DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 11/03/2016 Duedate: 11/30/2016
ARKERS ARENA
DM-8 TURN-405
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
UGLY KIDD JOE
NORTHERN BADLANDS (397)
(8-4942) [19-9-2,151]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
UGLY KIDD JOE WAY JOURNER
NORTHERN BADLANDS (397) FOREST GARDEN (642)
(8-4942) [19-9-2,151] (8-5692) [4-4-0,28]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
LUCIFEROUS HOPE UGLY KIDD JOE
BROKEN SPIRITS (632) NORTHERN BADLANDS (397)
(8-5522) [14-16-1,141] (8-4942) [19-9-2,151]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
SMITHSONIAN (245)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. BROKEN SPIRITS (632) 78
2. THE OUTLAWS 2 (631) 36 Z GLADIATORZ (519)
3. BLOODY HAND CLAN (626) 17 Unchartered Team
4. HOYT FOUNDATION (636) 15
5. KORVOSAN ELITE (650) 4 FOREST GARDEN (642)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 2 Z GLADIATORZ (519) 318 159 8 66.7 1/ 1 SMITHSONIAN (245) 8 5 0
2- 3*HEATHEN HORDE (647) 7 4 0 63.6 2/ 7 BROKEN SPIRITS (632) 8 7 1
3/ 4 SMITHSONIAN (245) 787 478 17 62.2 3/ 5 NORTHERN BADLANDS (397) 7 7 1
4/ 5 NORTHERN BADLANDS (397) 205 163 19 55.7 4/ 3 BLOODY HAND CLAN (626) 7 8 1
5/ 6 BLOODY HAND CLAN (626) 83 71 4 53.9 5/ 4 THE OUTLAWS 2 (631) 7 8 0
6/ 7 THE OUTLAWS 2 (631) 29 26 4 52.7 6/12 FIGHTING IRISH (648) 6 3 0
7/ 8 HOYT FOUNDATION (636) 82 76 8 51.9 7/ 8 HOYT FOUNDATION (636) 6 4 2
8-10 SERIOUS LEE (486) 54 54 1 50.0 8/ 6 THE CHOSEN (613) 6 9 0
9/ 9 THE CHOSEN (613) 266 267 20 49.9 9- 2 SERIOUS LEE (486) 5 2 0
10/12 FIGHTING IRISH (648) 33 34 1 49.3 10/ 9 Z GLADIATORZ (519) 5 5 0
11-11 BB PUBLIC TRANSIT (604) 46 48 2 48.9 11/11*KORVOSAN ELITE (650) 3 9 0
12/14 BROKEN SPIRITS (632) 58 92 4 38.7 12-13 BB PUBLIC TRANSIT (604) 2 0 0
13/13*FOREST GARDEN (642) 13 21 0 38.2 13-10*HEATHEN HORDE (647) 1 1 0
14/15*KORVOSAN ELITE (650) 5 12 0 29.4 14/15*FOREST GARDEN (642) 1 5 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
Here I sit! Top of the heap that is Arker's fighting arena. You boys should have
seen the look on Plymouth Rock's face when he realised I was walking away with the
title. It may have been the roar of the crowd, but I thought I heard him say 'No!
Too soon' just before he dropped. Perhaps he wanted to match 4-H's run in Snowbound.
I mean, 4-H held twenty-three Duelmaster titles. Twenty-three! Plus their 48-3-0
record looked pretty sweet. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the stuff of legends.
Dynasties are made of that kind of material.
So, those sandbaggers are out. I really don't want to be bothered with orcs. They
smell funny and their grammar is terrible. I think the Smithsonian has already had
someone from their stable as duel master. I will avoid Z Gladiatorz on general
principle. I guess I will challenge Ugly Kid Joe. Not because I already beat him
twice, but he is the top challenger champion. Fortunately, it will not be a down
challenge. Now I don't have to hear any nonsense from those shills called spy
masters. Until next time, Arkers.
All praise to Mantor the Bright
Eton the Stalwart
SPY REPORT
Hail and well met warriors of ARKERS! Know me for who I am, Zontani Sharp Eyes,
Spymaster extraordinaire of all Alastari. Fortune did not smile upon SERIOUS LEE
this time out who this turn suffered a fall into 9th position in the wake of a 0-0-0
round. Warriors--remember that glory waits always around the corner! Witness how
this week FIGHTING IRISH went 3-2-0 to move up 6 in the rankings. Did only my eyes
note the 4-1-1 record which BROKEN SPIRITS managed to post this round? I don't doubt
that such a record will draw challengers! LUCIFEROUS HOPE caught the eye of many in
the gladiatorial commission as she skillfully bested DED 'ARD SKULLKRUSH and was
awarded 38 points in recognition. In one of the week's more notable duels, TEXAS RED
put down DEIDRE, causing her to lose 18 points of recognition in the process.
Unwilling to wait upon the will of others, Duelmaster ETON THE STALWART challenged
UGLY KIDD JOE last week in a match to decide the fate of the throne. The city has
turned out in honor of UGLY KIDD JOE, for with his arena victory he may now lay claim
to the highest position in the city! Heed this! A seer has warned that if exactly 6
die in duels this week, the whole city shall perish! Just remember...5 or 7!
But come now, let us look deeper into the maze of contention and crossed blades
that is city ARKERS. ARKERS, city of gladiators! Mighty among the names of thy
guilds is SMITHSONIAN, a guild shunned and avoided by many in the weekly duels.
Methinks more than a few here could name the guild it was that spent the better part
of last week avoiding SMITHSONIAN. Indeed it was BLOODY HAND CLAN. Loose talk at
the arena has reached my ears and it but confirms the knowledge that many fighters
are after THE GYPSY. Watch your back! As a gladiator gets older, the icy grip of
fear lays hold of his heart. True, EADSKAR DA'BAD? Who could miss your "brave"
challenge of MAYFLOWER? The weight of the challenge fell hard upon MAYFLOWER and
predictably it was subdued by EADSKAR DA'BAD. This is how to arouse the anger of an
entire guild! For some warriors honor is not important--only empty victory. See,
gladiators, how JHERI BLOOMERS of HOYT FOUNDATION challenged down 22 points to EGRIM.
Surprising everyone, EGRIM overcame JHERI BLOOMERS, earning 18 points of recognition
in the process! A knave's just desserts are the sweetest victory. A match that
raised a few eyebrows at the games this week, it seems that RAL STORMBREAKER posted a
challenge against the more highly recognized ALEMBIC. The results, you ask? Well,
the firebrand RAL STORMBREAKER lost to ALEMBIC. Remember warriors, this is the
discipline of steel.
Vendettas. Bloodied blades and broken spears. Indeed the city has seen more
than its fair share of red in recent times. My condolences to NORTHERN BADLANDS for
their loss of a very promising warrior, DARK LADY RAIN. DARK LADY RAIN went to doom
before the arms of THE DEALER, a warrior of HOYT FOUNDATION. Perhaps even the strong
cannot escape the vagaries of this world. This week arena veteran DED 'ARD
SKULLKRUSH was slain, despite a 16-7-2 record. Fate is a fickle mistress. She
showers the miserable with fortune but sets enemies against the victorious. Remember
this!
A thought before I go. Each warrior practices one style, but must not the wise
manager learn the secrets of them all? More than a sharp eye must I keep, indeed a
stout pair of legs must I keep as well! The endless paths of Alastari await me!
Till we meet again, remember: a turtle walks slow, hides head in a shell, and harms
no one; a lion runs to slay its prey.-- Zontani Sharp Eyes
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
UGLY KIDD JOE 4942 19 9 2 151 NORTHERN BADLANDS (397)
CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
LUCIFEROUS HOPE 5522 14 16 1 141 BROKEN SPIRITS (632)
-ZEST 5224 34 10 1 118 Z GLADIATORZ (519)
-PLYMOUTH ROCK 5218 34 10 0 112 SMITHSONIAN (245)
ZIRCONIUM 5493 19 4 0 106 Z GLADIATORZ (519)
THE GYPSY 5587 12 10 2 103 HOYT FOUNDATION (636)
THE ANXIOUS MAN 5589 14 12 1 100 HOYT FOUNDATION (636)
ETON THE STALWART 5496 19 11 0 98 THE CHOSEN (613)
MAYFLOWER 5235 26 15 0 93 SMITHSONIAN (245)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-DELAYED 5640 11 5 1 87 BB PUBLIC TRANSIT (604)
-SITTING BULL 5638 11 6 0 87 SMITHSONIAN (245)
-ZOO 5236 18 20 0 81 Z GLADIATORZ (519)
-DEFENSIVE LEE 4062 19 6 0 77 SERIOUS LEE (486)
PARIS TROUT 5591 16 11 0 77 HOYT FOUNDATION (636)
-STANDING ROOM ONLY 5282 11 8 0 75 BB PUBLIC TRANSIT (604)
MINSTREL 5763 9 4 0 74 FIGHTING IRISH (648)
ARIXIA 5512 10 10 0 73 BROKEN SPIRITS (632)
HALIN STORMBREAKER 5498 12 16 1 67 THE CHOSEN (613)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-HUMBLE LEE 4061 11 12 0 66 SERIOUS LEE (486)
GUTSAG BAKWORT 5500 18 11 0 65 BLOODY HAND CLAN (626)
HELGA LOARWEN 5632 12 9 1 63 THE CHOSEN (613)
TEXAS RED 5504 7 4 2 62 THE OUTLAWS 2 (631)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
EGRIM 5510 7 12 1 56 BROKEN SPIRITS (632)
MAQURO DOOMAXE 5634 9 11 0 54 BLOODY HAND CLAN (626)
-CRUEL LEE 5676 6 3 1 48 SERIOUS LEE (486)
MAUD STONEGUT 5721 6 3 1 46 BLOODY HAND CLAN (626)
JHERI BLOOMERS 5643 9 9 1 44 HOYT FOUNDATION (636)
BOSTON TEA PARTY 5706 9 2 1 44 SMITHSONIAN (245)
-BREAK DOWN 5618 8 7 0 44 BB PUBLIC TRANSIT (604)
FELDSPAR 5760 8 6 0 42 FIGHTING IRISH (648)
DEIDRE 5762 6 3 0 41 FIGHTING IRISH (648)
-CORRECT CHANGE 5720 4 2 0 40 BB PUBLIC TRANSIT (604)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
THE DEALER 5685 5 6 1 33 HOYT FOUNDATION (636)
CURLY BILL 5501 5 6 0 33 THE OUTLAWS 2 (631)
-BASKETEER 5749 3 1 0 33 FOREST GARDEN (642)
JOHNNY REB 5806 2 0 0 33 THE OUTLAWS 2 (631)
ZANY 5653 6 6 0 30 Z GLADIATORZ (519)
MALLAFAX 5508 4 12 0 29 BROKEN SPIRITS (632)
WAY JOURNER 5692 4 4 0 28 FOREST GARDEN (642)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
ALEMBIC 5766 4 10 0 25 FIGHTING IRISH (648)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
JOHN HARDIN 5505 5 6 1 23 THE OUTLAWS 2 (631)
MASON-DIXON 5722 4 5 0 23 SMITHSONIAN (245)
-LAGERTHA 5740 2 0 0 23 HEATHEN HORDE (647)
-MYSTERIOUS LEE 5729 4 0 0 22 SERIOUS LEE (486)
-SCYLD 5738 3 0 0 22 HEATHEN HORDE (647)
-WORKER STRIKE 5751 2 0 0 22 BB PUBLIC TRANSIT (604)
DOC HOLLIDAY 5805 2 0 0 20 THE OUTLAWS 2 (631)
GRIMM BLACKSMITH 5746 4 2 0 18 NORTHERN BADLANDS (397)
DONN 5761 4 3 1 16 FIGHTING IRISH (648)
-IVAR T'BONELESS 5739 2 1 0 14 HEATHEN HORDE (647)
GRAU SOLDADO 5775 3 1 0 10 KORVOSAN ELITE (650)
WASTELAND WARLORD 5750 2 4 0 10 NORTHERN BADLANDS (397)
-BLACKJACK 5777 2 1 0 7 KORVOSAN ELITE (650)
-ERIC BLOODAXE 5736 0 1 0 7 HEATHEN HORDE (647)
-RAGNAR LOTHBROK 5737 0 2 0 6 HEATHEN HORDE (647)
ZAMBONI 5804 1 1 0 4 Z GLADIATORZ (519)
EIGER THE HARDY 5811 1 0 0 4 THE CHOSEN (613)
RAL STORMBREAKER 5786 0 4 0 4 THE CHOSEN (613)
CRESSIDA KROFT 5776 0 4 0 4 KORVOSAN ELITE (650)
-LICTOR DIVRI 5774 0 3 0 3 KORVOSAN ELITE (650)
-BOCEPHUS 5807 0 1 0 1 KORVOSAN ELITE (650)
OGARD NAVI 5810 0 1 0 1 BROKEN SPIRITS (632)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
DED 'ARD SKULLKR 5610 16 7 2 BLOODY HAND CLAN 626 LUCIFEROUS HOPE 5522 405
BARON VON SMASH 5071 5 9 1 NORTHERN BADLAND 397 MAUD STONEGUT 5721 404
DARK LADY RAIN 5747 4 3 0 NORTHERN BADLAND 397 THE DEALER 5685 405
WINTER STEEL 5633 9 7 4 THE CHOSEN 613 DELAYED 5640 401 NONE
BLACK BART 5682 4 1 0 THE OUTLAWS 2 631 JHERI BLOOMERS 5643 403
PERSONAL ADS
Helga Loarwen -- 'Not very "lady-like"', my grandmother wouldn't have chosen you. (Ah
Viking shieldmaidens!) -- Way Journer, Forest Garden
Heathen Horde -- Ragnar Lothbrok: gone too soon! -- Garden Forester, mgr Forest
Garden
Eton The Stalwart, we salute a fine Arkers Duelmaster. -- Curator and The Smithsonians
I, too, congratulate The mighty Eton. You beat me fair and square. Salute. --
Plymouth Rock
Luciferous Hope, Sitting Bull told me to tell you to take your peace pipe and stick
it, well, you know what I mean. -- The Smithsonian Publicist and Personal Assistant
Texas Red, you tasted just about as good as that English tea. -- Boston Tea Party
Eadskar Da'Bad, ouch! I think I sprung a leak! -- Mayflower
Lictor Divri, it was my day to sparkle. -- Mason Dixon
What an interesting and raucous group of managers we have here in Arkers. In the
words of the immortal Benedict Arnold -- 'a wretched motley crew ". It is a pleasure
competing with you all. -- Curator
Health. Humility. Honor. -- Curator
ZZZZZZZZZZZZ iz ze way! -- Mr. Zee
Cressida Kroft, I guess I iced you! -- Zamboni
Deidre, the Z Man is mad at me for that loss. -- Zany
Ded'Ard phbbbbttttttt! -- zoo
Virginal Concubine, thanks for being there. I had fun! -- Zirconium
A Z a day keepz ze doctor away. -- The Z Man
Ugly Kid Joe -- Well fought. And I also salute you showing up. I was afraid you
would be like the Bash Bros. That bunch of cowards scattered like leaves in the wind
when it was time for us to bloodfeud. Stinking cowards! ***spits*** -- Halin
Stormbreaker
Wasteland Warlord -- This was my third loss in a row. If things do not change, there
will be a new opening in the team's roster. -- RalB Stormbreaker
Feldspar -- I cannot brag about that win. It was humiliating for me. You were the
better warrior this time. -- Helga Loarwen
Zoo -- Seriously! (the word not the team) Wat iz wit all of da monkeys throwing poop
at me during our fight! Dat wuz disgusting! I still can't git da smell outta my
armour. -- Ded'Ard
Zirconium -- Yoos think yoos funny? Well laugh dis off. I am goin' ta da isle. Yoos
is staying here. Hur hur hur. -- Eadskar
Defensive Lee -- Dat was a mighty blow. And dat wuz a grate sword too. Boy did dat
hurt! Hur hur hur. -- Gutsag Bakwort
P.S. Eadskar said to eat your cat. Do you really have dat many cats?
Humble Lee -- You rascal! You, one's old bean, broke one's favourite daggah! One has
had that daggah for twoh yeaaars! One demands repaaarations! Buy myself ah new
daggah! Curses! -- Maquro Doomaxe
Baron Von Smash -- Baron Von Smash? No. Yoos now called Baron Wuz Smashed! Hur hur
hur! See, Eadskar? I can be funny too. -- Maud
Mayflower -- Looks like I crack ya barney culls. Hur hur hur! I guess it wuz sink or
swim. Hur hur hur! See? Now datz funny! -- Eadskar
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
ETON THE STALWART was viciously subdued by UGLY KIDD JOE in a 4 minute fight.
EADSKAR DA'BAD viciously subdued MAYFLOWER in a 2 minute veteran's Challenge match.
MINSTREL bested GUTSAG BAKWORT in a popular 4 minute Challenge fight.
JHERI BLOOMERS was savagely defeated by EGRIM in a 2 minute Challenge competition.
PARIS TROUT viciously subdued HALIN STORMBREAKER in a 6 minute Challenge fight.
TEXAS RED devastated DEIDRE in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge competition.
WAY JOURNER was overcome by MAUD STONEGUT in a 2 minute gruesome Challenge melee.
THE DEALER dispatched DARK LADY RAIN in a 2 minute Challenge duel.
JOHNNY REB overpowered GRIMM BLACKSMITH in a 1 minute uneven Challenge duel.
RAL STORMBREAKER was defeated by ALEMBIC in a 3 minute Challenge fight.
DOC HOLLIDAY overpowered ZAMBONI in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge fight.
THE ANXIOUS MAN was luckily beaten by ZIRCONIUM in a 5 minute master's competition.
THE GYPSY demolished M. CHARDINEE in a 1 minute one-sided brawl.
LUCIFEROUS HOPE easily killed DED 'ARD SKULLKRUSH in a 1 minute one-sided conflict.
HELGA LOARWEN overpowered CURLY BILL in a 1 minute uneven struggle.
ARIXIA handily defeated BOSTON TEA PARTY in a 1 minute mismatched bout.
MAQURO DOOMAXE devastated ZANY in a 1 minute one-sided brawl.
FELDSPAR overpowered JOHN HARDIN in a 1 minute one-sided match.
MASON-DIXON luckily beat DONN in a 5 minute gory match.
WASTELAND WARLORD was handily defeated by MALLAFAX in a 1 minute competition.
GRAU SOLDADO narrowly defeated OGARD NAVI in a 2 minute brutal beginner's fight.
CRESSIDA KROFT was outlasted by EIGER THE HARDY in a dull 16 minute beginner's fray.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|SLASHING ATTACK 8 PARRY-LUNGE 12 - 6 - 1 67 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 7 TOTAL PARRY 59 - 31 - 0 66 |
|TOTAL PARRY 7 STRIKING ATTACK 24 - 20 - 3 55 |
|BASHING ATTACK 6 BASHING ATTACK 50 - 53 - 4 49 |
|AIMED BLOW 4 AIMED BLOW 32 - 34 - 0 48 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 4 SLASHING ATTACK 41 - 46 - 2 47 |
|WALL OF STEEL 3 PARRY-RIPOSTE 10 - 13 - 0 43 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 2 LUNGING ATTACK 25 - 33 - 1 43 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 WALL OF STEEL 14 - 27 - 1 34 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 PARRY-STRIKE 9 - 19 - 0 32 |
Turn 405 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:
LUNGING ATTACK 6 - 1 STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 3 6 TOTAL PARRY
TOTAL PARRY 4 - 3 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 2 SLASHING ATTACK
AIMED BLOW 2 - 2 WALL OF STEEL 0 - 3 1 STRIKING ATTACK
PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 1 1 LUNGING ATTACK
PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 1 1 PARRY-LUNGE
SLASHING ATTACK 4 - 4
BASHING ATTACK 3 - 3
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
SLASHING ATTACK UGLY KIDD JOE 4942 19 9 2 151 NORTHERN BADLANDS (397)
TOTAL PARRY ZIRCONIUM 5493 19 4 0 106 Z GLADIATORZ (519)
LUNGING ATTACK THE GYPSY 5587 12 10 2 103 HOYT FOUNDATION (636)
AIMED BLOW MINSTREL 5763 9 4 0 74 FIGHTING IRISH (648)
BASHING ATTACK HELGA LOARWEN 5632 12 9 1 63 THE CHOSEN (613)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is LUCIFEROUS HOPE 5522. The most popular warrior this
turn was UGLY KIDD JOE 4942. The ten other most popular fighters were THE ANXIOUS
MAN 5589, MINSTREL 5763, MAUD STONEGUT 5721, EGRIM 5510, WAY JOURNER 5692, DARK LADY
RAIN 5747, RAL STORMBREAKER 5786, ZIRCONIUM 5493, LUCIFEROUS HOPE 5522, and ARIXIA
5512.
The least popular fighter this week was EIGER THE HARDY 5811. The other ten least
popular fighters were CRESSIDA KROFT 5776, MASON-DIXON 5722, WASTELAND WARLORD 5750,
JOHN HARDIN 5505, ZANY 5653, BOSTON TEA PARTY 5706, CURLY BILL 5501, DED 'ARD
SKULLKRUSH 5610, ZAMBONI 5804, and DEIDRE 5762.
The following warriors have traveled to AD after fighting this turn:
EADSKAR DA'BAD (8-5466) BLOODY HAND CLAN (626)
An Informative Guide to the Parry-Riposte Style
composed by Sir Jessie Jest
Greetings to all. After many weeks of compiling a database with informationon
the parry-riposte, I would like to thank the many managers that donated their time and
effort to make this project work. We all hope that many managers benefit from these
efforts to further the interest in this style.
This article can also be found in the Duel Masters Web page on the internet at:
http://www.netis.com/johnh/dm.htm
Also, for those of you who have e-mail access, I invite you to join in on the DM
discussions on the Roundtable. The roundtable is a forum that discusses anything that
has to do with Duelmasters. It is made up of many other DM managers like yourself,
and will answer any question you have about the game. To join the Round Table send e-
mail to listserv@ambience.com.au with the message "Subscribe Duel-L Your Name".
*** *** ***
Parry-ripostes, or rippers, can be very deadly if trained and managed
effectively. Rippers aren't as widely understood as the more common high skill base
styles are. They do draw managers who like more of a challenge. It is not a style
for quick fix, so to speak. They start with much less skill and development than
many other styles. This means they require a much longer development time before
reaching that successful stage. Rippers are not good short-term warriors. They lack
what it takes to get many wins early in their career. When you make a ripper, you're
in for the long haul.
When making a ripper, it is good to think about making him survive through Basic.
Rippers have the second highest death rate, with aimed blows being the first. The
main reasons for this, I believe, are poor warrior design and/or poor strategy.
Rippers, even if designed exactly the same, vary more from one to another than most
styles in general. The aimed blow, I believe, is the only other style that varies
more widely from one to another than the ripper. Finding your ripper's likes and
dislikes may be quite a task, indeed.
The first thing to get a good ripper is warrior design. His starting stats will
greatly effect his starting skill bases as well. Since rippers starting skill base
is lower than some of the other styles, getting as many bonus skills from initial
stats is very important. These bonus skills are given most in the WIT and DEFTNESS
stats. Odd numbered stats are where most of the bonus skills are at, such as 13, 15,
17 and 21. There are no bonus stats to be gained at 19 in any stat except speed.
Good rippers will have a minimum of 32 points between wit and deftness. 34 or more
points is preferred. 17 or 21 WT and 17 or 21 DT makes the best rippers.
Ripper stats:
Strength: 7-11 gives you the range you need for all ripper weapons.
Con: 10-14 helps keep your ripper alive and helps with encumbrance. A wise
manager would put any left over points here, rather than speed. We'll
get to that in a minute.
Size: 3-11, no bigger. It's a waste of points and kills your defense, which
is one thing that will keep your ripper alive.
Wit: 15, 17 or 21 -- No less. You need the bonus skills and the quick
learning to make up for the lower skill base.
Will: 15+ Not necessary, but to be successful quicker in ADM get at least a
15.
Speed: 5-9 Speed is the most disputed thing among ripper managers. It is
split 50/50 on its contribution to a rippers success. I believe any
extra points left over after adding to odd number WT, WL, and DF should
go to CON, not speed. It makes no difference whether you get those
skills gained from speed now, or later on. They are still the same
number of skills. Those few skills won't make as much difference
now, as CON does in keeping the ripper ALIVE. A dead ripper's bases
don't matter much, now, do they? ;)
Deftness 15,17, or 21 no less. This is a MUST. Deftness gives the most bonus
skills out of all the stats. Unlike other styles, which start out
with higher bases, a ripper needs all the bonuses he can get. Don't
skimp here. Also, many of the rippers weapons require high deftness.
The average skill bonuses you get for the parry-riposte style are as follows:
(Taken from the "Ween Chart" that includes decimals)
Skill Bonus
====== ======
Attack -1.6
Parry -0.1
Defense -3
Initiative 3.1
Decise 1.8
Riposte 4.6
Naturally, rippers get more bonus skills in the riposte area. To help
understand that chart, round the numbers up to the nearest whole number. Example,
Decise 1.8 = 2 extra decise skills. There is no way to predict exactly what your
ripper's starting skills will be. But you can get a good idea when your get your
overview back by using the skill chart which is not listed here. There is the luck
factor, which is a random number that RSI gives to make sure no two warriors are
exactly alike. Some are blessed and get more than average skills, whereas others get
considerably less. Rippers in general seem to get LESS more than MORE skill in the
luck factor part of character generation.
Listed below are some examples of actual rippers in ADM and Primus.Please take
note of the + or extra skills these rippers received with thestats they have. Notice
the amount of extra skills they received from high WIT and DEFTNESS. The luck factor
had some play in these startingbases. These are also examples of when the luck factor
gives you MOREstarting base skills. The one at the bottom, with the -2 skills, is an
exampleof bad luck. The average skill base totals is +4.8 or 5 skills rounded up.That
means that if you get a ripper with more than + 5 skills to his base,he is lucky.
Less than + 5 he is unlucky, depending on his stats. If theripper has less than a 32
total points WIT and DEFTNESS, his chancesof getting less than +5 is MUCH higher. If
you get more than +5 skills withless than 32 points in your WIT and DEFTNESS total,
you a very lucky.One exception is when you have a 30 WIT/DEFTNESS total and a 21
WILL.Then you should get +5 or better to your skill base. If not, you are unlucky.
ST-CN-SZ-WT-WL-SP-DF BASE: ATT INIT DEC DEF PAR RIP (Bonus +/-)
17-13-4-17-9-9-15 60(0) 60(+4) 30(+2) 40(-1) 45(+1) 65(+5); +11
9-13-8-17-15-5-17 55(-1) 55(+4) 15(0) 30(-4) 55(+3) 70(+6); +8
11-9-12-15-17-5-17 55(0) 35(+2) 20(+1) 30(-3) 45(-1) 75(+9); +8
9-12-5-17-15-9-17 45(-3) 50(+1) 40(+3) 45(-2) 40(0) 70(+5); +4
10-10-9-21-15-4-15 60(-1) 50(+2) 45(+5) 35(-4) 35(0) 65(+5); +7
8-9-7-17-17-9-17 50(-3) 50(-1) 50(+4) 50(-2) 40(+1) 85(+8); +5
8-10-12-17-17-3-17 60(-1) 45(0) 25(+2) 30(-5) 40(+1) 55(+4); +1
8-9-8-15-11-12-21 50(-2) 75(+5) 35(+2) 35(-4) 50(+1) 80(+5); +7
12-10-8-17-11-9-17 40(-3) 45(0) 40(+4) 30(-4) 15(-4) 70(+5); -2
The numbers in the parenthesis are the + or - the projected skill base for that
set of numbers. Example: +5 means that he got 5 more than the average projection.
Pluses are good and minuses are bad.
A simple method to see whether or not your ripper was lucky is to add the WIT and
DEFTNESS together. If it is above 32 then you should get + 5 as an average, and any
more than +5 is lucky. The higher the WIT/DEFTNESS total the higher the average.
This is a quick guesstimate to see if your ripper was unlucky at getting a good number
starting skills. It is not an exact way to tell. You can tell more accurately by
using the skill chart that lists the skill bonuses, and the style modifiers.
Good WIT statements for a good ripper include high order ATTACK, DEFENSE, and
PARRY. An initiative statement is nice, but harder to come by for a ripper, unless
you give up one of those 3 up there. If you get ATTACK, DEFENSE, PARRY and INITIATIVE
high order you have a GREAT ripper. Rippers almost always get some kind of Riposte
statement. Riposte isn't really as important as those 4 up there are in the long run.
Decise skill is meaningless to a ripper.
ARMOR
-----------
Rippers should wear heavy armor at the beginning of their career. It is better
to run a ripper defensively or `scum' him for awhile until he gains more skill. When
he starts getting his experts in defense and parry, then you can take off some armor.
Rippers are more like to DIE in their first 10-15 fights than later on when they have
more skill and experience.
Some people don't like playing defensively, and run them offensively at the
beginning. Rippers are long term projects and are not ready for this. They lack the
skill and experience to do this in the beginning. For this reason, and the fact most
people don't put much armor on them at the start of their career, is why so many
rippers DIE. Putting heavy armor on them and playing them defensively, increases the
ripper's chance to make it to ADM ALIVE. I've put rippers in ACM and APA in basic for
their first 15 fights. It keeps them alive and gets them learns without affecting
their performance.
Weapons
-------------
Your ripper's favorite weapon is VERY important. Rippers have a very limited
number of weapons to choose from, but do have some good ones.
This is a list of ripper weapons. They are listed in order of which is best to
which is worst according to a poll of 58 ripper mgrs.
1. Scimitar -- The best ripper weapon, without question.
2. Longsword
3. Epee -- I wouldn't advise using this weapon in Basic.
4. Shortsword
5. Shortspear
6. Longspear
7. Hatchet
Using that chart above, you can tell whether or not your ripper got stuck with a
lousy favorite weapon. Down below is more info on ripper's favorite weapons.
Out of 44 parry-ripostes, the following is a chart of the favorite weapons they got:
EP (11), SC (8), LO (8), LS (4), SS (7), SH (6)
Notice that most got the top 3 ripper weapons. Just hope your ripper doesn't get
stuck with a lame weapon.
Off-hand weapon
------------------------
Rippers do better with 2 weapons than one. In ADM, a ripper can use either one
or 2 and still be effective. Shortswords and hatchets are the most effective.
Daggers and shields are OK, but not really good in ADM. If you have a ripper with
high enough deftness, twin longswords or scimitars can be devastating. Rippers have
an unusually high chance of being ambidextrous.
Strategy- Using tactics
-------------------------------
Rippers in general don't react well to tactics. This is agreed on by most ripper
managers. They can use lunge, dodge, response and parry to some effectiveness. Out
of 44 rippers, 3 got Lunge, 6 got Riposte, and 3 got Parry as a favorite tactic.
Riposte tactic is lame, and should never be used on a ripper. He ripostes well enough
without that tactic. All it will do is penalize him in other important areas.
Strategy- (favorite rhythms)
-------------------------------------
Unlike other styles, the ripper favorite rhythm is used more closely. Most
managers use different strategies in basic than they do in ADM for their rippers.
They play it more by ear in Basic, and stick mostly to the ripper's favorite rhythms
in ADM. Unless, of course, they have very bad rhythms for favorites. Then they may
go back to playing it by ear.
Below is a graph of 44 Parry - Riposte's favorite rhythms.
A. L. -- O. E. VL LO MO HI VH TOTALS
VL 3 1 2 0 0 6
LO 2 1 2 2 0 7
MO 2 19 0 1 0 22
HI 2 0 5 2 0 9
VH 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTALS 9 21 9 5 0
As you can see, most of the favorites for a Parry Riposte fall in the LOW
offensive and moderate activity range.
To give someone an example of a basic strategy, I will give you an example below.
MIN 1 2 3 4 5 6 Desp.
OL 2 2 2 4 4 3 7
AL 2 2 2 4 4 2 7
KD 5 5 5 6 6 5 5
Att RA----------------------------------------------->
Pro HE----------------------------------------------->
You can experiment with other strategies, and might even check out how your
ripper likes tactics.
In ADM, I'd stick with the favorite rhythms, unless they aren't working for him.
Best style match-ups for a ripper in basic are: PR, TP, BA, PS, WS.
Worst in Basic are : SL, LU, AB, PL, ST.
Best style Match-ups in ADM are: TP, PR, BA, ST, PS.
Worst in ADM are : LU, SL, WS, PL, AB.
Well, that should be enough information to get any manager started with a good
ripper. If you need more information about rippers or anything else about DM,
contact me. I can be reached via e-mail at 103260.3347@ compuserve.com or you can
Diplo me at the Joker's Wild 2 in DM 75. I hope this helped someone.
Cheers,
Sir Jessie Jest
Credits -- Major contributors:
Mitch Nakagawa -AKA- Sensei Slowburn
Glenn Uren -AKA- Heretic JRK
Jeanette Jerles -AKA- Shark Jester
Gary Triplett -AKA- Miles The Boss Man
The Lunatic Voo-Doo
Assurnasirbanipal Soultaker
Lord Bosk Buri
C.J Caviness -AKA- The Visionist Doctor Scot
Manager(Dwayne) Revenant
Eric Goche Seeker
Rajesh Nanda
Johan Behrenfeldt -AKA- Bartender
and many others.