DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 05/19/2010 Duedate: 06/15/2010
STORMCROWE ARENA
DM-45 TURN-295
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
DAN MACK GRU
NORTHERN LIGHTS (393)
(45-4283) [15-3-2,107]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
DAN MACK GRU CALLOUS COURTNEY
NORTHERN LIGHTS (393) STREET WALKERS (516)
(45-4283) [15-3-2,107] (45-4622) [5-0-1,59]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
GELIDNIA HALE JOSIE WALES
NORTHERN LIGHTS (393) STREET WALKERS (516)
(45-4260) [7-14-0,35] (45-4620) [3-0-0,42]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
STREET WALKERS (516)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. STREET WALKERS (516) 46
2. NORTHERN LIGHTS (393) 9 NORTHERN LIGHTS (393)
3. DARQUE FORCES (428) 0 Unchartered Team
4. ASAIRE (510) -9
STREET WALKERS (516)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 1*STREET WALKERS (516) 16 6 3 72.7 1/ 1*STREET WALKERS (516) 11 2 2
2- 2 DARQUE FORCES (428) 335 226 18 59.7 2/ 2 NORTHERN LIGHTS (393) 8 5 0
3/ 3 NORTHERN LIGHTS (393) 201 248 5 44.8 3/ 3 ASAIRE (510) 2 4 0
4/ 4 ASAIRE (510) 29 40 2 42.0 4- 4 DARQUE FORCES (428) 0 1 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
Blood on a Purple Robe: A Bloodgames Primer
by One Armed Bandit
Twice a year, there is a great gathering. These tiny men with their stained
clothing and great intellects do not look like your traditional gladiators, but they
will meet and compete for a chance at Duel-2 immortality. No, no, I'm not talking
about the managers at the Face-to-Face. I'm talking about the murderous dwarves of
the Bloodgames.
It's probably the worst advertised event in Duel-2 history. It happens twice a
year, in January and July, and you don't have to fly across the country to
participate. For some, the Bloodgames are just a distant memory of a t-shirt that
never arrived, newer managers may have never even heard of it. For others, though,
it is a way of life. And it can be yours, too.
The cost: $10 to roll up the team, $49 to run them. At each Face-To-Face
tourney, two Bloodgames arenas are run. One of them (called the FtF Bloodgames) gets
run round-by-round for ten rounds, and warriors are allowed to change their
strategies, avoid, and make Bloodfeud challenges. For the other arena (called the
Mail-In Bloodgames), there are no bloodfeuds or avoids and each warrior must use the
same strategy and train for all ten rounds. You can participate in both even if you
don't attend the FtF, but you'll be at a slight disadvantage in the FtF Bloodgames
(the Mail-In Bloodgames is a perfectly level playing field).
The teams: Each team consists of TEN warriors, one of EACH style. You can
design each warrior however you want, as long as the stats add up to 84 points and no
stat is lower than a 3 or higher than a 21 (referred to as DYOs or design-your-own
warriors). Simply write down the following information on a piece of paper and mail
it to RSI (or email it to csr@reality.com): your name, your account number, the words
"Mail-In Bloodgames" or "FtF Bloodgames", the team name, and all ten warriors (name,
style, gender, ST-CN-SZ-WT-WL-SP-DF). If you submit them early enough you will
probably get a chance to see the overviews before sending in strategies for each of
them (using a normal strategy sheet, remember only one strategy and one train for the
entire event). If you want to play it safe, however, you can submit strategies along
with the team information, just write "NEW" in each of the Warrior ID spots and
either "MI BG" or "FTF BG" in the Game # spot. Some managers who are especially
ambitious will roll up each team more than once, and look over the overviews to
determine which team had the best luck in the roll-up process. Just remember, it
costs $10 each time you roll them up.
The rules: So what's the catch? $59 for 10 design-your-own warriors? Not so
fast, buddy. At the end of ten rounds, the top three warriors of different styles
from each arena will be granted immortality, trained up to the minimum ADM
requirements, and will graduate to ADM. Every other warrior will be gone forever.
Executed, freed, or retired to a quiet life on the farm like your childhood dog
Buster, if that helps you sleep at night. If the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ranked warriors
are a LU, a WS, and an AB, then those three will win the prizes. However, if the
1st, 2nd, and 3rd ranked warriors are a LU, a LU, and a WS, the 2nd place LU is out
of luck, his prize will drop down to the highest ranking member of a style that isn't
LU or WS. So what does it take to be one of the top ranked warriors? Warriors are
ranked based on number of kills, first and foremost, with their record and
recognition points being the tie breakers. Oh, did I mention that the chances of
dying are FIVE TIMES that of a normal arena?
What to expect: You will run into many opponents who are SZ 3, who have 21 WT
and 21 WL, who are using a 10 KD and aiming for the vitals, who are using unusual
weapons that Duel-2 folklore says have a greater chance of delivering that killing
blow, such as the Battle Axe. You may run into such classic archetypes as the 17-3-
3-21-21-8-11 ST or the 17-16-3-3-21-3-21 AB.
So why should you play? There are many reasons. You don't have to feel guilty
about killing your friend's warrior, for starters, because that's the whole
objective. Unique kill text make it all the sweeter, too. You won't see anyone get
"pierced completely through" or "skewered through their vital organs" anywhere else
(at least I hope not). Not only is it exciting to read, but my most rewarding
warrior came from the Bloodgames and yours could, too. Whether you are a tournament
player or an arena player, if your warrior is tough enough to survive the Bloodgames,
he's tough enough for whatever task you set him to. My first Bloodgames graduate was
a warrior named Sushi Slinger of Sea Dogs: 17-3-3-21-21-12-7 SL. He left Old
Valamantis with a 10-0-3 record and immortality. Since then, he has been a
Tournament Victor in the Freshman tourney, a Runner-Up in the ADM tourney, and a
three-time Tournament Victor in the Eligibles tourney. He is now fighting in Primus
against the best of the best and holding his own. Your Bloodgames graduate could
join him in Primus, too.
"Remember, blood on the purple robe does not change it from a purple robe.
Dare to fight bravely." - Alarond the Scribe
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===---
Duelmasters
-----------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 644): RAT CATCHER of SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 646): SCURVY LADY of SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 522): ROBERTO LEATHAM of HOUSE OF CARDS (Zalgor Prigg, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 640): REXROTH of DARK CREATION (H. P. L. West, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 642): ON GOLDEN POND of GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 633): GRACCHUS of GLADIATORS (Caesar, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 634): MILK IS OUT of BASH BRO HOUSEMATE (Assurnasirbanipal)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 319): ANFERROUS of STEEL AND SILK (Michael Eldritch, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 631): SILVER SAW of METAL MINCERS (Oremaster, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 317): SINGALEK of THE KINDRED (Godric Magnusson DaVinci)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 628): ENVY of ANGELS OF PAIN (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 625): BITCHIN' BEAST of DIVINE HERITAGE (Bubba Ganoosh)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 617): FARTIOR of ON THE ROCKS (Bartender, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 579): SENJIRO of THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 294): DAN MACK GRU of NORTHERN LIGHTS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 47 TEMPLE OF ABARSIS (turn 289): ROIS ANIN of WARHAMMERS (Coyote, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 275): CASS DOLAN of MIDDLE WAY 6 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 507): ABELINDA CHASE of MIDDLE WAY 20 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 494): FALKYNOR of THE WILLBURYS 13 (Rascally Rabbit, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 474): FALLING LEAF of AUTUMN SAGA (Jugger, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 468): ICECLAW of CASTAWAYS (She-Puppy, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 224): EXTORTION of BLACKMAIL (The Mun, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 430): POLYNIKES of GATES OF FIRE (Chief Illiniwek, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 424): JAGUAR JON of GREATS OF TROY (Zalgor Prigg, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 416): TOVER DUCK of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 532): JOHN TYLER of I'M HISTORY (Zalgor Prigg, mgr.)
Top Teams
---------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 644): SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 646): SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 522): HOUSE OF CARDS (Zalgor Prigg, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 640): VC RULES (Fizban, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 642): GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 633): MIDDLE WAY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 634): THE MAGNIFICENT MAGS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 319): FORCE OF FIVE (?, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 631): MID EARTH (Visionist, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 317): THE KINDRED (Godric Magnusson DaVinci, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 628): DEVIL ADVOCATES (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 625): SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 617): SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 579): THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 294): STREET WALKERS (Roadkill, mgr.)
DM 47 TEMPLE OF ABARSIS (turn 289): POSITION IS EMPTY
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 275): LIFE IMPACTS (Smitty, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 507): THEM (Papa Bear, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 494): TWILIGHT BRIGARDE (?, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 474): MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 468): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 222): BLACKMAIL (The Mun, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 430): GATES OF FIRE (Chief Illiniwek, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 424): GREATS OF TROY (Zalgor Prigg, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 416): KIWI CONNECTION (The Mun, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 532): DO IT AGAIN et al (The Dark One, mgr.)
Recent Graduates
-----------------
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 522): ROBERTO LEATHAM of HOUSE OF CARDS (Zalgor Prigg, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 640): AGATE of GREENWARDENS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 642): TAIKUTSU of YAMABUSHI (?, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 632): GRISHORT HURM of MIDDLE WAY (Jorja, mgr.)
TIBERIUS of FIELDS OF ELYSIUM (Caesar, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 633): FARM WEEKLY of THE MAGNIFICENT MAGS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 318): SECI of PHANTACITY (Omega, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 617): FARTIOR of ON THE ROCKS (Bartender, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 579): SENJIRO of THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 292): WALRUS of NORTHERN LIGHTS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 274): HOOPS of LIFE IMPACTS (Smitty, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 506): FREM HARID of MIDDLE WAY 20 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 493): PERFECT SNOTLING of SUPERIOR FORCES 1601 (Manager, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 473): DRAGON HARVEST of AUTUMN SAGA (Jugger, mgr.)
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
I see that I defeated the Kung-Fu Master on turn 293, which I did not get to
tell you about. His insurance had lapsed, you know how that goes. The minute the
policy lapses, something happens to make you need it. Ha! *I* happened.
And then, after I defeated the Kung-Fu Master, I was matched with the Convicted
Assassin, also defeated by me. Bit of an ass, in so far as a golem can be an ass.
Dan Mack Gru
SPY REPORT
Good day, friends and fiends, welcome to your friendly neighborhood spyreport.
I doubt STORMCROWE will ever be the same. And let's see, JOSIE WALES fought CAPTURED
ORC and gained 15 points and contributed to STREET WALKERS' 4-0-0. STORMWIND has
lost to 2L82HIT, falling 8 points, while helping make NORTHERN LIGHTS a 2-2-0 turn.
The attempts to dethrone the Duelmaster have failed, and DAN MACK GRU remains
STORMCROWE's top warrior for another turn. By the way, was that our Duelmaster that
I saw last night, cramped under the table at The Shadow's Fountain?
Oriental wise man once say, 'Hiding behind shields prevents proper sun tanning.'
Inscrutable, but true.
The Dark Arena is for those who cannot win, not who cannot lose with grace.
Dignity in life or death is the warrior's creed. A brave warrior does not carry a
red shield, he has nothing to cover or hide when the fight is over. Consider well.
I like this place, STORMCROWE, the taverns have old wine, and young serving
girls. Who could ask for more? Well, I'm burning daylight here in STORMCROWE and
I've a long road ahead of me. Happy Trails. Until you see my quill in STORMCROWE
again, farewell-- Alarond the Scribe
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
DAN MACK GRU 4283 15 3 2 107 NORTHERN LIGHTS (393)
CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-PAYNE 4465 12 5 2 134 DARQUE FORCES (428)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
LADY WINTER 4231 19 8 0 100 NORTHERN LIGHTS (393)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-YUMALESCA 4289 18 15 1 86 DARQUE FORCES (428)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
CALLOUS COURTNEY 4622 5 0 1 59 STREET WALKERS (516)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
SLAMBO 4619 3 2 1 56 STREET WALKERS (516)
-ROSELYN 4498 12 3 0 44 DARQUE FORCES (428)
JOSIE WALES 4620 3 0 0 42 STREET WALKERS (516)
SKUM III 4529 7 3 0 40 ASAIRE (510)
GELIDNIA HALE 4260 7 14 0 35 NORTHERN LIGHTS (393)
MR BEEFY 4618 5 0 1 35 STREET WALKERS (516)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
2L82HIT 4632 4 1 1 29 ASAIRE (510)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
STORMWIND 4635 1 4 0 9 NORTHERN LIGHTS (393)
-CONTRA 4638 1 0 0 7 ASAIRE (510)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
LEWD 4634 2 1 0 ASAIRE 510 SLAMBO 4619 294
RIKKU 4623 3 2 1 DARQUE FORCES 428 CALLOUS COURTNEY 4622 292
PERSONAL ADS
2l82hit -- Peek-a-Boo! -- Mr. Beefy (still a child at heart).
Ghost of Lewd -- Methinks you went to the well one too many times. -- Slambo
Gelidnia Hale -- We really should be more careful about meeting like this, people
might start talking (nosy spyreporters). -- Callous Courtney
Huh, Jorja just blows us off when we do good, doesn't bring us our new recruit to
replace me (not that I'd be easily replaced)--bet we don't get him this time either,
and generally treats us like small potatoes. We're actually quite decently-sized
potatoes. -- Lord Protector Walrus
Callous Courtney -- They tell me it would be really crass to ask where those calluses
are. -- Gelidnia Hale
Contra -- That's about what I'd expect of a damned Karnhorn. -- Stormwind, blown down
Master Darque -- But I hate recruiting, and too many of my wretched teams get killed
in contests. -- Jorja
P.S. I'll stay, though. As to participation... you wouldn't want me to issue
challenges or anything, would you? Seriously, an arena that falls due when I'm
wrestling with the Crysalis spy report is not a good place to look for that kind of
participation from me.
This time I got the Kung-Fu Master, and Dan is quite right about him. Nothing or no
one to write home about. Just as well, nobody at home reads. -- Lady Winter
Callous Courtney -- If we keep doing this, sooner or later I *will* ask. -- Gelidnia
Hale
On the whole, I think the Embezzling Scribe would do better if they let him arm
himself with something other than a quill pen, and maybe even wear some armor. --
Stormwind
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
SKUM III was viciously subdued by SLAMBO in a crowd pleasing 2 minute Bloodfeud fight.
DAN MACK GRU demolished KHALHUMS DWARF in a popular 2 minute one-sided Title melee.
LADY WINTER devastated VENOMOUS CONCUBINE in a 1 minute one-sided contest.
CALLOUS COURTNEY overpowered GELIDNIA HALE in a 1 minute mismatched match.
JOSIE WALES viciously subdued CAPTURED ORC in a popular 2 minute bloody duel.
MR BEEFY beat CULT MEMBER in a 4 minute brawl.
STORMWIND was handily defeated by 2L82HIT in a 1 minute uneven fight.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|LUNGING ATTACK 5 PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 0 - 0 100 |
|AIMED BLOW 2 AIMED BLOW 15 - 5 - 1 75 |
|TOTAL PARRY 2 TOTAL PARRY 14 - 6 - 1 70 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 1 STRIKING ATTACK 14 - 9 - 2 61 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 LUNGING ATTACK 16 - 15 - 3 52 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 7 - 7 - 0 50 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 WALL OF STEEL 1 - 1 - 0 50 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 0 BASHING ATTACK 4 - 9 - 1 31 |
|BASHING ATTACK 0 SLASHING ATTACK 3 - 8 - 0 27 |
|WALL OF STEEL 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 2 - 0 0 |
Turn 295 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:
AIMED BLOW 2 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 4 LUNGING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 3 TOTAL PARRY
LUNGING ATTACK 3 - 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 2 AIMED BLOW
TOTAL PARRY 1 - 1 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 0 1 STRIKING ATTACK
BASHING ATTACK 0 - 0 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE
WALL OF STEEL 0 - 0
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
AIMED BLOW DAN MACK GRU 4283 15 3 2 107 NORTHERN LIGHTS (393)
LUNGING ATTACK CALLOUS COURTNEY 4622 5 0 1 59 STREET WALKERS (516)
TOTAL PARRY SKUM III 4529 7 3 0 40 ASAIRE (510)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is GELIDNIA HALE 4260. The most popular warrior this
turn was JOSIE WALES 4620. The ten other most popular fighters were SLAMBO 4619, DAN
MACK GRU 4283, CALLOUS COURTNEY 4622, LADY WINTER 4231, 2L82HIT 4632, SKUM III 4529,
GELIDNIA HALE 4260, MR BEEFY 4618, STORMWIND 4635, and 0.
The least popular fighter this week was STORMWIND 4635. The other ten least popular
fighters were MR BEEFY 4618, GELIDNIA HALE 4260, SKUM III 4529, 2L82HIT 4632, LADY
WINTER 4231, CALLOUS COURTNEY 4622, DAN MACK GRU 4283, SLAMBO 4619, JOSIE WALES 4620,
and 0.
MAIL-IN TOURNEY XLIX
CONTENDERS TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME
DEATH FOG 4017 (86-36-0) 2 3 0 SUPERIOR FORCES
ADM TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME
THE REFEREE 1091 (74-48-4) 4 3 0 AVID FANS
CHAMPIONS TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME
PROWLER 4350 (12-7-0) 2 3 0 PHANTOM REGIMENT
INITIATES TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME
CALLOUS COURTNEY 4622 (3-0-1) 6 3 0 STREET WALKERS
SVAMPBOB 4510 (4-1-0) 5 3 0 MIKES HEROES
MR BEEFY 4618 (3-0-1) 4 3 0 STREET WALKERS
STORABOLLEN 4509 (5-3-2) 3 3 0 MIKES HEROES
SLAMBO 4619 (1-2-0) 2 3 0 STREET WALKERS
APPRENTICES TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME
ABRACADAVER 4609 (0-0-0) 3 3 0 DEAD PHANTOM REGIMENT
ROOKIES TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME
ELISHAR 4575 (0-0-0) 1 3 0 GOD OR GODDESS
ADEPTS FOOLS TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME
GRATEFUL DEAD 4525 (4-6-0) 0 3 0 PHANTOM REGIMENT
INITIATES FOOLS TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME
GALAHAD 4002 (6-3-0) 2 3 0 PENDRAGON CYCLE
APPRENTICES FOOL TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME
JOSIE WALES 4620 (1-0-0) 6 2 1 STREET WALKERS