So, I'm not currently playing any mortal, but I can still be involved in the game, right?! Anyway. This post is regarding people ranting about ganging, tactics to avoid being ganged, and general suggestions.

People constantly complain about ganging. My response? "Deal with it." If you get ganged, generally it is your fault. However, there are some situations where you can't avoid a ganging, i.e. a bunch of people hidden beyond your perception jump out and attack you, or you get summoned right-quick by a group that popped up out of nowhere in your area, raids, or whatever.

Is this WRONG? The answer is No.

Let's take Empire for example. "Oh, all those Imperials do is gang, those bastards, *various expletives*" Um. Have you noticed that they are an EMPIRE, bent on World SUBJUGATION? Do you REALLY think it makes sense, or is even reasonable, for them NOT to gang?

Back in the old days, do you think the Roman Legions turned to each other and said... "Oh wait, we 5,000 can't raid that village, that's sooooooo unfair. Okay, you 300 go, maybe some of you will get hurt, that otherwise wouldn't if we ALL went, but hey, it's more fair, ya know?"

See how ridiculous that sounds?

We all know that ganging is a very possible thing, and being well aware of that, we choose to play Carrion Fields. We all also know of the tremendous RP atmosphere, player interaction, and all the other good stuff, and being well aware of THAT, we choose to play Carrion Fields.

And onto the productive part of this post, now. How does one avoid being ganged? Well here is some actually useful information, I hope.

If you're getting ganged constantly, you're doing something wrong. Swallow your pride and admit it. That's the first step. I'd then suggest you look over your logs, see what you did wrong, or at least what could have been done to avoid it. Did you type "where" enough? Or even "who pk" for that matter? Are you able to see invisible/hidden/camo/whatever? Were you trying to be a hero and fight a 1v3 battle, "standing up for what you believe in" and instead got your ass handed to you? Were you just travelling along and got jumped? See: "Typing WHE" above.

Like I said up above, sometimes you just can't avoid it... but most of the time you can. The most important part is to admit that to yourself and move on. Yes, getting ganged sucks, especially if it's just a random squad of people going around, with no RP behind it, killing anyone who isn't in their own group. Use this as an opportunity to enhance your character. It's not all about gear. So what, you died, you lost 1/3 con. How about writing some sort of poem or story to ALL regarding your demise, if you're a Bard? Or, finding a Bard to do that for you? Beware of the whoever, you could say. Gather some people for your cause. Use it to enhance your roleplay. Or, you could just come to the OOC forums and complain that you got ganged.

"But Mr. Zepachu, what do I do if typing WHE WHE WHE WHE constantly still doesn't work, and I still get ganged?!"

Try playing a different race and/or class. You may just not be "into" Carrion Fields yet. Try playing an assassin, as they can see both hidden and invisible, or a Svirfnebli Thief, or a Duergar Anti-Paladin, or... If perception is your problem, then go for one of the combos that will allow you to see hidden/invis. That will save you a lot of headache, if, of course, it is that they are jumping you because you simply cannot perceive them. However, if it is because you are not taking WHE enough, or you get whacked in a fight, then that is something that is your fault.

I've had many successful DROW characters, and they are one of the easier races to kill. One way to play a successful character is knowing when to run, and actually being able to do it. Find some hiding spots. Running from the eastern road to Galadon and spamming west into the Weald thinking your hunters won't find you, really just won't work. Find hiding spots.

Contrary to popular belief, you CAN avoid fighting in CF, if you really want to. Maybe try NOT joining cabals... that adds a whole complicated political war-thingie to your life. Design your RP to make that possible. I, personally, would like to see more rewards for completing quests, and good RP, aside from the miniscule amount of experience given for these things. You really can't get anywhere with just quests... well, not unless you know of a few choice ones, and many of them, to boot.

The only FEASIBLE way really is to go out adventuring, which restricts, though also allows, many RP aspects. Killing mobs will always be the most effective way to level, but you can still be 'non-violent' and reach Hero, if you want.

Well, if this makes any sense at all, I hope it was useful. I guess that's all for now.

Zepatired