Manager thinking of returning!!

Grandmaster Poster Joined: Jul 14, 2003 Posts: 757

Greetings all, I played back in the late 80's and early 90's and just found this website. I ran Legion of Steel in the Tobir arena (among others)

I've already requested my game set-up to start playing again, but had some questions while I'm waiting.

I seem to remember skill burning was a bad thing and odd attributes were better than even, are these still current rules of thumb?

I found the Skill chart files and thats a good thing, but I don't have the memory I used to. Is the max # of skills 56? do you still hit expert at 16 and adv expert at 20 and so on?

And finally; will be looking for an arena or two. Any suggestions? I'm not sure if anyone is playing from my time, and if so if they remember me. I managed to go to an Orlando FTF way back then. If there's a chance drop me a line.. If not looking for a new arena to call home Very Happy

Also; is it possable to get more than one roll-up sheet at a time?

Seraphim53
(Jeff)

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2003 11:21 am

Ok, I'll answer. If I seem incoherent, bear with me. I just drove 14 hours back from the Face-to-Face, and have been awake since 7am yesterday.

Quote:

I seem to remember skill burning was a bad thing and odd attributes were better than even, are these still current rules of thumb?

Here's the deal:

Warriors can learn skills in an area as long as their current total in that area is less than 20 skills above where it started. (I.E. - If he starts with 15 attack, he can learn attack skills as long as his attack rating is 34 or less.) Now, when you learn skills as skills, that's cool, that's normal, and checks as above. However, certain stats give certain skills, too. Those skills are added no matter your current rating; for example, if you raise DF from 10 to 11, your warrior gets 2 attack, 2 parry, and 2 defense no matter what.

The concept of burning is this: If you learn all 20 skills in an area, you can train the stats afterward, and the skills that come from them are added on top of the 20 you already learned. If, however, you train a stat and get skills from that, you hurt yourself. Those skills are added to your skill total, permanently taking the spot of skills you could have learned as such.

Example: Your warrior has a base of 15 attack. If you learn all 20 skills, then raise DF from 10 to 11, you'll have 15 + 20 + 2 or 37 skills. If you learn 18 skills, then do the stat raise, you'll have 15+18+2 or 35 skills. Since that total of 35 is 20 higher than you started with, your warrior is no longer able to pick up skills in that area from skill learns.

In most cases, you want to avoid burning skills as much as possible on any warrior you intend to run in ADM. If you plan on retiring them in ADM, such as with a striker or basher, then burn away - you'll never max them out anyway, so there's no point conserving the skills. If you want to do well in high ADM and Eligibles, then burning is counterproductive, as you're near-permanently costing yourself potential.

Be aware that there IS an arena where you can learn back burned skills, and learn 5 more as well. You even have better chance of making later stat-raises. It's called Gateway, and it's a DM version of the Roach Motel - once a warrior enters Gateway, it may NEVER leave. The only ways in are through conscious selection after being inducted into Primus, or being an utterly broken warrior who won like a dozen Primus tournaments and is pretty much unbeatable due to prizes no longer offered (read: Spearman). Once in Gateway, you're facing the best of the best. It's all about the highest skill styles - mostly lungers and aimed blows, although there are some competitive slashers and plungers as well, and even those tend to be only warriors with huge attack and defense bonuses. Maxing out a warrior will take 10 years in Primus, or 4-5 in Gateway, and most inductees just retire.

As to even/odd - certain things are rounded up, and skills tend to be on odd stat values. That's why odd is generally better than even.

Quote:

I found the Skill chart files and thats a good thing, but I don't have the memory I used to. Is the max # of skills 56? do you still hit expert at 16 and adv expert at 20 and so on?

Expert: 16
Advanced Expert: 20
Master: 26
Advanced Master: 34
Grandmaster: 44
Archmaster: 56
Blademaster: 70

Quote:

And finally; will be looking for an arena or two. Any suggestions? I'm not sure if anyone is playing from my time, and if so if they remember me. I managed to go to an Orlando FTF way back then. If there's a chance drop me a line.. If not looking for a new arena to call home

Well, I'm partial to 7 and 26 - 7 is active, while 26 is fun but needs more teams. Where you go, however, depends on your philosophy about the game. The Andorian arenas are for limp-wristed bedwetters who feel that no warrior should ever kill another and that downchallenging is morally reprehensible and on the same level as torturing small animals for fun, while the Delarquan arenas have managers who understand that this is a game about gladiators trying to kill each other with pointy steel objects and realize that recognition totals are only a rough estimate of a warrior's ability. (Are my prejudices showing? Wink

) Free Blades lies somewhere in the middle. (A funny paraphrase comes to mind: "I'm sorry to report that [Andorak] has turned into a pussy-whipped Brady Bunch version of itself.")

You can buy as many team rollups at a time as you want. They tend to be so bad that I strongly recommend you buy them in groups of 20 - you'll usually get 1 good and 2 acceptable teams out of those 20, with 1 or 2 others having a single good warrior.

I remember seeing Leion of Steel in tournaments back then, although I never ran in Tobir myself. I was running Night's Guardians, Silmarilliad, Menagerie, and The Illuminati at the time. Welcome back!

Grandmaster Poster Joined: Jul 14, 2003 Posts: 757

Why thank you very much, I hade a vague memory of the basics behind skill burning and your description was enough to refresh my swiss cheese memory.

Wow 70=Blademaster? maybe there was much change after all. I remember Grandmaster (Although never got there myself) and it was rumored that Donatello had obtained Archmaster in attack but no would could (OR would confirm that - it was also rumored that he had obtained it and that level didn't appear on the overview (shrug) But there was never a breath of 70 skills or a blademaster level.

I seem to remember the Illuminati. I also ran the silver Knights and the golden knights one and two in arenas:Jhans,Lyratilan,and Riztab. Although I certainly don't remember which stable was in which arena.

Thanks again for the Info, and I think I'll take your advice in the stack of teams.

Seraphim

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2003 11:32 pm

Wow, I believe I remember you. I had Terror Inc. in Tobir and Sacred Banders in Riztab. (been back almost a year after stopping way back in late 89/early 90.

Two teams, THE DEATH SQUAD (63) & DELIVERANCE (33), with Steet Legal and Lance Turbo managing have returned in recent years to Tobir. You may remember those.

26 is a good but small arena as Ichabod said, if you like wussy rules Razz

then 11 is supposed to be excellent, 21 is a full and wild place, ummm, 18 has a really tough reputation but I haven't been back there since returning. For your first team back, try to stay out of the really small arenas as you end up fighting stand-bys or the same three teams all the time and it's a drag. 82 (I think?) is the normal speed transfer arena and it's too full and often not running correctly from the complaints people make. There's a round table on duelmasters on Yahoo.com and if you join you can ask things like the arena question and get the full range of viewpoints.

Welcome back!

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2003 11:37 pm

Hehe

That's the cool thing about 26 - it doesn't really follow the Andorian rules. There's not much massive downchallenging or killing, but people don't get bent out of shape about it, either.

Well, Jorja does, but all she can do is complain there - her guys aren't good at all, and she won't challenge unless you manage to REALLY irritate her.

Caleam is more of an Andorian-turned-Free Blades arena, which I can live with.

If you want to try the "Heart of Andorak", try 11. Be aware, though, that one team just got 4 kills in 6 fights, and the whole arena seems up in arms. (The recent commentary from Tankesh and TGG inspired me to go look at the newsletter...how cloying!) For your first team back, 21 may not be the best place to go, unless you LIKE watching warriors keeling over all the time.

Grandmaster Poster Joined: Jul 14, 2003 Posts: 757

Thanks guys for the arena info and the welcome.

I got an invite to Transel (DM 6) so I think my first team back will go there. My plans are to start 3 stables though so I'll still be looking for a few homes.

As for tough I enjoy a challenge but a really small arena might be a bit much, particularly if it's populated by very experienced managers. Although I might be tempted anyway, so I'll check out 26.

I'm not afraid to lose some warriors either, but I'd be inclined to watch for exactly what Ichabod means by "Keeling over all the time".

I did join the yahoogroups but I want to wait till I get the actual RUs before I worry too much about it, that and I don't really have anything important to post. So I basically am reveiwing most of the posts on here to see what I've missed and going over warrior creation to see if I can not totally hose up my first groups of warriors (Ichabods been alot of help so far:o)

Thanks again guys for the warm welcome back

Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2003 9:35 am

I just read the arena 11 newsletter, and what hilairity(sp)! A bunch of sour pusses. I'm glad that I'm in 22 and not that arena. In 22 killing off somebody's guys is acceptable. I and some others only complain about down challenging when it is a huge point difference. In the end though, nobody really follows the Andorian code much here in Solven.

Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2003 10:03 am

Heh...Kellumbo is a RL friend of mine, so I'm having fun watching 22...especially with Judge bringing in Wimpy to help deal with K and Kellumbo STILL keeps racking up the 4-1 turns.

I've warned him to be careful about those downchallenges, though, or he'll set the entire arena off. I'm not sure how well he'll listen, however - he LOVES to piss people off.

Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2003 10:06 am

I just read it too. You are kidding me right?

Oh well, I never pay attention to the whole regional crap. I run my warriors how I want to run them regardless of the arena.

"house rules are: no downchallenging, and no attempts to kill. The latter generally means aiming at non vitals and not having a high kill desire. Consider that a request to respect this arena and its managers, and a warning"

Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2003 10:08 am

"he LOVES to piss people off."

Reminds me of me. Laughing

Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2003 11:49 am

A few to try as well might be my two favs at the moment. Willaf (16) and Aradi(60) have been runing in 62 Valamantis recently and I think I like that one too.. A lot of new teams in there from some left over tourney of some sort I think.

Willaf seems to be growing jsut a tad recently.. and Ichabod and the Slosh bros. are supposed to hang out there on occassion.. but you know.. they are a skittish bunch..

Ghoti

Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2003 11:52 am

Heh...don't listen to everything you hear.

I've never had a team in Willaf, although I *just* placed one of the ones I created last weekend there. It won't be run for some time, though.

Grandmaster Poster Joined: Jul 14, 2003 Posts: 757

So then it's 11 and 22, or 16 and 62, or 22 and 60?

Apparently I may have to consider how many stables I start. It may be directly proportional to the number of good team RU's I get. (Which I have requested 20 as Ichabod suggested)

As for factions? I think I'll test the waters before I start helping one side slaughter the other. Don't want to piss of the wrong peope (not yet anyway).

Of course this all may be for naught since RSI doesn't seem interested in answering any of my e-mails Sad

Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2003 4:58 pm

Stick with Free Blades to start, then - they're the middle-of-the-road folks, while Andorians and Delarquans tend to be extremists.

RSI will be slow answering emails for a bit, since they're picking up after the face to face, PLUS have GenCon in a week and a half. Also, their CSR guy, while he gets the job done, doesn't always answer emails. If you absolutely need a response, try emailing Sandy (sandy@reality.com). Just keep it short - she is busy enough as it is.

Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2003 5:54 pm

Judge and I had been playing against each other since the 90's. I created the Democrats just to piss him off, boy did it work, and it has made playing in 22 more fun. Kellumbo is doing great right now, Judge and I have our eye on him for some cheap downchallenges. He's got a one mean TP right now that has got one kill already. Wimpy's haven't stood out to much, they do well but don't sound off to much, maybe I should throw a challenge that way and see what happens.