Well, we kinda asked for it I guess, with all of the posts on the eve-o forums and the blogs, but whatever..
So why am I writing this you ask? Because I just happen to have a little experience with TARPS, I spent a few months in high sec wars/Merc work after I left The Tuskers. And that is pretty much how it works out there, WT's won't fight unless they know they will win, so you have to bait/trap/catch them!!!
So here is my little guide to busting there TARP(for pirates mainly)!!!
Foster's Basic Trap Survival Guide
#1
Use common sense, if you think it's a trap it more than likely is a trap. This is your best defense!!!
#2
The top belt is not your friend!! IE: Drakes, Omens, Caracal, etc. just sitting in the top belt of a POPULAR system is something to be suspicious of, even if they are in a noob corp. Anti-pirates, Russians, FW, LOVE this tactic!! Those are the commonly used ships for bait, and this is a hard call. Just always be cautious of the top belt in Amamake, Old Man Star, Tama, and Mara to name a few.
#3
The Station Check! I just have to explain this one, lol. IE: If your sitting in station, pretty much alone or with a few corp m8's, you see a new red or neutral in local, he hangs out for a little while, next thing you know he docks in your station, then immediately undocks, that is a red flag, he is looking for you or trouble. Personally I love this lame ass tactic, it is so old and only the weak fall for it. OK here is the scenario, if he is sitting on the undock, he is the bait/scout, and will engage anyone who undocks, why? because he has a blob sitting on the other side of a gate somewhere close.
The best way to bust his plan is have a corp mate undock in a battleship or hic, something with a strong tank. Check the station, if he is there and aggresses, just have him redock. You jump into a fast HAC, a vaga is perfect, both you and your m8 undock at the same time, another corp m8 makes this even better(confuses him). But yall must undock togather! Have all of your m8's ONLY LOCK HIM!! When you undock, ONLY YOU blast your MWD, get out of his point range, and AGRESS HIM!! Nobody else!! He will then think he is under attack and call in his blob, have your gang dock and you warp off to a short range safe. Check your scans to see what his blob consists of, because you have just foiled his little trap. They will call you pussys, fail, etc. in local because you have sprung there trap and gotten away. But you and your corp mates can lulz at there fail for calling in the gang, because he had nothing!!!
#4
The WTF?! Yea, the WTF.. When you are sitting on station in a battlecruiser with 5+ corp mates in local and 3 y/o player in a cruiser warps to the station and aggress you.
Yes he could be a complete moron and want to lose his ship, but the chances are he has a gang somewhere close and they want to gank the fuck out of you, and that little cruiser you think you can gank, is a TARP!!!
Personally I would not engage a equal aged hurricane in my ruppy, I know it would rip my ruppy a new asshole. This kinda goes back to #1, common sense. I have seen these situations where just a logistics show up, but I have too often seen a blob. Use your head.
#5
Named Ships. Be careful with named ships. Just because you see LittleBilSmith's Caracal in 4-2 with one Hobgob I and some rat wrecks, don't assume its a noob. FW love doing this to bait with. A) Check and see if there is even a littlebilsmith in local, if there is not, 100% bait, if he is in local, check the toon. If its a FW player, its more than likely a trap. If it really is a caldari toon, and is old enough to fly a caracal, I would go kill him.
#6
Known Blobbers! This should probably be up the list higher, but it also is more along the common sense line. DUH.. You know these assholes blob! I really love when they say they are alone too.
Example: Before we moved into egg, we passed thru amamake to go to egg. Apparently we had been spooted by wanna be pirates in amamake, heretics. They sent some bait into egg, he immediately went to a belt and started smacking in local that he was alone and we were pussy's, etc. We knew better, he wouldn't fight 5 of us by himself in a bc, so we sent a scout in a ceptor to seiside, sure enough they had another ship sitting on the gate with another 8 or so in local.
This is guide is just to give you some common bait/trap tactics used, there are many more used. Common sense is best tool, and experienng is also nice.ce. You cannot avoid them all, but if you get caught try to minimize your losses and know your enemy is weak, and will not fight without superior numbers.
Sometimes you will find bait ships to simply get a fight, but it is rare these days.
I hope it could be of some help and may get you out of a bad situation.
