War

We're now at war with Mercs, after an ugly neutralization/spike they did on one of us.

We can defend you, but you must take every precaution to avoid getting spiked. I would suggest sending at least 5 runners to any city you maraud. Keep the arena you join random - too many of you generally join the first arena every time. Do NOT send more than one hero to any arena, the time you spend adding your second hero is their chance to add defense. You should always aim to join at 5s or less. If you must join with more than one hero, send more runners and join multiple arenas - this way they have to catch you twice. Be especially careful when raiding cities near enemies or tribbed to enemies.

Besides getting spiked, be more careful about being offline or inactive. Consider using Cease-fires whenever you know you're going to be gone for several hours or setting someone who will be online as sovereign. There are, of course, reasons to not do these things, just keep the ideas in mind.