ScanFu

After putting together our newsletter, available to pilots of The Bastards alliance, I sat back and reviewed my work. It is the third of such newsletter and it has the aim of bringing everyone up to speed with the latest goings on at The Bastards; though I might approach Mynxee and put together a joint news letter that includes the Hellcats as well. Am sure that Mynxee would consider this an interesting project.

By the way, the picture on the left has nothing to do with this post, I just found it on my hard drive and decided that I wanted to post it up. Just check out her sword, is it a ninjata? Who cares...

Anway, this monday night was a sanctioned corp operation day: that is; an organised event with full support of the corporation hierarchy. We tend to have two to three such events per week.

Tonight's operation was to focus on scan probing, a vital skill for all us pirates. After all, we're trying to find pilots who don't want to be found so a sprinkling of combat scan probes into a target area is a vital step in locating these potentially, juicy morsels. One needs to be able to use scan probes to locate worm holes as well. The objective was to practise and share information about scanning between all the participants. Some of the participants had a lot of experience, while others less so.

To increase the participation and fun, the operation was to take the form of a treasure hunt. Where the pilots will be challenged to locate a secured can, somewhere in space. If they find it, they get to keep the loot inside it. I made sure that there was some nice items available; just to give a competitive edge to it all. Also, each can had either a ticket that was worth either 5 or 10 million isk.

Requirements for the operation:
- A probing ship: can be covert-ops, recon or whatever. One needs to install a combat probe launcher however.
- Patience.
- You should also combat fit your ships; just in case you get a mission runner.

Rules:
- n00bish made a point that to level the playing field, experienced probers with better equipment might sweep everything before them. I agree but can't think of a fair method; except to let the newer probers start probing earlier or give them one or two 'free' probes before the experienced probers can commence.

- To make probing easier; there will be a drone left alongside each GSC. The GSC will be anchored and password protected. Password will be the same and given to all participants on the evening.

- Each GSC will have either a tech2 item, a faction item or a bookmark that says either: 5M isk or 10M isk.

Prizes:
1. Bookmark worth 5Million isk + Dread Guristas XL and Med Shield Booster
2. Bookmark worth 5Million isk + Dread Guristas CPU ship upgrade
3. Bookmark worth 5Million isk + Dread Gurista Covert Ops
4. Bookmark worth 5Million isk + Warp Scrambler II + Domination Overdrives
5. Bookmark worth 5Million isk + Gisti B Type 1MN AB
6. Bookmark worth 10Million isk + 10MN AB II+ SAR II, DCU II
7. Bookmark worth 10Million isk + 1MN AB II + x5 Warrior II drones
8. Bookmark worth 10Million isk + Spirits + x5 Warrior II drones + x5 Hammerhead II
9. Bookmark worth 10Million isk + Corpses
10. Bookmark worth 10Million isk + x5 Warrior II drones + x5 Hammerhead II

So all to play for!

Of course, one can not scan down a secured can (of any size) under the current probing system so I had to drop a drone around each can in order to give the probers something to aim for. The first two attempts were even easier: it was me in my probe orbiting the can. All they had to do was probe down my frigate and therefore, find the can.

Randgris actually had a proteus (a strategic tech 3 cruiser) rigged and fitted to be a scanning vehicle of the highest order while Jaxxon decided to go hard core and just do it with his humble probe-class frigate. Others came in a variety of covert-ops vessels. Alia Xi was going to use the force to scan as he got all the hardware in place but forgot to train up the required skills! Noobish was quietly confident in his covert-ops; me0de was eager to participant fully in his buzzard. Rhi was the lone Hellcat representative.

FishBrain and Jirat joined the group as well and the operation was started off with the pirates all streaming out of the station, hooting and hollering.

The next couple of hours was fun and challenging. Of the ten cans probed out, here were the highlights and results:

+ N00bish and his fiendishly fast scanning kung fu
+ Rhi's equally fast scanning and sekret techniques
+ LOL at Fenneck who probed out a can but typed in the wrong password and Randgris ninja'ed in!
+ Alia Xi...who got all the tools ready; but not the skill!
+ Rand's scanning proteus.

RESULTS:
n00bish = five cans
Rhi = three cans
Randgris = two cans
Fenneck = very close to one can but his fingers forgot how to type as Randgris bore down on him...

Great fun and I thank all the participants. I also noticed that Persephone then FC'ed a roam down to Siside later on in the evening so it was a good night. It is good to be a pirate.