Wow… what a way to end the year, ‘m’right!? First, we have the occupation of Hek and the surrounding systems by a hostile Minmatar faction. Second, our beloved home finds itself on the path to gentrification as the powers that be push its Security Status from 0.5 to 0.8. Although these unwelcome changes might seem discouraging, fret not people of Hek. The HMA is still here and still devoted to our mission. For our first post of the year, I would like to take some time to reintroduce ourselves and address some of the common misconceptions that have come up over the years.
After almost two years in operation, the Rogue’s Gallery blog contains an exhaustive backlog of posts detailing the purpose, philosophies, and practices of the HMA. Taken holistically, I would like to think this paints an accurate portrayal of who we are. However, we still often find ourselves the victims of misinformation and slander. In some cases, this is the result of deliberate maliciousness on the part of competing organizations. In others, this is the result of specific statements being taken out of context or lacking sufficient clarity on our part. So, away we go.
The Hek Mining Association began in early 2021 with an Orca and a dream. I wanted to take the activity considered by many to be the most boring and mindless in Eve and make it interesting and engaging. With that goal in mind, I created Eve’s first public NPSI mining fleet. In fact, one could argue that we were the first public mining fleet of any kind as our debut coincided with the release of the Fleet Up! functionality that first enabled truly public fleets. Dubbing ourselves the “friendly neighborhood cartel”, we began a campaign of providing free boosts, compression, security, and advice to everyone who joined our fleet (and the occasional murder of those that didn’t). Over time a community built up around this concept to promote mutual cooperation and provide additional resources to help independent corporations.
Just The Facts
Claim: The HMA kills people who don’t join their fleets
Rating: Mostly True
By definition, an NPSI (Not Purple Shoot It) fleet is one that shoots people who are outside their fleet. So, as an NPSI fleet, the HMA reserves the right to kill anyone who isn’t a part of our fleet. However, in practice we generally only go after pilots who refuse to respond, appear to be botting, or appear to be a threat to the security of the fleet.
Claim: The HMA bullies new players.
Rating: False
From the beginning, the HMA’s primary focus has been to find new players and help them to become acclimated to the world of New Eden. However, there is no way to clearly identify a new player as opposed to a new character. As such, we do not exclude pilots from being targeted by our NPSI fleet solely based on character age. In the event that a new players ends up being targeted and destroyed we do everything we can to get them back on their feet.
Claim: The HMA forces players to use their buyback program
Rating: False
The HMA buyback program is available to provide pilots an easy way to generate ISK. However, it has never been mandatory. While it is can certainly more lucrative for pilots to coordinate the sale of their own goods not every pilot has the time or resources to do so efficiently.
Claim: The HMA is exploitative.
Rating: False
The HMA is run and financed by our network of volunteers. No one is here to make a profit and certainly not at anyone else’s expense. Although we accept donations to offset the costs of our operations our fleets are frequently run at a personal loss. We do this for the love of helping others.
Claim: The HMA attacks their own people.
Rating: False
This is a common misconception which stems from a misunderstanding regarding what it means to be a part of the HMA. By definition, HMA members are anyone who is part of an HMA fleet (as defined by our Fleet Standards. Anyone who isn’t isn’t and our rules only apply to HMA Fleet members.
Claim: The HMA only does mining.
Rating: Mixed
As it says in our name, we are a “mining association”. As such, the primary focus of our operations are our public mining fleets. However, these are not the goal but a means to an end. It is our hope that we can leverage our members into more interesting and engaging activities.
Claim: The HMA only operates in Hek.
Rating: Mostly False
Much like the mining in our name, Hek is more of a guideline than a rule. It is our home base, but our operations are limited solely by our inclination. Prior to shipboard compression, our regular fleets operated almost exclusively in Hek for logistical convenience. However, now all of New Eden is up for grabs.
Claim: The HMA is impossible to negotiate with.
Rating: Mostly True
A common complaint when interacting with the HMA is that we are unreasonable, stubborn, and impossible to negotiate with. Yes, we are. However, that is only because we refuse to compromise on our fundamental nature. We are NPSI fleets so, if you want to participate, be in one. If not, then we may murder you. This requirement is as accessible as it is non-negotiable. Outside of these NPSI fleets, the HMA is accommodating and always eager to help.
As always, if you have any questions, just hit us up on the Discord.
