Powerplay How are PowerPlay interdictions supposed to work?

[Elyssaen]

So… this is getting a little frustrating. I've pledged to a power but not done anything with them. A few times now I've been interdicted by other powers – usually Alliance Enforcers – and I wouldn't really mind that.

Except… every time they're Clean. They fire on me and even though I have Report Crimes on, them firing on me doesn't net them a bounty. If I fire back, I get a bounty on my head. If I kill them, a bigger one. I'm playing a law-abiding character and getting frustrated by having to run away from people because they apparently have a free pass to kill me but I can't lawfully fight back. These aren't even Alliance systems I'm in – they're Empire and Federation systems, my 'allies'!

There's something seriously wrong if defending myself from Alliance Enforcers in an Imperial system can get Imperial system security trying to kill me… isn't there?

 

[fergal]

When you pledge to a Power, you are able to attack and kill all agents of the other Powers when in your Powers territory.
It doesn't matter if they are clean, if they are an enemy agent (and it will say ENEMY in red letters under their name) you can kill them for free.

The same is true for when you are in enemy territory, they can attack you for free.
It sounds like you were in Mahons space, and one of his alliance Enforcers attacked you.
If you retaliate back, you will become wanted.

Just remember the systems ruling faction allegiance (Empire, Federation, Allaince or Independant) doesn't matter to PP, just which Power has the system.

 

[Elyssaen]

Logically it seems like it should matter, or else the question becomes: in what sense does a system have a minor and major faction of Federation, if the middle layer is Alliance? What does that actually IC mean? I heard an example in another thread of attacking G4S security on UK soil, but it's more like defending yourself from Russian security on UK soil and having UK police then side with the Russians over an allied, auxiliary member of their own forces. Not only that, but based on PowerPlay activity, it's clear that the UK and Russia are basically at war too^[1].

It's seeming like the only way to get your head around this in an IC-consistent way is to pretend that minor and major factions don't exist, and the space is simply Alliance. But that then raises questions of why 90% of their system security consider me an ally, and 10% consider me an enemy. Not to mention it's far from an ideal explanation when it involves ignoring the other two layers of government. Is this just… a mess?

[1] This itself makes for more inconsistencies with the rest of the game. PowerPlay shows the Federation and the Empire destroying each other's ships and fighting over territory – by definition, they're at war. Yet for other purposes they're clearly not.

 

[fergal]

Logically it seems like it should matter, or else the question becomes: in what sense does a system have a minor and major faction of Federation, if the middle layer is Alliance? What does that actually IC mean? I heard an example in another thread of attacking G4S security on UK soil, but it's more like defending yourself from Russian security on UK soil and having UK police then side with the Russians over an allied, auxiliary member of their own forces. Not only that, but based on PowerPlay activity, it's clear that the UK and Russia are basically at war too^[1].

It's seeming like the only way to get your head around this in an IC-consistent way is to pretend that minor and major factions don't exist, and the space is simply Alliance. But that then raises questions of why 90% of their system security consider me an ally, and 10% consider me an enemy. Not to mention it's far from an ideal explanation when it involves ignoring the other two layers of government. Is this just… a mess?

[1] This itself makes for more inconsistencies with the rest of the game. PowerPlay shows the Federation and the Empire destroying each other's ships and fighting over territory – by definition, they're at war. Yet for other purposes they're clearly not.

What you are raising is an inconsistency, that to be honest, is just best ignored, because it make no, or very little, sense.

FDev decided to not incorporate PP with the existing parts of the game, presumably so nothing changed for players who didn't want to participate in PP.

There is no war going on though, and the Empire and the Federation are not taking and losing star systems.

There are 10 influential NPCs, the 10 Powers, and they spread their influence throughout the galaxy, although they may be aligned to the Federation or Empire or Alliance, they can spread their influence to any system.

The PP agents are like spies or special forces. They are doing activities that are hostile but no war has actually broken out.
There is no explanation why murdering thousands of ships while undermining each week hasn't caused a war to start, but thats the way it is.

So there is no war, no fleets are attacking each other, just agents in their small individual ships completing their secret missions (of preparing, undermining and fortifying)

its difficult to us a real world analogy though.

One way to think of it is the Power who Controls or Exploits the system has paid off their local Chief of Police.
Doesn't matter if its an Imperial, Federation or Alliance system, the Chief of Police is in the Powers pocket.

So you can kill a Federal Agent, in a Federation system, if you are pledged to the Alliance, and the Alliance has bribed the local chief of Police.
He will cover it up, and you don't get wanted.

The opposite is also true, if you attack someone, even in self defense, that has the local chief of police in their powers pocket, you get wanted.

 

[Antoniius]

Powerplay is not logical in most senses, you have to force "reasoning" to make it seem reasonable.
The fact, just as example, that PP control does impact combat and killing but not trading is really weird. You can kill an enemy, the police will not chase you, but the same enemy can freely trade, repair, reammo in stations with no penalties.

You have to get it as it is, totally "casted away" from the game core. It is just a way to earn credits and grind

Hopefully (this is my forecast) in the end a few players will be allowed to control Powers and to have an impact on the universe, adding something really new to the game.