In the last podcast the Ransoms and Roams crew discussed what makes a pirate versus just being a low-sec pvp'er. The long and short of it was that it takes more than just a -10 sec status to be a pirate. One thing we discussed was making some isk from piracy, namely ransoming people. Many "outlaws" never, or almost never, use this tactic. Some only ransom pods. Only ransoming the pod though is limiting your possibilities for a payout in my opinion. Others find the idea silly, who wants a wallet flashing for a few seconds when you can a shiny kill on the board forever? For a dedicated pirate though... it can be a really exciting way to help support your pvp career.
There is a lot that goes into ransoms, you have to have a target that is worth something, has an ability to pay, you have to negotiate terms, you have a time investment that can get you hunted down by others during the process, etc. For some it's just not worth the trouble. For others, myself included, it's an art form, and when successful is sometimes it's own reward far beyond the isk generated. It's a good feeling to stick a gun in someone's face, demand their cash, get paid, then watch them leave system with a little less isk and a lot less dignity.
One road block to demanding ransoms I think some people face is a desperation to put kills on the board. This can be a real problem in the case of heavily competitive corporations, or it can be entirely imagined as might be the case for pilots that feel stats and numbers are the end-all-be-all of gaining respect. If you find yourself in either of those scenarios, well then my friend, you're doing it wrong. Especially if you consider yourself a Pirate.
Pirates of the 18th century were free men, they elected their captains democratically, they sought to make their livings through combat rather then tedious manual labor, or even worse, they had escaped servitude and had no other means to sustain themselves. I think there are many of us who call ourselves "pirates" in eve that romanticize the notion that pirates are the true free men, going into the dangerous waters and taking what we can, while avoiding capture and punishment. We have no other means of support. Combat must be profitable if we are to continue doing it. You certainly won't find us mining in a .9 system or running lvl 4 Caldari Navy missions. Life in a 0.0 alliance, ratting for our isk? Not a chance for us true free men.
Another argument for ransoming people, and this one is more practical and less philosophical as above, is the additional rewards you can sometimes obtain. If you are a seasoned ransomer you may have found yourself in situations where people that have paid you will sometimes come back and offer to pay you for blue-status. Sometimes your services may be requested for a fee. Other times, having demonstrated your self a man of your word as well as skilled with weapons, you are invited into intel channels. A true goldmine can await in those channels at times. I remember a particular "carebear" that sold ships in a high-sec pocket surrounded by low-sec, many times he would give us pirates a heads up on sales of Orca's and BS's in exchange for a fleet invite for his alt to get in on the action. We got some decent kills from that arrangement.
Well, I would never tell another pirate how to fly, but I hope I've made at least some one out there reconsider ransoms.
No comments:
Post a Comment