Just a wild idea.
Why don't you think of some kind of power play or roleplay in which you give your pledge to a minor faction instead of a major power?
It would only be an option, of course, but for people desiring more direct roleplaying it could be a way to see more directly the effects of your actions and it would strongly affect your game. And the BGS.
For example: you get friendly or wanted in other system based on the relationship status of your faction. If your faction is at war with an other, you can freely kill any ship of that faction, and be killed in reverse.
Your faction is in BOOM economy, you get higher profits if you trade.
Your faction is in need of some material in order to get out of difficulty and go back to splendor, and you get mission fro procuring them.
The needs of your minor faction would be channelled to you through the usual missions, but those missions will give you different rewards if you are afiliated. Plus, you couldbe offered "Special" missions reserved only to affiliates.
Special mission could even require you to recover something unique on the other side of the galaxy.
In this way, you should be forced to adapt your gaming to the different needs of your factions.
You should be able to accept missions only from your faction or from factions that are in good terms with your faction, or at least neutral.
AND your faction could benefit also from your efforts not related to missions, if you (as an example) sell your data in a system controlled by that faction.
I do not have all the detail, but if you are going to rewrite how the BGS works, I think you should evaluate these ideas.
Why don't you think of some kind of power play or roleplay in which you give your pledge to a minor faction instead of a major power?
It would only be an option, of course, but for people desiring more direct roleplaying it could be a way to see more directly the effects of your actions and it would strongly affect your game. And the BGS.
For example: you get friendly or wanted in other system based on the relationship status of your faction. If your faction is at war with an other, you can freely kill any ship of that faction, and be killed in reverse.
Your faction is in BOOM economy, you get higher profits if you trade.
Your faction is in need of some material in order to get out of difficulty and go back to splendor, and you get mission fro procuring them.
The needs of your minor faction would be channelled to you through the usual missions, but those missions will give you different rewards if you are afiliated. Plus, you couldbe offered "Special" missions reserved only to affiliates.
Special mission could even require you to recover something unique on the other side of the galaxy.
In this way, you should be forced to adapt your gaming to the different needs of your factions.
You should be able to accept missions only from your faction or from factions that are in good terms with your faction, or at least neutral.
AND your faction could benefit also from your efforts not related to missions, if you (as an example) sell your data in a system controlled by that faction.
I do not have all the detail, but if you are going to rewrite how the BGS works, I think you should evaluate these ideas.