How can we better adapt the Marketplace forum to the Roleplay forum?

[Tefka]

The biggest and leading change of the recent forum shuffle was the Marketplace to the Roleplay forum, in response to this thread.

Being under Roleplay gives it new avenues and better spotlight. While it supports anyone and everything that wants to delve into the realm of commerce, what is something it doesn't have that you'd like to see?

 

[Ryan]

Make it more Rp style responses instead of OOC. Example be The Bounty posts. Be a place where a hunter just acknowledges he/she has seen the bounty post and is accepting it. The only OOC that should happen there is the target agreeing to being hunted or not.

I don't know if i am making any sense. Brain kinda scrambled at the moment.

 

[Luna Terrik]

How viable would it be to begin to work some sort of credits economy onto the site? I understand that the work it would take is massive, but it's an idea I'd like to throw out there.

 

[Ryan]

[member="Luna Terrik"] I personally would love to see some kind of economy system. But i also can see that being a huge task.

In saying that, i have seen on another site that does economy a bit different than a traditional sense. Instead of keeping track of actual wealth in the bank you hold they went on to using a wealth label/token tier system. For example if you were poor, your wealth label would be "Copper". IF you were filthy rich the label would be "platinum". To increase said wealth status you would have to do rp threads to justify the increase. Or an event, like being robbed, ship being blown up or some sort of sabotage you can find your wealth being decreased.

Now you can add to factory items a wealth token availability/ Restriction. Could work with bounty hunting, smuggling, Gambling and so on.

But how much mechanism and restriction does Tef/Staff/Members want to give up before encroaching on creative freedom.

 

[Elpsis Kerrigan]

I think it's fine as it is.

 

[Ryan]

Continued from my last post:

You can implement two levels of wealth, personal wealth and faction wealth. Instead of minor factions like criminal syndicates trying to make it on the map game, they can try their hand at the economy game. Building a empire of wealth by what ever devious means they can come up with. which can give them access to technology IE ships, that only major factions could only have. Plus it adds a dash of a rewards system to those that participate. Again that goes with the same for bounty hunters and smugglers as two examples that could profit from this idea with in this Market arena.

 

[Ari Zanareth]

The Death of Company Tiers and Progression systems kinda killed the Marketplace.

 

[Hailyn]

Permit only role-play posts.

 

[Malok]

[member="Braith Achlys"] Seconded.

 

[Fiolette Fortan]

Combining company listings and the Marketplace make it easier to flip through companies and what they have to offer. We have a lot of talented graphic artists here who can help make things pretty. This then removes the need for the 'storefront' threads as the company listing thread can work for both. Those can eventually be archived, you can soft-reboot company tiers - tiers still mean nothing but it's all flavor, and player regulated at this point. We know who made what and got where before the tiers imploded. By being regulated by the players everything continues as is, but people who liked tiers get to have their toy back, sorta but smaller.

- Make Company Listings a sub-forum of the Marketplace.
- Players can combine their 'storefronts' with their 'company' pages.
- Players can also create directories and regulate it as they go.
- Players regulate their own company 'tier' or level-up, as no one but the company game kids really care.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

How viable would it be to begin to work some sort of credits economy onto the site? I understand that the work it would take is massive, but it's an idea I'd like to throw out there.

[member="Luna Terrik"]
I don't like to come in and squash ideas, but I will for this one so nobody gets any hopes up.

A credits economy for this site was tried (very briefly) once, and it failed.

The problems with the idea are legion and unfortunately unsolvable simply by virtue of this being play by post RPing. Since you can make a character be anything you want, you can start with a company or a planet under your control. The presence of Emperors and Chancellors means it wouldn't apply to many characters in major factions at all.

An economy system only really works if done from the start where everyone in the game starts at a low level and earns their way up. That's...not going to happen here.

However, keep the ideas coming!

 

[Onrai]

Tbh the marketplace seems functionally useless nowadays. Deals with factions aren't mostly made in the marketplace and many factions have their own proprietary companies that manufacture equipment for them. Even independent companies are still more than likely to receive information about interest in a product through DM instead of by a post on a marketplace page. Might as well just scrap it and let PMs and faction conversations be a means of how factions and individuals can get their stuff.

 

[Cay-Yo]

I'd like to see a directory of items that are for sale that the staff sees as being worthy of note. Stuff that is helpful, reasonable, and accessible (to many characters). I think having this sort of list(s) would not only make navigating easier but also give companies something to strive for almost like a "best seller" list for publications!

 

[Rako Eclipse]

You can implement two levels of wealth, personal wealth and faction wealth. Instead of minor factions like criminal syndicates trying to make it on the map game, they can try their hand at the economy game. Building a empire of wealth by what ever devious means they can come up with. which can give them access to technology IE ships, that only major factions could only have.

As a member of the Black Sun Cartels, I can truly say that I love this idea. The ability for the map game not being the sole purpose of differentiating between major and minor factions would be a big bonus, as the control of territory does not always come with control of the economy/market.

With this system, IMO, contracts can actually become a reality again and crime can truly flourish in a rp setting. Instead of everything map-game related being geared towards warfare, why not have another part of it geared towards the economy. For example, Private Mercenaries wouldn't be forced to stay as allies only in faction against faction warfare (ex: invasions) but could be used to defend assets actually necessary to the success of a syndicate and can be used offensively. This idea on its own would probably be along the path of a mini rebellion where its not an invasion of a planet persay, but of a sector of a city/industrial factory.

Throughout Star Wars Legends, many factions have risen and fallen without the support of a criminal, and sometimes not so criminal, entities which helped funnel cash into the right places. With the Marketplace requiring roleplay threads and not ooc requests and replies, the ideas which I and some others in this thread have spoken of can become a reality. So yes, I also agree with [member="Braith Achlys"].


Sorry this was quite long, but this idea( a merger of Braith's and Ryan's is amazing! )

 

[Kay-Larr]

I just started my first company on this site a short bit ago, selling special teas and soon food will be added.

I have an IC storefront location where threads are already taking place in regards to building it up and gaining more supplies through hiring smugglers and the like to get me more rare ingredients. That's how I incorporate the Marketplace in RP. It's been working great so far!

 

[LT-137]

For example, Private Mercenaries wouldn't be forced to stay as allies only in faction against faction warfare (ex: invasions) but could be used to defend assets actually necessary to the success of a syndicate and can be used offensively.

As the leader of one of the largest and most successful Mercenary Outfits on the board, my fellow contractors and I aren't forced to stay as allies in "faction v. faction" warfare. Not only do we follow through with what you've mentioned here, but far more including expansions into Bounty Hunting, Monster Hunting, and Assassination too. As a minor faction, we can do a plethora of "mini-rebellions," but the reason as to why it's not more prevalent on the boards lies with the Faction Staff of a Major faction. Invasions and Rebellions force them to accept the results, whether they like them or not, but Skirmishes and such usually get swept under the rug, or considered non-canonical if things turn sour.

Ultimately, as they and their Faction control the Hex, they have the final say on what sticks. Sure, you can try talking with them and working out something for the enjoyment of all parties, but from my experience? Unless it's been pre-planned, the responses aren't usually positive for one involved party or another.

With that being said? I don't think we, as Mercenaries, would need to have our contracts posted in the Marketplace. I dunno if it's just me, but I like having my faction's contracts sequestered in my faction forum, as they concern me and mine more, rather than someone else casually perusing through the Marketplace.

​

When it comes to the Marketplace, I've recently shifted into treating Writers posting about wanting my stuff as Purchase Orders. As seen here, I've followed through with the conventional requisition system that most folks with a background in the logistics fields are familiar with. Obviously I haven't gone into details regarding tracking numbers and all that jazz - but it's a bit of personal flavour I've added. I suppose you could say that I'm a step ahead of the game, lol.

So, with the shift towards peeps making IC Only responses? I dig it.

That's all that can really be done with how things are at present, imo. Old Company tiers were a grind akin to getting to max level in WoW Classic. Only the truly bored or insane would ever attempt it and/or see it through to the end. Or, they'd shitpost their way into having several max level companies that they'd burn themselves out - which isn't something for me. So, I doubt bringing them back in anyway shape or form would be beneficial to anyone save a small group of people with nothing better to do.

I don't think combining the company listing and marketplace would be a good idea either. Imo, it'd bloat the sub-forum with "unnecessary fluff" when, really, we're here to scroll through a "catalogue" and "purchase" items. Have it linked in the Marketplace for the curious minds out there, sure, but don't combine them.

Other than the tiered wealth system, which is technically something already in play by using the factory's fielded/production tables, and the Markestplace responses being IC only, I can't really see anything beneficial beyond those two points.

 

[Valdus Bral]

Much like what [member="Cay-Yo"] suggested, I would like to see a directory of player produced items that can either be hand selected by the factory staff and/or submitted by players. A company who has multiple items on the directory will gain name recognition just for being present on the directory multiple times and it would cut down on near-duplicate factory submissions in the future. Those who create mass-produced open-market submissions hope to see someone else using their invention, but often this is not the case because the submission gets lost in the shuffle.

 

[Ryan]

[member="Khonsu Amon"] I applaud you and what you have achieved with the Golden Company. You capitalized on a niche for mercenaries smartly and made a huge success story out of it. It Shows what that kind of minor faction can do to keep active and still play hard ball with the big dogs. I think we can start brainstorming some ideas that can make other different styled minor factions to fill niches, like something this Market can provide. I know the economy system was very short lived on this site and [member="Valiens Nantaris"] i truly understand why you want to hammer it down now so folks don't want to get their hopes up. But there has to be a simplistic way of going about it that gives a reward system that benefits the minor factions and the market. Just like how dominions, invasions, faction threads benefit Major factions. I think it worth a peep at with no promises to be made.

PS: I do apologies if i am not making sense. I am pharmaceuticals

 

[LT-137]

[member="Valdus Bral"] | [member="Cay-Yo"] - While a good idea on paper, in practice it'd put more work on the Factory Staff - or RPJ's - or whoever's overseeing the Marketplace now. If the people make Closed/Open Market submissions they want others to use - they should be the one's to post them in other faction discords and advertise their products - like any good business would.

So, the onus is on the Submitter and shouldn't be on anyone else.

People make near-duplicate submissions all the time, and making a "pinned" listing won't cut that practice down. When someone denies another person the use of their submission, so they go off and make their own. Intellectual proprietary means nothing on a website without regulation, and implementing that practice now would be asinine. lol

 

[Valdus Bral]

[member="Khonsu Amon"]

While I agree that a directory would be more effort than doing nothing, submission quality could be judged if it would go into that directory or not. It'd be an on-going project and since I'm not the one having to do it, obviously it's for me to say that it can be done. That being said I do believe that it would cut down on duplicate submissions, there's a difference between being denied access to a submission and simply not knowing something similar already exists. On that note, if something is marked as open-market, it wouldn't be possible to deny someone access to that submission.