I've noticed a lot of questions from our newest Mercs about things that just aren't laid out very clearly in the Charter.

So...as an *active* veteran of War4 [the first Merc War] I have here for you, my very own, highly opinionated, guide to getting the most out of being a Merc.

• First, read the Charter!
• Then read Susan Garrett's "What is an FK War?" post
• Now read my "How to play a war" post.

[whew! didn't realize there'd be so much research involved, did you? :-]

Now, read this:

"MERC 101" or "So you wanna be a Merc?"

• The most FAQ of all: "What do Mercs _do_ anyway???"
  
  The Answer: "Whatever you need!" [vbg]
  
  Mercs can be anything from hired muscle or extras for the background of someone's else's post all the way to writing up a whole post _for_ someone else--whether or not they appear in it.
  
  Different Mercs specialize, and different assignments require different levels of payment. (Which, BTW, is entirely up to you. The Guild requires that you are paid *something* [so as not to undercut the market, ya 'know ;-]--but what that is, is entirely up to you on a case by case basis. [A personal example: In the last War, for one involved writing bit, I charged a box of virtual truffles...for another, an elaborately jeweled dagger...for another a half-bag of stale Cheetos... (g)]
  
  Also remember, you only take what you want. Pick stuff you want to do (or that will build your reputation and make you more sought after)...something you find fun! Mercs have class, style, _panache_! We only go to the highest bidder if we _feel_ like it! :-) [or conversely, we calculate more than $ into our fees..."fun level" "who's asking" "what's involved"...]
  
  

O.K....the Pearls of Wisdom (g):

• First off: all Mercs work for virtual payment.
  
  This may seem obvious, but I've gotten questions.... This, however leads to some guidelines and pitfalls of its own:
• Don't overdo it. Discourage any newbies who want to pay you "a million dollars" to do something. Just because it's virtual doesn't mean that inflation's any fun! (g)
  
  If someone shows up with a million in their pocket so that they can buy anyone and anything they want, that just takes the fun out of it all. Do you really want to just be "purchased" for lots of virtual cash? Where's your power in that situation? If they can just hand over whatever you ask for without blinking ...well, then what's the point?
  
  This holds for payment too. Sure, it's all virtual, so you can charge millions and your clients can make themselves billionaires to compensate, but then what's the point? It's more fun to haggle and bargain and make deals and...
• For the same reason, I discourage asking for cash. Why? Because it's *boooooring*! (and it's so....well..._crass_!) You don't have to work for the traditional chocolate (although, if you do, you can be very specific as to what you want: a suicase full of m&ms...a selection of expensive imported beligian truffles... mmmmmmmmmmmmmM!...uh...ooops! (blush) sorry about that! [wipes drool off chin.... (g)]. Try working for something creative. If you've got Knightie tendancies, maybe you want a lock of Nick's hair? Maybe you want a gold-plated Merc pin? Whatever...it's not the $ value that counts, it's the fun. And trust me, by asking for odd things that anyone who's playing honestly is going to have to scramble for (g), you're not only making them pay, you're providing fodder for more stories... which benefits us all!
• Next point: Sneakiness is all! (vbg)
  
  A good friend and war veteran wrote me a note expressing her concern over the coming war that said (in part):
  
  

  I guess I was reacting to the host of posts that seem to assume that this is a REAL, blood-and-pain type war, and the Mercs are more like Rambo than the sneaky, devious, indirect lot you mostly are. (That's a compliment, BTW) :)

  
  
  Yes, it *is* a compliment! While Mercs can certainly hire out as plain muscle, we're even better at plotting, planning, conniving...well, you get the idea... :-)
• Realize you'll need to build a reputation.
  
  People won't be beating down your door until they know who you are and what you can do. Get yourself into the war and have fun. If no one hires you, try contacting someone in trouble and offering them a creative way out. (Or a creative way *in*...whatever! :-) Announce specialties--are you a bodyguard-type, a passing-along-odd-packages-in-clandestine- encounters type, or a write-a-story-for-you type?
  
  

But, most of all:

The title has now passed to Laurie Schlagel, who keeps the Merc Central Homepage at its new location.

Problems, bribes, adulation, and (of course) virtual chocolate to moonlight@pobox.com