A craftable, tradable Letter of Marque

[Farrago]

This might only work in conjunction with a reputation system, but what if players could craft and trade Letters of Marque. They would temporarily assign the creating nation's flag (with its restrictions on who is an enemy) to the player holding the letter. There are a few options how this might be interesting:

1. Only Nats could make them and only Pirates could get them.

2. Or since alliances are being "turned off" perhaps one Nation could give it to another Nation's player.

They would not be free to make and presumably whoever accepts the letter will want some sort of payment as well.

A player could only hold one letter at a time 

I'm sure there are other ways this could play out but it seems like it would have positive impact for low pop nations while avoiding alliance entanglements and provide a mechanism for pirates to do some privateering.

Please discuss.

Edited March 29, 2017 by Farrago

[Liq]

Nice idea, just thinking for players with alts it won't be a challenge to obtain one of those letters of Marque

[Farrago]

1 hour ago, Liquicity said:

Nice idea, just thinking for players with alts it won't be a challenge to obtain one of those letters of Marque

That's why I said it may only work but if there was some sort of reputation system as well.

I've tried to foresee how one might abuse a craftable letter of marque. Yes, a player could give it to their alt but I envision the letters being costly to craft. They'd really just be transferring $ or resources from one account to another which is already possible. If they tried to use both their alt and main character in combat, they'd either have to dual box or play one at a time but either way, they would be playing for the same side -- the grantor of the letter. And, if they tried to use the letter to sabotage the granting nation, it would be pretty obvious who which player actually granted the letter and brought the saboteur in.

[Sir Texas Sir]

This is very much like the reputation system and Privateer/Pirates/Outlaw system I have brought up a few times.  I state it really won't work unless we have a reputation system in game.  This will help keep from alts and other abuse as you can't get a letter unless you get your reputation up to a certain level for that nation. I mean why would they higher a privateer that recently did nothing but sunk there ships?   This could be a great way for folks to change nations in game too.  So lets say I'm Spain and I hate being Spain and I want to go to Dutch.  Well Spain has been at war with Dutch so I prob don't have a bad reputation with them, but hay I been sinking tons of Brits.  Cause well Spain and Brits been at war with each other.  So I will prob never have a chance to become Brit at this time.   Well I start by giving up my national status in game.  This will automatic make you a pirate, kinda like the old system that you could become pirates.  Though maybe not by attacking your own nation, but this should be an auto "OUTLAW" status if you attack your own nation.  So you go pirate and want to become a privateer for Dutch.   You have the money and good reputation to get a letter of Marque.   You go to a dutch port (prob the capital would be best spot to get it).   You pay for it and now can sail for the Dutch.  You can join there fights and port battles, but you can't join any alliances fights and they can attack you still if they want since your not part of Dutch nation.  Once your  reputation gets high enough for Dutch you have the option to become Dutch.

This will give folks an in game means to change nations and helps small nations get more numbers by having privateers work for them.  You can all ways leave a nation and go work for another if you have decent reputation and not become a national.  Any time you don't have a letter of Marque you are classed as a pirate.  Pirates that don't want to do this and kills every thing is what we would call the 'OUTLAWS'

Pirates/Outlaws will need a proper raid system and be removed from the conquest system.  They raid a port they get it for 3-5 days to craft and do what they want.  All crafting stops for that nation and when the time is over it goes back to the original nation.   Give them Kidds as there capital port and give them free ports or pirate towns spread out of the map to work out of but they don't have there own regions other than Kidds island to craft and work out of.  Maybe add Marsh Harbor as a second zone, but these are perm zones that are pirates only.   Change Mort so that it's like the old Pitt's.  It's Neutral and becomes the trading hub of the game.  Any one can use the ports in that region so that no nation can truly be one ported they can all way's use these ports too.  They can make the capital protected zone over the island area to make it a neutral zone to encourage trading, but this will prob get a lot of PvP in the area to.

 

Just some things I thrown out there a few times when the subject has been brought up.   Cause many of use want something for the pirates that isn't just another nation with restricted penalties.   To be honest they should be named Privateers this way.  As if you look at history most pirates where Naval officers or Privateers that turned to that life after there was no war for them. So instead they turned to pirating.  Many of them where pardon and back to Privateering when wars started back up too.

[Farrago]

29 minutes ago, Sir Texas Sir said:

This is very much like the reputation system and Privateer/Pirates/Outlaw system I have brought up a few times.

Uh-oh. Maybe you're starting to rub off on me. Maybe i've read your ideas so much I think I'm coming up with them on my own. 

[Sir Texas Sir]

21 minutes ago, Farrago said:

Uh-oh. Maybe you're starting to rub off on me. Maybe i've read your ideas so much I think I'm coming up with them on my own. 

I think it's more just a very common concept that many of us would like to see to make the Pirates/Outlaws something more than just a broken nation.