I'm going to steal your boots.

[Callisto]

I'm curious about something.

Would there be such a thing as a privateer on Zalanthas? Would it be considered acceptable by a city state if there was a group running raids out of their city, on an enemy city?

I'd appreciate a staff response, but it seems broad enough a question to warrent being open to everyone. Discuss.

[Carnage]

Your pig is fucking awesome.

[creeper386]

I'm thinking it'd be allowable. As long as it was done properly.

The raiders going about making it plain that they are from the city they are from... Bad idea. The raiders making it known they are making the raids. Bad idea. The raiders raiding important shipments or merchant houses. Bad idea.

Doing anything or enough that the City they are going after retaliates against the home city with knowledge that it was for those raids would probably spell a bad end for the city.

I'd say it'd probably be best to have different clothing and such when raiding, probably best to have uniforms from a different city that you live in, or from an orginization that could be from either city. Blah blah blah.

Done right, could see it working even with the authorities of your home town knowing and giving props if not minor support. Done poorly and expect death from either place.


Creeper

[Rindan]

I actually was kicking around the idea and I think it could work. It probably would not be official and you would probably have a list of targets to not touch. You might for instance not jump merchant wagons simply because you risk offending a merchant house if they find out a city was behind it. However, I could see a group of desert trained Allanak going down to Tuluk to try and stifle lumber jacks, hunters, and independent merchants. The goal isn't so much to do any real damage, it is more just to scare Northerners inside their city and hurt the economy. You might not be able to raid enough for them to feel the pinch, but if you scare enough people then you might end up doing some real damage. In other words, you would be acting as a terrorist. If your band is big enough you could even raid some outlaying villages and do some real economic damage.

If you are really interested in it, just talk to a templar. I find it doubtful asking a templar for permission to kill Northerners is going to earn his wrath. I think the worst you will get is a pat on the head for being a good citizen and being told that if you really want to make a difference you should join the militia.

[Flying Erdlu]

The goal isn't so much to do any real damage, it is more just to scare Northerners inside their city and hurt the economy. You might not be able to raid enough for them to feel the pinch, but if you scare enough people then you might end up doing some real damage. In other words, you would be acting as a terrorist. If your band is big enough you could even raid some outlaying villages and do some real economic damage.

How is this not attacking the merchant houses? If you hurt the economy of the enemy city, then ultimately you are hurting the merchants who make that economy run. Which in Zalanthas is 90% Merchant Houses.

Personally, I dont see either city sanctioning something like that. Now if you were hitting military targets, that a different matter. But economic targets will trickle directly to the Big Four.

[Hoodwink]

I'm curious about something.

Would there be such a thing as a privateer on Zalanthas? Would it be considered acceptable by a city state if there was a group running raids out of their city, on an enemy city?

Indeed, this has happened before, perhaps on numerous occasions.  It never hurts to try privately rallying the support of a noble and making it happen.

I would avoid using words like 'privateer' in Armageddon, however, because of the real world connotation it has with large bodies of water.

[Hoodwink]

The goal isn't so much to do any real damage, it is more just to scare Northerners inside their city and hurt the economy. You might not be able to raid enough for them to feel the pinch, but if you scare enough people then you might end up doing some real damage. In other words, you would be acting as a terrorist. If your band is big enough you could even raid some outlaying villages and do some real economic damage.

How is this not attacking the merchant houses? If you hurt the economy of the enemy city, then ultimately you are hurting the merchants who make that economy run. Which in Zalanthas is 90% Merchant Houses.

Personally, I dont see either city sanctioning something like that. Now if you were hitting military targets, that a different matter. But economic targets will trickle directly to the Big Four.

I both agree and disagree with Flying Erdlu here.  Firstly, it's very unlikely a player spawned band of raiders is going to have the skills to pull off successfully robbing one of the great merchant's caravans.  Secondly, yes, both city-states rely on these merchant houses.  They're monopolies and, I believe, in that sense the city-states rely on their livelihoods, and thus, bizarrely, on each other.

Where I disagree is what the city chooses to sanction vs. what a noble does with his/her stipend.  I'm sure there are plenty of nobles out there who commit to rather unpatriotic deeds.  It's their money, and acting in the interests of their House does not always coincide with acting in the interest of their city -- especially since a vast majority of noble houses within the same city are essentially at odds with one another, warring, if you will.

[Rindan]

How is this not attacking the merchant houses? If you hurt the economy of the enemy city, then ultimately you are hurting the merchants who make that economy run. Which in Zalanthas is 90% Merchant Houses.

Personally, I dont see either city sanctioning something like that. Now if you were hitting military targets, that a different matter. But economic targets will trickle directly to the Big Four.

True, it might still sting a merchant house, but war does that and I think there is probably an acceptable amount of pain a merchant house is willing to accept before it gets nasty.  It also could be that the offending city could simply compensate the merchant house in some other way.  Though, the possibility certainly exists that the politics are such that such theoretical raiders can do whatever they damned well please, include pillaging merchant caravans, and the merchant houses will not be able to raise a finger.

On the other hand, crippling the city's economy could be exactly what a merchant house wants and it might work to the benefit for both side.  If independent merchant and hunters are the ones getting ganked, and houses are not hindered in their operations, it just means that the city becomes even more dependent upon the merchant houses.  That is not exactly a massive victory for Allanak, but it could be seen as a small victory.

Another option could be that said raiders only target Northern Noble House operations.  

Again though, I think such action would really depend upon the political situation that I know little off.  I still think that asking the templerate, even if they say no, would not incur anything worse then a pat on the head and being told that your heart is in the right place, but your proposed actions are not what is needed.

[Privateeeeer!]

I think Privateer's, at least in the sense of the naval ones back in the day, operated for a government, but in secrecy.

Like a captain might be issued a writ of (forget the word) that allowed them to act as a royal vessal for said government, whie acting independately in terms of chains of commands and such.

A privateer raiding group, but be privately funded, sponsered and supported by a Templar in the effect to wreak havoc on the enemy city-state, but such information would never be made public, and it would look much like just common raiders to the outside.

I think this wouldn't be a problem, if things all worked out ICly.

[homes214]

It actually works out just fine.  I did this with a well known raider I once played.  Ended up taking "contracts" from different groups.  

Just have to suck it up and do it.