DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 05/19/2009 Duedate: 06/01/2009 AMEN-TEI ARENA DM-63 TURN-452 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS BILLY JOHNSON 1949 YANKEES (316) (63-2758) [11-0-1,108] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader BILLY JOHNSON POSITION IS EMPTY 1949 YANKEES (316) (63-2758) [11-0-1,108] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite VALNAKORINE VALNAKORINE WAYFARERS (248) WAYFARERS (248) (63-2761) [11-16-0,51] (63-2761) [11-16-0,51] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM (-1) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. WAYFARERS (248) 30 2. 1949 YANKEES (316) 25 MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (324) 3. MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (324) 17 Unchartered Team BLUE SQUADRON. (175) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 1 MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (324) 34 15 5 69.4 1/ 1 MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (324) 9 6 0 2/ 0 1949 YANKEES (316) 93 55 11 62.8 2/ 2 WAYFARERS (248) 9 6 0 3/ 2 WAYFARERS (248) 668 734 15 47.6 3/ 0 1949 YANKEES (316) 2 3 0 '*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn (###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank TEAM SPOTLIGHT + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Andorian Succession #29 ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + Elsewhere: This time the wait seemed shorter. Lenpro tried to stand as if confident and un-alarmed, but he couldn't help wondering--worrying--what kind of creature might be found to fight Sizzling Sunflower. He glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eye. She was staring at her hands and muttering. The leaves that had appeared, had sprouted from her arms were smaller, the knobby green stems or twigs more like fingers. That was good, a human, okay, an elf, made a more effective gladiator than a sunflower plant was likely to, even a sizzling one. There was a stir where the Gladiators' Gate would be on a regular arena: people shifting position, a gate swinging open, people moving out of the way quickly. The opponent, and it was someone--or something--that everyone feared. How encouraging. But at least Sunflower was an advanced gladiator, skilled at her trade. It would be okay. The opponent was tall and thin, probably female. Sharp features, bone-white skin, black hair... blood-red lips, and fangs. Lenpro would have cursed, but he didn't have time for it. A vampire. Not anyone's opponent of choice. Abnormally strong, abnormally fast, difficult to injure, almost impossible to kill. One long white hand drew a sword, which was black and seemed to distort space around itself. "Vampire, and a magic sword," Sunflower murmured beside him. She didn't sound worried. "Not easy, but I know a few tricks myself." She drew her own blades, a sword and a long dagger for parrying. It wasn't the way she fought in the arena, but this wasn't the arena. She flipped her sword up in a salute. The vampire responded the same way. "You are not afraid," she said. "That is too bad, fear makes the blood sweeter." A flash of fangs in something that might have been a smile. "I will teach you to fear me." The king on his throne shouted, "Begin!" The vampire closed with a rush which Sunflower evaded easily enough, dancing to the side and probing with her sword, then dancing back to avoid another rush. They both paused, studying each other. "So, you will not be easy," the vampire said. "That is... good. Yes, it is good. I have not had a hard fight in... a very long time. I am called Berroe. How are you named?" "Sunflower." The gladiatress grinned, a baring of her teeth. "Think of me as the sunshine that means your death. Fight well and I will sing of you on the Isle of the Eye." They began circling, testing each other with feints and attacks. Lenpro stood at the foot of the king's throne, until he felt menace boring into the back of his head. He didn't turn but moved to one side, putting the bulk of the throne's stone platform between him and the half-demon behind the king. The king might be willing to let them go, but the half-demon had no such intention. Part of the manager's mind began to consider ways to attack that deadly creature; another part was already considering the obstacles between him and the exit from this place, which left very little to watch the fight. Except for suiting his timing to the battle on the sand, he didn't need to watch the fight. Sunflower would do what she would do, and he couldn't influence her at this point. But he saw that the crowd was focused completely on the fight. That was good--no interference from them. The two women came together again, both of them very fast. A thrust from the vampire--Lenpro thought her more like a lunger than any other style. Sunflower moved aside just far enough, her parrying blade flicking out, just far enough, to deflect that black sword. There was a scream of tortured metal, and a burst of fat purple sparks. Sunflower backed up a step and shook her hand; the blade of her parrying dagger had what looked like a dark scorch mark across it. The vampire smiled coldly. "Did you think I would be as easy as a human?" West of Fratsfa: Fandil stopped--again--to free his clothing from thorns. The underbrush here seemed to be composed mostly of brambles, rampant, sprawling, and lavishly provided with strong, hooked, thorns. "Why did I think getting under cover here was a good move?" he muttered, tripping on another bramble. The land sloped downward and the leaves underfoot became damp and slippery. "Hiding may be more dangerous to our health and mission than being found!" "Save your breath for climbing trees," Ravishing Redbud answered. "Those trees, I think," she added, pointing at a pair of oaks growing one on either side of a tiny stream. The slant of the ground brought them within reach of a stout limb, and before her companions could respond, she seized Elosjon and tossed him up onto the branch. He uttered a strangled yelp and hung on, eyes wide with alarm. "Why'd you do--" "No time to waste. Work your way along that branch to the trunk, then around and out along a limb on the other side. Hurry." Another horn-blast from behind them added point to her urging. It was nearer, and all three of them could hear the occasional baying of hounds, as well. A second horn call, and shouts. Fandil glanced over his shoulder but could see nothing; as dark as it was under the trees now, sound would serve them better than sight. He tripped again, reminding himself of the need to use his sight anyway. Redbud jumped, caught the limb, and pulled herself up. Straddled the heavy branch and leaned down, stretching a hand toward Fandil. "Jump!" she commanded. The older mage scowled at her. "I'm no athlete," he said, his voice testy. He braced his staff against the ground, placed one foot carefully on an invisible stair, hoisted himself up, and smiled at her. "There's more than one way to climb a tree, girl." She grinned back. "Whatever works. Move back toward the trunk and around it, get into the other tree if you can. I think this is the only easy approach, so I'll guard it." "I'm not helpless in a fight, girl," he said. "Of course not. You're the reserve. Go." She drew her dagger and spiked it into the tree limb in front of her. "Go, I can handle this." * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * Daydream Believer You once thought of me, As a white knight on a steed. Now you know how happy I can be... It's true. I'm gone. I've punched my ticket to Immortality and I'm off to the Isle. I know a lot of you are wondering what it is about me that has made me so successful. I wish I knew for sure. I think it has more to do with intangibles (knack) than it does with design, bonuses and favorites. I'll let you decide. Daydream Believer (PR) 17-14-4-17-7-8-17 Poor Endurance--Good Damage I -- 8 (+1) R -- 13 A -- 14 (+4) P -- 14 (+4) Df - 8 Dc - 6 (+3) I know what you're thinking, "WTF, that guy looks like a 98 lb weakling!" Sigh...I prefer to think my physical characteristics are ideally suited for a finesse style. As for my bases, I know they aren't much to look at. After all, I am a PR. I'm fortunate to be blessed where I need it the most--attack and parry. Okay, so I've got nice bases with bonuses in the right spots. What about favorites? Did I know them in advance or did I change them? The answer is no, I had no idea what they were for sure until I recieved my graduation announcement. I would be happy to tell you what my favorites are but I don't think my clone, Jumpinjack Flash, would be very happy with me if I did. Let's just say that from the moment I stepped on the sands as a Rookie I used the same strategy in EVERY fight. The only thing I ever changed was armor (early on vs. TP's) and attack/defend locations. That should give those of you who have faced me more than once something to think about. You may be interested to know that I am all natural. I haven't had a prize of any type used on me. I'm a freak of nature. It just goes to show you never know when a guy like me will walk into your guildhouse looking for work as a gladiator. It's up to you to spot the potential and nuture it along. I'm going to list my tourney results and records versus each style. It isn't meant to be a brag--I just thought you might find it interesting and a lot easier than looking it up yourself. Enjoy! Tourneys: Rookies: 15-1-3 TC. Initiates: 15-3-3 TV. Adepts: 16-2 TC. Champs: 13-1-1 TC. Rookies--Champs record: 59-7-7 (.894) Challengers: 9-3 TV. Challengers: 15-1-1 TC. Challengers: 13-3 TV -- Runner-up (Marv-AB) Challengers: 13-3 TV -- Runner-up (Teevella-LU) Challengers: 7-3 Challengers: 11-3-2 TV Challengers: 11-3-1 TV Challengers: 13-3 TV -- Runner-up (Marv-AB) Challengers: 12-3 TV. Challengers record: 104-25-4 (.806). Career Tourney record: 163-32-11 (.836) TC's: 4 TVs: 8 (3 Runner-ups) Arena record: 5-0-1 Grudge matches: 3-0 Total record: 171-32-12 (.842) Tourney record vs all styles: AB: 7-11 BA: 6-0-1 LU: 46-9-4 PL: 5-1-1 PR: 2-0 PS: --- SL: 9-2 ST: 51-5-2 TP: 35-4-3 WS: 2-0 As you can see, the only style I had trouble with is the ABs. I think that has more to do with which ABs I fought rather than the style as a whole. I was 3-1 vs ABs early on (Rookies-Champs) and 4-10 in Challengers. I was 1-5 vs Marv, 0-1 vs Marv Jr and 0-3 vs Soulsnare. I am going to make an educated guess and assume they all had skills or prizes added to them to make them competetive at the Challenger level where so few ABs are. I could be wrong, though I doubt it. See you on the Isle, Daydream Believer * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * ---===ANDORIAN REGIONAL NEWS===--- Duelmasters ----------- DM 8 ARKERS (turn 309): CONCUSSION of CONSANGUINEOUS (Mannequin, mgr.) DM 11 ARUAK CITY (turn 619): LILAC LIZARD of ANIMAL FARM (Mino, mgr.) DM 14 TOBIR (turn 619): DALMORE of OTAGO HIGHLANDERS (The Mun, mgr.) DM 22 SOLVEN (turn 607): HOT EIGHTEEN of KELLUMBO'S KIDS (Detective Kellumbo, mgr.) DM 24 ZORPUNT (turn 608): PAUL WEIDORFER of MEDAL OF HONOR J4 (The Anarchist, mgr.) DM 25 LYRATILAN (turn 606): GRIFLET IRVEL of THE MIDDLE WAY 4 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 26 CALEAM (turn 605): AMARANTH of MENAGERIE (Ichabod Frothingslosh, mgr.) DM 30 IAYE (turn 601): MAYOR MCLAY of LENPROS (Lenpro, mgr.) DM 40 ZENSU (turn 570): DAY TURNER of MEDAL OF HONOR G1 (The Anarchist, mgr.) DM 41 KATI-TEI (turn 561): SERGEANT 1 of MEDAL OF HONOR H3 (The Anarchist, mgr.) DM 46 ARDIVENT (turn 552): BUM of DEATHTONGUE (Technogeek, mgr.) DM 52 FRATSFA (turn 256): BRAIN TUMOR of OTTO'S PARTS (Crip, mgr.) DM 63 AMEN-TEI (turn 451): THOMAS WIGLE of MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (The Anarchist, mgr.) DM 71 KYR'TERR (turn 210): TRYPTOPHAN of SUPERIOR FORCES ZC (Manager, mgr.) ADM 105 ANDORAK (turn 504): GOKU of DRAGONBALL Z (Armalias, mgr.) Top Teams --------- DM 8 ARKERS (turn 309): CONSANGUINEOUS (Mannequin, mgr.) DM 11 ARUAK CITY (turn 619): ANIMAL FARM (Mino, mgr.) DM 14 TOBIR (turn 619): ALL THE MUN'S MEN (The Mun, mgr.) DM 22 SOLVEN (turn 607): MIDDLE WAY 15 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 24 ZORPUNT (turn 608): MEDAL OF HONOOR J4 (The Anarchist, mgr.) DM 25 LYRATILAN (turn 606): THE MIDDLE WAY 4 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 26 CALEAM (turn 605): MENAGERIE (Ichabod Frothingslosh, mgr.) DM 30 IAYE (turn 601): LENPROS (Lenpro, mgr.) DM 40 ZENSU (turn 570): MEDAL OF HONOR G1 (The Anarchist, mgr.) DM 41 KATI-TEI (turn 561): MEDAL OF HONOR H3 (The Anarchist, mgr.) DM 46 ARDIVENT (turn 552): FANDILS (Wise Old Fandil, mgr.) DM 52 FRATSFA (turn 256): FLOWER GIRLS (Lady Fern, mgr.) DM 63 AMEN-TEI (turn 451): MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (The Anarchist, mgr.) DM 71 KYR'TERR (turn 210): THE ZOO (Jorja, mgr.) ADM 105 ANDORAK (turn 504): SUPERIOR FATHER et al (Manager, mgr.) Recent Graduates ---------------- DM 8 ARKERS (turn 309): CONCUSSION of CONSANGUINEOUS (Mannequin, mgr.) DM 11 ARUAK CITY (turn 618): SEPHIROTH of NIGHT'S GUARDIANS (Ichabod Frothingslosh) DM 14 TOBIR (turn 619): DALMORE of OTAGO HIGHLANDERS (The Mun, mgr.) (turn 618): LITTLE BIG MUN of ALL THE MUN'S MEN (The Mun, mgr.) DM 26 CALEAM (turn 605): KNEE BREAKER of ULTRA-VIOLENT (Deep Thought, mgr.) FLESH FLAYER of ULTRA-VIOLENT (Deep Thought, mgr.) DM 30 IAYE (turn 601): LITTLE ROCKY of RED DOG GANG (Jorja, mgr.) DM 41 KATI-TEI (turn 561): SERGEANT 1 of MEDAL OF HONOR H3 (The Anarchist, mgr.) DM 52 FRATSFA (turn 255): TEALIN SALI of MIDDLE WAY 8 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 71 KYR'TERR (turn 210): TRYPTOPHAN of SUPERIOR FORCES ZC (Manager, mgr.) SPY REPORT Thankyouthankyou. It's great for me, The Unknown Spymaster to be back in AMEN-TEI. Hope you enjoy the show. Oh, who am I kidding? I already got paid! WAYFARERS is no joke as it posted a 4-1-0 week advancing from 2nd place to 2nd place. Hey everybody, watch out for SERGEANT2, who flew up 10 points in the rankings after mashing VIRGINAL CONCUBINE like a melon. Keep your eye on this guy. In front of all the crowds, BILLY JOHNSON took the Duelmaster's crown for his own. I give the bum two weeks. Advice to bashers--never force anything, just get a bigger halberd! But enough of that bunch, let's get on to the wimps who like to avoid battle! Well just about everybody wants a piece of VALNAKORINE, who was this week's most challenged warrior. Death is kind of like a new puppy: he's always around wanting to play. (Ha Zontani, how's that for a wise saying?). Knowing when to use the right tactics at the proper time is a very important step on the road to Duelmaster. Well, that wasn't too bad; Alarond told me that the people in AMEN-TEI have no sense of humor. Or maybe that they were senseless. Well, there goes another Spy Report. Good luck in next week's fights. Its been fun, and I'm sure you enjoyed it (boos). Now that I've got you worked up for Snide Clemens, I'll be leaving-- The Unknown Spymaster DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME BILLY JOHNSON 2758 11 0 1 108 1949 YANKEES (316) CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME SERGEANT2 2776 8 2 1 92 MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (324) CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME TOMMY HENRICH 2759 14 0 1 88 1949 YANKEES (316) THOMAS WIGLE 2777 6 3 1 83 MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (324) CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME SERGEANT1 2779 6 4 1 64 MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (324) ROBERT WILSON 2778 9 1 1 60 MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (324) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME DONRIC HOLM 2781 7 3 1 56 WAYFARERS (248) YALO TACTSIE 2750 10 23 0 53 WAYFARERS (248) VALNAKORINE 2761 11 16 0 51 WAYFARERS (248) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME LADY CHUCK 2787 2 1 0 29 WAYFARERS (248) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME SERGEANT 3 2784 3 2 0 28 MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (324) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME PILGRIM 2789 2 0 0 21 WAYFARERS (248) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? KELLER 2788 0 1 0 1949 YANKEES 316 STONE GOLEM 452 NONE MACDOUGAL 2786 0 1 0 1949 YANKEES 316 DARK CHAMPION 452 NONE MCQUINN 2785 0 1 0 1949 YANKEES 316 BANDIT PRINCE 452 NONE HYRAM CARTER 2728 11 28 0 WAYFARERS 248 SERGEANT2 2776 449 PERSONAL ADS To those we fought -- Good fight. -- We who fought you A salute to all who participated in the tourney. -- Jorja and the Wayfarers 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. 5 May 09 The Battle Royal V is upon us! Come join one of the original contests that has had some of the games best managers involved in the past. DM 18, Talcama, some consider it to be the crown jewel of the Delarq cities is where this contest will take place. The Battle Royal is intended to be a play as you want, play what you want Delarquan style contest with very few rules. While I'd love to say, "NO AVOIDING" is the only rule (and that wouldn't be too far off), I must spell out situations that can and have occurred and require additional clarification. The advantages of this format: 1) Simple. 2) No penalty for DAs. 3) No restrictions on warriors entered into the contest (baggers, TC mods, etc all welcome) 4) No penalty for not fighting. 5) It isn't a race where 21 wit and favorite learn determine the victor. 6) Losing a warrior (or even your whole team) doesn't eliminate you from contention. 7) It is possible to overcome almost any deficit. And this has been proven, with managers making huge point swings in short periods of time! 8) It is a contest designed to show manager skill rather than warrior ability. There are a few disadvantages: 1) There is no set end. It is possible for this contest to go on indefinitely. In practice, this format has worked very nicely in the past and I expect it will continue to work well. 2) You cannot avoid (But that is part of the fun and the head to head nature of this contest requires this rule.) 3) It encourages bloodshed. 4) Baggers and experienced warriors have an advantage over new warriors. Battle Royal Rules: - Any team in Talcama is eligible to participate. There are no restrictions on warriors (baggers, TC prize modified, etc). However, any warrior that fights for your team is considered in the BR. - Teams may not avoid any other team within the contest. (Note that you may avoid teams outside the contest but you do so at your own risk.) Avoiding a team on the turn they enter the Battle Royal is not considered against the rules (since you couldn't know the team wasn't part of the BR). The suggestion is not to avoid at all. Assur (the contest moderator) gets an avoid report every turn and will catch people avoiding! - Managers may only enter a single team in the contest. - Any manager with more than one team in Talcama may not challenge any other contest warrior with their non contest team(s). The intention is that no advantage can be gained by having multiple teams in the arena. ****Failure to comply with the above rules*** 1st offense: Disqualification from the prize, but you may still participate. 2nd offense: Warning. 3rd offense: Removal from Battle Royal. - If a manager decides to switch teams, his score will start back at 0. This is to prevent a manager from sweeping the contest with several teams of sandbaggers. Can a manager use this clause to go from a negative score to zero? Yes. I realize this is sort of cheating, but I'd rather have a manager start over with a new team than drop out of the contest. Even so, they have to start at 0 and must gain 25 points. - If your warrior loses a contest fight because of an input error and this error is verified by RSI, you will have a point added to your score. The head to head records will remain the same and any points gained by another manager will remain on that manager's record. - As soon as you are announced in the newsletter, you are officially entered into the Battle Royal. Scoring begins on that turn! You are expected to follow the rules that turn and every turn following. Your team may enter any time they wish during the course of the Battle Royal. - If you are exiting the Battle Royal, you are not removed until the turn after your intention is published. You are asked to follow the rules for that turn (either through not avoiding or not running your warriors). Scoring: - Scoring begins the turn your team declares participation. - Scoring continues through the turn your team withdraws. - Score is calculated by: Wins+Kills-Lossses. - Only fights with other B.R. participannts count towards your score, but they count whether they are challenges or random match-ups. - First Manager to 25 points wins! - In event of tie, B.R. continues until one team that has reached 25 points is ahead of all other participants. Disputes: - The attempt has been made to make these rules as complete and bulletproof as possible, but Tripwire will resolve any disputes as fairly as he is capable. Prizes: For the Winner: 6 Months Free Play in Talcama for the winning team (doesn't include tourneys)! One +1 Bonus Potion (up to max for warrior, to be used on a warrior in DM 18)! One Limited Damage Bump Potion (one time use, up to max for stats, used on DM 18 warrior)! One Minor Stat Switch Prize (up to 2 points can be moved from one stat to another stat on a new rollup in DM 18, before adding 14 points. This prize can be used up to 3 months from the contest end. Both points must be used in the same place (can't take one from a speed and one from deftness and add one to wit and will)). One Favorites Knowledge Potion (to be used on a 5+ FE warrior in DM 18). Rename One Dark Arena Creature in DM 18, which will be renamed for 6 Months or until the Ladies decide to return it to the previous name. All potions renaming prizes must be used within 2 turns of the end of the contest. Endurance Award (available to all participants): One +1 Bonus Potion (up to max for warrior, to be used on a warrior in DM 18). To qualify for the Endurance Award you must participate in 90% of the total fights possible over the course of the BR. If you don't have time to make it into the BR by the first turn, there will be a two turn window before the counter will start for new teams. The fights do not have to be BR point scoring fights, just 90% of the total possible participation over the course of the contest! So, if the contest runs 26 turns, there are 130 fights possible. Your team must have 117 fights during those 26 turns to be eligible. All prizes/potions subject to RSI's interpretation of how they are used/implemented. RSI said the faves knowledge must be used on an Inits warrior or higher and set at 5FE or more. Tripwire LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS KELLER was dealt death by STONE GOLEM in a unpopular 3 minute Dark Arena fight. MACDOUGAL was murdered by DARK CHAMPION in a 1 minute Dark Arena melee. MCQUINN was murdered by BANDIT PRINCE in a 1 minute gruesome Dark Arena fight. THOMAS WIGLE was devastated by BILLY JOHNSON in a 1 minute one-sided Title contest. TOMMY HENRICH narrowly defeated SERGEANT1 in a crowd pleasing 2 minute bloody match. SERGEANT2 vanquished VIRGINAL CONCUBINE in a 1 minute mismatched fight. ROBERT WILSON beat VALNAKORINE in a crowd pleasing 2 minute brawl. DONRIC HOLM overpowered VISITING ORC in a 1 minute uneven melee. YALO TACTSIE won victory over SERGEANT 3 in a popular 1 minute uneven duel. LADY CHUCK vanquished POLITE BEGGAR in a 1 minute one-sided duel. PILGRIM overpowered FRIENDLY CONSTABLE in a 1 minute uneven match. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |SLASHING ATTACK 3 WALL OF STEEL 6 - 0 - 0 100 | |LUNGING ATTACK 3 AIMED BLOW 10 - 3 - 1 77 | |AIMED BLOW 2 STRIKING ATTACK 14 - 5 - 1 74 | |STRIKING ATTACK 2 TOTAL PARRY 12 - 6 - 1 67 | |PARRY-LUNGE 1 SLASHING ATTACK 5 - 3 - 0 63 | |TOTAL PARRY 1 LUNGING ATTACK 17 - 18 - 2 49 | |WALL OF STEEL 1 BASHING ATTACK 2 - 5 - 1 29 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 PARRY-LUNGE 4 - 13 - 0 24 | |BASHING ATTACK 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 - 0 0 | |PARRY-STRIKE 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 1 - 0 0 | Turn 452 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 SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 2 3 LUNGING ATTACK PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 2 STRIKING ATTACK STRIKING ATTACK 2 - 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 1 2 AIMED BLOW TOTAL PARRY 1 - 0 LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 3 1 WALL OF STEEL WALL OF STEEL 1 - 0 BASHING ATTACK 0 - 1 1 TOTAL PARRY 1 PARRY-LUNGE 1 SLASHING ATTACK TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME STRIKING ATTACK BILLY JOHNSON 2758 11 0 1 108 1949 YANKEES (316) AIMED BLOW SERGEANT2 2776 8 2 1 92 MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (324) WALL OF STEEL TOMMY HENRICH 2759 14 0 1 88 1949 YANKEES (316) LUNGING ATTACK THOMAS WIGLE 2777 6 3 1 83 MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (324) TOTAL PARRY ROBERT WILSON 2778 9 1 1 60 MEDAL OF HONOR J3 (324) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is VALNAKORINE 2761. The most popular warrior this turn was VALNAKORINE 2761. The ten other most popular fighters were TOMMY HENRICH 2759, SERGEANT1 2779, SERGEANT 3 2784, SERGEANT2 2776, YALO TACTSIE 2750, LADY CHUCK 2787, MCQUINN 2785, BILLY JOHNSON 2758, DONRIC HOLM 2781, and PILGRIM 2789. The least popular fighter this week was KELLER 2788. The other ten least popular fighters were THOMAS WIGLE 2777, MACDOUGAL 2786, ROBERT WILSON 2778, PILGRIM 2789, DONRIC HOLM 2781, BILLY JOHNSON 2758, MCQUINN 2785, LADY CHUCK 2787, YALO TACTSIE 2750, and SERGEANT2 2776. Daydream Believer You once thought of me, As a white knight on a steed. Now you know how happy I can be... It's true. I'm gone. I've punched my ticket to Immortality and I'm off to the Isle. I know a lot of you are wondering what it is about me that has made me so successful. I wish I knew for sure. I think it has more to do with intangibles (knack) than it does with design, bonuses and favorites. I'll let you decide. Daydream Believer (PR) 17-14-4-17-7-8-17 Poor Endurance--Good Damage I -- 8 (+1) R -- 13 A -- 14 (+4) P -- 14 (+4) Df - 8 Dc - 6 (+3) I know what you're thinking, "WTF, that guy looks like a 98 lb weakling!" Sigh...I prefer to think my physical characteristics are ideally suited for a finesse style. As for my bases, I know they aren't much to look at. After all, I am a PR. I'm fortunate to be blessed where I need it the most--attack and parry. Okay, so I've got nice bases with bonuses in the right spots. What about favorites? Did I know them in advance or did I change them? The answer is no, I had no idea what they were for sure until I recieved my graduation announcement. I would be happy to tell you what my favorites are but I don't think my clone, Jumpinjack Flash, would be very happy with me if I did. Let's just say that from the moment I stepped on the sands as a Rookie I used the same strategy in EVERY fight. The only thing I ever changed was armor (early on vs. TP's) and attack/defend locations. That should give those of you who have faced me more than once something to think about. You may be interested to know that I am all natural. I haven't had a prize of any type used on me. I'm a freak of nature. It just goes to show you never know when a guy like me will walk into your guildhouse looking for work as a gladiator. It's up to you to spot the potential and nuture it along. I'm going to list my tourney results and records versus each style. It isn't meant to be a brag--I just thought you might find it interesting and a lot easier than looking it up yourself. Enjoy! Tourneys: Rookies: 15-1-3 TC. Initiates: 15-3-3 TV. Adepts: 16-2 TC. Champs: 13-1-1 TC. Rookies--Champs record: 59-7-7 (.894) Challengers: 9-3 TV. Challengers: 15-1-1 TC. Challengers: 13-3 TV -- Runner-up (Marv-AB) Challengers: 13-3 TV -- Runner-up (Teevella-LU) Challengers: 7-3 Challengers: 11-3-2 TV Challengers: 11-3-1 TV Challengers: 13-3 TV -- Runner-up (Marv-AB) Challengers: 12-3 TV. Challengers record: 104-25-4 (.806). Career Tourney record: 163-32-11 (.836) TC's: 4 TVs: 8 (3 Runner-ups) Arena record: 5-0-1 Grudge matches: 3-0 Total record: 171-32-12 (.842) Tourney record vs all styles: AB: 7-11 BA: 6-0-1 LU: 46-9-4 PL: 5-1-1 PR: 2-0 PS: --- SL: 9-2 ST: 51-5-2 TP: 35-4-3 WS: 2-0 As you can see, the only style I had trouble with is the ABs. I think that has more to do with which ABs I fought rather than the style as a whole. I was 3-1 vs ABs early on (Rookies-Champs) and 4-10 in Challengers. I was 1-5 vs Marv, 0-1 vs Marv Jr and 0-3 vs Soulsnare. I am going to make an educated guess and assume they all had skills or prizes added to them to make them competetive at the Challenger level where so few ABs are. I could be wrong, though I doubt it. See you on the Isle, Daydream Believer