Die once on a mission because the group is up against heavy odds and is not attacking coherently … well, those sorts of things happen.
Die twice in a mission for the same reasons … time to seriously look at the team, the mission, and participation in both.
Die a third time, even after additional team strength has been added, and largely because some folks don’t understand the concept of “wait until we’re ready” or “everybody ready?” or “how can we draw just a couple of these jokers?” … it’s your own damn fault, and doubly so if you don’t simply head back to hospital and greener pastures.
So Velvet died thrice on a mish. A full 25% debt. Bleah. And, later, Psi-clone died once (though he did eventually ding up to 12). Annoying.
I’m kinda beginning to think that I like squishy characters. A lot harder to solo, but a lot easier to keep in the relatively safe background on mishes.
Ran a bit with Torchielle this afternoon, alongside Avocet. Fun, and she dinged up, too.
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***Dave Does the Game
An all-Blaster team can be surprisingly viable and fun, as long as the players are cautious. (There’s really no need for Velvet to remind the Avocet to “wait a sec” before attacking the next group; the first thing he learned was the importance of regaining *all* his Endurance before a fight.) The only time I got taken down was when that hulking brute (what was it called again?) charged me and I couldn’t get Knockback to save my life (literally).
I’ve developed a rule of thumb for teaming:
– I don’t accept blind invites to team.
– I don’t join teams of more than 5 members (the game generates more villains as you add more heroes).
– I don’t continue to play on a team where the leader is reckless. (Leaders need to understand how to form a good team and good strategies.)
– If I’m the leader and a team member isn’t playing according to my communicated strategy, I use a “3 strikes and you’re kicked” rule
– I always carry enough Awaken inspiratons to use and share, so noone has to leave the mission to go to th hopital.
– I run away whenever my own health is 50%. If noone else is watching my health and can heal me, it’s time to get out.
My personal tactic while playing my lvl 26 Dark/Dark Magic Defender: I target the strongest melee unit on the team, let the melee unit take the initial aggro, and fire on his/her target.
As the defender, I consider it my responsibility to watch the Health and Endurance levels of all the team members, and throw a Healing power out when anyone’s Health gets to 50%.
There’s really no need for Velvet to remind the Avocet to “wait a sec” before attacking the next group; the first thing he learned was the importance of regaining *all* his Endurance before a fight.
Well, some folks need the recommendations. And when I’m teaming with Margie, I tend to echo her requests at my keyboard, since I type faster than she does, and P-Siren was chronically END-low last night …
1 – I don’t accept blind invites to team.
2 – I don’t join teams of more than 5 members (the game generates more villains as you add more heroes).
3 – I don’t continue to play on a team where the leader is reckless. (Leaders need to understand how to form a good team and good strategies.)
4 – If I’m the leader and a team member isn’t playing according to my communicated strategy, I use a “3 strikes and you’re kicked” rule
5 – I always carry enough Awaken inspiratons to use and share, so noone has to leave the mission to go to th hopital.
6 – I run away whenever my own health is 50%. If noone else is watching my health and can heal me, it’s time to get out.
I’ve not gotten to the point of (1) yet, but I’m getting there. Alas, the polite and intelligent invites always seem to come when I’m already teamed.
As a variation, though, I’m beginning to consider not accepting (or quitting out of) invites to pre-existing teams who are already in trouble on a mish. Though it’s a sign that they know when to ask for help, it’s also a sign that there are problems on the team already.
I know about (2) and it’s worth remembering, though sometimes that’s okay. And it’s hard to get a small, balanced team through blind invites.
I agree on (3). Most trouble teams I’ve been on, though, it’s been less the leader causing probs than the leader not reining in probs.
On (4), that’s why I tend not to gather teams myself — it’s a lot of work, and I get to play manager during my day job, which I get paid a lot more for. 🙂
I’ve started collecting Awakens, per (5). Makes a lot of sense, especially in more remote locales (coughBoomtowncough).
If I get to yellow/orange and have no Heals and nobody’s healing me, I definitely back out. If I see more than half the team getting there, I hit “RUN” (F6) and seriously get out.
Your “personal tactic” should be any SOP for any squishy with a remote attack, reserving AoE attacks for when aggro is well and truly drawn or for an emergency.
And, yes, anyone with healing powers (esp if it’s the sole healer in the party) is responsible #1 for using them on the rest of the team. Sniping and other support take a second place. I have a hard time remembering that with my Illusion/Empathy Controller Psi-clone, but it’s critical. And it encourages people to watch after *my* hide.
Something I noted last night, as Doyce and BD and Avocet and Margie and I were all running missions was that we were pretty solid with tactics. Not perfect, by any means (as was observed), but a lot better than most groups I’ve been on. That you can trust the other person to either follow doctrine or make intelligent choices about when not to is a very, very fine thing.
Well, it helps to have a strong leader like Doyce. I’ve learned a lot by serving on his teams.
I also felt a lot better about my role once I realized that using Chillblain to freeze foes that were charging toward Margie and me was a tactic superior to knocking them away with Energy Torrent. It served the same purpose, used less Endurance, recharged faster, and helped rather than interfered with the Scrappers and Tankers. (I am learning to alter my fighting style when in a group, just as members of the Avengers would. It’s a very satisfactory feeling, working as a team rather than just fighting alongside them.)
Yes. When the team dynamic — each person using their strengths and specialties in effective combination — works, it seriously, seriously rocks.