Mercenary ID

[Athenian]

I have a disagreement with a friend about the mercenary i.d. as I had my first experience of a mercenary pirating recently. So can someone please give a definitive statement?

It states:
"Mercenary ID owner is not allowed to pirate or trade on a regular basis."

I take this to read that a mercenary may never pirate and may trade on a few occasions.
He claims that a mercenary may do both on a few occasions.

I can see how the phrasing caused him to think this. But am I wrong here?

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Former member of "the most paranoid group of people in the community"
Discovery Community Forum Rules

[Generation]

it says "never allowed to pirate or trade on a regular basis".......


Ok which idiot wrote that?? That statement is completely up to your interpretation of it.

AKA; its what ever you want it to be.

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[Jinx]

that means that you are allowed to be hired to assist in a piracy event for example. - but you should not to it on your own. - like the BHG, the mercs are focussed on contracts. - they do not do stuff on their own.

so if a pirate group hires you for backup - you become part of piracy - but not on a regular base. same with traders - if you are hired for escorts, you become part of the trading - but you re not trading yourself - so trading is not your regular income.

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Shipdesigns made for DiscoveryGC

[Athenian]

Ok which idiot wrote that?? That statement is completely up to your interpretation of it.

It weren't me, You Honour. Honest, 'twere like that when I gots here.

Well, interpretation of it will have pretty big consequences. If a mercenary can pirate, then how often is "on regular basis".

The actual words from the ID infocard in game:
"Mercenary ID owner is not allowed to pirate or trade on a regular basis."
Does it mean
a. not allowed to pirate. may trade but not regularly
or
b. may pirate but not regularly. may trade but not regularly.

If you look at the rules on PvP engagment...

6.15 Owners of Bounty Hunter/Mercenary/Freelancer IDs have a right to attack:

- Pirates
- Traders ships carrying smuggled goods and refusing to drop them
- (not for FL ID) Lawful and unlawful players with a bounty on their heads

6.17 Owners of Pirate IDs have a right to attack:

- Military/Police
- Bounty Hunters
- Trader ships that do not pay for passage
- Unfriendly pirates

It appears a merc by himself could ask for money but could do nothing if refused.
But if he was with a pirate, then the pirate could pay him to detroy a trader that didn't cough up.

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Former member of "the most paranoid group of people in the community"
Discovery Community Forum Rules

[Treewyrm]

I have unlawful mercenary who works for Outcasts and assists them along. To be honest I never figured that part about pirating, currently it's rather ambiguous and I'd avoid interpretations that might cause me problems, so I simply behaved like a mercenary would do, i.e. act hostile if employers ask to.

[worldstrider]

It IS subjective as written.

I would not say a mercenary could "pirate at will" or take a long term semi-permanent job where he's always pirating but neither would I say he could "never trade". If he scoops up loot from a kill, surely he can sell it. And if he shot a few rocks passing through a system shouldn't he be able to sell the ore?

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[skoko]

I mean ... Cmon people.. pirate on Merc.... It can be done ... But WHY?
If you want to pirate buy Pirate ID and you'll be all right... In case of unlawful mercs, they can assist in pirating... but their life is based on contracts for other people... My merc is neutral to all NPC factions except Nomads... currently employed by one unlawful faction, BUT if lawful faction offers me more money, I'll switch in blink of an eye.. That is definition of Mercenary in my eyes...Money infront of anything else.... and I work only for people who pay me to escort them or to get rid of some "trouble"... I would never pirate...

EDIT : This is my definition of Mercenary, not official.. But I RP my char by that principles


Skoko

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[SA]-Jake.Benson - Benson's life
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[JohnLenin]

that means that you are allowed to be hired to assist in a piracy event for example. - but you should not to it on your own. - like the BHG, the mercs are focussed on contracts. - they do not do stuff on their own.

so if a pirate group hires you for backup - you become part of piracy - but not on a regular base. same with traders - if you are hired for escorts, you become part of the trading - but you re not trading yourself - so trading is not your regular income.

exactly my interpretation.

And that's why it is extremely hard to play a mercenary: most of the time you are not contracted, so if you want to RP well you are not supposed to be too active between contracts or take missions on bases and advertise your services. (Well, quite similar to bounty hunters)
A mercenary is not a freelancer.

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JohnLenin * Collector * Junker
.:j:.Jane.Blond * Firefly * Smuggler * Junker Congress

[Armageddon]

The piracy bit i stay clear of (lawful mercenary) But i have always thought of the trading on the side being when im escorting someone loading up with whatever they are hauling. (if it is in my RP to do so) but i don't trade alone and when i do this i dont make a lot out of it i make a lot more from the contract.

[Crassus]

I took this to mean that a Mercenary can trade and pirate as a sideline but their main income should come from paid escort/bounty contract/military operations etc, as long as there is a balance weighted in favour of those then I think it's ok.

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