID for that matter.

On the matter of restricting traders from carrying mod-based contraband, I agree. First of all, traders are supposed to be lawful. Says so in the ID. For a trader to be carrying cardamine blows any number of good RP conventions out of the water. If you're going to "smuggle," then just buckle and get the ID. It really does afford the owner the best of both worlds.

As for restricting traders from carrying contraband of any kind - mod-based or faction-specific - I disagree. Moving deuterium through Bretonia is illegal in Bretonia, but nowhere else. It's not entirely legit, but it isn't outright illegal in terms of the server either. It's a grey area and I don't think we should slap a mandate on a grey area.

Speaking of "worlds", Discovery is not a perfect one. Yes, it is true that no smuggler would go around broadcasting that they were a smuggler. But in a perfect world, contraband would be worth a whole lot more, and it sure as hell wouldn't get traded around in trains or transports. We'd all be restricted to freighters, complete with secret compartments and so forth. I mean, smuggling in a large train seems a little oxymorinic (to borrow the word from someone else), don't you think. You can't exactly sneak anywhere in a train. So, to repeat what I said, if you want to smuggle, just get the ID. It's pretty simple.

But getting back to the point of the topic, I think that there should be a few more contraband runs added. And I would only agree to making them more profitable if it were possible to limit the amount of contraband that could be carried. Not along the lines of the VIPs, but more like an upper limit. Perhaps something like the stackable items rule. Smugglers who have good RP, from what I understand already do this to some extent by carrying other legal goods in their hold. However, simply raising the price of contraband would, in my view, flood the server with smugglers. Doesn't really do much for the community.

Cheers,
Idaho

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"There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny. It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense."
- Han Solo

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