Smuggler Archive
Thread: The Soul of the Smuggler
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RogueCloudwalker
Sat Feb 19, 2005 12:08 am
#1
The Soul of the Smuggler
Do you believe in the definition, such as to carry goods into a country secretly because they are illegal or in order to avoid paying duty on them? Do you wish for a hard and fast lifestyle that is both dangerous and lucrative? Do you enjoy the darker corners of the galaxy where winning it all and losing it all is just a heartbeat away? Then you may have interest in Smuggling, but you are not a Smuggler yet.
Lets face it. The Smuggler in Star Wars Galaxies is a far cry from how it is portrayed in the movies and in the EU. We are the conglomeration of any number of illegal professions - drug dealer, hacker and pirate to name a few. Thats not a bad thing. In fact, it can be a good thing in terms of making credits. But lets honestly appraise it. Its still not anywhere near its potential and nothing like it is portrayed in the EU.
Smugglers have dealt with much adversity. It seems we were the last profession out the door before launch. GreenMarine has admitted that he did not have enough time to set up the experimentation points on slicing tools amongst other things. I thank him for his honesty. But like all things, it shows we were not high on the agenda. Smugglers are for the most part, supposed to be a space profession. Smugglers and fast ships are synonymous with each other. Its amazing the Devs thought up something for us to do until the launch of Jump to Lightspeed. Don't kid yourself, hardly any attention has been paid to us that did not end in a nerf or get our hopes up falsely. Smugglers have been beaten down and the other professions, in the form of vultures, are hovering over our carcass, eagerly awaiting our last breath. They know that if the Smugglers were to achieve their full potential that their professions would pale in comparison.
Don't throw away your chance to be better than those professions! Don't let the crafters and merchants talk you into selling your slicing services and spices on the cheap! They want those credits for themselves after all! The Weapon and Armorsmiths say they will lose credits by not selling pre-sliced goods. Nothing could be further from the truth!
Want to know the truth? Their alts or a cheap smuggler slice those goods incredibly cheap! Its a market they do not want to share with the Smugglers. Merchants just want to offer one more commodity for their pocketbook. They take away the very identity of those illegal goods and sell them like they were just another item. They take away the Soul of the Smuggler. Do other professions stand up for the Smuggler in times of adversity? No, the savor the possiblity that Smugglers will fold up and give away their abilities and potential for free. Everyone secretly cheers for the downfall of the Smuggler so they can reap the benefits. The Jedi and the Bounty Hunters got Feign Death nerfed and cheered at its destruction and did not try to save it with any number of proposals on the Smuggler board. No other profession reached out and said "Hey, maybe there is another way." No, once again, all take pity on the Smuggler but do not reach out to help him. Why should we sacrifice our potential to them? We wouldn't want to hurt their feelings now would we? (Thats sarcasm in that line folks) With the Smuggler Revamp prospects looking dim, let me try to help you imagine the Soul of the Smuggler.
If sliced weapons and spices became highly illegal, then it is the Smugglers who stand to gain the most and the other professions know this. Weapon and Armorsmiths will still make a pretty penny, but now some of their credits will go to Smugglers who would otherwise not receive them. People still need the unsliced gear, and will need to take it to a Smuggler to make it the best they can. Suppose a Smuggler was to make a horrible slice. The customer may have to return to the vendor and buy more gear to be sliced instead of buying the best possible one. The smith would make more credits do to this. But now they must give away some of that profit to the Smugglers and that is a good thing!
With illegal items not for sale on the bazaar and vendors, Smugglers will come into their own. By having to approach customers in secret areas and back alley deals, Smugglers will have the most Roleplaying goodness of all as they can bargain with their customer! As Smugglers will have to deal with a living person, they will be living and breathing the underworld of Star Wars. They will have to watch their backs for contraband searches and avoid any Bounty Hunters after them. If the Smuggler was the only one able to handle illegal goods then it is the Smuggler who stands to benefit. No other profession can come close to our potential and they are jealous as heck! Don't throw it away!
By making items impossible to sell on vendors and the bazaar, it opens up the great potential of the Smuggler. For one, the Smugglers will have to Smuggle the items past contraband searches. Smugglers will finally be able to obtain a mechanism whereby they can obtain a Smuggling mission delivering cargo past these searches. You could even work Jump to Lightspeed into it by allowing planet to planet missions without the instant travel option. If you fail one of these missions, a Bounty Hunter could be sent after you. Imagine the possiblities a PC Bounty Hunter could do for immersion and pure adventure! There is so much Smuggling and RP goodness there that it would give more satisfaction than any Jedi ever could. The other professions know it and fear it.
If the Smugglers cave into easiness and place illegal items on any vendor of any shape or form then they cheat themselves of who they are supposed to be. After a hard day's grind of Muon Gold, you will place it all on your vendor. You will probably complain that there isn't much to Smuggler. You are indeed more like a Chef than a Smuggler. You know why that is? It is because you opted to not place yourself in danger by going into a city, risking contraband searches will trying to find that elusive customer in the cantina or a back alley. You cheat yourself because you do not want to be bothered by the true life ofthe Smuggler. You want to be a pretend Smuggler that deserves to be called a "smuggler" with a lowercase "s." You want to be a Merchant who destroys the Soul of the Smuggler. You will be a smuggler who sold his soul.
What is it going to be Smugglers of the galaxy? Are you willing to stand up for your rightful place? Are you willing to take on the other professions who want nothing better than to keep you down? Or are you going to take the easy way out and sell your Soul in order that your life will not be so complicated and dangerous? Are you going to sell the Soul of the Smuggler?
RogueCloudwalker
Sat Feb 19, 2005 9:22 am
#2
Hmm a few things. First, Jedi and BHs got Feign Death nerfed and none of their blaming it on the Smuggler is going to work. Its one more example of kicking the Smuggler while hes down. These professions don't want to see us succeed because then people will leave them to join us. We have the most potential out of all professions, Jedi included. The next time you see a BH or Jedi say tough luck to you, just remember that they want you down and out.
The life of a Smuggler is living dangerously. Every time a Smuggler logs on, he should be looking for two things: adventure and profit. Watering it down with appeals to merchants and crafters just takes away our fun. Splapping it on a vendor is unrealistic of the hottest of illegal goods. If its that easy, we simply become like all other crafters and merchants toiling away in obscurity wishing for something better to come along. That something better is being forced to sell it likea true Smuggler, in secret while dodging the authorities. Its either a boring life or an exciting one full of danger every time you log in. How can you say you are a Smuggler if you want to use vendors? Shouldn't you be brave enough to risk it all? All you have to do is throw on the title and the mails and tells will come flooding in. Reach for the glory and shun the boring life of the merchant. Be a Smuggler.
Honestly, the Bounty Hunters don't deserve us. They are so enmeshed in their hatred of the Jedi that they don't want to hunt us, yet we actively try to become hunted by them. Well, we should still be hunted by NPC and PC BHs per GreenMarine's plan. The BHs don't deserve it but we deserve to make us more like what we should be - the most fun and exciting profession in the game. Don't let people tell you otherwise about your true potential Smugglers. Don't be led astray. They want you to throw your potential away so you don't outshine them. Reach for the profit and glory Smugglers!
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