Warfare & Tactics

That is the question.

I've been wondering about why players seem to be so keen on podding other players after the ship has been destroyed.

My thought process is this.

First of all podding seems to give a massive security hit. Apart from bragging rights this doesn't offer anythign positive and, besies, a pilot with a large negative rating from destroying hundreds of ships and not podding is t be more feared than one who has destroyd fewer ships but tries to destroys the opponent's capsule.

If it were for loott and the pilot is in a better ship then it would make more sense to allow the defeated pilot to return quicker than waitig for him to crawl out the clone vats which could be a lot further away than the replacement ship. Besides, if one pods another player then he's less likely to want to return for another swing and, as a pirate, one would wish to have one's targets to return time and time again.

the only time when I can see podding as a valid strategem is when one is trying to clear out an area of New Eden but for the most part this in't going to be the situation.

So, my question is; what is the underlying rationale for podding shipwrecked victims? Is there one or is it simply a case that the game is now full of players who confuse Eve with a first peson shooter console game?

Thanks, I do realise that it's going to cost the other player more ISK.

But unless I wanting the other player to leave an area where I am then I would rather him lose ISK to me in the form of loot rather than to someone else selling implants.

As for 'Stay Down'. I wouldn't want him to. I would rather he go and sut himself down, get another ship and lose that to me again.

This is really my point; do I want to make it personal? I don't think that I do as this would be of no advantage to me.


Look at this from the point of view of a playground bully. Do I want that little brat in the first form to give me his dinner money each week or do I want to give him a hell of a thrashng and humiliate him so much that he gives it me to once and he changes schools?


A good point made by the Pilot's Path. that's worth considering.

Just do it

In low-sec everyone and their dog has implants so the sec hit is usually worth the isk hit to the other player. Flashy red gatecampers in particular tend to have several hundred million isk in implants on even their cheapest clone.

In null there's no sec hit so why not?

You can justify it whatever way you want but a pod is no different to a ship IMHO.

Edit - what the OP is failing with is that he/she is attempting to bring their own morality into Eve. I do understand and once upon a time I did the same (I still don't scam/steal) but its basically a very stupid thing to do. There is no death in Eve - same as the FPS you mock - so morality over "killing" somone is asinine to say the very least.

Now if one is doing PvP for a source of income having a mark change school isn't going to be any use whatsoever.

A valid point about fleet battles. The only times I've been in a fleet was a less than well organised roam into Low-Sec with no real aims and goals and a few weeks in RvB which, if nothing else, showd me how not to run a fleet.

I've got bored with High-Sec and I am thinking of moving my focus down in Low-Sec or 0.0. But, it's case of working out a strategy. At the moment, I can't work out the advantages of someone running solo, either pirating or fighting pirates, and destroying pods.

I think you'll find he's very much in the (tiny) minority in sov null.

A pod instawarps so you're going to have to pop bubbles/smartbomb to get it - popping a bubble on gate is ALWAYS risky as you're going to take 1 min aggro timer. Smartbombs likewise.

By NOT killing the pod in sov null when you have the chance you force people in your corp/alliance to take chances to kill the pod (who is likely getting/passing intel all the time). If they subsequently get baited and popped doing that then its YOUR fault.

Hell I've seen people lose their ship, get out with pod and STILL be FCing the fleet in a pod an hour later.

i don't agree. Smart guy in RL can be total badass and rob/scam/kill many people without any consequences. There is a lot of examples from history. There is only one real brake to each person: his own soul. You decide for yourself who you are.

The same is for the game. You are your own judge. And game rules don't matter.

Generally if i am in low sec and i catch a pod I am going to try to ransom it. If he wont pay then he pays the price another way. In null sec its a different story.

If I catch a pod during a major fleet flight I may kill it but I am going to shoot his friends in existing ships before I worry about it. Generally the FCs in large fleet fights wont want you to kill pods right away because the enemy can go back to their home station and pick up a new ship and be right back in the fight again. It is better to let them take the slow boat home or self destruct while killing his friends still on the field.

If it is just a small skirmish or a gank I am going to kill the pod. Why wouldnt I? PVP in eve is cruel and harsh and the results of getting caught ratting or traveling unscouted through gates is also just as harsh. People who PVP in EVE look at their kill boards as keeping score. Pod kills may not show up on most of the kill boards but they are counted towards total kill on eve kill and other kill boards. And even in null sec people generally have some kind of implants in. They may not be all flying around in +5s but many are going to lose some money from the loss of the pod.

1. Killmails
2 ....
Uh...

There is no other reason players podkill.

Corpses for my corpse container \o/
Soon my tea party will be upgraded to a full on banquet of corpses all dressed up prim and proper like lords and ladies :D

I will pod someone under the following conditions:

Has delicious delicious bounty on him.
Refuses to pay ransom
Has support inbound or we fought in crazy busy system.

I won't pod if:

I can extract a ransom
They offer to pay me
Someone interfere's

Also - I want MOAR security status hit :P