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Author Topic: The Zann Consortium: Real criminal faction in EU or faction thrown into EaW?  (Read 7526 times)

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February 17, 2015, 01:26:37 PM

Offline Pentastar Enforcer

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I've always been curious about everyone who's ever played Empire at Wars favorite criminal faction and killer of everything: The Zann Consortium. Though they influenced Empire at War substantially, are they even mentioned anywhere in the Expanded Universe? From what I have seen they haven't, but I could be wrong.

Do these guys actually exist (Or used to) in Star Wars, or are they just in Empire at War?
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February 17, 2015, 01:45:02 PMReply #1

Offline Lord Xizer

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They do exist in canon. I wouldn't put them as a Major Crime Syndicate as most of their gameplay was vastly exaggerated for gameplay reasons. Them duking it out with either the Rebels or the Empire is purely for gameplay(Even Black Sun couldn't do that and they were Galaxy wide level)
Their storyline isn't even all that bad either considering. I presume they were meant to get follow up EU material and it just never happened, but most likely this is what happened.
Filthy rich and still a widespread but not Militarily powerful Organization they kept a low profile, did smuggling, trafficking and bought influence. Zann and Urai didn't really need to be front line any more and most likely stayed out of the limelight as criminals do. As we all know IG88 died at Endor,Bossk was just for hire, Silri tried to revive a Sith army(Which may have been regular troopers honestly) and was most likely killed at some point by someone.

As to what happened to them? Take your pick, Karrde, the Hutts, any myriad crime faction, the Warlords, the eventual rise of the New jedi Order, Thrawn reaquiring power in 9 ABY(He had an issue with Zann as I recall) Also Tyber could well have retired, he had enough to do so comfortably after he gained access to the Emperor's vaults. He may very well have just retired and bought politicians for his little syndicate after Endor.
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February 17, 2015, 03:11:16 PMReply #2

Offline Slornie

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Do these guys actually exist (Or used to) in Star Wars, or are they just in Empire at War?
Short story: They didn't exist, then they did exist, now they don't exist again.

Long story: They were invented specifically for Forces of Corruption (rather than using existing content like say Black Sun, in the same way the Empire got the Tartan Cruiser instead of a Carrack or Lancer) which then made them part of the canon.  They've had some minor references since then in other canon media but nothing substantial.  And since Disney restarted the canon last year they don't exist in official canon anymore, or until such a time as they are mentioned in a new canon source (unlikely).
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February 17, 2015, 06:09:06 PMReply #3

Offline Corey

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Their mentions in EU content after FoC was really just that one of their ships appeared in the Maw Irregular Fleet, and they were mentioned on what is essentially a roleplaying source blog (from wizards of the Coast or something) as having been eliminated several years before the Destruction of Byss. That's about it.
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February 17, 2015, 10:44:40 PMReply #4

Offline jordanthejq12

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The Battle of Kuat was also mentioned in the Essential Guide to Warfare--as part of one sentence describing the difficulties the NR faced in taking Kuat.
"Show the same loyalty you have in the past, Mandalore. If there is a Mandalorian crusade, let it be for something that will carry your people's memory into the future, so when the time comes when there are no more Mandalorians, than at least their honor will remain."
--Kreia, Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords

February 17, 2015, 11:50:15 PMReply #5

Offline tlmiller

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They really should never have existed.  That said, I liked the Interceptor IV Frigate.
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February 18, 2015, 01:22:18 PMReply #6

Offline Mat8876

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They really should never have existed.
I agree if they wanted to have a third faction what was wrong with the Hutts or the Black sun?

Also I preferred the Vengeance to the Interceptor IV.
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February 18, 2015, 02:30:32 PMReply #7

Offline tlmiller

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I agree if they wanted to have a third faction what was wrong with the Hutts or the Black sun?

Also I preferred the Vengeance to the Interceptor IV.

It was a nice ship, but lacking shields made it too fragile for it's cost.  The Interceptor IV, IMO, was a great value for a pretty decent ship.  Yeah, they were still weak, but were great ships for the cost.
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February 18, 2015, 02:53:39 PMReply #8

Offline jordanthejq12

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I actually wish the Consortium had been developed more. I mean, here we have this guy who kinda-sorta beats Thrawn (he did get the artifact but sustained heavier losses than he probably wanted and also didn't know it was being tracked), steals Palpatine's private hoard, and blocks the NR capture of Kuat for at least another two years. The latter two events actually have their repercussions on galactic history. Not to mention Zann's stated intention to buy Senators. Oh, and Silri's carbonite Sith army. Petroglyph gave the Expanded Universe such a gold mine of potential material to work with, and it's a shame nobody took it, thus leaving the Consortium in the same ridiculous brand of continuity as the Bulwark III from Rebellion or the Galactic Battlegrounds units.
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February 18, 2015, 07:19:01 PMReply #9

Offline Pentastar Enforcer

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I feel like no criminal would be good enough to steal something as precious as Emperor Palpatine's treasure hoard. I wasn't too keen on the whole IG-88 thing either.  Overall I just felt like the Zann Consortium didn't really fit into Star Wars, and guessing by the fact that not much was written about them kinda reinforces the point.

I liked the idea of a Pirate faction, but they took it a little too overboard..
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February 19, 2015, 12:21:15 AMReply #10

Offline Lord Xizer

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I feel like no criminal would be good enough to steal something as precious as Emperor Palpatine's treasure hoard. I wasn't too keen on the whole IG-88 thing either.  Overall I just felt like the Zann Consortium didn't really fit into Star Wars, and guessing by the fact that not much was written about them kinda reinforces the point.

I liked the idea of a Pirate faction, but they took it a little too overboard..

To be fair he stole PART of Palps hoard, after Palps and Vader were dead. It was also in the immediate aftermath of Endor which as we all know was utterly crazy and confused. I think they were too OP and I hated parts of the development but it was genuinely nice to play someone who was out for himself rather than the Rebels or Empire. He just wanted to get even, get rich and cash out. The voice acting for Silri, Zann and Urai wasn't bad either.
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February 19, 2015, 02:52:12 PMReply #11

Offline tlmiller

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The OP was the thing that made me not like them.  They were just too easy even on the hardest levels.
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February 19, 2015, 06:03:09 PMReply #12

Offline jordanthejq12

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Well, the campaign itself was easier. In the original the campaigns played like standard GCs outside of the story missions, especially the Rebels. If you want to take over the other systems before proceeding with story missions, like I do, you'd find Kashyyyk occupied with an orbiting fleet, for example, and the final mission never played out the same way because you never knew where the DS was gonna go. (One memorable playthrough of mine had me manage to intercept it above one of its own systems, clearing out the orbiting fleet first then simply sitting until it got there.)

In the Consortium campaign, on the other hand, not only do you have the corruption mechanics, but garrisons are fixed and the AI never builds up. There can be some tough fights outside of the story missions, but the AI only sends a few attacks after you. Literally all you have to do is seal the exits from Kuat (Nal Hutta and Kessel) and watch as the AI smashes its fleets against you. The size of those fleets did make for some interesting battles, but after a while all it is is another boring space defense.
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February 19, 2015, 07:26:12 PMReply #13

Offline CaptainPogo

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I always felt like as OP as they were, the Consortium would have crumbled if the Empire really did give a hoot about them and such rather than fight off the Rebels. I mean, I think Zann was smart enough to not consider being directly involved in the Galactic Civil War and just did what benefited him, not anyone else. If was gonna go 'Warlord" or something to that nature, I think he'd be the earliest one out of the game.

Course, it won't exactly be an easy fight but I think either the New Republic or Imperial Remnant can put out a win in the long run should they fight the Consortium as a top priority.

« Last Edit: February 19, 2015, 07:30:26 PM by CaptainPogo »

February 20, 2015, 11:12:44 AMReply #14

Offline Lord Xizer

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I always felt like as OP as they were, the Consortium would have crumbled if the Empire really did give a hoot about them and such rather than fight off the Rebels. I mean, I think Zann was smart enough to not consider being directly involved in the Galactic Civil War and just did what benefited him, not anyone else. If was gonna go 'Warlord" or something to that nature, I think he'd be the earliest one out of the game.

Course, it won't exactly be an easy fight but I think either the New Republic or Imperial Remnant can put out a win in the long run should they fight the Consortium as a top priority.

Well Zann was smart enough to know his limits. Even Black Sun could have crushed him had they been so inclined. He even says as much when Urai asks him to take the Eclipse and the vaults to try and be Emperor, Zann points out it wouldn't work. Apparently according to an earlier post I read the Consortium was destroyed at some undisclosed point before Shadow Hand began.
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May 11, 2015, 01:03:03 PMReply #15

Offline Revan0123

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Well, the campaign itself was easier. In the original the campaigns played like standard GCs outside of the story missions, especially the Rebels. If you want to take over the other systems before proceeding with story missions, like I do, you'd find Kashyyyk occupied with an orbiting fleet, for example, and the final mission never played out the same way because you never knew where the DS was gonna go. (One memorable playthrough of mine had me manage to intercept it above one of its own systems, clearing out the orbiting fleet first then simply sitting until it got there.)

In the Consortium campaign, on the other hand, not only do you have the corruption mechanics, but garrisons are fixed and the AI never builds up. There can be some tough fights outside of the story missions, but the AI only sends a few attacks after you. Literally all you have to do is seal the exits from Kuat (Nal Hutta and Kessel) and watch as the AI smashes its fleets against you. The size of those fleets did make for some interesting battles, but after a while all it is is another boring space defense.
You're not the only one who did that strategy. One point, I got so bored with the AI always trying the same tactic that I actually pulled my fleets back from Kessel and Nal Hutta just to spice things up a bit.

That's right, I was so bored that I was LETTING the AI kick my arse...

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