Warfare & Tactics

There are some pirates in this lowsec that I want, they do not want to fight my fleet. They gatecamp quite a bit but run at the first sight of a competent group.

Such cowardice.

I am looking to get a ship heavily tanked with multiple points and a cyno to hotdrop a fleet on top of.

They'll be in for a surprise.

What is a great bait ship to bait these cowards and hotdrop to kill them?

If they have a uniform fleet comp, or a consistent MO for engagments, make a drake fit with no prop mod, a Scram/Web and a cyno. Fit for specific damage resistance based on their play style with one hardener, an invuln, and two LSEs, with dcu II, and all power diagnostics in the lows, and triple extender rigs, your highs should be heavy missilesx6, cyno, and a medium neut if possible. Drones should be ECM. Set directional scanner for 2,000,000KM on 360 deg.

Go to belt to rat, wait for target, once they land warp to a planet @ zero and hope they follow (remaining in belt = obvious trap). If they follow, scram/web them and begin engaging with HML's. Do not light cyno yet.

Wait for local to spike, if it does not solo the guy, and launch ECM drones. If it does spike, get ready with ECM drones and neut. On arrival of reinforcements, neut any ships reliant on CAP, and put the ECM dones on their biggest DPS ship, or falcon. Once shields are at 75% with fleet in local, or on D-Scan, light cyno.

Added point, you can use traditional cyno as an cyno for Covert ops gang.

-DT

Dominix with 6 points, if you think they'll turn tail as soon as they cyno-lights.

Drake, Prophecy, Maller, Dominix are all "obvious" bait.

How about a recon?

Triple plated Hurricane, triple plated Harbinger, double plated Diemost, double plated Zealot, would all be decent choices. Ships that aren't especially renowned for their tank, but which can get well over 100kEHP if you fit them right.

The key with any bait ship is to act dumb and have majority of their gang agress on you before lighting cyno. If they are on the gate, even better. Once they are agressed they cannot jump, being lowsec the gate guns just add to the DPS. As previously suggested anything with a massive tank and pubbie looking like a raven is a good bait. I have had good success with battle badgers as well, the tank is not massive but they are cheap and last long enough to have your hotdrop fleet to cyno through. Plus pirates have this hardon for indy ships, so it almost always grantees aggression.

The pirate gate campers we hotdrop typically die in rather hilarious ways. The local chat goes from "trol lol lol, we ownz u" to "damn blobbers, we didn't want that [name 1B ship here] anyways". When baiting and about to be agressed, always call out for most expensive ships to be primaries first. Jam the logies if they are still on grid.

"Plus pirates have this hardon for indy ships, so it almost always grantees aggression."

Confirming that it is indeed 100% guaranteed that pirates will violence your indie ship. A mining barge is eve better!

could somebody explain to a noob, what's involved with this hotdrop? Is it just bringing in a carrier or something? Can other ships come in too?

Arazu

Armor drake with 6 long points