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paradox
Member Posts: 1,777 Arc User
I know bunch of you want a Privateer Sub-Faction, here's an Idea how it can work The Orion Syndicate forms an alliance with the Ferengi Alliance, the Nausicaans and the Maquis, do couple of mission for Melani D'ian before going legit Privateer (Federation) or going the Pirate, black arms dealer and slaver route (KDF), it seems like a good way to introduce KDF Ferengi and Fed Orions, access to two new Social Zones Ter'Jas Mor (KDF) and Ferenginar (Fed), you also get access Orion sub-races like Green, Ruddy and Grey, I made Orions the Defacto Leaders and Ferengi second in command since Orions seem to have enough business sense to not stab you in the back unlike most Ferengis you meet in game, Blame Madran as the reason why Ferengis are not in charge.
Post edited by baddmoonrizin on
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Which brings up the fact that the way the scenarios are designed privateers are not intrinsically different enough to require anything more than lite roleplay and some typing in the bio. The devs have already stated that they are not going to do any single-faction episodes anymore (or beyond quality passes of old ones anyway), in fact the new KDF recruit didn't even have a custom starter. And while they could probably get by with linking the regular episodes to a different mission giver I doubt they would consider the time and effort even for that worth it since it is rather niche at best.
That said, it would be nice if they brought up Nimbus III as a neutral Alliance headquarters with full service for both red and blue linked factions, they could include a seamy side for those who like the pirate/privateer route (I use Drozana for my Orion privateers for that atm even though it is not full service since it does not have ship&shuttle acquisition or customization, skill, and boff/doff vendors which means I still have to go to Qo'noS or some other Klingon station for those). Nimbus even has a shipyard already in orbit.
Could maybe work as a Klingon only sub-faction if it was a mercenary for hire type thing.
Theft.
There are multiple instances in the canon where groups - even very small groups - have seized control of the Enterprise or other ships. While plot armor always assured that our heroes retook their respective commands, logically we must acknowledge that it could have gone the other way under different circumstances.
I don't think it's that much of a stretch to think that there are a enough stolen ships out there in an enormous universe to constitute a faction - particularly one that lives on the fringes of known space.
Honestly, I think there's a certain allure to the OP's suggestion. The alliance is so terribly... boring. Playing a faction that rejected it might be a pleasant change of pace.
The problem with that would be that you still only have the same Alliance missions which means you still have to work with the Alliance, so there really isnt a way to "reject" it. And a stolen ship would probably not be feasible for that either (though there are some exceptions of course).
The answer is quite simple they're on the Alliance's payroll.
Yup. My Human KDF toon co-opted a Vo'Quv and uses Orion Interceptors to 'liberate' things a plenty.
I could see some non-powerful alien ships (or less powerful alliance member ships like a Miranda, a California, T'liss or an older model B'rel) getting "missplaced" but anything that could take on a top of the line alliance vessel and have a reasonable chance of winning would most likely be hunted down in short order and I doubt anyone would want to storyline that ends after few missions to brick wall when you're faced with a mass of T6 tuned ships in infinite spawn on a T1 ship.
As for Mercs being on the alliance payroll, there's the issue of trust here, apart from handful of missions your character is the representative of your respective government (that's why all red faction players are officially members of the KDF), a freelancer would be really poor choice for that, since the government cannot trust a freelancer to act accordingly to that station. Also no alliance member is so stupid as to give access to their top of the line ships to a person who might turn on them if someone else pays more.
Really apart from the iconian war arc and the mission to free Martok I don't see many missions that could work with a freelancer (maybe the current Klingon Civil War arc as well but that's a big maybe).
There's also the fact that while governmental ships would get refueled, rearmed and recrewed if needed at every stop to friednly space station same is not true for a "privateer" who would have to buy their fuel and munitions and also hire any replacement crew themselves.
"Privateer" doesn't necessarily equal "pirate", after all; historically, quite a few pirates got their start as privateers for the British fleet, who decided they quite liked the lifestyle and began attacking more than just the Spanish. In fact, mine draws inspiration more from space merc fleets as depicted in Schlock Mercenary (although I try to be more like Prader's Raiders than Tagon's Toughs...).
For my part, it's not a matter of "being against it." It's just accepting the reality that it won't happen. Similarly, no one in this game would be a bigger proponent of a Cardassian faction. With, not only, it's own unique starting storyline but also it's own endgame storyline in which you conquer and destroy the Federation, Klingons and Romulans. While I would love this, it's not going to happen. If someone else brought this idea up, I'd similarly tell them "not going to happen."
Actualy no, privateering has been abolished by almost every nation for over a century now.
In 1856 52 nations, including all major naval powers except America abolished letters of marque and banned privateers.
Read a history book every now and again.
I am reminded of some lines from a song in Muppet Treasure Island that references Francis Drake.
The idea of a privateer in OUR time running around with a Kirov class cruiser, Nimitz class carrier or even a Type 45 destroyer is just laughable.
In the STO era a privateer running around in a Vor'cha or a Galaxy class? It's a joke.
Aye, I'm not against the concept.
The Orions are basicly a race of privateers and the Ferengi are basicly pirates. However the big nations like the Feds and Klingons wouldn't use privateers, that's what the fleet is for.
Oh yeah, they were very successful with that during the TNG era (excluding that time where the writers forgot the Galaxy-class has 1,000 crewmembers and probably a significant percent of security officers from that pool, so a bunch of kids could save the day).
I think even the Pakled were more successful than them in that *snrk* expertise.
You may wan't to re-watch some episodes.
Nice to see you trying hard to be wrong as always.
TLDR: I'll tell you why. It would add nothing to the experience for ALOT of expense to attempt to inhibit access to systems every faction has. Your suggestions are bonkers and unworkable. Just create a toon and head-canon it. Just as the argument of using Alien Gen to create a species, but some won't 'because they want 'traits''. Cryptic aren't going to create a faction that won't get sufficient use to justify the enormous cost.
The very first time we see Ferengi, they are enslaving the crew of the enterprise.
In the Archer series we see them trying to ransack the ship.
Ferengi are not merchants in the traditional sense they are the stereotypical pirate. They will lie, steal, kill and enslave to make money at all costs. If they can do it with a thin veneer of legality then they will.
It works as a character background concept but I don't see the devs ever diverting resources away from making new episodes, ships, and events to create a formal faction or other extensive mechanics for mercs/privateers/whatever you want to call them, especially since the current systems support them quite well. All it takes is imagination, roleplay, and using the already available character background story editor.
TOS was actually based on the age of sail, projected forward to a future where the vast distances of space create the same kind of communications delays and captains and ships were often on their own since headquarters could not be constantly looking over their shoulders second guessing them. That is why most of the communications were just messages and not TNG style live videocalls unless they were close enough to a starbase or relay chain.
TNG is far less of a frontier, and every captain has HQ shoved up their backsides like they do nowadays in the real world but the situation in STO is far more chaotic than it was in TNG with the heavy losses and emergency alliances of the Iconian and Hurq wars and that makes for some wiggle room similar to TOS.
The Klingons already do hire mercenaries, there is a Nausican mercenary representative there in the Academy next to the Gorn one. The mercenaries are handled just like the empire's typical feudalistic practice but with a broker supplying the personnel and equipment for liquid currency compensation instead of the status, land-grant, or other material or nonmaterial benefits the great houses get in exchange for use of their fleets by the central government.
Because of that the KDF does not need a separate system for them, they are not significantly different from the house forces, they are more or less the equivalent of a small independent 'merchant' house that specialized in warfare under the imperial umbrella. Likewise, the Romulan Republic is a kind of ragbag of ex-RSE and anyone else who cares to join them so again there would be nothing to differentiate them from any other part of the RRF.
The Federation also has groups you could loosely call mercenaries or privateers, the Picard series revolves around several of them in fact, but they still are not pirates, they are more like vigilantes or independent militia, and really don't require special mechanics to do since they would still get tips from and have to co-operate with Starfleet to get anything major done. And on top of that, there are Federation Associates (and even some Protectorates) who have warp drive and can lend ships and crews to the Federation but not technically be Starfleet.
In fact, with the Alliance up and running there can be independent worlds that belong to the Alliance but not one of the factions.
So there are no must-have mechanics to allow for them, it can be done entirely on a roleplay level.
The alliance isn't a government, it's more like NATO
I never said the Alliance was a government, what I said was that there could be independent worlds who joined the Alliance without becoming members of the Federation, the KDF, the Romulan Republic, or the Dominion. Some of them could have the same kind of freedom of action that a privateer would have but still have the kind of support from the Alliance that units from the major powers do.