Hoist Your Colors, Privateer Contest Ahead!

[Tuefenhandel]

Originally Posted by OFxZeppers

My short experience although fun, still left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
The ships with highscores/bounty's on them would race into an existing melee, and flee while repairing as soon as thier ship got about 1/2-1/3 damage. They would always appear to swoop in on someone elses battle snag the kill then run.

The sad thing is, that most of those receiving special Privateering credentials will have done so by cheating. Making these credentials not the mark of prestige as one would like to believe, but a credential of deceit instead.

It's interesting - as that type of conduct (swooping in on a wounded opponent) is a relatively sound strategy. Not the kind of thing that makes for epic tales, movies, or video games - but, does tend to keep the combatant alive (which, is HUGE for the combatant in question).

Think about Manfred Albrecht Freiher Von Richtofen. He had 80 confirmed victories (and as many as 30 more unofficial wins according to some reports). But, he got tunnel vision, followed a lesser pilot across into enemy territory, and was shot down by AA fire. Had he stayed behind his lines, as was his practice to do so - fought prudently and logically - he might have ended up with twice as many victories. Whose to know, right?

I have a sneaking suspicion that some of those "high bounties" were communicating with their fleet and using their bounty as bait. I know a few times this weekend when the bounty on a ship I was on crept up the vultures would be on us like flies. If you had a decent level of participation from the other ships on your team you could use that as a distinct advantage (i.e. knowing where the enemy would go / chase, and then falling on the weak points).

Something to ponder before the next trip out to sea.........