130 members
The Exchange / TELC
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Piracy -
Social
Welcome! It’s a pleasure taking your business.
History
A long time ago in a wretched hive of scum and villainy far, far away…
(The Exchange) first came into being, right after the original Kickstarter ended on the 27th of November 2012, conceived as a place that all pirates and outlaws in Star Citizen could call home or at least a home away from home.
As its main founder, Solaris, figured things out by establishing and identifying key leaders in The Exchange, then stepping into the shadows, to make sure no one person would lead it, James, the site’s already busy admin, took on an increasingly more active role over the months to come. And soon events began to escalate beyond their collective control.
The Exchange’s ‘origin story villain’ was found in the form of a group, now known amongst its older membership as ‘RaggleRock’, which was at the time looking to make yet another outside org as its subservient pet, in the same way as they had done previously with another organization. Words became heated, anger and veiled threats flew from both directions, trolling ensued from certain members of The Exchange, members of the aforementioned subservient organization of ‘RaggleRock’ unsuccessfully tried to apply diplomatic pressure, to make The Exchange reach some sort of agreement with ‘RaggleRock’…and two things became clear from that encounter:
- You cannot command pirates as to whom they should or shouldn’t get along with if they don’t want to do so.
- No one person could ever speak for every member of The Exchange. The sense of personal self-worth and individuality was simply too strong for that.
Taking note of these two lessons, one of the original members that witnessed this incident, Tolje, volunteered to take over the ambassadorial program as The Exchange’s official diplomat. In the aftermath, he would hold to the (Manifesto), as written by Solaris, and become the primary voice of The Exchange on RSI’s forums. He would constantly keep in touch with other organizations, continually spreading the reach and tendrils of The Exchange.
In the meantime, James quickly started to publically take note of a few unique aspects of The Exchange, apart from those already mentioned. Such as the ones emphasized within the following quote from those early days:
“The Exchange is not a single entity that answers a chain of command. It is a group of individuals and crews with their own agendas.”
It is this line of thinking that would eventually lead him to write (The Exchange’s Charter), on top of constantly evolving its forums into perhaps deliberately labyrinthine proportions, adding new members and running the day-to-day efforts.
Thus the stage was set for the next year, and for how The Exchange would eke out its existence in the doldrums of pre-Alpha.
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2013
In the year that followed, The Exchange settled into the comfortable rhythm, that it still resides in. Namely, random bouts of activity and rest. No one expected anything of each other, and yet The Exchange lived on…and continued to slowly grow. Most of the threads, that popped up on the forums during that time, revolved around CIG announcements, and speculation of how it would all apply to piracy in general. Though, with constant updates on major developments being posted for all to see on The Exchange forums, along with a different culture slowly forming within, a general shift away from RSI forums also began to take place amongst the moreso active members.
James’ excellent service in rendering any aid he possibly could to newcomers, along with Tolje’s efforts on the diplomatic front, made sure, however, that new signups would always pop in every once in awhile. A ventrilo channel was also kindly provided to The Exchange for whenever voice communications might be desired. It served admirably in providing a months’ worth of movie nights. And finally, a piratical music playlist was set up by most of its members, along with a few banner proposals and pieces of art.
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2014
With the arrival of RSI’s organizations system, Tolje took an informal leave of absence, once it became obvious that some other schmuck was willing to step up and handle both, most of the RSI organization stuff as well as his fairly successful diplomatic efforts. This person struggled, and in the end succeeded in devising a ranks/roles system here on RSI, that matched The Exchange’s culture and spirit.
Once that was set up, he took over the Captain’s activity of getting back in touch with all the pirate bands and orgs that his Captain had gathered to The Exchange beforehand, so as to appoint their representatives in the org. Along with that he also got in touch with several newly-rising pirate bands and invited them to join here. By this point there is more than a dozen solid pirate/outlaw/even a few legitimate Exchange affiliate organizations registered at this org, along with several individuals.
In the latter half of the year, recruitment via alternative chat channels, along with the LFG thread in the organizations section, also yielded several promising primary members, a fair few of which were far moreso willing to stay active on the RSI forum boards and spread the word of The Exchange both directly and indirectly. Still, with Arena Commander 1.0 and Organization 2.0 systems being delayed, weekly meetups and frequent usage of a newly-agreed upon TS voice chat room, thanks to The Shadow Legion, would have to wait until next year.
A few new pieces of art were also provided by said promising members, as well as several Exchange mottos popping up from its older members, such as the venerable: “You scratch my back, I’ll fuck someone up for you” and the ad-libbed “Credit where credit’s due, and credits where credits are due too.” Though, as always, The Exchange’s official motto, that one can see in the header of this org site, rings most true of all.
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And now?
As of right now The Exchange can boast over 400 registered members on its main forums. Some are registered here in this organization, and have become part of its ‘public face’, while its vast majority simply doesn’t want to. Others still are on an extended break, from which they may or may not ever return. The future of The Exchange remains as uncertain and chaotic as its anarchist spirit demands.
And yet one thing seems certain. Whatever its fate will be, the piracy that it will help promote in the game will certainly be fun. Because it takes fun-loving people to have fun in the first place and if The Exchange is good at anything, it is precisely that.
Being a fun place where all the pirates and outlaws of Star Citizen can hang out, and which always remembers these wise words:
“Do what you want ‘cause a pirate is free. You are a pirate.”
Manifesto
Space Pirates, Muggers, Thieves, Villains, Pillagers, and Scum.
There are places here for others such as Explorers, Merchants, Spies, Terrorists, Bounty Hunters, and more!
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The Code
We do not steal,
We acquire.
We do not enslave,
We offer involuntary employment.
We do no harm unless they were asking for it…
“Asking for it” is purely subjective.
He who shoots first, usually shoots last.
When in doubt be a bully, when bullied, run away.
Parley can only be asked for before shots have been fired.
Fellow motivated redistributionists become one against common foes and for plunder.
During downtime it’s every man for himself.
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The Exchange is a loosely formed brotherhood. We are not going to require our members to do x, y, or z. After all, we are pirates at the heart of it. Think of us like this, we are a hive of scum and villainy… things are traded under the table, deals are being made behind closed doors, and bounties are struck against those we do not like.
You can be a member of The Exchange, and a member of a “legitimate clan.” It would be akin to having a tattoo on your body somewhere, that signifies you are a member. Members work in the shadows as much as they work with others.
A member of The Exchange can be a police officer, who lets smuggled goods pass through his area… A member could be a guild leader of another clan who buys stolen ships from us… A member could be a Senator who directs and pushes the military into parts of space away from areas we wish to search…
We are all over society, and while some members may wish to wear our tags openly (as is the case with the members of this organization, whose names you can see), others may choose not to… Either way, this network is an invisible force, even though Exchange members wishing to pirate openly are certainly encouraged to do so here…
We know that 2 years is a long time away, but once you sign up you can know that you still have your freedom to do what you want… If you hear a call for Exchange members to rally, there is loot and plunder to be had.
The face of The Exchange, of course, will be those “pirates” who wear our tags openly – the ones that can be seen as members of this organization. Those who want to keep it quiet may only be known by their clan members, if anyone at all, and would only need to apply on our (main site.)
This means that if a guild leader has a big fight coming up… and he is a member… he should be able to call in some favors from The Exchange to get some support. Who knows – we just might turn the tide…
For the right amount of credits, of course…
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All members of The Exchange are free by design. Their designations can be anything, really, from our everyday Cabin Boys to our slightly more active Mateys and Pirates to our V.I.P. spokespirates, who officially represent our affiliate organizations. Otherwise, our professions in the game will be along the lines of:
- Smuggler
- Scout
- Bounty Hunter
- Trader
- Information Broker
- Spy
- Marauder/Enforcer
- Pirate/Motivated Redistributionist
-We will have those who fly the colors, and those who do not, they who by nature wish to remain unseen, but known by their brothers and sisters.
-We will have those who wish to fight wars, and those who wish to hunt single marks.
-We will have those who wish to capture and take ships that pilots don’t deserve, and those that feel winning is owning… or destroying.
At the end of the day, brothers and sisters,… you will be respected for what you do and accomplish, not for what title you posses in The Exchange.
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You will form niches and cliques…
You will find like-minded individuals and support, when needed… maybe not as much support as you’d want, but it will be there.
You will bribe, pay, steal, motivate, and encourage your fellow brothers and sisters to achieve things they thought not possible. You will, at the end of the day, be your own person, with your own influence, your own strength of arms.
I say to thee, The Exchange is your fellow man. It is not only your arm but the person’s next to you. Because The Exchange is what you make it, who you make it with.
Your design, your fellowship, your choice to rise or fall.
…and when you feel alone…and you see that ship cresting the arc of a planet… know that all you need do is call in your brothers and sisters, and the rest is up to you.
Charter
The Exchange is not a guild. It is a PORT.
When thinking of (The Exchange), think of (Tortuga). A port of call where a ship can drop anchor, so the crew can get a bit of refreshment, catch up on the local gossip and weigh up the rumours for tidbits of information, that will lead to the next grand haul. It is a place to negotiate with others for mutual benefit, and a chance to advertise your services to others of like mind.
All are welcome, under one very strict proviso…
The Exchange territory is NEUTRAL.
…anyone that breaks the neutrality is fair game for ALL!
Once you enter The Exchange, hostilities are to immediately cease (some exceptions may apply).
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How is “CONFLICT resolution” dealt with within The Exchange?
Back to back they face one another, draw their swords and shoot each other…or to put it another way, “conflict resolution” is between the parties involved. Your own mess to deal with…unless you make the mistake of doing something truly stupid in Exchange territory, at which point everyone gets a piece of you.
At best, and only if the moreso notorious members feel like it, what might happen is a “Trial of Arms,” where you both get to fight it out between you, in a manner chosen by a tribunal, that will be set up where the rest of the membership can lay bets as to the outcome. That’s right – you become the sport for the night, and we all sit around eating popcorn and throwing back a mug of rum (or scotch in the case of Nav).
The Exchange is NOT your parents.
It is a place for grown-ups to take responsibility for their actions and have fun (seriously, if you’re not having fun you need to re-evaluate things).
So…not having read the header, is The Exchange a GUILD?
The Exchange itself is NEUTRAL territory, and as such is not a guild, but there is a core group of members within The Exchange who have banded together in its confines and here within this organization. This group is simply referred to as “The Crew” ™ and consists of all our primary members. It should be noted, that members of The Crew may be members of other guilds (in so far as that some members of The Crew are, in fact, senior members of other organizations).
Am I obligated to help The Exchange?
If you are a member of The Exchange, then you are only obligated to assist in maintaining Exchange territory as NEUTRAL. If, in addition, you applied to The Exchange as your primary organization, it denotes that you wish to be part of The Crew. That also brings with it the obligation to put its needs first and foremost, above those of any other organization, pirate or otherwise.
Outside of our territory, or the desire to become part of The Crew, you are under no obligation beyond that which you agree to with others, which will affect your reputation external to that of The Exchange.
Can I negotiate an alliance with The Exchange?
No…you can negotiate an alliance with specific members within The Exchange, but that does not mean you have an alliance with anyone else in The Exchange. Its only concern is maintaining your ability to negotiate/trade & participate in specific events without getting screwed over while doing so (neutral territory means neutral territory, outside of that region that is your headache to deal with).
What about Non-Aggression Pacts?
See above.
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Privateering
The neutrality of our space aside, which parts of space do you want us to make unpleasant?
Can I hire pirates to attack my rivals or competition? – Yes, of course. We have plenty of Privateer and Buccaneer types that would be more than happy to take on contracts, so long as they feel like they have at least a solid chance of success.
So how much does this usually cost? – Well, that varies from pirate to pirate and upon your negotiating skills, doesn’t it? Protip though: you can forget about ‘allowing us to keep our spoils’ as being a chief selling point, since pirates do that as it is. You need to pay them for their service or provide other incentives, that a pirate would actually find useful.
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Smuggling
When it absolutely must get there.
So I can book a pick up? – Depending on the service provider, obviously. If you need something moved from point A to point B, avoiding certain…obstacles, why not deal with the specialists?
So you don’t just harbor violent pirate types here? – Not at all. Many of our types prefer to simply be known as outlaws and a fair few are folks, who aren’t so much about combat and moreso about smuggling, illegal trades and profit through less reputable, but non-violent, means. Our internal Black Flag Society serves to organize their efforts to profit in this way, while also providing others with the services that they need. So if you are in need of such a service, or would like to become a part of providing them while getting rich – do step up!
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The Circuit
Gentlemen, start your engines!
Will we be allowed to shoot contestants? – In some events…yes. But only if the rules do not state to the contrary. After all, any race is classified as Exchange territory for the event.
Do you mean contestants may be allowed to shoot each other…or spectators? – What is the difference?
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