Re: [FT] Crew Professionalism and Ship Quality

>>From Laserlight:
>
>> As far as the minors go, I'd say New Israel will be decent
(because
>> they have incentive to practice) ......--a few crews from
either nation
>might perhaps make it up to
>> NSL level.
>
>Bite your tongue, my friend. "Decent" indeed.

Okay, so you're indecent, but I didn't want to mention it.

>> Most minor nations--despite the "we're small but we can
>> whip anybody our size" syndrome--simply will not be up to Big
Four
>> standards because they won't have the funds to practice or
the variety
>> of institutional combat experience.
>
>But _some_ of them will be. Any small nation that's had to
struggle since
>day one has to be able to say that phrase and be right, or they
wouldn't be
>around in the 2180's.

Not necessarily the case since the universe is not limited to
two powers.   There are alliances and protectorates and so
forth.

>Taiwan, if it survives), and would assume Alarish has, as with
its many and
>varied populations, a wide cross section, from among the best
of the best,

>to bucket-jockeys.

Alarish's crews are pretty good, partly because the rank
structure is taken from the Israeli model, partly because just
about everyone is familiar with basic ship systems, and partly
because we spend megacredits quite freely to get the best.
Since a large part of the fleet budget comes from the Emperor's
personal finances, no one complains.  Except the Poor Claires,
who are pacifists.  And most of the population of New LA, who
are flakey.  And the Radical Lesbian Collective, but they
complain about everything.