The Fear Factor

It is wise to choose a vessel because of its abilities regardless of its appearance. However, the design of any vessel brings with it the notion that, although we want to defeat every foe, the way a ship looks is only important in so much that it suits the role it’s intended for. For many, this simply is not the case.

I tend to choose ships based on their appearance first and build from that point. B13 does not; his choices are determined by the abilities of the ship. For this reason his designs are almost always more capable, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable flying a pirate ship which looked like a broken satellite or a lopsided chew toy.

The Damnation was for years my preferred hull. However, I found myself flying an Absolution more often purely because its abilities suited my needs better. I occasionally undock the Damnation and fly her to the moon and back, my camera drones endlessly snapping shots of her wonderfully dark hull but she is quickly becoming a relic.

The Cynabal cruiser is of excellent design. This little monster is hard to fit, but she looks terrific. I adore the teethy grin on her bow and the circular engines mounted on her hide. It’s one of those ships which looks very scary but statistically does not deliver. Many pilots have told me that the revised version is much better than the old, and so I’ve added a Cynabal to my purchase orders to revise this tiny terror.

I own a Nightmare for my own amusement. This ship has lately seen something of a renaissance. She is capable of delivering serious amounts of firepower on any stationary target and her appearance is dark, organic and spiky, like a demonic fly. The ships’ little sisters; the Phantasm and the Succubus also look the part and would make excellent pirate ships.

My favourite has to be the Daredevil because it resembles the bones of a demon. Its abilities make it very capable, but its initial costs outweigh its appearance. I’ve attempted piracy in a Daredevil, but it did not fare well and this idea was relegated to a whim.

It’s a shame that we are not permitted to choose an exterior colour for our beloved vessels, and most must agree that a colour coordinated fleet would appear to be well organised, or that every pirate vessel would be black. Perhaps care-bears should be mandatory pink, I’d vote for that.

Happy hunting…