The Drums of War

War Decs have been sent out. For the first time since I started playing I am not worried. I am not fretting. I'm not uncomfortable. I am also interested, for once, in the targets of the decs.

War Decs have been a touchy subject for me in Eve. I understand why so many people like meaningless decs that seem to be nothing more than a paid for hall pass to PvP in high sec. I have never cared for them. However, this time, I have interest.

Molden Heath has become home to several new, large entities. They seem to fly with each other or at least they have created social groups between themselves. The other side of the loop is full of blobs. Large fleets of people where not everyone has low security status. This makes any fight with them a matter of not only having to deal with larger fleets but also having to deal with gateguns and station guns. They will hug stations or camp stations and do their best to maneuver fights into gates because the gateguns give them an advantage. I can blame no one for this.

Enter the war declaration system. For a while, we will pay Concord to remove gate and station guns from our fights. We are what we are in size and in ability. We will take what strategic advantage is available to us. Like any other player of the game we too can use the mechanics of the game to our favor. Normally the gate and station guns are factored into what we do. But sometimes those factors change. Attempt to use the gate and station guns against us? We will remove them. 

Jump out to high security space? Sure. Until next week. Next week begins what will be, for some of us, the rise of our security status. Tactics will have to change for everyone. My game is not dictated by having a -10 for my security status. I am not a role player. I do not feel the need to give those who will bring forty ships against my fleet advantages because 'pirate'. Because someone wants me to give it to them? Because someone else wants to play 'anti-pirate' and wishes me to be their pirate?

No. We will identify ourselves as we wish. We will label ourselves as we are. The game is as much ours as it is theirs. Molden Heath is our home. These drums have already sounded across space to summon it's children home. The target rich environment is chum in the water for the sharks. Only the sharks are adaptable. They will adjust to the situation  change their tactics, and use their abilities to their advantage. Our advantage. 

At times like this, what defines a pirate? Some would say that we must have our outlaw sec status, we must endure gateguns, we must embrace what they want to have the advantage. We cannot ship up? We cannot step it up to change? Sometimes I wonder if people think that because we so cheerfully fly around in T1 cruisers and kitchen sink fleets that it is easy to forget that what we do and what we can do are different things. Or, it may be that the coordination and strategy surprises some. It is not exclusive to large scale organizations.

These are the moments where 'small gang PvP' is first in our description for a reason. Pirates we may be but pirates do not define who we are. Only we define that. What I have always loved about this group that I play with is that they do not shun tools when tools are needed. They may not be the first choice or the second. It may not be the most preferred game play or the most anticipated. But they will use what needs to be used and change and adapt as we need to change and adapt.

I was sad when 7-2 dropped war decs and we did not. The change in the fleet structure turned my participation into a liability for myself. Now, the ground is smoothing back out. My beloved fleet access has regained its flexibility.

None of this is personal. It isn't some type of fantastic vendetta upon which we have become obsessed. We're simply stepping up to the challenges before us instead of folding and running away as people seem to expect when they move into the area. The biggest negative about war decs is that other people will take them personally. Some become rather silly over the entire war target thing. That must be exhausting for them. I'm sure someone will say that this is just so that we can go to high sec and kill people and grief them so I will just say it now and that way hopefully, that check box is marked.