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[Silver Night]

Reviving a series of posts I started last year: What unusual or non-obvious angles might Guristas RP take?

Maybe a group that wants to take a more active political role in support of the State? Or the Federation?

Maybe a faction that thinks that there should be an expansion into the Republic as the cash-cow of the future (and therefore into Angel territory)?

Maybe there are some who think they can do more good for someone (the people back home? The Caldari people as a whole? Their aged mother?) with the Guristas than if they stayed on the right side of the law. Maybe they think the Guristas should be embracing their agenda more enthusiastically?

What about people who have grown up under the Guristas and have never known much else?

Any other thoughts and ideas welcome!



See the other 'Unusual RP angles' threads: Serpentis,Blooders and Sansha

[Seriphyn]

Guristas, according to a landmark description, "was the one thing the Gallente and Caldari could agree on", in terms of fighting them. Early on in FW though, Guristas rampaged in Vlillirier destroying some FedMart warehouses, while Wiyrkomi Peace Corps ships did nothing despite the distress calls ("silent endorsement by the State for the attack" or something).

But according to Guristas epic arc, one of the starting agents is FIO, the "Federation Navy doing covert operations with the Guristas"...

Anyway, was for "growing up" with the Guristas, it seems it might be a typical "low culture" setup, as in, the focus is on "getting by". That seems to be the overall vibe I get from nullsec colonies, as its rough and remote, so there isn't much scope for developing "high culture" (like Gallente fashion or Caldari combat sport).

[Mithfindel]

I could see several types of Guristas. Free list picked from the mindstream:
- "The Ninth Mega" - Guristas do a lot of semi-legal and illegal business. Gambling, drugs, security, construction, mining and so on. And unlike the Practical corps, they don't even need to pretend that they care about such things as "laws".
- The best-organized pirates militarily. Sure, you could try hiring the Mordus, but if getting the job done is more important than getting it done professionally, you could hire the Guristas. Even better, the task has the default cover of "a pirate attack".
- Pirates, in general.
- Disgruntled Caldari don't have where to run. So, Guristas pick them up. (See Otro Gariushi.) There's likely many rebel-minded folks amongst the Guristas. The best, like Gariushi was, might even advance in the ranks. Might include a surprising number of ex-military who have found out that they cannot climb the ranks as fast as they could, or cannot at all.
- "Born Gurista" - the frontier people who happened to have the bad fortune of being born on a world that is controlled by the Guristas. Do what you need to survive.
- "For Science!" - the mad scientist angle that might better suit the Cartel. However, the Guristas are in the forefront of science, too. Commander mods. Implants. Ships. Wonder if they have any access to Sansha stuff, or if it's just an enemy of my enemy type of deal via Angel Cartel?

Edit: Yes, I can't count. No idea how I got ten megacorps in the State at the time of the original post.

[Mizhara]

I'm actually considering aiming Katashi Rotsuda, an Achuran alt of mine towards Guristas RP. He's already enamored with Veto and TLG, so it's not a stretch for him to get the idea that the Guristas in general just might be a good choice in order to:

a) Further his own interest and knowledge in electronics engineering and so on.
b) Find alternatives to the current State and ways to use Guristas philosophy/values in that regard.
c) Improve on the State through learning what he can of the Guristas and their success, then apply it to the State through politics and encouraging Guristas activity (shady of course) in influencing State politics.

From an OoC standpoint, Guristas just strikes me as Caldari State on Meth so it's not a too bad choice in that regard.

[orange]

Eleventh Mega?  Pretty sure Ninth Mega...  Unless I am missing some.

Patriots - KK, LD, Wiyrkomi
Practical - NoH, SuVee, CBD*
Liberal - Hyasyoda, Ishukone
Pirate - Guristas

*I couldn't remember CBD! 

[Silver Night]

I wonder how much of the competition between the Angels and the Guristas goes on via semi-legitimate business and proxies - like the Angel involvement in State corporations a while back.

[lallara zhuul]

Ye olde theory about pirate factions having their high-tech was that they traded it with the Jovians.

Not superior science skills.

For superior science you need either of two things, geniuses or very good infrastructure (or a 20k year head start which is the case with the Jove.)

[Silver Night]

Ye olde theory about pirate factions having their high-tech was that they traded it with the Jovians.

Not superior science skills.

For superior science you need either of two things, geniuses or very good infrastructure (or a 20k year head start which is the case with the Jove.)

I always thought that was specific to the Angels, and also that just because they *may* have salvaged some Jovian tech, that didn't mean that they weren't advanced in their own right.

[Seriphyn]

I think it's measured differently.

In a straight-up fight, the empire navies would win hands down. There's a reason they are the four major empires of New Eden.

However, the "rogue nations" of EVE do not operate on the same scale. Their victories are not measured in up-front confrontations, which they would lose, but instead exploit the weaknesses of the empires; lax policing of an area, security holes, etc. They would do this by likely infiltrating the lower criminal levels of empires and getting a "feel" for what is lax (in Guristas case, their experience of being former Caldari etc.)

They HAVE high-tech, sure, but that's different from being able to use it well, also goes down to infrastructure. Cartel have stolen Jovian designs, and Guristas take Caldari designs, but the Fed/State still hold the crown as the two high-tech nations.

[Silver Night]

They HAVE high-tech, sure, but that's different from being able to use it well, also goes down to infrastructure. Cartel have stolen Jovian designs, and Guristas take Caldari designs, but the Fed/State still hold the crown as the two high-tech nations.

I think that might depend on the sort of high tech you were talking about.

It may also be an issue of goals. Much though they operate as governments, and though they do hold territory, I don't see any of the pirate factions (bar the Sanshas, perhaps, and look how that's going) as having a real interest in holding more territory. At least directly.

Their territorial holding are incidental to their goals, largely.

On-topic: How about a Guristas group that wants back some legitimacy in the State, but maybe on their own terms. (Perhaps using a cover?)

[Gottii]

I love the idea of the Guristas really.  I always saw them as the cast offs from the Caldari system.  

Given that

But for those who are not cut out for this strict, disciplined regime life quickly becomes intolerable. They lose their respect, family, status, everything, and the only options left to them are suicide or exile.

I always saw the Guristas as the dark side of the Caldari Meritocracy.  There were the "Unmeritorious" who refused to simply disappear or drink tea.

I always thought of the Guristas as the rebels, the different, the disenfranchised, those born poor and without the resources to do well on the various Caldari tests for Merit, or simply the weird and individualistic who didnt fit in with corporate life.  They strike me as the faction most analogous to the cyberpunk mythos.  

Cast out from their families, ignored by the State, no status, no means to legitimate wealth, they formed a family and a "corporation" of their own, earning their pay the only way open to them.  They would be a fun faction to play, imo.

[Mithfindel]

As a note, it is hinted that Guristas are pretty good at cyberwarfare. ELINT and cracking to computer systems, in other words. Depending on how far they take that, the Guristas have access to at least some of the resources of the four empires (plus possibly trading information with rogue Jove, though the Jove themselves likely have a better intelligence net). Guristas tech isn't all homebrew, but they've been able to improve on State technology. Of course, the criminals/outcasts/rebels having access to high tech doesn't mean that the average pirate in their faction has access to the same tech. (A lot of them are flying Bantams as combat craft, if we are to take hints from missions.)

[Verone]

Interesting thread :3

I've always personally seen the Guristas as a place of gathering for the disgruntled bastard children of the State.

Those who don't "fit the template" so to speak, and those who have been outcast by society for their differences (for instance the revelation of Kaikka Peunato's homosexuality, or the half Intaki Estamel Tharchon).

They have very few choices on where to go, and the Guristas seem to embrace them with open arms for walking out on the State regardless of race or history.

It's interesting to think about how "the other half" lives, as in those lower in the food chain on outposts and settlements. The two Eve novels are good in this instance for showing off the dark and unforgiving world of those who live dirtside or work in the bowls of a vessel's hull. I'll agree with Seri here and say that I'd see most, if not all of the colonies out there in Venal are pretty run down, based around function over form and with only the most basic of living amenities.

When Naphtalia left the game a few years back, we were planning out a series of fiction pieces that we were going to co-write. Eventually I got around to fleshing out and finishing them, and they give a decent view of what I feel the average rundown settlement on a random 0.0 planet would be like. They're HERE, at the bottom of the list under "Welcome To Venal" if anyone feels like reading the series .

As for unusual angles in terms of roleplay, there's a few interesting concepts out there. I've no doubt, as has already been mentioned in this thread, that the Guristas have their fingers in a lot of people's pies behind the scenes in the State and cover a lot of their unscrupulous dealings inside Caldari borders with legitimate trade and business to hide their bottom lines.

I also see the Guristas as having at least some loose ties with the Caldari Providence Directorate, given the prevalence of Dragonaurs within Heth's merry band of henchmen. This would also explain the apparent knowledge of the impending invasion of Luminaire that Korako Kosakami apparently had according to the political state of New Eden PDF that was released right after The Empyrean Age went live.

I'm sure there's a lot of competition between the Guri and the Cartel no matter where they deal, and there's probably a lot of backstabbing and small conflicts going on that us high and mighty eggers don't even bother hearing about or concern ourselves with.

How about the double dealing State Practical, disillusioned with Heth's regime and pushed into working with Guri contacts to make ends meet?
Maybe as has been mentioned, a Gallente collaborator with the FIO, working alongside Guristas elements to sabotage and leech from targets inside Caldari borders?
Perhaps the born and bred Gurista, hardcore loyalist from Venal that knows nothing of the State other than the bad press and acidic rumours that cross the border regions and get as far as where he lives.
Maybe the disgruntled Federal Citizen, tired of the Hawk's grasp on the Senate and the barbaric attitude of SDII, who can see no other way of harming The State other than reluctantly teaming up with the Guristas?
How about a Dragonaur, based inside the State working under Heth with strong Gurista ties?

I've taken on sort of an alternate angle with Veto Corp. A relatively small, partly Gurista owned capsuleer paramilitary force that deals in the R&D, testing and manufacture of black market arms, munitions and armour of all shapes and sizes from pistols to starship grade, as well as doubling as a small corporate army of eggers that's on call if required.

Highly honourable, but constantly greedy and hungry for more. Welcoming to anyone who swears their loyalty and has the potential to swell the bottom line at the end of the month. Also rife with extravogant Gallente influence (see the excess in The Last Gate) and disdain for the State's leadership and treatment of their own people.

I see it as fitting well, given Ethan's slowly growing dislike of everything that capsuleers as a race are becoming. I can see them relating to eachother given the disdain that Kosakami has for eggers after the Crielere incident that claimed the life of Laitainen.

There's a lot of stuff out there that you could fiddle with, I suppose. There's a lot of scope for alternate RP angles with the Guristas given that there's very little that drives them other than the honour of their word and pure and simple greed. As I see it, anyone is welcome, so long as they help inflate the bottom line.

[Major JSilva]

The factions in Eve I've always tried to relate to real world nations or groups of people not trying to stereotype IE Cartel is similar to the Italian Mafia(my opinion, ill justify it when the Cartel thread comes up).

The Gurista's have always seemed to me to be like a biker gang. A brotherhood of outlaws who were tired of the society's harsh rules,ideals and expectations. So this group of people decided to head for the open road of freedom and forge the own path. Similar to how Fatal and the Rabbit started into piracy by deserting the Navy in Condor class frigates.

[orange]

I also see the Guristas as having at least some loose ties with the Caldari Providence Directorate, given the prevalence of Dragonaurs within Heth's merry band of henchmen. This would also explain the apparent knowledge of the impending invasion of Luminaire that Korako Kosakami apparently had according to the political state of New Eden PDF that was released right after The Empyrean Age went live.

...

How about the double dealing State Practical, disillusioned with Heth's regime and pushed into working with Guri contacts to make ends meet?

IIRC, the same PDF seemed to indicate the Practicals gained the most from the CPD's existence, so perhaps there is some more ties between the Practicals, Guristas, and Dragonaurs?