Civil Disobedience [Trolling Welcomed]

[Random_White_Guy]

I'm gonna take a moment to chat with EFU, about EFU, and break some common Taboos. I don't wanna talk to the DMs, I don't wanna talk to the PCs, but I wanna talk to EFU as a whole.

I don't mean any ill feelings to come as a result of this post, but its expected. I do however mean to stir up some aggitation, I'll admit to that. Lately I've been in an EFU Rut. Talked with a lot of PCs and had a lot approach me.

There's a big taboo in EFU about "Questing".

If you do it too much, You're called a shameless power gamer and everything you attempt to do ICly is ridiculed.

If you do it too little, You die to people who do it too more or better.

Hardly fair either way, and there is a lot of emphasis placed on trying to find a middle ground.

In the pursuit of finding the middle ground, I've had a lot of input from a lot of people, from various sides.

I've had people tell me its better to make a character, and just be awesome until you've died.

I've had people tell me its better to wait until level six or so to really kick your plots and things into gear once you're kitted up and leveled.

I've had people tell me its better to get a group of powerhouses together, and don't log in unless they're around.

I've had people tell me its better to find a good group of quest people to run with, and forget about questing when they're not around.

I've had people tell me its better to do any quest you can, but keep invisibility potions handy and do your best to avoid getting killed.

I've had people tell me its better to have "Two groups", a group you quest with, and a group you RP with, and give balanced time to each.

I've had people tell me its better to just go where the story takes you, and if its more likely for your PC to quest, go for it.

I've had people tell me its better to make sending for quests since folks on IRC can find them, than pursuing other methods of recruitment.

I've had people tell me its better to have a PC faction started before you hit the server, so you don't have to worry about finding a good quest group and good group to plot with.

I've had people tell me its a necessary evil

I've had people tell me its the greatest aspect of the server.

I've had people tell me it was how the game and DnD worked and deal with it.

I bring this up because at present I'm dealing with some issues. In a brief hiatus due to RL, people thought I was without character. As a result I was given a fair few PC concepts. Each one ended in "And then you die".

This left me kinda concerned. There are a lot of PCs who are persistent, who don't take risks. But there are a lot of PCs who say "No risk, no reward".

Looking at the two sides, I find my self easily on the "No risk, no reward" side. But I think that phrase is foolish.

On EFU if you do the most risk, you get the least reward. EFU doesn't support risk taking. It supports the lack of risk taking.

I'm sure this thread will get a lot of backlash, but I know there's more than a few PCs on EFU who feel the same. I'm hoping they'll chime in too, but not the end of the world if they don't.

Which brings me to Taboo #2. The Gank.

Risk takers get killed. The term "Ganksquad" applies. Everyone has heard it. Everyone has at one point or another been in one. Its a group of large PCs, for what ever reason, pursuing a single or limited number of PCs. Incentives are given to Gank squads. Power in numbers. Power in Levels. Power in Gear.

The list and number of PCs who have been "Ganked" is easily prevalent.

How do you fend off the Gank? Quest, gather high level allies, and gather supplies.

What causes the gank? Being Proactive. Proactive criminals get bounties from the law. Proactive law guys get bounties from criminals. Proactive Evil gets hunted by Paladins. Proactive Good gets hunted by Villains

So, I guess this all comes down to a final point.

In EFU, I'd say the scales aren't balanced.

Making a PC, if you want to be a risk taker and be pro-active, You can't Rp. It happens, but often under duress. You have to quest, often and plentifully, because folks will naturally try to PvP you.

For some PCs, Months of RP can be wiped out in 10 seconds, so folks try to avoid that. You avoid that by questing. You avoid that by gathering groups of questers. It breeds an atmosphere of discontent and an atmosphere of frustration.

I've been told up and down by DM and PC and the EFU community alike, that EFU is an "RP Server".

After speaking with folks, and this thread...

I'm not really seeing it.

If you quest too much, you're a powergamer.

If you don't, you die to so called powergamers.

If you take risks, you die due to NPC resistance or PC resistance.

If you don't, you're rewarded being able to be around for long term plot

So. Yeah.

When you're sitting around bored, wondering why there are no antagonistic PCs to fight, its because its hard.

Its hard. Its frustrating. Its difficult. The amount of work you put into being an antagonist is not worth the rewards on EFU.

Its more rewarding to quest, "Safe plot" (ie: reactive), and DM quest, than it is to be an antagonist. As an antagonist you get OOC kudos, but ICly the rewards are ridiculously limited.

So, this is my civil disobedience. Raising some points that folks never talk about. I tried my best to keep from being offensive but frankly I think its needed.

EFU tries to say that its good to be "Active", but at the end of the day, being active isn't worth it in many ways.

Proactive gets you dead.

Reactive gets you everything.

I'm not saying EFU sucks. I'm not saying its broken and this isn't a "FUCK YOU ALL I QUIT" Post.

EFU is great, and its far from broken, it just seems out of synch. It needs some fixing in my eyes and many people I've spoken with.

EFU isn't a questing server. Its a part of it, but if you don't do it enough you die, and if you do it too much you're reduced to a sideshow like the Banites were, even though they had lofty pursuits and some grand IC plots and Rp, they got ridiculed for doing nothing but Trogz and other quests.

If you don't quest, you die. If you do quest, you're a monster. If you quest just enough, if you play it safe and go with the flow and don't take risks, you persist.

How can we make EFU more welcoming of folks who step outside the comfort zone of questing?

its easy for me to say this since I've always done it, but I also know a ton of PCs are frustrated. I just seem to be more frustrated than others.

You have to quest. its REQUIRED by common law. I'm not saying its bad, nor am I saying it should be removed, but there is a HUGE MOTHERFUCKING EMPHASIS placed on it.

Yes I know DND was formed on the idea of questing, but if you do it too much you're some kind of monster, and if you do it too little then you can't stand a chance in EFU.

Too much emphasis is placed on questing, and too much emphasis is placed on not being proactive.

As a result if you quest a bunch and are reactive, you can show up to the DM events.

If you're proactive you get Ganked and don't live long enough to see said events.

Hopefully this spurns some interesting discussion instead of "LOL", "TLDR", and "WTF JUST QUEST".

[putrid_plum]

I for one enjoy questing.  I like that aspect of the server.  Also, I see you repeat how if you quest you are call 'powergamer' or 'monster' or whatever.  Why care what people say? It's a game, do what you have fun doing when you play.  If it was fun than it was worth your time.

Also, it's a bit silly to 'crap talk' ICly a guy or organization with no supplies or way to defend youself.  Obviously you will get backlash.

I think just playing how you like and what you enjoy makes the game good enough.  Not every PC you make will 'win' or accomplish mega insane goals.  Things happen... and yes the ganking is sometimes crazy lame.  Yet alot of times players bring it on themselves by making way to many enemies to quickly with not enough allies.

Oh and we tried to get you on board with a concept that didn't involved "and then you die" but you were not interested! :P

[KershofSetic]

I've had people tell me its better to just go where the story takes you, and if its more likely for your PC to quest, go for it

I'd probably agree with that the most but such things change for each person.

Proactive gets you dead.

Reactive gets you everything.

I simply can't agree with this. When I started here, not that long ago really, I was totally reactive as a player and rarely saw anything of it. I like to think that my most recent character was mostly proactive and rewarded well for it. I took a lot of risks and tried to create a lot of conflict with Kethra Marsk and feel it was rewarded well. I hope to accomplish great things on this character as well with proactive work from a different angle.

I have to totally agree with a statement from IRC on this matter that said you need to overcome low-risk things before you can hope to succeed at the higher risk issues. When you get to the Ziggarut you are not a refined warrior or talented wizard, you are (typically) a person stranded on a new and dangerous place with many things to overcome, the most important of which is your survival. If you want to go balls to the wall from level 2 then you are going to have it thrown right back at you with equal force. I am not saying that you should 'quest up' before being proactive, but you should use that wisdom score and understand that if you want to challenge that powerful foe through your conflict then you need to have the skills to do it.

On EFU if you do the most risk, you get the least reward. EFU doesn't support risk taking. It supports the lack of risk taking

This statement is hard to judge. I don't agree that you get less for taking more risks but do agree that there is too much reward for people not taking risks. Not everyone is a risk taker or big conflict starter nor should they be. I think when the 'spoils' are handed down such things should be considered more often so that the people in the heat of conflict are actually getting what they need to continue that course of action. If a character is risking more than usual because it's IC to do so then the rewards should be fitting for those actions because honestly, when it's not, it's quite easy to take away someone's motivation to continue.


/queue the Ninelives troll post

[Decimate_The_Weak]

I personally think people need to better seperate OOC feelings from IC feelings.
 
What I mean is, the quests placed in the server, are part of the world. The quests are static, and never change, but the world is dynamic, and constantly change due to player initiative. However, you can't bad mouth a player that quests, as in the eyes of a "holy paladin", or "respectable citizen", IC, that man going out and slaying Troglodytes that have been causing the Colony harm would be seen as doing a good deed.
 
It doesn't make sense to hold OOC grudges towards players, and their characters. By doing so, and slandering them, you're limiting yourself to immersion, and better interactions. Just because you disagree OOCly, doesn't mean you should change what your character would think.
 
If you're somebody who is an immersionist (haha, new word!), and enjoys immersion, that you go into the mindset of your character doesn't even know YOU, as a player exsist, those people questing, and doing good deeds, would look like heroes against the people that sit by in the Kingsman and talk idly about politics.
 
Use LOTR as an example. It was a long, epic quest. Along the way, they had chances to talk with leaders of different civilizations and cultures, yet, battled endless foes. Take that into perspective; Those "heroes" in LOTR were looked up to by many because of the battles they won, and what they were fighting for.
 
So, stop the jealousy and grudges, and really just open your eyes up, and make the server more welcoming.

[SanTelmo]

The server is pretty much Blue vs Red. When 98% of the server is freely rolling in the Blue side, having fun and questing and doing random events whatever, Red team tries to cut their way through jungle panthers and find someone to interact in the woods or entertaining themselves with some lonely whores in wastrel.

If these forces were balanced, that you could be a bad boy and get to play efficiently, I'd see more people playing characters that would do something different early and more often. I played a character who got exiled after few days of playing. He spent one month as an exile and luckily I got some others to play with. However 90% of the time I was trying to find someone but none moved at the area I was allowed even when server had 20-30 players. It was very frustrating.

What this all has to do with questing? Well, if you want to be different and maybe put yourself into risk, you must quest whore from the start or get wtfpwned by the team Blue as they can easily eat grass in their happy farmland.

About powerquesting: Most of those players who quest fast also do RP as much as the others but they're seen as powergamers as they've more time to play efu and when -you- are on they're always questing or in three days they got to lvl 8 or whatever. Some might even live in a timezone when there's not much to do than questing with your buddies as they're the only ones online and you've already done your plotting with them and now you're waiting for someone else to log in and start RPing with him/her. Yes, there are also those that only quest and don't have anything interesting to offer this server but I only feel sorry for them as they've accidentally logged on a wrong server.

Elmo out

[SkillFocuspwn]

I'm not trying to respond to RwG's post, calling him wrong / right, or anything like that, but I'd just like to state my opinion on it all.

That's how it goes. And, in my eyes at least, I can't see any way to change it. Like you say, it's far from ruining EfU, and while it does limit its perfection; it's the simple truth. I would however, like to mention those few who are completely proactive and succeed; the famous names of EfU, Montezzi, the Scholar, Zau, those PCs who went against the tide and prevailed.

And in my eyes, that's what makes those PCs special. They were the ones out of the many who made something, who acted rather than reacted and succeeded, and to me at least, they're proof that what you say isn't entirely true. And they're only the PCs who were radically proactive; most dominate the middle ground, using their own initiative as much as running on others and sometimes that messes things up, but other times, and those times are for me the defining moments of EfU, things fit together perfectly, and from it all, a story is made.

And, regardless of Powerquesting or not Powerquesting, whether you were the guy who got killed by the Paladin on his way to greatness, that story is what EfU is for, and it's what makes it fantastic.

Yo.

[ExileStrife]

I don't have time to craft out a lengthy response, but I'll say it's a good post with a lot of valid points.

My summarized feelings:

If you want to be proactive and drive the server in cool directions, then it's fine to powerquest and level up quickly.  You are absolutely right, you need the mechanical benefits that gives you in the EfU environment in order to survive gank squads and the other PvP that comes your way.  If I dare to do so, I'll label this group as "The Adventurer."

If you want to be reactive and sit idly by and wait for cool PCs to stir things up, that's fine too.  You can log in, chill out, quest a bit, and wait for conflict to come to you.  A lot of people like this.  It can lead to PCs being around 'forever' that don't seem to do much, but it keeps some integrity alive in the setting and there's nothing wrong with that.  Continuing the last bit, I'll label this group as, "The Commoner."

What I do have problems with are reactive, idle characters that also powerquest.  The stereotype here are the small nitches that form groups where they rocket up in loot, consumables, and xp, and then DO NOTHING.  They lie in wait, often not even logging in, until an "opportunity" presents itself.  It might be a super-villan or a super-hero showing his face, or even just a big DM quest or event.  These groups will suddenly log in their level 8's for a bit of face stomping and cheap glory only to have them dissapear again after the dust settles.  These people are the biggest party poopers I can point to and seem to be the root cause of a lot of discussions like this.  I'm going to bin this group as, "The Gamer."

There is nothing wrong with being an adventurer or a commoner.  Both are fun to play.  Hell, sometimes I want to be an adventurer, and sometimes I just wanna be a commoner.  But I hate the gamers.  I think a lot of people do.  They disrupt the nice balance between the adventurers and the commoners because, and perhaps a fault of our own, this environment truely does provide a good environment for gamers to prey on others.  If we had a better way to police it, I would...and we already expend a considerable amount of effort doing just that.  I wish they'd just go to some other server.

[Canzah]

I'm not really one to make long posts about things as this, and will be mostly pleased to say RwG does raise a few valid points.

Proactive gets you dead.

Reactive gets you everything.

Regardless, I will follow along the lines of Kershof above.

I recently played a character who I will also call proactive, and yes, I was immensely rewarded. Even that wasn't enough though. I was genuinely forced to try and quest as much as I could, to gain supplies in order to keep my conflicts going. Now, that didn't quite work out for me either. But I honestly didn't have much choice but to try.

Now I get to thinking. Yes, questing is required to survive and gain certain resources a character involved in a lot of action simply must have. But is there anything wrong about that? I think, where else or by what means would he aquire magical supplies and such? How would he make some quick profit in order to keep himself floating for the next upcoming skirmish?

Questing for this makes sense, there is nothing wrong with that. I however, do not think of any existing alternative routes to follow. Neither do I come up with any alternative routes to implement.

I understand that most other means are through more roleplay heavy ways, and the DMs want a hand in that. But one cannot rely on such things. I suggest more things like... High risk, high profit gambling. I'm sure numerous points can be raised against that too, but it is an example. And I simply wish for creative people to come up with creative solutions. I know us EfU'ers can.

[Drakill Tannan]

I belive we need to give non-quest trips mroe rewards on XP and items, so people don't need to quest that much to become powerfull.

A level 4 character is LAME in DM events, and can organise a plot becasue everyone and their nannies can stop it in 5 rounds by killing him. In order to properly RP an ADVENTURE one need a good level or to have a powerfull group. Otherwise no big adventure can be achieved.

You can be a great bard, a great merchant, story teller etc. but isn't NWN about adventures?

Also people can RP in quests.

Banites was awsome, and part of it's awsomeness was the fact we QUESTED and not just typed stuff. But we roleplayed too. Ridiculised as it might be, it was fun, and i would like another faction like that.

[Paha]

I am not a deep thinker. I can only express my own feelings and opinion, just like anyone else.

I think that RWG is right, meaning that yes, it is hard. However, being rash and active is not a bad thing, but you also got to think of your strength in level and build side as well if you expect pvp.

In this past year, I've gotten few extremely good advices. Don't think of your limitations, but instead try and go for what you -want-. Then let the DM's and characters in the world decide where is your limit.

Other thing is, I have again started my characters as they are. They are newbies, novices and beginners compared to seasoned adventurers and such as they arrive to the Colony, despite their history. Age, experience and such aside, your character is in some way new and starting his journey and story. I wish people would not forget that.

It's fine to go for it right away and be loud, be creative and rash. However, play it as you want, but think about your levels and situation where you don't yet have friends or allies. Think about as it is. You're new, you're nobody. You need something to make name. Power, strength, money, friends. That is also how world works. One person cannot stand against the whole world, without something that he can use to take advantage.

I don't expect this brings anything new to the point. I am just trying to tell say, that I see this to be how world works. Most of folks in efu are Good/neutral or loners who only think their own good. Being this active and creative, conflict causing character is not easy, but it is not impossible either. Scales are not balanced, but it does not mean they should be either. This is where everyone should attempt and take up on the challenge to find how they can put more weight on the weaker side.

[Capricious]

I’m at work, but I’d like to offer my brief perspective as a new player here. Maybe I’ll post more extensively later when I’ve got time, but in a nutshell…



This pyramid, while very cool, will soon fall over…




This pyramid will stand.

But honestly, in the end, it's about whatever you have fun playing, and how much fun you bring to others. Beyond that worrying too much about what the "other guy" is doing is an exercise in futility.

[Egon the Monkey]

I'm glad you're bringing this up, RwG. I'm more on the other side of PC length usually, with guys like Ahmed who've built things up gradually and managed to get around conflict with sneakiness and compromise rather than throw themselves full on into a cause then get stomped by the other side's Greataxe Crit Goon.

On the other hand I've had a fantastic time playing various PC faction characters that have been always busy pursuing goals/questing/patrolling. Get a good motivation to quest and it's great RP in itself if the players and PCs can spare the attention to emote, shout orders etc.

I'd agree with RwG that you do need to spam quests if you have active characters as it turns into an XP and consumables arms race and you want everyone in your faction at L7 and with stacks of Haste and CSW right *now*, in case of PVP or challenging DM attention.

I think though, that the biggest issue with quest spam is with  the high-risk, high reward quests like Orcs, Corals and Lizardmen. A good, organised team with consumables to spare to push through the difficult parts can tear them apart and make a fantastic profit. A less effective team will get the crap kicked out of them and come off worse than they started. This starts a "rich getting richer" effect and a team that can crack these sort of quests can amass crazy loot. I should know, Ahmed's business model was bazed on selling crazy loot then smashing another quest for some more :P.

However, here's the rub. Quests don't play favourites. Unless a Dm's spicing, questing doesn't care who's doing it, the rewards are still random. Everyone has to go to the same locations, risk the same spawns or risk of PVP attacks by their enemies. If characters get massive rewards in supplies, loot, XP for being "risky", there's going to get OOC bad feeling towards the PCs that are getting all this "free stuff" while their opponents may not get the same attention from an impressed DM and have to resort to, oh, questing.

However, what maybe would be cool to try is an option for a group of PCs to app for a "running start", and enter the server already equipped at a reasonable level, allowing them to stand a chance in PVP against a similar group. In the same way that ECL PCs start out with effectively higher level advantages, and DM faction PCs get loot and pay to allow them to advance things without questing for the money. In fact, almost exactly like how the Nightrisers start with a coupel of levels, ECL char powers and a stack of supplies.

[politoed_]

It's a game. You should play to have fun, not be labeled into whatever subgroups as monsters or whatever some of the above posts would have you to believe.

If you like to quest or plot, then do either respectively. I don't think it's too absurd that the people looting villages and such get the supplies and combat experience as opposed to someone who sits in the inn room plotting. When you need things, find them, or you'll suffer or lower your chances of survival/success/whatever accordingly. What's wrong with that? Oh -- nothing, this topic is just a spamfest of doomsayer bullshit.

Similar could be said of risk, if there was not a ganksquad, what risk would there even be? Sometimes you will come out the worse of it, which should happen eventually to everyone. Some like more risk than others, which is absolutely fine, and again those that do or don't take said risks will be treated accordingly.

I think that people can grasp who is just power gaming and who isn't pretty easily. I'm also sure they can react however they want, considering any post here is unlikely to stop them.

tl;dr while things are not perfect, they will never be, yet they have been and always will be good, no long winded post or bitchy rebuttal is going to change that

[PanamaLane]

I've certainly put up a fair share of posts addressing these same concerns over the years. Overall, I've learned that discussing it with the server as a whole doesn't really get you anywhere. The best way to create a successful RP character is to be noticed by a DM that is into your goals. Be it through an app, or persistent forum posts, or simply bashing them on the head, if they like your ideas you can have a lot of fun without questing.

If you're doing something that is disruptive to the status quo, the groups in power are going to push back at you. It helps at this point to either have lvls or NPC support at your back. You can get this by questing, you can get it by making allies of other people who quest, you can get it through xp for RP. Point is that there are a lot of ways to make it work.

The one change I would suggest that existed through most of the time in the underdark that doesn't on the surface is the addition of some level of free speech. It seems to me that the DMs are working to add this in with the current dock situation. Wherein the Underdark you could say "this is who I am and what I believe" with relative safety, it has always felt to me that on the surface if you are against the established rule, your "treason" will get you killed 100% of the time. This often leads to characters who are afraid to speak up, lest they lose their character, or likewise endlessly quest to lvl up and up and gather loot before they challenge someone to a duel, and lose, or win, but haven't really made much of an RP impact along the way.

[Luke Danger]

Before making this rant, I shall make disclaimers: This is based on what I have seen, and may have holes and discreptincies as I miss things often.

I agree with SanTelemo on that the server often becomes Red VS Blue, especially when PvP is concerned.

I find that Blue tends to be whoever is in control of the government on the Zig, because it's the town. Red tends to be Team Druid, those opposing the Government, and similar. The only time in the past the scales really balanced was the Spellguard/Reynold's Rebellion takeover (I recall there was a good dose of PvP), and the Ixpadian war (though in both, the general plot ended in a "Blue" victory).

The problem with the server is that it's hard for the Red Team to form without focused organization before hand, due to the fact that the Blue Team has all the advantages most of the time. They're well established, have the 'peer pressure', and tend to get DM support in the form of NPC backup.

The Red Team has none of these advantages, especially if they form out of 'Rogue' Blue PC's, not NPC's. Whenever there's a PC rebellion, it gets crushed by the large number of Blue. When a DM faction makes rebellion, they tend to last longer.

I agree that the 'Red Team' per se needs to have some extra difficulty because it's opposing the established social order, but the way it is, they have to wait until they're kitted out usually, and able to go toe-to-toe with a number of 'official' "Blue Team" members (For this example, the Stygians). Once they can do this, they can make a play, but, guess what: With PC's only being on one side, peer preassure, OUT OF CHARACTER[/b][/u] peer preasure at that, occurs. None of us want to see our characters wiped off the map in five seconds because we decided to make a stand for what our characters beleive is right, instead of being Blue Sheep and following the tide of power.

While certainly there are characters who do that, but I personally find the power vaccuum to be redicoulous, the Red Team, especially if it's active from the very begining, tends to get shot, blown up, ionized, and crushed toot sweet once the fight starts, not because of 'official' faction membership (IE, Stygians, Ixpadians, etc.), but because of PC's instantly thinking "OK, Blue Team's got the edge, so we go blue".

Even if the "Red Team" can prove quite easily and ICly that the "Blue Team" can be defeated, PC's often go blue, thinking, "Oh, it's just one victory, the DM's will support the Blue Team through and through". While certainly this is true to a degree, and it damn right should be, the assumption that the DM's will ONLY support the Blue Team because the Red Team is not a minor DM faction, is absolutely, fucking, FALSE. The DM's do support the Red Team when it's a PC faction. Want an example?

Montezzi. THIS is the biggest example of a PC faction, THAT HAD EARNED THE RIGHT TO BECOME A DM-BACKED FACTION, BUT CHOOSE NOT TO, and still made all of us shiver in our boots. Most people were either Grey towards Montezzi, or were in favor. Or if they spoke anti-Montezzi, it was lips only for the most part. I recall the big anti-Montezzi meeting, we had a lot of people. However, only some of them whom were not Mithrilsoul Dwarves showed up for the actual deal. I don't know if it was because we had a crapload of spies, or if it was because of OOC, or if most were just showing up to watch the big RP, but otherwise didn't care, I honestly cannot say. But the fact that Montezzi was powerful enough to make players not want to mess with them, because they're players were good, not the fact they had DM backing (which was little, as they had few NPC soldiers avalible for deployment, as I recall).

The problem? Levels, loot, and the fact that Montezzi had a core, elite, group that could work cohesively as a unit, and had a leader that played his stats perfectly, and the legacy the faction left is definitly one to be remembered.

Unfortunetly, the way EfU is designed, it favors a strong, core group that power quests like hell to ensure that power stays strong. I've been in groups that do that, and we had some good time. But there is a weakness, that I shant reveal for it may cue spoilers and OOC decisions, that those factions had.

So to sum it up, if you want to make a difference, you tend to have to power quest, yes, but that is only a part of it. Montezzi, while certainly gained mechanical power by power questing, used RP to give them their power as well. About 60% of th victories in EfU are mechanical, I agree. 30% is simply the old "Red VS Blue" ideology, which usually ended in a Blue (City/'Legal') victory, exceptions of note including the Bog War, which was a "Red" victory, a rare one, at that. The remaining 10%, are RP victories, where a good character being played right won the day, not a power built smackdown of East Meets West, Red VS. Blue, David VS Goliath (where David looses more often then not).

Egon mentioned that those who don't have 'DM favoritism' are the ones who have to power quest to make up for this, and those who do get it are oft a well organized group who can tear it apart easily and gain redic profit. There's little we can do to solve this, unfortunetly, without setting it to, "OK, PC X should get fewer rewards because PC Y, Z, and Alpha are with him" and "PC A, B, and C should get standard as they are not an elite team line-up", which is, quite honestly and frankly, unfair.

Regarding Ganksquads... I find them to be cheap, especially for picking off lone chars on a FD DRIVEBY strike. FDing is fine for you know, duels to the death, large-scale battles, and similar. DRivebys are particularly frustrating for me, because it usually ends a character by death because some power build decided he wanted the character out of the way or was paid by a good RPer to remove it, hoping perhaps for some RP to go before the death. Because of Driveby's, it really gets things screwy when it ends a character before they have a chance to defend themselves, emote didly squat (IE, "HELP!", "What the feck?!" or even "Oh Shi- *gets cut down*"), and really ends a character in a bad note because the fact that... you're suprised, and chances are it was just some random powerbuilt character that ended what was potentially months of hard work and RP in less than 10 seconds with as much honor as a Shargass Disciple critsploding a civliian, non-combat NPC like one of the Beggar Children.

The problem though, is that RPing before ending a character is quite difficult because, well, usually you'd have to secure the area, subdue any opposition, and get it done before reinforcements get in.
While this certainly is the ideal way to end PC's, it isn't practical, as often you can't get more than, "Sorry, sucker" or a similar one-liner off before having to FD, steal the body, evacuate the area before a payback-ganksquad returns, and destroy said body. This is usually Red Team's opperations, if trying to give at least a moment of RP. the "Blue Team" usually can RP, but just go FD it anyways to get it over with, usually some random person doing it who wants to get some fame.


So all in all, the main problem is the human instinct to band together as a single group, the desire to be a part of something. THAT, is what creates the "Blue Team pwns Red Team" usually, because we all want to be part of the winning "Blue Team" and succed, get teh lewt, and get to brag about a win. Red Team rarely has this, and usually if they win, they become the "Blue Team" and this vicious circle goes around again, except this "Blue Team" incarnation usually suffers a loss that ends the particular 'domination', but it leaves a long, hard to remove mark, usually in the form of the PC government the "Blue Team" left, creating this new "Blue Team" that a new "Red Team" will have to defeat for it to come full circle, usually with a similar pattern. Talented PC's get together, talented PC's kick a lot of ass against superior numbers and survive, talented PC's dominate for a time, Talented PC's die off, talent PC's legacy continues, leaving a new order, then repeats with another group of Talented PC's.


This mostly applied to EfU:A, as in Sanctuary, the city stayed roughly the same over the years, with some differences occasionally, but otherwise stayed generally the same, but here, due to a lack of solid 'starting' government and how things have slammed down hard, even on the eventualy "DM" government, things are much less stable, thus much more vicious.