DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 11/13/2004 Duedate: 11/26/2004
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-178
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
JERNIG MARS
MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369)
(93-7930) [7-3-0,87]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
JERNIG MARS TAKA PICKTUAR
MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369) GHOST TEAM (1373)
(93-7930) [7-3-0,87] (93-7949) [1-0-0,56]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
JERNIG MARS JERNIG MARS
MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369) MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369)
(93-7930) [7-3-0,87] (93-7930) [7-3-0,87]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. GHOST TEAM (1373) 38
2. MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369) 21 MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369)
3. MINIONS OF MAGIDA (1370) 0 Unchartered Team
4. CRIMSON DEATH (1348) 0
GHOST TEAM (1373)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1- 1*MINIONS OF MAGIDA (1370) 5 0 0 100 1/ 1 MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369) 9 6 0
2/ 2 MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369) 33 16 0 67.3 2- 2*MINIONS OF MAGIDA (1370) 5 0 0
3/ 0*GHOST TEAM (1373) 3 2 1 60.0 3/ 0*GHOST TEAM (1373) 3 2 1
4- 3*CRIMSON DEATH (1348) 17 20 4 45.9 4- 3*CRIMSON DEATH (1348) 3 2 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
+ ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ 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 perfer 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 (slow).
The Delarquan region, except in the case of some of the slow arenas, is not much
prone to role-playing and convesation. 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
(slow).
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 (slow).
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 28, 45,
47, and 59. 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, but they frequently dwindle when the contest ends.
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 those 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 (www.reality.com) 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 Duel 2 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
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
Gods! I beat the Veteran Mercenary, and he's as tough as the standbys come!
This is incredible, to wit, I hardly believe it. And it's kinda scary, too. Nowhere
to go but down, you know? Maybe I'll be killed by the next standby I meet. That'd
be really rotten.
Jernig Mars
P.S. If my math is correct, this (178) will be our last turn here. After that...
Middle Way 12.
SPY REPORT
Hail and well met warriors of NOBLISH ISLAND! Know me for who I am, Zontani
Sharp Eyes, Spymaster extraordinaire of all Alastari. A new guild, GHOST TEAM,
entered NOBLISH ISLAND with a clash this turn, showing off a 3-2-1 record. Indeed, a
worthy addition to the city guilds. GHOST caught the eye of many in the gladiatorial
commission as he skillfully bested PERSISTANT BEGGAR and was awarded 15 points in
recognition. In one of the week's more notable duels, KUNG-FU MASTER put down GEROGE
JIM, causing him to lose 2 points of recognition in the process. Not for nothing has
JERNIG MARS in the past laid claim to the Duelmaster's throne, and this week he's
proven his combat skill yet again. No confirmation, but my sources claim that the
top team has gained their position using magical aids. Charmed weapons perhaps?
But come now, let us look deeper into the maze of contention and crossed blades
that is city NOBLISH ISLAND.
Is not Death a warrior's foremost adviser? Warriors, may this counselor stand
ready at your right hand forever! Dark alleys may hide both secrets and assassins.
In the arena there is only the brightness of steel. Keep vigil always!
If it were not for my skills as a spy I would have been mugged three times
already in NOBLISH ISLAND. Nice atmosphere you have here! Ahh, but I can hear the
spires of a far off city calling to me. I must away! Till next we meet remember: a
fool flies into a rage quickly and often. The wise are angered by the same thing
only once. Zontani Sharp Eyes
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
JERNIG MARS 7930 7 3 0 87 MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
GEROGE JIM 7927 8 2 0 57 MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
TAKA PICKTUAR 7949 1 0 0 56 GHOST TEAM (1373)
-NEWLIN 7811 5 3 2 52 CRIMSON DEATH (1348)
-DARE 7810 6 1 2 45 CRIMSON DEATH (1348)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
FEORDIS INK 7926 8 2 0 32 MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-DEBARROWS 7809 3 5 0 23 CRIMSON DEATH (1348)
-GLINDORA 7807 2 5 0 22 CRIMSON DEATH (1348)
IMBER LACK 7932 4 3 0 21 MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369)
LIMNOR ORDIN 7943 3 2 0 19 MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369)
-DULGIN 7808 1 6 0 18 CRIMSON DEATH (1348)
-CHRISTIAN 7933 1 0 0 17 MINIONS OF MAGIDA (1370)
-GRAGAN 7934 1 0 0 16 MINIONS OF MAGIDA (1370)
-MELO 7937 1 0 0 15 MINIONS OF MAGIDA (1370)
GHOST 7954 1 0 0 15 GHOST TEAM (1373)
-SMITHY 7936 1 0 0 15 MINIONS OF MAGIDA (1370)
GOLDSKEER 7953 1 0 1 14 GHOST TEAM (1373)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-RAIN 7935 1 0 0 13 MINIONS OF MAGIDA (1370)
MAX II 7950 0 1 0 1 GHOST TEAM (1373)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
CONVICTED THIEF 1 0 1 0 1 GOLDSKEER 7953 178 NONE
BLESS 7952 0 1 0 GHOST TEAM 1373 WURM KIN 27 178 NONE
PERSONAL ADS
Dare -- I'm really an Orc, you know. That means I'm tough, and I'm mean. -- Geroge
Jim
P.S. Looking at the fight, I think it would have been tough for you regardless. But
that armor... odd. Uncharacteristic choice for your style. Of course, it'll keep
you alive, and your record hasn't suffered so far, but when the time comes to head
for the mainland, you may want to think about it again.
Debarrows -- Given our respective styles, and the fact that I have Good endurance and
can take Tremendous amounts of damage, that didn't go badly for you. Sure, you lost,
but after eight minutes of me, you're ALLOWED to be tired. -- Feordis Ink
P.S. Too bad you didn't learn any skills. I had some good stuff to show you.
Glindora -- (scowling) I wish Jorja had never encouraged your manager to hang onto
you! You're a menace! -- Imber Lack
P.S. Seriously, good work there.
Mordant Deserter? Cheese. What a wimp. -- Limnor Ordin
P.S. How the HECK did he have three skills to teach me? Where'd he GET them? I bet
he stole 'em. You can't trust these golems. They have no finer feelings. And no
guilt.
Comments on the articles--
Strikers R Us by Talon. A good article by a manager who is currently active. You
can find him running Eagles Claw in DM 38 if you feel the urge to send a diplo.
How I Made Duelmaster in Three Easy Steps by Khyron. This manager may still be
active in Primus, but I don't notice him around elsewhere. The warrior and situation
described are freakish. This isn't something you'll see every day, or, as the saying
goes, "don't try this at home." But it is an interesting look at the kind of thing
that CAN happen. Plan all you want, and the more the better, but there is always an
element of chance in this game.
The Wall of Steel as a Berserker by the She-Puppy. This manager is active, mostly in
Advanced (try AD 107, Darklings). The article is an older one, and the rumor quoted,
that there is a benefit to having the OE and KD equal, has still not been confirmed.
After fifteen or twenty years of relentless number-crunching, the lack of
confirmation would tend to suggest that the rumor is unfounded. But it's a sound
article. I have t admit, I, too, like to run walls of steel hard and fast....
All -- First, let me welcome you all to Duel II. The best game there is, in my
opinion. Who am I? About four years ago, I, too, started playing in Noblish Island.
Here is where I began. Since then, I've been both up and down. Blowing my
reputation, and then rebuilding it. During my years of playing, I've learned a few
things. One of those is how to create good warriors. Even the ones that appear
mediocre have strengths. What I did was put all the things I've learned into a
handbook called, The Wisdom Pool.
Within The Wisdom Pool's pages (all 66 of them), you will find everything you need to
know about warrior creation. All the charts are there as well. I walk you through a
"step-by-step" process that includes information on:
* Management Styles
* Warrior Attributes
* Skills
* Intelligence and Wit Statements
* Encumbrance
* Endurance
* Coodrination
* Quickness of Foot and Activity Ratings
* Height
* Damage
* Hit Points
* Weapons and Tactics
* How to check skills for bonuses and penatlies based on Warrior Overviews
* Style designs and what each style needs
* Challenges, Avoids, and Matchups with the most up-to-date charts based on actual
fights (You'll find this NOWHERE ELSE!)
* Skill Ratings and what they mean
If you are in the free world, contact me by mail: Rick Stringer Merit/Eat, SCI P.O.
Box 500, Georgetown, DE 19947-0500. If you're incarcerated, drop me a diplo at:
Baphomet, mgr. Knights Templar (568), DM #47 -- North Fork.
I'm asking one (1) Roll-Up Gift Certificate per copy. That's $5. As soon as I
recieve the cert., I'll mail your copy out! Inmates should include a contact address
for me to send it to. I can't write directly to prisons.
If you have any questions about the content, ask Jorja. She's read it.
Jorja -- I couldn't drop this ad without also sending you my deepest respects and
regards. -- Baphomet
P.S. I still monitor this arena and am open to answering questions, or just spouting
my normal nonsense.
22 October 2004
Youngblood's Three and Out Contest
I would like to take this time to announce and invite all managers to compete in what
I think will be an awesome contest. If you haven't ever TC'd at a tourney before,
here is your chance. The contest will start Wednesday, December 1, 2004, but a
chance will be given November 17 to dark arena, only, any warrior that you do not see
fit to run in the contest. So now that I have your attention, here are the rules
(like you didn't know they were coming sooner or later).
1. Any manager participating can enter one team, only.
2. No sandbagging whatsoever. (I will keep up with it, every turn.)
3. No teams or warriors will be allowed to run after contest starts.
4. All warriors will run until they lose three times, after three losses they are
eliminated.
5. If a warrior sits out a turn, they are accounted with a loss in the contest.
This is to keep warriors with winning records from sitting out until the end of
the contest.
6. If a warrior is killed during the contest, the replacement cannot enter the
contest.
7. If a warrior is killed, bloodfeuding is allowed, but only by a warrior that is
active in the contest.
8. If a warrior is run after being eliminated, the manager is disqualified from the
contest, no questions asked.
9. Challenges are legal, up or down.
10. Contest will keep going until 1 warrior is left without three losses, and that
warrior, of course, is accounted the winner.
11. All managers participating will be asked to purchase a rollup certificate, to be
awarded to the winners of the contest.
<<<PRIZES>>>
As I have already said, and according to participation, rollups will be awarded
to the first and second place managers. So the majority and minority of the rollups
will be determined when all are accumulated.
Contest Champion--2 Faves prizes, and majority of rollup certificates
Contest Runner-up--1 Faves prize, and minority of rollup certificates
So once again I invite all managers old and new to participate in what should be
a fierce and challenging contest. <<<REMEMBER, FIRST OFFICIAL TURN OF THE
CONTEST IS
DECEMBER THE FIRST, AND AS I SAID BEFORE, THE TURN BEFORE (NOVEMBER 17TH) YOU MAY
DARK ARENA CHALLENGE ONLY!!! ANY WARRIOR WITH ANY FE (FIGHT EXPERIENCE) WHEN THE
CONTEST STARTS WILL BE ELIMINATED FROM THE CONTEST.
YOUNGBLOOD of WENSINWASIN
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
BLESS was butchered by WURM KIN in a 1 minute bloody Dark Arena fight.
JERNIG MARS slimly won victory over VETERAN MERCENARY in a 3 minute Title battle.
GEROGE JIM was defeated by KUNG-FU MASTER in a 2 minute bloody duel.
TAKA PICKTUAR bested FEORDIS INK in a popular 1 minute fight.
IMBER LACK subdued EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 1 minute competition.
LIMNOR ORDIN viciously subdued MAX II in a crowd pleasing 2 minute novice's duel.
GOLDSKEER butchered CONVICTED THIEF in a 1 minute one-sided competition.
GHOST handily defeated PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 1 minute uneven melee.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|LUNGING ATTACK 2 TOTAL PARRY 9 - 3 - 0 75 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 2 BASHING ATTACK 12 - 4 - 3 75 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 2 PARRY-LUNGE 2 - 1 - 0 67 |
|TOTAL PARRY 2 AIMED BLOW 5 - 3 - 2 63 |
|BASHING ATTACK 1 LUNGING ATTACK 13 - 10 - 0 57 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 1 STRIKING ATTACK 10 - 8 - 0 56 |
|AIMED BLOW 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 6 - 6 - 1 50 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 WALL OF STEEL 3 - 3 - 0 50 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 SLASHING ATTACK 6 - 6 - 0 50 |
|WALL OF STEEL 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 1 - 0 0 |
Turn 178 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 2 - 0 AIMED BLOW 0 - 0 3 LUNGING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK 2 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 3 STRIKING ATTACK
BASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 1 1 AIMED BLOW
STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 1 BASHING ATTACK
TOTAL PARRY 0 - 2 1 TOTAL PARRY
WALL OF STEEL 0 - 0 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE
1 SLASHING ATTACK
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
LUNGING ATTACK JERNIG MARS 7930 7 3 0 87 MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369)
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
STRIKING ATTACK GEROGE JIM 7927 8 2 0 57 MIDDLE WAY 11 (1369)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is JERNIG MARS 7930. The most popular warrior this
turn was JERNIG MARS 7930. The ten other most popular fighters were LIMNOR ORDIN
7943, TAKA PICKTUAR 7949, IMBER LACK 7932, GHOST 7954, GEROGE JIM 7927, GOLDSKEER
7953, BLESS 7952, FEORDIS INK 7926, MAX II 7950, and 0.
The least popular fighter this week was MAX II 7950. The other ten least popular
fighters were FEORDIS INK 7926, BLESS 7952, GOLDSKEER 7953, GEROGE JIM 7927, GHOST
7954, IMBER LACK 7932, TAKA PICKTUAR 7949, LIMNOR ORDIN 7943, JERNIG MARS 7930, and
0.
FACE-TO-FACE XXXIV
Our next Winter Face-to-Face will be held on Martin Luther King weekend, Friday
through Sunday, 14-16 January 2005, at the Embassy Suites in Tempe, Arizona (4400 S
Rural Rd--this is the same hotel as last year). Room rates are $139.00 per night,
1-4 occupancy, which includes breakfast. The rooms are blocked. The reservations
number is 480-897-7444; tell them you're with the "Reality Simulations Face to Face
Convention" block. Our room block will be released in mid-December, so please make
sure you reserve your room before then!
Room rates include a full cooked-to-order breakfast and a complimentary two-hour
manager's reception. There is a free shuttle to the airport, as well as free parking.
The hotel is located down the freeway in Tempe. All rooms have high speed internet
(for an extra charge). There is a fitness center, jacuzzi, and pool, and of course a
bar and Mexican restaurant inside the hotel. And there's Denny's right across the
street. Look for transportation info in the tournament information sheet.
The tournament information sheet/strategy sheet should be out sometime in late
November/early December.
If you haven't been to a Face-to-Face before, you're overdue. If you have,
you'll be back. Don't miss this one, it'll be a blast! See you there!
-- Green Eyes and the RSI Staff
The Defensive Lunger
Perfect Minimums Actual Characters
ST 13 11 11 13
CN 7 3 3 11
SZ 4 4 10 6
WT 21 17 17 17
WL 17 13 17 19
SP 5 5 9 5
DF 17 13 17 13
The lunger, in my opinion, makes a much better defensive fighter than offensive
fighter. Fighting defensively will compensate for the speed at which lungers burn
endurance. They will still attack whenever possible but their defensive ability will
allow them to dodge most attacks. The most important part is their initiative. When
they do dodge, they'll usually steal the initiative and attack. I haven't been
fighting lungers defensively for long but my record is 14-5-0. Don't fight
defensively against other lungers as they will usually win.
The strategy I use is:
Min 1 2 3 4 5 6 Desp
Off 4 -------------------------> 9 Weapon: Any lunging
Act 6 4 --------------------> 9 No armor if low con
KD 4 -------------------------> 9 APL/H if average con
O.T. ---------------------------> L
D.T. -------------------------------->
You can attack any location you wish but I suggest protecting the body. The
third character listed started with experts in attack, defense and initiative. The
last character had an expert in attack.
The Wild Boar, manager of Things (5) and many inactive teams.
WARRIOR ENDURANCE
Greetings, joy and happiness to everyone! I hope you have had pleasant dueling.
This article is about endurance and some things to think about when you're designing
your warriors. Below is a chart showing the different endurance levels a warrior may
have. This chart may be a little off of due to the fact it isn't possible to have all
the variables as a manager, but it does give you idea of the amount of endurance a
warrior should have.
The formula for endurance is: E = (ST+CN)WL
With the result of that number use the chart below.
000-180 = Very Poor
181-240 = Poor
235-390 = Normal
391-509 = Good
510-639 = Great
640-699 = Tremendous
770+ = Awesome
Here are some examples of warriors with their Endurance ratings:
1) Slasher ST 5 CN 7 WL 15 (5+7)15 = 180 Poor
2) Striker ST 7 CN 13 WL 9 (7+13)9 = 180 Poor
3) Parry-Rip ST 7 CN 10 WL 11 (7+10)11 = 187 Poor
4) Basher ST 13 CN 9 WL 9 (13+9)9 = 198 Very Poor
5) Striker ST 13 CN 9 WL 9 (13+9)9 = 198 Poor
6) Aimed-Blow ST 9 CN 15 WL 9 (9+15)9 = 216 Normal
7) Striker ST 10 CN 5 WL 15 (10+5)15 = 225 Normal
8) Slasher ST 13 CN 10 WL 10 (13+10)10 = 230 Normal
9) Wall/Steel ST 13 CN 12 WL 17 (13+12)17 = 425 Great
There are several factors such as warrior style, RSI random factor, and there is
some evidence that SIZE has some effect on a warrior's endurance. In any case the RSI
LUCK factor can be around 7 to 8% in your favor or 2-3% worse than average. These are
just estimates, but are still factors nevertheless.
Some styles that are HIGH BURN endurance, like lungers, slashers and walls of
steel, are more likely to be UNLUCKY with the endurance rating.
Every action your warrior does consumes endurance. Attacking seems to use more
endurance than any other action. Once a warrior's endurance is used up, he will make
an endurance check against his WILL. If he fails the roll, he will either stop to rest
or collapse to the sand, depending on how badly he failed the roll. When a warrior
stops to rest, he gets back some endurance. When he gets enough endurance back, he
will start attacking again. This is just a theory that I have developed from
observations. It maybe completely off, but it gives one something to ponder.
That's it for now lords and ladies, I must go entertain elsewhere. If you would
like to chat about DM or other things, you can EMAIL me at 103260.3347@compuserve.com
or visit my DM website at
http://ourworld.compuserve.com./homepages/jessisjest/homepage.htm
You can also diplo me at DM 11 "The Lords Of the Abyss (319)" or any of the
Joker's Wilds scattered about.
Cheerio,
Sir Jessie Jest
Member of the Ivory League
NEW GRADUATES--FROM ALL ARENAS (INCLUDING CLOSED ARENAS)
For those of you who keep track of such things, 51 additional warriors graduated
from regular DM arenas (including closed arenas) since the last tournament.
CAPTAIN CRUNCH (5-4330) TECHNOLOGY
GARAI (7-4608) BLADES OF ICE
GAZREK (7-5097) DEMONS OF DARKNESS 7
CRIMSON BLUSH (7-5351) VENGEANCE SEEKERS
NEMESIS (10-2676) MYTH AND MIGHT
PLAYFUL DOG (10-4237) MONGREL HORDE
CALLISTO (12-4974) NAUGHTY NYMPHS
ILLUMINAUGHTY (12-5423) LOBOTOMATION
SKIPPY (14-2305) PRIDE OF THE CDC
ARGINASE (16-4137) ENZYMES
CADEX CFM (18-3366) THE BIKE SHOP
CRY-O-LIT (18-6106) ROCK-ETTS
PAPA RATTLESNAKE (18-6800) APACHE
SUICIDE (21-4832) APPLE CIDER
REVEREND LOVEJOY (22-5517) SPRINGFIELD
DVDA (22-5768) THAT'S UNPOSSIBLE!
DONAHAR (24-3006) MAGIC REALM
LINK HOGTHROB (33-5358) INTERSTELLAR PORK
JETS TO BRAZIL (36-5604) SKATE DRAGONS
ARTEMIS (41-3675) LADY OF THE MOON
SELENE (41-3676) LADY OF THE MOON
BETTY (58-5755) HELL HOUNDS
INSURRECTION (60-5607) BLADES OF DESTINY
COPPERHEAD (65-5467) NATURE'S ASSASSINS
CHRISSEL (70-5208) LITHE & LOVELY
SUPERIOR II (75-760) SUPERIOR FORCES
ARCHER (82-1198) GORGONITES
SQUIRREL KILLER (82-3278) END OF THE LINE
CICINISTI (82-3706) BEGUILERZ
GNORE (82-3717) MILITARY SCIENCE
FINALITY (82-4063) SUPERIOR FORCES 3P
SIR LANCELOT (82-5350) ROUND TABLE
WILLY T MAC (82-5925) RAPTURE
KHORGA KHAN (82-6730) THE BEGINNING
ELLYN (82-8983) LAS VEGAS II
MANTISSA (82-9324) MATMATICA
JETS TO BRAZIL (82-9697) DRAGON SKALE
ON THE WASHER (82-10019) SUNNYDALE
ORAL B (82-10020) SUNNYDALE
2-STROKE (82-10384) THE WILLBURYS 79
HITZ (82-10428) 4-LETTER DOCTORS
UNDEFEATABLE (82-10966) SUPERIOR FORCES 5M
GOLDWRAP (82-11886) SUPERIOR FORCES 34
CHIMPANZEE (82-12985) ANIMAL CRACKERS
THE CUTICLE DANCE (82-13639) DON'T ASK
SCHWETTY OLIVES (82-14247) SCHWETTY FOODS
QSTAFF INFECTION (82-14523) DIRTY INFIRMARY
BING S7 WANG (82-16000) SUPERIOR FORCES 6201
TAKE YOUR BEST SHOT (82-16651) SLIGHTLY HEATED
SMILING GOAT (82-20735) SHAVE MY POODLE
CRITICAL UPDATES (82-24025) ANNOYING THINGS II
LIGHTNING XLV (82-24103) DEATH STUDS IX
Congrats to the grads. -- Green Eyes
Presenting, by Popular Demand (from 1989)...
THE NUMEROLOGY OF DUELMASTERS
by The Ghost of Eldrid
Character Generation
Hello, I am the Ghost of Eldrid, and I have an important message that directly
effects how well your team may do in the future. Some managers will not take this
important article seriously (some people don't believe in ghosts, either), and their
records will suffer for it. I have played Duelmasters for four years and searched
through all of my old turns and painstakingly researched every important fact in this
article, and I have discussed my conclusions with about ten different managers (named
managers such as Phido, Doctor LeGrand, Silk, Russ, and Biff Frothingslosh) who all
agree on the validity of my arguments. The results of my research are both startling
and magnificent. THERE IS NUMEROLOGY IN DUELMASTERS!!! Whether it was programmed in
or it exists on a higher plane, it matters not. IT EXISTS!!! And I plan to share
some of its amazing secrets with you, starting with character creation.
Remember in the realm of character generation the powers favor odd number stats.
NEVER, EVER have an even number on stats, except, of course, for size, which,
obviously should be even since everyone can tell what size your character is by his
description in the fight. Do you want people thinking your warrior is odd? I should
hope not!! But in case you decide to keep your odd warrior, DO NOT MAKE ANY OTHER
STATS EVEN!! Write a letter to the commission stating that you forgo the rights to
the last point and you want it to be sacrificed to the benefit of Alastari.
Always start adding points to wit and will first. Either make them 13, 17, or
21. Why? Under 12 wit is worthless, as any good manager will tell you. A 13
understandably gives your opponent bad luck, a 17 has the ever-lucky "7" in it, and 21
is BLACKJACK, and you get twice the number of winnings you would normally get. Why
not 15 or 19? Is it not obvious to everyone that 15 is unlucky? The only President
of the United States not married was the 15th, James Buchanan (who?). Lincoln was
shot on April 15th, and the clincher... my brother was born on the 15th of May. If
these "coincidences" don't prove to you that 15 is unlucky, I don't know what will.
19 is an evil number. It tries to deceive you into thinking it is better than 17, but
actually, it is an "11" with a small zero placed on the second pole, and we all know
that a zero is nothing. So what do we get for our extra eight points? In effect,
something smaller than nothing.
Next, make every other stat odd. Add the other points to make the style you
want. Deftness is the key to character generation.
Deftness (min)
5 to make a basher (ST 13+)
7 for a lunger
9 for a striker
11 for a wall of steel (ST 11+, WL 17+)
13 for a parry lunge (ST 11+), slasher (SP 11+), parry-strike, and total
parries (these styles depend on the opponent's bad luck.
17 for a parry-riposte (WT 17+)
21 for an aimed blow (this style needs the double winnings)
The last thing to remember is that luck is a big factor in this game and I don't
know if you noticed, but when warriors have even ID numbers they are luckier than odd
ID characters. Look at the best warriors in Primus: Wallbanger, Donatello, Epitaph,
Chaos Knight, Villiage Idiot, Silverflash, Khorga Khan, Jake the Snake, Sly, Max,
Stormbringer, Teetotaler, Raphael, Selleque, Kiri, Constance, Hangover, Eve, and Sam
Spade. All have even-numbered IDs. Now you say, "But Yoda and Necron-99 both have
odd IDs, and they are the best aimed blows of the game!" Yes, but they are AIMED
BLOWS and they are members of an odd style, so of course they do better with odd
numbers. So remember if you want your warriors to be best in all Alastari someday,
Dark Arena all your odd-numbered characters, unless of course they are aimed blows.
Good luck, and may the numbers fall your way.
-- The Ghost of Eldrid,
retired
PARRY-STRIKE, ANOTHER FUN STYLE
There have been several articles about fighting styles, some say theirs is the
best, or ultimate, one said theirs is the most fun style. Well, I feel that parry-
strikers are just as much fun to play as any other style.
First, let's start with the run down of what they say in the "RED BOOK". The
book says that parry-strikers are defensive, using small quick movements in their
actions (sounds like you could say that about some other styles as well.) The book
says that some managers swear that a high wit is critical to the style (only those who
have no brains would disagree with that.)
Let's get to business. First and foremost this style is deceptively aggressive,
making them a very good offensive type of fighter, or deadly type of defensive
fighter. Offensively they tend to get the jump on their opponent. I had a parry-
striker that was only jumped 3 out of 11 fights, before he died. To prepare and run a
parry-striker can be quite confusing, so I will try to help make it as simple as
possible. Here are my feelings on roll-ups for the parry-strike style:
ST: 11-15, I'll explain later.
CN: who cares.
SZ: 10-14, don't go over 14.
WT: 13-17, 17 is the best.
WL: 13-17, to get good endurance.
SP: not important.
DF: 11-15, I'll explain later.
Here are some good roll-ups for a parry-striker: 11,7,10,17,17,7,15;
15,7,11,17,16,7,11; 11,7,14,17,13,7,15; 15,7,14,17,13,7,11. Now, if you have a decent
wit, the way you run this fighting style will depend on strength and deftness. For
example: if your fighter has a high DF and a low ST it would be to his/her advantage
to be defensive, since the speed would benefit the ability to move in reaction to
their opponent. If the ST is high, and DF low, it would be better to fight
offensively like a striker, trying to get the first, and only blow in. If they don't
have a decent wit, you're on your own. I can't help you on that. Remember this style
of fighting is the same as a striker except for added knowledge of parrying, as well
as bein a little more aggressive. I would not suggest a low ST and DF, it will take
away from your WT & WL, and you don't want to do that, but if you do, good luck. You
don't need much CN if you have a good WL, which gives you your endurance. SZ; you
don't want it to be above 14, it would hurt your fighting style more than your
attributes. WT; it is the same as it is with strikers, the higher the WT the faster
and deadlier they become. Raise WT to 17 if you don't have it at the start, then
don't worry about it again until ADM. WL; this is where you get your endurance. 13
is fine to start out, but I would suggest 15, then bump it up to 17 in basic. SP; it
is what you need to riposte, but PSers have this "one strike one kill" attitude.
Meaning that there isn't much time to riposte with a killing attitude, so do whatever.
DF; what is there to say, it helps, but is not crucial to be a great PSer. Now to
running a PSer. If he is an offensive fighter 10-10-10 Dec. all the way through the
fight, even in desperation. If Defensive, 1st 10-10-10 Resp., 2nd 10-7-10 Dec., 3rd
10-10-10, 4th 10-10-10 Dec., 5th 10-10-10 Dec., 6th 10-10-10, Desp. 10-10-10 Resp.
Remember, first you want to assure your defense, and to do that, you should go
defensive the first minute. By the second minute you will be secure enough to go on
the offensive, but experiment. 6th minute on, leave blank, for by that time he/she
will know what to do (if their WT is high that is.) The best thing you could do for
your fighter is watch the fights, if you are getting more defensive skills than
offensive, run the def., or change weapons. That is the best advice I can give you
about PSers. About armor, I like to use ringmail or nothing, but experiment. I know
that there is someone that will disagree with me, but I feel that I have given you
some ideas about this fighting style that can be used, even though I am a new manager,
playing for just over a year. No matter who writes a style article, it is just
advice, not the bible. Just use the articles as a point of reference, not as sworn
law.
This is a very fun fighting style, try it out. I have written this in answer to
Foreign Legion Arena 31, and The Spartans Arena 8. I challenge any Primus Manager to
correct my writing of PSers. It is not my favorite style, but it is as fun as any
other that I have used, including my favorite one (Which is a STRIKER!!) If there are
any comments, please Diplo The Priest, the manager of The Heroes of XIAN DM-10, or The
Crucifiers DM-46.
THE ARMOR PIERCING PARRY-LUNGE
When you think "attack" what style comes to mind? Bashing? Definitely lunging?
Of course. Parry-Lunging? Excuse me? Yes, the parry-lunger! Few people realize the
fact that parry-lungers are attack gods waiting to be born. All it takes is the right
warrior and lots of guts. This warrior is not for the weak of heart. We'll begin
with stats.
Range Perfect
ST 9-11 11
CN 5-9 5
SZ 6-11 8
WT 17or21 21
WL 17or21 17
SP 5-8 5
DF 15-17 17
Why?
ST(11): This is your optimum PL strength. It puts your warrior in the normal to
good damage range. Also, you have the best PL weapon at your disposal--the LO!
CN(5): Yes, his life expectancy is low. What'd I tell you? Guts, right? He
gets his endurance from WL. If you want to make trains, make them here.
SZ(8): Our most flexible stat. A high SZ (i.e.11) allows you to skimp a bit on
Str (9).
WT(21): If it's not a 21 you're not going to get the attack this fellow counts
on. His learns will be awesome and a 21 WT will make him a better warrior out of the
chocks.
WL(17): End/Att are dependent on this one being high. Keeps you on your feet
when you should drop from exhaustion.
SP(5): Not a big requirement. Init and Parry will come from elsewhere (WT/DF).
This is not a lunger mimic.
DF(17): Combine this DF with a 21 WT and you will have a massive attack.
Pinpoint accuracy is the byword. Parry, init, def and riposte will all benefit
immeasurably. At 15 you have access to the EP, a fine lunging weapon this style can
put to devastating use.
Strategy (General, but effective in most cases)
2 9 9 7 6 5 10
6 9 9 7 6 5 10
2 7 7 7 5 5 10
HE ---------------------------->
HE BD ----------------------->
- - - - - - -
P - - - - - -
Minute 1: This fellow won't get the jump on offensives, so we'll just go
defensive and render their "mad minute" fruitless. This PL's counterattack will be
amazing at even 2-6-2 P due to the high AL. Keep the parry tactic until Adv Expert
parry is gained.
Minutes 2 and 3: These two will end most of his fights. When he starts landing
precision blows in his opponent's face it will usually be over quickly. Keep the kill
desire relatively low as to avoid sloppy attacking.
Minutes 4 through 6: If you haven't won by now you've got to depend on your WL
to carry you until you finish the job. He'll probably top out at the five min. mark.
But we want to keep the attacks coming so we do so at his endurance's expense.
Desp: If your opponent is an offensive he's probably blasted through your min. 1
defense. Your best bet is to go spastic and hope to take him out in one shot or so.
If he's some super-defensive (scum) this PL is probably exhausted and you're hoping
the super-offense will put him over the edge. After all, it's better to burn out than
fade away.
Always aim for the head to maximize the impact of your blows. If it tickles your
fancy, aim for your opponent's weapon arm and beat him senseless when he's unarmed.
Protecting the head in min. 1 is strictly odds playing on my part. My offensives aim
head so I assume everyone else's do too. After min. 1, we forget defense.
Weapons and armor are simple. APL/H or ARM/H (if you're challenging a real
heavy-hitter). I prefer swords for armament. My combos are usually LO/SM, LO/SH,
SC/DA etc. Against heavy armor go with LO/SH. Always aim for the head.
Philosophy: This guy clings to life by luck, early on, and will never be free of
the spectre of death. In his first few fights stay away from lungers and bashers.
Both have high attacks and usually do substantial damage. Prey on strikers, PS, PR
and slashers. As he progresses, his attack, parry and defense will equip him with the
tools to handle most everybody but always remain cautious of those bashers and
lungers.
A PL of this calibre should begin with around a 90 att, 70 par/init and 60-70
def. Decise and riposte will be slightly lower. Riposte 50 and decise anywhere from
35-50 depending on how lucky you get. Train skills exclusively from fight one and on.
Use tourneys if you must raise anything at all (including con).
Don't be discouraged if he's around .500 early on. By ten fights he'll be
sporting three Adv Experts at least (att, par and init) and will begin to dismantle
those scum/finesse styles that managed to beat him. Feel free to write or diplo me
with comments/criticisms/or questions.
Fight the Good Fight,
or: Agath
CPL Michael Dockus Lunatic Fringe (23)
H Co BLT 2/8 Circle of Five (51)
24 MEU (Det F) Slaves of Power (52)
FPO NY NY 09502-8531