The Technocracy-Vagrant Question

[Vendetta]

Seeing this thread, I can't help but ask a few questions. I understand they may come across as a bit confrontational, but they're genuine.

Why do you consider this a problem? What sort of nuance do you think people are missing here, given the nature of the Nomads and their intentions towards mankind?

I appreciate the question. The Vagrants have outlined their desire to break from the mold you mentioned above. While true the Nomads are 'the antagonists of the video game!' this is also still a roleplaying community, where people will try to break from the molds they're given to do something unique and more interesting than the foundation they've started with.

I don't consider the inherent reaction to be an overall bad thing, but in the experience of people involved in what is supposed to be an under-the-table deal that had been thrown into a full on alliance we didn't want, it then removes all semblance of an identity and invalidates all of the work, roleplay and effort people have put in for years to stand out. I don't think people are missing nuance so much as they're actively deciding not to look deeper than the surface. For groups which rely on subterfuge and secrecy the overt nature of this alliance has been completely contradicting to the intention of it from the get go.

Why do you find it surprising that aligning with alien killing machines bent on exterminating mankind overshadows your other diplomatic efforts?

Primarily because we didn't align with them, nor have we ever gone out of our way to go "no actually the nomads are right and we should kill humanity." This arrangement was built to try something new, and was pigeonholed into something it never should've become from the get go.

See also the Vagrants statement about wanting to not be viewed the same as the other Nomad factions. Otherwise, what's the point of them having their independent IFF, or all the work they've done to create their little hive as it is?

The Vagrants feel they can't go interact with groups and build connections without having the Technocracy speak on their behalf. The Technocracy not only doesn't want to do this, but can't reliably do it when basically every person has already decided that the information is public knowledge and neither should be trusted at all.

This also boils down to a complete misunderstanding of the concept of what The Technocracy is and has been for a decade, but that's a whole other side of the issue being addressed elsewhere.

A lot of times, we (the Gaians) have been pigeonholed into the traditionally adversarial role of Planetform's archrival, despite our roleplay and insistence over the years on adopting a more adaptable, evolving, even pro-terraforming stance.

Can you spot the issue with the above statement?

Yes, and it's the exact issue of a loss of identity that I was pointing out. What you think is contradictory to how the Vagrants play their role is actually entirely intended and was the purpose of their existence from the get go.

At the end of the day, when you give people the ability to express creative freedom, and that creative freedom leads to the creation of something relatively major (a faction in the game, in this case) but then rob people of the ability to actively continue working towards what they've been doing for a long time, you're functionally sticking people in a box and demanding they play with specific action figures a certain way.

That's not fun. I don't think it's fun for you to be pigeonholed into a role you never asked for, either. It has reached a point now where people on both sides of this alliance do not want it to continue as it has been nothing but demotivating to pursue literally any other direction. I love the game, I love the universe, I appreciate people who go to great lengths to make convincing antagonistic roles, but the Vagrants do not want that, nor do my people want to be tied at the hip and continue giving people the wrong idea that we're some kind of pro-Nomad cult.

Far from it.