Metagaming is this years black.

How the mighty have fallen. It's only taken a couple of years but the time has finally come.

Previously, Band of Brothers alliance in Eve Online have used metagaming to their advantage when it came to downing titans (Steve), when it came to infiltrating other corporations and alliances, teamspeak and so on. I won't provide an exhaustive list as google is your friend. However BOB have generally been infuriatingly smug on various forums and you don't do smug without being aware someone is going to get pissed off. One of their favourite quotes and indeed the motto is "We're better than you."

There has always been the element of payback on the horizon for this but BOB have always been fairly secure with only insignificant leaks that players of Eve Online have been reliant on traditional methods of warfare. Otherwise known as attacking BOB in game, occasional forum harassment and so on.

The tide has turned.

For one reason or another, a sequence of events has unfolded leading to a disgruntled director of their Executor Corporation, Tinfoil, taking action.

Haargoth approached Goonfleet and after proving his access to BOB leadership forums was instructed to dismantle the BOB Alliance by The Mittani (Intelligence Officer) of Goonfleet.

He did this. And now BOB are no more. The alliance command structure remains intact but the alliance itself is no more. In another move, the Band of Brothers corporation was formed and is now part of Goonfleet. Ouch, that's got to smart!

Various forumgoers are doing their thing and whining, accusing and so on. Most notably, the mechanic of a single CEO (or any director) of an Executor Corporation being able to expel corporations from an alliance has been called into question. However it was deemed perfectly acceptable by the community when only small alliances were affected by this. Only now has it overtaken Falcons as an issue....

This has not been helped by BOB not posting any real official statements (CAOD posts require alliance membership) and Haargoth being silent.

Facts remain. BOB were screwed because they screwed over so many people including a director of their own executor corp (why else do this?) and have reaped the rewards.

Goonfleet have merely taken advantage of this situation and if the tables were turned I can't see BOB not doing something similar based on watching previous actions.

On saying all of that, as a player who watched an alliance fall apart (ASCN) and really felt for the leader and other players, many of whom lost heart, I can understand how devastating and unfair this can seem. But we were told to suck it up.

I have no doubt that BOB will return, in what form I do not know but Eve is funny like that. Alliances and Corporations rise and fall like clockwork.

Reports on the forums indicate that ex-BOB pilots are retrieving assets (as much as they can) and are forced to traverse space normally as PoSes and jumpbridges are unavailable. This will also affect their production so pundits are offering varying amounts of ISK lost to this event.

But what hope does this allow for the average gamer when assets and potential are lost in this way? Will CCP reconsider the "rules" on this aspect of gameplay, should they?

Overall, this is the sort of actions that Eve Online currently allows. It's harsh. It's cold and it's a bloody cruel place. And it's what makes it different.
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EDIT: The day after - 6 Feb 2009
As many had predicted, BOB have relaunched themselves under the Alliance name of KENZOKU, dusted themselves off and have already gained Sovereignty level 1.

Life goes on, well played.