I usually throw my two cents in on these threads so as usual I will.
Quote:It is not for Zoners to define how they are seen by others. But it is also not for others to define how Zoners see themselves.
Word. Zoners being neutral to everyone doesn't mean everyone is neutral to us. Get that in your heads.
Quote:Well, true is that zoners need some enemy, its weird when so powerfull faction are neutral with everyone
You provide me with proof we are so powerful.
I am the faction leader of OSI and also the faction leader of the ZDF, the only military style Zoner faction. Guess what? The ZDF is weak, spread thin, and unable to enforce neutrality at all times.
Our power doesn't lie in our military. It lies in our ability to play others. To use words to stop them from killing us. To use words to get from them what we want. To give them what they need so they allow us to survive.
Freeport 5, 9, and Corfu would all be lost in a war with the Corsairs. Freeport 10 lost to the Outcasts if we pissed them off. Others to various factions. Hence the reason we try not to piss off other larger factions and when we do we are quick to attempt to fix our mistake.
That doesn't mean we would lie down without a fight. If the Corsairs did indeed start a bloody conflict with us, you can be damn sure we'd seek alliances with their enemies. Just as we paid the Corsairs to aid us in securing Omega-49. If we do not have the military strength to fight our fight, we seek help from people that do.
I am not going to say this group couldn't exist. I would however find it rather odd that one day this group didn't exist then all of a sudden the next I have a full wing of bombers shooting at me claiming I am to powerful. Odd indeed.
This also leads me to another point, Sprolf. These vary groups are the reason we have a need for capital ships.
I also think this is worth quoting again:
Quote:The chief problem with this faction proposal is that it rests on the idea that Zoners are one faction.
Zoners are one "NPC faction," a term that is made to suit gameplay dynamics. Storywise, the term "Zoner" is equivalent of a borderworld drifter, vagabond, etc. It's a generic callsign for people who have left the Houses and other prominant factions.
The Zoners on Gran Canaria are completely different from those that live on Freeport 9 or Freeport 1. The Zoner Alliance is a pact between these drifter colonies, but even then the alliances are lose and most of the ZA's job involves resolving loopholes in the gameplay (such as, who permits non-Zoners to buy a Conference?).
You want to know some differences?
-OSI refuses to feed any faction war material. TAZ and the ZTC have no qualms doing so.
-TAZ is interested in aiding the Council in defeating the GRN. OSI rarely sends ships into Gallia because we happen to live on their doorstep and are fearful of our Freeport being destroyed by them. ZTC is neutral to the GRN, they don't send any ships into Gallia space.
We do not always agree, quite the opposite. There is usually a lot of disagreements between us. Another example is the use of faction right #5. I really don't want to use it because Faction A might be hated by Zoners in the Omicrons but he helps my faction in the Taus. Using #5 would mean all Zoners hate him, which isn't really true.
Quote:personally, i'ld burn 90% of the zoners passing trough the Corsair space. They are rude, silent and obnoxious. Neutrality has to be earned.
Only Ivan knows this but I'll go ahead and let it out here. I have a Corsair and I target only Zoners in the Omegas. I do so because I work hard to earn the trust of the Corsairs so they won't blow me up on my Zoner and it erks me to no end that other Corsairs don't rough up the Zoners in the Omegas that don't aid them.
I will disagree with Ivan in regards to us being a threat to the houses (Outcast and Corsairs included). Yes we have capital ships but not even 1/3 of what a house navy has. All of our stations could easily fall in a quick tactical strike made by the local factions. The reason this doesn't happen is because in doing so that faction would earn the title of the first faction that Zoners in general made war upon. Not truly a scary thought when you consider just Zoners. It becomes scary when you add in the fact that it is our way of life to hire others to aid us. Ala Corsairs fighting for us in Omega-49 to prevent the BAF from taking the system from us. Such is our way of life.
The only factions we are a threat to are ones smaller than us.
Quote:Goals:
-To limit the power of the Zoners. (not complete annihilation or genocide god no)
-Enlighten the people of Sirius to the threat of the Zoners.
-Infiltrate and spy on Zoner activities.
Your first goal is already met. As long as we have no sworn enemy our warships remain weaker than all other warships. Our transport is weak so that we have to rely on words to get out of jams (or past history with our attacker.) You won't remove Jinkusu, they aren't warships. They are mobile freeports and colony ships. Yes, some are used as warships. Even as a Zoner faction leader I cannot prevent that.
Most people are already enlighten as to our threat. Ala why the House governments banned our largest transports from docking in their space. A hint as to why: To protect the profits of their own local companies.
Infiltrate and spy on us? Good luck. You'd gain nothing from infiltrating OSI, little from TAZ other than what they intend to do. Infiltrating the ZTC? Good luck. I am a Zoner faction leader and I have NO idea what they do.
Quote:'Spying on Zoners'- they could RP like sneaking on Freeports and getting 'evidence' of Zoner invasion plans which are actually fakes and cool stuff like that.
No not really. That is power gaming. Even if we planed on an invasion (lulz!) we wouldn't keep that info on our Freeports. That would be stored within Sparta or Cornith. Both stations you wouldn't have a chance in hell in accessing, much less making off with intel that critical. (I need to read huh:sleep:) You could make it up, but it would be easy to discredit not to mention if we were a real threat, we wouldn't keep intel like that on a Freeport.
Quote:Diplomacy:
Hostile to Zoners. Neutral/self defence to House police/militarys. Neutral/self defence towards Outcasts. Unfriendly towards the Corsairs, Order.
Operation areas:
Anywhere were there is a large amount of Zoners (so not Liberty and the Houses except for spreading anti zoner propoganda) and Zoner bases.
Your best bet would be to set up shop in a house. Who are you going to preach to in the Bordworlds? The Corsairs? They will laugh at you if you tell them Zoners are a threat to them. Same with the Outcasts. Also, if you are hostile to us, you aren't operating on our bases.
After all of that. I'd support this if it limited itself to a house. You wouldn't have the funding to operate in the border worlds and the powers there would laugh at you before shooting you for insulting them by claiming Zoners are a threat to them. (The GRN would just shoot you before you could utter a word.)
Also, please try to keep in mind that always forcing us into a position where we have to come to the forums and forum RP 'diplomacy' isn't always fun for us. It might not bother you because you only do it once to us, but add your version to the list and you see the erksome nature of it.
Want a clue as to the goings on now? Read the TAZ and ZTC message dumps. The MR is roughing Zoners in Dublin up. Do you see OSI doing much about it? No, because I've only had one ship damaged by them, not unusual for a shipping company. My character might end up getting involved for himself because he lives on Canaria but OSI as a whole probably won't unless we get shot to hell and back.
