Posted by The Arcane(VIP) on November 4, 2000 at 13:51:28:
In Reply to: Err no posted by Oft-Assassin on November 4, 2000 at 12:29:54:
Ok, people are talking about two different things here:
1) Having someone initiate combat on you.
2) Being caught by surprise.
It's probably a good idea to run if #2 happens. #1 may be bad, or it may in some cases be good. When I dueled people as Dhaevor, and I did so a lot, people usually thought that my letting them attack first was giving them an advantage... all it was doing was letting me flurry them on round 1 instead of round 2. Obviously, if someone walks up and does a dual BS that takes you to 20%, you should probably run. If someone dirt kicks you to start, big deal.
The rule that Oft-Assassin is really referring to is not to stick around for fights you aren't prepared to fight.
This rule assumes equal skill. It's certainly possible to win fights you aren't prepared for, but if you want to play conservatively and maximize your chances of victory and survival, being caught totally unawares should be an indication to flee.