EVE University's No SOP Month - RvB Tears Open The Curtain

What are the responsibilities of the wardeccing party? If Corp A wardecs Corp B, is it Corp B's responsibility to fly out to Corp A to supply the PvP action? Apparently, EVE University thinks so.

The University wardecs RvB, then sits around the Aldrat area in heavy gate defense, waiting for RvB to come to them. Much kudos has to go to RvB for bringing a fight to the University stomping grounds, even though they had no obligation to do so. It certainly wasn't their responsibility to fly 20+ jumps to engage the Uni, yet they did so. With hardly a complaint. In the entire week that E-Uni decced RvB, the Uni brought one half-assed fleet to Lonetrek, during off-hours (when only 20 or so RvBers were online.) If it wasn't for RvB going to Aldrat, the University could have been easily accused of running a faildec -- starting a war with a corp, then never showing up to fight them. That is the exact type of faildec the University is always complaining about. Do they not understand their responsibilities as the wardeccing corporation?

Flistir: I've got several complaints about EVE-U hospitality! Big fancy announcement more or less telling everyone to bring it, we start hauling shit [to Hek], earning plenty of hateful looks from the poor overworked people at Red Frog Freight as the RvB avalanche yet again comes down upon their hauling service. The way I see it, you're the ones who invited us here with your wardec - it would be nice to see a bit of agression from your side, afterall, we came 25ish jumps to get here, then you leave it to us to force the fight not just once... but twice!

Now that's just plain rude.

Daniel Wittaker: It would be appreciated if you guys would wander up north for your whippings. We came all the way south, and you guys did launch the dec.

Now, onto the most recent University POS incident, wherein RvB attacked the University POS and the University got really angry (though pretended that they weren't.)

Darian Reymont: If we weren't prepared to see the POS get shot, we would have taken it down prior to this event.

Cervator: I wasn't expecting the POS to be off-limits and figured it would get hit eventually.

Cripes. The No SOP Month was about showing the student body some real war, some down and dirty war. It wasn't about arranged and honourable fights (if that was the case, the Uni would not have sat in heavily fortified defensive gate camps for most of the week.)

RvB did the right thing. Attacked the University POS while the University were out in Providence helping Chribba. That sort of planning has strategic and tactical win written all over it.

Some unistas get it:

Kalim Dabo: In defense of RvB's actions of last night, I would like to remind my fellow Unistas that war is all about trying to make the best use of the resources and intel that are available to you to outmaneuver and outfight your opponents. It sounds like they did the right thing by avoiding a fight which would have resulted in heavy losses, then hitting our POS while our forces were committed elsewhere. I'm not sure that I would have done things differently if I had been in their shoes.

Some don't:

Kelduum Revaan: The problem isn't really the POS bash, but that it was done without any warning - if I had been notified I could have arranged a proper defence fleet.

Hell, the University even had intel that such an attack was in the works, but chose to dismiss that intel.

Kelduum Revaan: We had some vague intel that something was supposed to be happening last night, and both yourselves and ADOPT were planning to bash it, but after a fleet went out to intercept you, we didn't find anything, and with the threat apparently passed, I re-tasked the fleet and headed down to Providence with everyone we could get to assist Chribba.

The moral being, if you want to attack the Uni POS, you'd better inform them of when and how many folks you'll be bringing. Otherwise they'll cry foul and dock their dogs of war.

So, EVE University took their little ball and went home. They revoked their war declaration against RvB. They banned RvB from posting on the EVE University public channels (even though everything I've read from RvB was very reasonably written.) The University has re-implemented its decshield (if the Uni want folks to play with, why make it more expensive for them?) And then Silentbrick re-instated a portion of the SOP.

Silentbrick: All communications with wartargets are to cease except through the use of guns, missiles or lasers, aside from diplomatic channels.

Even though earlier in the week the policy was:

Kelduum Revaan: It's OK to speak to RvB and the others who are E-UNI alumni

Thus it is now the Mostly No SOP Month with decshield costs included (an extra 100 million ISK per week.) Go to war with the Uni, but play by their unwritten rules, even when they invite you, almost beg you, to wardec them.