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Right several topics have stemmed up and clearly people want a specific definition of what a marauder is- a very tricky question. One thing a marauder is not- is a complete copy of what the lore is. The lore is not a strict bible to follow, it is in fact a guildline to pick up if you so choose. I will not be delving into the RP side of what a marauder is- you can find that through guild reg and my roleplay posts if you want to find what I personally follow. This post will be about OC marauders and their involvement within the game. This is my own personal view- other marauders may not share this view.

First off I would really like to actually explain what marauders currently are within Ryzom and how their gameplay is affected. Basically what marauders are OC. So what is the marauder ogranization? To simply put it: Marauders are currently a black hole. You see, guilds go in, they never come out and furthermore they tend to vanish. So what is the reason for this? Why does every marauder experience a complete restriction on their gameplay whilst seemingly being in the most free organization? The answer is in fact three fold:

• Player Bias: The players have an extremely strong anti-marauder hate pre-designed within them. Not surprising for an organization that has -50 fame in all factions and religions.
• Complete lack of.. well anything: The marauder camp is in fact a hollow shell. Whilst it may have the essentials there are no missions, no rites (except the joining rite), no occupations, no.. well no sustenance.
• Events: For whatever reason, marauders have no actual events. Many have been put forward, many have been planned, none have come. Furthermore marauders are increasingly banned from other events (take the FHF which was always open to everyone on Ari).

So now we have defined what Marauders are within Ryzom in OC terms. One particular question non-marauders should be asking themselves is: 'Why should I care?'. Well many players simply put won't care in a OC or RP way, but marauders are important for the game. Ryzom is a game that thrives from its small community, however, without PVP, that community would be non-existant. It adds that certain.. je ne sais quoi.. that little something which turns it into a worthwhile game for many to play. It gives a goal and most importantly it gives a reason for massive hoards of homins to meet up and have some fun. So estblishing that PVP is important for the survival of the game, how could marauders possibly be important to pvp? Well if the current change in OP wars haven't proved this I am not quite sure what will. Marauders, like some neutral guilds, are able to add a third prong to the OPs, making them more interesting and more exciting. Did you notice the complete lack of fun OP wars when the entire marauder faction up and left?

So.. PVP is important for Ryzom, Marauders are important for PVP. That is my thinking. Now back to the three issues causing this black hole I mentioned earlier:

• Player Bias: This will happen. Of course it will- but many players are forgetting something. The factions were designed in a 'like 2, hate 1' manner. The Trykers are against the Zorai and vice versa. The Matis are against the Fyros and vice versa. Oh sure its fine all directing your hate at the Marauders but in essence without these conflicts Ryzom becomes a much more boring place.
• Complete lack of.. well anything: This is on the higher powers. Please don't go starting Trytonists until you have sorted this out. More hollow content is not what the game needs.
• Events: Well how to approach this. Considering the current situation above, it would be nice if players could take this into account. Your 'roleplay' does not hold you back and your hands are not tied by it. There are always reasons that can be factored into a reason for not excluding marauders. Also if you are going to exclude us, don't have the blooming ET spawn invisible or invincible guards to kill us. That is not roleplay- that is cowardice.

So I am not exactly painting the current Marauder organization in a good light I am? No of course not but I am not afraid to say it like it is. I believe that Marauders are needed within this game and well.. I love this game. Marauders are something which requires a lot of work and if you are sat there thinking you are someone willing to put that work in for the game you love then perhaps why not come and sign up? It won't be easy but then its actually hard to find things in Ryzom that aren't easy- and they are the things you get the most reward out of. With more marauders and marauder guilds we can get activities up and running again and we can have some real fun whilst doing so. In essence the marauder organization reminds me of pirates of the Caribbean- one of my favorite films.


So that's basically it from me. Marauders, imo, are essential for the game. It isn't an easy organization to work in- but a real challenge is more rewarding. I hope I have cleared things up for anyone who is confused. I will also add, despite all the aforementioned problems with marauders, I love playing one and I will continue to fight for the organization I believe in.


Please don't bother with RP discussions in this thread. This is for OC.