I find the rule's very simple. I have 9 ship's from a L fighter on up to a BS. Sometime's i like a fast L fighter, sometime's i like to just sit around in MY BS and RP.No ship class is harder or easier to fly/RP. It is a matter of choice.
Now as for faction's, and Indie's. I have been in several faction's, was even second in command of 1. I prefer to be Indie myself, as it offer's more freedom of choice.mostly because i hate having someone tell me i must travel 4 system's to help in a fight i did not start, and waste an hour of my free time doing something i may not enjoy. Also joining a group of 6+ ship's trying to kill 1 person(i was the victom of a BS/2 cruiser's/2GB's and several fighter's chase and kill my 1 cruiser just today. Not on my list of fun thing's to do).
Now a having a faction tell me i cannot go somewhere in my indie ship, with same ID/TAG/SHIP as him because i am not in HIS faction is total power whoring,and not right. I even asked an admin about this with a specific example, and was told and i quote "if you are in RP with all proper tag's/ID's/ship/weapon's, and it is not a guard system under ownership you have the same right's to be there as they do. If fired on SS and send to sanction thread" SO all you power monger's, do not push indie's in RP around if it is not YOUR guard system. They have same right's as you.
My biggest example of this is LSF/SA/LNS telling a liberty navy ship with navy TAG/ID he cannot enter Alaska space. WRONG. It is not a faction owned system,it is not a guard system. They are on same side as you, and have same right's as you.
All i am trying to say is as long as a person INDIE/FACTION has correct ship/tag/ID and is RP'n it same as you, let them be.Let them enjoy the game like you. After all he is still on your side whether he has a {}[]-0-
infront of his name or not.
Faction's have there place in Disco, but so do the Indie's.