I found this recently playing as Nakalim, I couldn't use Privateers to attack factions who were at peace; I then went to cold war status, and still couldn't attack, which is bizarre considering I had that religious mandatory law so, non-privateers could have done it.

Faction in question was United Empire, who were trying to retake a system I "gifted" to the Academy.

The one time in the past I used privateers was as Vodyani, when an ally took the Academy system I needed for my quest, and that certainly worked. So this must be some form of bug, because the entire point of privateers is using them to attack your "friends" is it not? Appears to basically just be an expensive disguise that you have to shed to attack.

PARAdoxiBLE wrote:
It's not you are friendly with them. The pirates are.

Interesting. I never spent time thinking of that. You're saying that you can't use privateers if the faction you use them against is the one that currently has the NAP? That's cool. Makes sense, I just never even thought of that.

I still think it's a bug that Pirate relations aren't reset once the Pirate League is wiped out. Whoever was friendly with the Pirates at that time gets forever immunity from Privateers...