DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 06/03/2020 Duedate: 06/16/2020
DAL SHANG ARENA
DM-65 TURN-728
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
CANNELTON
PLACES (767)
(65-7523) [12-0-0,170]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
CANNELTON POSITION IS EMPTY
PLACES (767)
(65-7523) [12-0-0,170]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
DON LO KHORGA KHAN
SAND DANCERS (233) PAPER TIGERS W19.1 (782)
(65-7716) [22-12-0,93] (65-7737) [9-4-0,105]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
PLACES (767)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. PAPER TIGERS W19.1 (782) 40
2. PLACES (767) 26 PLACES (767)
3. THAT SMELL (760) 17 Unchartered Team
4. WISE GUYS (781) 9
5. CAR STARS (783) 0 FLOATING FUNGI (293)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1- 1*CAR STARS (783) 4 2 0 66.7 1/ 1 PLACES (767) 8 2 1
2/ 2 PLACES (767) 29 16 2 64.4 2/ 2 SAND DANCERS (233) 5 10 0
3/ 3 THAT SMELL (760) 145 88 6 62.2 3/ 3 WISE GUYS (781) 2 1 0
4/ 4 WISE GUYS (781) 6 4 0 60.0 4- 4*CAR STARS (783) 2 1 0
5/ 5 SAND DANCERS (233) %1650 %1750 52 48.5 5/ 5 THAT SMELL (760) 2 2 0
6/ 6 PAPER TIGERS W19.1 (782) 9 15 0 37.5 6/ 6 PAPER TIGERS W19.1 (782) 2 6 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.
I am Cannelton. I am Duelmaster. I have a proud history. I thought you all might just
enjoy this story as my DM Column.
Senior Antics
It was the spring of 1963, and graduation was approaching for the 42 Seniors of
the Cannelton High Bulldogs. The weather was appealing to young lads, as it often was
in the Southern Indiana backwoods. As always, the game of choice was "How can we best
those dirty-rotten rascals from the nearby (4 miles away) hated town of Tell City."
Cannelton, named from the special cannel coal (bituminous) mined there, had settled
first many years before. Although small, (1800 fine folks) it was the County Seat and
the fount of all good. Tell City, a Swiss settlement, (Who else would name a city
after William Tell?) somewhat newer, and now larger (8000 despicable, arrogant,
pompous beings) was the economic and industrial center of Perry County. The two High
Schools, although only four miles apart did not at all consider themselves allies.
This fine spring day, maybe four weeks prior to graduation, several of the
Bulldog Seniors were making a trip along the Ohio River from Cannelton to Tell City.
After all, Tell City's wealth made it the place to go to Drag Main, stop at The
Frostop or Dog N Suds, or to check out the foxes. (There were more females in Tell
City, and some of them were quite nice.) Between Tell City and Cannelton (actually
much closer to Cannelton) was a large lake, which was part of the unincorporated
between-Tell-City-and-Cannelton-area, called Fennhaven. For many years, the old,
dilapidated sign at the lake read "Fennhaven Lake". The Seniors--Bill LeMaire
(Frenchie), Tom Taylor (Tom), Wayne Smith (Smitty), and Paul Minto (Minto)--noticed
that a new sign had finally replaced the old one. As they drove by, they read the
sign on both sides. Exiting Cannelton, it read, Tell City Fennhaven Lake. The
opposite side read, Tell City Fennhaven Lake. As one, they immediately all thought,
"We're damn well going to have to do something about this invasion!"
They talked it up around school the next day, and after accepting volunteers, an
action plan was established. The added participants, a few days later on Thursday
night, were Seniors Keane Heck (Keano) and Paul Hay (Hay), plus a Sophomore Harry Joe
Steinsberger (Steinberg). These Seniors were smart. It was always good to have a
Sophomore along in case things went bad, so blame could be appropriately placed. The
plan was simple. Bring any destruction tool you could find. Hay would pick up
everybody in his old innocuous Chevy. Smitty would be the last pick up, because in
his Dad's workshop were many tools and some paint for any participants without
weapons.
Crammed into the old Chevy, the seven (who had heard of seat belts then?) joshing
and joking headed out of town towards Fennhaven Lake. Making sure no other cars were
around, Hay slowed to a stop, and the six scooted off to the side, over the hill, out
of sight with their implements of destruction. As they waited for total darkness, and
no cars in sight from either direction, they jumped into action. A few holes jammed
with screwdrivers, some bent edges with hammers and a wrench, and sloshes of different
colored paint on both sides, and the deed was done.
Moments later, they saw car lights coming and they heard the shave-anda-haircut
horn honk from Hay indicating "all clear" and they threw the paint cans into the woods
and hustled into the escape car. It was a loud and boisterous journey home. Yes,
indeed. Of course, none knew what might come from such antics.
One cannot expect a few bold teenaged guys not to boast of the feat. And it was
not as though other Cannelton Bulldogs had not been alerted to the deed, as they had
been given a chance to volunteer for action. Some of The Seven were concerned as to
the ramifications. Most ignored the possibilities with teenaged-male-braggadocio.
After a week...nothing happened. The ugly sign was there for all to see.
Two weeks...nothing.
Three weeks, the sign came down.
Two days before graduation ceremonies, two things happened.
The first: The Perry County News (Tuesday edition) was published, and the front
page headlines were: VANDALISM STRIKES IN PERRY COUNTY! Featured on the front page
were two photos (black and white): One was of the damaged Tell City Fennhaven Lake
sign. The other was of a rural mailbox which was crushed, apparently having been hit
with something like a baseball bat. The article extorted these actions and offered
$100 REWARD FOR KNOWLEDGE OF THIS VANDALISM. Oh, boy! The Seven were now concerned,
especially since none knew anything about the rural mailbox crushing scandal.
The second: As they drove, returning to Cannelton from Tell City, reading the
Perry County News aloud in the car, they approached Fennhaven Lake. A very nice brand
new sign had been erected. As before, the Tell City side read "Tell City Fennhaven
Lake". Immediately their anger rose! But as they passed the sign and read it from
the Cannelton side, lo and behold, the sign read "Cannelton Fennhaven Lake". Cheers
arose! Someone up above had gotten the message!
There was much "sign" talk a couple of days later after senior graduation
ceremonies. The Seniors involved felt vindicated, although they did wonder what would
happen if someone gave them up. ($100 was a LOT of money in 1963!) No one did.
A few years ago, at the 40-year reunion, this was a positive topic of discussion.
By now, times had changed. Cannelton had continued to wither as the town lost
population. The 2nd smallest-high-school in Indiana graduated 27, and the county seat
was moved (some say stolen) to Tell City. The lake sign was now back to the original
"Fennhaven Lake". Of the Seven involved, only two had remained in the Perry County
area. Such a small and unimportant thing, while theoretically and probably morally
wrong, was still, forty years later, a sense of pride for The Seniors.
Some afterthoughts to put things into perspective.... In 1963:
Vietnam troubles mount
Beatlemania begins
Zip Codes and Touch Tone Phones are invented
costs: Gas = 30 cents/gal; loaf of bread = 20 cents; movie theater = 25 cents
Smitty's favorite songs:
Hey Paula -- Paul and Paula
Blue Velvet -- Bobby Vinton
It's My Party -- Lesley Gore
Slang of the era:
"Bread" = money
"Blitzed" = drunk
"Pad" = house or home
"Fox" = an outstanding looking girl or woman
"Cool" = nice
"Scarf" = eat/gobble food very fast
-- Cannelton, DMVI
SPY REPORT
So why do I have this bag over my head? Because I am The Unknown Spymaster and
I'm going to give you a spy report!. Hey everybody, watch out for SCHMUCK'S GROCERY,
who flew up 16 points in the rankings after mashing OLTIMAL THE LAME like a melon.
Keep your eye on this beast. And falling like a basher in the top ten was PEARL
JOSEPHINA, who dropped 5 points after a disappointing (to say the least) bout with
KHORGA KHAN. Well, everybody's pal CANNELTON moved its record to 12-0-0 by defeating
LARRIS TAN in the Duelmaster's Title Bout and gaining 9 recognition points. 4 out of
5 gladiators surveyed protect the body, so try and avoid aiming at that location.
But enough of that bunch, let's get on to the wimps who like to avoid battle!
Here's a song for you: Who's afraid of the big, bad SAND DANCERS? Big bad SAND
DANCERS. Big bad SAND DANCERS. DAL SHANG's afraid of the big bad SAND DANCERS. Tra
la la la la! For those of you who like math, try this one: SAND DANCERS + Weapons
That go Boom = PLACES + Avoid City. Well dang howdy, but if challenges were votes,
CRAFTY would be president. Although it may be a contest he doesn't want to win.
Being a spy is great--other people die and you spend the rest of the day
drinking to their memory. Better tanked than dead! Ask not the elves for counsel,
for they will say both yes and no. Silly buggers, eh?
Well, that wasn't too bad; Alarond told me that the people in DAL SHANG have no
sense of humor. Or maybe that they were senseless. C'mon, Leadfoot, let's make some
tracks. 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
CANNELTON 7523 12 0 0 170 PLACES (767)
CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
KHORGA KHAN 7737 9 4 0 105 PAPER TIGERS W19.1 (782)
DON LO 7716 22 12 0 93 SAND DANCERS (233)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
PEARL JOSEPHINA 7714 16 19 0 83 SAND DANCERS (233)
LARRIS TAN 7740 14 6 0 71 SAND DANCERS (233)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
CRAFTY 7733 6 3 0 61 WISE GUYS (781)
-HARRISON FORD 7755 4 1 0 60 CAR STARS (783)
MIGHTY MITE 7720 12 21 1 58 SAND DANCERS (233)
TELL CITY 7524 5 3 0 58 PLACES (767)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-FENNHAVEN LAKE 7541 4 3 0 54 PLACES (767)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
RANCH ROAST 7746 2 1 1 33 THAT SMELL (760)
SCHMUCK'S GROCERY 7767 2 0 1 27 PLACES (767)
FARGO BORUM 7751 7 4 1 26 SAND DANCERS (233)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-OLBERDING CAFE 7748 3 3 0 23 PLACES (767)
-FEBREZE 7770 1 0 0 16 THAT SMELL (760)
-A 7732 0 1 0 1 WISE GUYS (781)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
OLTIMAL THE LAME 0 0 0 SCHMUCK'S GROCER 7767 728 NONE
ANGEL SOFT A 7792 0 1 0 PAPER TIGERS W19 782 MASTER JAI ARRAL 728 NONE
CHARMIN A 7791 0 1 0 PAPER TIGERS W19 782 SARZINA THE BRIG 728 NONE
DA7 7789 0 1 0 PAPER TIGERS W19 782 DELHARAN THE SIL 728 NONE
SMOKE 7783 0 1 0 THAT SMELL 760 SARZINA THE BRIG 728 NONE
PERSONAL ADS
I could've sworn I sent in a bit of a spot for last turn's newsletter, but in cleaning
out the trash folders I seem to have deleted every byte of it. Bummer; I don't have
the energy to try to recreate it. -- Jorja
Captain Lensar should put his attention and efforts to defending the city. *I*
remember what Jorja wrote, and it was trouble coming. -- Pearl Josephina
I remember, too. I was standing on the cliff, leaning on the retaining wall and
looking down at the harbor, where something unusual and probably bad was happening. --
Don Lo
Captain Lensar should focus his efforts on defending the city, not defeating
gladiators who will be out there defending it, too. -- Laris Tan
Fenhaven Lake -- I never was much of a swimmer. -- Fargo Borum, too aware that the
lake here harbors man-eaters
Crafty -- You coulda taught me some skills. Even basket weaving has its uses. --
Mighty Mite
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
SMOKE was butchered by SARZINA THE BRIGHT in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
CHARMIN A was butchered by SARZINA THE BRIGHT in a 1 minute brutal Dark Arena duel.
ANGEL SOFT A was easily killed by MASTER JAI ARRAL in a 1 minute Dark Arena match.
DA7 was slaughtered by DELHARAN THE SILENT in a 1 minute bloody Dark Arena brawl.
KHORGA KHAN overpowered PEARL JOSEPHINA in a 4 minute one-sided Challenge fight.
CRAFTY viciously subdued MIGHTY MITE in a 3 minute gory Challenge duel.
CANNELTON devastated LARRIS TAN in a 1 minute mismatched Title match.
DON LO handily defeated TELL CITY in a 1 minute uneven fight.
FARGO BORUM was vanquished by RANCH ROAST in a 1 minute uneven duel.
SCHMUCK'S GROCERY slaughtered OLTIMAL THE LAME 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|
|AIMED BLOW 3 AIMED BLOW 23 - 10 - 1 70 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 3 STRIKING ATTACK 12 - 6 - 1 67 |
|TOTAL PARRY 2 PARRY-STRIKE 12 - 10 - 0 55 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE 10 - 12 - 0 45 |
|WALL OF STEEL 2 WALL OF STEEL 6 - 8 - 1 43 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 1 LUNGING ATTACK 4 - 9 - 0 31 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 1 TOTAL PARRY 3 - 7 - 0 30 |
|BASHING ATTACK 1 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 - 0 0 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 0 - 0 0 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 0 BASHING ATTACK 0 - 14 - 0 0 |
Turn 728 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:
STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 4 AIMED BLOW
AIMED BLOW 2 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 2 2 PARRY-STRIKE
PARRY-STRIKE 2 - 1 LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 1 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE
TOTAL PARRY 1 - 1 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 0 1 TOTAL PARRY
BASHING ATTACK 0 - 1 1 BASHING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL 0 - 2 1 STRIKING ATTACK
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
AIMED BLOW CANNELTON 7523 12 0 0 170 PLACES (767)
PARRY-STRIKE KHORGA KHAN 7737 9 4 0 105 PAPER TIGERS W19.1 (782)
PARRY-RIPOSTE LARRIS TAN 7740 14 6 0 71 SAND DANCERS (233)
TOTAL PARRY CRAFTY 7733 6 3 0 61 WISE GUYS (781)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is DON LO 7716. The most popular warrior this turn was
KHORGA KHAN 7737. The ten other most popular fighters were PEARL JOSEPHINA 7714,
MIGHTY MITE 7720, CRAFTY 7733, CANNELTON 7523, RANCH ROAST 7746, DON LO 7716,
SCHMUCK'S GROCERY 7767, SMOKE 7783, CHARMIN A 7791, and ANGEL SOFT A 7792.
The least popular fighter this week was FARGO BORUM 7751. The other ten least
popular fighters were TELL CITY 7524, LARRIS TAN 7740, DA7 7789, ANGEL SOFT A 7792,
CHARMIN A 7791, SMOKE 7783, SCHMUCK'S GROCERY 7767, DON LO 7716, RANCH ROAST 7746,
and CANNELTON 7523.
RSI PANDEMIC UPDATE
We're doing okay out here in Arizona, staying mostly quiet and trying to stay healthy,
and we hope you and your families are well. Things are super weird right now.
Here's a quick update on what's coming up:
Summer 2020 Face-to-Face: In case there is any lingering doubt, the 2020 summer face-
to-face is cancelled. It just doesn't seem wise to hold it, and feedback is that most
of you would not be able to attend. Better to stay safe and stay at home, this time.
Summer 2020 Mail-In: So we'll hold a mail-in tournament this summer. It will be held
on the weekend of July 17-19, 2020. We are still finalizing the format--look for the
tournament announcement shortly after the freeze on June 6th.
Halloween 2020 Mail-In: Should be able to take place as normal. We bandied about the
idea of having a Fall FTF, but that doesn't look like a good idea.
Winter 2021 Face-to-Face: We have already secured a contract for the Winter FTF in
Tempe for our usual Martin Luther King weekend, January 15-17, 2021 and are crossing
our fingers that we will be able to hold that tournament in person, but there is still
some chance that we will need to cancel it as well. I expect we will know for certain
in November or December. Please mark it on your calendars and feel free to get hotel
reservations, but don't buy non-refundable plane tickets! (We are waiting for the
group code for reservations and will post it when we get it.)
Summer 2021 Face-to-Face: Surely we'll be able to have this one! *crossed fingers*
We're looking at the midwest cities for this one (Cincinnati or Minneapolis), so stay
tuned.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
THE BLOODGAMES HAVE RETURNED!
For those of you who always wanted the chance to manage the last warrior standing
alive upon the arena sands, your day has come. At the end of the ten turns, even
though several warriors, bruised and scarred, MAY yet live, only three will be crowned
Bloodgames Champions and be invited to the Isle of the Eye! And in this game mere
survival counts for little. A great general once said, "The object of battle is not
to die for your cause, but to make your enemy die for his." This general would have
greatly enjoyed the Duelmasters Bloodgames!
By popular demand, we will hold THREE Bloodgames arenas -- a regular and slow
Bloodgames by mail, and a Bloodgames which will run with the mail-in tourney!
DM 95: slow bloodgames (due every four weeks, due July 20)
DM 98: regular speed bloodgames (due every two weeks, due July 20)
DM 99: mail-in style bloodgames (processed with the tourney, due July 15)
Gameplay in the Bloodgames proceeds according to standard DM rules, except for a few
notable exceptions:
* STARTING A BLOODGAMES TEAM -- You don't need a special rollup to enter the
bloodgames. Your Bloodgames team is ten warriors, one of each fighting style, each
warrior designed from scratch! (All are 84 points, 3-21, as usual.) Simply list your
ten warriors and send them to us; we will send you back overviews of your warriors so
you can submit strategies. The first turn is due mid-July and subsequent turns will
be due on Mondays.
* DEATH -- As the name implies, the Bloodgames will leave the arena sands somewhat
darker before they're over. It's a dangerous sport intended only for the tough and
spirited. The Arenamaster will be less likely to intercede on behalf of a dying
warrior. Even at a 1 kill desire, kill attempts will occur. There are no
replacements -- once a warrior dies, that's it!
* STRATEGIES AND CHALLENGES -- New strategies may be issued for each turn for the
regular and slow bloodgames, while the mail-in bloodgames will process all ten rounds
with a single strategy. The only type of challenge available is a bloodfeud.
* MISSED TURNS -- All warriors fight each round. Only the dead may rest.
* ERRORS -- If we make an input error, that warrior will be awarded a win and kill.
Errors must be reported before the next turn processes.
* NEWSLETTER -- Warriors are ranked according to their number of kills. Bloodgames
Champions may write a column for the newsletter at the end of the games.
* AWARDS -- The Bloodgames last ten rounds. The top three living warriors with the
greatest number of kills, only one of each style, are deemed Bloodgames Champions.
Win/loss records and, if necessary, recognition points will only be used to determine
awards if there is a tie. All three Bloodgames Champions fight for free for six
months and can issue one Tournament Victor challenge each turn, allowing them to
challenge with increased priority, also for six months.
* FEES -- A Bloodgames rollup costs a $10 set-up fee. Managers may roll up additional
teams but may fight only one team in each arena. The fee is $49 for all 10 rounds.
* AFTERMATH -- Warriors from the Bloodgames may not transfer to any other arena. Once
the games are over, the arena and teams will be disbanded. The fighters have won
their freedom and will never more be seen in the gladiatorial games. A special bonus
will, however, be awarded to the Bloodgames Champions: Lady Sheila Greywand, of the
Isle of the Eye, has consented to allow the top three gladiators in each Bloodgames
admission to the Advanced Duelmasters games. Any special training required to qualify
those three warriors for Advanced Duelmasters combat will be conducted before transfer
into ADM. Astute managers will note that this means that three warriors that are
designed from scratch will survive the Bloodgames, win one of the top three places,
and go on to immortal glory! One of those warriors could be yours!
The challenge is yours to take. The final plans are yours to make.
When the dust settles, remember: To the victor goes the spoils!