DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 05/04/2009 Duedate: 05/16/2009 NIANIA ARENA DM-2 TURN-505 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS GALLORDIN THE GOLDEN FISH (147) (2-5486) [25-20-1,105] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader GALLORDIN BUBBA BENDER THE GOLDEN FISH (147) PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (657) (2-5486) [25-20-1,105] (2-5566) [6-1-0,71] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite GALLORDIN GALLORDIN THE GOLDEN FISH (147) THE GOLDEN FISH (147) (2-5486) [25-20-1,105] (2-5486) [25-20-1,105] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (657) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (657) 55 2. MASTERS OF SAND (636) 32 THE GOLDEN FISH (147) 3. POSITIVE ALTERNATIVE (655) 0 Unchartered Team 4. THE GOLDEN FISH (147) -40 PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (657) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 1*PEANUT BUTTER FUDG (657) 28 7 1 80.0 1/ 2*PEANUT BUTTER FUDG (657) 11 4 0 2/ 2 THE GOLDEN FISH (147) 678 770 22 46.8 2/ 1 THE GOLDEN FISH (147) 8 7 0 3/ 0 MASTERS OF SAND (636) 33 41 0 44.6 3/ 0 MASTERS OF SAND (636) 0 4 0 4- 3*POSITIVE ALTERNATI (655) 0 4 0 0.0 4- 3*POSITIVE ALTERNATI (655) 0 4 0 '*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn (###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank TEAM SPOTLIGHT WHAT'S IN A NAME? Being a manager, I've noticed we get the "strange creature" treatment a lot from natives of Alastari. I admit that they have been terribly accepting of me and other managers. Also, I've noticed a terrible trend we may have started. What is this, you may ask? Names. You know what I mean. For instance: You have normalish names of managers like Jorja, more exotic names such as my own Gavin Rule, and some that stretch the boundaries but sound pretty cool, such as Ichabod Frothingslosh. Next, the descriptive names: Visionist, Suave... And then the true oddities that the why of it is anyone's guess. Otis the Drunk? The Muffin Man? One-Armed- Bandit?! On afterthought, maybe the latter do fit in the descriptive name category. Scary, huh? It just gets worse, the farther we go, for what about our poor warriors? There are so many worth mentioning. How about this one: Hormonal Growth. If I were him, I'd dig a hole in the ground, insert head, and bury it. Now, we come to the real humdingers... yes, you guessed it! Team names. Man, I would love to hear some of your excuses for these. Dark Horse Meat? What the hell was this guy thinking? Does anyone know if there is such a thing as *Light* Horse Meat? I think not! Some I can jibe with: Nomadic Tribe, Beach Babes, pretty straight forward. Flat Broke, I think we can all relate to that one. Then we have Death Mob. How many warriors does it take to be a mob? I'm guessing these guys might be cheating! Keep an eye on them. No More Tears... Gee Doc, um, you don't have exceptionally large fingers, do ya? What exactly is a Moondog? The Golden Fish? Lastly, and these are the real curious ones: If your friend has a name like this, get them some help quick! Mannequin's Best? One Man Band? Paper Freakin Mario?! And I though my team's name, Peanut Butter Fudge, was odd. I invite all of you to share your stories or pitiful excuses why your names are as they are. No need to hide your face in shame. Be proud of your... uniqueness. *cough* Yours truly, Gavin Rule, mgr. P.B.F. (DM 2) * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * ---===DELARQUAN REGIONAL NEWS===--- Duelmasters ----------- DM 1 MORDANT (turn 622): POOP DECK GUY of SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.) DM 2 NIANIA (turn 504): GALLORDIN of THE GOLDEN FISH (Jorja, mgr.) DM 3 OSKSI (turn 628): KOVARARMANN VOTH of GAMES LIBRARY (Jorja, mgr.) DM 5 KALTOS (turn 623): FELISSA HURM of THE MIDDLE WAY 5 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 6 TRANSEL (turn 623): HATTIE of PSYCHO SQUAD (Jorja, mgr.) DM 7 BONSUR (turn 626): HIERONYMUS ZIGG of SENTINELS (Nomad, mgr.) DM 10 KOLACT (turn 616): JOLEEN KRUZ of THE MOONDOGS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 18 TALCAMA (turn 612): STOWAWAY of SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.) DM 21 SUNSET (turn 611): LAGERKVIST of LITERATE LOONS (?, mgr.) DM 36 JHANS (turn 383): SHIRLEY of BABES (Papa Bear, mgr.) DM 38 CLIFFHOME (turn 575): RUNNA DAMILL JOE of U.A.K. (Otis the Drunk, mgr.) DM 39 XOCHITHLAN (turn 259): D'URVILLE of KIWI CONNECTION (The Mun, mgr.) DM 42 RODEKI (turn 559): CHATTY CABALIST of DUNGEON CELL (One Armed Bandit, mgr.) DM 51 TRICORUS (turn 510): HASARCH of DARK HORSEMEN (Jorja, mgr.) DM 54 TROCAR (turn 246): KORASIM of TRADERS OF TROCAR (Jorja, mgr.) DM 59 ILLIS (turn 234): KIRRALA of ISLANDERS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 62 VALAMANTIS (turn 460): ANGRY DECKHAND of DEATH MOB (Jakari, mgr.) DM 72 DRAGONHEAD (turn 210): UM-PAH of ONE MAN BAND (Allegro, mgr.) ADM 104 DARKHOLM (turn 504): SUPER BUM of FLAT BROKE (The Muffin Man, mgr.) Top Teams --------- DM 1 MORDANT (turn 622): SWEORDMASTERS (Mannequin, mgr.) DM 2 NIANIA (turn 504): THE GOLDEN FISH (Jorja, mgr.) DM 3 OSKSI (turn 628): GAMES LIBRARY (Jorja, mgr.) DM 5 KALTOS (turn 623): THE MIDDLE WAY 5 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 6 TRANSEL (turn 623): PSYCHO SQUAD (Jorja, mgr.) DM 7 BONSUR (turn 626): BEACH BABES (Jorja, mgr.) DM 10 KOLACT (turn 616): THE MOONDOGS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 18 TALCAMA (turn 612): SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.) DM 21 SUNSET (turn 611): MONADIC TRIBE (Nomad, mgr.) DM 36 JHANS (turn 583): GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS (Non?, mgr.) DM 38 CLIFFHOME (turn 575): U.A.K. (Otis the Drunk, mgr.) DM 39 XOCHITHLAN (turn 259): KIWI CONNECTION (The Mun, mgr.) DM 42 RODEKI (turn 559): COLOR ME SUAVE (Suave, mgr.) DM 51 TRICORUS (turn 510): SEA DOGS (One-Armed Bandit, mgr.) DM 54 TROCAR (turn 246): TRADERS OF TROCAR (Jorja, mgr.) DM 59 ILLIS (turn 234): ISLANDERS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 62 VALAMANTIS (turn 460): DEATH MOB (Jakari, mgr.) DM 72 DRAGONHEAD (turn 210): ONE MAN BAND (Allegro, mgr.) ADM 104 DARKHOLM (turn 504) FLOPS et al (The Muffin Man, mgr.) Recent Graduates ----------------- DM 5 KALTOS (turn 622): JAMMY LARKE of THE MIDDLE WAY 5 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 7 BONSUR (turn 625): HIDA YAMAKO oF CALL TO THUNDER (Ichabod Frothingslosh) DM 10 KOLACT (turn 616): JOLEEN KRUZ of THE MOONDOGS (Jorja, mgr.) (turn 615): REESE SILEEN of THE MOONDOGS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 18 TALCAMA (turn 612): BLUE MOON of RUN AND HYDE (Jekyll, mgr.) HEXALUS of VINCERE AUT MORI (Toker, mgr.) (turn 611): DECK APE of SEA DOGS (One-Armed Bandit, mgr.) DM 21 SUNSET (turn 610): JAGARE of NOMADIC TRIBE (Nomad, mgr.) DM 38 CLIFFHOME (turn 575): RUNNA DAMILL JOE of U.A.K. (Otis the Drunk, mgr.) (turn 574): VANILLA of U.A.K. (Otis the Drunk, mgr.) DM 59 ILLIS (turn 234): KIRRALA of ISLANDERS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 62 VALAMANTIS (turn 460): EVANDER GILL of MIDDLE WAY 10 (Jorja, mgr.) DUELMASTER'S COLUMN Notes from the arena champ. Do you suppose there are groundhogs on the second of May? Or maybe flowers come out, and if they see their shadows, then we get six more weeks of spring, hmm? Okay, so I'm speculating idly, what better is there for me to do. Fighting the Kung-Fu master? There's a joke. Gallordin SPY REPORT Like the magnificent Sun, rising upon the Dawn and exiling the Night for a Day, I, Novgorodny Vir, return once again! The boys at THE GOLDEN FISH left the arena dejected, after being kicked out of the top spot by PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE. Good show! Practice pays for HAUS HEUS, who pummelled AMBITIOUS GUARD, to pocket 18 points. Win some, lose some. Speaking of which, KUNG-FU MASTER was winsome, after beating KESTRATLAK and seeing him lose 19 points. GALLORDIN successfully staved off a grab for the roses by CONVICTED ASSASSIN of NIANIA. Does NIANIA have no one talented enough to dethrone him? Word has it one team in NIANIA is using psychics to predict wins. They lead a charmed life! And how sociable are NIANIA's warriors? Come, let us see. To quell some nasty rumors, the guys in THE GOLDEN FISH are not carrying any incurable diseases. No need to avoid 'em. The warriors of THE GOLDEN FISH found their efforts at combat frustrated as PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE apparently had more important things to do than fight. Everyone is famous for fifteen minutes, and GULBY is it right now. Most challenged warrior. Isn't THE GOLDEN FISH proud! Like the wind whispering among the pines, do hearest I many disquieting rumors. Ask not a spymaster for counsel, for he will pontificate long after you have fallen into an unconscious stupor. Do not think spyreporting in NIANIA is the highlight of my life. My fingers tire and I fear my incessant prattling may cause unfair judgement upon my impeccable character. NIANIA, I leave you now. The Duelmaster has agreed to foot my bill at Jim's Tap Room. 'Til next time-- Novgorodny Vir DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME GALLORDIN 5486 25 20 1 105 THE GOLDEN FISH (147) CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME KESTRATLAK 5511 21 12 0 78 THE GOLDEN FISH (147) GROND 5540 14 11 0 75 THE GOLDEN FISH (147) BUBBA BENDER 5566 6 1 0 71 PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (657) EIO YUE 5568 6 1 0 70 PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (657) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME GULBY 5558 10 6 1 56 THE GOLDEN FISH (147) BRANDY PINKERTON 5565 6 1 1 52 PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (657) LILLY PEPPER 5564 5 2 0 46 PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (657) HAUS HEUS 5567 5 2 0 42 PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (657) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME GOLDINA 5563 6 4 0 25 THE GOLDEN FISH (147) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? BAV ELDAD 5562 0 1 0 MASTERS OF SAND 636 STONE GOLEM 505 NONE JOK CURRIL 5561 0 1 0 MASTERS OF SAND 636 ARENAMISTRESS VO 505 NONE MERG GHAK 5546 0 1 0 MASTERS OF SAND 636 SHEWISH GIANT 505 NONE SNOG VIGFUS 5544 0 1 0 MASTERS OF SAND 636 STONE GOLEM 505 NONE PERSONAL ADS Bubba Bender -- I reckon you're insane. Even more insane than most gladiators, I mean, and we're all kinda crazy. That challenge was pushing your luck. -- Kestratlak Brandy Pinkerton -- Darned pink-eyes! Always going around nosing out secrets, and then USING them on people. -- Goldina The Veteran Mercenary was a gentleman. Two skills! From a standby, that isn't bad at all. -- Grond Haus Heus -- I dunno why I tried to bury you in the sand, I should have realized from the get-go that it was a futile effort. You're just too big. -- Gulby Zalgor -- Surely you must have SoMETHING worth running! -- Jorja P.S. Although the DA crew probably likes having "live subjects to practice on," as the spy reporter says. Haus Heus -- Uh... how about a sweet cider. Beer is bad for my complexion. -- Goldina Eio -- One thing about multiple personalities, you always have someone to talk to, right? -- Gallordin M. Chardinee -- Like I'd give anything at all to a member of the infamous Cardinee Society? -- Gallordin P.S. Especially to someone who daylights as an insurance salesman. Seef Haraine -- No, I'm sure I'm not worthy! I barely escaped golem-hood by a hair, you know, it was the second choice on my census sheet. -- Gallordin Brandy Pinkerton -- Yep, it was luck. Normally, Ricassino would take care of me, but that was an off-week for him. It happens. -- Talocco, Cult of Ricassino Bubba Bender -- That was one of the dumber guards in my unit. I'm hoping you beat a little sense into him, but if not, well, I'll just send him back into the arena. -- Moro Salleshi, Guardsman First Class and trainer of Guards Lilly Pepper -- Why would I want to tell you that? -- Red Barkol, Dangerous Freetrader P.S. No, you can't have 'em back, I need a new flag for my, ah, ship. 29 April 09 Greetings All -- This is Vincent Michaels, "the Rake", mgr. of the Stormbringers out of DM 33 Niatoli Island, back after a relatively long layoff. I come back to my arena to find only two other teams there. Terrible! I'm calling on all you managers out there who have inactive teams in Niatoli to put them back in the game. Also, anyone else who wants to come check out our little island are welcome. Good food and a lot of good gambling, and you will have a chance to smack around Gen. GirlPants and his band of Ravaged Queens. Great fun. Come one, come all! 4 May 09 Players of Duel 2: RSI wants to try, in a few arenas, a system that rewards role-play and general arena involvement. Our thoughts at this time are as follows, and feedback is earnestly solicited: 1. What to reward. a. Spotlights--they don't have to be involved and lengthy storylines, and in fact, my own inclination is to say: anything game related and original (i,e,, not a reprint), maybe set a minimum length. I use TOGS here as my model--half a column as formatted for the newsletter, and we don't judge the quality of the writing (so long as the editor isn't grossed out), just the intent to make a positive contribution. b. A dm column where one is "due." Again, no judgment on quality of writing, should be dm-related, and I would say (this is just me) a minimum length of maybe five lines. c. Personals. More than just "you suck," or "good fight." How much more doesn't really concern me, and quality, other than "not offensive to the editor," should not be an issue. We don't want to encourage participation and then muzzle it. d. It has been suggested that a reward point or two be offered for running a full team. We could include this, but my own inclination would be to say that there would be no points for this, but that those who don't make a clear effort on this (accidents happen, so maybe something like "when the three-turn total of fights is below twelve"?) aren't eligible for points on any turn until they get it back up to a full team. 2. How to reward it. a. We've been thinking nebulously about some kind of point system, obviously, as an example, say 3 points for a spotlight, 2 for a column, 1 for personals, more points here for what takes more effort, but some points for any effort. This is in no way final! But some way to keep track of who is contributing and how much, and as non- subjective as possible; this would be noted as each newsletter would be proofed. A way to clearly identify who's sending in what would help, but I can work it out by referring to the warrior listings if I have to. b. But, assuming a point system, do the rewards, whatever they end up being, go to the player who achieves a certain point total? Is this calculated per turn, or as a running total over as many turns as it takes to reach that point? Or to the player with the highest total on any given turn? What about ties? c. What do the points get the player? The current thought is X points gets a free fight, probably replacing the "Popularity Leader's" free fight in the relevant arena. That suggests only one player getting a role-play free fight on any given turn. Is this enough to encourage the newsletter participation we're hoping for? Should we convert "This Week's Favorite" to a role-play free fight also? Or handle rewards in some other way entirely? 3. Where it happens. The current thought is, try it in four arenas: one in each region, and one slow arena. Who picks the arenas in question? I'd be inclined to rule out those that are doing fairly well already (Ardivent, Sunset, Lapur; Arkers, Morya, North Fork), but is that wise? Or even fair? Darned if I know. Places where it is NOT currently intended to happen: Transfer arenas. Maybe rule out the no-tourney arenas as current candidates, too? If this seems to work well enough to be worth the effort, should we consider extending it to more, eventually to all non-transfer, arenas? This is not a "someday down the line we might" concept. We want to do this, and SOON. Your feedback would be appreciated, for, against, changes, anything. You can email me directly at jputney zianet com (make sure it says DM in the subject line) or send a diplo to scribe, any arena. the Scribe P.S. Staff members not to be eligible for role-playing free fights. LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS SNOG VIGFUS was viciously butchered by STONE GOLEM in a 2 minute Dark Arena fight. BAV ELDAD was slaughtered by STONE GOLEM in a 1 minute gruesome Dark Arena battle. JOK CURRIL was murdered by ARENAMISTRESS VORA in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight. MERG GHAK was dispatched by SHEWISH GIANT in a 2 minute bloody Dark Arena brawl. GALLORDIN overpowered CONVICTED ASSASSIN in a 1 minute one-sided Title fight. KESTRATLAK was bested by KUNG-FU MASTER in a 2 minute uneven brawl. GROND was savagely defeated by KUNG-FU MASTER in a 2 minute brutal struggle. GULBY was bested by BUBBA BENDER in a popular 1 minute competition. EIO YUE overcame CONVICTED ASSASSIN in a action packed 1 minute melee. LILLY PEPPER won victory over AMBITIOUS GUARD in a 1 minute gory duel. BRANDY PINKERTON vanquished GOLDINA in a 2 minute gory one-sided duel. HAUS HEUS overpowered AMBITIOUS GUARD in a 1 minute one-sided melee. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 PARRY-RIPOSTE 11 - 3 - 1 79 | |STRIKING ATTACK 3 AIMED BLOW 6 - 2 - 0 75 | |AIMED BLOW 2 PARRY-STRIKE 7 - 3 - 1 70 | |LUNGING ATTACK 2 SLASHING ATTACK 6 - 3 - 0 67 | |PARRY-STRIKE 1 LUNGING ATTACK 5 - 3 - 0 63 | |SLASHING ATTACK 1 WALL OF STEEL 6 - 4 - 0 60 | |BASHING ATTACK 1 STRIKING ATTACK 16 - 11 - 1 59 | |WALL OF STEEL 1 BASHING ATTACK 6 - 6 - 0 50 | |PARRY-LUNGE 0 TOTAL PARRY 0 - 0 - 0 0 | |TOTAL PARRY 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 - 0 0 | Turn 505 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are: PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 2 3 STRIKING ATTACK SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 2 1 PARRY-STRIKE AIMED BLOW 1 - 1 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 1 WALL OF STEEL LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 1 BASHING ATTACK 0 - 1 1 BASHING ATTACK TOTAL PARRY 0 - 0 1 SLASHING ATTACK WALL OF STEEL 0 - 1 1 AIMED BLOW 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 LUNGING ATTACK TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME PARRY-STRIKE GALLORDIN 5486 25 20 1 105 THE GOLDEN FISH (147) WALL OF STEEL KESTRATLAK 5511 21 12 0 78 THE GOLDEN FISH (147) BASHING ATTACK GROND 5540 14 11 0 75 THE GOLDEN FISH (147) SLASHING ATTACK BUBBA BENDER 5566 6 1 0 71 PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (657) AIMED BLOW EIO YUE 5568 6 1 0 70 PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (657) STRIKING ATTACK GULBY 5558 10 6 1 56 THE GOLDEN FISH (147) PARRY-RIPOSTE BRANDY PINKERTON 5565 6 1 1 52 PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (657) LUNGING ATTACK LILLY PEPPER 5564 5 2 0 46 PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (657) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is GALLORDIN 5486. The most popular warrior this turn was MERG GHAK 5546. The ten other most popular fighters were SNOG VIGFUS 5544, GALLORDIN 5486, GULBY 5558, BUBBA BENDER 5566, EIO YUE 5568, LILLY PEPPER 5564, BRANDY PINKERTON 5565, GROND 5540, HAUS HEUS 5567, and BAV ELDAD 5562. The least popular fighter this week was JOK CURRIL 5561. The other ten least popular fighters were GOLDINA 5563, KESTRATLAK 5511, BAV ELDAD 5562, HAUS HEUS 5567, GROND 5540, BRANDY PINKERTON 5565, LILLY PEPPER 5564, EIO YUE 5568, BUBBA BENDER 5566, and GULBY 5558. MAIL-IN TOURNEY XLVII PRIMUS TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME DEADLY BEAR 3688 (143-111-0) 2 3 0 THE BEARS ADM TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME YOBER 4537 (38-38-1) 3 3 0 OF WOLF AND MAN 6 ADEPTS TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME HORMONAL GROWTH 5534 (10-2-0) 10 2 1 DEAD WIDE WORLD OF... INITIATES TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME SHADOUT MAPES 5513 (0-0-0) 3 3 0 MASTERS OF SAND BUBBA BENDER 5566 (5-0-0) 1 3 1 PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE ROOKIES TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME SNOG VIGFUS 5544 (0-0-0) 3 3 0 MASTERS OF SAND CHALLENGERS FOOL TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME EDWARD O'HARE 5461 (12-7-0) 2 3 0 MEDAL OF HONOR A1 INITIATES FOOLS TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME BRANDY PINKERTON 5565 (4-1-1) 0 3 0 PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE