"I'll be your Huckleberry" was. Loved Val in that movie.

You cheated as much as the person you helped.

You gave information to him OUTSIDE the game that puts other players at a detriment. Pretty much the equivalent of gear exchanging between charaters in my opinion and definately breaks the spirit of the game.

Your ex-friend's approach to CF is what CF is about: killer over the top mayhem. Which works well when CF has a large PB to offset killer characters. Want to see more of this? Look at the way the Storm Giant warriors of late of been playing.

What you are complaining about, with respect to his attitude, and what you did, out of game aid, is what makes CF insanely difficult for NEW players or even old players no longer in the loop.

So thanks, I appreciate the vindication of my "wonking" that CF needs to be looked and tweaked to offset the declining playerbase and to offer more avenues for a player to go than pure PK. Players like Eshana's make the game a lot of fun.

CF is supposed to be a killer game driven by BIGTIME evils. No matter what anyone says, break it down, look at the facts, it is EVIL vs the rest. Oldest and best driver of any storyline. Sure there are subplots and twists, but the underlying driving force is Evil.

That said the game works best when enough players can be found to rally against the current Evil force threatening Thera. Hence the issue of a low playerbase causing so much trouble with respect to:
1) Roleplaying falling off to be replaced by item envy and PK fests.
2) Cheating, like you and your ex-friend engaged in.
3) Power PKers with the knowledge of the game crushing everyone.
4) Supps, Skills, Spells, Powers all based on the game having a large enough PB that people can find answers to in game obstacles via inter-player interactions.

Thankfully there are still enough veteran players willing to trickle down items and information IC along with coordinating counter strikes to make CF fairly playable in spite of the above facts. It is when the above players take a hiatus or worse give up that the dung hits the elephant.

Gumbldink's player admitted that Qulenit was that for the Fortress if you need an example. If you need more read the goodbye posts of players who have given acknowledgement to those that aided them. Big problem is that the Qulenit's of Thera are fewer and fewer these days.

A self centered player with knowledge could really rule Thera at this time. With or without using one of the Evil prestige classes.

And finally, most players who are not pure PK nutters will want to have some fun outside of that scope while still having a chance to live through an onslaught. If I have to take notes on each and every little flaming thing I find in Thera, when I could be roleplaying, you just killed the game for me.

Then look at that same idea for a new player, they take a third of the classes mentioned for new players and they get no WAY to identify. Note taking? While you are gathering the blue Galadon gear so you are not naked, not likely.

So it is great to hear all the vets with their precious tidbits of knowledge lording them about to show their superiority, means they are about and playing the game one would hope. Unfortunately that sort of thing does nothing for the player slogging through the mire that is CF to the player (re)learning the ropes in an even MORE hostile world.

CF rocks the house with Overkill gameplay but that only works if you have enough people at the table to fill minimum number of seats needed to keep it balanced.

Personally it would seem that if CF broadened it's appeal to other types of players, non-PK focued, it would fill up quicker and be more engaging that it already is. Non-PK focused players can be brought into the PK mindset more readily if they have other options available to them after being slaughtered, looted, and rolled off into a ditch.

"Aw screw it, I am going to go basket weaving for a while and blow off some steam."

Sadly it would require the Imms/Imps of CF to acknowledge the need for a game balanced between RP and PK. That seems highly unlike with the staunch defense of PK being force fed into every nook and cranny of the CF experience.

Advertising will not address any of the issues I noted either, just end up with quick spurts of players that may tail off even more dramatically as players get frustrated and possibly take others with them.

Doucha Dobra.