Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So my understanding of corsairs is that they're pretty much just in it for the lulz. For one reason or another, they want to fly around going on adventures, trying out new experiences, collecting weird objects, and building their legend. But it's also my understanding that they do, in fact, seize goods and supplies from the ships they raid. So are corsairs actually stooping to eating the food of humans and other raid targets? Are they running off with raw materials of like... lumber and stone to trade with craftworlds and web settlements for craftworld-made supplies? What exactly due corsairs take from the ships they pirate, and how do they utilize whatever it is they steal? Somehow, I can't picture corsairs siphoning a prometheum carrier or having a need for harvested gasses or stones.

Yes and no.

Certain raw materials will be needed alongside wrathbone, either directly plundered or maybe trading these infierior and crude supplies for those that they can use at pirate bases perhaps.

Maybe they want the odd captured weapons, crude as they are. To use as a way of a decoy to put a hunter off the trail by making the bodies point to another attacker..

You never know with corsairs. Maybe the materials can be traded at the dark city also. Or to maybe lawless human space ports, to aquire say a ore or material needed for repairs etx.

The corsairs can trade the cargo of whatever they capture at Commorragh and also at smaller ports in the Webway that seem to serve as meeting points for all the factions of the Eldar as well as some unaligned ones such as corsairs. In the novel Path of the Outcast they capture things like ores and minerals, but they also use the bodies of the aliens raided (the haugri-alim), whose skin apparently is a prized undersuit and armor joint material due to its combination of strength and flexibility.

Aside from pure material gain, I could also see them making recordings of their attacks and selling these on to others at these ports, for them to vicariously live through the thrills of combat.

 jhe90 wrote:
Maybe the materials can be traded at the dark city also. Or to maybe lawless human space ports, to aquire say a ore or material needed for repairs etx.

Not just lawless ports as such, I wager. There's no reason they wouldn't use some of the trade goods to bribe a corrupt Imperial Governor with if they wish to hang around somewhere that would normally see Imperial patrols. Or sell the stuff (back) to a desperate Governor for something else - that bulk ore might be useless to a Corsair but the Governor would like to have it so he can fill his tithes.

Spetulhu wrote:

 jhe90 wrote:
Maybe the materials can be traded at the dark city also. Or to maybe lawless human space ports, to aquire say a ore or material needed for repairs etx.

Not just lawless ports as such, I wager. There's no reason they wouldn't use some of the trade goods to bribe a corrupt Imperial Governor with if they wish to hang around somewhere that would normally see Imperial patrols. Or sell the stuff (back) to a desperate Governor for something else - that bulk ore might be useless to a Corsair but the Governor would like to have it so he can fill his tithes.

Good point..

Or maybe they play trade factions against the other, for protection or pretending to work for them to gain certain plunder they want. Maybe someone in a nearby sector pays good resources if they bring in another.

 jhe90 wrote:
Or maybe they play trade factions against the other, for protection or pretending to work for them to gain certain plunder they want. Maybe someone in a nearby sector pays good resources if they bring in another.

Good one! Playing prospective victims against each other is surely not beyond the tricksy Eldar. And neither would paying Corsairs to get you the stuff you want be beyond what unscrupulous humans or others could come up with. Or maybe the Corsairs gave them the idea, only made it look like the employer came up with it himself...

Don't some Corsair bands also accept mercenary work, btw?

Just make sure you don't pay them up front.

They really enjoy raiding people foolish and desperate enough to do so.

Spetulhu wrote:

 jhe90 wrote:
Or maybe they play trade factions against the other, for protection or pretending to work for them to gain certain plunder they want. Maybe someone in a nearby sector pays good resources if they bring in another.

Good one! Playing prospective victims against each other is surely not beyond the tricksy Eldar. And neither would paying Corsairs to get you the stuff you want be beyond what unscrupulous humans or others could come up with. Or maybe the Corsairs gave them the idea, only made it look like the employer came up with it himself...

Don't some Corsair bands also accept mercenary work, btw?

They do. Corsairs sometimes work as deniable assets for Craftworlds. Their payment for rendered services could consist of docking and repair services at the Craftworld.

In the novel Path of the Outcast, a Corsair group had an arrangement with an Imperial governor. He would pass them the information about his political enemies' shipping for the Corsairs to raid (and got a cut of the spoils), and offered them a place where they could hide away from Imperial Navy patrols. Ultimately though he got burned because eventually the Corsairs decided to break the agreement due to internal politics, due to increasing demands by the Imperial governor, and due to a Commorraghan faction disliked being told what to do by a human.

Iracundus wrote:

Spetulhu wrote:

 jhe90 wrote:
Or maybe they play trade factions against the other, for protection or pretending to work for them to gain certain plunder they want. Maybe someone in a nearby sector pays good resources if they bring in another.

Good one! Playing prospective victims against each other is surely not beyond the tricksy Eldar. And neither would paying Corsairs to get you the stuff you want be beyond what unscrupulous humans or others could come up with. Or maybe the Corsairs gave them the idea, only made it look like the employer came up with it himself...

Don't some Corsair bands also accept mercenary work, btw?

They do. Corsairs sometimes work as deniable assets for Craftworlds. Their payment for rendered services could consist of docking and repair services at the Craftworld.

In the novel Path of the Outcast, a Corsair group had an arrangement with an Imperial governor. He would pass them the information about his political enemies' shipping for the Corsairs to raid (and got a cut of the spoils), and offered them a place where they could hide away from Imperial Navy patrols. Ultimately though he got burned because eventually the Corsairs decided to break the agreement due to internal politics, due to increasing demands by the Imperial governor, and due to a Commorraghan faction disliked being told what to do by a human.

Ooh, or maybe working for say Tau...

Thr Tau Navy is weaker and they have void enemies.

The corsairs make a approach fleet disapeer or hit and run slow it till they can beat them with existing fleets.

In exchange they get a ton of resources to trade or return to craft worlds. They cannot make everything from wraith bone, or so. They need metals and ores for alloys and such.. Extremely advanced ones but those will need to be made from raw materials. Raw materials that they need to gather be it from planets or astaroids.

And or. Tell you know there coming and help them, they can...

For a payment...

If not your toast, or you can pay, and they maybe intercept a enemy that may not exist I or is overblown.

But you still paid.