Arch-Hegemon of Athys
I was toying with the concept of Piracy in Chaos, and I came to realize, there is further space to exploit for good-ol RP which, for now, seems somewhat restricted.
Now, this may sound abit strange, but it is a concept i have been working on for abit as I started expanding in the field!
We have 2 types of Factions.
Major Factions: Hex owning powers etc etc
Minor Factions: Everything from a small tavern group to a planetary government.
Good, smart distinction. However, there are elements which have not been considered as of yet, as I noticed atleast. Piracy! Allow me to unfold my thinking....
Mandalorians. In the antiquity, we see the Mandalorian clans acting as Minor factions, with hardly any ability to impact the greater map. HOWEVER, should several clans band together, they were able to raise whole hordes which shook the galaxy (Mandalorian Wars best example). This, in essense, bound them in a single huge faction, as they all had a permanent base so to speak, from which they launched their fleets. Something VERY close to the Hordes of the Steppes, in which countless clans and tribes merged into a single behemoth which marched to war. Effectivelly, this made them one huge Major Faction which later expanded, or broke into civil strife by infighting. So far so good, all covered perfectly in Chaos!
But, what about PIRATES?
Pirates are in no way factions that gain nomadic status, as they do not establish a specific post in which they "rule over" and in no way do they have a united entity to call their own (which could reflect to a nomadic faction or in any case MF). Instead, they are numerous tinny entities, possibly even mere captains (Minor Faction plebs, in essense) who join forces for a single purpose: Claim BIG plunder. Launching a large scale raid, or even a planetary attack, could be so important to yield tremendous plunder to a pirate fleet, or a cartel army. BUT, they would never accept eachother to rule or be ruled by. They only cooperate for a single job, with nothing really defining them as a singular unit.
Can they though be serious? Whats the point of this if we speak of a flying rustbucket orchestra?
They for sure CAN. Many times in history several pirate lords, captains or raider peoples joint forces without joining a single banner, for the mere fact they wouldn't be able to claim the plunder if they didnt bring numbers. The Great Heathen Army of the Viking era is believed to be an example of several Jarls working together to claim further plunder which, in order to stand a chance for, they would need HUGE numbers. This did not tie them in a singular entity (a faction). The Pirate Fleet of Morgan is also another such example, in which he brought several ships for a single raid, with zero ties to one another, beyond the plunder promised. Once again, couldnt be considered a Major Faction. The Germanic Peoples fighting against Roman Empire (BY FAR a major faction at the time) so they could halt their advance to Germania. Several tribes (each one on its own, insignificants compared to Major Faction be it, Rome. So, Minor Factions). They did not have ties to one another and were disbanded as soon as the roman army was destroyed. More examples exist, with this being the main inspiration of the Event. Instead of making Major Faction mechanic for a constantly disbanding entity, I came up with an Event, allowing such gathering and raids, without need for split entity on the Chaos map!
So, with all this paragraphs of things, where do we go with the suggestion?
Raid Event (or anything Admins would deem appropriate)
A Minor Faction can initiate a Raid on a Major Faction-owned Hex on the Chaos Map.
Rules:
This will add an additional factor in the greater map game, allowing Piracy to play a much more active, realistic role, making the map more volatile, while adding also some more underground diplomacy.
Now, this may sound abit strange, but it is a concept i have been working on for abit as I started expanding in the field!
We have 2 types of Factions.
Major Factions: Hex owning powers etc etc
Minor Factions: Everything from a small tavern group to a planetary government.
Good, smart distinction. However, there are elements which have not been considered as of yet, as I noticed atleast. Piracy! Allow me to unfold my thinking....
Mandalorians. In the antiquity, we see the Mandalorian clans acting as Minor factions, with hardly any ability to impact the greater map. HOWEVER, should several clans band together, they were able to raise whole hordes which shook the galaxy (Mandalorian Wars best example). This, in essense, bound them in a single huge faction, as they all had a permanent base so to speak, from which they launched their fleets. Something VERY close to the Hordes of the Steppes, in which countless clans and tribes merged into a single behemoth which marched to war. Effectivelly, this made them one huge Major Faction which later expanded, or broke into civil strife by infighting. So far so good, all covered perfectly in Chaos!
But, what about PIRATES?
Pirates are in no way factions that gain nomadic status, as they do not establish a specific post in which they "rule over" and in no way do they have a united entity to call their own (which could reflect to a nomadic faction or in any case MF). Instead, they are numerous tinny entities, possibly even mere captains (Minor Faction plebs, in essense) who join forces for a single purpose: Claim BIG plunder. Launching a large scale raid, or even a planetary attack, could be so important to yield tremendous plunder to a pirate fleet, or a cartel army. BUT, they would never accept eachother to rule or be ruled by. They only cooperate for a single job, with nothing really defining them as a singular unit.
Can they though be serious? Whats the point of this if we speak of a flying rustbucket orchestra?
They for sure CAN. Many times in history several pirate lords, captains or raider peoples joint forces without joining a single banner, for the mere fact they wouldn't be able to claim the plunder if they didnt bring numbers. The Great Heathen Army of the Viking era is believed to be an example of several Jarls working together to claim further plunder which, in order to stand a chance for, they would need HUGE numbers. This did not tie them in a singular entity (a faction). The Pirate Fleet of Morgan is also another such example, in which he brought several ships for a single raid, with zero ties to one another, beyond the plunder promised. Once again, couldnt be considered a Major Faction. The Germanic Peoples fighting against Roman Empire (BY FAR a major faction at the time) so they could halt their advance to Germania. Several tribes (each one on its own, insignificants compared to Major Faction be it, Rome. So, Minor Factions). They did not have ties to one another and were disbanded as soon as the roman army was destroyed. More examples exist, with this being the main inspiration of the Event. Instead of making Major Faction mechanic for a constantly disbanding entity, I came up with an Event, allowing such gathering and raids, without need for split entity on the Chaos map!
So, with all this paragraphs of things, where do we go with the suggestion?
Raid Event (or anything Admins would deem appropriate)
A Minor Faction can initiate a Raid on a Major Faction-owned Hex on the Chaos Map.
Rules:
- The Attacking Minor Faction(s) has/have 72 Hours to bring 7+ unique writers in the event (Similar to what a Major needs in an Invasion). [By having high number of Minor Faction(s) players, it negates the concept of size. Having 7 people from 3 different pirate fleets attack, it can be argued they could also be a single Major Faction, which allows the Minor Faction(s) to be logically able to counter the Major Faction defense forces]
- Other Factions or writers can participate as reinforcements for either side, after approval from the concerning faction.
- Judging process is exactly as per nomal Invasion events. Should the Minor Faction win the engagement, the Major Faction loses control of the Hex. Although the Minor Faction(s) can Roleplay establishing themselves on the Hex and the planets within it, they cannot claim the Hex on the Chaos Map as their own. The Hex becomes neutral and can be targeted by Dominions, as any Neutral Hex would.
- Each Minor Faction can participate in 5 Raids each Month, and each Major Faction can be targeted for Raids up to 3 times each Month. [To avoid spamming the event to Major Factions]
- Raids Cannot target Capital Hexes, unless otherwise agreed by the MFO.
- Major Faction Subfactions cannot call Raids.
This will add an additional factor in the greater map game, allowing Piracy to play a much more active, realistic role, making the map more volatile, while adding also some more underground diplomacy.
