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[Esna Pitoojee]

To be clear on something, that the Empire has no control over what occurs on the SCC markets is something agreed with even before it was restated in the MIO actor's most recent post - otherwise, wouldn't the Empire surely ban the trading of Khumaaks, pornograhic holoreels, and other unwelcome items in its territory? As an extension of that, I entirely agree that, with the information we have been given, the SCC represents a colossal loophole to the otherwise tightly-controlled Amarr economy.


It is that a loophole of this magnitude exists in the Empire's economy that surprises me. To quote another bit of the Amarr Trade registry description, "The Amarr government seeks to control as many aspects of the daily life of its citizens". So, it's trying to control... except where it doesn't appear to give a hoot?

I mean, wouldn't a loophole this huge be abused colossally? Holders could use it to make unnoticed purchases of weaponry and unbalance the carefully-constructed detente that many rival houses exist in - or they could use it to essentially commit tax fraud, to mask how greatly their Holdings are prospering. I am highly doubtful that the Empire would allow capsuleers to pull any more foundation-stones from the social dynamic of the Empire than they already have.

[Lyn Farel]

Oh, I agree that it's odd how baseliners in the Empire/Mandate can apparently sell slaves openly and to anyone on the open market; it is mechanically impossible to filter who can buy from you on the market, unfortunately. There might be legal loopholes involved, of course, which allow a Holder selling slaves on the open market to essentially get around any Trade Registry auditing. Remember that the market system in EVE essentially acts like an escrow, a trusted third party if you will. Person A puts something up for sale, and that "something" is kept in the custody of the escrow. Later on Person B deposits money into the escrow service in order to buy that something, and the escrow completes the transaction. If we imagine Person A to be a Holder selling slaves on the SCC market and Person B to be a Blood Raider capsuleer, the Holder could always decry the morals of the SCC. "But I was supposed to be able to trust you!", they might say. And indeed some of them might be genuinely shocked at where their slaves ended up going and face social ostracization from their peers, without facing any formal legal consequences. Others might be in positions of high enough power or desperation to not care. This would certainly go along with the "grimdark" view of New Eden CCP likes to paint.

Of course I'm not the one who's been roleplaying Amarr for years. What do you guys think?

I think that the MIO, or even the TC, would never let baseliners sell slaves on the SCC market, since they don't let them on their own local markets without regulation. Only Holders can buy from slavers and Holders.

If I was in the shoes of the MIO, since I can not regulate SCC markets the same way, I would forbid my baseliners to touch that market even with a 10 inch pole.

[Nicoletta Mithra]

Thing is, the MIO can't forbid anything. It's there to control that people stay within the laws - the legislative bodies in the Empire are others: Emperor, Heirs, Holders.

I'm pretty damn sure that not just everyone in the Empire can sell to the SCC markets and expect that access to that market is quite controlled for the huge majority of people in the Empire, if not outright impossible. That doesn't mean, though, that some holders might not be legally within their bounds if they sell 'huge' quantities of slaves on those markets. That it might be frowned upon by conservative elements might not have much of an impact on the legality issue.

[Sepherim]

I mean, wouldn't a loophole this huge be abused colossally? Holders could use it to make unnoticed purchases of weaponry and unbalance the carefully-constructed detente that many rival houses exist in - or they could use it to essentially commit tax fraud, to mask how greatly their Holdings are prospering. I am highly doubtful that the Empire would allow capsuleers to pull any more foundation-stones from the social dynamic of the Empire than they already have.

Probably it is true that Holders will buy from SCC in secret, like they employ capsuleers for their causes and wars. I believe that the MIO is more concerned on controlling the market for normal people, who probably can't access the SCC, than for the elites.

[Morwen Lagann]

I'd expect you needed a license in order to use the SCC markets, as a regular run-of-the-mill Holder.

Easier to get for people who actually have a need for it (companies with large quantities of imports/exports from off-planet/station, Holders whose domain spans multiple celestial bodies, etc.), harder for people who don't.

[Synthia]

Game mechanics, of allowing anyone to buy/sell anything anywhere, may be unnecessarily complicating the discussion.

E.g. you can be the Amarr militia's leading pilot and can buy/sell things in Pator.

Including slaves.