Piracy Redux
- Thread starter Golan2072
- Start date
Matt123,
And, among many other things like the range of sensor coverage, you've completely ignored the idea of traffic control.
Thanks to canonical m-drives(1), starships in Traveller are manned kinetic kill missiles. Starships routinely contact ports multiple times while travelling in-system, it just isn't the case of a single "squawk" upon arrival and exit.
Merchant A arrives in the Arglebargle-IX system, contacts the Arglebargle Downport with a whole list of info and questions, and is then contacted by Phred the Phriendly Pirate. They comply, cease thrusting, and maintain comm silence. When Arglebargle Downport later calls Merchant A with orbital assignments, market status, messages for passengers aboard, plus another whole list of info and question and Merchant A doesn't answer...
... and doesn't answer when ordered to do so...
... and fails to answer after the order is repeated...
... the balloon goes up and the fighters scramble.
A lack of broadcasts will raise the alarm too.
As I repeatedly point out in these threads; The entire Traveller Hobby has exhaustively examined piracy in the Official Traveller Universe setting for over THIRTY YEARS NOW. You are not... let me emphasise that... [YOUR ARE NOT going to find some loophole that thousands of other people have somehow overlooked. Every nook and cranny has been poured over a hundred times or more, every handwave examined and reexamined, and there is nothing new to be found under the Imperium's Sun.
Piracy occurs in the OTU. However, except under circumstances so rare that they enter the realm of GM fiat, port-to-jump limit piracy like that out some Hollywood fantasy does not occur. Piracy has to work and to work it has to be more than a suicide pact among a corsair's crew.
Have fun,
Bill
Covered 2 or 3 posts back, don't go a-piratin' in A & B class starports.
Yep. Giving at least another hour before any action is taken and quite likely it won't initially be by the local defence force in the absence of a clear & present danger.
I can see the high level discussions now "Tramp freighters with faulty radios & no backup comms have caused three squadron callouts this month... We are here as the first line of System Defense not... Do you realize the maintenance costs on these obsolete fighters everytime they leave the planet on a bogus callout...."
I am not looking for loop-holes, like you profess I too can argue it from both sides. In my experience of this debate it consists mainly of people making vague asertions to previous discussions to support thier premise or talking in terms of high pop A & B starports.
Trivialising the proposition doesn't work as an arguement either. Although I do agree that Piracy in the OTU has to be rare. But that is driven more by the high standard of living lawful people with access to a starship can expect if they are prudent.
To date your anti-piracy measures for the '100D loiter' rely on prompt distress calls and prompt responses from the local authorities, niether of which can taken as a given at the D & E starports likely to be targeted.
Cheers!
Matt
You are underestimating advances in tech. By TL9/10 you have laser detection on vehicles capable of dispencing anti-laser chaff to defeat laser guided munitions (Striker), I am confident that by TL11/12 the ability to auto-detect laser comms via hull sensors & swivel the parabolic antenae will be resolved and just be 'part of the package'. Likewise having two or three antenae would be the norm - whether they all work might be an issue tho'...
Cheers!
Matt
I suppose mostly because I'm looking at it from a gamist perspective
"Heave to merchant scum, we be wanting your insured cargo and then you can go on your way."
"Very well, third time this year you know, I'm going to miss happy hour at the starport bar because of this, stand by to transfer cargo."
Excellent posts! Looking at it from a business perspective, if the CEO of a company was in charge of multi-million credits worth of assets and tried to save some dollars in not paing for insurance, the investors would have him out very fast. The first rule of investing is protect your asset base.
Traveller quite rightly ignores this aspect because insurance is boring. Many players play up the idea of the victim Captain fighting it out because it is exciting. Both add to Traveller as a game, but even in Traveller, being without insurance and fighting ships on anything like 50/50 odds is not part of a prudent Captains make-up. Player characters however are anything but prudent...
Cheers!
Matt
Interestingly enuff, conditions on board Pirate vessels were better. On regular vessels the Captain was quite often a hard-arse who would keel-haul you on a whim, maybe just let you off with a flogging. Sailors were scum & had to be treated as such to keep them in line. These were hard days.
Pirates offered hard work, but fair justice & the opportunity to get drunk in the best pirate ports in the Carrabean. You will no doubt start at the 'fair justice' angle, keep in mind most pirate captains were elected from among the crew and could be 'un-elected' just as easily. This is in contrast to the appointed 'Master & Commander' approach of most other shipping, tending to lead to rather harsh discipline.
Cheers!
Matt
mbrinkhues
SOC-14 1K
On the Antenna Thing: Make sure NOT to use a Workpod when the computer reports a failure in the AE-65 antenna. Even more so if your name is Frank and the only other guy awake goes by Dave.
On the fighter scrambling: Actually that DID happen IRL a lot. The local airforce base (Rheine-Hopsten) did scramble the alert fighters on a regular base because one of the local non-business airports forgot to inform them of a Cessna flying around or the paper work got lost. According to a pilot: "It's a scary thing being checked out by two F4's. Even more if you do know that they have the guns and missiles armed and locked"(1) And given the short ranges involved (Border-Border Germany was less than 30 minutes by MIG) scrambling fighters was done VERY quickly after an un-identified or non-behaving (missed route/deviation from flight plan) was detected.
(1) The guy was a F4 pilot himself, same base
On the fighter scrambling: Actually that DID happen IRL a lot. The local airforce base (Rheine-Hopsten) did scramble the alert fighters on a regular base because one of the local non-business airports forgot to inform them of a Cessna flying around or the paper work got lost. According to a pilot: "It's a scary thing being checked out by two F4's. Even more if you do know that they have the guns and missiles armed and locked"(1) And given the short ranges involved (Border-Border Germany was less than 30 minutes by MIG) scrambling fighters was done VERY quickly after an un-identified or non-behaving (missed route/deviation from flight plan) was detected.
(1) The guy was a F4 pilot himself, same base
Icosahedron
SOC-14 1K
I suppose mostly because I'm looking at it from a gamist perspective
If everybody is insured for all losses as part of the cost of doing business (since it has to be hidden in that as it's not mentioned separately) and all pirates let the victims live and keep their ship, then what's the point of a pirate encounter at all?
"Heave to merchant scum, we be wanting your insured cargo and then you can go on your way."
"Very well, third time this year you know, I'm going to miss happy hour at the starport bar because of this, stand by to transfer cargo."
Booooooring...
Perhaps from a gamist perspective a victim of piracy might lose his no-claims discount (a negative DM on his next few trade rolls). Not that he is likely to get raided that often.
I tend to avoid computers with personalities & names, let alone follow thier repair instructions
. All a bit too Blakes 7 for my liking.The fighter defence story that springs to mind, was that German pilot that flew across Russia & landed in Moscows Red Square in a cesna! Although I suspect a few Air Force Generals were sent to the Gulag for that one & obviously it wasn't a typical 'defence' response. Made for good reading at the time tho'.
Cheers!
Matt
pendragonman
Absent Friends Margrave
Would anyone notice another pirate working out of Newark?Unless the pirate is operating out of NEWARK harbour.
A scary city.
pendragonman
Absent Friends Margrave
Phred? Phred the one-time Viet Cong member from Doonesberry? He made it to space?
Must be one of his great grand kids also named Phred.
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mbrinkhues
SOC-14 1K
I tend to avoid computers with personalities & names, let alone follow thier repair instructions
The fighter defence story that springs to mind, was that German pilot that flew across Russia & landed in Moscows Red Square in a cesna! Although I suspect a few Air Force Generals were sent to the Gulag for that one & obviously it wasn't a typical 'defence' response. Made for good reading at the time tho'.
Cheers!
Matt
That pilot was Mathias Rust. Sadly the Ruskies didn't send HIM to a GULAG and forgot him there or gave the order to shoot him down. The guy was mentally instabel and later tried to kill a girl because she refused to kiss him.
But his flight is actually a good example of what would happen. The Russians DID detect him and his plane was shadowed by MIG-23 all the way (TV shows that, including some Non-Russian TV shots from Moskow) The only think that failed was the decision making process wether or not to shoot. And since the Cessna was not deemed a threat, the pilots just kept it in sight.
But yes, a few generals and a minister where "send into well-deserved retirement"
Who is "you"? Never mind, whoever you are, if you're using a jump-1 ship to compete with a jump-2 ship on a two-parsec route, the jump-2 ship will bankrupt you. It's just that simple.
If there are minor worlds in between that can support a jump-1 ship, then there'll be a jump-1 ship. No argument there.
Agreed. But the rules don't actually reflect that.
That won't create any trade.
If the Belters are few, they'll produce about the same amount of trade as any other low-population system. If there are many of them, they can afford to guard the part of their belt where the ships from outside come to trade. That said, in-system traffic is more vulnerable to piracy and belts will have lots of in-system traffic.
If there's enough trade for them and a trading partner one parsec away, yes. If the trading partner is two parsecs away, you'll find Far Traders or other jump-2 ships.
I have nothing against J1. If I had my druthers, they'd be sufficiently cheaper than jump-2 ships to make them able to compete on price. However, I'm talking about how things are, not how I'd like them to be.
Hans
Your being a little harsh on J1 tramp traders. They won't compete with multi jump capable ships, but they were never intended to. J1 ships are cheaper dton for dton, running costs are less & carry capacity is much higher giving the merchant captain more trade flexibility. Multi jump ships in comparison are often purchased to service a specific route and are optimised for such.
The 200tn J1 trader will; take supplies to outposts of troops & belters, special needs cargo multi-parsecs, subcontract out to low tech worlds to create regular mail runs to far off jump routes, move trade where multi jump ships are at capacity & of course just wander around seeing the galaxy while looking for the next job or lucrative route.
Regular J1 routes are ideal but of course all the same issues crop up, your competitor has; newer boat/lower maintenance, cheaper crew, better connections, no mortgage, no partners to share profits, undercutting your prices, slandering your good name, secured berthing rights, paid off the union/mafia/commerce commision/police/customs/brokers/mechanics/etc, etc.
J1 traders will as a consequence be everywhere, not trying to compete with J2 traders, but picking up the pieces & doing the jobs they don't want. Of course this will mean travelling through lightly defended systems on occasion, refuelling at Gas Giants risking pirates & mis-jumps. But if the job covers the mortgage & crews wages, the next system might have that big paying cargo that every now & again puts a grin on your captains face...
This is the premis at the very heart of Traveller as an RPG & in this environment rouges, thieves & pirates will be a part of life.
Cheers!
Matt
The 200tn J1 trader will; take supplies to outposts of troops & belters, special needs cargo multi-parsecs, subcontract out to low tech worlds to create regular mail runs to far off jump routes, move trade where multi jump ships are at capacity & of course just wander around seeing the galaxy while looking for the next job or lucrative route.
Regular J1 routes are ideal but of course all the same issues crop up, your competitor has; newer boat/lower maintenance, cheaper crew, better connections, no mortgage, no partners to share profits, undercutting your prices, slandering your good name, secured berthing rights, paid off the union/mafia/commerce commision/police/customs/brokers/mechanics/etc, etc.
J1 traders will as a consequence be everywhere, not trying to compete with J2 traders, but picking up the pieces & doing the jobs they don't want. Of course this will mean travelling through lightly defended systems on occasion, refuelling at Gas Giants risking pirates & mis-jumps. But if the job covers the mortgage & crews wages, the next system might have that big paying cargo that every now & again puts a grin on your captains face...
This is the premis at the very heart of Traveller as an RPG & in this environment rouges, thieves & pirates will be a part of life.
Cheers!
Matt
Matt123,
He's not being harsh. He's simply applying Traveller's own economic system in a logical and intellectually honest manner.
They sure will be competing against multi-jump ships because 1) Jump1 mains are the exception, not the rule and 2) not every world along a jump1 main can produce enough cargo/frieght/pax to come anywhere close to filling a Beowulf.
Sure, there will be certain sections of certain mains on which jump1 vessels can get enough cargo/frieght/pax to pay the bill, but those places are the exception in the OTU and not the rule.
Of course, all your arguments here have rested on exceptions, so that fact that you're using Yet Another Exception isn't anything new.
True.
Sort of true. If both ships are only jumping one parsec, the jump1 vessel will require fewer engineers. Not a great savings.
True, if the cargo is only moving one parsec and that won't usually be the case.
Incrediably FALSE.
You've got that "bass - ackwards". Jump1 vessels can only work certain portions of jump1 mains and clusters. They're quite limited.
In other words, the jump1 trader will service a specific route and are optimised for such. Isn't that what you wrote about multi-jump ships?
Tell you what, why don't we actually roll up some trading voyages? I'll let you pick a portion of the Spinward Marches, thus allowing you to "queer the pitch" to your heart's content. You'll fly the jump1 Beowulf yopu claim is so much superior and I'll use a Marava. We'll start with the same amount of money and the crews each vessel requires. I'll even let you choose the time limit. What we'll do next is actually roll on the trade tables as we jump about, you can even choose whether we use LBB3 or LLB7.
At the end of the time limit you've chosen, we'll see who has the most dough.
Sound like fun?
Bill
Matt123,
Re-read ATPollard's example at the beginning of this thread. One hour normally isn't enough time to match vectors let alone board & loot.
I can see that too. I can also see shipping avoiding such a system, freight prices rising as an result, which in turn attracts both vessels that can take care of themselves and the Imperium. It pays to actually follow through on your own assumptions.
To the contrary, you're speaking about nothing but loopholes.
Your experience is sadly lacking. The examples posted in this thread alone have shown how difficult and time consuming simply matching vectors is, let alone boarding & looting. And ATPollard's example didn't involve of a hi-pop world with an A or B class starport either.
Pinning all your hopes on starport codes won't work either. First; because trade moves multiple parsecs, starport codes are a not a perfect predicter of the merchant traffic passing through a system. Second; starport codes only refer to the facilities open to the general public and not to any corporate, military, or government facilities that may be present. That world with a D & E starport may not have the lack of equipment and will you so blithely assume.
You also have, like most who argue for the same "exceptional exceptions" you do, completely failed to allow for the response any pirate attack, attempted or successful, will have on the Imperium's various levels of government or any other polity or corporation for that matter.
Once a system is even suspected of being "pirate prone", unarmed vessels will avoid it, armed vessels charging premium rates will pick up the slack, corporations who may only use the system as a fuel stop will send in route protectors, governments will send in patrollers, and anyone even thinking of going a-pirating better skedaddle.
Pirates can't hand out year after year at the same "watering hole" grabbing the same "prey". They'll get - at most - ONE chance and then they'll have to move on before the hammer arrives. Because that one chance better have a high prospect of success and a low chance of risk, pirate attacks will more often than not involve various "inside" actors like spies, saboteurs, "mutinous" crewmen, and others.
All of this means that even a single pirate attack will be the result of long term careful planning and not some "Yo-ho-ho", "Shivver me vacc suit" idiocy that many people still believe it can be despite all evidence to the contrary.
Have fun,
Bill
pendragonman
Absent Friends Margrave
Whipsnade, feeling a little beligerent today? BTW,it's LBB2, not 3, that has the trade system in it.
(whips out the two offending vessel plans to compare)
Matt123, I'm afraid I have to somewhat agree with Whipsnade here, if not with his tone. Unless the Beowulf is guaranteed to be at least 3/4 full each jump, and there is no way to guarantee that without exclusive contracts (a role play event beyond the scope of this discussion), the Marava will make more money over the course of a year. Enough to pay the bills? Maybe. But definitely more than the Beowulf.
I think there is a thread somewhere that hashes out trade revenue vs ship performance somewhere. Several people made spread sheets to optimize the arguments.
OTOH, for a contract operator between two world 1 jump apart with confirmed guaranteed cargos running between the worlds, the Beowulf works great. Oh, and a regular schedule makes piracy a bit easier. Fractionally easier, but easier.
The way to really outdo the Marava using just speculation and not contract cargos is to get a big broker on each of several planets on a J-1 main with large warehousing on each planet so that you can always get the cheapest purchase price, and hold it for the best sale price. Thereby maximizing the profits made by that big cargo hold.
The Marava really is in her own for charter work. That range is invaluable for getting those fairs (fares?).
(whips out the two offending vessel plans to compare)
Matt123, I'm afraid I have to somewhat agree with Whipsnade here, if not with his tone. Unless the Beowulf is guaranteed to be at least 3/4 full each jump, and there is no way to guarantee that without exclusive contracts (a role play event beyond the scope of this discussion), the Marava will make more money over the course of a year. Enough to pay the bills? Maybe. But definitely more than the Beowulf.
I think there is a thread somewhere that hashes out trade revenue vs ship performance somewhere. Several people made spread sheets to optimize the arguments.
OTOH, for a contract operator between two world 1 jump apart with confirmed guaranteed cargos running between the worlds, the Beowulf works great. Oh, and a regular schedule makes piracy a bit easier. Fractionally easier, but easier.
The way to really outdo the Marava using just speculation and not contract cargos is to get a big broker on each of several planets on a J-1 main with large warehousing on each planet so that you can always get the cheapest purchase price, and hold it for the best sale price. Thereby maximizing the profits made by that big cargo hold.
The Marava really is in her own for charter work. That range is invaluable for getting those fairs (fares?).
we are crossing strongly into economic debate on a piracy thread...Not to sound too pedantic, but that J1 main is the exception J1 ships are intended for. If your using your Beowulf elsewhere...
I never assumed just relying on cargo, speculation is one of the strengths of owning your own boat.
J1 ships using the exceptional J1 mains, yep... But thats the only point you have endeavored to make above, ignoring of course the attemt to restrict your J1 trader to freight only rather than a combo of freight & spec goods.
You underestimate the impact of salaries on your bottom line and the extra cost on the mortgage & maintenance to pay for those J2 drives, PP & computer.
Quite a broad statement. My assumption is that multi-jump ships will take the multi parsec cargo & not be interested in the short route cargo, leaving it for J1 ships. If the next system in line isn't good for a hold-full of cargo, you can always head back to your last, if that was your point. More often than not, the decision will be based on other factors as well such as looking for better/more lucrative trading routes.
You will need to expand, how is having more cargo capacity (ie: more earning capacity), lower mortgage payments, lower maintenance & lower crew salaries (ie: lower costs) detrimental to giving the captain trading flexibility.
I confess I struggle with your english & your logic. Yes they are limited to J1 mains & maybe jumping across a J2 gap if the captain thinks its worth doing. But surely you have figured, that is what they are designed for *rolling eyes*.
By a J1 specific route you have specified the 'very limited' J1 mains & we are in agreement here. For multi jump ships however I was referring to a scheduled run between worlds utilising its jump drives to best advantage. By the way, there is nothing stopping a J1 trader doing that as well.
Yep, except these days I use HG & TCS for light amusement. My solo Merchant Prince days were fun & last engaged maybe 20 plus years ago. So I shall politely decline.
If you care to generate the journey's & post them, I will be very interested in critiquing your results.
So to summarise. Your arguement that J1 mains are an 'exception' for J1 ships doesn't make sense. Your arguement that J1 ships 'do not' give the captain more flexibility (higher earning capability & lower costs) vs J2 ships equally does not make sense. Your arguement that J1 ships are more optimised for scheduled routes than J2 fails on the same basis, because it ignores the pressing issue of higher overheads & the lower capacity of a J2 vessel.
Finally, you have presented nothing here to persuade me that J1 trading vessels are not present in sufficient numbers to service out of the way places and put themselves at risk, albeit low, of piracy.
I look forward to replying to your second post this arvo, which I have to say is more on topic.
Cheers!
Matt
I would be very surprised if that wasn't the case. The Marava costs more. In order to get the return on investment the Marava has to generate better profits than the Beowulf otherwise you won't get the investors or mortgage to buy it & it becomes a failed concept.
Cheers!
Matt
Warning - long post
You have already suggested that to me in a previous post & I did, just in case I missed something, but no, as suspected I didn't. ATPollards first example was flawed in that it did not take into account the M4 Pirate ship catching up & matcing vectors.
ATPollard, all good credit to him, fixed this discrepancy in a second post. I can't vouch for his calculations, but he seems a competent chap and we seem in agreement about that. You should re-read ATPollards second post on the same subject.
But the point you are refering to from me was in response to your description of the chaos incured if a starship failed to make contact. My response to your scenario was that that chaos would likely delay the alarm by an hour or more, giving at least that much longer to loot. Even then, fighters wouldn't neccesarily be the first response unit sent.
My assumptions follow through pretty well, here we have a classic environment for Fat or Far Traders, supporting my position in the other post. If the big freighters thought it worth while coming, the economic boost would ensure the local government spent some cash on securing thier safety.
So we should all assume you to be the repository of all information on the OTU. Laughable. Support your position with decent debate, not referances to past & lost discussions.
my experience in debating against your standard arguement (its been thrashed out before...) is quite good thank you. I have not yet seen a referance forthcoming.
I won't belabour the point regards ATPollards post & the posts of others. You have singularly failed to address them.
So you concede the point I was making which was that that prompt distress calls & responses from local authorities should not be assumed to be a given.
I wouldn't get too hung up on the starport description & you can shorten your posts to the point you are trying to make by assuming the reader knows what a starport is. Your point was?
not in the least, you are just adding this into the discussion. I would have thought an Imperial response in several weeks/months time was obvious & not an exceptional exception.
To introduce this arguement, implies you are accepting that not all systems have effective anti-piracy defence. Else you wouldn't need the "Imperial Response" arguement.
Agreed and pointed out in my post regarding the German merchant raiders in WW2. In fact the German raiders did skeddadle into new happy hunting grounds. They skeddadled from those to & kept on skeddadling.
Corporates & neighbouring governments are just an extension of the "Imperial Response" arguement. Again I wouldn't call these responses exceptional exceptions.
Another redundent point. I don't recall (anyone?) suggesting a pirate should stay put year after year. I would take issue at the ONE chance though given your new reliance on the "Imperial Response" to deter Pirates. The "Imperial Response" is at least several weeks away, perhap a month or more.
'All of this' ?? I fail to see that you have provided any evidence here that spur of the moment Piracy (with or without the Yo-Ho-Ho) would not be effective for at least two weeks before skeddadling.
So to summarise;
- In the "100D loiter" in a backwards system, you might reasonably expect circa 90 minutes of pillaging, give or take the presence of undetected & nearby patrol craft. The thread seems to concur that the "100D loiter" is a high risk tactic compared to other options.
- Attempting to prevent or delay your victims distress calls is worth trying & look for backwater systems where prompt local authority response times are not a given.
- Backwater systems rely heavily on Imperial support if piracy develops. Thier Space defence budget probably gets spent on the Nobles Huscarles based at the Subsector Capital...
- Large freighters would avoid such a system (with or without the piracy), leaving it to be serviced by Far & Fat traders, supporting my position in my last post.
- The Imperium will respond to Piracy, late, but it will respond.
- Pirates should skedaddle quite often if they wish to remain a-Pirating.
If it wasn't already obvious, don't sit on the "100d loiter" in the same system year after year doing your Pirating.
- Given a backwater systems reliance on neighbours, corporates, the Imperium, etc for anti Piracy defence, you may get at least 2 weeks, perhaps a months worth of pirating before skedaddling.
- Spur of the moment Piracy is more acceptable without the "Yo-Ho-Ho, Shiver me Vacc-suit!" of amatur Pirating. Might be more fun tho.
Cheers!
Matt
You have already suggested that to me in a previous post & I did, just in case I missed something, but no, as suspected I didn't. ATPollards first example was flawed in that it did not take into account the M4 Pirate ship catching up & matcing vectors.
ATPollard, all good credit to him, fixed this discrepancy in a second post. I can't vouch for his calculations, but he seems a competent chap and we seem in agreement about that. You should re-read ATPollards second post on the same subject.
But the point you are refering to from me was in response to your description of the chaos incured if a starship failed to make contact. My response to your scenario was that that chaos would likely delay the alarm by an hour or more, giving at least that much longer to loot. Even then, fighters wouldn't neccesarily be the first response unit sent.
My assumptions follow through pretty well, here we have a classic environment for Fat or Far Traders, supporting my position in the other post. If the big freighters thought it worth while coming, the economic boost would ensure the local government spent some cash on securing thier safety.
So we should all assume you to be the repository of all information on the OTU. Laughable. Support your position with decent debate, not referances to past & lost discussions.
my experience in debating against your standard arguement (its been thrashed out before...) is quite good thank you. I have not yet seen a referance forthcoming.I won't belabour the point regards ATPollards post & the posts of others. You have singularly failed to address them.
So you concede the point I was making which was that that prompt distress calls & responses from local authorities should not be assumed to be a given.
I wouldn't get too hung up on the starport description & you can shorten your posts to the point you are trying to make by assuming the reader knows what a starport is. Your point was?
not in the least, you are just adding this into the discussion. I would have thought an Imperial response in several weeks/months time was obvious & not an exceptional exception.To introduce this arguement, implies you are accepting that not all systems have effective anti-piracy defence. Else you wouldn't need the "Imperial Response" arguement.
Agreed and pointed out in my post regarding the German merchant raiders in WW2. In fact the German raiders did skeddadle into new happy hunting grounds. They skeddadled from those to & kept on skeddadling.
Corporates & neighbouring governments are just an extension of the "Imperial Response" arguement. Again I wouldn't call these responses exceptional exceptions.
Another redundent point. I don't recall (anyone?) suggesting a pirate should stay put year after year. I would take issue at the ONE chance though given your new reliance on the "Imperial Response" to deter Pirates. The "Imperial Response" is at least several weeks away, perhap a month or more.
'All of this' ?? I fail to see that you have provided any evidence here that spur of the moment Piracy (with or without the Yo-Ho-Ho) would not be effective for at least two weeks before skeddadling.
So to summarise;
- In the "100D loiter" in a backwards system, you might reasonably expect circa 90 minutes of pillaging, give or take the presence of undetected & nearby patrol craft. The thread seems to concur that the "100D loiter" is a high risk tactic compared to other options.
- Attempting to prevent or delay your victims distress calls is worth trying & look for backwater systems where prompt local authority response times are not a given.
- Backwater systems rely heavily on Imperial support if piracy develops. Thier Space defence budget probably gets spent on the Nobles Huscarles based at the Subsector Capital...
- Large freighters would avoid such a system (with or without the piracy), leaving it to be serviced by Far & Fat traders, supporting my position in my last post.
- The Imperium will respond to Piracy, late, but it will respond.
- Pirates should skedaddle quite often if they wish to remain a-Pirating.
If it wasn't already obvious, don't sit on the "100d loiter" in the same system year after year doing your Pirating.
- Given a backwater systems reliance on neighbours, corporates, the Imperium, etc for anti Piracy defence, you may get at least 2 weeks, perhaps a months worth of pirating before skedaddling.
- Spur of the moment Piracy is more acceptable without the "Yo-Ho-Ho, Shiver me Vacc-suit!" of amatur Pirating. Might be more fun tho.
Cheers!
Matt
