08-09-2008, 02:50 PM
The Cartel vs. The World
Since I know there's people who RP either as members of the Steamwheedle Cartel, associates/allies of the Cartel, or thinking of joining them, I figured this would help them as well as people who encounter them. Also, I figured, with the new faction system, this is as good a time as ever to type this up.
These are based half on confirmed lore, and half on speculations made using confirmed lore.
Steamwheedle Cartel vs. Other Races
The Cartel doesn't care about race. They only care about your moneymaking power, your cunning, and whatever else you've got to contribute to the cause. It's because of this that, if you cross them or jeopardize their operations, they go crazy on you. People like the Southsea Freebooters and Bloodsails are their enemies for these reasons. They also punish inside problems rather harshly. Think Mafia or any other prosperous, high-end organization.
One group they REALLY hate? The Scourge. They hate anyone able to wipe out their customer base.
Overall, when a member of a race is discovered to be Cartel, things get different. While historical grudges or alliances may be nullified, a new window of distrust may be opened.
Also remember, as a Cartel member, your character may still have grudges with certain races. While some more business-oriented and older non-Goblin members may learn to push their racism aside while actually in the face of the races they dislike, others may outright refuse to deal with certain groups while being a member. It all depends on your character.
One must remember that Steamwheedle Cartel is not some racial utopia; far from it. A lot of inducted Cartel members might come from shady pasts and may have been cast out or done wrong by their race. They may have a disdain for outsiders that are a member of their own race, even, and only view those outside the Cartel as potential money sources and nothing more. Some may bring in old prejudices. Again, though, they struggle to make sure business comes first, unless they want to be counterproductive. This is an interesting thing to RP, a racist in the Cartel.
You should read Rensin's Guide on Race Relations for further insight into this.
Generally, non goblin Cartel members shouldn't flaunt who they are unless on official business. The princes are holed up in a mountain fortress for a reason. Take Krent's advice here on how to act, members and associates:
Krent Wrote:Only point I'd like to add is from the dangers of meta-gaming. Just because you know how each of the various races of Azeroth will react to the Cartel, doesn't mean that you're character will. Whenever I play Krent in a public setting, I tend to use the education taught to me in Mobster / Gangster / Yakuza films when regarding Organized Crime. As in, if you're not in a territory that's controlled by your crew, don't flaunt it. Secrecy is one of the most vital aspects of the gang life. Never know when you might bump into the vengeful sibling of someone your organization had killed, right?
If you plan on joining the cartel or are already a member, it's better you don't have your character run around screaming "HAY GUIZ BEING IN THE CARTEL IS SO AWESOME.". Krent has this problem with his new fondness of Goblin-jive, but he generally tries to take steps towards secrecy when referring to his work. "Delivery boy for a respectable catering service.", etc etc.
This is the number one problem I see in the aspect of "criminal" RP. Too many players try to flaunt their outlaw / criminal / infamous status, without thinking about the dire repercussions that would come of it.
Thank you, Krent. Now, I will try my best to explain how goblins are usually handled, and non-goblin Cartel members are handled differently. I will lump them together at times, as anyone who allies with Goblins may be treated the same by some groups.
Steamwheedle Cartel vs. Horde
The Cartel has a stronger history with the Horde than they do the Alliance, as they were once Horde. From WoWWiki:
Quote: During the Second War a Horde ambassador met with a single trade prince, and convinced him and his subordinates to join the Horde (while the rest of the goblin race stayed neutral). This may have been Trade Prince Steamwheedle. Some horde members have tried to improve relations with the Steamwheedle Cartel. Perhaps with enough persuasion, the goblins could be convinced to rejoin the Horde for the first time since the Second War. This is unlikely to happen however, as the trade prince realized his mistake and left the Horde, and the goblin race remembers the mistake and remains neutral to this day.
Also, it's said that some members of the Horde are still trying to get them to re-unite. This may have weakened over time with the Goblins taking in nearly any race under their wing.
Orcs
Goblins aided the orcs in the past. They have an extremely strong relationship. Some Goblins have even remained in the Horde. The Steamwheedle Cartel is now neutral from Orgrimmar, but the orcs remember their allies.Because of this history, perhaps orcs are more likely to feel more at ease around, say, a human member of the Cartel faster than a permitted human diplomat from Stormwind?
Trolls
Oh my god. Darkspear Trolls tolerate the Cartel because of their history with the orcs, but I would imagine the older ones have all kinds of problems with them. Goblins outbred and outadvanced in technology the jungle trolls of Kezan, nearly wiping them out. (One troll village is left on that island, but no one has any interest in the area to bother it) I imagine the trolls who head to the Zandalar summit every 6 years still bring this issue up.
Non-goblin members would probably be tolerated with equally mixed feelings, too. Anyone who supports a goblin is only adding to the problem, they'd see it.
Tauren
Conservative Tauren hate the destructiveness and materialness of Goblins in general. With Venture being (Either is, once was, or is becoming one, no one knows for sure) a possible subsidiary of Steamwheedle, and what they've been doing in Mulgore, their relationship with them is probably the rockiest out of the Horde.
When before a non-Goblin member, they will probably just try their best to stick to common ground and business. They probably won't try to get personal so that conflicts of interest don't arise.
I could be very wrong and need to do more research on this. I only know so much about the Tauren.
Forsaken
There are hardly any Undead in the Cartel. None are known to live anywhere on Kezan. That said, the Forsaken probably see Goblins as too damn quirky to deal with. The Forsaken tend to hate outrageous surprises they can't control, and Goblins embody that.
Their allies are no different. Seeing the big mish-mash of races among them makes them hard to predict. Other than that, they're someone who'll do business with them.
Blood Elves
This race already has it pretty rough and they give it to other people pretty rough. However, Cartel members are taught to do business with them as smoothly as possible. Blood Elves like the Cartel's typical “don't ask, don't tell, don't care†approach to things and expect the same from their non-Goblin members. Though, I'm sure some testier Blood Elves would love to lay it on thick and see how fast enemy races in the Cartel will crack…
Steamwheedle Cartel vs. Alliance
Less ties here, but some interesting relationships, nonetheless…
Humans
Humans are curious and diplomatic, so they'd be more curious about the Cartel. However, an establishment run by a people who had such strong ties to the orcs in the past can only be trusted so much. That said, humans are the third largest population on Kezan, so that should say something.
*Update* Humans and goblins have a stronger relationship than I'd thought. As long as there's been humans in Theramore, there's been goblins giving them a leg up... for a price.
Gnomes
This is the big one. Even though there are gnomes in the Cartel, this is probably the most fiery relationship. They constantly compete in terms of scientific and technological advances. It can look like friendly competition to those who don't know, but the competitions lead to destructive results for anyone within range. Gnomeregan-based scientists probably get frilled over Cartel scientists of any race, especially.
*By this, I don't necessarily mean people studying gnomish engineering vs goblin engineering. There are many sciences in Warcraft. I just mean people who are technology bound and are lending their services to the Cartel instead of… not Goblins.
Ironforge Dwarves
Believe it or not, there is a rumor that Prince Steamwheedle has a strong alliance with the Ironforge dwarf leaders, friendship, even. This makes sense, as goblins and dwarves share some dominant traits (short, their technology has some things in common, main hub is a giant fortress city in a firey mountain, materialistic, intelligent) that would make them good friends. Whether the relationship is with a Bronzebeard or some higher-up is unknown. The bond isn't widely known, but not a secret, either.
Night Elves
Elven Sentinels have been known to kidnap Goblin deforesters and force them to develop machines that contribute to restoration. Your typical Kal'Dorei is a cool-headed, jaded xenophobe. Your typical goblin is a hot-headed, excitable socialite. It's rare a highly traditional Night Elf would even think of stooping low enough to do business with a goblin, nor a known Cartel member. If they did, they would be extremely covert about it.
Draenei
While Draenei are nowhere near anti-social, and have cool technology like the Goblins, I would imagine the whole thing with Goblins mostly being some kind of Neutral or Chaotic aligned would put a wrench in things. I don't know how many of them know of what the Goblins are all about right off, but I'm sure they're in for a bad (or oddly fascinating) surprise when they learn about their ways and Cartel culture.
Please feel free to dispute these or ask questions, especially the ones where I said I wasn't wholly familiar with the race.
Identity and Insignia
This goes back to Krent's argument. However, there are some instances where a Cartel member must make their allegiance known.
Most Cartel members who aren't goblins likely have an insignia of some kind, be it a pin or an armband or SOMETHING that says who they are. I ask you to read this part as there's been some "I totally know you're Cartel!" occurrences.
When would a non-goblin Cartel member wear their insignia?
- If they're in a city that normally deems them an enemy. (Orc in Stormwind)
- If they're out in the wilds of a notoriously contested area and not on Cartel property. (Example: Human Cartel merchants on a caravan may do this for some kind of added protection when passing through 1k Needles, which is mostly Horde-dominated, or Silithus, which is just contested.)
When would a non-goblin Cartel member NOT wear their insignia?
- If they're on Goblin property, like Booty Bay or Ratchet.
- If they're in a sanctuary where open conflict is not allowed anyway.
You always have That One New Guy who may proudly brandish their insignia everywhere. Aside from that, it's safe to assume most non-Goblin Cartel members follow these rules.
![:]](https://www.conquestofthehorde.com/images/smilies/orc/orc2.gif ":]")