I'm throwing my weight behind the "FW needs to be ended/significantly altered" argument as well. The de-TonyGification of the political scene would either leave the Big 4 having accomplished their primary goals or be entirely unable to do so:
- The Amarr cannot exactly strike at the Elder Fleet or any of the various freedom figher groups outside of the warzone without a full-on invasion of the Republic. Conversely, the Minmatar are probably not freeing many slaves as the warzone is almost certainly scorched to a wasteland by now; the largest slave populations also lay far beyond the militia's reach.
- The Gallente will have actually achieved one of their major goals - the removal of Heth - and unless something major shifts will probably still be solidly in control of their border as well. The Caldari, in contrast, will likely have realized by then that the Federation really isn't that interested in trying another bloody invasion of Caldari Prime, leaving them solidly in control of their primary goal while the continuing border war proves both unsuccessful and unprofitable.
- I do not favor turning FW into a full-on war due to the same difficulties that were faced by Incursions and the current incarnation of FW: If it gets implemented, we can expect to see an utterly unchanging and boring mechanic for the next several years, with some minor tweaks but ultimately no significant shifts - because lets face it, CCP can't radically redesign a mechanic that large, that quickly.
So, what DO I want?
- Relations between the Big 4 turn to a shaky, cold peace as all four acknowledge that the border conflicts have essentially netted them nothing and cost an uncountable volume of lives. As the years go on, we could see articles about the restoration of trade, diplomatic cross-contact efforts, etc.
- The Empire turns inward, leading an internal reclaiming aimed at purging infestations of Blood Raider and Nation sympathetics. This soon expands to those who dealt with the Cartel, Serpentis, and other smaller pirate operations as the true extent of the corruption the extended war had fostered becomes clear. This leads to some conflict between the houses that feel they are "purer" and those they feel are "more contaminated". At the same time, the bulk of the Empire's forces are redeployed to handle engagements against the Raiders or Nation to the far edge of the Empire.
- The State is still handling the turmoil from Heth's departure, but things seem shaky as old debts between megacorps and rising postwar unemployment shake at the foundations of the megacorps' power. Looking for both a solution to the legions of unemployed workers and the raids by Guristas seeking to take advantage of the chaos, the State declares a no-tolerance policy and makes its first objective halting the attacks by its most annoying foe - all the while hoping the policy holds them over long enough to flatten out the debts.
- The Federation finds itself in a militarily strong position, but continues to be shaken by tensions between ethic groups - not just Matari-Gallente, but also by Jin-Mei and some Intaki groups, who view the recent anti-immigrant upswing with deep concern. Along with the continued political ramifications of the Black Eagles' actions, Roden desperately searches for a uniting force to paper over the differences - and finds it in the Serpentis, who he can blame for the wartime PR catastrophe of drugged-up Federation soldiers murdering innocents. A "policing task force" is quickly destroyed by Serpentis and Guardian Angel assets, leaving Roden forced to send a full force to avoid appearing weak to "mere pirates".
- The Republic finds itself embroiled in tribal tensions as well, but even these cannot hold back a tidal wave of previously-repressed Matar rage when the Cartel attempts a second annexation of a Republic border world. Facing the first open attack on a protected Republic system in years, the tribes turn their full might against the Cartel - perhaps to the concern of the Thukkers, who still have some contacts there.
Your guys' thoughts?
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Topic: After TonyG... then what? (Read 8880 times)