What do Zoners want?

[Dusty Lens]

Zoners are not so much defined by what they want as what they don't want, which is the Houses.

This has been interpreted by many as "Zoners are anarchists," which is true if you're talking about the kind of anarchy where leadership exists.

I've often found myself confused by this definition given the amount of energy many Zoners seem to put into organization and establishment of authoritarian governments based upon elected or assumed representation.

Do you think that it's more that Zoners don't wish to be Rheinland, Bretonia, Kusari or Liberty? Or that persons who seek to assume authority positions aren't Zoners by that definition? Or something else?

[Zelot]

Zoners are not so much defined by what they want as what they don't want, which is the Houses.

This has been interpreted by many as "Zoners are anarchists," which is true if you're talking about the kind of anarchy where leadership exists.

I think that is putting Zoners in a box. My particular zoner has no desire to follow or lead anything. He doesnt want anyone telling him what to do, so he doesnt go places where people are going to try and tell him what to do. He doesnt have any higher aspiration except to live life on his own terms.

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[DAnvilFan]

I suppose I should have clarified that I was referring to what I learned from Freelancer (un-moded) info cards, which is:

1) Zoners have a Seniors council

2) They have a code which, if not followed, will result in expulsion from the Zoner "community"

Naturally players in MMOs have the opportunity to shape everything into whatever they want.

I've often found myself confused by this definition given the amount of energy many Zoners seem to put into organization and establishment of authoritarian governments based upon elected or assumed representation.

Do you think that it's more that Zoners don't wish to be Rheinland, Bretonia, Kusari or Liberty? Or that persons who seek to assume authority positions aren't Zoners by that definition? Or something else?

I'm not sure. Actually I don't know how to answer that question.

I think it's easier for players to relate to "elections" and "authority" which is why so many players roleplaying Zoners go for it. But as I said, MMO means that anybody can be anything and have a perfectly logical reason that makes sense to them.

[Dusty Lens]

I don't know how to answer it either. It's what people will do, clearly. But at the end of the day it also seems like by doing it you're doing it wrong.

[Doc Holliday]

I've often found myself confused by this definition given the amount of energy many Zoners seem to put into organization and establishment of authoritarian governments based upon elected or assumed representation.

It took CoZ and ZA falling apart to make Doc the character see that. TAZ is a very loose group of freedom loving finatics. I sometimes wonder how even Doc fits in.

Do you think that it's more that Zoners don't wish to be Rheinland, Bretonia, Kusari or Liberty?

In some ways, they are by birth but they don't wish to live under the law. But here's the difference.
Zoners just peacefully packed up and tried there own in deep space whereas say, the Hessians, who seek freedom, do so by fighting the Rheinland government, the Mollys fighting the Bretonian Crown, Rogues fighting Liberty and so forth.

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[MFE]Med Force One | Tales of Recovery|Med Force Enterprises

[DAnvilFan]

It took CoZ and ZA falling apart to make Doc the character see that. TAZ is a very loose group of freedom loving finatics. I sometimes wonder how even Doc fits in.

Knowing what doesn't work is as important as knowing what does.

Zoners are the most vaguely described faction in the game, so experimentation was necessary.

Also, I believe the giant drama that was CoZ and ZA gave current factions a lot of interesting background history. Although I wonder how many players are left that remember it.

In any case, heh, I'm not aware of any faction that went through as many schizophrenic, bi-polar changes as the Zoners did.

[Race]

Zoners want peace and neutrality. They are like the swiss only dif is that FL has no banks. If FL had banks they would wash criminal cash to legal all day.:laugh:

Fraid this ain't the 80's, and anyone wanting to wash over 5 mil uses cayman accounts. The Swiss have opened their banks considerably in the last few decades.

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Get After It.

[DarthBindo]

hmm, Bindo to get lost would be nice.

Challenge accepted, good si- err acceptable person of- no, lets just call you a dirty troll and be done with it.
Name your time and place!

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gone four years, first day back: Zoners still getting shot in Theta :|

[lousal]

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[Zelot]

It isn't too hard to understand that. If we are talking about role stereotypes we also have to admit that their nature is somewhat static. A constant development which might change everything is not appreciated. The role desscription is a momentary state.

What many cannot grasp, and I'm REALLY at a losss to understand that in return, is that Zoner left organized (social) structurs because of important reasons, and regardless of their individual reasons they are all sharing the wish to be free to live their lives without constraints.

Now, could this ever be real? Of course not. Ultimate freedom is only an utopic goal, while the reality is a permanent compromise.

This compromise is being reflected by the natural urge to structure things around them because a group of people can achieve more than individuals alone.

Come on, "Rusty", Order and Chaos, Freedom and Obligation, Lawful and Unlawful (==> Semi-Lawful!?), such contradictions are the core of Zoner RP, and I am sure you can understand that. Every single decision is demanding existential considerations just because the individual Zoner is emphasized and preferred to an anonymous group of "The Zoners".

The Zoners wish freedom, but there is no typical Zoner, but rather a sum of all individual wishes building up to some sort of coherent noise.

So an important static aspect of Zoner RP is that no Zoner organization must be allowed to reach their goals. It woudl change the very basic role stereotype and produce something different, perhaps a new House or a new company.

It's freedom, definitely.

I completely agree.

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