Conflicts

The ritualized forms of retribution justice are known as Conflicts and encompass legal forms of battle between factions in the form of Duels of Assassins, Solar Wars, Trade Wars, and more. Conflicts, both positive and negative, have a Conflict Score, measuring how the conflict is leaning. Conflict Score is typically affected by Contacts spending Influence and the Captain joining in the Conflict on the side of one faction or the other. A Star Traders Captain may change a Conflict Score by completing Conflict related Missions, by performing Orbital Operations, selling Intel, winning ship battles or by using a variety of Talents. Each Conflict presents different opportunities to a Captain -- for example destroying an enemy ship during a Solar War or selling Intel during a Spy War. All Conflicts can also be affected by selling Intel records to Contacts involved with the Conflict, with Intel gathered from the opposing Faction during the Conflict having the greatest effect.

## Types of Conflicts

Conflicts are categorized into types. Not all types may spawn at all times during the game.

### Duel of Assassins

* Increased Bounty Hunter Ships
* Faction Ships are more hostile
* Mission payments and risks increased
* Loss can be devastating to defeated Faction Contacts
* Reputation loss for Acknowledging Bounty Hunter Ships
* Reputation loss for Acknowledging Spy Ships

### Trade Ban

During a Trade Ban, you will lose reputation with one of the factions involved if you sell goods to an exchange controlled by their adversaries. Furthermore, if you fly under the flag of the banned Faction, you cannot sell goods in the enemy Exchanges. You cannot further lose reputation from Trade Bans with a faction that you have less than or equal to -28 reputation with. You can avoid reputation loss if you sell goods into a Black Market instead of the official exchange. Missions related to this Conflict often involve smuggling, patrolling, blockading and negotiations. The Conflict score can be affected by completing Missions.
* Sales of opposing Faction Cargo blocked
* Sales by opposing Faction Captains blocked
* Reputation loss for selling in involved Faction Zones
	+ Violating sales of at least 5,000 credits will influence the Conflict score by 1 to 4 points in favor of the purchasing faction.
* Increased Military Ships in Orbital Operations
* Faction Military Ships are more hostile

### Trade War

* Sales of opposing Faction Cargo blocked
* Reputation Loss for trading cargo manufactured by the opposing faction in any faction Exchange (if -28 or higher at the time of the trade)
	+ Violating sales of at least 5,000 credits will influence the Conflict score by 1 to 4 points in favor of the cargo's faction.
* However, no Reputation loss for the trading of cargo manufactured by a faction at that faction's own Exchange or at an Independent Exchange
* Increased Military Ships in Orbital Operations
* Faction Merchant Ships are more hostile
* Faction Smuggler Ships are more hostile
* Prize Courts allow Ships to be seized as prizes
* Reputation loss for Acknowledging Trade Ships

### Spy War

* Faction Spy Ships are more hostile
* Increased value of Intel for Contacts
* Increased Spy Ships in Orbital Operations
* Mission payments and risks increased
* Loss can be devastating to defeated Faction Contacts
* Prize Courts allow Ships to be seized as prizes
* Reputation loss for Acknowledging Spy/Zealot Ships

### Solar War

* Increased Military Ships in Orbital Operations
* Faction Ships are more hostile
* Mission payments and risks increased
* Prize Courts allow Ships to be seized as prizes
* Reputation loss for Acknowledging Ships

### Alliance

* Reputation loss for destroying Ships
* Reputation gain for Acknowledging Military Ships
* Increased Reputation gain for Missions
* Greatly aids Military Contacts in both Factions

### Trade Alliance

* Trade Permits (up to Grade 3) are shared
* Increased Merchant Ships in Orbital Operations
* Reputation gain for Acknowledging Merchant Ships
* Greatly aids Mercantile Contacts in both Factions
* Sales of at least 5,000 credits within the Trade Alliance will strengthen the Conflict score slightly.

## When Conflicts End

Whenever a Conflict ends, all of the Contacts on either side of the Conflict either suffer (if they are on the losing side) or get to take actions (if they are on the winning side.) Alliances and Trade Alliances will grant benefits to Contacts on both sides, but typically one more than the other. Depending on the Contact type, a Conflict can also generate bonuses in addition to the free Contact actions.

The effects of such loss / actions include Influence gain or loss, causing Influence gain or loss to their allies and enemies, the death of a Contact, creating another follow-on Conflict, causing a positive or negative Rumor to an ally/enemy Contact's world, change a Contact Trait, etc. For example, if your Contact loses a Trade War, you might find an Embargo or Taxes Rumor popping up on his world.

It is impossible for a Conflict to end in a tie. When the Conflict ends with a perfectly balanced score, an secret fixed ordering will determine who won (but by the narrowest of margins.) De Valtos, for instance, loses all ties, while Zenrin will win all ties. The other factions fall somewhere in the middle of this ordering.

### Contact Actions

Some "actions" Contacts can take (at the end of Conflicts for certain but perhaps in other situations as well):

* Attempt to Gain Influence
* Send Influence to Linked Contacts
* Request Influence from Linked Contacts
* Purchase Rumors
* Purchase Conflicts
* Propose Conflict Purchase to other Contact
* Boost Conflict Score
* Assassinate Other Contact

## Conflict Duration

The length of Conflicts is controlled by the a number of factors. The game's current Era, the Contacts that start the Conflict, the Zones that trigger them, the Rumors that were active when they started, the Influence totals of the Contacts on both sides, the type of Conflict, the Factions that are involved and the size of the map all play a role.