Crime & Punishment

Part 6: Avoiding Scams & Other Trickery:

I cannot tell you how many times I have ran across those so willing and eager to trust those even being a mere acquaintance. It is said that the term Gullible is not in the dictionary. If you actually went to check that please stop reading this guide right now and go back to mining.

There is nothing worse being on the **** end of a scam. People feel betrayed, hurt, angry, sad, furious even to the point of posting rage posts (just look to a few on the front page for perfect examples). As a Pirate though we have NO feelings! I'll admit there are a few unworthy saps I felt bad for but as the old saying goes that's Eve.

Gut instinct tends to be the best indication. If it's too good to be true it probably is and more often than naught results in the loss of one's ship or even assets. Pirates are a dirty band by themselves and attempting to join can be perilous. A perfect example is a certain pilot who shall not be named whom passed me in Khanid not a week ago.

This character was from Li3 and had seen me flying around before so he struck up conversation. We got to BSing and already I was laying on the silver tongue pretty thick. He became intrigued when I spoke of the kills we were getting and all the goodies dropped from a particular Mach kill. However my scams in a particular corp intrigued him and it was obvious to me that greed was getting the better of him.

I asked him casually what types of ships he had when he spoke of how distasteful his experience thus far had been. I pushed the issue a little more until I eventually got him to fess up of him owning a Carrier. I immediately was on the horn with others and the plan was enacted. He agreed to join but had work and other commitments so it had to be postponed till the next day.

We formed up and sure enough said pilot was ready and eager. With a Maelstrom and his entire livelihood in his cargo hold, I fleeted him and sat in space in a Cyno fit Megathron ready for him. A simple command by him to light cyno was all it took. With the hull of a gleaming Nidhoggur in sight our HICS began their work as swarms of other deadly comrades swarmed into view all eager for the kill.

A few minutes later and the Carrier was a smoldering heap of wreckage in the deepness of space. The dismayed pilot was taken aback and hopefully for his sake learned a valuable yet harsh lesson. We gave him a one way trip back to Li3 space and the spoils all went to myself. Not too shabby for a few hours of simple sweet talking.

The moral of the story is trust NO ONE. People whom you've known as friends could suddenly turn enemies in the blink of an eye. Comrades could turn rouge and Pirates especially if seeing an opportunity are almost certain to jump on the chance for riches and tears.

Part 7: Scamming And The Art Of A Silver Tongue:

Scamming is my bread and butter as a Pirate. Besides splitting loot in kills or other various little things like bounties I've found myself to be quite sufficient in Eve by taking the riches of others. For better or worse it's addicting. So much so, that I've taken it upon myself to refine tactics, gather various information on players, and the hardest is remaining patient.

As a Pirate, scamming is what makes you isk. Ransoms and other things have potential yet pulling a fast one on a rich player or an unsuspecting corporation can lead to wealth so vast you could fund your entire Eve career if played right. So how does one scam? The best method I have seen is by having multiple accounts.

This may seem almost out of reach for newer people or unwanted due to cost yet even a spare account is crucial for many many things. From scouting to intel planting, having an alt or two is the chink in many a players armor that is needed. It's like cracking a safe. An alt character is merely the tool to do it.

Making an alt for a certain purpose depends on what type of corp you are trying to scam. Wormhole corps tend to need logistical pilots such as freighter pilots, mining, and some relative combat skills to fend off against the players claim. This is the perfect scenario you are looking for. A corp not demanding, yet needful of people.

Wormholes take a LOT of work and coming across as a new and eager carebear you can soon find yourself welcomed with open arms. Tact Is necessarily. Laying it on too thick will raise questions of credibility while a lack of interest will show just that and a potential boot.

It is helpful to even create a backstory to your potential "persona" when greeted on comms. I have already used many alias's and stories to keep those interested and the willingness to be humble and learn (aka kiss ass) seems to work when these types are subjected to flattery.

When to strike and pull the rug out from under them is entirely up to you. Stealing a faction battleship may seem worthy att the time, yet waiting a few weeks to gain access to the alliances wealth could lead to that haul being 10 or even 100 times that of a single vessel. Knowing when to act and plan is something only you can develop based upon intel, timing, and experience.

(continued on post three)

You completely forgot the best and sweetest pirate treat........Carebear tears........

Awesome Post...

Enjoyed that. You should actually post this in the New Player Forum for those looking to become the future villains.

sticky for this one!

come back

this

Part Eight: Ransoms. The Do's And Do Not's.

Many people here may disagree with me on this portion. Honoring ransoms is up to the individual, Yet I find not honoring them dishonorable and despicable. Ransoming is quite simple yet could be perilous if you are caught up in the moment. One thing a good Pirate does is always be on the alert. Watching local for spikes or the hesitation of said victim is a clear indication he is calling for backup.

Eve is a game of numbers and attrition. being in a lone Battlecruiser against 5 or 6 of your victims friends will result in a ship loss and a mark against you. It is always a best practice to give a victim a time limit and STICK with it. If you say 45 seconds you'd better mean it. If he keeps saying hold on he is stalling. Therefore blow him up.

It is also a best practice to be aligned out in case of a local spike or worse, a hot drop. Many big alliances rely upon hot drops to move fleets and in my opinion it is game breaking in a sense. Not only does one need to be weary of players entering from gates or wormholes, but now your potential target has the means to bring backup in an instant. Therefore always be aligned out and ready to leave.

Also do not fret if the player tells you to **** off. A lucky lock after his ship goes poof can lead to an actual higher ransom than that of his ship. Many players fly with implants with pods ranging from a few million to the price of a capital ship. A good rule of thumb is to use the characters corp history and age as an indication as well as an external history on his losses.

Eve Kill or Battleclinic is a handy tool and if said player has a history of flying big things or is for example a G00N or TEST member, it could potentially mean payday and in a big way.

Another rule of thumb on ship ransoms is to go about 75% of the cost of said hull and potential modules. A player with a Tengu or a faction fitted BS will be more than willing to accept the payment of half their ships worth rather than seeing it go up in a poof of smoke.

Remember. Ransoming is thrilling and rewarding. It also has the potential to backfire. Keep your wits about you at all times and you'll be seeing that wallet blink in no time.

Part Nine: Security Status And Bye Bye High Sec.

As a Pirate living in Low Sec i wear the -10 security status with pride. It's an indication of ones ruthlessness and disregard for "civilized" space. I will only touch briefly on this since there are high sec Pirates and those whom roam in null without a sec status hit. These I call "Alternate Griefers" or those who do not take the consequences as traditional Pirates do.

While High Sec and Null Sec Piracy is indeed a relevant and profitable means I find it bland. Again this is my own opinion so we shall touch upon sec status hits and how to survive in low security space with supplies, ships and their respected fittings.

As a new player you will start out with a neutral standing. However running missions for certain NPC corporations as well as a few skills in the "Social" tab of potential skills can raise your security status. This either indicates the player dwells in High Sec or is a Null Sec roamer.

If you see a person with a negative security status it means said player has engaged in crimes deemed by CONCORD to be worthy of barring a player from entering High Sec. There are ways around this, and as your bloodlust grows so will ones negative standings.

Pod kills in particular drop ones sec status like a rock into a pond. So how does one survive or traverse High Sec or begin to live in Low Sec? Well there are a few ways in which I shall outline.

1. Join A Corporation Or alliance.

There is no doubt that strength in numbers is an accurate description of Eve. By joining a group of like minded thugs and villains, you put yourself smack dab into what could potentially a be very profitable and deadly crime syndicate. Not only will a well established entity have pilots with combat ships, but those of logistical means (and no we aren't talking about Guardian pilots.)
Logistical corps especially Pirates play by their own rules. By having alternate accounts (again important) players have means of training up hauling alts to bring in much needed supplies into lawless space.

They also (normally) will do it for corp members free of charge. Remember having pilots with ships hot on standby is a necessity for any competent group. So having the means to fight is crucial.

2. Train An Alternate Character.

We touched briefly on the subject of alts so here I will go a little more in depth. Training one's alt for a freighter or a JF can make yourself limitless in what you can provide yourself and other fellow nasty comrades with as well. It keeps the fights going, and furthermore provides a means to once again use said character to scam any corps you may run across whom need haulers.

Remember yeah he may be training boring hauling skills. But who else is going to help scoop all the loot from that POS you just stole? Planning and thinking ahead are crucial to executing profitable scams. Don't underestimate alts and their abilities to give you an edge.

3. Hire A Freighter Corp.

It may not be the first choice, but if you truly are living on your own alleviating the pressures of a move can certainly free up time to do other things such as gather intel, or scount for potential targets.

4. Blockade Runner

As a Pirate you can still traverse high sec without being killed. It just requires being in a fast, nimble ship to do so before the Navy catches you or other players. Snot nosed carebears are all too eager so shoot something flashy red so be alert for those cuddly little miners to attempt to enact revenge.

(Look for Post 4. Also thank you all very much for the responses. If you want this stickied please say so!)

Made me smile

I guess we could blob targets to death like you, that would be fun.

So simply put it pays off in the long run. Fair point.