Excellent guide. I'll keep this open next time I run the SF. If I ever do again.. 
*points at sig* That's my only 50 at this point.
After all the work in balancing out the various powersets/AT's the devs have done, they created a major repeatable end-game experience that effectively requires specialized AT's, powersets and builds. Don't know about anyone else but I gave up on the RSF months ago. I play for fun, and the RSF wasn't. Yes, I'm bitter.
Very amusing guide, though. 
man i wish i could use this guide lol. never done the LRSF and have had my 50 for a month now
Don't forget that the actual team leader shouldn't look in the power description of the Rad corruptor...They might just find out he didn't take Radiation Infection or Mutation and know that their team is useless.
HUEBURT I FOUND YOU!!!
[Edit] *cough*...He's my group's co-leader. Sorry for the off topicocity.
<QR>
Yeah, 5 stars for teh funni-
Don't forget the dedicated leech of the group- usually the stalker or dominator is looked upon as the leech- but a true leech is someone that could actually contribute to a successful completion of the RSF, but due to their leeching and non-contribution thanx to their incompetence, or AT confusion (defenders used as a blaster, scrapper used as a tank) or just out right stupidity will help lead to a failure with much name calling and finger pointing.
Great guide!!
"I'm not scared of anyone or anything Angie. Isn't that the way life should be?"
Jack Hawksmoor, The Authority.
OMG, the guide is completely funny. But very VERY true. I give the guide two thumbs up... Nicely done, 6.
***VICTORY SERVER***
E-Lusion: lvl 50 Fire/Rad Controller
Holy Angst: lvl 50 Illusion/Rad Controller
Archangel Appoloin: lvl 50 Fire/Kinetics Controller
...and twenty-three (23) other level 50's...
It's funny. A lot. Really. I'm not kidding.
lol
[ QUOTE ]
Wee Bit Slows little green arrow on your map just tends to meander around, turning to and fro. Youll double-check it, but that character is actually level 50.
[/ QUOTE ]
Did you check to see if the WBS was stuck trying to turn at the top of a ramp? It's possible one of the NPC's from a Mayhem mission escaped P.I. and joined your team. 
This was a beautiful guide, now i know how to actually FAIL at something considering that, I don't fail 
Oh! don't forget the cocky guy who believes hes the ultimate player and tells everyone what to do thus causing bickering and then there is actually negative communication!
Whining about everything since 2006.
Ammo switching for Dual Pistols was my idea:
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=135484
[ QUOTE ]
Oh! don't forget the cocky guy who believes hes the ultimate player and tells everyone what to do thus causing bickering and then there is actually negative communication!
[/ QUOTE ]
What? Me? No way...
ROFL, Nice Guide. I will try to remember that the next time I attempt to join a LRSF. *looks at bruises from the first attempt* I was the only debuffer on my team Necro/Poison. This is when the LRSF was first introduced. We actually made to the Ms. Liberty Mish, but not pass that. We also had a NLL for a Leader *laughs hysterically*
You forgot one player type. [u]The Avant Guard[u] almost fits the bill, but this person is not quite the same.
[u]The Not a Follower:[u] This person is never the Brute. He may be a Dominator, a Corruptor, or even a Master Mind. This person is Uber. He can take on the world single handedly. Almost, but not quite. He is the one who somehow manages to find a different mob to aggro than the one that the rest of the team is working on. After aggroing the mob and finding that his health bar is dropping faster than a rock in a vacuum, he will attempt to rejoin the group thus helping the team into yet another team wipe as well as another excuse for the [u]Time Manager[u] to exit.
Tech Support Rule #1 - They will lie to you. Usually intentionally.
So this is what awaits me at 50? Sounds like a party.
5 Stars.
my doms will never get an invite let alone fail. THANKS DEVS!
Yeah, it's EXTREMELY disappointing when your first 50 turns out to be a dom or a stalker, and then you find out you'll NEVER even get to do the last SF unless you drop a character you LOVE playing, and play another AT just for the sole purpose of playing said SF. AWESOME Concept.... 
Doms and stalkers get invites all the time on Guardian server. Great guide and thanks for the big chuckle ;D
Aw, you just took your guide to PUGs and put it out under a different cover... LRSF fad chaser!!!!
(Kidding, giggled helplessly reading it--so true)
Some days I just wake up cranky. Today might be one of those days...
Oh hell...
Time Managers are all over the damn place. I get sick of them personally. That's why I never lead a group.
The Time Manager thing is a little unfair. I tend to not have huge stretches of time to play - not lately anyway.
Then again, that's why I don't run many Task or Strike Forces.
With Issue 8 on its way, I figured Id commemorate the nerfing of the Lord Recluse Strike Force with an Issue 7 guide.
The LRSF is an extremely difficult task, and discussions about it on the forums here tend to get a little heated. Please be nice, and take the following guide with as many grains of salt as possible.
HOW TO FAIL THE LRSF - Issue 7
========================================
by Inspector 6
While there are sufficient guides for completing the Lord Recluse Strike Force, Ive noticed a total lack of guides on how to utterly fail it. While failure may seem like a simple objective, it is in fact a very nuanced and subtle. For example, I am aware of 2 or 3 strategies for completing the LRSF, yet I can illustrate hundreds of ways to fail it.
This guide is not intended to be a step-by-step walkthrough, but an overall primer to boost your awareness and give you some insight into your technique. Perhaps with the information here, youll be able to develop your own style of failure and maximize your frustration.
THE TEAM
While an obvious answer to building a failing team might be to use 8 Stalkers or 8 Dominators, I suggest building a team that appears to be nearly capable. This will ensure the team members will put in their best efforts, and ultimately suffer their greatest defeat.
The ideal completion team is widely agreed to be a Granite taunt-bot brute with 6-7 Corruptors as support-damage hybrids (rads are a favorite). A near-miss team would ideally have no more than 4 Corruptors and Masterminds. While its probably possible to complete with this team, there will be other obstacles to ensure failure. Masterminds are particularly suited to a failing support roll since the Hero-class mobs employ excellent AoE. Masterminds forced to repeatedly resummon their deceased pets will give the illusion of assisting the team, while accomplishing very little.
To manage aggro, well need a brute. Ideally, the brute should have a damage aura, but not taunt. This will give him some aggro, but not so much that he gets overwhelmed. To help him out, well add another brute, who also doesnt have taunt.
While our 4 support Corruptors and Masterminds are well suited to attacking, we should add a stalker to the mix for the illusion of extra damage.
With a team that appears this well-rounded, we have room for the so-called pity spot a Dominator. Welcome to the team! Bet youd like some SHOEs huh?
There you go. The team looks perfect for a disappointing failure.
<ul type="square">1. Brute
2. Brute
3. Corruptor
4. Corruptor
5. Mastermind
6. Mastermind
7. Stalker
8. Dominator[/list]
COMMUNICATION
Devising and executing the perfect plan requires excellent communication. Ventrilo and Teamspeak are very useful for this, but several players shouldnt use it for this approach. In fact, one team member should flatly refuse to use it. Initially, theyll say, I dont have a microphone. No biggie. You let them know that being able to hear their teammates will help a lot, even if they cant speak. After a prolonged exchange of reasons for and against using VOIP, the ultimate response will be Sorry, I wont. This sets the proper tone for events that follow.
TEAMWORK
Lets take a look at the types of players youll need to optimize the failure.
<ul type="square">[u]The Positive Pusher:[u] Someone needs to get the ball rolling. No failing team isnt without its supporters who urge on the others into wasting hours of their life to ultimately not complete the Strike Force. When you join the team, you may find it looks something like this: 1 Corruptor, 2 MMs, 3 Brutes, and 1 Dominator. You contemplate the team as the leader looks for that last vital member. Well, it doesnt look good. Maybe just maybe with another corruptor, a rad or a therm or something OK, found one, the Positive Pusher declares. Another Brute joins the team. You apologize to the team, Guys, Im really sorry, but I dont think we can run it with this team. The Positive Pusher replies by starting the strike force.
[u]Mystery AFKer:[u] Not all players need to be bad to successfully fail the LRSF. One special case of a perfectly capable player is the Mystery AFKer. This player uses every possible pause in the action to become unresponsive. Every time the team zones into or out of a mission, between spawns, or simply in those boring prep-times when the teams buffing up for an assault on multiple Hero-class mobs, you can count on the Mystery AFKer to stand there - saying nothing, doing nothing. At times, after youve laboriously gone through every detail of an attack strategy, the Mystery AFKer may reward you with a So whats the plan?
[u]The Avant Guard:[u] A key player for a failing team, and usually a brute. This is the guy that goes straight to the lab in the Assault Longbow Base mission, grabs the technician, and triggers several massive ambushes all this while the rest of the team is still on the airstrip destroying chasers. For maximum effect, the Avant Guard should also not bother mentioning hes under attack, so when his health plummets, 1 or 2 teammates can go to rescue him, leading to their own demise. With a solid Avant Guard on your team, you should be able to get your first team wipe within minutes of zoning into the first mission. Also look to the Avant Guard to go off-plan to try something for any AV strategies later a key element in dragging out the LRSF as long as possible.
[u]The Wee Bit Slow:[u] The first clue you found one of these valuable assets is when you take them into Bloody Bay to grab Shivans. They may ask, Where is BB? Okay, so PvP is not their thing. You let them know its in Cap. Once in Cap, theyll ask, Where is the door? Ahh, now you begin to see. Once you manage to get them into BB, youll take them through every step to collect Shivan Shards. In fact, youll have to escort them to each meteor because you notice that when youre not leading them, the Wee Bit Slows little green arrow on your map just tends to meander around, turning to and fro. Youll double-check it, but that character is actually level 50.
[u]Time Manager:[u] Another key ingredient of a failing Strike Force team will introduce himself with How long will this take? It doesnt really matter what you tell them because theyll inform you, If we dont start in 10 minutes I wont be able to finish. This is a lie. They wont be able to finish anyway. The Time Manager will almost always need to go after the first or second team wipe in the last mission. Had the Time Manager chosen to leave in an earlier mission, the team may have realized their plight and opted to quit the Strike Force. By quitting at this critical moment, the Time Manager will ensure the most successful failure possible.
[u]The Non-Leader Leader:[u] While the Positive Pusher is likely to have the star, the NLL is the ultimate know-it-all. Impatient, pessimistic, and bossy, the NLL will serve the vital role of making everyone else on the team feel bad about any team wipes and failures as a whole. While the NLL may have gained his authority by reading other guides, most likely he already has a slew of SHOEs either through sheer luck in the past or competent teams that have previously carried him through the LRSF. More aggressive NLLs may turn to shouting (ie. more dots), while more passive ones may take their frustration out in other ways (ie. sarcastic guides).[/list]
PREP
PvP Zone temp powers are nearly a requirement to complete the LRSF. Shivans in Bloody Bay and Chemical Burn missiles from Warburg greatly increase your chances to complete it. Not only should some or most of the team not bother collecting them, there should also be one member on the team that is insulted by the fact you are asking them to prepare for a strike force like this. For those members that opt to get the Chemical Burns and Shivans, its best to collect them at the planned start time of the SF. Members who already have them or wont get them shouldnt bother helping other teammates get these temp powers. This leads into the next part
TIMING
The perfect time to start a failed attempt at the LRSF should be very late in the evening. Maybe most of the team has been kicking the idea around all day, but now that the day is coming to an end, its time to do it. Dont take into consideration times zones (or hemispheres) and rely on the fact that most gamers are content to play late into the night. Starting at this late hour will guarantee that most of the team will be cranky and tired in the last and most difficult mission. This will help your Time Manager make his exit, and even your Mystery AFKer may depart indefinitely and drift off to sleep somewhere.
CONCLUSION
Maybe Issue 8 (due for release any day now) will make finding the perfect failing team more difficult, but I anticipate it will actually help to this end. Not only will newcomers still anticipate just another old strike force, but now the seasoned vets will expect less of their teams. Add to that the increased frustration of not completing the LRSF [u]after[u] it was made easier, and youve got some spectacular failures ahead.