it was generally accepted that not honoring your ransoms was a poor choice for two reasons:
1) Word could get around and your 'customers' would stop paying the ransom. Bad for business since the remains of a destroyed ship could be worth substantially less than the ransom.
2) More alarmingly, you could attract the ire of 'honorable' pirates who might just be willing to take time out of their day to make an example out of you. This would likely involve a plurality of suitably armed starships visiting your local space at ...inopportune times.
That is something special about EVE here, it shows that yes it makes sense to honor your word as a pirate. Real life pirates did it, at least the successful ones. Non-AI ones do it. Usually AI pirates and muggers are the only ones stupid enough not to do just that.
1) Word could get around and your 'customers' would stop paying the ransom. Bad for business since the remains of a destroyed ship could be worth substantially less than the ransom.
2) More alarmingly, you could attract the ire of 'honorable' pirates who might just be willing to take time out of their day to make an example out of you. This would likely involve a plurality of suitably armed starships visiting your local space at ...inopportune times.