DUELMASTERS NEWSLETTER
Date : 03/06/2004 Duedate: 03/19/2004
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-163
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
CHIP ENSER
MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
(93-7871) [4-1-1,29]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY CHIP ENSER
MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
(93-7871) [4-1-1,29]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
ALTA CHESS SHADOW STALKER
MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360) THE LORDS OF WAR (1358)
(93-7869) [3-2-0,20] (93-7861) [3-2-0,17]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360) 20
2. DOOM LEGION (1357) 9 THE RUSH (537)
3. THE WARRIOR ANGELS (1361) 0 Unchartered Team
4. IMA #2 (1362) 0
5. THE LORDS OF WAR (1358) -1 MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 3*MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360) 14 11 1 56.0 1/ 1*MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360) 9 6 0
2/ 7*DOOM LEGION (1357) 5 7 1 41.7 2/ 4*DOOM LEGION (1357) 5 7 1
3- 5*THE WARRIOR ANGEL (1361) 2 3 0 40.0 3- 7*THE WARRIOR ANGEL (1361) 2 3 0
4/ 8*THE LORDS OF WAR (1358) 3 9 0 25.0 4/ 8*THE LORDS OF WAR (1358) 2 7 0
5- 9*IMA #2 (1362) 1 4 0 20.0 5- 9*IMA #2 (1362) 1 4 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
"What do you mean, scores of new warriors are coming?" Olber Pring looked
around the low-roofed common room wildly. "We don't have ROOM for scores of new
warriors!"
"Don't exaggerate," Jorja snapped. His manager thrust a broom into his hands.
"Sweep the floor, instead. Noblish Island DOES have quarters for scores of warriors,
sometimes there have been scores of warriors active here at one time. Besides," she
sighed, "lots of them will take one look at the weather and leave again."
They both looked at the front windows of The Lighthouse Inn. As usually, the
windows were masked with falling rain. Lots of falling rain. A heavy downpour of
falling rain. This was, after all, Noblish Island.
"Maybe if we could get some new managers who were USED to all this rain... from
Seattle, maybe? Maybe then they'd stay even after they see the weather."
"Are these new managers from Seattle, wherever that is?" Olber asked hopefully.
Jorja shrugged. "Nobody tells me stuff like that. But I doubt it. I think--I
could be wrong, that these are from... Orccon, I think someone said."
"You mean all Orcs?"
"There's nothing wrong with Orcs. I've had some good warriors who were Orcs.
But this time... probably not. Probably a mixed group. That'd be best, anyway.
Livelier. Gets 'em ready for life on the mainland after they finish their training
here."
Olber didn't look convinced, but he decided not to push matters, and turned to
sweeping the common room floor. There was plenty of mud, now dried, but not much
other litter. The local people and gladiators in training here were a reasonably
clean lot. Nasty-tempered, sometimes, but clean.
A thud drew his attention away from the peaceful contemplation of the floor.
Dolan, the Dark Arena Shew, set a new barrel of wine in the last empty stand behind
the bar. "You reckon this'll be enough?" he rumbled. "Gladiators and managers like
to drink."
"It'll do for starters," Jorja said. "We can always bring up more later if we
need it. "Have you taken care of the Ramshorns?" The Ramshorns were the only band
on Noblish Island, and they liked to play to the gladiatorial crowd.
"Yep, shut 'em in the cellar up at the Keep," Dolan said. "They won't get out
of there in a hurry."
A confused noise from the street, which had been growing steadily louder,
resolved into voices and thumps against the inn's front door. Jorja threw the door
open and grinned at the people gathering outside. "Welcome to Noblish Island! Come
in and have a drink on the house!"
>)]H[(< + -----:----- + >)] *IHI* [(< + -----:----- + >)]H[(<
Profile of a Style
Parry-Riposte
When you read about the parry-riposte style in the rulebook, it looks like it
might be a lot of fun to run, and it is. But it's also really tricky. The plain
offensives: basher, lunger, slasher, striker, and the total parry, are easier. I
don't think I've ever heard a manager say that he really understands the parry-
riposte style, I certainly don't myself. But I've run a lot of them, and some have
survived, and they ARE fun.
So just for a basic introduction to warriors of the parry-riposte style, known
to one and all as rippers, here's what I know.
Design: This is tough. The ripper needs it all! Especially important, though,
are endurance from constitution (CN) and will (WL), plus skill from wit (WT) and
deftness (DF), and it doesn't hurt to have enough strength (ST) to do a decent amount
of damage... and what does that leave that you can go short on? Size (SZ), okay, a
ripper can be--usually is--small. Speed (SP), well, I just don't know. It wouldn't
hurt them to have speed, but where are all the points going to come from?
I have made a lot of rippers over the years, some of them from roll-ups that
were spectacularly unsuited to the style. These are ones who lived to graduation:
Santee 13- 7-14-17-15- 8-10 LO mod/mod slash
Toryn 9-12- 7-13-15-11-17 EP vlo/mod
Scovellie 9-13- 8-17-17- 5-15 SH low/mod
Chia 10-13- 5-17-17- 5-17 SS low/high
Saba 5-17- 9-15-17- 4-17 EP mod/low
Bali 9- 6-14-15-17- 8-15 LO vlo/mod
Jane 9-10- 9-17-17- 5-17 SS mod/mod lunge/riposte
Cedar 15- 6- 7-15-17- 9-15 LS mod/mod
Azureen 9-12- 8-17-10-11-17 SC high/mod riposte
Similde 6- 6- 5-17-17-16-17 LO low/mod
Tailida 9-13- 5-15-17- 8-17 SH low/mod
Korlo 9- 8-12-17-15- 8-15 LS vlo/mod
Tilona 9- 9- 7-15-17-10-17 SH low/mod lunge
You'll see my biases at work here.
Strength is usually at least nine; in the cases where it started lower, the
warriors were cursed with little damage, and I trained it up as soon as I could.
(The numbers shown here are all original, before stat trains.)
Constitution generally moderate. Most of these warriors could take a hit or two
and survive.
Size mostly small, but not always. I did try a couple six-footers, and they didn't
do as badly as one might expect.
Wit is 15 or 17, except in one case. I always look for brains in a gladiator, and
this style needs it.
Will is, except in one case, 15 or 17. High will improves endurance, an important
factor for a parry-style, and makes it easier to train stats when the time comes.
Speed may be anything. I generally did not add any points to speed during the
design phase.
Deftness is 15 or 17 again, except in one case. Deftness, and the skills that go
with it, are important to a finesse style like the ripper. Plus, where strength may
be a problem, accuracy helps.
Weapon selection: There are six weapons well suited to the parry-riposte style,
listed below with the minimum stats required for their best use.
Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15
Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9
Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11
Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11
Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7
Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3
Only weapons well suited to the style will show up as favorite weapons when a warrior
graduates. Yes, you CAN put other weapons in their hands, but you aren't likely to
get the best results that way. (You may note that some of my graduated rippers
listed above were initially unable to use their favorite weapon to best advantage.
This is one of the sneaky things the Gladiatorial Commission does to keep you on your
toes.) I STRONGLY advise that when you design a ripper, consult the weapon chart and
make sure that your warrior will have the stats to use at least one of the weapons
listed to its best advantage.
Armor selection: This depends on how you plan to run the warrior. If he's
going to be fast, and/or he can take a few hits (takes normal damage, for instance,
signified by no comment on the overview) but maybe has low endurance, put him in
light armor. If you plan to run him slow, or he can take little damage but maybe has
high endurance, put him in medium to heavy armor.
Strategy: This is always a tricky thing to advise people on, which is why I've
listed the favorite rhythms on the warriors above. Very low (vlo) is 1 or 2, low is
3 or 4, moderate (mod) is 5 or 6, high is 7 or 8, and very high (vhi) is 9 or 10.
Offensive effort is listed first, then activity level. You can see that most rippers
in this sample prefer to run at middling speeds, usually with the activity level
higher than the offensive effort. Not all of them, but a majority. You can ignore
that--I sometimes do--and run them fast and hard, as though they were simple
offensive warriors. Some take to this treatment, others burn out. The medium speeds
are safe, and a place to start from.
You'll note I haven't mentioned kill desire here. There is no such thing as a
warrior or style having a favorite kill desire. Your kill desire can have a profound
effect on how the warrior fights, but it is strictly a personal decision. However, I
can say that my own experience has been that if a warrior has a high KD in
desperation, he will tend to go berserk, and if he has a low KD in desperation, he
will surrender. Warriors who surrender lose fights, but generally they survive to
fight again. I can't say the same of warriors who go berserk in desperation.
Tactics: I don't use tactics much, myself, but that's just me. You'll note
that out of the thirteen warriors listed above, two have favorite offensive tactics
(slash and lunge) and one has a favorite defensive tactic (riposte) and one has both
an offensive and a defensive tactic (lunge/riposte). All this tells us for sure is
that slash, lunge, and riposte are tactics that rippers can use well (or they
wouldn't appear as favorites). Experiment with them, but don't try to use an
offensive AND a defensive tactic in the same minute; it confuses the warrior.
And to go from the general to the specific--
Profile of a Warrior
Tailida Dawnrain
Tailida is one of the rippers listed above.
She's left-handed
She's intelligent
Makes the most of her enemy's mistakes
Has an unusual fighting style that confuses many opponents
Rarely makes mistakes
Is always thinking ahead
She plans out every move that she makes, seldom wasting any effort
She is very quick (the DF more than the SP, I think)
She cannot carry a lot of weight in armor and weapons
(more a question of her SZ than her ST)
She is incredibly quick and elusive on her feet
Making even dangerous opponents look harmless
She does little damage with each blow
(curses! I had hoped that the ST of 9 would offset her small SZ. It didn't.)
ST 9 CN 13 SZ 5 WT 15 WL 17 SP 8 DF 17
If I decide to run her on the Isle, I will train up her ST until I get normal
damage. (Note, no skills will be burned between ST 9 and ST 14, skill-wise, this is
a barren stretch. But it WILL increase the amount of damage a warrior can do.)
She graduates with a master in riposte, an expert in attack, a master in parry, and
an advanced expert in defense.
She is naturally adept with the shortsword, which I don't think she tried
She favors a fighting rhythm of low offensive effort and moderate activity level
And she tends to learn parry skills most easily.
She received her graduation notice when her record was 21-9-2,96 in Tricorus (dm 51).
On the same turn as her graduation notice arrived, she was challenged by a total
parry in plate armor and a full helm, carrying a broadsword and a medium shield.
Tailida herself was in leather armor and a helm, carrying a scimitar (and a
backup).
Tailida was running 7-7-x, faster than she would have liked, but that's how
she's being running straight along, and it kept her alive and with a winning record,
so I don't want to hear her complain.
Tailida got the jump and hit her opponent twice in the first minute, several
other blows being parried, hit once each in the second and third minutes, with other
blows being parried, was parried completely in the fourth minute, was showing signs
of weariness in the fifth minute but still managed to land a few blows in the fifth,
sixth, and seventh minutes. Then she collapsed with exhaustion at the end of the
seventh minute and lost the fight without being hit once. This is why you find
managers speaking harshly of "scum": we all hate to see our warrior work hard, do all
the right things, and lose because the opponent wasn't doing anything but standing
there in heavy armor.
Jorja
The Middle Way
+<]H[>+-----+<]H[+ Question of the Week #7 +]H[>+-----+<]H[>+
>From turn 414:
All -- In case last cycle's personals don't make it: What are the advantages and
disadvantages of using one or two weapons. I'm particularly interested in Riposte
effects. -- Q.O.W. Hanibal
Q.O.W. -- Two Weapons. That's a good subject.
Disadvantages: Few if any, but it has been suggested that some weapons give
bonuses to attack if you use them in two hands instead of one, such as SC. An
obvious one is you can't use two handed weapons. If you don't have the attribute
requirements (which are more stringent for off-hand weapons), then you may suffer
penalties when using certain combinations. Last, you may swing with an off-hand more
than you want, say if you are using a shield. It's usually prefered to have a real
weapon in your off-hand.
Advantages: You have a second weapon already in hand if one breaks. If you are
ambidextrous, this is the biggest advantage, because they will swing with that off-
hand weapon almost as if it were their on-hand. My ambi-warriors will win fights
with off-hand weapons. An off-hand weapon is not bound to a warrior's style
suitability, so a LU could use a SC in their off-hand without penalty if they have
the attribute requirements. Another advantage is suggested in that it assists in
parrying. I tend to think highly coordinated warriors are better at parrying with
their second weapon than those who aren't. I rarely use shields, so I can't comment
extensively on their benefits over a real weapon, especially in AD, but in basic,
shields seem to make it easier to parry attacks.
Riposte and 2-Weapons: I have not noticed any specific variance in the ability
of a warrior to riposte if they are using two weapons. Once in AD, riposting is more
often than not following a dodge. I don't think there is much correlation here, but
it is definitely something to look into. -- Adie
The Question of the Week is posed in Aruak City (DM 11) by Hanibal, a manager
who is himself an alumnus of Noblish Island. The answers are provided by other
managers in that arena. Any manager here in Noblish who wishes to pose a question to
the more experienced managers of Aruak City, feel free to do so, either by sending in
a personal directed to DM 11 and identifying yourself as a manager from Noblish
seeking enlightenment, or by posting the question here, in which case I will be glad
to see that it reaches Aruak.
Also, Hanibal sends you greetings and asks that we remind you that all arenas do
not have the same attitude and local conventions. Aruak City is an Andorian arena
and subscribes to the doctrine of Honorable Play, meaning, no down-challenging except
from the throne or in bloodfeuds, no deliberate attempts to kill the warriors of
other managers, and a general attitude of friendly respect toward the other members
of the arena. It is, in fact, a fine arena, and one where you would all be welcome
(though there are plenty of others--just ask, and I'll be glad to tell you about my
favorites).
If you have questions that you would like answered by the experienced managers
of the game, don't hesitate to ask--we can't answer if you don't ask. Questions can
be posed in the personals here, or by email to me (jputney@zianet.com) or Pagan
(pagan@gte.net), or by diplo to Jorja/The Middle Way 4 here in DM 93.
Question from turn 415 of Aruak City:
All -- Do you think you get negative modifiers when you go desperate? What about "is
dangerously stunned" or "is bleeding badly" or "is on the verge of shock"? -- Hanibal
Q.O.W.
Answers from turn 416:
Hanibal -- That's a good question! I honestly don't have much of an opinion on that.
In the old days, warriors could get permanent wounds that would affect their fighting
in later matches (but not anymore), and it's been suggested that getting hit in
certain locations affects what your character can do during a match (obvious cases
are losing the use of an arm or being knocked down), but the sorely wounded comments?
It probably just has to do with giving a hint as to how close that warrior is to
going down if it gets hit in that badly wounded spot again. -- Adie
QOW -- After 'bleeding badly', 'dangerously stunned', 'sorely wounded', 'verge of
shock', etc., a warrior's ability to defend themselves is penalized. Desperation by
itself may not represent an ability penalty as much as a time to check for surrender
and a switch to the desperation strategy. Often, with a drastic strategy switch in
desperation, a warrior's performance can improve. -- Carmen
QOW -- I've noticed that by the time I get somebody to that point they're finished.
But I've also noticed that some of my more defensive comrades will give their
opponent a moment to recover and they're still able to. Despite this I would say
that by the time the comments you listed come into play the warrior who's getting
beat is in really bad shape. Whereas statements like "fights with the cunning of
desperation" or "eyes flare with renewed determination" still leave plenty of room
for the warrior to make a comeback. Therefore I would say that the earlier
desperation statements don't carry any significant penalties. -- Maxwell Honorblade
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===---
Duelmasters
-----------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 486): ALEX GRIFFIN of DREAM PARK (Zalgor Prigg, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 484): XXL STRETCH PANTS of HELL-MART (Ebenezer Frothingslosh)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 480): ABRA-HAM! of SACRILEGIOUS MEAT (Klep, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 480): HIMEI of YAMABUSHI (Doc Miracle, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 479): GHENGIS KHAN of HEROESANDFOUNDONES (The Judge, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 477): TMARACK of THE SIERRAS (Barnabas, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 238): ZACHARIAH of RED IRON KNIGHTS (Woelfe, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 469): THE FIRE WITCH of CRIMSON KINGS (The Yellow Jester, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 236): HUNGRY BONES of UNFIT TO BE ORCS (Slugbait, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 466): LOCKED IN of CALL THE PRIEST (Destitute Noble, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 464): LIGHT DA' PYRE of WHEN DOGMA FAILS (Prophet, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 457): BRAN AP CADAL of CHILDREN OF LLYR (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 420): SPACE BABOON of KORGAN CRUSADE (Jack Wolfspider, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 213): MING of DYNASTIC (Jack Wolfspider, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 208): 100% COLUMBIAN of COFFEE RULES! (Mr. Coffee, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 195): NASSE of DARK SIDHE (Daehir, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 345): TENACULUM of GENERAL SURGERY (Darkfist, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 325): TAIL IN THE AIR of ARENA FELINES (Garfield, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 143): KASENKO of PERFECTION QUEST II (Mannequin, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 370): SETHRA LAVODE of CASTLE BLACK from KYR'TERR
(Shadowgate, mgr.)
Top Teams
---------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 486): CLAN O' WHOOPAS (?, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 484): THE CITY (Berylstar, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 480): SACRILEGIOUS MEAT (Klep, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 480): WYLDERNESS WYLD (Barnabas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 479): HEROESANDFOUNDONES (The Judge, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 477): QUASI-LEGAL OPS (Necron 99, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 238): THE WARLORDS II (Fizban, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 469): CRIMSON KINGS (The Yellow Jester, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 236): WHAMMO & THUDDA 4 U! (Micky, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 466): SARATOGA GLORY (The Trainer, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 464): SACKETT'S & CO. (Barnabas, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 457): CHILDREN OF LLYR (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 420): MEDS (Berylstar, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 213): DYNASTIC (Jack Wolfspider, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 208): THE JESUITS (Goat, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 195): TEAM VIRTUE (Boy Scout, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 345): GENERAL SURGERY (Darkfist, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 325): FAVORITE GUYS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 143): MAGIC MAYHEM (Fizban, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 370): MEOW MIX, etc. (Sylvester Frothingslosh, mgr.)
Recent Graduates
-----------------
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 479): MAN O' WAR of TRIPLE CROWN (Sultan, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 480): PUN DAT of PUNNY AMINALS (Jorja, mgr.)
CRIMSON of PHOENIX (?, mgr.)
(turn 479): MUKAARTH of BLACKHEART'S AXE (?, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 478): CAESAR of HEROESANDFOUNDONES (The Judge, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 469): SACRIFICIAL KNIFE of HAND ON YOUR HEART (Manray, Marquis
d'Frothingslosh, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 236): SODOM of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
PALLADICE of STORMWATCH (Polar Bear, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 457): BRAN AP CADAL of CHILDREN OF LLYR (Jorja, mgr.)
(turn 456): DINGO of THE BEARS (Papa Bear, mgr.)
IRON-HIDE of FERROUS MEN (Ironbutt, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 208): UR BRAIN ON EGG of MYSTIC ORC FEAST (Slugbait, mgr.)
(turn 207): STRAW FIRE of LAND OF OZ (Oz the Successful, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 195): NASSE of DARK SIDHE (Daehir, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 345): 4-0 PROLENE of GENERAL SURGERY (Darkfist, mgr.)
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
So, Chip is abashed by a shameless Concubine and loses this position. I deal
sternly with an Embezzling Scribe and take the Duelmaster's position. And why?
Because the ENTIRE rank just below is inactive! If there had been someone, anyone,
active there, that warrior could've walked off with the title. It went to the
highest-ranked active warrior, you see.
Doc Felle
SPY REPORT
Good day, friends and fiends, welcome to your friendly neighborhood spyreport.
I doubt NOBLISH ISLAND will ever be the same. THE WARRIOR ANGELS stable has parlayed
this turn's 0-0-0 into a 4 space move up the rankings. This brings them up to 3rd
place. Good work, guys! And let's see, RAGNAROK fought EB GOLLU and gained 7 points
and contributed to DOOM LEGION's 2-2-1. BROPHY has lost to BENSI DURN, falling 5
points, while helping make DOOM LEGION a 2-2-1 turn. Our last turn's Duelmaster has
lost, folks, lost to VENEMOUS CONCUBINE, and DOC FELLE has made the way for a new
Duelmaster! With DOC FELLE clearing the throne, MIDDLE WAY 10 of CHIP ENSER takes a
proud seat as NOBLISH ISLAND's new Duelmaster, by virtue of recognition points. Tell
me, is nothing sacred? I have heard from unimpeachable sources that The Welcome
Wench uses trolls in their stew. Talk about gristle!
The crowd's roar, the smell of iron and leather, mixed with sweat, what more
could a warrior ask of life? Well, besides that. The most challenged warrior this
turn was MIDDLE WAY 10's warrior CHIP ENSER. More fighters challenged him than
challenged the Duelmaster!
The Dark Arena is for those who cannot win, not who cannot lose with grace.
Dignity in life or death is the warrior's creed. A brave warrior does not carry a
red shield, he has nothing to cover or hide when the fight is over. Consider well.
I like this place, NOBLISH ISLAND, the taverns have old wine, and young serving
girls. Who could ask for more? Always good to rest in NOBLISH ISLAND, but never
good to wear out my welcome. Look for me in future turns. Until the sun next rises
and my pen sets to paper-- Alarond the Scribe
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
CHIP ENSER 7871 4 1 1 29 MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
DOC FELLE 7872 3 2 0 28 MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
ALTA CHESS 7869 3 2 0 20 MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
BENSI DURN 7870 3 2 0 19 MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
SHADOW STALKER 7861 3 2 0 17 THE LORDS OF WAR (1358)
-ETERNITY BEING 7886 1 0 0 17 IMA #2 (1362)
RAGNAROK 7853 2 1 0 11 DOOM LEGION (1357)
BROPHY 7856 2 1 0 8 DOOM LEGION (1357)
-WHITE ANGEL 7882 1 0 0 8 THE WARRIOR ANGELS (1361)
EB GOLLU 7873 1 4 0 7 MIDDLE WAY 10 (1360)
GRATCH 7903 1 0 1 6 DOOM LEGION (1357)
-ANGEL WARLOCK 7880 1 0 0 5 THE WARRIOR ANGELS (1361)
POISON SUMAC 7855 0 3 0 3 DOOM LEGION (1357)
-PIT VIPER 7901 0 1 0 1 THE LORDS OF WAR (1358)
-HELL'S GATESMAN 7884 0 1 0 1 IMA #2 (1362)
-BLACK ANGEL 7878 0 1 0 1 THE WARRIOR ANGELS (1361)
-QUICKBLADE SHADE 7883 0 1 0 1 IMA #2 (1362)
-AEONO 7887 0 1 0 1 IMA #2 (1362)
-THE ONE 7885 0 1 0 1 IMA #2 (1362)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
DYAN DEATHBLADE 7900 0 1 0 THE LORDS OF WAR 1358 GRATCH 7903 163
PERSONAL ADS
All -- Would like to clear up one of the personal ads; it was misprinted. Where it
says, "thanks for the kind words -- Dagan", it's not from DLG. I was thanking her
for the words of advice she gave me. -- Warrior Lord, manager of Lords of War
All -- It says in the rule book under #6 Aimed Blow fighting style (pg 20) that the
Decisiveness tactic is not compatible with the basic "wait for the best opening."
Well I used the Decisiveness tactic on turn 159 against EB Gollu and had a flawless
victory while learning attack and parry skills. I am researching the theory of
tactics with this warrior. I should have some results later. -- Warrior Lord
AEONO -- Sorry about the bad luck. Sure thought you had me beat. I give you credit
for nearly beating me though. Why is it you hit me several times and I hit you once
in the abdomen and you surrendered. Look forward to a rematch. -- Warrior Lord (DM
93)
Scribe -- Would like to get some info on role-playing and having my fighter put into
the storyline. Can you tell me how to go about it or send me some info. -- Warrior
Lord (DM 93) (Lords of War 1358)
All -- Look out Shadow Stalker is on the move. And out to take and keep the title of
Duelmaster, "Beware Doc Felle"!!! -- Warrior Lord
Dagan Lifegiver -- Add my team the Lords of War to the alliance. I look forward to
talking to you all and your experience. -- Warrior Lord (DM 93) Lords of War
Atta Chess -- Congrats on your win. -- Pit Viper, Lords of War
All -- How do I go about finding out all of my skills I've learned and their totals?
-- Warrior Lord (DM 93)
My momma always told me to be POLITE to ladies, and how was I to know that the
Venomous Concubine was no lady? -- Chip Enser, feeling ill-used
Ragnarok -- I seriously recommend you to get a different weapon. ANY other weapon
usable by your style would be easier to handle! And drop the armor. It cuts into
your speed, and your style NEEDS that speed. You're supposed to be an all-or-nothing
type. -- Bensi Durn
Brophy -- (puzzled look) I dunno how I came to walk out there with a couple of
shields. Do you suppose it's an input error, or am I really that bad? Hmm, I gotta
look into this. -- Eb Gollu
P.S. Good fight on your part.
P.P.S. By gosh, Jorja really DID send me out with a pair of shields! I want to
protest!
Pit Viper -- I think I would have gone with one weapon and one back-up, but Jorja's
got this thing against warriors walking out on the sand looking like a complete
armory. Some kind of personal quirk, although all those weapons ARE heavy. And if I
had to guess--it would just be a guess, mind you--I'd think that having an offhand
weapon is what confused you into swinging wildly. You might want to try with an
empty offhand. Or, I suppose, a small shield. Just a thought. -- Alta Chess
Comments on the articles:
Tricks of the Trade, by Roku. I'm not sure if Roku is active at this time, as I can
think of at least two managers who have used that name briefly. I don't dispute the
truth of Roku's statements, but I do dispute the practicality of some of them. Well,
okay, Roku also notes that high-initial-skill warriors tend to be fragile. My
feeling has always been that skills are fine, but useless if you're dead. Generally
I do NOT look at maximizing skills when setting up a roll-up. But that's just me;
other managers go at it differently. (But they're WRONG!)
Warrior Handedness, by Jessie Jest. Jessie is presently inactive in all arenas.
While his comments are mildly interesting, I still--and I've seen this article more
than a dozen times--don't see the point. You have absolutely no control over your
warrior's handedness either on the roll-up or later.
The Arcane Slasher, by the Arcane Kid. I believe this manager is currently inactive.
I, too, like slashers, and while the one he describes may be "great," I would never
make it with that carefree disregard for ST. To my mind, a slasher who lacks the ST
to use a scimitar well (9) is a death waiting to happen. Also, there is NO evidence
that I have ever seen that matching your offensive effort to your kill desire has
some magical effect on how the warrior fights.
P.S. And I've graduated more slashers than he has, so there!
The Basher, by Uncle Charlie. This manager is active, but I believe he has changed
his manager name. However, try team Helter Skelter in dm 36 if you want to diplo
him. I might go for a little more DF at the expense of WT, but that's a personal
preference not necessarily supported by data. It's just a difference in approach.
Basically, this stuff makes sense.
The Anti-Thesis Slasher, by Talon Volksie. He's active somewhere, maybe in dm 38,
but I don't remember for sure. This is a good article. First and foremost, for the
recognition that a warrior doesn't have to be a godling to be fun. The philosophy
behind this article is sound.
I'm relatively new to DM, so I thought I'd introduce myself. My name is Nick and I
manage the Doom Legion. I have three main fighters, two of which I think I'm ironing
out pretty well. The third (a ripper) I can't seem to figure out. I've only had
them on two duels each so I know it's kinda early on yet, and figuring them out is
half the fun. I'm currently incarcerated in an Ohio Prison so I've got plenty of
time on my hands. Feel free to contact me; mail is a good thing here! Nick Smith
441-197, 2000 S. Avon-Belden Rd., Grafton, OH 44044
25 February 2004
Readers, and especially those who volunteered warriors -- My apologies for the sudden
lack of episodes. I've been sick, but expect to be back at the keyboard soon. -- the
Scribe
3 March 2004
MONGO'S MARDI GRAS MADNESS DUELMASTERS AUCTION
Mongo, aka Matt McIntosh and ex-Warden of the Dark Circle, is auctioning off his
entire collection of Duelmasters warriors and stables. Don't miss out on this chance
to own some fantastic warriors! There are ADM warriors available in every class from
Primus to Freshmen, as well as over a dozen Basic stables.
Does a Slasher with +4 attack, +4 decisiveness, +3 initiative and +2 riposte
sound good? How about a Lunger who received the benefit of a TC prize, has TVed
three times after graduating--and still hasn't maxed out his skills!? How about a
Striker in the Freshmen class who has decisiveness for a favorite learn and the MAUL
for a favorite weapon!?
Or perhaps you prefer playing in Basic. Then how does a stable with four Adept
class warriors who have a combined record of 41-19-9 sound? Or maybe a stable with
three 21-Will warriors? Or perhaps a stable with four Initiates and a Rookie who
have a combined record of 23-6-1?
The quality of the lots is excellent. All you need to view and bid on the lots
is go to:
http://members.aol.com/jvmerlino/mardigras.html
If you want to be on the mailing list to receive regular updates on the auction,
just send an e-mail to JVMerlino@aol.com. Merlin, aka John Merlino and also an ex-
Warden of the Dark Circle, will be running this auction for me. I just moved to New
Orleans and am likely currently stumbling around the French Quarter...because it's
Mardi Gras! So I have named my auction in honor of this occasion.
The auction will start on Saturday, March 13th, 2004, and will continue for
several weeks. But you should get your bids in early if you want your best chance at
owning any of these fantastic warriors and stables.
Many thanks to all for your interest and your bids,
Mongo
5 March 2004
Style Masters Symposium
Hosted by Hammer
The years have slipped by and many DM Managers have come and gone since the last
Hammer's Handbook was compiled and printed.
There is now a stirring within me to begin writing and editing yet another
Handbook with a distribution date sometime in 2005.
This Handbook will be made available via Email with a possibility of burning the
info to a CD for distribution.
Special arrangements will be made to provide the information via printed page to
those contributors who are serving sentences behind bars.
The working title of this new Handbook is "Style Masters Symposium Hosted by
Hammer".
Distribution of this Handbook is projected to be MAINLY for those DM Managers
who contribute information/articles to Hammer by June 2004.
Informative and entertaining articles should focus on insights regarding Any or
All 10 Style Masters for both the Basic and ADM arenas as well as Tourney
competition.
Articles focusing on Weapons/Armor are also encouraged for inclusion.
Whether you are a Newbie Manager without a clue or a Jaded Veteran; everyone has
discovered something about this gaming experience that is both Insightful and
Entertaining.
Email Your Articles to HammerDM@fastermail.com or send them via Diplo to either
Flower Hammerz (372) in DM 28 or Casino Hammerz (576) in DM 33.
Length and Content of the Style Masters Symposium Hosted by Hammer will be
Determined by the Quality and Quantity of Contributors Combined with the Literary
Efforts of Hammer who is currently overseas for an indefinite period of time.
Articles Contributed for this Project should be of Sufficient Length and Content
to Warrant being Included to Receive the Finished Document when Hammer has completed
this literary work to His satisfaction.
Managers contributing articles are also requested to include a DM Bio of
Themselves along with any Notable Successes and/or Failures during Their DM Career in
Basic, ADM and/or Tourney Play.
A listing of Active Stables would also be Helpful for Anyone Seeking to Reply to
Contributors via Diplo, Email or Snailmail.
May Your Blades Be Sharp And Your Wits Sharper!
-- Hammer of Flower Hammerz (372) DM 28 and Casino Hammerz (576) DM 33
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
SHADOW STALKER was bested by CHIP ENSER in a 2 minute amateur's Challenge Title fight.
DOC FELLE was vanquished by VENEMOUS CONCUBINE in a 1 minute uneven battle.
RAGNAROK narrowly defeated EB GOLLU in a 2 minute beginner's fight.
POISON SUMAC was viciously subdued by ALTA CHESS in a 2 minute gory novice's contest.
BROPHY was subdued by BENSI DURN in a 4 minute amateur's competition.
DYAN DEATHBLADE was dispatched by GRATCH in a 2 minute brutal amateur's fight.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|BASHING ATTACK 2 LUNGING ATTACK 11 - 4 - 1 73 |
|WALL OF STEEL 2 WALL OF STEEL 21 - 9 - 1 70 |
|AIMED BLOW 2 TOTAL PARRY 11 - 6 - 0 65 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 1 PARRY-STRIKE 6 - 6 - 1 50 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 1 PARRY-LUNGE 2 - 3 - 0 40 |
|TOTAL PARRY 1 AIMED BLOW 4 - 6 - 0 40 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 1 SLASHING ATTACK 5 - 8 - 1 38 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 STRIKING ATTACK 8 - 15 - 0 35 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 0 BASHING ATTACK 9 - 18 - 0 33 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 12 - 0 8 |
Turn 163 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:
LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 0 AIMED BLOW 0 - 2 2 LUNGING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 1 2 WALL OF STEEL
TOTAL PARRY 1 - 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 2 TOTAL PARRY
BASHING ATTACK 1 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 1 2 BASHING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL 1 - 1 STRIKING ATTACK 0 - 0 1 SLASHING ATTACK
1 AIMED BLOW
1 PARRY-LUNGE
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is ALTA CHESS 7869. The most popular warrior this turn
was SHADOW STALKER 7861. The ten other most popular fighters were ALTA CHESS 7869,
CHIP ENSER 7871, RAGNAROK 7853, BROPHY 7856, EB GOLLU 7873, DYAN DEATHBLADE 7900,
GRATCH 7903, DOC FELLE 7872, POISON SUMAC 7855, and BENSI DURN 7870.
The least popular fighter this week was BENSI DURN 7870. The other ten least popular
fighters were POISON SUMAC 7855, DOC FELLE 7872, GRATCH 7903, DYAN DEATHBLADE 7900,
EB GOLLU 7873, BROPHY 7856, RAGNAROK 7853, CHIP ENSER 7871, ALTA CHESS 7869, and
SHADOW STALKER 7861.
Article for Newbies
This here is an article aimed mostly at you new managers to the game out there.
This chart is a consensus of managers on the internet about how they felt each style
fairs against all other styles at the beginning levels of the game. Of course, once
you get ten or so fights under your belt the whole scenario changes and you can throw
this right out the window. But in the meantime, use this chart to help you get a
feel for the game, how the different styles interact with each other and to hopefully
dispel those 5-25 starts that can make you drop the game. Hope this helps you some.
KEY FOR ODDS OF WINNING:
1 - ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE 6 - BETTER THAN EVEN
2 - HARDLY LIKELY 7 - GOOD CHANCE
3 - NOT MUCH 8 - HIGHLY PROBABLE
4 - SLIGHT CHANCE 9 - MOST DEFINATELY
5 - 50/50 10 - ALMOST GUARANTEED
Reminder: Left Row vs Top Column
BA ST LU SL AB TP PS PL PR WS
BA 5 2 6 6 8 9 7 6 5 6
ST 8 5 8 9 9 6 7 5 6 4
LU 4 4 5 6 10 5 7 7 9 6
SL 4 1 5 5 8 6 8 7 8 9
AB 2 2 2 4 5 10 6 6 6 7
TP 3 4 6 4 1 5 7 8 6 5
PS 3 3 3 4 5 4 5 4 5 4
PL 5 4 3 3 6 2 7 5 7 6
PR 7 5 2 2 4 5 6 3 5 4
WS 5 8 6 2 4 6 7 5 6 5
There you have it folks. I would personally like to thank all the managers on the
internet who made a contribution to this effort. You know who you are. Also a big
nod of appreciation goes out to the mighty PUG (Ben Hitz) who organizes and runs the
roundtable and without whose effort little projects like this would prove quite
difficult.
David Gottwald - Magic Man
The Crew - Monuntial (34)
Rocky's Heroes - North Fork (47)
Tragedy Strikes - Andor (57) (inactive)
Natural Born - Illis (59)
Slow & Easy - Aradi (60)
Omega Squadron - Dragonhead (72)
MAKING YOUR CHALLENGES GO THROUGH
First, you need to be sure you are making your challenges correctly.
1. Are you writing down the warrior I.D. number of the warrior you want to
challenge?
2. Is your handwriting clear?
3. Is the warrior you are challenging within range of your warrior? Warriors
can challenge within their own class and the next higher class, plus the "Challenger"
classes can also challenge the next lower class. So, an Adept can challenge Adepts
and Challenger Adepts. A Challenger Adept can challenge Adepts, Challenger Adepts,
and Champions. (Try not to challenge down, though. Besides being unsportsmanlike and
making everyone mad, it isn't advantageous to your warriors. They need to fight more
experienced warriors so they will learn.)
4. Are your warriors eligible to make challenges? If they didn't fight within
the last two turns, then they can't challenge.
5. Are the warriors they want to fight eligible to receive challenges? If they
didn't fight within the last two turns, then they can't be challenged.
Next, adjust your choices for the maximum likelihood of getting your challenges.
There are several things that will help:
1. Have each of your warriors challenge two different opponents from two
different teams. That way, if the first opponent's team doesn't fight that turn, you
still might get your second challenge.
2. Use your avoids. Have each warrior avoid the teams of whoever you think
might be likely to challenge him. If you can get out of being challenged, that
increases your chance of getting your own challenge through.
3. Don't challenge warriors who didn't fight last turn. The odds are higher
that they won't be fighting this turn.
4. Don't challenge warriors who might be involved in a bloodfeud (either as the
killers, or the avengers). A bloodfeud challenge has priority over all other
challenges.
5. Don't challenge Tournament Victors. A TV challenge has priority over all
other challenges except bloodfeuds. You'll need to do a little research in back
issues of the newsletter to find out who the TVs are.
6. Don't challenge warriors who you know are going to challenge someone else, or
are going to get challenged by someone else. Your challenge has a better chance of
getting through if it is the only challenge to that particular warrior.
7. Don't challenge the "easy pickings." That is, warriors above you who have
way too few fights or very bad records for where they are ranked. They will tend to
get challenged a lot.
8. Don't challenge warriors who are likely to be avoiding your team. This
includes any warrior your team fought within the last two turns.
Well, it sounds like I've eliminated just about everybody, doesn't it? Of course
you can challenge opponents who fit into one or more of those categories; just try to
find ones who don't. Your idea candidate for a challenge is: A warrior ranked
somewhat above your warrior in the same class, or in the next higher class, with a few
more fights than your warrior, and a winning record, who isn't a TV and isn't
currently at war with anyone.
I hope this will be of some help to you.
The Rogue She-Puppy
MAXIMIZING THE DUELMASTERS EXPERIENCE: WHAT THE RULES DIDN'T SAY
When you get your turn results in the mail it is very important that you squeeze
as much enjoyment as possible out of that envelope! I recommend (and also use!) the
following procedures.
First, open the envelope lengthwise with a letter opener. Remove the blue-sheet
BUT DON'T LOOK AT IT! It may tell you that you are broke and owe RSI a lot of money.
Flip it over instead! The blue-sheet will be used as a "hider" when you read the
fight results line by line, so you don't see the end of the fight by mistake and ruin
the excitement.
Remove the rest of the sheets in one smooth maneuver and place the flipped-over
blue-sheet on top of the pile, without looking at anything. You don't want to
accidentally uncover an unexpected replacement rollup. This is a traumatic experience
that should be avoided at all costs, as it indicates that one of your battles didn't
go exactly as planned.
Now you must prepare your room, or whever you are, for the battles. If you are
suicidal, or a lousy manager, or a suicidally lousy manager, remove all sharp objects
from the area. If you happen to manage an entire team of scummy warriors it is okay
to leave a loaded musket nearby.
The next step is to put on music. It definitely adds to the experience to have
your favorite tunes playing in the background, preferably AS LOUD AS YOU CAN GET AWAY
WITH! I christen each new warrior with a song that is his and his alone, and play
that song whenever it is his turn upon the sands. It is a personal choice but I
recommend Judas Priest, Manowar or Metallica. Avoid Abba and Barry Manilow (like I
had to say it). It is also important to match the song length with the expected
length of the fight. Don't choose "The Immigrant Song" for your 21-con Ultra-Scum.
Likewise, don't choose "Stairway to Heaven" for your quick lunger. Finally, sometimes
it is nice to choose an exceptionally violent alternate selection for those
Bloodfeuds.
Now you are almost ready! The final preparatory step (optional) is to prepare a
pot of coffee. Beer also works well, especially on Fridays, but I understand that
some managers are not Well-Suited to that particular beverage. I've heard the Duke
Malibu in Solven drinks goat blood, but mind you this is only a rumor. For the final
touch, try putting on any handy armor you have. Or a loin-cloth. I put on most of my
hockey gear.
The fights are on! The music is loud! The coffee is good! Read the fights
slowly, line by line using your blue-sheet as a guide. Don't go too fast, now. Yell,
"Yeah!" if your warrior scores an especially gruesome hit. Cringe if your warrior
feels the joys of a great axe connecting with his face (that means you, Marilith).
Raise your fist in the air when that total parry realizes that his last shield has
broken! And cry when your favorite gladiator is gravely injured and then takes ten
consecutive war hammer shots to the head...
When the end of the fight comes you will be emotionally drained, so yell out,
"Huzzah!!!" or "Damnnn!!!" or whatever, to take the edge off. When the fighting is
ended take a breather before preparing for the next cycle's fights. Reflect on what
has transpired and make a few notes. You'll be a better person (and manager) for it!
Isn't Duelmasters great?
Brought to you by ICE (the deranged): DM-49 (Vithicar) Rotting Livers (205)
DM-10 (Kolact) Beermacht
DM-22 (Solven) Steel Warriors
DM-24 (Zorpunt) No Escape
Winning With the Average Warrior
Hi! The Master of Anime here... Yeah, yeah, I know, you're all doing a
collective, "Who the Hell is this character?" Well, my claim to fame, if you can call
it that, is that I run Eve, one of the more popular, if not completely unspectacular,
warriors to fight in Alastari. I am a micro-manager (you've heard of mega-managers?
Well, think in reverse) who has been mainly running only one team during my 8+ years
of Duelmasters. This little write-up is aimed towards the less experienced managers,
the ones that can be brainwashed from some of the "How to build the perfect
warrior..." spotlights that tend to appear from time to time.
Many of the "How to build..." spotlights tend to deal with roll-ups that are
quite ideal, but in reality, rarely come out of RSI's number crunching machine,
commonly referred to as "the Roll-Up Gods". There have been a few good articles on
how to design skillful warriors from 'average' roll-ups. Those articles, in my
opinion, are the most helpful to new managers for the simple fact that you will almost
always get an 'average' roll-up. Occasionally, that 'average' roll-up might turn out
to be something special, and that is what I would like to key in on.
I know a lot of managers who will continually DA their warriors until they get
something that is as close to perfect as possible. You know, the warrior with three
or four 17s or the warrior with a couple of 21s or that size 3 or 4 warrior, etc...
If you are a relatively new manager and you are also doing this, I think you are
missing out on one of the more intriguing aspects of this game and that is warrior
development.
Being a micro-manager, I do not have an army of warriors like the mega-managers
do, but I'd like to think that I can hold my own against them (hey, if you're gonna
dream, dream big). Anyway, back to the point. One of my 'average' warriors seems to
have achieved a form of notoriety in Advanced Duelmasters to the extent that even the
ever quiet Mirage (manager of Donatello) has had something to say (it was at the last
Tempe FTF and my warrior, at the end of the 6th or 7th round, was listed as the top
Primus warrior on the tourney list.) Mirage pointed at my warrior on the list and
said, "That, is embarrassing..." I took it as a compliment. In case you're
wondering, my warrior is Akira (the reason I'm writing this article is that I've been
approached many times of late by managers who wanted to see Akira's numbers, thinking
he had some sort of godlike roll-up. I set them straight).
I'm not going to print Akira's numbers in this article for the main reason that I
don't have them with me at this time (it'll probably tick-off a lot of managers whose
warriors Akira has beaten anyway), but I do know this... he has about 30 attribute
increases and only one attribute is in the 20's, that one being WL (he even got gypped
by not getting some skills that you normally think he'd get by raising WL up the
20's). He won't be getting another attribute above 20 for a long, long time. (I
think his next highest attribute is 17... note that this is after the 30 or so
increases...) You should have a pretty good idea how generic this roll-up is... a
roll-up that would probably be DA'd by most managers looking for a good roll-up... a
roll-up that I even said, "I'll run him for kicks, but will probably retire him once
he gets to AD."... a roll-up that entered AD with a less-than-stellar 14-10 record...
a roll-up currently on a 20 fight win streak... a roll-up with three consecutive
Primus TVs.
So, before you give up on that average warrior, think again about giving him a
chance to flourish... he might suprise you as Akira has surprised me. Good luck in
the arena!
M.A., a proud member of GAPPDA
P.S. If you want to know Akira's original roll-up, diplo Anime Legends (Arena 102,
104).
P.P.S. Swift -- We GAPPDA members are NOT slugs!!! At least, I don't think we are...
TWELVE TIPS
A rookie manager asked me a question recently which prompted my "teaching juices"
to flow. I quote: "Just give me a dozen hints, and I'll leave you alone!" Obviously,
his challenge prompted me to organize my thought creating my Twelve Tips.
"Now wait a minute!" I hear you asking. "Why should I read on?" Simply put:
-- If you're an experience manager, you'll want to "clue me in" on other valuable tips
I missed.
-- If you're a "newbie," these tips will enhance your W-L record and compound your
fun.
"But, are they GOOD tips?" you ask. Believe me, fellow opponents, after 5000+
fights, dozens of "tutored pupils," many A.D. warriors, and a rather lofty W-L record,
they're GOOD tips. So here we go, in no particular order.
(I) ASK FOR HELP--Ask RSI about the Sponsor Program. Diplo "good" managers in your
arena. Proclaim your willingness to learn in a personal ad. You'll get some
conversation.
(II) OFFENSIVES FIRST--This is not an easy game, and the basher, lunger, striker can
be readily designed and more easily "mastered." (Whatever that means.) Avoid the most
difficult finessives, such as aimers (AB), rippers (PR), and probably wastes (WS).
Get some confidence first! Most of us old-timers yet struggle with a good aimed-blow.
(III) SKILLS, SKILLS, SKILLS--One of the most prevalent rookie errors is training too
many stats. Skills win fights, and in the long run, you will regret certain stat
raises.
(IV) COLLECT DATA--The more you know about your own warrior (And even with the same
stats, warriors differ) and the more you know about your opponents, the more likely
you can cause something "good" to happen. In the military/political world, we call
this "intelligence." (Clue: ask about a D.M. handbook filled with info.)
(V) PERSONAL ADS--Don't be a jerk! But write some every time. Let me assure you that
an unliked rookie cannot succeed in an arena against the local "Powers-in-control."
You want to create friendly opponents. (When you know what you're doing--then you can
try the jerk routine!)
(VI) TURN SHEET--Accuracy counts. Fill it out perfectly (and legibly) pal! Know what
each section is for. (Reread the instructions.) Many have been the surprised and
frustrated manager who caused his or her own problem! (Even us "megas" blow it now and
then!)
(VII) NO CON--Don't ever (well maybe 1% of the time) add points to constitution on an
offensive rollup. Other attributes may add skills; con won't. (Just wait until you
hear someone shout never add to con--ever. I didn't say that.)
(VIII) ONE WEAPON--For offensives. When you get to finesse styles, you'll understand
why you may want one in your off-hand also. But, almost always carry a backup. (Hands
can be hurt both striking and defending.)
(IX) CHALLENGE/AVOID--Always! A manager's prime purpose is to optimize his warrior's
chances. Challenge those you'll have a good shot at beating and avoid teams who can
cause you the most difficulties. (Challenge warriors--avoid teams.)
(X) ENTER TOURNAMENTS--What a way to acquire skills and experience without impacting
your arena W-L record. Actually, you will create a positive impact in that those
"tournament earnings" are "hidden" from other arena warriors. Plus, tournaments are a
real "rush!"
(XI) FIND A FRIEND--In every arena find at least one "friendly" foe. Share opponent
info. With two, or more, of you sharing, look how much more "intelligence" you'll
have.
(XII) STAY COOL--Don't let any problem (loss, death, personal ad, error, etc.) anger
you. (This is fun, right?) The cool head wins more matches than the emotional one.
So good luck, rookie! We were all in your shoes once. (And for some of us that
was a long, long time ago.)
THE CONSORTIUM
DM 8 Smithsonian (Curator)
DM 11 Bulldogs (Kennelworth)
DM 20 Animal Farm (Mino)
DM 46 Fandils (Fandil the Wise)
(and many, many more)