If it really were a case of "who jumps who" winning every fight, the agressor would always win, and that's simply not the case.

Being the agressor (knowing when the fight is coming and being able to prep accordingly) is a tremendous advantage and its importance can not be overstated. However, it is not an "I Win" button. The thief who misses his blackjack can often be two-rounded, even at hero. A fully prepped, A/B/S/S invoker can be often be sent packing with a tigerclaw or hurl-throat.

The two things that make the biggest difference in who wins a fight are:

1. Knowledge. Knowing which tactics to use when will make *all* the difference in every fight.

2. Timing. Knowing when to input commands is what separates the Vets from the Noobs. (I'm still distinctly on the Noob side of this one.)

And these factors come from only one source: Experience. CF's steep learning curve will always distinguish the winners from the losers. Someone who has never MUDded before could sit at the controls of a hundred-charge AP decked out in Hell gear and be put down by a Vet controlling a Gnome thief in Prowler gear. That's just the way it is.

As for "Where" being "horrible RP," it's simply a mechanic to make the game function. At the end of the day, it's a game and if it provided 100% realism, it would be no fun at all. Imagine having to squat, ####, and wipe in-game. It would be painfully tedious. "Where" exists to remove some of the tedium of searching for other characters. That's all.

If you're routinely getting your ass kicked I'll echo the advice Tsunami gave below and take it a step further. Play a Ranger, get into Battle, and enjoy.

Any ranger has above-average survivability, add in Resist, Spellbane, Truesight and you've got above-above-average survivablity. Go scout for spell-evasion and worry a lot less about the biggest counter to your tactics, the area-spell. By being in Battle you'll have clear cut motivations for your actions and you can RP in earnest. Also, the entire game becomes no-recall, no-teleport, so you're forced to find your way around on foot. By making the learning curve that much steeper you'll learn to climb faster.

I get an assload of RP out of this game, but it's because I go looking for it. I don't find it everywhere, but you'll quickly realize who's into RPing back with you and whether they're your enemy or your cabal-buddy you can do it to your heart's content.

Seriously.