Ill Gotten Goods

Ganking happens.

Sometimes it is low sec. Sometimes it is high sec. Sometimes it is null sec. Sometimes it is expected. Sometimes it is not. It is the best of sites. It is the worst of jumps. It is having a full hauler. It is watching your pod eject as your ship explodes around you.

I don’t gank in high sec. Yet. I add the yet because I realize that those days are numbered. Eventually, my natural curiosity is going to win out. I am sure that it will happen after the new crime watch changes are in. I am not overly capable of doing the smart thing and trying to do it now when things may be a tad bit easier. I’ll have to be more careful about it then. I don’t think it’s a bad thing.

For now I am the receiver of ill gotten goods. At first I wrote stolen. Yet, as I tilt my head and debate the word I do not feel that stolen is the proper description for the booty. Someone I know has been ganking haulers for the last few days. He alphas T1 haulers. Overloaded, under tanked, the cargo optimizers and cargohold expanders turn them into paper. The alpha volleys turn them into paper going through a shredder. He ganks for enjoyment but being the rational person that he is he also ganks with an eye to at least break even if not come out ahead. That is a goal not a must. The two should never be confused when one looks at motivation. He makes his own game. His game just happens to be the expense of others.

There are lots of discussions about killboards and their value. I’ve often said that it is not about the killboards it is about the kills. When we are in chat and he posts his latest hauler, it is not because everyone is going to pat him on the back for the herculean effort of ganking a hauler. No one was frightened of that Iteron V fully loaded to the gills with nothing but expanded cargoholds fitted. The congratulations are that a kill happened. Good job. Exploding spaceships.

That is where I come in. I’m not some major player and flipper of goods. I’m not a market tycoon. We are called pirates for a reason. These times may be the most tangible manifestation of it. If one were to visualize it, there would be a smoky room with low ceilings and a card table with hard eyed dudes smoking around it. Someone would step in and drop a bag in the center of the table. Everyone would eye it and then eye the newcomer. Someone would hang him a cigarette and a beer and life would go on as they inventoried what was there and made offers.

While not as exciting, I often make offers for the loot that drops when the kills are posted. I’m not in it for the modules and other easy to access shinies. I’m in it for my industrial needs. Loot does not just mean officer modules. I picked up a stack of blue print originals, blue print copies, and megacyte for an amazing price the other day. He gets instant ISK without having to sort, price and move the goods. I get goodybags that remind me of attending birthday parties as a child.

While tears may fuel spaceships ISK buys them. And oh my are ill gotten goods fun. I now have a well researched Noctis BPC, three hurricane BPC and a stack of unresearched BPO in ammo and frigates. I too have some t2 ammo and fuel blocks. The fuel blocks are a bust. To make the BPC I will spend the same amount as if I were to just buy the fuel block. I don’t make planetary items. But, one of my new corpmates does. I purchased the entire stack for one price taking the good and the bad with it. Then I dig through and chortle at the lovely goodies.

I love this cycle.  I love that about this game.  I’m having seedy back ally deals (or chatroom).   It is another reason why we kill stuff.  There is so much focus on griefers and war decs and noob ganking that people miss the simple reason why any pirate would stalk the space lanes (other then tears).  

ISK.

I do so enjoy this game.