I don't like the Zuma. Dwilight was not advertised as an island with NPC presence, a la Beluaterra, so their presence can correctly be said to be a surprise that was sprung on the players without their input or any chance to decline their presence ahead of time.
The essence of Vellos' argument should not be construed as an attack on the Zuma GM. The essence of the argument is that the very presence of an NPC faction of unknowable and quite possibly (effectively) unlimited power does by it's very nature warp the player to player interaction that would otherwise be taking place and that, normally, forms the essence of Battlemaster. Like a black hole, their existence is a plot sink. All other plots in its vicinity are inexorably drawn to it. You can't really afford to ignore them, because maybe somebody else won't. Your every action must be carefully considered in light of what effect it might have on the Zuma. Your every plan must take into account what might happen if the Zuma suddenly wake up and decide to interfere with you. The argument that the Zuma respond only to player stimulus doesn't matter, because even if you assiduously avoid provoking them, you must always take into account the possibility that your human opponents may not, that they may even contrive to send the Zuma against you, just like Terrence did, and he is only one of several examples of this happening. The very power of the Zuma (and their incredible penchant for immediately overreacting to even unproven allegations) begs them to be manipulated by daring, reckless, or otherwise overconfident players, and therefore provides a sort of publicly available nuclear option for anyone desperate or crazy enough to not mind the risk of provoking them for the chance that they'll take someone (or something) out.
They overshadow all of the normal politics and intrigue that occur in the southwest. Now that they've proven that they won't limit themselves to such an area, they must be considered in the actions of anyone on the western half of the continent. It's like trying to have a gunfight in the same room as tank full of volatile explosives. You end up being more cautious than you otherwise would so as to avoid blowing yourself up. Its very presence automatically limits what you can or will do when pursuing conflicts against your enemies, be they military, religious or political. I have no problem with the Zuma GM. I will not, as others have, argue that they have been irrational, inconsistent, or otherwise badly played. I will say that I think Dwilight would be more interesting without them. I personally believe that the restrictive effect they have on human conflict of all sorts outweighs in a negative sense any positive contribution that they make in terms of providing an RP experience to that limited number of players that seeks to deal with them directly. That's why I don't like them.
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