Iridium

[Durandal]

The iridium there is intentional, and the drop rate is controlled. Generally between 3-8 units drop per rock (pro tip: mining ships, mining lasers, IDs, etc., none of that helps Iridium drop rates). A 5k transport might be able to make 19mil selling a full load two systems away, but it takes them probably an hour (minimum) to fill up, fly there, and fly back. Another participant mining doubles the fill-up speed, but halves the profit, and you still have to cruise 130k or so (plus two jumps and a short trade lane hop) before you can sell it, then 130k (plus jumps/short lane hop) back.

Also, **SPOILER ALERT**: The alien gate is inaccessible to any ship larger than a fighter. Even freighters can't use it. So if you have miners escaping through it, then they're pretty small-time. More likely someone just F1'd or something.

And you silent people, or people lacking any RP, everywhere you go. Why would you expect Kansas to be different, or expect it to be easily fixable? Just like everywhere else, you have to just try with the RP whether they like it (or participate) or not. Making the system useless for everyone but wannabe nomads (who just want to pass through) and the NTF isn't a good solution.

(Also, from a RP perspective, I theorize that the Iridium in Delta, which is near a major alien system, and the Iridium in Kansas, also near a major alien system (even if it's now primarily empty) is somehow related. Daam K'vosh liked iridium, maybe?)

Note: I have a miner, 'NZIMC||Knocker', created specifically and RPly to mine that field. I've had a couple good encounters with the NTF... Of course, that was before it apparently became so popular.

What do I suggest? Move the Iridium to a different section of Kansas. Could always replace the dark matter cloud or something. It just seems ridiculous to be practically showing newbie miners the location of the gate. I'm fine with sharing the system, it's just that two factions seem to be getting a bad deal here. But hey like Cannon said, the NTF has guns, we don't mind.