Over my experience on Discovery, it always seemed quite a move tone to RP almost any faction as a microstate, and the most people I have communicated with apperently not happy with it, although I might've confused what they were trying to deliver.

I wonder why? What's wrong with people or person trying to play a little bit of management and build their own little state, even if its just a colony on a planet or in space? What's your personal take on this and if you think that what most do is incorrect, how would you like to see microstate RP on disco?

In my experience, people usually set inappropriate expectations for their "micro states", like settling on overly unhospitable planets, settling up in a heavily contested area, doing it as a resource-strained and/or technology-strained faction, or picking a faction that has nothing like it in its modus operandi.

In lore, a planetary presence requires a large commitment from the involved faction while also becoming far more vulnerable. For example, when we removed the Insurgency, some factions asked me if they could settle the planet Veracruz. They can't because the Gaians/LSF are watching over it, and all they need is a couple of bombers breaking through the defenses of a fledging colony to cripple its infrastructure and render it inhabitable.

EDIT: There's nothing wrong with a microstate, but it's better to roleplay as a faction with an already well-established planetary presence.

---

Quote:Over my experience on Discovery, it always seemed quite a move tone to RP almost any faction as a microstate,

Could I request some clarification? What does it mean, to you, to roleplay "almost any faction" as a microstate?

It is overly pretentious. To constantly impose your authority, and superiority, unto every bypasser who grazes your ZoI which you barely have control over.

The funniest instance of this is GMG in Sigma-15.

---

people often confuse politics for microstate.

and groups regularly like to conflict or fight over 'power'.

---

(05-30-2024, 05:10 PM)Proselyte Wrote:

Quote:Over my experience on Discovery, it always seemed quite a move tone to RP almost any faction as a microstate,

Could I request some clarification? What does it mean, to you, to roleplay "almost any faction" as a microstate?

I'll provide a sample(s) of mine:
https://discoverygc.com/forums/showthrea...tid=176632 (and https://discoverygc.com/forums/showthrea...tid=175184 with https://discoverygc.com/forums/showthrea...tid=180150)
https://discoverygc.com/forums/showthrea...tid=192267
Those I'd consider microstates that used Freelancers faction as a base but had their origin tied to a Greater House like Gallia or Kusari

Gotcha, thank you.

Well, I don't see anything inherently wrong with the concept of roleplaying out small constituent or independent polities and lending them lots of background and development through writing. You could make the argument that, depending on how it is done, it could get excessively bureaucratic which is going to limit people's interest, but that's a matter of style.

What others have said about the behavior of sometimes much more influential factions has merit, though. I think an important part of developing the character of a small polity like that is immediately accepting that its physical impact on the game world should be almost all indirect. I'm not even sure doing such a concept as a traditional Disco faction is even a good idea.

I'd personally aim for it to be more of a background entity or location for other characters to interact with on the forum or in base RP or something, as like a roleplay hub or mission generating thing that their actions can have an impact on. Like, the Settler's League of Nowhereburg or whatever need a delivery of mining machinery? Some folks do that, and great, the local government expands a mine somewhere, and now they have access to more minerals to fabricate stuff around their settlements, and so they start making valuable things. If they're independent, pirates could start extorting them on threat of blowing them up. Maybe someone steps in? Maybe someone else extorts them even more? Roleplay opportunities. This would require some co-operative effort.

You mentioned stations as well, and obviously PoBs come to mind, but you do have to accept that that means an involvement in the political landscape of space (the actual game) beyond just roleplay, since anyone can just drive over and blow you and your station RP to kingdom come if they feel like it. If it's cool, they might not, but no guarantees. You could try to RP this out as a small interest group on an NPC station, but I'd try to avoid claiming that gives authority over anybody (beyond whatever factions normally claim).

That's how I'm thinking on it. Mostly as a hub for forum interaction or contexualizing some in-game roleplay. Not really as a tagged force in-game that has sector-spanning ambitions or the power to enforce any of them. Microstates have micro-problems and micro-goals.

(05-30-2024, 05:48 PM)Traxit Wrote: The funniest instance of this is GMG in the Sigmas-15.

FTFY.

---

Anywhere can be a microstate if you try hard enough. Theoretically any given Zoner Nephilim could be a nation of itself. While a Barge is excluded from the Freelancer ID, it’s a big enough vessel that one could claim onboard biodomes and industry.

The problem is when people make territorial claims. Unless you have a sizable fleet to back them up and the fortuitous political circumstances to prevent immediate invasion (Crayter, Technocracy, the constituent systems of Confederal Gallia), bad things happen. The Houses are in “growth mode”, anyone weaker taking resources they could have used is a target. Every habitable world currently uncolonized is in the middle of a conflict or otherwise off limits.

Veracruz is patrolled by LSF and Gaians, Gaia itself is Gaian turf, and the BAF in Perth are mostly a garrison waiting for the situation in Dublin to resolve, Vespus is contested by Corsairs and Outcasts, etc. Anyone wanting a world will have to make steep concessions to the locals, most of whom are bloodthirsty and will attack them anyway for “collaboration with the other guys”

Thinking about it I found the concept of having gallic microstate called something like 'Grand duchy of Carantania' with it's own laws and diplomacy and royal marriages...
While the whole thing is a level 1 POB with population of 200.
As a giggle inducing thing.
Please do it more.