Smuggler Archive
Thread: Poll: Contraband on Vendors
IfSmugglers were the only ones allowed to put up Contraband Vendors what would change? This is essentially snatching a skill from Merchants and giving it to Smugglers so they can have a monopoly on selling sliced weapons. There would be no reason to implement this since Smugglers can already get in the retail biz of sliced weapons anytime they want to.
I pointed outthat a merchant/artisan would STILL be able to sell these items- through a Smuggler. The sole reason to implement this would be so that you could punish those who sold contraband on a vendor (smugglers) WITHOUT punishing the whole playerbase.
Here though is the big difference:
If you're a Smuggler and you want to sell illegal goods on a vendor you gotta invest in the artisan/merchant skills.
If you are a merchant and you want to sell illegal goods- just put them up!
I ask you, who is stealing from who?
It DOES increase our share of selling illegal material. Sure, you can sell whatever you want hand to hand but if you want the convenience of a vendor you'll need to visit a Smuggler's vendor (and a smuggler would have to have Business 3 to put down a vendor so that doesn't change either). We already have a starting profession and elite profession that gives you vendor skills. Wanna increase your share of selling illegal material? Buy some crates of weapons, slice them, stick them on a vendor. There's no need to take the skill away from two other professions when smugglers already have the ability to add vendor placement skills. Smuggler doesn't take so many points that you can't pick up business III
But weDO NOT have punishment for selling contraband. Only for carrying it. This way we COULD introduce a very dynamic system of punishment without affecting the entire playerbase.
Now is that any different for the player base? Not Really.
Yeah, it's real different for Merchants/Artisans. Be realistic, if merchants can't put sliced on vendors because they're illegal (but obviously tolerated since every uses sliced weapons almost exclusively) then there's no way you're gonna get acontraband vendor.
The biggest problem with contraband IS that it's treated as ENHANCED items. Not ILLEGAL items. This would be a step towards contraband actually being illegal.
JTGAlpha wrote:
Okay, then Veela, then how about a contraband system that makes us necessary and not a hard lined, coded "Off" switch. I'M a merchant. I'M a smuggler. You wanna invalidate half of that for me? Why do we need a hard coded off switch? Why not a system of risk vs. reward? Action vs. Consequence?
That's the thing JTG, unfortunately we are being asked about this choice. If it's the only choice I have, I'm gonna choose off switch. It doesn't change you being a Merchant or a Smuggler, just what you're able to sell on a vendor as a Merchant.
Honestly, I'd rather have a 3rd option. I've posted what I would prefer the third option to be on the forums (a cooperation between Master Smugglers and Master Merchants with chances of getting caught and punished). I have a sneaking suspicion that this is more about the coming vendor/bazaar changes. Hopefully if it comes down to just A or B, they can make something better with the non combat profession revamp.