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+------ Thread: Highland-Gateway, Ltd. (/showthread.php?tid=7131)
Highland-Gateway, Ltd. - beander2 - 03-22-2008
Well, good folks, here is my attempt at a decent trading faction for Bretonia. I would appreciate any and all constructive feedback, tips for improvement, etc. I am weaker in the area of ship selection, so feel free to offer suggestions there, especially.
Several people have provided feedback and guidance on this. I thank them, but will not name them so as to not implicate them in my mistakes...:)
*If this faction is eventually accepted, I would like to take bids for sig design.
Highland-Gateway, Ltd. (HGL)
Gateway Shipping was founded in 791 A.S. by a group of New London investors interested in hauling raw materials across the border and independent worlds for sale to various, smaller Sirius companies. Based at the Kensington Shipping Platform in New London, the firm established a substantial clientele rather quickly. Among the investors involved in the young startup was the Sir Alisdair Buchanan, a businessman and philanthropist, knighted in 784 A.S. for his educational and cultural endeavors.
Following the Nomad War in 800-801, various executives and board members of Gateway were found to have had ongoing dealings with supporters of the nomad-infested Rheinland chancellor. Admiring the supposed strength and dominance of the chancellor, as well as the various attempts by more fascist elements in Rheinland to consolidate power, the Gateway officials began implementing oppressive policies within the company and supporting the same in the Bretonian Parliament and the Royal Court. Sir Alisdair, committed to rooting out corruption in both government and business, gradually and discreetly bought out the other investors in Gateway until 809 A.S., he stood as the lone owner of the firm.
Sir Alisdair became the de facto CEO of Gateway at this point, rooting out many of the top executives who had corrupted the firm. The company was reduced, but those remaining were committed to a revitalized corporate existence. Drawing on the Scottish ancestry his family had nurtured for centuries since the escape from Earth, Sir Alisdair renamed the firm Highland-Gateway, Ltd., declaring, We are not simply a company in the corporate sense, but in the sense of a group of travelers, on a journey to improve not just our business, but all of Bretonia. In solid control of the helm of HGL, Sir Alisdair received a new royal charter in 811 A.S. and has since expanded the range of operations to general trading and trade security services. He operates the firm to this day in a hands-on manner; indeed, one may often find him flying trade and escort missions himself. Ultimately he and HGL are committed to the betterment of their employees quality of life, as well as that of all of Bretonia.
Company Organization
HGL Mission
1. To create a good life for HGL employees and their families.
2. To contribute to Bretonian economic, political, and cultural well being.
3. To maintain a revenue base that allows for the maintenance and expansion of goals 1 and 2
HGL Structure
HGL is led by Chair of the Board of Directors and CEO, Sir Alisdair Buchanan. The company is divided into two divisions: trade and security. The trade division, led by a Director in cooperation with Sir Buchanan, handles all shipping operations, including the procurement and equipping of trade vessels, as well as the selection of commodities and trade routes. The security division, also led by a Director in cooperation with Sir Buchanan, oversees all escort services of the company including security-for-hire to the general public handling the procurement and equipping of escort vessels and the training of pilots as needed.
HGL Vessels
HGL uses primarily Bretonian-made vessels for trade and civilian vessels for escort services:
Trade: (Callsign will depend on ship type; see below)
Clydesdale (pilot name) - Gateway)Firstname.Surname[T] (can also be first initial, if not enough space)
Percheron - Gateway)placename
Firefly - Gateway)placename
Large Train - Gateway)placename
*All reasonable Bretonian-sounding place names will be accepted. Considering using virtue names for Large Trains (e.g., Honourable, Intrepid, Incorrptible, etc.). Also, Percherons on up must have adequate crew completments (2-4 crew members, including player).
Security: Gateway)Firstname.Surname[S] (can also be first initial, if not enough space)
Tiger Shark LF
Griffin LF
Eagle HF
Civilian Bomber
*All employees will use the Gateway ID.
HGL Recruitment
All pilots interested in joining HGL can PM Sir Alisdair Buchanan (Trevelyan) in RP with (1) trading/security experience and (2) reasons for wanting to join HGL. Vessel/equipment procurement will proceed from there.
HGL Daily Operations
Highland-Gateway maintains a variety of trade routes within Bretonia and between Bretonia, Liberty, Rheinland, and connecting systems. HGL also handles shipments of more basic commodities to free ports in the border worlds. HGL takes very seriously its business partnerships as well as the use of trade routes in Liberty and Rheinland space.
Trade, of course, is the primary function of the company, although the security division does offer escort-for-hire services at competitive prices to the general public. In addition, HGL is committed to the growth of the Bretonian population and the enrichment of its quality of life and culture. To this end, the company has a healthy charitable contributions office and is active in a number of educational, cultural and political causes.
Employment carries both responsibilities and privileges. Regarding responsibilities, HGL employees will be expected to do the following:
1. Abide by all Sirius (Admin) rules and expectations.
2. Obey all the laws of Bretonia. Only those items legally allowed to be shipped will be found on our vessels, and our pilots will behave according to the highest standards of professionalism and courtesy.
3. All vessels, irregardless of function or cargo load, will assist any lawful vessel in need, whom they encounter. This includes system-chat requests for assistance by authorities.
4. Cultivate active lives (RP) with assistance, as needed, from HGL management. We are immersing ourselves into a story here, so thoughtful RP is essential.
NOTE: Traders may keep their profits with no obligation to HGL other than payment for escorts. However, voluntary donations will be sought from time to time as the company aims to subsidize ship and equipment purchases for new employees, ultimately to 100% of their starting costs. HGL hopes that new pilots, recognizing their ships and equipment have been voluntarily purchased by their coworkers, will feel the sense of family and community to which Sir Alisdair has committed this company.
Regarding privileges, HGL employees can expect from company leadership the following:
1. Ample opportunity for the development of piloting skills, knowledge of Sirius star systems and trade routes, and a place to belong in the often intimidating blackness of space.
2. An open-door policy regarding suggestions for company improvement and/or the redress of grievances.
3. Competitive benefits, including subsidization for new vessels and equipment, as well as regular time off for personal trade and exploration (entailing no contribution to the company), as long as the four responsibilities above are strictly observed.
4. Mentoring for new employees by more experienced ones, as needed and/or desired.
In addition, the Bretonian public can expect from HGL the same open-door policy regarding its operations, as can the lawful residents of any system where HGL vessels travel.
HTC Diplomatic Relations
Allies:
Bretonian Police Authority
Bretonian Navy (QCR)
Friendly (if, in some cases, competitive):
Bretonian Corporations
Liberty Police/Armed Forces
Liberty Corporations
Rheinland Police/Armed Forces
Rheinland Corporations
IMG
Neutral:
All entities not named elsewhere.
Unfriendly:
Kusari Police/Armed Forces
Kusari Corporations
Hostile:*
All Pirate Factions
Nomads
Phantoms
The Wild
The Coalition
Xenos
*HGL security division employees will not be directly involved in any offensive or retaliatory operations against these entities. However, they will defend their charges and themselves with all necessary means.
Sources:
http://pc.ign.com/articles/380/380940p1.html
http://www.battleclinic.com/freelancer/fac...20Shipping.html
http://www.microsoft.com/games/freelancer/...s_stations.aspx
http://discoveryrp.wikispaces.com/Discovery+Timeline
http://www.valebridge.net/freelancer/factions/
Edit: 3/21/08 - Fixed IMG status.
Edit: 3/22/08 - Clarifiation: "All vessels, irregardless of function or cargo load, will assist any lawful vessel in need, whom they encounter."
Edit: 3/23/08 - Changed company name to "Highland-Gateway, Ltd." and all acronyms to HGL.
- Changed callsign tag to "HIGATE)-" to avoid any unnecessary confusion.
- Changed trader callsign tag to pilot's name for Clydesdale, city name for larger vessels
- Changed "Advanced Train" to "Large Train" since the former is built in Rheinland and the
latter in Newcastle
- Added IMG back to the "friendly" list (again)
Edit: 3/27/08 - Changed callsign tag to "Gateway)"
- Added Firefly to allowed ship list
- Added note on ship names and crew complements
- Added section "HGL Recruitment"
Edit: 3/31/08 - Clarified callsigns - removed "[T]" for Percherons on up
Highland-Gateway, Ltd. - pchwang - 03-22-2008
Looks good. But friendly with Rheinland?
Highland-Gateway, Ltd. - beander2 - 03-22-2008
' Wrote:Looks good. But friendly with Rheinland?
Well, I was warned about this. My thinking is that the trade relations warrant it; if HTC vessels are allowed to trade there and RM/Police protect against criminal attacks, why not friendly? The position of the Bretonian government is not necessarily that of all its companies (though HTC would probably never be directly opposed to the govt's position).
Of course, I can change it if folks think neutral makes more sense.
Highland-Gateway, Ltd. - Patriot - 03-22-2008
Welcome in Bretonia my friend and good luck
Highland-Gateway, Ltd. - bluntpencil2001 - 03-22-2008
Assisting any lawful vessel in need is a bit much, actually. You are civilians.
Highland-Gateway, Ltd. - beander2 - 03-22-2008
' Wrote:Assisting any lawful vessel in need is a bit much, actually. You are civilians.
Clarified: "All vessels, irregardless of function or cargo load, will assist any lawful vessel in need, whom they encounter."
We're not going around seeking trouble, but we won't calmly fly through while somebody gets taken down right beside us. Idling should not be a crime only against law enforcement. That was the intent here.
Highland-Gateway, Ltd. - Epholl - 03-22-2008
Hm... Neutral to IMG? I thought they were allied or so... Unsure...
Highland-Gateway, Ltd. - beander2 - 03-22-2008
' Wrote:Hm... Neutral to IMG? I thought they were allied or so... Unsure...
Good question. I've gotten mixed responses on that one. I had some strong language in the description about the "strategic partnership" with IMG, but since IMG vs. BMM is considered part of the cause of the Bretonian-Kusari war, the impression is something might have soured. Of course, information is pretty vague on the IMG thing, from what I can find.
I'm open to going back to the old langauge, or keeping it as it is. Opinions are welcome.
Highland-Gateway, Ltd. - ioha - 03-22-2008
Looking very good in my opinion.
I've got another suggestion though: the names for ships bigger than the Clydesdale could be city names.
The idea behind this is that a large ship such as the Percheron or the Advanced Train is generally thought to be operated by more than one person. As well, it is the same for NPCs - only ships of freighter class and below are flying with the pilot's name.
This is, of course, only a minor remark, as said, the proposal looks good to me otherwise.
Highland-Gateway, Ltd. - beander2 - 03-22-2008
' Wrote:Looking very good in my opinion.
I've got another suggestion though: the names for ships bigger than the Clydesdale could be city names.
The idea behind this is that a large ship such as the Percheron or the Advanced Train is generally thought to be operated by more than one person. As well, it is the same for NPCs - only ships of freighter class and below are flying with the pilot's name.
This is, of course, only a minor remark, as said, the proposal looks good to me otherwise.
Not a bad idea at all, Sleipnir. I'll work on that.
On the IMG issue, I really would welcome insights from the community. Clearly, there is a problem with IMG supporting Kusari (from Holman, etc.) and HTC obviously supporting Bretonia. Yet, so much of the info I've found talks about their strong business relationship. I'm not sure what to do storywise to account for this. My thinking at this point is that, were this RL, there would probably be official distancing at the same time as unofficial business being conducted. Either that, or Bret authorities would look the other way at business with IMG (i.e., HTC trade at Cardiff and Freistadt, etc.) being conducted in Bret space (or Omegas) while needing to target IMG shipments in the Taus.
As always, the more input from you all, the better. Thanks.