DUELMASTERS NEWSLETTER
Date : 07/26/2003 Duedate: 08/08/2003
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-147
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
GAMBIT
X-MEN (1236)
(93-7166) [6-2-0,49]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY GAMBIT
X-MEN (1236)
(93-7166) [6-2-0,49]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
GAMBIT GUTTERSNIPE
X-MEN (1236) RIFF RAFF (1305)
(93-7166) [6-2-0,49] (93-7545) [2-3-0,9]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
RIFF RAFF (1305)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. TYCRON'S MERCS (1298) 36
2. X-MEN (1236) 8 RAGE (388)
3. RIFF RAFF (1305) 7 Unchartered Team
4. MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300) 2
5. DRUNKEN CLONES (1144) 0 X-MEN (1236)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 1*X-MEN (1236) 26 14 1 65.0 1/ 2*RIFF RAFF (1305) 8 7 1
2/ 3*MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300) 24 21 0 53.3 2/ 3*MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300) 8 7 0
3/ 5*TYCRON'S MERCS (1298) 14 14 0 50.0 3/ 4*X-MEN (1236) 7 3 0
4/ 4*RIFF RAFF (1305) 12 13 2 48.0 4/ 6*TYCRON'S MERCS (1298) 3 6 0
5- 6*DRUNKEN CLONES (1144) 15 20 2 42.9 5- 5*DRUNKEN CLONES (1144) 2 3 0
6- 7*THE BLACK GUARD (1299) 2 5 1 28.6 6- 0*LEATHER CHICKS (1239) 1 4 0
7- 0*LEATHER CHICKS (1239) 1 4 0 20.0 7- 8*THE BLACK GUARD (1299) 0 2 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[<+ Question of the Week #1 +>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+
Hanibal, manager of Cannibalz in Aruak City (DM 11) and formerly of Noblish
Island, has asked a series of questions of the experienced managers of that arena. I
believe you might find these questions and answers instructive, or at least
interesting. Feel free to comment or question in response. That goes for other
experienced managers, too; I'm sure your input would be valuable. -- Jorja, The
Middle Way
Question, turn 396:
All -- If 2 identical warriors (theoretically) ran 10-10-2 and 10-10-8, who
would swing first? Would they both have an equal chance? -- Hanibal's question of
the week
Replies, turn 397:
Hanibal -- Of the three numbers, I think KD is least influential in determining
who swings first. I'm not discounting its involvement entirely, but there are many
factors that weigh more heavily. I ran aimers 10-10-1 for a long time, when it was
the 'in' thing to do, and they fought quite aggressively. KD might be more important
in determining who swings LAST. -- Generalissimo Puerco
Hannibal -- I firmly believe that 10-10-2 will sometimes outjump 10-10-8. And
vice versa. -- Kennelworth The Seasoned
See also Captain K's article on "Getting the Jump." It was printed in this
newsletter a few turns ago, but if you want a copy and don't have it, email me at
jputney@zianet.com and I'll send it to you. Okay, okay, if you don't have email,
request it in the personals or even send me a diplo. -- Jorja
Question, turn 397:
All -- If two warriors have a good damage rating, one has 11 str. and one has 13
str., would it make a difference in the amount of damage they do? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
P.S. Warriors are same size.
Replies, turn 398:
Hanibal -- Regarding your QoW, it is a very good question. I think that there
is a difference in damage done between warriors with different strengths but similar
damage comments. Of course the attack rating a warrior has can make a world of
difference too. I've got a piker (the Consortium may know Lustra from DM 52) that
has a 5 str. and does normal damage with a blow. Yet, she performs like a warrior
that does little damage. (And I have a lot of experience with those.) Not only
that, she has normal endurance, too, but she seems to get tired awfully quick for a
piker with normal endurance. So that's one example. Another is my overall look at
warriors that do 'little' damage.
If you take one with 9 str. and another with 13 str. I think a clear Difference
can be discerned. On the high end, my experience doesn't go much past 'good' damage.
But what I can say is that my warriors that do 'good' damage seem to do more damage
than my few warriors that have done 'tremendous' damage. That is probably because
those big strong warriors have relatively lousy attack ratings. So in a nutshell I
would say yes, there is a minor but still noticeable effect. What you might be
finding is that there seems to be differences within those broad categories given on
the warrior overview. It's just like if you raise con you improve your warrior's
ability to sustain damage a little bit, even if the comment on the overview stays the
same. Your questions are getting at some of the interesting subtleties of the game.
Keep asking them! -- Generalissimo Puerco
Q.O.W. (Hanibal) -- I don't think so. -- Adie
Pagan's replies:
Question, turn 396:
All -- If 2 identical warriors (theoretically) ran 10-10-2 and 10-10-8, who
would swing first? Would they both have an equal chance?
This is a loaded question. There are a number of factors which will determine which
warrior swings first. In speaking of this I can only tell you what I have a 'feel'
for. In no way does anyone know all the factors or how this works exactly unless
someone gets to look at the source code for the program. I will ignore the KD
dispute simply because I don't know.
The Factors:
1. At warrior creation, the program initiates a random string class to be used for
your warrior. Each string has a series of numbers that are pre-generated and always
the same. It however appears random except for the facts that some strings are good
for some warriors and bad for others. You'll notice this only over time. This
string class is permanent and not all of them are created equal. This is above and
beyond any total number of skills.
2. At fight time, the program calls a random string to be used for BOTH warriors.
This string affects the string of the warrior. This is why you will never see two
fights that are line-by-line exactly the same. But if the fights were constantly run
with exactly the same string, and no strategy changes are made then you will
consistently have the same fight line-by-line.
3. Fight-String modified Warrior-String# are taken for each warrior and #Decise-
skills + OE + string# + tactic + weapon-weight + style-adjustment equates to a
number.
4. These bonuses could be negative in adjustments also: IE. Running responsiveness
would be the addition of a negative number equal to warrior's Decise. Running decise
would increase a lot, running lunge, slash, or bash use initiative instead of Decise
if higher than current #decise skills.
4. Biggest controllable factors are OE, tactic, & weapon-weight
5. If the number for JUMP does not have a disparity of a specific number then a
continued clash will occur until that disparity is shown. Then the fight actually
begins. You can have a series of 8+ clash statements until the program finds who
starts and initiates the fight sequences. Example: fighterA ends up with a jump# of
60 and fighterB ends up with a jump# of 65; if the disparity had to be 10 points then
what would happen is a clash statement would be printed and the steps repeated. The
next number from the Fight-String is called along with the next number in each of the
Warrior-strings ; the computation is done again until the disparity (for the computer
anyway) becomes true. Then the fight sequence is activated. -- Pagan
Question, turn 397:
All -- If two warriors have a good damage rating, one has 11 str. And one has 13
str., would it make a difference in the amount of damage they do? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
P.S. Warriors are same size.
Most definitely. Weapon damage is equated to Strength + damage class. So damage is
done like this:
1. Armor weight + 12 + any bonus it has vs weapon type is a negative to the damage
done. (How the hell did he get 12!?)
2. Damage done is strength + damage class variable + weapon variable.
3. Slashing & Bashing increase the damage done.
4. When the damage done equals 1 or less then there is a weapon bounce statement.
The minimum damage a blow can do is 1 point of damage. The program knows there's a
hit before it knows damage so you can't reverse a hit, you merely take a minimum of 1
point of damage to your hit-points.
5. The lower your strength then more bounces you will see. The lower your damage
class the more bounces you will see. The lighter weight a weapon is vs the armor its
hitting the more bounces you will see.
6. In reverse to #5, all of those secondary-damage statements (often referred to as
extra-damage statements) such as "it was a devastating blow"... "what a massive blow"
-- these merely show that you hit your opponent with enough damage to exceed the
computer secondary-damage statement threshold. Your warrior caused enough damage to
exceed a programmed set number (whatever that number may be) and the fight is only
showing that you exceeded that number. The programmed number for the secondary-damage
threshold is a Hard number: it is constant within the program and is used for all
fights and all warriors. It is not random. It has nothing to do with how much
damage you did in relation to your opponent's hit-points either. If you exceed that
number in damage, you get a printed statement showing that to be the case. There is
no such thing as Extra-Damage. -- Pagan
Question, turn 398:
All -- If you lower your kill desire in desperation, do you have less of a chance of
being killed? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Replies, turn 399:
Q.O.W. -- I think that if your KD is lower in desperation, you're more likely to
surrender than draw out the fight. Drawing out the fight by having a higher KD gives
the attacker more chance to kill you. But you could defend and make a come-back.
But that higher KD also lowers your defensive ability somewhat. -- Adie
Hanibal's Q.o.W -- Yes, lowering your own KD helps keep you alive and allows you to
surrender...hopefully in time. -- Armalias
Hanibal -- The choice of kill desire in desperation seems to be a very tactically
important one. I do believe that lowering kill desire will tend to preserve a
warrior's life by making him give up (and end the fight) sooner. This also means
the warrior may end up losing fights he could have won if he had hung around. I
think scum strategy is a good example of this. While it may be counterintuitive, a
good scum strategy involves using a moderate to high kill desire. This is done to
prevent them from giving up prematurely. Also, most managers don't care too much if
their scum gets killed, so there's no point to running with a low KD. There's a very
good article on the total parry written by Scrag, in which this scheme is discussed.
Maybe you saw it in Noblish. Personally, I either lower or raise KD in desperation,
based on my expectations for a particular warrior. I think it was Miles that first
wrote on this way of looking at kill desire, and I believe it to be the most correct.
Other published theories, such as Jessie Jest's, are variably more questionable.
(But then, everything Jessie Jest wrote should be taken with a grain of salt.) --
Generalissimo Puerco
Question, turn 399:
All -- If you have 18 HP and cannot take a lot of punishment and raise con once to
normal--20 HP, does the rating affect the rate at which you take damage or do you
just have 2 more Hit Points? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Replies, turn 400:
Hanibal's QOW -- I think you just get a bump in hit points. But that little bump
makes a big difference. I think armor and warrior experience are the only factors
that affect the rate of damage per blow. -- Adie
P.S. There's a new chart for hit points that is more accurate and does not involve a
luck factor.
Hanibal -- I think the amount of damage a warrior can take is not variable but
constant. The variables in the equation are: the weapon being struck with and the
armor it is striking, and the attack and damage-dealing ability of the warrior doing
the swinging. Not to mention kill desire, as discussed last turn. -- Generalissimo
Puerco
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===---
Duelmasters
-----------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 470): E. VICTOR of LETTER BOMBS (Papa Bear, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 468): LIFE SENTANCE of THE LAWMEN (?, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 464): DIRT KNAP of UNKNOWNS XX (Dark Spirit, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 464): MALASION of THE BLACKHEARTS (Nunzio Frothingslosh, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 462): COL SALOMON of 82ND ILLINOIS (Otto X. Frothingslosh)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 461): KANDY KANES of CARNIVAL (Carny, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 230): RAPAX of THE PENTARCHY (The Pentalque, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 453): MR. YUCK of THE TAKEN (Stillgard, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 228): GILGAMESH of THE STORMBRINGERS (High Lord Bosk, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 450): LINDEN of FISHERMAN'S WHARF (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 448): RYANATOR of OBSIDIAN HALL (Dameon Darkheart, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 441): BRIGIT of CHILDREN OF LLYR (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 404): SUNGOD DESIGNED ME of WENSINWASIN (Youngblood, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 205): DEBBIE DAHMER of MORDRED'S MADMEN (Abraxis, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 200): JUMBO MUMBO of SPOONERTIKS (Spawn, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 187): CLOUDS AWAY of OPEN SESAME (Crip, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 329): DUMPLING of BAD APPLES (Uncle Wolf, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 309): ON MY WAY of SADISTS F2F (SunGod, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 135): PUNCH DRUNK of WAY TO GO! II (Spawn, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 354): NEMESIS of CHAMPIONS from JHELUM (Shadowgate, mgr.)
Top Teams
---------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 470): DARK TOADS (TigToad, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 468): THE CITY (Berylstar, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 464): UNKNOWNS XX (Dark Spirit, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 464): WYLDERNESS WYLD (Barnabas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 462): HEROESANDFOUNDONES (The Judge, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 461): CARNIVAL (Carny, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 230): DEMO-SQUAD (Shadowmere, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 453): THE TAKEN (Stillgard, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 228): DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 450): THE STORMLORDS (The Icelord, mgr.)
DM 33 ANASAZI (turn 448): WHEN DOGMA FAILS (Prophet, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 441): CHILDREN OF LLYR (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 404): MEDS (Berylstar, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 205): none
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 200): SPOONERTIKS (Spawn, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 187): DARK SIDHE (Daehir, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 329): GENERAL SURGERY (Darkfist, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 309): FAVORITE GUYS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 135): none
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 354): MEOW MIX, etc. (Ultraist, mgr.)
Recent Graduates
-----------------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 469): TREMERE of DARK TOADS (TigToad, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 468): LIFE SENTANCE of THE LAWMEN (?, mgr.)
(turn 467): FLOWBEE of HELL-MART (Ebenezer Frothingslosh, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 464): MALASION of THE BLACKHEARTS (Nunzio Frothingslosh, mgr.)
N.D. GRASSE of PUNNY AMINALS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 462): COL SALOMON of 82ND ILLINOIS (Otto X. Frothingslosh)
(turn 461): TY BRINSON of LO' DOWN (Cayl Reed, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 460): STEERFORTH of GO TO THE DICKENS! (Reverend Boz,
acting mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 229): SHAWINIGAN SMURF of CANADIAN BACON (Firehawk, mgr.)
BILLY LILLY of DODGE BULLETS (Uncle Wolf, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 453): JUVENAL of EQUESTORS (Spartacus, mgr.)
BLUEY of CROC FILES (THawk, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 228): SIR YDER of WILLBENDERS (Abraxis, mgr.)
BONEGRIN DEVAR of BUSHMASTERS (Tripwire, mgr.)
(turn 227): GRIFFIN of MYTH (Lightbringer, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 450): LIGHTNING of HARBINGERS (High Lord Bosk, mgr.)
DM 33 ANASAZI (turn 448): RYANATOR of OBSIDIAN HALL (Dameon Darkheart, mgr.)
LEMON DROP of JOYS OF BOOZE (Berylstar, mgr.)
(turn 447): A-10 of PIG BATTALION (Kellog, mgr.)
BEER GOGGLES of JOYS OF BOOZE (Berylstar, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 205): DEBBIE DAHMER of MORDRED'S MADMEN (Abraxis, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 200): ZEEL BEBUB of SPOONERTIKS (Spawn, mgr.)
INCREDIBLE SULK of DRAKE'S COMICS (Drake, mgr.)
MARY ANN of SCREEN DREAMS (Fizban, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 187): CLOUDS AWAY of OPEN SESAME (Crip, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 328): NESSUS of ACT OF MALICE (Carnage, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 135): PUNCH DRUNK of WAY TO GO! II (Spawn, mgr.)
MOONSTONE of FLAMING FIST (Firehawk, mgr.)
SPY REPORT
Good day, in NOBLISH ISLAND a quiet thief gets rich, but a quiet spymaster gets
poor. So bring me ale and harken to my tidbits of news. It seems the training can
make the difference, as THE DARK TIDES is pushed out of top team by RIFF RAFF, who
came from 2nd with a 1-4-0 this turn. The X-MEN guild has had a 4-1-0 turn and
deserves to be watched in the future. You never know where this kind of thing can
lead. And let's see, KATRINA THE RED fought MORPH and gained 16 points and
contributed to TYCRON'S MERCS' 2-3-0. MORPH has lost to KATRINA THE RED, falling 13
points, while helping make X-MEN a 4-1-0 turn. And not without some honor, GAMBIT
now claims the title and throne of Duelmaster of NOBLISH ISLAND. Can someone confirm
a rumor for me? I hear the top team makes their losing fighters do dishes at The
Swinging Aardvark until they win. Maybe?
He who challenges well, fights well. He who avoids without cause, shall lose
for good reasons. My mama told me that one. TYCRON'S MERCS has cause to stand tall,
as they were NOBLISH ISLAND's most avoided team. A smart manager knows this is a
team to beat. And avoiding TYCRON'S MERCS more than any other team we find X-MEN.
NOBLISH ISLAND, are we going to accept, or respect this sort of thing? The most
challenged warrior this turn was MIDDLE WAY 8's warrior RENDOR QUIL. More fighters
challenged him than challenged the Duelmaster!
A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man only once. Wise men know this to
be true. 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, NOBLISH ISLAND, the taverns have old wine, and young serving
girls. Who could ask for more? It's been nice chatting with you, until we meet
again, keep your swords sharp and your hammers heavy. Until you see my quill in
NOBLISH ISLAND again, farewell-- Alarond the Scribe
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
GAMBIT 7166 6 2 0 49 X-MEN (1236)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
KATRINA THE RED 7504 5 1 0 43 TYCRON'S MERCS (1298)
BEAST 7165 5 3 0 34 X-MEN (1236)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
WOLVERINE 7163 5 3 0 33 X-MEN (1236)
NEFAN MURH 7511 5 4 0 29 MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300)
JINX 7546 3 2 1 28 RIFF RAFF (1305)
TEALIN SALI 7514 5 4 0 27 MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300)
TOAD 7527 3 2 0 27 X-MEN (1236)
LENA KORIL 7510 5 4 0 26 MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
RENDOR QUIL 7513 5 4 0 23 MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300)
-STRIDEN 6650 4 4 1 23 DRUNKEN CLONES (1144)
MORPH 7528 4 1 0 22 X-MEN (1236)
POL OLVAN 7512 4 5 0 17 MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300)
WAIF 7556 3 1 0 14 RIFF RAFF (1305)
-XARION 7108 3 3 1 13 DRUNKEN CLONES (1144)
RAVAGER OF DOOM 7503 3 3 0 13 TYCRON'S MERCS (1298)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
TRAILER TRASH 7557 2 2 0 12 RIFF RAFF (1305)
KET 7558 1 0 0 12 TYCRON'S MERCS (1298)
THE ROOKIE 7502 2 4 0 11 TYCRON'S MERCS (1298)
-WIDOWMAKER 7180 1 0 0 11 LEATHER CHICKS (1239)
-MALITHORN 7555 1 0 0 10 DRUNKEN CLONES (1144)
GUTTERSNIPE 7545 2 3 0 9 RIFF RAFF (1305)
-ZAK 7554 1 0 0 7 DRUNKEN CLONES (1144)
-ZULOK THE SHADOW 7508 1 1 1 6 THE BLACK GUARD (1299)
-LEONIDAS 7507 1 1 0 4 THE BLACK GUARD (1299)
-AMASTASIA 7506 0 2 0 2 THE BLACK GUARD (1299)
-THE DOMINATRIX 7182 0 1 0 1 LEATHER CHICKS (1239)
-THE MISTRESS 7181 0 1 0 1 LEATHER CHICKS (1239)
-THE WIDOW 7179 0 1 0 1 LEATHER CHICKS (1239)
-NARYM 7505 0 1 0 1 THE BLACK GUARD (1299)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
MISS PRISS 7183 0 1 0 LEATHER CHICKS 1239 PORK CHOP 7542 146
PORK CHOP 7542 2 3 1 RIFF RAFF 1305 BANDIT PRINCE 25 147 NONE
METARO 7547 0 3 0 TYCRON'S MERCS 1298 HIGH ELF 19 147 NONE
KESSEL 7501 2 2 0 TYCRON'S MERCS 1298 XARION 7108 144
PERSONAL ADS
Jinx -- Good try, but it was a poor match for you. My style is normally much faster
off the mark than yours, and while striking the first blow isn't always a guarantee
of success, it sure helps. -- Rendor Quil
P.S. And while you COULD up your offensive effort and experiment with tactics and
all, it really is a style preference. You need to pace yourself to win in the SECOND
minute.
Convicted Thief, pooh. -- Pol Olvan
This is an Osksi Noble? They need new blood down there. -- Nefan Murh
Nefan -- Oh, I dunno, he's kinda cute. Worthless, but cute. -- Lena Koril
Pagan -- Is that you? If you had a slasher who was SZ 21, WT and WL 15+, he'd be in
serious trouble elsewhere, with only 33 points to divide between the four other
stats. I don't say such a warrior couldn't be graduated, practically anything can be
graduated and may already have been, but it wouldn't be easy, I bet. -- Jorja
Waif -- (blushing) Thanks. -- Pol Olvan
All -- Once again I am not at home when it's time to prepare things for this turn.
Last time it was the Face to Face, this time it's Gencon. But NEXT time, I will be
home (so far as I know) and I'll do a spotlight just for you. -- Jorja, the Middle
Way
Comments on the articles--
A Sacred Lord's Slasher by Bookie. To the best of my knowledge, this manager is
currently inactive. The alliance of which he speaks, the Black Regime, is also
inactive. While his slashers obviously work, I wouldn't do it that way and would be
inclined to argue various points. Such as ST--he says that any ST above 11 is a
waste and suggests weapons for strengths all the way down to 3. I say any ST below 9
is going to get you into serious trouble. And I have no problem with a WT of 13, or
even 11. And so on.
Kill Desire: "Patience" by Jessie Jest. Jessie is inactive. More or less, I agree
with him. BUT. But Kill Desire is a very emotional issue, and it isn't going to
make you popular in, for instance, an Andorian arena, if you run high KDs and then
say, "It's just that my warriors lack patience."
Some Info on the Ripper by Necrom. This manager is currently inactive. A few
quibbles: ST of less than 9 so very often ends up with "does little damage," which
can be the kiss of death for your ripper. And while 21s look very pretty on the
overview, the balancing low stats can get your warrior killed, especially if it is
low CN and/or low SZ. I honestly don't believe that ANY style needs a 21 stat to do
well, with the possible exception of DF for an aimer that is intended for high-end
play. You lose so much elsewhere to get those 21s.
Crimson Strikers by Crimson Strategist. I believe this manager may be active
somewhere, but I'm not sure. With the stat ranges he suggests, you could make a
decent warrior of ANY style. And with regards to the strategy suggested, well, what
if you have a striker who is more defensively inclined? That wouldn't work well for
him. Also, take note that you should NOT use an offensive tactic AND a defensive
tactic in the SAME minute.
18 July 2003
To All Managers -- I would like to take this time to announce that my alliance, The
Association, is no more. Due to the dead weight managers of the alliance and their
lack of participation, DarkSpirit and I have formed a new alliance: The Firm. We
have taken on two members so far and are looking for a few more. If you would like
to find out more about The Firm, you can diplo Dark Spirit, Unknowns XX in arena 15
or myself, Sungod, Sadists F2FII in arena 62.
--* The Firm *--
Sungod -- Sadists F2FII -- 62
Dark Spirit -- Unknowns XX -- 15
Youngblood -- Wensinwasin -- 43
Tripwire -- Of Wolf and Man -- 1
26 July 2003
Citizens of Alastari, a bright dawn has risen. While you slept, a pernicious
force has entered the once-fair City of Aruak. It fought alongside their treasured
warriors, it drank with their fans, and it slept with their women. Now the masks are
coming off.
Warriors, be afraid...be very afraid. After years of Andorian managers ranting
that Aruak is the safest city in Alastari, the Frothingslosh Syndicate has selected
Aruak City as the home for its next epic 'contest'--Murder by Numbers II. Our spies
have selected the warriors for extermination, and the executioners have had several
months to prepare. Now a new age of darkness will descend upon Aruak, as the
Syndicate and its allies bring an entirely new level of competition to the arena!
Downchallenges! Assassinations! Small poodles as hors d'oeuvres!
The Murder by Numbers II 'rules' will be announced next cycle. However, we
invite all managers, from all corners of Alastari, to come to Aruak City and take
part...in one way or another. Help defend the honor of a long heralded haven for the
pure, or join the forces of change in their siege of the ice-cream and cake
stronghold of the Dukes of Nerf-Dueling!
This exercise is not for either the faint of heart or the weak willed. Blood
will flow, brains will leak, and beer will be chugged. Either way, we welcome you
with open arms and gleaming blades.
This public service announcement has been brought to you by Frothingslosh Epic
Contests (tm), the number 86, and the letter 'K'.
The Frothingslosh Syndicate
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
PORK CHOP was dealt death by BANDIT PRINCE in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
METARO was dealt death by HIGH ELF in a 1 minute Dark Arena duel.
WOLVERINE subdued RENDOR QUIL in a 1 minute Challenge melee.
WAIF was subdued by TEALIN SALI in a 1 minute Challenge fight.
JINX vanquished POL OLVAN in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge brawl.
TRAILER TRASH was defeated by NEFAN MURH in a exciting 3 minute Challenge fight.
MORPH was devastated by KATRINA THE RED in a 1 minute uneven brawl.
GAMBIT savagely defeated LENA KORIL in a 2 minute brutal Title struggle.
BEAST viciously subdued THE ROOKIE in a 2 minute gory competition.
RAVAGER OF DOOM was overcome by TOAD in a action packed 1 minute melee.
GUTTERSNIPE lost to KET in a action packed 6 minute gruesome novice's duel.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|AIMED BLOW 4 PARRY-LUNGE 10 - 4 - 1 71 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 3 TOTAL PARRY 8 - 4 - 0 67 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 LUNGING ATTACK 21 - 12 - 1 64 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 2 SLASHING ATTACK 13 - 8 - 1 62 |
|BASHING ATTACK 2 AIMED BLOW 15 - 15 - 0 50 |
|TOTAL PARRY 2 BASHING ATTACK 10 - 11 - 1 48 |
|WALL OF STEEL 2 WALL OF STEEL 13 - 16 - 1 45 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 1 STRIKING ATTACK 13 - 17 - 0 43 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 12 - 17 - 1 41 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 0 PARRY-STRIKE 6 - 13 - 1 32 |
Turn 147 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the
used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are:
PARRY-LUNGE 2 - 1 AIMED BLOW 1 - 3 2 PARRY-LUNGE
PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 - 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 1 2 WALL OF STEEL
LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 1 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 0 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE
BASHING ATTACK 1 - 1 STRIKING ATTACK 0 - 1 2 BASHING ATTACK
TOTAL PARRY 1 - 1 1 AIMED BLOW
WALL OF STEEL 1 - 1 1 LUNGING ATTACK
1 PARRY-STRIKE
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
PARRY-LUNGE GAMBIT 7166 6 2 0 49 X-MEN (1236)
AIMED BLOW KATRINA THE RED 7504 5 1 0 43 TYCRON'S MERCS (1298)
WALL OF STEEL BEAST 7165 5 3 0 34 X-MEN (1236)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is GAMBIT 7166. The most popular warrior this turn was
GUTTERSNIPE 7545. The ten other most popular fighters were NEFAN MURH 7511, BEAST
7165, GAMBIT 7166, WOLVERINE 7163, TEALIN SALI 7514, JINX 7546, KATRINA THE RED 7504,
RAVAGER OF DOOM 7503, TOAD 7527, and RENDOR QUIL 7513.
The least popular fighter this week was KET 7558. The other ten least popular
fighters were THE ROOKIE 7502, MORPH 7528, TRAILER TRASH 7557, POL OLVAN 7512, METARO
7547, PORK CHOP 7542, LENA KORIL 7510, WAIF 7556, RENDOR QUIL 7513, and TOAD 7527.
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A NOTE ON MAILMEN
In response to the articles on new fighting styles, those were good, but how can
you forget our most favorite warrior who has a style all his own? The Mailman! To
Duelmasters he is our most sacred person. I mean, how many of you managers out their
have sat down and calculated what day your Duelmasters will arrive and have sat
waiting for it to arrive, while unknown to you, your mailman is fighting away to get
your Duelmasters delivered. Let's review him...
ST - should be around 19. He needs to heft two medium bags, cloth mail armor and
a ton of rubber bands.
CN - 13, give or take a few. He does get bitten by dogs often.
SZ - Any.
WT - At least 10. He often likes to read the mail.
WL - Try about 20. He must endure all kinds of weather.
SP - 16 is good. He needs to run across streets in traffic.
DF - 10 is good. Sometimes he has to carry packages.
This setup should get you a good mailman but they are hard to come by. If you
can come up with any better, diplo me. I am:
Staple Gun
mgr. of Technet (3)
The New Deal (23)
I am currently working on the U.P.S. and Federal Express warriors.
"Strikers R Us"
Greetings, everyone. It is I, Talon, again. I am very glad to see everyone
participating in the arena and sharing their thoughts on styles and strategies. This
turn I will take on the striking attack style, which is certainly one of my favorites.
I believe the striker is one of the easiest styles to run, and one in which no
team should be without. A high-powered striker can diversify and empower your team.
A well run striker can beat any other style, period, at any level in regular
Duelmasters. In arenas where scum TPs are rampant, strikers are just the answer as
they can attack for up to 12 minutes or more. Strikers are versatile. They can do
exceptionally well with a dagger as a weapon or with a halberd. They can do well with
no armor or with plate armor.
Stats:
Biff Primal Solid Perfect
ST 5-21 9-17 13 15
CN 3+ 3+ 6 3
SZ 9-21 3-17 9 5
WT 3-17 17 + 17 21
WL 9-17 13 + 17 15
SP 5+ 5-13 9 8
DF 9+ 9-17 13 17
With the way I design strikers, there are essentially two strikers that evolve.
The BIFF and the PRIMAL. The Biff striker is typically one that is not looking long-
term, but one which I want to run and have fun with. With this striker, I try to have
one stat (wit, will, or deftness) which is extraordinary, one which is average, and
the other ends up being at some non-normal level. Some examples of the Biff are: 10-
10-11-4-17-17-15, 7-11-17-17-11-6-15, 9-5-14-17-11-13-15, 4-8-17-15-13-10-17, and 21-
3-15-21-5-8-11. With these warriors, the emphasis is on having fun and learning more
about the style.
The Primal is essentially a Primus-quality warrior. In this category, the
striker will be designed with stats that most other managers will gasp, "OH MY, WHY
DID YOU MAKE HIM A STRIKER?" It is also the warrior that will be Duelmaster for 8
straight turns and will go to ADM with a 16-4-2 record, with 4 Masters and an Ad Ex.
The key here is to create a warrior with AT LEAST a 17 wit and 15 deftness, along with
a 13+ will and who will do normal damage or better. The goal with the Primal is a 21
wit and 17 deftness, because this will ensure a great warrior.
Weapons and Armor: As for weapons, the best striking weapons that I have found
and used are the dagger, epee, scimitar, broadsword, quarterstaff, greatsword,
longsword, war hammer, and sometimes the short spear. I don't run my strikers with
shields or off-hand weapons, as it takes away from their attack. The heaviest armor I
will use is padded leather. Always wear a steel cap or a helm.
Strategy (general):
Min. 1 2 3 4 5 6+ Desp
OE 10 8 6 6 6 5 5
AL 10 5 4 2 2 1 8
KD 6 8 6 6 6 5 5
attack arms/legs/head -- take your pick
protect arms/legs/head -- take your pick
off tactic decise, slash, bash, depending on weapon
def tactic response is best; try dodge though.
With this strategy, a striker with a normal endurance should fight for eight
minutes as a scum TP and come out on top, outrageously victorious. Just match your
weapon with your tactic and only use the tactics in minute one or desperation.
If you have any further questions on this or any other style, feel free to diplo
me.
Talon, mgr. Eagle's Claw
HOW I MADE DUELMASTER IN THREE EASY STEPS
OR
a new look for Aimed Blows
Greetings and salutations, all. Here's a new twist on aimed blows I haven't seen
before....one that works, at least for me! Here's what I did with Rex Walters, my
first Duelmaster in the Free Blades transfer arena, DM 70.
ST: 17 (for good damage, attack and parry skills)
CN: 13 (gonna need every hit point he can get)
SZ: 4 (smaller the better!)
WT: 4 (overrated for aimed blows!)
WL: 21 (if ya try this method, 17 is a MINIMUM)
SP: 4 (ya want NO speed, none, nothing, zero!)
DF: 21 (better max this one out too, at least a 19)
You laugh at me? I started expert in both attack and parry! (OK, so I got lucky,
I didn't expect either one of em.) But both are in reach with a little luck. Hey, if
ya can get that strength to 21 you're almost guaranteed those experts... though a bit
more CON would be nice.
But how do I RUN this monstrosity, you may ask? Why, I'm glad you inquired!
LOTS of armor. The hit points combined with, say, platemail should win this character
a lot of fights. But, while I've picked up a few easy wins scumming, that's not
really what this character does best.
I use the only weapon Rex is well suited to: the bare hand. With an offhand
small shield or shortsword, so I can take advantage of that expert parry rating. So:
FI-SH, APM-H.
And I run him at a 4 offensive effort, with a matching 4 activity level. He can
last through the initial onslaught of nearly any offensive, then smash them.... like a
good waste. And with that monster endurance and good damage, no one scums this
warrior!
I attack and protect the head, usually, and keep the kill desire high... 5-7
generally. Now, how to become Duelmaster?
Well, step one is fight your first fight... and train your CON. Step two, now
that you're in the arena, is get a fight with an up-and-coming young warrior from the
Duelmaster's team... and kill them. (I randomly matched up with, and killed, a member
of the incoming Duelmaster's team...luck helps, ya know.) Offensives that wear
themselves out but haven't quite dropped are the easiest to kill.
Then, when the Duelmaster comes at you (bragging about how he "only" needs to
beat you twice to assure his ascension to the Isle) you stomp him. Badly. Once
you're on that lofty throne he won't even be able to bloodfeud you, since you can bet
he's not gonna be anywhere near the challenger champions after losing to a 2-fight
warrior (just ask Ciron of ENDS WITH IRON, now in AD).
There are drawbacks, of course. Once you get to that level, odds are you're
gonna get stomped like a stuck pig (I was most challenged 2 turns in a row after this
trick... Oo! I love mixed metaphors...) But... even a 4 wit warrior can learn skills
against gladiators with 50 fights!
Rex is now 7-3-1. All three losses have come against warriors now in AD. In
those ten matches, he's trained his strength and constitution once each, and learned
twenty skills, including his adex in both parry and attack. And boy, is it fun
humiliating some of those "gods" bound for AD!
What else can one do with this warrior? Well, Rex is, get this, well suited to
an off-hand epee! He wouldn't dare use one as a primary weapon, but its a great off-
hand toy...
Does he have what it takes to be a long-term winner? Who knows? He's probably
the DUMBEST aimed blow to ever make Duelmaster... He's in the Challenger Champions and
climbing....and he'll meet ya in AD!
Amazingly enough, this is not an isolated fluke. We entered a similar warrior
into Bloodgames (with the 4's as 3's, and a bit more CON). That warrior, Jalon, is
now in AD after going 9-1-5 and finishing on TOP of his Bloodgames arena.
Ah, just thought I'd mention I have had a second bare-handed Duelmaster, now...
Seeker Still Water in DM 74 is an open-hand lunger, Duelmaster at 8-1... but that's
another story...
--Khyron
mgr., Pitt Gladiators (2,29,56,103)
Jayhawks (70)
Silent Storm (65,74,75)
and numerous others....
THE WALL OF STEEL AS A BERSERKER
This article is for newer players; more experienced managers will, I'm sure, have
much more sophisticated ideas about warrior design and strategy. This will enable a
newbie to design a competent warrior who should be able to achieve a better than 50/50
record.
The wall of steel, or "waste," is often considered the second scummiest style in
Duelmasters. I love the style, but I don't run mine that way; I prefer to think of
the waste as a fierce dervish ripping into his opponent like an airplane propeller.
In accordance with this view, most walls of steel that I design couldn't scum if they
wanted to (well all right, sometimes it happens by accident if the opposing warrior is
going all-out and can't last very long). It's fun to run them fast; they get the jump
on people who don't expect it of them, and their fights are exciting. Mind you, they
don't win as much as if they ran more defensively, but the ones with good stats still
do okay (I'll make practically anything a waste and run it, but this article isn't
about the ones that a sane manager would DA).
So, here is a design for a competent wall of steel:
ST 13+ Needed for endurance, damage doing, and weapon selection.
CN 9+ You need a passably good con for endurance.
SZ 7+ Teeny weenie wastes don't hit hard enough or take enough damage. Real big
(15+) is bad because it hurts endurance.
WT 13+ Preferably 17. Like any other style, the smarter they are, the better.
WL 17+ Needed for endurance, damage-taking, and sheer grit. 21 is recommended.
SP 3+ Whatever.
DF 7+ Higher deftness is better, but you can get by without it.
As you can see, these are fairly easy requirements. Of course, the more wit,
will, and deftness, the better your waste will be (same as any other style). If you
don't end up with at least good endurance on the overview, the warrior probably isn't
going to do very well. With that high will, though, you can bump con a couple of
times and you might get good endurance, so there's still a chance.
Choose your weapons based on deftness, and your opponent's armor weight. I
normally use something like 0-8 SC, 9-12 BS, 13+ GA, backup SC or BS. No shield.
Some other good weapons for the waste are QS (only takes 11 ST, and can hit heavy
armor), MS, and BA. The war flail isn't a very good weapon, but you can play with it
against leather armor. For armor, I usually choose something middling like ARM & H,
but will go with APL & H if he has a lot of con.
For strategy--I heard a rumor (NOT confirmed) that a wall of steel gets a bonus
if his OE equals his KD. Since I don't like to use a kill desire above 6, I don't go
by that in the first couple of minutes. Keep the activity level moderate to low; the
waste doesn't need to jump around a lot and the way he keeps his weapon moving, he's
burning a lot of endurance without that added drain. Attack and defend the arms, like
a slasher; a waste is a sort of parry-slasher. A typical strategy for my wastes might
look like this:
Minute 1 2 3 4 5 6 Desp
Offensive 9 8 7 6 5 5 2
Activity 6 5 4 3 2 1 6
Kill des. 6 6 6 6 5 5 2
Att. loc. RA LA RA LA RA LA RA
Pro. loc. AM AM AM AM AM AM HE
Off tac. none -- -- -- -- -- --
Def tac. -- -- -- -- -- -- P
I play with the numbers a lot, depending on what the warrior seems to like. For
example, if he doesn't parry too well, I'll give him a more offensive desperation
strategy, like 8-4-8-slash. (If I really like a warrior I sometimes use a 7+ KD to
try and save his life.) If he never manages to get the jump on anybody, I'll try
running him more defensively, like with a first minute of 3-6-3. It's not as much fun
as going all out, but it's more fun than losing all the time.
You can challenge pretty much any style (lungers aren't recommended). When
fighting a warrior you know to be very defensive (a TP, or a scummy variety of PS, PR,
PL, or WS), slow down or you will be scummed. For the most part, though, an offensive
waste is very versatile and can beat any style. The better his important qualities
are (WT, WL, DF, endurance), the better the quality of warriors he can defeat. In
other words, if you have a so-so rollup that barely made the minimum requirements,
challenge so-so opponents. If you have a good rollup, go for the gold. Challenge
warriors with a few more fights than you, so you'll learn plenty of skills--but don't
challenge way way up in experience, because it's no fun to lose a good warrior.
For the most part, train skills--especially on your challenge strategy, when
you're going after someone with more fights! And for sure on the first fight, because
you'll likely be matched against someone who can teach you a lot. It's okay to train
con once in a while if you need more endurance and damage-taking; and if you have bad
luck on the rollup and get "does little damage" or something, you might have to train
strength once or twice (no more!). But it's best not to train any other stats until
way, way down the road.
Ask your DM sponsor or any experienced manager in your arena for more advice (if
they tell you I'm full of hot air, they're probably right). A little bit of good
advice from a more advanced player can make a big difference in your enjoyment of the
game!
If you have any questions or suggestions, you can diplo: the She-Puppy, mgr.
Mordant Prison DM-1, and others.