Circle of life: Mercs, Traders and Pirates

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More than half a year of browsing though these forums gave me lots of insight and I saw many conflicting
viewpoints from OORP traders & pirates, powertraders & powerpirates, RP-master traders & pirates.
I also saw some discussions about escorts, how and when they should be used, for how much and why.

I had lots of in-game experience on all three sides. Started my journey on this server as a mercenary.
I helped Traders pass trough dangerous areas, even at the expense of my own life.
I hunted notorious pirates, and corrupted police officers for reasonable fees.
I helped Corsairs, Lib. Rogues, Blood Dragons and independent pirates have their way with anyone.

Then, like most players i saw others made quite a lot more money then i do, were able to buy better guns
and some even had that ridiculously expensive capital ship armor upgrade VIII. It was then
I became aware that my merc salary would never provide me with such luxury. So i became a trader.

Trading between NB and Kyushu was fun at first. Lots of action, lots of environment change. I didn't know
then that lots people considered Diamond/Niobium runners as scum of our beloved society. I never thought
that becoming rich quickly could make quite a few people mad at you, instead of happy for you. I never
experienced that on other servers. It was 3 months later that i became pissed with all the hatred
concentrated on traders like me that were always polite to the governing officials and always obeyed the
local pirates demands. We were considered OORP, and as someone who quickly came respect the rules i
was mentally forced to avoid doing this run ever again. Now I made millions on safer, boring runs. And have
little to none RP conversations at all. (I know this sounds unimportant but you'll see my point very quickly)

Trading soon became boring, i really missed piracy. So i thought: "Heck, ill become a pirate!"
I discovered that piracy was my element. It was fun, fast placed, full of action and excitement.
I used all kinds of robbery techniques, with and without allies, in crowded and empty systems.
I made less cash but it never bothered me. It was way more fun anyway.


Now that you got trough my introduction, I think its time I've set a topic for discussion.
As an experienced merc, trader and pirate i got involved in their pros and cons on both RP and playstyle.

Merc RP
Real easy. Just play the tough guy even if your not. Remember, as a merc you're ready to ally yourself with
both pirates and traders. So act as if only your salary made all the difference in the world.

Merc Playstyle
You get to fight, a lot. And you get to know other people and their goals as you journey with them.
The only downside is that you need to be hired by someone, you're almost never the hero - but a
sidekick.

Pirate RP
A bit more difficult, you have to be a fast writer as most traders wont stop to hear your demands
Some traders are a nightmare, after you blow them up they might even preach how you "didn't make a
demand" and that they will surely "report your sorry arse".
Be cool. Stay focused and don't let the lawyers get the worst of you. By spreading fear and giving your clan
a infamous name is your job. So if you see a trader freak out for nothing use that moment to feed
your ego with his weakness and stupidity. If you're a member of X faction and you see him reporting you
as OORP and calling you names sign his post and post something like:
"Clan X 4ever! Be afraid---Be very afraid!!!"

Pirate Playstyle
The man who invented train cruise disruptors is your hero. Praise his name at every bar you walk in
after a good day of armed robbery, theft or mugging.
You could work in groups... It will, again, give you insight about other players characters.
Its not a profitable, so you cant make a living out of it. But you get to raid more populated areas with ease.
Get to interact with others more often. And play space-cowboy with the cops.

Trader RP
You think its easy? Well browse through trader RP discussions on the forums and you'll see way more
conflicting viewpoints then there should be. What is OORP and what isn't and who gets to decide?
Xorias post to Disco Rookies is a great way to understand this circle of life I'm trying to explain here.
I'll draw some quotes:

12. If you become a Trader, remember that a significant part of your role-playing role is to provide
pirates with a livelihood. Sure, try to get away, try to kill the piratebut if they have you cornered and are
about to kill youPAY UP! "I'd rather die than pay!" is completely unrealistic and out of role-play. Nobody
getting mugged ever says that, and you know it. Don't be a selfish, greedy, credit hoarder. Make those
pirates work for their living, but if they win, don't deny them a hard fought victory with some sleazy tactic
like letting them kill you. You wouldn't want someone to do that to you, now would you?

From this very quote id like to pinpoint the root of our problems.
"Don't be a selfish, greedy, credit hoarder."
Because all the topics I intended for this post have roots in this fact. A lot of traders forget that we don't
prohibit anyone from gaining BIG LOADS OF CASH!!! Yes, but don't tell them that RP is the most important
aspect of trading, it isn't. What's really important is to get rich, and to do it with style.:cool:

Trader Playstyle
How to do it with style? The guidelines are easy:
-Hire bodyguards
-Don't go out on dangerous runs without bodyguards
-Communicate with your bodyguards.
-Try to pay your bodyguards as less as you can
(you're indeed trying to get rich, so as said: Do it with style)
-Join one of this community's best trading companies and learn something in the process.
-Get that company to recruit free (or low-cost) bodyguards
Now as you've probably noticed that I've put a lot of attention to our next problem. There is a big quantity
of traders that never or almost never hire escorts. I don't know how many of you understand that hiring
escorts makes the game far more exciting for everyone AND is far more realistic. Even the game's
mechanics seem so much more balanced. If you hired escorts every time how many
"boo-hoo i met a OORP f**ng pirate/trader and it didn't go how I imagined it:(" posts do you think
we'd see piling up on the forum? Not as much.
Just imagine a Diamond carrier in Chugoku. Its restricted space. But the profit : time ratio is worth the
risk for many fortune seekers. Those traders greedy enough that they'll put their escorts lives at risk
in a snap, just because they can. Yes, it does make sense....IF you have escorts. But what if you don't?
What if you get caught? They shouldn't give you a chance, they should blow you up and you SHOULD
consider yourself lucky to have lived a life of luxury while you were alive, not come here and whine
about blood dragons being 100% in RP and protecting their interests in their own traditional fashion.
I know many of you got issues with my comment. Most of you are greedy, never hire escorts, gamble with
your in-game life cause you know there is no rule prohibiting a trader to continue the same run 4h after
his death. (and i don't want that kind of rule) What i want is people to understand that they have no right to
whine about their loss or how much of an arse that greedy pirate was if they haven't done everything
in their might to prevent it. If you go on any big run with a cargo capped ship without protection you're asking for it!

So, back to my goal: I want people to start seeing the Escort,Pirate,Trader Triangle as means of balance.

1) don't rules-lawyer

2) Play with style

3) Have fun with as many people as you can at the same time

4) If you're upset. Do what i do, go play eat some Cake/Pie:P for a bit and cool your head.

The escort has become a missing link towards balance and fun. Its way more fun to tax/trade in
a group anyway so why miss such gameplay opportunities?

Now, I really hope at least some of you got the idea.

---

wassup