… that is the question.

And it is one I have been asking myself for a couple of weeks now, especially since the Unista war and leading several large, very serious business fleets against their blob. The fleets we in RVB put together for large scraps against E-Uni, were very very impressive especially when you consider the “rep” we have as a pvp training group. However, the sheer amount of organisation required in getting nearly 100 people together, getting a fleet set up just so relevant boosts take across it, then getting all of that from point A to point B, and ensuring that everyone understands the plan, and is willing to win by potentially dieing in a fire, eventually just gets to you.  

I know it did with me.  

Since the end of that war, and with the exception of 2 events, I have not really done much FCing as it just feels so much harder now and so much more stressful, even in the smaller fleets that happen daily in RVB. With the varying levels of experience found across the members in both Red Fed & Blue Republic, it often feels like herding cats with ADHD, mainly due to one or all of the following:

• Poorly set-up overviews (if set-up at all);
• In-ability to follow call lists “durr, wut iz primaree”;
• Not following any plans that may be in place;
• Jumping, when not being told to jump;
• Bringing the wrong ship type, when the fleet description says otherwise;
• Back seat FCing in chat, but not stepping up themselves;
• Not getting on comms;
• Joining fleet and then never actually joining the fleet at their location;
• Not knowing how to give correct intel;
• Bitching about one or two losses;
• When the FC goes down, no one steps to the calling plate, and the fleet dies as a result;
• Joining the fleet, then immediately claiming that you are under attack or there is x or y on the un-dock of HQ, when the fleet is no where nearby.

Eventually you can start to feel really angry about doing it – no matter how much you enjoy it – or even worse, just end up hating it.  And in RVB when you start to feel like this, then everyone suffers, as we have a dearth of FC’s and people willing to call on a regular basis, or FC gangs that leave the respective HQ systems. I know that as I got close to my snapping point I was letting go at my fleets much more often on the slightest of things, eventually it came to a head in a gang that TGL3 had been running, he went down, I took over and then just went off on a tirade against a fleet member who I felt was trying to back-seat FC, on top of a fleet that was not addressing the targets as I called them.  Since then I have just not really tried. Although I am still enjoying my time in RVB, especially since my latest RVB event “Anywhere But” got going.

Now, the question is how does someone who likes to FC, get over the burnout, and get back to it?

Truthfully, I do not know.  

Right now, I am soloing around, in the hope that my event, will get more people out and about as well, giving me some rest from the recent nonsense that I feel contributed to me snapping and getting myself back to the fun of pvp, which once I rediscover that, may kick start my will to pass it on to others. Although people being people, not many folks will wander and roam without an FC – big catch 22 right there.  

Other FC’s within RVB spend their time missioning when it gets too much, others just do not undock or log that character on.  It really is a difficult problem to solve when simply upping and leaving is not an option as you love where you are.

So to recap, I am burned out, other FC’s are burned out, and yet there is no obvious solution, but RVB is still fun for the majority who do not see these problems. And as long as RVB is fun, then I’ll be around.