The problem I had with PS2 is the lack of reason to win and the inability to generally do so. However, games like PotBS gave an extra rare and more powerful piece of equipment for conquering the map on a given round. So what's the carrot for this game?

I don't know what PotBS is but the "carrot" can include but not limited to,

• Glorious combat focused on PvP but also has PvE.
• Teamplay with class role synergy vs asymmetric factions.
• Player fueled persistent war.
• Progression of your character classes and gear.
• Battle rewards that fuel your fighting.
• A campaign objective system which also give rewards as well as faction benefits.
• War Council leaders made up of players that direct the armies to achieve the Campaign objectives.
• Being awesome.

Considering the Rogue Trader Store is a thing, I wouldn't be surprised if campaign winners get exclusive wargear, among other things

Here are just a few of the EC "Carrots" that are going to make this game a very unique experience (....hopefully): http://forum.eternalcrusade.com/threads/dangerous-repetitiveness.46299/page-3#post-797353

Oh hey there that is. I actually tried to find that list to link here but I forgot where it was and who said it.

@ Kor'El and Rikamar
Reading over the OP's comment, I don't think OP is asking "what's the reason to pick up Eternal Crusade in the first place?" I think OP is asking "what's the incentive to not just play, but to win? What are the rewards for helping your team win a battle, conquer a fortress, defeat the enemy in a campaign?"

And the question is still answered, if you want a reason why to play there is other threads for it but the ones they used fit our interpenetration of what the OP asked for

Except I can't say that thread we got linked to really answers OP's question. I can't even say that it answer its own topic title. That thread shows what the shiny objects are that attract magpies, when OP wants to know what the carrot is to lure along the old, jaded mule you've already attracted last year

The thread we got linked to advertises awesomeness. It advertises "huge PvE and PvP battles! Fight Carnifexes! Day-Night cycles! Vehicles! Excecutions!" Problem is, those are how you invite new players, not how you keep existing players to remain playing, because awesomeness is fleeting

You see, every MMO game, no matter how awesome its premise, gets boiled down to a grind. Warframe learned this, and made steps to solve it. The game is about magic, hyperadvanced space ninjas in space, fighting robots and stormtroopers in space. That's AWESOME!
But after 200 hours, to say nothing of 2,000, it starts to get repetitive and grindy. It needed something else, it needed both new content in the form of regular updates, and exclusive rewards for playing every day, in the form of "tactical objective" badges/weapons/sigils that were only available for five days. Both of these keep existing players playing

OP is, indirectly, asking for the same thing. What reason do I have to keep coming back to EACH campaign, instead of just running one campaign and feeling I'd seen the entire game?

My theory is: exclusive wargear, similar to the stuff in the Rogue Trader Store but limited to each special campain

There should be several "carrots", tokens to exchange for gear and/or randomized boxeds of rewards (special ammo, grenades etc, this is really old info btw...) I guess we should summon @NoahWard to talk about this since he is in charge of the in-game economy.

Things like faction bonus and other team resources will probably exist, even if lone wolf or small squads don't care about those,clans and the war council will certainly do.

The big carrot for me will be the campaign, my faction is underrepresented or used as a punching bag on the blacklibrary, so if I can make them kick some mary sue ass in some short stories or even books by beating marines ingame I will try my hardest.