Hi and welcome on the board.
How to become a capsuleer:
You have to win the genetic lottery. That means your body and psyche is capable of withstanding the trauma of getting the implants as well as completing the training to be able to use them properly. The game has all player capsuleers graduate from (empire) faction owned schools. Once graduated you are as free as you can be within the confines of CONCORD.
So aside from lucking out there are more or less limitless reasons how or why one would get his training. As CONCORD more or less protects us independant (player) capsuleers - those not playing by the rules get sanctioned but not shut down - you can even use the capsuleer thing as a 'get out of jail free' card, assuming that once your signature is on the training contract you are CONCORD's bitch, and all the cops and inquisitors in the world can't touch you anymore.
Crews:
While the thought of using crew in cannons is interesting in itself the answer to your question is as follows:
Adjusted chart or
original chart. The latter is originally from the 2011 Fanfest panel and has been revisioned slightly afterwards to the numbers in the blog entry.
Let me explain it quickly:
- Minimum crew represents: Navigation. Getting from A to B.
- Maximum crew represents: Full combat capability. It can be assumed that more experienced capsuleers can reduce this number somewhat - no crew has been confirmed as impossible, not even with drones. No party without some meat, unfortunately.
- Survival rates: Need to be adjusted based on circumstances. Much lower rates with high levels of small weapons fire or doomsday levels of explosions/grid getting carpet bombed.
- Racial adjustment: +0% Gallente: Lots of automization
- Racial adjustment: +5% Amarr: Less efficient due to use of slaves
- Racial adjustment: +10% Caldari: Strong military culture - lots of recruits and having served is often a necessity for future success
- Racial adjustment: +20% Minmatar: Less automization 'They like doing it the hard way'/Warrior culture
From memory of the 2013 fanfest panel talk.
edit: Che has linked the surviving article, when in doubt it's more accurate than my memory. \o/.
Lore:
RIP lore wiki.
Chronicles are your best guess.
I can leave something here that's probably too hot and illegal in some states. Made by Ken back in our WHG days.
He's a bit of a wizard.
