EVE General Discussion

I've only done the Amarr and Caldari NPE, but I agree that the Amarr actor was far 'better' than the Caldari one.

I use that word advisedly, though. The Caldari actor was just fine, but when you are voice acting, the tone and quality of your voice is really all you have. And the Amarr actor did a good job of conveying not just how 'serious' the situation was, but also the overall tone of the Empire.

I actually read an interesting post about this, once. I can't remember where, though.

The upshot was that (in the opinion of the writer), the Amarr were so popular (and so important in the fluff), simply because they have the easiest culture for your typical westerner to relate to. We've all grown up with at least the concept of an aristocracy, and our we have loads of stories and movies based on that as a setting.

Conversely, few people who are not cyberpunk fans will have thought too much about the kind of corporate fascism the Caldari embody, or what it would feel like to live in that kind of culture. Equally, very few westerners have any kind of experience living in truly tribal cultures the way the Minmatar do.

This starts to fall apart when you look at the Gallente, who are clearly based on the worst excesses of modern western culture (there are no 'good guys' in New Eden). However, here the author of the post points out that modern democracies/republics work on the basis of the collective, which just isn't as exciting for players as the more personalized (in the form of the aristocrats) nobility of the Amarr. We like to be able to put a face to things, and the Empress and her nobles allow us to do that.

I'm not sure that I entirely agree with the article, but it was a very interesting perspective on the side of the game that I don't normally consider.

Personally, I chose Amarr mostly because I thought they had the prettiest ships, but also because they were 'true believers'. While their acts were every bit as 'evil' as the other races, they were at least genuine in their (deeply misguided) efforts to improve the universe by following the dictates of their religion. If I must do evil, let me at least do evil in an effort to do good.

The Minmatar, on the other hand, struck me as bitter victims (much like the Narn in the early seasons of Babylon 5), the Caldari seemed to be greedy fascists, and the Gallente looked like corrupt politicians.

All this was before the new character models, though. If I had to do it all again, I probably wouldn't roll Amarr, simply because I'm not keen on how their avatars look. There's a reason I wear a hood!

There is a tendency to oversimplify the lore and RP potential behind each nation, which is quite a shame given how much effort CCP has put in to flesh out the details on the culture of each (Minmatar lore could certainly use some more attention though). There's a lot more going on under the surface. It isn't all just tribal freedom fighters, democratic hedonists, slavers and fascists.

First off, the only people who can legally own slaves in Amarr society are the nobility. There is no implication that every Amarr citizen owns slaves or even approves of the practice. There are a number of political factions in the Empire and each has their own opinion on the matter. For example, the current Empress is a self-made business magnate and currently the richest individual in New Eden. She is of a more liberal bent and is expected to focus on strengthening the Empire's economy. Given that Caldari analysts often note that slave labor is actually detrimental to the Empire's economic potential, there may be some implications for changes to slavery practices in the future.

There is a lot of interesting RP potential among the various bloodlines and ancestries, extending far beyond the "religious fanatic slaver bad guy" generalization. The True Amarr stand at the top of the social hierarchy, and most Holders and slave owners are of this particular bloodline. The Ni-Kunni could almost be considered second-class citizens despite representing the majority of the Empire's free labor, craftsmen, merchants and military. They strive to either claw their way up through the social hierarchy, to slip through the cracks to make a life for themselves as criminals, or to break free from the restraints of Amarr society altogether. The Ni-Kunni perhaps have the best RP potential, as they have more reasons to become capsuleers than the other two bloodlines. The Khanid were traditionally a warrior people, and now often find themselves as members of the military or the clergy. And though the Khanid Family that rules the Khanid Kingdom are True Amarr, many of the Khanid that live in the Kingdom strive to improve relations with the Empire they seceded from centuries ago.

Regarding the Faith, not every member of Amarr society is a true believer in the established state religion. Some have their own sects or cults, and some are merely passing just to get by in Amarr society.

Caldari society too gets a bad rap as "greedy fascist corporatists" but, except for a brief period preceding Tibus Heth's rise to power (and the period before his fall as he was going mad), that was never actually the case. Whereas Gallente capitalism is more concerned with individual success, Caldari capitalism is focused on the good of the people (or, more specifically, the people belonging to one's same megacorp). Since every Caldari citizen is a member of one of the megacorp "nations", the success of a megacorp benefits its own. The better off a megacorp, the better off the citizens of that corporate "nation". They are a meritocratic people that believe in achieving success by your own ability, and that it is the duty of the elite to use their talents for the good of the State. If there is a major downside to Caldari society, it isn't their business practices. Rather, it's their xenophobia and their habit of disenfranchising those who can't keep up with the Caldari way. The least fortunate among Caldari basically lose their citizenship and any rights granted to them by that citizenship.

not to forget the best part.
injecting "your" or "their" in otherwise highly inappropriate moment when referring to minmitar charachters

Edit: and looking like Nosferatu / a bond villain helps too

That would be amazing with the Sisters of Eve epic arc. CCP could probably rework things a little so that you deal with the same scientist that you rescued during the NPE.