Title hits the nail on the head. I was never able to locate anywhere in the rules or sanctions anything about this. If it is true what are the limitations?
A trader ID may be re-engaged before 4 hours after being killed?
A trader ID may re-engage before 4 hours after being killed?
A trader ID may re-engage before 4 hours after scoring a kill?
This applies to smuggler ID also?
Or is it just the freighters/transports?
Honestly I don't think the exception exists at all, I have seen it asked within a thread but never answered by an admin. I have however seen many people claim that it is true. Thanks.
I think, traders fall under the same rule as any other player. If they get killed, they can't continue trading in that system. That's why traders are given an option; either pay the fine/drop cargo or be killed.
If a trader manages to kill someone else (which is pretty unlikely, since the other person should be smart enough to back out if things get too risky), then the killed person shouldn't undock if he/she respawns at the system he/she was killed in. However, as soon as the trader leaves the system, he/she should be free to undock and re-engage the trader when this trader is in this system again, so don't go after him and re-engage in a different system.
This is only my view on this, and how i handle this sort of things.
The only part of the 4 hour that traders are immune to is the leaving system one. If a trader is blown up in a system then they can keep returning. This should be fun for pirates who can keep pirating them if that's what they choose to do. A trader may not engage a pirate that killed it for 4 full hours the same as anyone else.
Everyone can start a fight against someone they've killed within 4 hours of killing them, unless they are leaving the system just after having been killed by the aggressor. Failure to allow a player to leave system is actually sanctionable.
On another mildly related note, it's also not allowed to switch between your trader and your capital ship to get a bit of revenge on the pirates that killed you. In fact that capital ship isn't allowed to do anything against said pirate for four hours.
Saint Del is considered a holy healer of diseases of children, but also as a protector of cattle.
Traders have never been allowed to re-engage, ever. No-one is. Period. Traders can merely return to the system they were killed in if the pirate is still there and hasn't left. They treat the system as if the pirate left it after the pirate killed the trader. Which means they can return. That is it. Nothing else about traders/smugglers is special.
Saint Del is considered a holy healer of diseases of children, but also as a protector of cattle.