Independent characters...

[Athenian]

Oh yes. The indie vs faction debate. FINALLY this is going to be discussed. Well it was a slow week forum-wise; there were no flames firing around the place, so huzzah for this.
Many players, myself included, play both faction and non faction characters (in the sense of player factions.) In my experience, faction players tend to stick around longer. That's just my expereince.
Why do I recommend to people that they join not one but many factions? Because you get to meet other people, explore Sirius and its dynamic politics in a little more depth and more importantly, have a bit of fun. Sure there are restrictions in place in many factions as regards capital ships and behaviour, but I don't see the harm in that and I have learned that playing Disco with a little bit of restraint is a lot more fun.
I don't like all the factions on the server. But there's enough choice to find one that suits whatever mood you're in. I actually quite enjoy playing a regular, run of the mill policeman in the BPA, a lower ranked officer in a Military faction - it's pretty straightforward, but I have yet to receive orders that might put me in before a tribunal investigating human rights abuses.
I'm sure that if I felt there was no real possibility of advancement in a faction where I was eager for it, I'd use a non-faction character to access the larger vessels. I don't think this would ever be a concern to me anyway because I think I can play well.
As for the control issue - well, you'd want to be pretty psychotic to want to exercise control over virtual territory in a game featuring spaceships.

Faction players join a faction that prohibits use of many caps because they believe in it, or want to give it a try, they are not controlled by their faction leaders to do this.

Unselie you know this isn't true - in fact I can hear you in my head right now. Get out. Please take your electrodes with you.

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Former member of "the most paranoid group of people in the community"
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