Warfare - Gremlin SquadronSkirmish Versus Conventional
Well, after the ten months I have spent in the Domain and Providence regions I can say without a doubt that most of the wars I have seen or witnessed have been fairly mediocre, uneventful, and somewhat disillusioning.
This is not to say that we cannot find wars that will keep us entertained twenty four hours a day seven days a week, but to say that given the variable factors, size of our own alliance, experience level of our pilots in PvP, and etc. we are kind of in PvP purgatory. We cannot yet field blobs on the fly yet we can field enough pilots to make the encounter of crucial importance. So declaring war against other major alliances will usually put us on the defensive beyond the borders of Providence at least.
Now before I go into any more tactical details which I have purposefully tried to avoid in this open blog medium, I want to go over what war seems to have shown me in EVE thus far. It shows me the same old story I learned in Warcraft, people are afraid to put their hard earned work on the line for the exact reason they worked so hard. Meaning, most people are all talk, and when they are actually faced with the dangerous scenario they so claimed to be prepared or even eager for, they tend to shut down and begin making excuses why they need a little more time to prepare, or some other rather frivolous reason. In one war we had, showing up with maybe half a dozen pilots with one or two battleships, and a smattering of T2 cruiser hulls, our war targets with a fleet of nearly a dozen battleships all docked up and refused to fight. How is this possible?
The unfortunate reality of EVE Online is that conventional warfare where the conflict is formalized through a declaration in order to hunt your targets in any and all space is rather one sided a majority of the time, at least when it comes to alliances of our size. We either vastly outnumber and experience our enemies, or are vastly outnumbered ourselves, though I have seen very few gangs that seemed as experienced as our flagship fleets are. When outnumbered, those same players who spent countless hours grinding ISK in some repetitive way will dock up at the drop of a hat and huddle like nameless masses seeking shelter in a storm. Thus, what do we find a majority of the time in Empire when trying to actually fight a conventional war? We find boredom. It is true that we could declare war on potentially bountiful targets such as Industry corporations or alliances, fledgling corporations, or just carebear entities in general. I just vastly despise the notion of hunting helpless prey, as I like my prey to have some fight in them; besides it being morally perfunctory to hunt prey solely based on the fact that they choose not to or do not for whatever reason fight back I find it a hollow pursuit that shows a lack of imagination and mental fortitude. This being within reasonable precluded parameters, however, as I would willfully and mercilessly hunt my assumed enemies to the ends of the game be they the ultimate carebear or not.
What then is the alternative if conventional warfare is a rare gem we are not likely to find in the game given the present size and scope of our alliance brethren? Well, skirmish warfare is the name of the game. However, this presents its own wide variety of pitfalls, shortcomings, and frustrations, just like conventional warfare. Whether it be darting into the sovereign territory of our enemies only to be chased back out minutes later, sitting around for hours hoping for enemies to show up, or chasing little groups of reds from one system to the next and playing the numbers game on whether or not we can snag even one of them, skirmish warfare presents its own unique set of challenges not all of which are like the glorious warfare we had imagined when subbing that first month on our accounts.
Now, don't get me wrong, defending or patrolling Providence to ensure it remains a relatively safe region for us to live and dwell in is of utmost importance, and we cannot patrol enough, in that respect. But I grow weary of chasing ghosts or being thwarted by blobs we cannot compete with, so I am going to reawaken my fleet, the Gremlin Squadron.
What are we going to be doing? What our enemies do. How are we going to do it? Like our enemies do.
How do most reds die in Providence? They either go down in flames in a fleet engagement, or they die after being snagged in asteroid belts or mission pockets they have engaged pilots at and gotten stuck in. Sure, sure some of them die at stargates after being trapped in bubbles, but unfortunately for us or any other defense force, when a red pops through a gate in an interceptor, stealth bomber, Vagabond, or any other myriad of cloaking or fast ships, the sole content in the game they are then focused on is survival. The propensity for error increases the more they split their focus on the purpose at hand, as opposed to survival as a whole, thus I see a majority of solo or small group reds dying as they engage targets and are then trapped in the process.
How do most reds kill in Providence? Fast and furious. They seize the opportunity to engage someone who they are likely to destroy within less than a minute, and they run for the hills when they see the cavalry closing in on them. Why are we not doing this? Well, we lack the potential targets to do so, but between Staigor and myself, we are going to change that. Staigor has a guerrilla gang planned for when he returns from vacation. My gang will be up and running within the week. We will operate in different areas and in different timezones (EST and PAC) but the theory and practice will be the same.
Now, granted, the Angel Squadron, led by Varian does more than a superb job at thwarting smaller gangs of red interlopers who come into the depths of Providence to cause us trouble as well as heading out to sovereign systems held by our enemies to spit in their eye even if we have to run for the hills on occasion immediately thereafter. All I am concerned with myself, is finding that font of warfare where we can get frequent action at a fairly disposable term of time and money. So while Varian keeps the home fires burning, so to speak, I am going to be planning how to on occasion turn our combat gangs into a pack of wolves. I encourage everyone who is interested in getting a head start on this kind of combat, to participate in Devin's Skunkworks gang to get a feel for guerrilla warfare ahead of time. Just please be advised only Stealth Bombers, and other covert ships need apply to fleet for Devin's gang.
These are the things I am able to focus on now that the Logistics division has split the work amongst themselves and saved me countless hours every month. These are going to be exciting times, I have a feeling, and my instincts are usually right when it matters.
Better tell the wife you are being deployed, give her a wild night, then hop in the cab, because this ship is about to sail.
