This is less to say "hey guys we should totes do this amirite" and more to actually put all the stuff we've already talked in one concrete place so we aren't wallowing in the mire trying to remember all this going forward. OKAY SO Objective: an actual mercenary group (lord have mercy pls forums don't hurt me) that doesn't get involved in nonsense IC/OOC politics Sub Objective: to possibly eventually create a centralized, shifty backwater criminal underground akin to mos eisley, because you know this is a frontier sector Things we're trying to avoid: -edge (this is a big one) -overpowered/godmodding idiots with group backing running around "420noscoping scrubs" -an overbearingly excessive amount of bar rp Why we're trying to do this: This is another (probably illogical) way to try and counter those self-proclaimed "ima merc" badasses running around basically using their "merc" status to start firefights for no freaking reason and basically do what they want with zero repercussions. But wait, M-Bot, isn't that exactly what you're doing? Hear me out before you crucify me. This group (which has yet to actually have an official name) is being created to give a sense of purpose and structure, an actual environment in which that type of roleplay can be created and evolve in a serious manner. This will not serve to eliminate the billie badasses running around with their five barrel shotguns and perfect aim, but it will hopefully create a sense of exclusivity and separation of interests. Exclusivity and Separation of Interests: The concept that all mercenaries entering this group will be vetted by existing members and that doing such will maintain above-average quality in terms of actual roleplay, both on the field and off. There will be no public recruitment. If someone wants to become a member, they have to willingly seek us out instead of just lolapplying on StarNet. From there, they will be judged on both an IC and OOC basis - quality of roleplay, tendency to rage and produce negative roleplay attributes (godmodding, metagaming, etc.), whether their character would actually fit in the group, etc. in a process called Certification. I am loosely calling this a "group" and not a "faction" for specific reasons. There will be limited hierarchy involved in this - besides two or three concrete positions to prevent the group from collapsing to internal strife, members will by-and-large be free to continue on with their lives. This isn't a military, it's a collection of mercenaries that have proven themselves. All actions a group mercenary takes will therefore reflect both on the group and the mercenary himself. If the mercenary performs well on a contract, it will produce positive results - "this guy is amazing, I'm gonna hire him again in the future", "wow, being Certified by this group must mean he's legit". And if a mercenary performs badly on a contract, the opposite happens. His personal image takes a hit, but so does the group's overall credibility - "wow what a shitty mercenary, he barely did anything", "this group must not know what it's doing, why would it Certify such a bad merc?" This is designed to produce both positive and negative feedback loops and ties "personal" and "group" cred together, so in the end the group itself is only as good as its members - the same for any faction or group that has ever or will ever exist. Certified members who are serious about mercenary roleplay, then, will have a vested interest in seeing that both their and the group's credibility remains high, because being perceived in a positive light = more contracts = more cash. This will also serve to potentially create conflict within the group itself. If a member is performing poorly, other members may approach them and say "hey dude, you're giving us a bad rep, gtfo", which then creates an IC way of removing people that are performing poorly both ICly and OOCly. If the quality of a particular mercenary lessens, they do not belong and their Certification may be revoked. Through this way, the group will hopefully be able to maintain a semblance of quality that by-and-large excludes godmodders, metagamers, etc. Group mercenaries will hopefully be identified as "actual mercenaries" - people who do contracts, who are interested in the money, as opposed to uncertified "mercenaries", who probably just want to go around shooting people. And if the uncertified mercenary is looking to prove himself and show that he's legitimate, he's encouraged to try and search the group out and prove himself enough to get Certified, which will in itself hopefully provide him with ample roleplay and engagement with other players as he tries to track these people down. The Structure: The Hub: This will be a colony that, as much as I absolutely loathe to say it, seems to conceptually bear a striking resemblance to the Wolves' Den, with the exception that the coords will remain private. This is definitely still 100% in the conceptual stages, and I would love outside input on this, because I'm concerned. I want to prevent the failings of the Wolves - the walking arrogantly around in black hoods and armor, the giant swords, etc. - because as it is, this group truthfully and 100% will be a balancing act with edginess. It will be a problem, and so far it's my biggest concern going forward with this idea. It will remain private - the location will be told only to members, and non-members wishing to seek it out will have to jump through hoops and ask around in order to find it. I discourage people from sharing the info OOCly. Not enough people share planet coordinates ICly anymore, and it makes for interesting roleplay. Currently plans are: the bounty board, some sort of congregation area (we're still debating the idea of a bar, it'll be... iffy), an auction area to sell off loot found, perhaps a recreational center, firing range to try out gear, weapons/armorsmithing workshop. More may be added later. The Bounty Board: Unlike other groups, "ops" or "missions" will not be dependent on top-down, leadership-to-grunt OOC organizing and communication. Clients can send/give contracts to any group-Certified mercenary, and that mercenary will then throw the contract onto the Bounty Board (which for mechanical purposes will be a thread on the subforum, which in itself is currently soon(tm). Contracts will be posted on the thread and then edited into the OP by anyone with subforum modship, in order to prevent clutter and keep some semblance of organization). Any mercenary will then be able to pick and choose their contracts freely with zero repercussions. Mercenaries can take contracts in groups, they can do it alone, etc. Doesn't matter. The only thing limiting such things are the contracts themselves. Mercenaries will then be encouraged to meet with the client to discuss final details and actually perform the contract. Copies of the contract will be left on the board, listed as PENDING, and will then be listed as COMPLETED and ultimately removed from the board upon successful completion and payment from the client for services. There is potential for more complex, "full-group" operations or contracts, but such things will be discussed in detail at a later date. This entire setup is to prevent what I have seen time and time again in both groups I have personally been in and groups I have interacted with as an outside observer. All of them have relied on top-down communication from the group leaders to the grunts, which puts unneeded stress on the leaders to keep everyone occupied and interested. When the leaders fail to deliver, the grunts are left twiddling their thumbs and grow bored, and when the leaders burn out from trying to do everything at once, the grunts are suddenly left in the dark with zero direction or things to do and the group itself flounders and fails. The bounty board is designed so current members are encouraged to do things themselves, with no one holding them down - if they want to go on a contract, they can grab something off the board. While in colonies or otherwise off-world, group mercenaries are actively encouraged to advertise themselves and collect contracts to put on the board when they return, with all the risk and reward that comes with putting oneself in the spotlight. That's currently the majority of what I have and what's been discussed in the Skype chat. Feel free to offer actual criticism and critique. Single sentence smugness or passive aggressive remarks are not appreciated. I recognize that this is a mercenary group and people have grown tired and weary of everyone running around with guns after all the military factions we've experienced since this server's inception. I do not expect this to go smoothly. There will be bumps in the road and issues that come up - there always are in any group or faction, no matter if they're a peaceful group of farmers are a gung-ho fighting faction with rocket launchers and high-powered plasma sniper cannons. But I saw potential in this, and others have both offered their support and said some on the server have wished for a legitimate mercenary group made up of actual mercenaries for a while. TO-DO: -Finally deciding on a name. Feel free to offer suggestions! Nothing too silly or edgy please. -Debate on what "path" the group should take - "money > all" or "completing contract > all". Both are equally viable. The more I think on it, the more I'm leaning towards such a decision being up to the individual mercenary, not the group itself. -Various things related to the limited group hierarchy mentioned earlier in the post. -The inevitable problem with edge and how to counteract it. Whether judging such a thing should be involved in the Certification process. -The actual details and proceedings of the Certification process, both IC and OOC. -How to show a mercenary has been Certified. Leaning towards an actual in-game item, though other options are equally possible. -Debate on whether group mercs should all use the same gear or whether to allow them to use their own stuff/stuff they find in true "merc-ish" fashion. things will be added to/removed from the to-do list as necessary, feel free to discuss any of them or offer suggestions. k thx!
Hmm... looks like a good idea M-Bot. You could use New Ugana as a Hub, too. Bring in some more popularity to our colony (Even though we don't have a page set up for it yet).
Perhaps they should speak OOCly with the other party before conflict. Make out a general plan of what's going to happen.
-100/10 too edgy In all seriousness, though, what a well thought-out mercenary plan. Good for you, and good luck bae.
Perhaps the biggest problem so far, especially if bounty hunting or protection services are taken into account. We all saw what happened with the Fleet, and my biggest nightmare is such a thing happening here when the mercs show up to protect a VIP and eventually lose due to people with perfect aim and godly weaponry appearing and making life hell. I foresee much OOC bickering, and it bothers me, because continuously losing as a mercenary = either character death or simply no one hiring you anymore because you can't do your job. Personally I think I've planned for counteracting the group mercenaries themselves displaying such behavior, but that can't and won't matter when the mercs go up against unaffiliated characters who will probably want to win. I would get on my knees and beg people to play fairly and roll with the punches, but that's just naive. So for now I'm at a loss as to what to do on this front. This is an option, but probably only against other factions or well-known characters (i.e., you know their forum name). With them, the mercenaries can contact them beforehand and they can discuss possible roleplay options, and whether the mercenaries succeed in their contract or fail. My main concern is spontaneous confrontation in which the mercenaries on the contract find themselves against your everyday billy or throwaway bandit who exist only to create conflict in an area and win no matter what, in order to stroke their egos. <3
In order: -Armored Wolves 2.0 (while thinking on something better). -For own group's word, while not enforced, recommend complete contract. -Up to the guys organizing it. -Same. -Could be an item just to show it off, working as some form of ID. -If they have some sort of ID from the group, could perfectly use wathevas they seem fit.
10/10 you're not edgelord badasses with an e-peen the size of Wisconsin. In all seriousness, I love the idea as you already know. I don't really have much to suggest since I'm bad with names and you have most of your bases covered already. Though that's a good thing, so... +1.
This certainly looks like an excellent idea, and I support it and its efforts to minimize the problems with mercs in general. It's really nice how much effort you've put in to try and minimize potential powergamey-edgelord whatever shenanigans. It could totally give me reason to start playing my butt-monkey pervert who likes to make money with guns again! Although it does worry me somewhat how said character is supposed to find out about the group ICly. Particularly if he's only able to hear about it while I'm physically playing him in the right spot and near the right person at the right time. But I suppose that's something I could just figure out on my own later. I suppose the only legitimate complaint I can possibly think of is how this group would get the funds to even set up a base. You know, since everyone always has a problem with bases magically appearing and all... Regarding some items on the To-Do List: - I'm horrible with names, so I got nothing for that. - I personally feel the path should vary between each member. My character, for example, would favor "Money > All", and I imagine there would be other characters who feel "Completing Contract > All" is better instead. - During the certification process, you could possibly send the new recruit on a test mission involving other certified members. This could test just how much of an edgelord the character is, and possibly weed out edgelords before they're certified. - An item to show certification may be best, but another idea could be a public list on Starnet. - It may be best to issue standard gear, since that would minimize the chance of someone bringing in their 5-barreled shotgun that shoots rockets. But on the other hand, that could lead to issues of funding and how the group got those items to issue in the first place. Best of luck on forming this group, and do keep me informed on its status or feel free to ask me if you need any sort of assistance with it!
I'm totally not throwing away my pretty 10ga. Also, tbh it'd be better to have mercs in various gear, so it seems more rag-tag, and less, power rangers go, type of dealio, I mean, as long as the outfits aren't some primarily black hooded bullshite.
I hate to be that guy, but what if it's started by a group of mercs from another sector who came here to set up shop with their funds? Of couse the base won't start out shiny and nifty, I see it more being a... Well, rag-tag base while they establish a presence in the sector and make money.
Also, for a name-- Totally go with Mercenary Review and Bonding Commission. Let's hope nobody notices where I got that from. That or the Mercenary Review Board.
protip: don't call yourself mercenary, call yourself private security contractors or some other word that does not have negative connotations to any edgelords reading: yes, edgelords, mercenaries IRL are bad and so are you
'Base' doesn't mean it has to be a complex of concrete buildings pumping electricity. Take military bases in hotspots as an example, their defenses are mostly sandbags, most barracks and storage are in tents (unless it's located somewhere that already has buildings), power comes from batteries... Also: The chance is null at the point each member will join (as far it seems for now) in case-by-case basis, which includes a gear check (and if there's at some point someone with some debatable weapon in terms of balance, I'm sure it'll be asked to either balance it, or /kick). Standard gear means there's some sort of uniform for the group, and that wouldn't mean you avoid edgelords because you force a uniform and gear. (Funding? We could ask for an Ehlers cigarrette throwing in some $$ : >)
The several people wishing to join this group-to-be have been taken note of and their patience is appreciated! We're currently voting on a name amongst ourselves and then we'll be trying for a subforum. The five initial members have been chosen, so if you haven't been informed about that, you're on the waiting list. Once we get everything sorted out we'll say OOCly that we're ready to vet characters, if they can find us. You're all free to continue to discuss and talk about things here though, obviously
Looks like a good idea. Though consent is going to play a big part in it. I would advise making sure your members know that by joining their characters are pretty much automatically consenting to death. As it's a mercenary faction/private security thing, they're always going to putting themselves at risk and people will hold grudges against them because of their job. All morals need to be thrown out the window, so it wouldn't be uncommon that by taking group A's job, group B is going to get mad and probably set contracts out for individual members, the group as a whole, or just anything of the sort to find them and enact petty revenge. Other than that, as long as you can sort out no godmodding and powergaming, set the rule above in the fine print, you should be good to go. If I can find some time between semesters I'd be willing to help out, though that's up for debate. Still, if it's no trouble put me on the waiting list. I'll have nothing else to do. Small Edit - If the contract you guys recieve is to kill a target, a simple solution to work that out is trade injuries, one of your guys (or multiple) gets hurt, while the target is injured as well. Puts members of both parties out of play for a bit and still lets them live.
Any particular reason why you don't like it? Criticism of specific issues helps a group better itself.
Let's see... Order is sitting at 70k with a clear enemy and lack of manpower. Ragtag mercenary group pops-up. Put the two together and we got ourselves profitable planned conflict.
