Usefullness of trading factions. Or uselessness rather...

[Kontrazec (Somni)]

Being a part of a trade faction I have something to say. Only trade faction "worthwhile" for any actual moneymaking is Interspace Commerce. Why? They can fly ANYWHERE, even Rheinland, and they ARE a liberty faction. Now, they ARE limited to which cargo they can carry, but being able to even go through a house at war with their patron house, is quite a formidable advantage. I'm a part of the RepEx and to be honest, it's quite gimped when it comes to profitable trade routes. The only ones worth doing are two runs: Quantum Multiplexors - Diamonds to Kusari and Engine Components - Ship Hull Panels to Leeds. If you run some of the more profitable routes, like Terraforming Gases to Okinawa and Plutonium back, you have a HUGE risk to be caught by Hogosha, if you do the Military Vehicle run, you will get regulated by KNF if you pass through Kusari, by BAF if you pass through Bretonia. The best profit runs would be guess where? In liberty, of course. Interspace can use these routes, RepEx cannot. The biggest problem however is metagaming.

Pirate: "Hmm hmm hmm, let's check the chat window, oh look RepEx-Shipping in Frankfurt! He must be heading towards Kusari, or New Berlin. I'll hunt him down for an easy two million."

With indies, you need to actually sit on a lane and hope some trader passes by.

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Sucks to be a weight on the wrong side of the brilliance-insanity scale.