Non-Clan Characters - It's not the first time

[Malaclypse 666]

Also Mal, you can't restrict what a character does if its not in your PC faction. A KNF-tagged/IDd ships does not have to follow your orders, unless in your home system. For example, if I wanted to take my Kusari Destroyer into Bretonia and shoot up the SF, you can't stop me. Thats perfectly reasonable and expected reaction from a KNF ship. You can't impose your faction's 'understandings' and 'agreements' with other factions on the heads of characters not in your PC faction. Heck, KNF could go to war with the SA, without Liberty and Kusari at war. Just because your at war, that doesn't mean KNF-tagged/IDd ships have to help you.

You're right, right, and right, Dab. You posted while I was still considering my response to TT.. didn't mean to neglect you.

We (KNF) can't stop you at all if you decide to shoot up Cambridge. You are not bound by "KNF, Inc." policies and procedures. If you did so, I expect that SF command would realize that you were not acting as a representive of our House PC faction, and would respond accordingly. He/they would also realize that you were acting independently of our Faction, and would probably not "rag" on us for your actions. Good enough.

However, in the interests of RP, and perhaps of that illusive old saw "common courtesy", you might also note that KNF was not currently assaulting SF in direct frontal engagements on home worlds; and take that into account when planning your own RP as a Kusari NPC-aligned vessel. We have plenty to shoot at in the Taus. We have neighbors to the north who might decide to come calling. We have traders to protect, both Pc and NPC. And we'd probably be happy as Thud to include you in any of those ventures, and welcome the help.

I hope you'll concur that factions playing as the four major Houses (SA/KNF/SF/RM) have a somewhat unique responsibility to act within the bounds set by the game mechanics, while still trying to inject a unique flavor into the game's RP. I could cite examples of both successes and failures along these lines; but you've been here longer than I have, and probably know the history of Discovery as well or better than I.

Let me propose a scenario to you which might show why these major House factions have to be a bit more concerned about the actions of non-faction-yet NPC-aligned players.

Let's say, for instance, that I create a character.. let's call her "Chaogirl_Dis". She decides that she'd like to help protect traders in Omicron Theta; that she'd like to hang out in the bar in say, Omicron 74. She'd like to be friends with the Outcasts and GoR, yet still not have to shoot at Corsairs or Bounty Hunters. She decides that in order to do so that she'd like to get a Zoner ID and emulate her heroes, the Asgard Warriors.

One day, at the height of her "lunar cycle", she gets a bit cranky and decides she likes the pickings of an innocent trader who happens to be in, say, Sigma 19. She blows the trader up, and hauls home the bling. Now.. that trader may also decide to get cranky, call the AW, and raise a stink about this person, who seems to look suspiciously like a member of the AW from all outward appearances. (Maybe she flies an Eagle, and screams "Wotan!" or "Odin!" or "For the Glory of Asgard!" as she attacks..

Maybe she even has a tag, something like.. [AmW], ..Amazon Warriors, or somesuch..) I know, it's farfetched. (Chaogirl_Dis actually sports a [~V~] tag...), but if it happened.. wouldn't it concern you just a smidge, even though the char is perfectly within its right to RP as it chooses, just like Tank ventured? Wouldn't you be a bit afraid of misunderstandings, and of having a black mark on AW's record, even though Dis is not an AW member atall, atall?

That's life in the Houses. That's why I'd like to see an open discussion continue on the matter. That's why I'm willing to say "you're right, Dab, but..."

Thanks,
Mal

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