@Igiss: a definate yes to rep requirements for ships, weapons and equipment.
Yes the shields should be balanced, however, if the infernos are based off pulse weapons no-one will ever use a positron shield because pulse weapons do more damage to them.
Pulse weapons are weakest against graviton shields.
@QV: it would mean that being in a faction has advantages to being a freelancer.
Besides which the Battlestars are technically a civilian ship because no faction has any claim to them. So freelancers can fly a Bstar or a Bstar adv. but no other capships.
