EVE Online at Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMOG Gamers to the Next Level!

This alphabet explains some fun and essential aspects of piracy to new players.

A is for aggression. Pirates must learn how EVE Online's aggression mechanics function in order to fight on stations and near gates without letting their targets escape. It is also important to know when it is safe to enter high-security space or to log out while in space. A misunderstanding there could easily get you killed.

B is for bait. If you think it's a trap, it probably is. That lone drake on a gate is a sure sign that an enemy fleet is lying in wait nearby. Conversely, flying an underestimated ship is a clever way to get an enemy to stick around for a fight when they otherwise wouldn't.

C is for carebears. Carebear is a generally pejorative term for a player that really, really does not want to PvP. Many are laboring under the mistaken assumption that EVE Online is a PvE game. Take advantage of their false hopes for your benefit.

You can learn more from your losses than your victories, so always pay attention.

D is for dramiels and drakes. The dramiel is the ultimate pirate ship because when properly flown it can escape anything that it can't kill. Every day, dozens of dramiels roam null-security space looking for hapless victims. On the other hand, the drake is the most popular ship in EVE Online. Nearly every carebear flies one, and more than a few PvPers use it because of its unassuming nature and sturdy defenses. Learn to fight drakes and you have learned to fight most of the people that play EVE Online.

E is for enemies. Collect them like merit badges. In EVE, the more people that hate you, the more successful you are assumed to be at this nefarious hobby. Tip: You know you're doing something right if any time you fly through a system, the natives start insulting you in local chat.

F is for friends. Bringing friends both ensures you'll have backup should something go awry and lets you cover more ground looking for potential victims. Often PvP is less about skill and more about numbers. Assembling a posse makes for less retreats and more delicious kills.

G is for ganking. Ganking is only nominally PvP because the goal of ganking is to find one-sided fights that the defender cannot hope to win. Killing battleships with vagabonds is ganking. So is killing industrial haulers with combat ships. The key in ganking is to hit and run before the target's friends can show up.

H is for hot drops. A hot drop is an unfortunate piece of slang picked up from Battlestar Galactica, and refers to using cynosural fields to teleport in additional ships as a surprise. Many pirates use a bait ship to attract incautious enemy attention, then hot drop them with a fleet of ships to dish out the pain.

I is for insurance. More than most EVE players, pirates should expect their ship to explode. Be sure to always insure your ship with platinum insurance, and don't swap out for another ship until your old one blows up.

J is for jerks. Pirates can be serious jerks when it comes to ganking people that have no clue about EVE Online's PvP mechanics. It's all right if they call you a jerk for killing them; consider it a compliment.

K is for killboards. Killboards are where a pirate records his or her prowess in a litany of kills and losses. Strong killboards make you a desirable new recruit for corporations, but even a bad killboard is better than none because it demonstrates your interest in PvP. If you have a lot of scalps to show off, so much the better.

L is for loot. Nothing says success in piracy more than flying off with a cargohold full of damaged modules and salvage, all that remains of your targets. Repair them, repackage them, and sell them.

M is for mining. Like a stranded highway motorist in the eyes of a serial killer, nothing says "kill me" to a pirate quite so clearly as a player mining in an asteroid belt. Perhaps the pirate declares war against a mining corporation, or perhaps he finds a miner slogging away in a wormhole site. Either way, mining is the ultimate victim activity.

N is for newbies. Everybody starts as one, but some people stay that way forever. Newbies make good targets for pirates, but they also make good recruits.

O is for overheating. Using the thermodynamics skill to overheat modules is a hallmark of elite PvP, especially during the tackling portion of combat. It also comes in handy for breaking enemy tanks or generally pushing your ship to the limits. In any case, it is an essential skill for the EVE character to train and the EVE player to practice.