How (not) to die!

Introduction

You're minding your own business in the mine, making some dwarf's day a little bit more miserable. Before you know it, another player turns up and you've been attacked! You manage to wield your weapon, but before you know it you're fleeing ... or worse!

Sound familiar? Do you let the killers force you into the tearoom? Do you never win a fight? Don't let them get to you - read this handy little guide to staying alive, and you'll never need to quit in fear again!

Before a fight

Your kit

Before you think about getting into a fight, you should first consider what I like to think of as "kit". This includes the obvious, like your weapon, but also less tangible things - like yourself.

The number one thing which stands between life and death is your body - as a finely-tuned killing machine you really need to keep it in trim. The most important way to do this is to keep your stamina up. If you let your stamina drop too low, you'll be easy-pickings for a killer.

One way to regain your stamina is to eat wafers. This will give you an instant boost, but you'll find them in limited supply so it's best to reserve them for when it's urgent, for example in a fight!

Wafers, if you can find any, are a useful part of your kit. They're not the most useful, though - you'll do a lot better in a fight with a decent weapon than a wafer. Pick your weapon carefully, some weapons are far too heavy to be practical. On the other hand, some weapons have special properties ... but that's something you'll have to find out for yourself!

I said the weight of a weapon matters. In fact, this applies to everything you're carrying, so make sure you're not carrying anything too heavy that you don't need. Don't carry too much, either - it all adds up and can make you clumsy.

Awareness

OK, so you've got your kit, you're at peak health. What next? Well, before you start thinking about getting into fights, it's worth taking a look around you.

I'll keep going on about awareness because it's so important. Before you fight, you must be aware of your surroundings. Keep track of the kit which has been used. Keep an eye on kit which hasn't, even if you're not going to pick it up.

Watch your fellow players, keep an eye on what kit they have. If you can, watch where they go. Ask yourself whether they might attack you.

Most of of, don't let anything take you by surprise.

During a fight

You've been attacked! What now? Some people simply sit in fights, simply waiting for them to end. What a waste! There's so much more to be doing.

Your kit

First of all, you've got to make sure that you are in no immediate danger. If you're going to die while you're checking the rest of your kit, it's too late. So, check your stamina first.

If that's OK, check the rest of your kit. If you have a weapon, now would be a sensible time to wield it. If you have more than one, you'd better make sure you wield the right one!

Right - you're fighting, you're wielding your best weapon, and you're in no immediate danger. What next?

Since weight is important, check to see if there's anything heavy that you can drop. Make sure it's not something useful to your foe, or something you're relying on as there's nothing to stop your opponent picking it up.

Now your kit is in order, move on to ...

Awareness

... awareness. In a fight, a great deal can happen. If you aren't aware of what's going on, you're at a serious disadvantage. If you can cause your opponent to lose concentration, then the advantage is yours.

The first thing you should do is look at your opponent. Has she got better kit than you? Is she in better health than you? Do you think you can beat her? The chances are, since it's you who's been attacked, your opponent has the upper hand.

But it doesn't matter - we can still win!

So, does your opponent have something which you might find useful? A wafer or two, perhaps? You could try to steal it - but be aware, this is a gamble as you may lose a hit and gain nothing. On the other hand, watch out for your foe trying to steal from you. If you act quickly, this could be used to your advantage.

If you have magic, blinding your opposition will put her at a disadvantage. Even if she has magic too and can unblind herself, it will take time for her to unblind and may distract her from her own plans.

Think of everything you are doing in a fight - and remember that your opponent is doing the same. Try to disrupt what she's doing, but at the same time be aware that she may be trying to disrupt your flow, too.

Lastly, be aware that you may have to flee. Decide which is the best direction to flee in, and be read to do so if the worst happens.

After a fight

You've won your fight! (Think positive, please!) What now? The first thing to remember is that you're now a lot more vulnerable than you were before the fight, so you must act quickly.

Don't run off quite yet, though. Remember there's likely to be kit lying around on the ground - either kit you dropped earlier, or more likely your opponent's kit, dropped as she fled.

Spend a moment making sure you have everything you want, then get to a safe place to recover. As always, be aware of your surroundings - look out for further attacks, and keep an eye on everything.

Foe

You can't usually pick your enemy, but you can get to know them. Just because they attack you, it doesn't mean you can't talk to them. Learn about why they attacked you and use it to your advantage.

If you've fought the same enemy before, learn from the last fight. Try to learn their tactics and react to them. Look for flaws in their fight and use them to your advantage. You may lose one fight, but that may help you win the next three.

Control

You might not be able to pick your enemy, but you can still be in control of the situation. You may be the one who is being attacked, but that doesn't mean the fight can't be started on your terms.

When & Where

Before you can be attacked, you have to be caught. If you know someone may be after you, don't let them catch you. At least, don't let them catch you until you're ready.

If you don't stop moving, it's a lot harder for another player to find and attack you. If you do stop, make sure you stop somewhere where they can't get you.

In the end, it may be inevitable that you're going to be attacked - so it may well be best to let yourself be attacked. If you do so, make sure it's on your terms - when you're ready and in a room where you're happy to fight.

Planning

This may all sound like a lot of work to you, and I know all some of you will want to do is score points. Some of what I've said may interfere with your gameplan ... tough! In the long term, it's better to equipped to fight than to be scared of fighting.

But, I know people won't agree - so the answer is a compromise. If you compromise, you won't be as ready, but with good planning it can be almost as effective.

Here's an example. You start your reset, pick up your usual kit, get ready to do your favourite points-scoring area. But while you're doing this, spend mere moments checking who's on. Spend time looking where kit vanished to. Spend time getting that extra wafer.

Most of all, be ready to switch plans. As soon as you see someone after you, even if you're only one mobile away from oodles of points, stop! Change plans. Forget the treasure, think about yourself. Make yourself safe.

You may even be able to get that final mobile, but make sure you know your enemy.

What if it all goes wrong?

The worst happens. Even when the worst doesn't happen, you're not always going to win a fight. Fighting isn't about winning every fight, it's about surviving to give yourself the chance to win the next fight.

If you're in trouble, flee. If you're in serious trouble, use superflee. There's no shame in it, it's better to fight and flee than to quit scared without even trying.

That's all, folks!

You now know as much as I do about surviving fights, the rest is up to you. You must go out and practice. Practice on (willing) friends. Learn to be more aware. Learn to fight. Learn to flee. Learn to fear nothing. Learn to live.