Tackling and the FC blowing a fuse

First of all let's understand the role of the fast tackle. A fast tackle, when not in an interceptor (I really should train for those one day), should be a MWD equipped frigate with a disruptor and a web. Even in this day and age of the speed nerf. Your purpose is to get a point on what ever the FC calls as primary first. When you're not in a fleet fight (i.e. the squadron/wing/whatever just landed on a lone or a few enemy ships), there are certain things you need to be aware of.

First is as first tackle you will be primaried by the alert enemy. Since if he kills you he may be able to warp away. And he should be looking to warp away post haste if he sees the numbers he's up against. So the odds are you'll be loosing your ships prety regularely in such situation.

Second your job is to get the first point long enough for a 2nd ship to get point so you can get out of dodge. This is the part that will usually end up loosing you your ship.

So there I was last night, we were in a plex and got the call that a flashy pirate had landed on the accel gate. I warp out to a relatively close object and then warp back to the plex and land on the gate and proceed to get a point on the Drake. We know it's bait but we figure we're enough to take what the pirates are bringing (being over 10 in local). Sure enough 2 BS drop in on the fight and I'm slowly being eaten away as I wait for someone else to call point so I can warp out. I wait in veign. I warn the FC that he's about to loose point on the primary and call point down as I get my pod out.

Sure enough the Drake warps off as I'm warping in my pod towards a new ship. The fleet had failed to ensure a secondary point on the primary. This is when our FC blows a fuse and calls everyone to get out of the fight and rally in Kourm at the Kamela gate. After a little talking to, and being in a new ship we go in to try again. Once again (This time in a Vigil) I get first point on the designated primary and hear the follow up points before I'm killed, I try to get away but am unable to do it in time. Another frigate down. This time however the fight goes much better and although we don't get the Drake, we do get a Megathron and a Raven. Unfortunately I don't get back in time to get in on any of the KM.

The point here is that I was flying a frigate as first tackle. I fully expect to loose ships. I fit my ships in consequence. These ships have un-named T1 fittings only. They are fully insured. My net loss for one of these shis is arround 140k isk. My income ability as a 23mil SP industrialist is such that there is no way I can loose enough of these to run out of ships or isk. In fact I tend to build my own since that's even cheaper than buying it off the market (for me - I have a full set of reserched BPOs for any frigate build I might want). The bigger ships are more work but frigates I can make batches of 10-20 (all modules and ammo included) overnight. Flight times and re-shipping times and the general ease of survivability of frigates in low sec mean that I've never lost more than 4 frigates in an engagement. So I don't need to worry about replacement issues with these ships.

Flying like I do, however, I'll usualy have to warp off sometime after getting first point. Usualy cuz some batch of drones is chewing on my exhaust ports. Some times I make it out, sometimes I don't. In either case someone else has to get "second point" after I do.

Some may argue that it would be better to fly in an interceptor. I agree - but a) can't fly one yet and b) flying like I do I'm available for fleet ops MUCH more often than someone flying T2 (unless their pockets are REALY deep). Most of the people that do fly T2 equiped ships on a regular basis end up spending an in-ordinate amount of time running missions or attending to their income streams. When I'm not in a fleet, I'm usualy scanning plexes or running them solo in offensive territory.