If thats the case I simply don't understand why FD ever bothered with Powerplay- what is its job if its not to get people fighting? From what you argue Powerplay is a question waiting for an answer from another unspoken question.
If BGS manipulation fits the scope of conflict required by FDs definition of group play, why go further than that?
My assumption is that Frontier was surprised by how many players actively engaged in BGS manipulation, and used
that as a basis for a way for players to influence events in Human space at a
larger scale. The feeling I got from reading the DDF was that something
similar to Powerplay was intended for the main game, as a way for players to engage in the politics within and between the major factions, while the BGS would literally operate in the background. They never expected players to adopt minor factions, either individually, or as a group.
When it came time to add the political layer to the game, Frontier based its design on what IMO is essentially a dumbed down version of the BGS. Not as many factors to keep track of, a limited number of activities to engage in, and tossed in some figureheads to put a face on what at the time were faceless factions. But like the BGS, Powerplay is more about an expression of
soft power, as opposed to
hard power.
Indirect conflict, as opposed to direct
combat. Opposition, but not necessarily fighting.
This game is designed, from the ground up, as a Play
With People game, not a Player
Verses Player game. Which is why we have modes, private groups, and social filters that affect matchmaking. Sometimes, PwP can
include PvP, but even in Open, players can choose to
block other players, removing even the possibility of direct action, should they decide they don't want to play
with them.
In my experience, direct PvP is at its best when both sides don't know the outcome of an encounter ahead of time. That is why matchmaking in most PvP games focuses on getting a rough parity of ability and equipment on both sides. MMOs like Open mode Elite: Dangerous, where the skilled and unskilled are thrown together in the same environment, and where there is a huge disparity between different builds, creates an environment where only a handful of participants in direct PvP actually
enjoy themselves. 99% of the time, the outcome of an encounter isn't in doubt. Unless
I'm the one initiating an encounter, there is no choice of fight or flight, because any
fight will be so unequal I don't stand a chance. On those rare occasions I
am in the mood to be the one initiating an encounter, I respect the fact that the other player is a human being, and make an effort to be a fun encounter.
During the limited amount of time I spent pledged to a Power, I found the
quality of player antagonists to be much better than the player "antagonists" I encounter outside of Powerplay. Personally, I think the fact that one has to "opt in" twice: once to Powerplay, and once in Open, keeps
most of the proverbial riff raff out.
I would very much live to see direct PvP have much larger role in both Powerplay, and in the BGS, but only if it encourages the
fun kind of PvP. The hard part will be creating a system that both encourages symmetrical PvP in an environment where
asymmetrical PvP is inevitable.
). - The issue since Engineers is that any single interaction with a "real commander" can result in being vastly overpowered if you have not engineered for defence. Yes the murder-hobos and LULZ-kiddies are very few and very far between but it just takes one to wipe one's "0" in the insurance claims stat - so iron-man rules mean that one is tempted to play rusty-man rules near hotspots. 
