DUELMASTERS NEWSLETTER Date : 12/13/2003 Duedate: 12/26/2003 NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA DM-93 TURN-157 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS TORANS ULRIK MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) (93-7790) [6-3-0,66] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader ZULOK THE SHADOW TORANS ULRIK THE BLACK GUARD (1299) MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) (93-7508) [4-4-1,17] (93-7790) [6-3-0,66] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite TORANS ULRIK TORANS ULRIK MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) (93-7790) [6-3-0,66] (93-7790) [6-3-0,66] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) 38 2. THE KAIBUTSU (1353) 14 THE BLACK GUARD (1299) 3. THE BLACK GUARD (1299) 1 Unchartered Team 4. SHADOW WARRIORS (1346) 0 5. MARVEL-OUS #1 (1354) 0 THE KAIBUTSU (1353) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1- 1*MARVEL-OUS #1 (1354) 1 0 0 100 1/ 2*MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) 9 6 0 2- 2*WONDERLANDERS (1351) 7 1 0 87.5 2/ 3*THE KAIBUTSU (1353) 6 4 1 3/ 3*THE KAIBUTSU (1353) 9 6 1 60.0 3- 1*WONDERLANDERS (1351) 3 0 0 4- 4*SHADOW WARRIORS (1346) 10 7 2 58.8 4- 4*SHADOW WARRIORS (1346) 2 1 0 5/ 5*MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) 26 19 0 57.8 5- 5*MARVEL-OUS #1 (1354) 1 0 0 6/ 6 THE BLACK GUARD (1299) 6 18 1 25.0 6/ 6 THE BLACK GUARD (1299) 0 2 0 7- 7*THE DARKSIDERS (1345) 0 7 0 0.0 7- 7*THE DARKSIDERS (1345) 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 A posting on the arena gates Greetings, young managers! The name is Tycron, and I extend to you an offer. I too, fought in this arena once, securing the position of Duelmaster for quite an extended time, I might add. Since then, my team has transferred to the Willaf arena, DM 16. I am seeking allies to form a group of managers with common goals and desires. I am one that believes in not downchallenging (except for bloodfeuds), avoiding teams with honor, the use of all fighting styles, and writing personals. And of course, an alliance is beneficial to all its member's winning records. So when you receive that graduation notice, I would hope you write the number 16, for if you do, you will have a friend in a very lonely Ghea. Tycron TYCRON'S MERCS DM 16 TYCRON'S GUARD DM 8 TYCRON'S ARMY DM 21 + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Lighthouse ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + Where do you go when you leave Noblish Island? After ten turns, just when you're getting used to the everlasting rain here on Noblish Island, you're going to have to leave forever. Everyone (except me) leaves after ten turns. You have to go, but you get to choose your destination. Out of sixty or so possible arenas, how do you choose? Some of you will be following friends who have already gone, and for you this question is moot. Otherwise.... Fast or slow? Noblish Island is a "fast" arena in that the fights are run every two weeks. For some of you, this may not allow enough turn-around time. "Slow" arenas run every four weeks. The slow arenas are 8, 28, 31, 39, 45, 47, 50, 52, 54, 59, and the three slow transfer arenas, 71, 72, and 73. You may have an unlimited number of teams in a transfer arena, and many managers do; I would not recommend choosing a transfer arena for your first non-Noblish home. Regions--the world of Duelmasters is divided into four regions, which have slightly different preferred style of management. The Andorian region as a general rule tends toward a role-playing, non-killing style of play. By "non-killing," I mean that Andorian managers prefer not to seek kills and disapprove of down-challenging. In most (but not, alas, all) cases, Andorian arenas will have lively personals. The Andorian arenas currently open are: 8 (slow), 11, 14, 22, 24, 25, 26, 30, 40, 41, 46, 52 (slow), 60, 63, and 71. The Delarquan region, except in the case of some of the slow arenas, is not much prone to role-playing and conversation. For Delarquans, the win is all. Down- challenging is an accepted tactic used when desired by any manager. Deaths may be more frequent than elsewhere. The Delarquan arenas currently open are: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 18, 21, 36, 38, 39 (slow), 42, 51, 54 (slow), 59 (slow), 62, and 72. The Free Blades region tends to be very active in the slow arenas and less dogmatic in either direction about style of play. Free Blades arenas currently open are: 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 28 (slow, currently hosting a contest), 29, 31 (slow), 32, 33, 35, 43, 45 (slow), 47 (slow), 50 (slow), 56, 61, and 73. The Lirith Kai region is the youngest and is currently very small, having only arenas 65, 74, 75, and 78 open at the present time. There is a tendency to prefer the Andorian-style, "no down-challenges and no deliberate killing," but the managers seem to be less dogmatic about it. Note that currently contests of various kinds are being held in arenas 11, 18, 21, 28, 45, 47, and 60 and. I may have missed some, but these I know about. Some are just starting, some are just about done, others are in the middle. Contest arenas will tend to be bigger than others while the contest is going on, and full of often-confusing personals. Large arenas or small ones? There are advantages for a new manager in either choice. In a large arena, there are lots of managers who will be willing to help a novice. There will be a lot of variety in the kind of competition your warriors come up against--varieties in style, management, levels of skill. You can learn a lot in large arenas. But there are drawbacks, too. You can get lost in the crowd, maybe find no one or only a few of the available responding to your personals. You can get caught between feuding factions. In small arenas, you soon get to know every manager's playing style and what to expect from their warriors. If you write personals, they will be noticed and probably responded to. But just as you get to know all the managers and warriors sharing the arena with you, so will they get to know you. You may see a lot of standbys fighting, and while they are relatively easier to beat, they don't teach as well. After a while, you won't meet with many surprises. If you have access to the internet, I strongly recommend that you check out RSI's website and sample the newsletters of various arenas to get the flavor of them. If not, ask for advice. Diplo managers mentioned in the Regional Arena News from arenas you're interested in, as they are likely to be leaders in those arenas. Ask questions here, in the personals or by diplo. I'd like to see you all have the best possible Duelmasters experience that's consistent with other people doing the same, and I ALWAYS have opinions! Jorja The Middle Way +>]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 P.S. I believe this may now be included in the regularly cycling articles. 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 >)]H[(< + -----:----- + >)] The Free Cities #74 [(< + -----:----- + >)]H[(< Malcorn: The Prince of Malcorn listened carefully as Fist of Kjarran and his companions described the monster on the road to Murska, what it had done up till now and how they had dealt with it. When Fist repeated Cadal's statement that the matter was not settled and could not be settled in simple combat, the prince sighed and nodded. "That's true," he admitted. "The dregur can be driven off with steel, but they can't be finally settled that way. It takes magic to bind and unbind them, because an essential part of their nature is magical." Stiffly, Aghtamar said, "We heard that it was you who set them loose originally--" "For what I considered good and sufficient reason, yes, I did," Malcorn agreed. "How many invaders did you encounter on the road here from Korga?" "Invaders?" The Korgan woman shook her head, puzzled. "None. I hear they're pulling out all along the coast, going back to their homelands, I suppose, and about time!" "About time," Malcorn agreed. "It was the dregur who finally convinced them of that. Not all dregur are criminals like the one you fought, probably no more than might be found in a similar group of humans. I made an agreement, which the responsible leaders of the dregur entered into fully and fairly. They will help us deal with the few among them who are criminal." "They'll...help?" Zilla asked faintly. "Wonderful. Just wonderful." "They said they'd clean up their own snakes." The gladiators turned to peer into the dark corner. The man sitting there, who had been so silent he hadn't been noticed, was plainly a Karnhorn. A Karnhorn of a familiar type--by his clothing, which was fashionable but not highly so, and very plainly made, a man of the lower ranks of the nobility, and impoverished, Aghtamar decided. Probably a minor bureaucrat. Which made his presence here, on terms of familiarity with the Prince of Malcorn, a puzzle. Not her puzzle to solve, she hoped. "I know they did, Tiljanz, and I believe they intend to do so," Malcorn replied. "But I don't see any harm in providing them with...witnesses to their fulfillment of the agreement." "To make sure they have no second thoughts?" Tiljanz asked. He sounded a little amused, but only a little. "No harm in that," he agreed. "I shall certainly go along to see that the terms of the agreement are met." "No offense intended," Fist said quickly, "but this will be a job for warriors. You don't look like--" "I am not a warrior," the young Karnhorn answered calmly. "And I take no offense at your warning, intended as it is to preserve my life. But life is not enough, there must be self-respect, as well." "Tiljanz al Burgos is as steady a man as you'll find," Malcorn cut in. "He won't run, and he won't get in your way. We'll take him with us." "With...us?" Aghtamar asked faintly. "Yes, I'm coming, too," the Prince of Malcorn answered. Fist of Kjarran had expected to leave immediately, or at least first thing the next morning. But two full days passed before Lord Malcorn and the Karnhorn bureaucrat were ready to go. Two days during which he considered going without them. But there were always several Shews, large, Lord Protector Shews, standing between him and the door when those thoughts came to him. And then when they did finally set out, Fist of Kjarran, Aghtamar, Zilla, Cadal, Malcorn, and Tiljanz al Burgos, Fist found himself wishing that some of those big, tough-looking Shews were coming, too. DUELMASTER'S COLUMN Notes from the arena champ. I hate days like this. I've got an unreasonably inflated recognition, so the handicapper sends high-rec standbys against me, and I can't handle 'em. Keeping the throne while LOSING a fight is so embarrassing. Torans Ulrik SPY REPORT Hail NOBLISH ISLAND! Warriors of the arena, prepare to be praised and blamed for your deeds. It seems the training can make the difference, as WONDERLANDERS is pushed out of top team by MIDDLE WAY 9, who came from 2nd with a 4-1-0 this turn. And let's see, PITRE QUIN fought SUKAUTO ICHI and gained 19 points and contributed to MIDDLE WAY 9's 4-1-0. SUKAUTO ICHI has lost to PITRE QUIN, falling 16 points, while helping make THE KAIBUTSU a 3-2-0 turn. Our Duelmaster has lost, folks, lost to KHALHUMS DWARF, BUT TORANS ULRIK is still the Duelmaster because he has the most recognition points! Tell me, is nothing sacred? I have heard from unimpeachable sources that The Warty Toad uses trolls in their stew. Talk about gristle! Oriental wise man once say, 'Hiding behind shields prevents proper sun tanning.' Inscrutable, but true. We only live a short time in this world, so why not take a sharp blade, and shave it close? We'd like to remind certain teams not to rob the graves of their enemies. You know who you are; and it's considered rude. I like this place, NOBLISH ISLAND, the taverns have old wine, and young serving girls. Who could ask for more? Well, I'm burning daylight here in NOBLISH ISLAND and I've a long road ahead of me. Happy Trails. Until the sun next rises and my pen sets to paper-- Alarond the Scribe DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME TORANS ULRIK 7790 6 3 0 66 MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME LOUIE MURH 7786 6 3 0 51 MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -SHADOW MISTRESS 7798 3 1 0 33 SHADOW WARRIORS (1346) PITRE QUIN 7788 2 7 0 29 MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) ROMOR SAITH 7789 5 4 0 28 MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) SUKAUTO NI 7833 2 1 1 27 THE KAIBUTSU (1353) NAEFAN ORDH 7787 7 2 0 24 MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) -MAD HATTER 7826 2 0 0 24 WONDERLANDERS (1351) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -SHADOW KING 7800 3 1 1 21 SHADOW WARRIORS (1346) -WHITE RABBIT 7822 2 0 0 21 WONDERLANDERS (1351) -CHESIRE CAT 7825 2 0 0 18 WONDERLANDERS (1351) ZULOK THE SHADOW 7508 4 4 1 17 THE BLACK GUARD (1299) ZOTTO SUTU 7832 1 2 0 16 THE KAIBUTSU (1353) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -SHADOW WALKER 7797 2 2 1 15 SHADOW WARRIORS (1346) SUKAUTO SAN 7836 2 1 0 10 THE KAIBUTSU (1353) IBATU 7834 2 1 0 10 THE KAIBUTSU (1353) SUKAUTO ICHI 7835 2 1 0 7 THE KAIBUTSU (1353) -THE THING 7837 1 0 0 7 MARVEL-OUS #1 (1354) -AMASTASIA 7506 1 3 0 6 THE BLACK GUARD (1299) -ALICE OF EARTH 7823 1 0 0 5 WONDERLANDERS (1351) -MADDOX 7792 0 2 0 2 THE DARKSIDERS (1345) -DIAMOND 7793 0 2 0 2 THE DARKSIDERS (1345) -KONG 7791 0 1 0 1 THE DARKSIDERS (1345) -LEVON 7795 0 1 0 1 THE DARKSIDERS (1345) -CHARLEZ 7794 0 1 0 1 THE DARKSIDERS (1345) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? PERSONAL ADS All -- Greetings to all Noblish Island managers! My name is Sensei Jan, and as a former Noblish Island manager I'd like to extend an invitation to come fight on the sands of one of the arenas I manage in. I graduated from Noblish a little over two years ago, and have tried many arenas, both slow and regular. I'm currently fighting in 6 (Battle Beasts), 21 (Yakuza), 28 (slow arena) (Primal Fury), and 62 (Samurai Kids II). The placement of your Noblish team (or any new team) upon graduation is an important decision as it is a very long process to transfer to another arena once placed. Arena 6, Transel, is a smaller arena that is currently undergoing a renaissance of new teams and older teams coming back into the arena. There is a significant amount of all styles there (not lunger heavy). There is always something in the personal ads. There are also managers there of different talent levels. From newbie to one of the toughest managers in the game, Doc Steele. Arena 21(Sunset) is a fairly large arena. Very competitive, with a heavy alliance presence. There is usually some kind of competition going on there. Nicknamed the "Arena of Death," it is not for the faint of heart. Very active personals. Arena 28(Morya) is a BIG slow arena currently having a massive competition called Morya Madness. Most of the best known and least known managers have teams there. Arena 62(Valamantis) is a medium size arena with a wide range of styles and manager experience. Currently under a slow spell, the arena definitely needs some new blood to stir up the pot there. Feel free to diplo one of my teams for any info or just to discuss the game! Fare thee well, Noblish managers! -- Sensei Jan Dagan Lifegiver -- Diplo received. Sorry about Shadow Lord, but it's just how life is in the arena, you know? If the rest of your boys still want a piece of me, feel free to send them up to Riztab. I'll be here. -- Bellota of Powerpuff Girls (DM 12) Mad Hatter -- You are indeed totally INSANE. I have never before seen anyone come out onto the sands wearing a hat like THAT. Gods. -- Romor Saith Shadow Walker -- Sometimes you need sunlight. Or at least a lantern. You know, I bet we could sing a duet during a fight like that. Wanna practice at my place? -- Naefan Ordh I like standbys, whatever Torans says. -- Louie Murh White Rabbit -- Would you believe me if I said I didn't want to get bloodstains on your fur? -- Pitre Quin P.S. You might try a shortspear. Dagan Lifegiver -- I'll answer any questions asked, if I know the answer and it is ethical to give it. Just ask. -- Jorja P.S. Was that you I was answering in Aruak City yesterday? My manager name in most Andorian arenas is Leeta. Shadow Mistress -- Regarding learning skills: 1) Are you training skills? Don't laugh! I know of one case where a new manager wondered why his warrior wasn't learning skills, and it was because he trained stats every turn. I realize this is unusual, but I have to check, just like making sure the lamp that won't light IS plugged in. 2) Did you fight a warrior with more experience? You are more likely to learn when your opponent is significantly more experienced. 3) Do you have an inquiring mind? (Also known as "high WT.) The more WT you have, the better your chance of learning. 4) Were you carrying your lucky rabbit's foot? Luck plays a part in ALL aspects of the game, including learning skills. -- Jorja Shadow King -- Certainly, if you want it. -- Naefan Ordh Dagan -- Was Shadow Lord entered in the tourney? A tourney death would account for an otherwise inexplicable disappearance. -- Jorja P.S. By now, you probably know one way or the other. P.P.S. If the tourney wasn't to blame, it was probably flying saucers. P.P.P.S. As regards your challenge not going through, darned if I know why. I wasn't avoiding. 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. I believe he's back for the time being and might be found in DM 36. -- Ed. 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. He is not currently active, as far as I know. -- Ed. 2 December 2003 ZalCon2, ZalCon Reloaded Where: Jhelum, DM 4 When: February 9th or 23rd, 2003 (TBA when Mail In date set) How Long: 20 Turns Restrictions: Zero FE at start of contest. Must announce warrior styles by second arena fight to receive points. No prize modified warriors. No entry to July Face, No TV Challenges. All prizes to be used exclusively on warriors from the contest team only. Awards: First Initiate Duelmaster (FID): First warrior announced in the contest to reach the throne. Prize: Limited Damage Potion, increasing damage for 1 warrior by one rating to max for ST/SZ. Warrior MVP: Top warrior based on MVP points accrued in the contest. Prize: Limited Damage Potion, Favorites Knowledge for any warrior on team, +1 to bonus in any skill area up to max for style for 1 warrior on team, 2 nights stay at Winter FTF Hotel. Team MVP: Top Team based on MVP points accrued in contest by all the teams warriors. Prize: Limited Damage Potion, Favorites Knowledge, +1 to Bonus, 6 Months Free Play, 20 Rollups. Warrior MVP Top 11: Next 10 warriors on MVP list at the end of the contest. Prize: +1 to Bonus Style Master: Top warrior in each style based on Style Master points accrued in the contest. Prize: Favorites Knowledge of any warrior on team. Iron Manager Award: Minimum 95 fights in contest by any team. Prize: Choice of free entry for team to 2005 Winter Face or +1 to Bonus for one warrior. MVP Point System: +1 for Win, Fight, Kill, Recognition Leader (after Round 3), -1 Death, +2 Duelmaster, +2 each 3 Consecutive turns as DM, +1 Quality Win (any win over opponent with 5 or more Rec), +1 for each 10 Rec points over 5 in win (+1 for 5-14 above, +2 for 15-24 above, +3 for 25-34 above). Style Master Point System: +2 Style Master, +1 Win vs. Same Style Opponent, +1 Win vs. Same Style Master, +1 for 3 Consecutive Turns as Style Master (rolling). Please direct any question about rules or clarifications to me, Robert Occhipinti, via Diplo to DM74, 1988 Dodgers or email to zalgor@hotmail.com. All rules decisions made by me are final and binding within the confines of this contest. 8 December 2003 Greetings! I would like to invite everyone to Jhans (DM 36) for the first annual kLk St. Valentine's Day Massacre (kill contest). We will start the contest off with the ceremonial burning of the Andorian flag on turn 450. (Six turns away. Roughly mid- February.) The contest will run for 10 turns. On turn 461, 3 separate victors will be announced. Team with the most kills, warrior with the most kills, and alliance with the most kills. Prizes will be awarded to the manager of the team with the most kills and to the manager of the warrior with the most kills. The prizes will probably be team roll-ups. The number of roll-ups has yet to be determined. The contest is sponsored by Jhans' newest, (but by the time the contest starts) largest alliance, the kLk (pronounced "klick"). -- Polarius, mgr. of Blitzkrieg DM 36 LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS IBATU was outwaited by NAEFAN ORDH in a unpopular 9 minute Challenge fight. TORANS ULRIK was unbelievably bested by KHALHUMS DWARF in a 3 minute Title battle. LOUIE MURH subdued THE USEROUS MERCHANT in a 2 minute fight. PITRE QUIN vanquished SUKAUTO ICHI in a 2 minute gory mismatched brawl. ROMOR SAITH overpowered ZULOK THE SHADOW in a 1 minute mismatched match. ZOTTO SUTU devastated PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 1 minute one-sided duel. SUKAUTO NI devastated EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 1 minute mismatched match. SUKAUTO SAN overcame MORDANT DESERTER in a 1 minute beginner's fight. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |BASHING ATTACK 3 TOTAL PARRY 12 - 5 - 0 71 | |WALL OF STEEL 3 BASHING ATTACK 13 - 8 - 1 62 | |TOTAL PARRY 2 LUNGING ATTACK 16 - 10 - 0 62 | |SLASHING ATTACK 1 WALL OF STEEL 21 - 18 - 0 54 | |STRIKING ATTACK 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 4 - 5 - 1 44 | |LUNGING ATTACK 1 PARRY-STRIKE 5 - 7 - 0 42 | |AIMED BLOW 0 STRIKING ATTACK 10 - 14 - 1 42 | |PARRY-LUNGE 0 PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 2 - 0 33 | |PARRY-STRIKE 0 AIMED BLOW 2 - 5 - 0 29 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 SLASHING ATTACK 4 - 10 - 1 29 | Turn 157 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: SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 AIMED BLOW 0 - 0 3 WALL OF STEEL STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 3 STRIKING ATTACK BASHING ATTACK 2 - 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 1 LUNGING ATTACK WALL OF STEEL 2 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 1 BASHING ATTACK TOTAL PARRY 1 - 1 LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 1 1 SLASHING ATTACK 1 TOTAL PARRY 1 PARRY-STRIKE TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME LUNGING ATTACK TORANS ULRIK 7790 6 3 0 66 MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) WALL OF STEEL LOUIE MURH 7786 6 3 0 51 MIDDLE WAY 9 (1344) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is TORANS ULRIK 7790. The most popular warrior this turn was TORANS ULRIK 7790. The ten other most popular fighters were PITRE QUIN 7788, ROMOR SAITH 7789, LOUIE MURH 7786, SUKAUTO ICHI 7835, ZOTTO SUTU 7832, SUKAUTO NI 7833, SUKAUTO SAN 7836, ZULOK THE SHADOW 7508, IBATU 7834, and NAEFAN ORDH 7787. The least popular fighter this week was NAEFAN ORDH 7787. The other ten least popular fighters were IBATU 7834, ZULOK THE SHADOW 7508, SUKAUTO SAN 7836, SUKAUTO NI 7833, ZOTTO SUTU 7832, SUKAUTO ICHI 7835, LOUIE MURH 7786, ROMOR SAITH 7789, PITRE QUIN 7788, and TORANS ULRIK 7790. MAIL-IN TOURNEY XXXII NOVICES TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME SHADOW LORD 7799 (2-0-0) 0 1 0 DEAD SHADOW WARRIORS ROOKIES TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME MAD HATTER 7826 (0-0-0) 4 3 1 WONDERLANDERS REALITY SIMULATIONS E-MAIL ADDRESSES For those of you who have e-mail access, you may find it more convenient to e-mail us! At this time, we cannot accept e-mailed strategy sheets, but we can accept your personal ads. If you would like to e-mail your personal ads, team spotlights, and DM columns, e-mail them to this address: ADS@REALITY.COM Our Customer Service Department has a separate e-mail address. If you have questions or any other requests, feel free to send us e-mail to this address: CSR@REALITY.COM Thank you. We wish you the best of luck in your games! -- RSI 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.