Fri Jan 9 00:10:17 2009

At 6 o'clock PM, Day of Deception, 2nd of the Month of the Grand Struggle
on the Theran calendar Serth perished, never to return.

Race:	storm
Class:	warrior
Level:	51
Alignment:	Good
Ethos:	Neutral
Cabal:	FORTRESS, the Fortress of Light
Age:	196
Hours:	110

I always wanted to try a giant dagger spec, and overall, I thought it was pretty neat. I might try it again. Underhand + stab worked REALLY well - artery, hamstring, not so much, which leads me to believe that underhand/stab/hurl wasn't so much dex based. If you're a giant don't practice concealed - it never goes off.

Taking on Baer's challenge, I tried going to the Fort. Similar to Synlilth and Outlander, I had issues and qualms about the gangbangs that the Fort started, and even that the Fort received. Guess I'm not really looking for that type of cabal. No one really plays for the challenge of the game anymore it seems like - it's just kill, or be killed.

Which leads me to Illunas - didn't like you as an enemy (Kharnial or Venecfis I think), didn't like you as an ally. Your way of playing the game and mine completely differs. After you interrupted that last kill on Darkavoor, I seriously considered deleting.

However, I did like everyone's RP at the Fort - in that aspect, kudos.

Baer - Your religion is interesting, and I think if I put more thought into it, I can make something of it. However, I don't think I'll be playing a Fort anytime soon, if ever. Hope you enjoyed my story.

Neltouda - Thanks for the reward. Space between heartbeat is DEFINITELY a good legacy to take. I highly recommend it.

Thanks for the good time. I'll try to respond to any comments.

Just have to look for it and sometimes ask for it, mate.

I kept hoping you'd come back to the shrine for some more RP, and I did enjoy your role (I suggested space for your role contest because of it). But, as soon as I saw storm dagger spec I thought "This guy's going to burn out in a week." and that pretty much happened.

Good luck on your next, Baer does take neutral followers but she's a lot more chill with them.

I did want to go back eventually, but I got caught up in testing out the dagger specialization and kinda let my rp, with respect to you, fall out. I'll be sure to try a Baer follower again.

My plan was to boneshatter (-dex) then go for the dagger maledicts. Make them drop their weapon than just wail on them with bash. Worked for the most part.

...you might want to consider not slaughtering neutral arial guards for the eq to heal at the healer while killing dark arial guards.

I mean, Shilbor didn't give a ####, but you can be sure I pointed it out later to Baerinika as something to watch you for.

Just FYI.

At that point, I just wanted to train my skills and level up. I'm habitually an evil player, and that's where I usually train disarm/bash/weapons, etc. I usually have disarm mastered by 18.

Taking on Baer's challenge, I tried going to the Fort. Similar to Synlilth and Outlander, I had issues and qualms about the gangbangs that the Fort started, and even that the Fort received. Guess I'm not really looking for that type of cabal. No one really plays for the challenge of the game anymore it seems like - it's just kill, or be killed.

Were any of these ganging players capable of soloing their enemies with any appreciable chance of landing a kill? I remember that in my time in the Fortress, I wouldn't have really said that about any of my cabalmates, save Enarn or Hrudgir, the muter played by Karel, paladin by Larcat.

I guess I'm curious: what do you mean by "No one really plays for the challenge of the game anymore it seems like- it's just kill, or be killed."? I think most players would agree that doing most everything you can to land the kill is the order of the day, and various players use various means and ways to do that. If you're not trying hard to kill your enemy, or if you don't bring a 'more powerful gang' than your enemies have (whether it has numbers, or no) you're not going to find much mercy.

If you mean bringing a gang to an obviously alone, somewhat-evenly-matched enemy, then I would agree that is unnecessary. However, you might think about how the Fort is a team compared to how the Empire, Scion, or Tribunal are teams. Forties (well, Acolytes at the least) ought not to let their buddies get killed if they can possibly help it. Forties have a goal that they are meant to work together to achieve. They don't just stick together out of necessity or convenience.

If I had deathblow, bloodthirst, and resist as inherent abilities, I wouldn't feel the need to gang either. However, if I had mantle, lightforge weapons, and a small damage buff versus deathblow, bloodthirst, and resist, I would feel the need to gang ruthlessly.

>However,
>if I had mantle, lightforge weapons, and a small damage buff
>versus deathblow, bloodthirst, and resist, I would feel the
>need to gang ruthlessly.

You really shouldn't, since the equation in truth is more like:

deathblow + bloodthirst + resist

vs.

mantle + lightforge + zeal + magic.

Even just the ability to use NPC healers is an enormous, enormous equalizer.

And I might agree to some extent.

Let me ask you something, though - Do you honestly believe a typical fort warrior has an equal chance against a typical RBW warrior in a straight up solo match?

Sure, at its highest potential (fully prepped and magic'ed up by teammates) a fort warrior may have an equal chance against a villager, but I don't agree that it makes things all equal. "Oh Gee, if my warrior has cabalmates haste him and sanctuary him he might beat the rager one on one" isn't my idea of fair or balanced. Thats just ganging without the physical presence of the cabalmates there.

Essentially, you're saying that utility abilities (the ability to quaff and use NPC healers OUTSIDE OF A FIGHT, among others) are directly equal to resist, thirst, and deathblow, or at least enough of an equalizer that its close enough to balanced.

I would like to say that I think that is very wrong, and that given any reason at all I would feel no problem with ganging most villagers down. If you think that gangs are one of the balancing factors for someone with powers like that, I would say that I agree vehemently.

But I digress - my point is: gang the crap out of chars you can't beat alone. Since most forties cannot beat resist/thirst/deathblow alone, they'll gang it down. Simple as that. I don't think its right to complain about fort gangs when they're the pk-based cabal which consistently gets the worst pk ratios by far, as well as having possibly the worst solo powers.

>Let me ask you something, though - Do you honestly believe a
>typical fort warrior has an equal chance against a typical RBW
>warrior in a straight up solo match?

Based on my experience playing both, no. The Fort warrior has a significant advantage, if both players are at least decent. I kill a lot more Battle playing Fort (warriors) than vice versa.

I mean, you can sit down and pick spec/legacy choices for each that make this not true (if you're trying to pick bad for the Fort side, especially), but overall it is.

Lets sit down and make a bet. You roll a fort warrior and I'll roll up an imperial/scion/evil RBW/evil outlander.

I'll bet you that any warrior I roll will have many more kills on you or your cabalmates than you have on me and my cabalmates, even though you are regarded as one of the best pkers in the game and I consider myself mediocre at best. Of course, we could sit down and design specific situations and builds which make this untrue, but in general it will be.

What about the RSW - who gives up Deathblow/Bloodthirst to get... Um.... critical hit in a fight against a non-village warrior. And of course, why would they use critical hit over any of their spec skills unless the non-villager warrior is prepped out his butt.

Or what about the RDW - the defender who can flee/heal 150 or so hps every 2 hours... how often do fights last more than that?

Both of those rager warrior types gets ganed ALL the time too :)

When did we start talking about Empire/Scion/Outlander?

Quit moving the goalposts.

x

.

ragers were always easy pk for my fort, scion warriors.

This is Dungard, my last Fort warrior that I played a couple hundred hours.

Wins by Cabal

VS. BATTLE 16

Deaths by Cabal

VS. BATTLE 5

who need to gang more than others :)