Trust Me

Rule 30: A little trust goes a long way. The less you use, the further you'll go.
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates - Schlock Mercenary

After checking out the insanity of Curzon Dax's scam(thanks Mynx), I thought I'd point you towards another guy who's trying to take your money.

Whatever you do, don't trust this site. It's entertaining, but be wary of his "contests". The fella that runs it is a very smart guy who likes to take people's isk.

I had a post last week about how important honor is to me, and I think it got misread. You see, I have a great deal of respect for the shadier elements of eve. They make playing eve a real experience instead of some stupid child's game. I don't lie, but if no one ever lied, this would be such a boring game. Hell, it'd be a boring life.

I've never been taken in a scam, never been taken in a ransom, never once been suckered into a duel that didn't have my guys closer than the gank squad about to drop on me. The few times someone came into my missions to salvage and loot, I let him(mostly I just blitz missions, so they come away doubly disappointed).

I've yet to be victimized. But this is a game where it can happen anytime, to anyone.

So please, remember this:
1: A little trust goes a long way. The less you use, the further you'll go.
2: You will trust some people eventually. Some people really won't scam you... but...
3: People will build trust in order to get your money. Take care to recognize real friends.
4: If you somehow get caught in High-Sec by PvPers, never... EVER pay a ransom. Low-Sec is hit or miss, but High-Sec ransoms are almost always scams.
5: Making money takes work or patience. Some IPO's are good, the unrealisticly good ones are scams. Banks in Eve are always scams. Money is never free unless you give it to someone.

Most of all? For gods sake, pay attention.

Damn Carebears

I've been rapping for about seventeen years okay?
I don't write my stuff anymore.
I just kick it from my head, you know what I'm sayin?
I can do that.
No disrespect but that's how I am.
Ratatat - Seventeen Years

Turns out a post of mine last week seriously pissed off some carebears.

This was to be expected.

To show there are no hard feelings, I thought I'd give the Honorless Internet Jerks a bit of free publicity by linking their latest recruitment video.



Since they tend to take things pretty seriously(I mean, apparently anyhow) I should mention pretty strongly that this is a joke.

They're pretty good at high sec ganking without war decs, which is something I lack as a skill. Though it doesn't look hard at all, looks can be deceiving.

Merry Christmas!

Giving In

Take all of your wasted honor
Every little past frustration
Take all of your so-called problems,
Better put 'em in quotations
John Mayer - Say

Honor isn't something to be poked fun at. I see folks making jokes about the kinds of people that use real world principles in an online game. E-Honor they call it.

I don't use real world principles in an online game, I use real world principles.

I respect that some folks play differently. That's just not me, and I hope we can see more respect for my kind of mindset in the future.

I honor ransoms. I honor duels. I do what I say I'm going to do. If I don't, I can't pretend it's just my character doing it, because I know better.

You might not agree, but leave me alone about it.

Good Day

Dramiel Personae

When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on earth. So what the hell, leap.
Cynthia Heimel

I had a feeling I wasn't the only one to figure this out.

There are a few of us pilots who've been keeping something from the rest of you. Nothing about it's abilities jump out at you when you're looking at it's stats. However a fair few of us have plugged it into EFT and found it to be an unrivaled frigate.

With an unheard of combination of speed, tank, DPS, and maneuverability: Say hello to the Dramiel.

[Dramiel, AB Tanky]
Overdrive Injector System II
Overdrive Injector System II
Damage Control II

Medium F-S9 Regolith Shield Induction
Invulnerability Field II
Coreli C-Type 1MN Afterburner
Warp Scrambler II

200mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S
'Arbalest' Rocket Launcher I, Caldari Navy Gremlin Rocket
200mm AutoCannon II, Republic Fleet EMP S

Small Polycarbon Engine Housing I
Small Polycarbon Engine Housing I
Small Core Defence Field Extender I


Hobgoblin II x3
Hobgoblin II x1


Start with the basics. It's a cheap fit compared to other Dramiel fits you'll see floating around. While scrammed you'll still go 2500 meters a second. Overloaded it goes 3500 meters a second. It aligns with the Afterburner off at the insane speed of 1.9 seconds. It does the same at 3.2 with it on. If single webbed, you'll go 1000 meters a second while also being in scram range of the target.

It has a 7.5k EHP tank. That includes a 69.4% shield resist to explosive. Which covers the Warrior II's that you'll most likely see sent after you.

Oh and for the hell of it, why not 187 DPS? While that's not as great as a Taranis or Daredevil, it is impressive for a frigate, and that is on top of all the other things it does well.

It is, in my opinion, the ultimate frigate heavy tackle.

I managed to pick up two Blue Prints for 70 million a little while back. I built them and I've flown them, and I love 'em.

That said, get the Dramiel for one very simple reason above all else: It is among the coolest looking ships in Eve. Seriously.

In the Winter

Richard tells his brothers not to cower but to take it like men and Geoffrey says, 'You fool! As if it matters how a man falls down.' And Richard says, 'When the fall's all that's left, it matters a great deal.'"
Toby Ziegler - The West Wing

"You don't think it's funny?" A prisoner looked up from his plate to the man sitting on the cot across from him.

"Son, I don't think it matters," The man on the bunk shook his head sadly and looked at the shadow the bars were casting on the floor of the cell, "I'm here to listen. You told the courts you were Monathian. I'm a priest with the local order,"

"I told them that because the Monathians don't believe in a death penalty. I figured the broken Gallente system would spit me out or something. Turns out they want to respect my religion all the way up to the part where they kill me. Watch out for that drip,"

"What?" The priest looked up just as a drop of water fell onto his cheek. He flinched for a moment before wiping it away. He then stood and moved further down the bunk.

The prisoner took another bit of his food, before continuing, "That drip's been there like clockwork for the last year. I could keep time with the thing. It annoyed me at first, and I'm sure that's why it's there. These bastards probably set this place up to be as annoying as possible. No rest for the damned, right?" The man laughed softly as he drank from the cup on his right, "But after a while, I realized something. See, no matter how hard they try to keep things out of here... it always finds a way in. Always,"

"Son, isn't it possible that the leak is just from a sink or something on the floor above you?" The priest motioned his hands upwards.

"You're uh... you're kind of a downer," The prisoner shook his head and smiled, "You want to know about my sins?"

"What sins would those be?"

"Well, I believe... and you can correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe that I'm guilty of conspiracy and treason. All of course in the service of the Caldari State,"

"Those are crimes son, not sins,"

"Then I'm not guilty of anything,"

"Alright son," The priest stood up and moved towards the door.

"Wait though. See, I'm not long for this world. It would be nice to have someone to talk to,"

The priest stopped for a moment as if to think, then sat back down, "Ok,"

"See, one day I looked out at the stars, and call me crazy, but I got scared. Lots of stars, and lots of possible people carrying bullets with various names on them. Maybe mine. So why don't we start to work together I think. Why be at each others throats? Lots of things out in the darkness will eventually come to gobble us whole... why wait for it while weakening ourselves?"

"Son," The priest began before being cut off.

"No, let me finish. So there I was, looking up at the... one day we'll unite with them, you know? We've got to. We were one before and we'll be one again. It's just a matter of time. One day soon, we'll be brothers again and inherit the stars. If I gotta be a martyr for that to happen, fine. I can do that. I hear it's not that hard,"

_________________________________________

The prisoner stood, strapped to a table. His eyes wide, the lighting just perfect. The cameras of the various news networks sat poised like vultures.

"You have been accused of treason against the Gallente Federation. You have been found guilty in a court by a jury of your peers. Your sentence is to be carried out immediately. Do you have anything you'd like to say?"

The speaker pushed his microphone forward as the prisoner yelled at the top of his voice, "Unification!"

Safety Breeds Sleepy

There are literally few things in the world that put me to sleep like piloting through high sec without a war dec active.

At least when I was in low-sec the promise of a gank could keep me awake. Now? Nothing.

Been moving stuff for a couple days, I'ma go get some sleep now.

Peace.