Harvesting hides and animal parts

You can usually tell it was NPC vs. NPC by the presence of mixed animal parts.

If I'm going to risk expensive skinners on a kill that isn't mine, I scout every time. Although I really don't send skinners to things I don't kill anymore unless it was an awesome kill, like poisonous crawlers vs. scaled chargers or something. If you leave them exposed, the chance is too high that another player sends an army or an NPC lands on the square. And if you send an army, you're risking killing someone else's skinners.

I realize my standpoint is a bit controversial and aggressive w.r.t. animal parts around my cities. The reason for this is that I spend a lot of resources on troops to kill the items only to have someone try and take them. My attitude and  actions would be very different to someone who had the decency to just send me a mail asking if I had any desire to harvest the items. I do have neighbors who harvest near me with no problems because we have reached understandings.

Bottom line is if you know you did not kill the animals and want the parts, contact the person whose city is there and ask if they mind.

Brandmeister wrote: Grag, is that practical? The hides and parts disappear after 1-2 days. How long are you supposed to wait for a response?

I cannot speak for other players but if it is around my cities you will get a reply way before those items disappear. If you do not hear from me then I would say take a chance and harvest. I would not kill someones harvesters if I knew they were going to be visiting.

I partly agree with you Gragnog,

Meaning I don't usually go very near other people cities to harvest especially not with skinners.

 I might risk a cotter now and then especially if I think the player is inactive but I usually consult of make deal. I have a deal with a player to harvest anything within his territory if I split what I harvest with him. in exchange he protect my skinners, and tell me when he kill animals who's part are valuable. I call that a win/win agreement : I get to harvest nearly 24h/7 and, while i have to share the profits, I get more that way then trying to sneak under his nose.....

However I got cities in keshalia around wich animal kill other animal....I'm not going to forbid other players to harvest those even if they are near my city, after all sometime I have had up to 6 kills around my city(!)...that's a lot to harvest at the same time and it would be silly of me to be greedy and kill every harvester in sight.

In region where they are less animal I found out there was more people willing to harvest my kills without permission and thus my use of armies.

I find that I have to kill more often on plants or mine and people just plain dont think that other people might have harvested that spot just 1 hour ago and their 10-20-40 herbalist are gonna kill the patch..so I have to kill them unless I want to do without the plant or mine. Very Annoying.