Yupa's Club Tips
Version 1.1, December 5, 2002

Contents
 A. Introduction
 B. So, you want to Join a Club, eh?
 C. What are the Benefits of being in a Club?
 D. The Downside?
 E. What to do in a Club Raid
 F. What you should bring to the Club
 G. Insignias
 H. Other Club Amenities

A. Introduction

 - Howdy, weclome back for yet another boring segment of "Yupa's Tips" Series...
 this time around, I'd like to dissect clubs, what's the ups and downs of being
 in one, what to do, what not to do, etc.

 - Of course, this is all going to be fairly biased, and leaning more to my own
 club experiences.  You may or may not disagree with what I've got to ramble
 about.

B. So, you want to Join a Club, eh?

 - For you newbies, I'm sure you noticed that there are quite a few clubs (also
 known as clans elsewhere) here.... so, what to do?  Well, I recommend doing
 a bit of research on the clubs we have here first and foremost, before deciding
 which club you'd like to be in.  See how the club members of various clubs act, 
 if they're the type of people you wouldn't mind zoning with or just shooting the
 breeze, etc...

 - Now, how to get in?  Well, there's two ways:  Wait til someone invites you to
 join the club, or ask.  Now an invitation is always cool;  it means someone's 
 generally been keeping an eye on you, and think that you're a cool person and a
 good potential club member.  On the other hand, don't take insult if you're not
 extended the hand of friendship right off the bat; it's sometimes better to make
 a good impression and be proactive in your quest to join a club.

 - BUT....don't be too pushy or annoying.  Ask, inquire, and wait.  Most clubs have
 some sort of nomination/voting process for new members, so you probably won't be
 clubbed (so to speak) until after a few days.  It gives time for the club as a whole
 to air their support or grievances, and to decide if you've got the right stuff.

C. What are the Benefits of being in a Club?

 - Well, for starters, there's the Insignia.  Every club's got em.  If you type
 "use insignia", when wearing one, you will recall straight to your club recall room!

 - Being in a group that takes care of its own.  Generally speaking, most club members 
 are willing to go out of their way to help a fellow clubbie.  This includes getting
 EQ, zoning, and any other type of general help.

 - Club Amenities.  Blacksmith, Resting Room, Hotel, Post Office, to name a few.  Rather
 than run all around town to use these facilities, they can be found all in one at
 the clubhose!

D. The Downside?

 - Not many.  Except that now you'll have to watch out for the image of your club, and 
 that can sometimes carry excess burden on you.  Other players and clubs may have...
 less than kind... perceptions about your club, and sadly, many will reflect their 
 opinions of the club as a whole, on individuals like you.  

E. What to do in a Club Raid

 - Sometimes, club rivalries or personal squabbles can be taken to a whole different level -
 the Club Raid!  All clubs have an entrance somewhere in the mud, that can be accessed
 by anyone at anytime.  This entrance is blocked by guard mobs, and followed by a usually
 intricate maze that involves more guards, club critters, slide rooms, and many DTs!  This
 is usually a big enough deterrent, but those that have the drive will find a way to get in...

 - Typically, there's some warning when intruders are in the house.  Club guards may say
 something on cgos, or some other form of warning.  If you hear the warning, you can either
 make note to stay out of the clubhouse, or go in and stop the intruders!  I believe all
 clubhouses will have a way for clubbies to get into the maze; go and sniff out the raiding
 party, just be careful of DTs yourself.  You can either attack the party directly, or do
 something sneaky like heal the club guards when they're fighting.
 
 - Dying in the maze/raid; depending on who you are, different destinations will result for the 
 corpses that sink.  Club members who end up dying in a raid will find that their corpse will
 sink back to club recall room;  super easy.  Ya die, and once you log back on, your corpse
 will be right there.  For raiders, corpses will sink to their clubhouse, I think, which means
 taking one out will set back the raiding group significantly. 

 - Should you decide to meet the invaders in the maze, just remember; club guards aren't 
   aggressive, but club critters are.  This applies to you as well!

 - And so begins the club raid.  The raiding party comes in, and typically slaughters anyone
 they can find.  This can be anyone, from club bots, to low level players.  They can write
 on your boards, take a whiz in your fountain, etc.  Typically though, the raiders
 will sit in club recall, waiting for some clueless person to recall, or log on!  The raiders
 will have the element of surprise in this case, but it won't last for long.

 - If there's a raid, you're generally expected to defend your clubhouse.  The advantage is
 actually yours; for starters, you should know the club layout better than anyone else.  Use
 what you know to escape from attackers, run past em to keep them guessing, etc.  Catch your
 breath in any obscure rooms that not many people know about, and if the heat gets too hot,
 work your way to the links to town and get out.

 - Work together.  Find your other clubbies.  Plan a counterattack.  Maybe have it so that
 each club member is assigned a different target, then recall back in guns blazing. 

 - Pick off the enemy one at a time.  Since you can't summon into clubhouses, any raider
 you kill will basically be out of the picture.  They'd have to hike it back through
 the club maze to be a threat again, and that'll buy you some time to take care of the others.
 Pick off unequipped characters and weaker players if feasible; another thought would be
 to take out the strong leaders, leaving the less-experienced raiders to fend for themselves. 

 - On the other hand, don't be stupid.  If you're outgunned, don't stick around for the 
 slaughter.  Go about your business elsewhere until backup arrives.  Or rent out in town.
 
 - If you died in the clubhouse, you can try to retrieve your corpse...if you're fast enough.
 Otherwise, stay out, let the dust settle.  If you have to go, maybe ask another club
 member to gather your stuff once the raiders have left/been dealt with.

 - And remember:  You lose CON when you die in a club raid!  So don't keep going back over
 and over, dying.  It's a good way to get yourself rerolled!

 - Last note:  This is part of the game.  Don't take it too hard or personal if you get creamed.
 Just remember to have fun, and maybe someday you'll mount your own raiding party for some
 payback.

F. What you should bring to the Club

 - Be a contributing member.  Help those that are newer to the club, or have fallen upon
 bad luck.  Assist in Corpse Retrievals whenever possible, answer any questions you can,
 offer to zone, etc.

 - Politeness and respect.  Consider your club as an extended family.  Don't disrespect
 other clubbies blatantly; if there's a problem between you and someone else, settle it
 personally, don't drag the whole club into it.  For that matter, squabbles with other
 players in different clubs should be kept private to, if you ask me.  No point in getting
 someone upset with the whole club, rather than just you.

G. Insignias

 - Insignias are cool.  It's good to always wear one (note: unequipped characters are allowed
 to wear a club insignia.  This does not violate the 2-equipped character rule).  Keep a spare
 or two in a container, just in case you or someone else needs it.

 - Don't try to recall in the middle of combat.  Your insignia will typically be knocked off
 anyway.

 - Some rooms, typically no-magic rooms, may not let you use your insignia.  Just find a 
 nearby safe room that will allow you to.

 - Insignias from other clubs can be used by you to recall back to your clubhouse!  All club
 insignias are basically the same; they recall a player to their clubhouse, not the club
 of the insignia.  So if you're stuck somewhere, it's ok to grab a pin from another club
 to use to get back home.

 - There are a few items that can be used in the insignia spot, but that aren't club insignias.
 Things like King of Hearts Endorsement, Veleprocation Pin, Pulitzer Prize, Gears of the 
 Golem, Star Wars Pin, etc.  You can use them in the location, but they won't recall you.

H. Other Club Amenities

 - Town Portals.  Clubs will have one room with several links to various spots in Midgaard.
   Market Square, Temple of Midgaard, or next to the Blacksmith are popular portal exits.
 
 - Resting Room.  Just like Mallins, the resting room will have an olive statue that improves
   regeneration per tic. 

 - Fountains.  There's usually a water fountain, as well as a Jolt fountain, found in clubhouses.

 - Blacksmith.  Just like in town, only more convenient.

 - Post Office, Boards.  There may be a general board, and definitely a club board.  Use the
   club board for club-related junk.

 - Club Donation Room.  Use cdon to donate to clubhouses rather than the don command.  Same 
   rules apply; don't donate limited stuff or it'll break, and typically, don't waster your
   club space with crap items.


