I've heard Syndicate referred to as "The Playground of Alts" in the past and I suppose that is partially accurate, but like many generalizations it doesn't tell the whole story. While it has been my experience that we often see what must be other players "alt" characters in the region, this is such a small percentage of what is going on daily that it matters little in the grand scheme of things.
More importantly, in my opinion, Syndicate sits wedged between some of the most active space in all of New Eden. As NPC Space Syndicate is perfectly aligned between major Sov holders and Empire access, it is in many ways a Super-Highway of opportunity. I'm generally on between eight and fourteen hours a day and the traffic, while it has its peaks and valleys, never really stops. Large lumbering fleets, small to medium sized gangs, solo ships, covert spy alts, you name it and we see it. This makes Syndicate one of the more interesting regions that I've flown in.
It isn't without its unique challenges however. Generally speaking it doesn't have much in the "medium" category, not in gang size, but in player experience. Targets generally fall into two categories in the region, those that know what they're doing and do it well and those that are Noobs. We don't see much in the way of the Cruiser class player, the easier targets that so many in New Eden use to pamper their killboard stats with. (You know who you are, heck we've all done it.)
No, generally speaking in this region the opposing players know what they are doing. Hardened by life under the gun they are, and I say this with all due respect, some of the best pilots I've ever flown against. I don't say that in awe or anything, they explode just like the rest of us, but I say it in thanks really. There are some really horrible pilots in this universe and these are not them. In my opinion the only way to become better is by facing better competition.
Where would Larry Bird be without Magic? Ali without Frazier?
In many ways Syndicate is more the "The Playground of Bullies" with groups fighting over their corner of the playground and a scattering of smaller groups trying to get easy kills. We have it all in the region and "all" is a very broad definition that includes hot-dropping Carriers, Long-Range Tempests, spies, cyno alts, bomber gangs, dual-tanked Falcons and just about any other combination of enemy you can imagine.
Such a world might not be for everyone. And eventually it might not be for me either. But right now, just like that tall cold glass of water, this was exactly what I wanted. A playground to play in, a place to hone my bully fighting skills and face off against the weird, the determined and the odd.
We'll see how it goes. In a week Lucifer's Hammer is 22-6 and we're still waiting on our new pilots to fully join our ranks. A good start that can only get better.