Powerplay Powerplay and the independents ?

[Caointean]

Hey everybody !

I didn't want to partake in PowerPlay until now as there is no power that I can agree with. However, the situation has slightly changed since Archon Delaine has started expanding close to my home system, having it fall into his sphere of influence. I still don't want to pledge to a Power, but I can't let angry Blondie and his brainless stinky pirates wreak havoc in the system where I spend nearly all my (gaming) time, protecting the fragile democracy that was here.

So the question is simply : Can I undermine a power while not pledged to another one ?

 

[Martin Schou]

So the question is simply : Can I undermine a power while not pledged to another one ?

No. The only way to oppose a power is to pledge to another one. Since Archon Delaine is an Independent power, you'll want to pledge to one that isn't Independent.

 

[IGII2]

Unfortunately no. You need to pledge yourself to one of the non-Independant powers in order to be able to undermine his systems.

Don't freak out if your home system gets under Archon's influence sphere, you can still help the system to retain its current goverment by fighting for one of the minor faction present in the system and making one that you like the most the controlling faction (controlling faction in the system determines its current allegiance / goverment).

 

[Earth Ultimatum IV.]

And how about, you know, contacting us "brainless stinky pirates" and request to not expand into your system? Go visit the kumo crew reddit and talk to one of the coordinators.

 

[fergal]

So does that mean there is another democracy for us to bomb?

 

[withnail]

Why don't these people actually talk to us?

You never know, we may be able to come to an arrangement before having to retaliate etc.

 

[PredictedCy]

Why don't these people actually talk to us?

You never know, we may be able to come to an arrangement before having to retaliate etc.

Easy.
They assume that because we're pirate players, we might be terrible and unreasonable people.

Nah man, nah. Talk to us, we can work something out.

 

[bigity]

How come you never hear this crap about other factions? We are the smallest with the least control systems. How many PMFs have been stepped on by Mahon for example, yet you don't get all this crap.

To OP: We don't care about your faction, nor do we intend to do any damage. We prepare a system, expand to it, and then after that pretty much nothing - unless we need to fortify it. You can relax, or go cry to FDev that they put Power Play in your BGS game.

Also, as a solo pilot you are probably not going to be able to anything in any case. Even if you undermine the nearby control system, it won't cause it to revolt.

 

[withnail]

And one we exploit your system that's it, no going back.

So best to talk beforehand rather than attack us.

 

[Earth Ultimatum IV.]

And I like how OP claims to be "independent", yet he's planning a revenge war on Archon Delaine without anything even happening and without trying to prevent anything from happening.

 

[Martin Schou]

How many PMFs have been stepped on by Mahon for example, yet you don't get all this crap.

Actually we do. We spent about half a year trying to figure out who was opposing our Lundji area expansions, because it made no sense that it'd be another power. Turned out to be a PMF that had set up nearby, but not inside the Lundji bubble.

 

[Caointean]

Good evening gentlemen!

First of all, thanks for thee answers to my question.

And how about, you know, contacting us "brainless stinky pirates" and request to not expand into your system? Go visit the kumo crew reddit and talk to one of the coordinators.

I didn't know you could be contacted. And just "asking" for you not to expand in the systems seems too easy to be true. I have a tendency to not trust people, especially when they are labelled as pirates. I'm sorry for that, it's just who I am.

And I like how OP claims to be "independent", yet he's planning a revenge war on Archon Delaine without anything even happening and without trying to prevent anything from happening.

I am independent in that I am not pledged to anyone, and won't be until people representing true democracy arise in Powerplay. My allegiance still goes for the people of the federation, which I can't leave behind to be crushed and exploited by corporations, but I won't pledge to Hudson or Winters. Carrying the Federated flag is not enough to earn my respect.

And I'm not planning any revenge. I'm just asking how the game mechanics work in the event of something happening to my beloved system. As it happens, Blondie is the closest threatening power, but had it be another power, the situation would have stayed the same. As the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed.

Or go cry to FDev that they put Power Play in your BGS game.

Not going to do that. I'm perfectly fine with powerplay. Just a bit sad it's all about warmongering and/or propaganda. Democracy FTW !

 

[bigity]

I think you'll find Archon politics to be less corrupted than democracy

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

For exploited systems, pretty much no effect to the BGS. We have an effect in control systems favoring independent powers, but exploited systems are not effected. Outside of some weird thing where your system has a station that has a good price for slaves close to a Torval control system with good prices, there is likely to be no noticeable effect.

 

[Quantrix]

How come you never hear this crap about other factions?

It happens to other powers as well. Let me share this recent story about LYR and a PMF.

LYR expanded to Polecteri several weeks ago. The expansion was much heavier opposed than expected. The system is located far away from all other powers, so we expected no opposition at all. Nevertheless, the expansion succeeded. The next week, we saw signs of undermining in that area, and in the final hours six systems were sniped. Luckily we were warned by the signs and had fortified most of those systems already. The week thereafter, same story.

Those events never made it to the weekly summary, as we didn't want other people to take advantage of the situation. We had nothing to gain by letting the world know. And apparently nobody was watching us closely enough to notice

We traced the undermining to a couple of commanders. Their name ending in "[ICU]" was a big giveaway whom to contact . So one of us contacted the ICU. Apparently we came too close to their home - it was still lots far more than 15 LY - and they were afraid that their bubble of communism could overlap our bubbles.

After some talking, an agreement was reached, and the matter was settled.

There are more stories like this. So yes, those things happen to other powers as well.

 

[bigity]

Well I'm glad it's not only us.

For people who claim to hate/want to avoid PP - they sure seem to know how to oppose expansions and undermine.




For any other ones reading this, for any power - it's alot easier to discuss this before hand - once a system is taken over, it is quite the feat to force a power to lose a specific system.

 

[MDFification]

How come you never hear this crap about other factions? We are the smallest with the least control systems. How many PMFs have been stepped on by Mahon for example, yet you don't get all this crap.

To OP: We don't care about your faction, nor do we intend to do any damage. We prepare a system, expand to it, and then after that pretty much nothing - unless we need to fortify it. You can relax, or go cry to FDev that they put Power Play in your BGS game.

Also, as a solo pilot you are probably not going to be able to anything in any case. Even if you undermine the nearby control system, it won't cause it to revolt.

Bad luck on your part. Delaine's only profitable expansions (without fighting the Empire) just happen to be in what appears to be the most densely-populated independent PMF space in the bubble. Most of these groups started closer to major faction space, and got pushed into the region when powerplay began. Not really much that can be done about it unless Delaine's playerbase decides that they're just going to sit there and let the other factions outpace them in income.

I suspect that Antal's going to end up in the same sort of situation eventually, not that that's any consolation.

 

[Rubbernuke]

The biggest issue about this is groups don't talk to powers until its too late.

If groups paid more attention to powers and talked to them more, there would be hardly any problems with PMFs at all.

For example, the Diamond Frogs asked us not to expand a system near them. We complied as we actually *like* PMFs and support them when we can.

PMFs are like landmines to PP powers. Most of the time you don't know they are there until its too late and it causes no end of misery to both sides.

 

[MDFification]

The biggest issue about this is groups don't talk to powers until its too late.

If groups paid more attention to powers and talked to them more, there would be hardly any problems with PMFs at all.

For example, the Diamond Frogs asked us not to expand a system near them. We complied as we actually *like* PMFs and support them when we can.

PMFs are like landmines to PP powers. Most of the time you don't know they are there until its too late and it causes no end of misery to both sides.

Precisely, this is why the Freedom Fighters feature that's been proposed is so desperately needed. PMFs need a way to openly, within the framework of powerplay, oppose expansion into their territory. It should be immediately obvious who precisely is undermining your faction - they should be doing it under their own flag, so powerplayers know who they have to talk to and can quickly map out what systems they need to avoid or, if it just can't be helped, who it is they need to crush.

At the same time, there needs to be some way for powerplayers to shut down expansions the community didn't ask for. With all the 5C'ing going on, what's to stop some shady characters from purposefully steering your power into a PMF's space? What if the hordes of solo-players who just grind merits and don't bother to talk to the rest of the powerplay community happen to be triggering an expansion that will inevitably end in conflict? PMFs and PP groups will find it difficult to coexist until its both easily identifiable just who is doing what, and the community has a mechanism to prevent people who don't really get powerplay/just want to see the world burn from starting trouble where none was needed or wanted.

 

[Rubbernuke]

Precisely, this is why the Freedom Fighters feature that's been proposed is so desperately needed. PMFs need a way to openly, within the framework of powerplay, oppose expansion into their territory. It should be immediately obvious who precisely is undermining your faction - they should be doing it under their own flag, so powerplayers know who they have to talk to and can quickly map out what systems they need to avoid or, if it just can't be helped, who it is they need to crush.

At the same time, there needs to be some way for powerplayers to shut down expansions the community didn't ask for. With all the 5C'ing going on, what's to stop some shady characters from purposefully steering your power into a PMF's space? What if the hordes of solo-players who just grind merits and don't bother to talk to the rest of the powerplay community happen to be triggering an expansion that will inevitably end in conflict? PMFs and PP groups will find it difficult to coexist until its both easily identifiable just who is doing what, and the community has a mechanism to prevent people who don't really get powerplay/just want to see the world burn from starting trouble where none was needed or wanted.

It's like the blind leading the blind! It's so difficult to not make a mistake at some point. My other bugbear is you never know who is attacking you, and why. Right now I think a player group is attacking Utopia. Why? Dunno. Who is it? Dunno. It would be great if ALL groups could put their allegiance up rather than just powers, so we know who is doing what.

 

[Ben Ryder]

Just wondering how exactl a power fights a freedom fight group?


They dont seem to need CC, have command capital or even a system to undermine. Im not really sure f teh working but they just seem to be another invisible force that lurks around to undermine / oppose powers with nothing to lose.