Birthday roams have some common sets of features: experimental fleet compositions, distant targets, more than a little alcohol consumption, and the promise of a blazing death. When Dark. FC & streamer Mad Newt announced a birthday roam awhile back, it delivered on all of the above save the last.
That Yossarian (TY:) So 1st, a little bit about yourself. You’re a well-known streamer and FC. Can you tell us a little bit about your eve career so far?
mad_newt: well i started playing ever back in 2006 started off in a null sec corp focusing on production so I wasn’t much of a pvper back then I was more into pve and mining. I got into pvp in december 2014 I started fcing in April 2015 and i love roaming . I wouldn’t say I’m a well known streamer but I do stream
TY: 8 bill in kills with a kitchen sink dessie fleet composition is, unusually good…
mad_newt: ye it was good fun but wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the fleet. The fleet comp I went with was faction frigs, Intys, assault frigs ETC and some dessies
TY: few players realize how much coordination is required to sort out wormholes, scouting, etc. for such roams. Would you say that a better organized team has the advantage even when flying against superior fleet compositions?
mad_newt: the group we have for looking for WH are on the ball all you need to do is give them a time and a place and they will go out and look for you. Better organized over superior fleet compositions that’s a hard one because all fleets are organized with fleet comp and logi numbers but a lot of it is to do with experience too, but I think an organized fleet is much better than superior fleet
TY: Whatever else we say about goons, they can be counted on to undock dreads, titans, and more in their home space. Could you share the top things a roaming FC needs to be aware of when paying them a visit?
mad_newt: decloaking supers on gates trying to AOE a fleet with a DD. One thing they are doing is T3C with smart bombs on your out gate they are on the ball with that you warp to a ping and they have cloaked T3C with probes out and when you land on a ping they will scan you down in seconds and next thing you know you’re back home because they land at 0 on you fleet and smart bomb your fleet with them and they like using supers to but they’re no problem to get past just the titans with the AOE DD so never warp straight to a gate when your playing with goons and if you land at a ping always starburst your fleet and keep moving so you don’t get smart bombed on a ping
TY: Wife aggro, or complaints from wives or girlfriends…. those of us lucky enough to have them…. has an effect, as viewers can see when you had to step off and we lost a moros kill. What are some ways to balance eve / life?
mad_newt: My wife is ok with me playing the game she knows wen I’m roaming I can go do some thing but when on a cta she knows not to bother me lol she has even set up a bed in the spare room for me if she knows I’m going to be playing eve till god knows what time I do have a good balance of family life work and eve. Some times though I get wife aggro but who doesn’t when playing eve but I always make it up to her with a cup of tea and biscuits which always works haha
TY: So, after stirring the hornets nest, fleet extraction is a must when lots of fleet members have paper-tanked bling ships. You got the survivors out pretty efficiently. What are some tips for managing a successful extraction in hostile space?
mad_newt: we were going to just burn home but a member of the fleet found a wh back home which was 9 jumps from where we where that saved us burning 30+ jumps, the fleet was supposed to be a whelp fleet but after the fun we had with goons a lot of the fleet wanted to get their ships home!
Final Thoughts
With all of the conflicts going on, the hype and propaganda hurled by the various parties, such roams are always a source of good old fashioned murderous fun. That, in this case, it happened to be aimed at a strategic threat is just as good. Speaking of strategic threats, stand by, as this humble narrator will shortly once again be charging into the breach with all toons into the next massive fight in the North.
