Merchants Alliance is Evil and Needs to be Stopped

  • Ronin20
    Legend
    Insider

    I have played this game since day one and have come to the unequivocal conclusion that the Merchant Alliance is Evil. Hear me out... it is primarily their use of pirates and some of the goods they request.

    First off their uses of pirates, why? With the gold hoarders you can understand why. They are the only ones crazy enough to brave skeletons, other pirates, are willing to risk it all for monetary gain, and go to obscure islands to dig up an X. Same with the Order of Souls the use of pirates is also understandable. The order is using disposable assets (pirates) to thin the ranks of skeletons and as far as I can tell probably do not have a large network or resources to field their own fleet. And again, pirates are willing to kill and brave the dangers for monetary gain.

    This brings us to Merchants Alliance. Why would merchants need pirates to run missions for them. They clearly have the resources to field their own fleet and likely have merchant fleets somewhere out there? While we don't see them on the seas I think it is a fair assumption they have them...they are merchants after all. Additionally, there should be an inherent distrust of pirates as historically they are the ones giving the merchants grief and pillaging their stuff. Why would they trust them? Additionally, one has only to look at some of the wares they request which raises some serious questions....gunpowder barrels and snakes. What possible use could merchants have for gunpowder barrels? They are, at least in this game, used for mayhem and destruction. And they seem to be stockpiling them. Perhaps for their MIA merchant fleets. As for snakes. As far as I can tell the only thing they are good for is their venom. I have been a victim of their toxicity on more then on occasion. Sure these are only two of the things that they request and you can point out that they also ask for chickens and pigs. While this is true, it is quite possible the chickens and pigs are just red herrings for their true aim.... I can only assume they are building up for something big.

    (just something I thought up while getting bit by a snake while its pitch black out....why does this freaking merchant want this thing anyway. Thoughts?)

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  • N3mesis Wolf
    Master
    Insider

    Interesting theory, also you're right, why do they want snakes?

  • SurveyorPete
    Legend
    Insider

    Why do they want snakes....

    link text

  • COMBATxKITTY
    Commander
    Insider

    Maybe they need snakes so they can do this?

    https://imgur.com/eMroajN

  • Blam320
    Legend
    Insider

    The MA is trying to control trade in the region. Their singular goal is to exploit legally acquire the exotic goods of the Sea of Thieves for export, and to provide necessary cargo services for the other denizens. There are just a few problems.

    One, the filthy landlubbers are too lily-livered to do the dirty work themselves, and two, some of the aforementioned denizens are bloodthirsty pirates, with no qualms about how they make their fortunes. A slow, laden, lightly armed merchant vessel is no match for even a Sloop.

    So, the quill-pushers that run MA ops from the Outposts decided there was an easier solution - instead of doing it themselves, they figured the best thing to do is to bribe us pirates into smuggling smaller shipments on our heavily-armed pirate vessels, guarded by battle-ready crews. We're faster than their merchant ships ever could be (which explains why Merchant voyages give you so much time to complete, they haven't adapted to the speed of pirate vessels yet), brave - or rum-soaked - enough to endure the harshest conditions - on land and at sea - and more than capable of fending off the local rabble with our many cannon.

    It's a win-win for the MA, really. They don't need to spend any money on ships, they don't need to deal with most of the inherent dangers of the Sea of Thieves, and they get their goods in record time.

  • RooGirl

    @ronin20 I love this!! What are they after??? Tho, I've been strategizing myself how best to use those wily snakes as ship defense! Lol

  • FancyAthlete182

    Corsairs !

    One good way to stop the merchant-pirate system would be to implement a corsair faction. There are natural ennemy of pirates. They steal the poor for the rich, and work for profit, not glory.

    It would be fun being attacked by Barbarossa brothers.

  • Ronin20
    Legend
    Insider

    @roogirl I've experimented a bit with that too. If you put 5 or 6 snakes stacked on each other it can kill a full health pirate in 1-2 seconds flat. Great defense.

    So the Merchant alliance is stockpiling defense snakes and attack powder barrels. Hmmmmm..........

  • Hazeree
    Marauder

    @ronin20 said in Merchants Alliance is Evil and Needs to be Stopped:

    This brings us to Merchants Alliance. Why would merchants need pirates to run missions for them. They clearly have the resources to field their own fleet and likely have merchant fleets somewhere out there? While we don't see them on the seas I think it is a fair assumption they have them...they are merchants after all. Additionally, there should be an inherent distrust of pirates as historically they are the ones giving the merchants grief and pillaging their stuff. Why would they trust them?

    They dont trust them. It is cheaper for them to pay Pirates by the piece than to employee a fleet. All due to the pirate threat to begin with. They would have extra exepenses from pirates raiding thier fleet. So instead of protecting themselves from the pirates, they make them do the dirty work for them. If if a pirate gets raided by another pirate, they simply pay the other pirate (at a reduced rate since they were not the original contract holder!).

    This is why they hire pirates. And its even more evil than you first stated.

    As for why gunpowder? I secretly believe they sell them back to the skellies.

  • Tre Oni
    Marauder
    Insider
    Founder

    @blam320 said in Merchants Alliance is Evil and Needs to be Stopped:

    The MA is trying to control trade in the region. Their singular goal is to exploit legally acquire the exotic goods of the Sea of Thieves for export, and to provide necessary cargo services for the other denizens. There are just a few problems.

    One, the filthy landlubbers are too lily-livered to do the dirty work themselves, and two, some of the aforementioned denizens are bloodthirsty pirates, with no qualms about how they make their fortunes. A slow, laden, lightly armed merchant vessel is no match for even a Sloop.

    So, the quill-pushers that run MA ops from the Outposts decided there was an easier solution - instead of doing it themselves, they figured the best thing to do is to bribe us pirates into smuggling smaller shipments on our heavily-armed pirate vessels, guarded by battle-ready crews. We're faster than their merchant ships ever could be (which explains why Merchant voyages give you so much time to complete, they haven't adapted to the speed of pirate vessels yet), brave - or rum-soaked - enough to endure the harshest conditions - on land and at sea - and more than capable of fending off the local rabble with our many cannon.

    It's a win-win for the MA, really. They don't need to spend any money on ships, they don't need to deal with most of the inherent dangers of the Sea of Thieves, and they get their goods in record time.

    Idk man... I always got the impression that none of the outpost NPCs were pushovers in any way, and we're more just the labour, doing the dirty work for them because.. thats grunt work

  • Ronin20
    Legend
    Insider

    @hazeree said in Merchants Alliance is Evil and Needs to be Stopped:

    @ronin20 said in Merchants Alliance is Evil and Needs to be Stopped:
    As for why gunpowder? I secretly believe they sell them back to the skellies.

    Diabolical 😦

  • RooGirl

    @ronin20 said in Merchants Alliance is Evil and Needs to be Stopped:

    @roogirl I've experimented a bit with that too. If you put 5 or 6 snakes stacked on each other it can kill a full health pirate in 1-2 seconds flat. Great defense.

    So the Merchant alliance is stockpiling defense snakes and attack powder barrels. Hmmmmm..........

    Good tip about the defense snakes! I'll have to try this tonight!

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