DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 04/29/2006 Duedate: 05/12/2006 NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA DM-93 TURN-207 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS VINDAL ZAIR MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) (93-8137) [6-2-0,52] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader POSITION IS EMPTY VINDAL ZAIR MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) (93-8137) [6-2-0,52] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite YOLAN BETTS URVON YOLE MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) (93-8139) [6-2-0,41] (93-8136) [4-4-0,23] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) 49 2. RAVEN'S LOFT (1406) 19 BANE'S CHILDREN (235) 3. FIST FIGHTERS GANG (1405) 0 Unchartered Team 4. MOLLUQ'S MARAUDERS (1397) 0 5. TEAM COUNTRY (1407) -22 MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 1*MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) 27 12 0 69.2 1/ 1*MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) 12 3 0 2/ 2*RAVEN'S LOFT (1406) 13 10 1 56.5 2/ 2*RAVEN'S LOFT (1406) 8 5 0 3- 4*FIST FIGHTERS GAN (1405) 12 12 3 50.0 3- 3*FIST FIGHTERS GAN (1405) 3 2 1 4- 6*MOLLUQ'S MARAUDER (1397) 16 17 2 48.5 4/ 4*TEAM COUNTRY (1407) 3 12 0 5/ 3*TEAM COUNTRY (1407) 12 16 2 42.9 5- 6*MOLLUQ'S MARAUDER (1397) 2 3 0 '*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn (###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank TEAM SPOTLIGHT * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * ---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===--- Duelmasters ----------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 540): DJESEE of THE MONGOLOIDS (Otis the Drunk, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 540): AGGRANDIZIN ANNE of HIGH JINKS (Jondeaux, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 534): MEAT GRINDER of MEAT MARKET (?, mgr.) DM 16 WILLAF (turn 536): POSITION IS EMPTY DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 534): MAXIMUS of HEROESANDFOUNDONES (The Judge, mgr.) DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 532): JILL OPPY of FUNKY FOLK (Papa Bear, mgr.) DM 28 SLAUGHTER PRIEST MEM (turn 266): CAM SHAFT of OTTO'S MECHANICS (Crip, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 525): ACCO of CROC FILES (THawk, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 264): BUSTER BUNNY of LOONY TOONS (Rascally Rabbit, mgr.) DM 32 ARVAT (turn 522): GRETH of RILL'S GCSC2 (Rillion, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 520): LIONESS of DARK TOADS II (TigToad, mgr.) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 511): BUMP 'N' JUMP of FLIPPERS ARCADE (Huckle Cat, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 473): TIRRAJ of THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 241): HOT LIPS of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.) DM 47 SCOMSS SWAMP (turn 236): WHITE SETTLER of NATURAL B. KILLERS 2 (Maximillian) DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 223): YAIWE of DARK SIDHE (Daehir, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 401): TOE of GET (JE, mgr.) DM 61 JURINE (turn 380): SCYTHE of BLADES OF TERROR (Soultaker, mgr.) DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 366): KARELLO of LETHAL HERITAGE (Lord Xiang, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 171): APPLE DANISH of WORLDWIDE GORE (Crip, mgr.) DM 74 DAIYLA KIV (turn 337): CAT STEVENS of ARENA FELINES (Garfield, mgr.) DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 334): SHORT ROCK of SAND DANCERS (Lorana, mgr.) DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 321): REDD of THE LEGENDS (Loch Ness, mgr.) ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 426): NIGHTFALL of DARKLINGS from DAIYLA KIV (Mila, mgr.) Top Teams --------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 540): SOLITAIRE (The Dark One, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 540): HIGH JINKS (Jondeaux, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 534): DARK CREATION (Herbert Philip Lovecraft West, mgr.) DM 16 WILLAF (turn 536): GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.) DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 534): HEROESANDFOUNDONES (The Judge, mgr.) DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 532): FUNKY FOLK (Papa Bear, mgr.) DM 28 SLAUGHTER PRIEST MEM (turn 266): THE PENTARCHY (Le Pentarque, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 525): CROC FILES (THawk, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 264): none DM 32 ARVAT (turn 522): PHILANTHROPISTS (Aragorn, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 520): SACKETT'S & CO. (Barnabas, mgr.) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 511): CHILDREN OF LLYR (Jorja, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 473): THE FIVE RONIN (Bones, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 241): A DEAL'S A DEAL (Applejack, mgr.) DM 47 SCOMSS SWAMP (turn 236): OLD HABITS (Father O'Malley, mgr.) DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 223): DRUID'S GROVE (Talon Warsmith, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 401): GET (JE, mgr.) DM 61 JURINE (turn 380): BLADES OF TERROR (Soultaker, mgr.) DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 366): SAND DANCERS (Lani, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 171): FAMILY JEWELS (Gem Genius, mgr.) DM 74 DAIYLA KIV (turn 337): SAND DANCERS (Olinda, mgr.) DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 334): HUE AND CRY (Noachian, mgr.) DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 321): THE LEGENDS (Loch Ness, mgr.) ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 426): MEOW MIX, etc. (Ultraist, mgr.) Recent Graduates ----------------- DM 28 SLAUGHTER PRIEST MEM (turn 266): MR. CHOMP CHOMP of THE PENTARCHY (Le Pentarque, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 524): MOLLY of CROC FILES (THawk, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 264): NINJATO of SAMURAI KIDS II (Sensei Jan, mgr.) (turn 263): BRILLIANT ORANGE of UNFIT TO BE ORCS (Slugbait, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 520): CLINCH of SACKETT'S & CO. (Barnabas, mgr.) (turn 519): KID RODELO of SACKETT'S & CO. (Barnabas, mgr.) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 511): HUCKLE CAT of BUSY, BUSYTOWN (Huckle Cat, mgr.) DM 47 SCOMSS SWAMP (turn 235): BOMBADIL of FREEDONIA (Mr. Snarky, mgr.) DUELMASTER'S COLUMN Notes from the arena champ. Hello everybody, This is Naruto here. I have only been fighting in this Arena for a little while now and I am happy to see that there is some good competition out there. I look forward to fighting the veterans like Middle Way 14 and Molluq's Marauders and also any of the new teams. I haven't been fighting long and any advice as to how I can do my best as Duelmaster would be extremely helpful. I look forward to the competition. Naruto of Team Country SPY REPORT Well, what are you looking at, NOBLISH ISLAND? Ain't you never seen Snide Clemens before? Ah, shaddup and listen to my news. Of course, we're all terribly impressed to see TONAR WADE win a fight and gain 17 points, terribly. Tsk, tsk, TONAR WADE beat NARUTO and NARUTO lost 14 points. You're breakin' my heart. Our last turn's Duelmaster has lost, folks, lost to CONVICTED ASSASSIN, and COUNTRY has made the way for a new Duelmaster! With COUNTRY clearing the throne, MIDDLE WAY 14 of VINDAL ZAIR takes a proud seat as NOBLISH ISLAND's new Duelmaster, by virtue of recognition points. Kickbacks and bribes, kickbacks and bribes, how else do you think some of these guys win their fights? Skill? Ha! Well, let's take a look at some more misdeeds of you miserable sword-boys. YOLAN BETTS was challenged more times this turn than the Duelmaster. Now was the DM insulted or feared? Heh, heh. Ah, now we come to my favorite part, where we see all the guys who are dead and gone, and get to see if their team cared. So, MIDDLE WAY 14, just going to let WORREL ARELLIN rot in peace are we? Bye bye Bloodfeud, hello gloating arrogant COUNTRY. Titanium shields and bamboo daggers, guess what brave team is developing these kinds of weapons? What does the NOBLISH ISLAND arena have in common with the inns? It's just as comfortable to sleep in either place. Ha ha ha ha! Phlllt! Just had to do that before I leave the fine city of NOBLISH ISLAND. I feel much better now. I see the crowds are getting restless, I must leave now-- Snide Clemens DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME VINDAL ZAIR 8137 6 2 0 52 MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME COUNTRY 8127 4 2 1 47 TEAM COUNTRY (1407) TONAR WADE 8135 6 2 0 44 MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) YOLAN BETTS 8139 6 2 0 41 MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME NARUTO 8128 3 3 0 33 TEAM COUNTRY (1407) -ASHANNA 8075 5 2 1 30 MOLLUQ'S MARAUDERS (1397) -BOLOQ 8073 4 3 1 29 MOLLUQ'S MARAUDERS (1397) AMIDAMARU 8126 4 2 0 28 TEAM COUNTRY (1407) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME URVON YOLE 8136 4 4 0 23 MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) GRIMTOOTH 8123 3 2 1 22 RAVEN'S LOFT (1406) YINDELLE BETTS 8177 2 1 0 22 MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) LEENON 8178 2 0 0 22 RAVEN'S LOFT (1406) -JACK OF BLADES 8118 3 2 2 21 FIST FIGHTERS GANG (1405) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME PRINZ 8121 3 2 0 19 RAVEN'S LOFT (1406) -TWINBLADE 8116 2 3 0 17 FIST FIGHTERS GANG (1405) -TARIQ 8074 2 5 0 17 MOLLUQ'S MARAUDERS (1397) -THUNDER 8115 4 1 1 14 FIST FIGHTERS GANG (1405) ELLA 8122 3 2 0 11 RAVEN'S LOFT (1406) -BRUNO 8119 2 3 0 9 FIST FIGHTERS GANG (1405) KURAMA 8129 1 4 1 8 TEAM COUNTRY (1407) -RODRIQ 8168 1 0 0 8 MOLLUQ'S MARAUDERS (1397) ROCK LEE 8174 0 3 0 3 TEAM COUNTRY (1407) MON AMI 8179 0 2 0 2 RAVEN'S LOFT (1406) -MAGE 8163 0 2 0 2 FIST FIGHTERS GANG (1405) -MALISSA 8167 0 1 0 1 MOLLUQ'S MARAUDERS (1397) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? WORREL ARELLIN 8138 3 1 0 MIDDLE WAY 14 1409 COUNTRY 8127 203 NOT REVE RAND NOX 8120 1 1 0 RAVEN'S LOFT 1406 JACK OF BLADES 8118 204 ZOLOF 8124 1 1 0 RAVEN'S LOFT 1406 ASHANNA 8075 204 PERSONAL ADS Middle Way -- Looks like I went a little hard on Worrel. Sorry about that. -- Countoy Vindal -- Next time we meet you may be the lucky one...but I doubt it. -- Naruto Moloq -- Thoguth the former Duelmaster would've put up more of a fight. -- Naruto Middle Way -- We are not out to get you. We just wanted to go after our biggest competition first. It's always a pleasure battling you. Keep up the good work. And sorry about Worrel. -- Team Country Rock Lee -- You might try a shortsword, or a pair of hatchets (one in each hand), as likely to work better for you. Or train the stat that is lacking. Yes, this does "burn skills" and at least potentially reduce your effectiveness at the upper end of the game. But let's face it, you, personally are probably never going to see the upper end of the game. Your job is to stay alive and give your manager enjoyment. So the heck with burned skills. Train to make yourself effective right NOW. -- Yindelle Betts Kung Pow -- That kind of thing happens. Sometimes you do it all right, and you still lose. -- Vindal Zair P.S. Did you actually CHOOSE to be a six-foot-two dwarf, or did the Commission, in their blind refusal to recognize the facts, foist that racial assessment on you? It was funny the first time, which was many, many years ago, but there are way too man beanpole dwarves around these days. Ashanna -- That was well done, except that you should have learned some skills. -- Urvon Yole P.S. Don't forget that to learn skills, you must be training skills. I know, it sounds obvious, doesn't it? But there have been new players who didn't realize this. Also, if you're training stats, the longer you work on some one stat, the harder it gets. The first time you train any given stat, your percent chance of success is equal to your will times five (WL x 5). But the second time you train that same stat, your chance drops to half the first time (WL x 2.5). And the third time, to half the second time (WL x 1.25), and so on. But each stat develops individually, by which I mean, say that you've trained ST to where you're satisfied and/or have reached the point of diminishing returns. Say you've had three trains, and the next one will one-eighth the original chance of success. If you switch over to train CN, you're starting back at the beginning with the full WL x 5. Ah, and another thing that might not be obvious. Say your WL is 10, and your first-train chance of success is then 50%. So you train your WL, and you succeed. Now your will is eleven. Any further trains will then be based on numbers developed from a WL of 11 rather than 10. The multiplier, the x 5 or x 2.5 or whatever, remains in the original sequence for each stat. But the number to which the multiplier is applied, your WL, is whatever your WL is AT THE TIME YOU MAKE THE TRAIN. Tariq -- For a warrior of your style, under unskilled management, you're doing well. Yours is a difficult style and tends to do better with experience. Mine is an easy style that tends to do less well when the opponents have more experience, but that's my grief. Jorja hates me. I can tell. -- Yolan Betts Manager of Molluq's Marauders -- Seriously, it is easier, when inexperienced, to do well with the simple styles: bashers, lungers, slasher, strikers, and total parries. The other styles are rightly called the "finesse styles," and they take more skill, more luck, or both. -- Jorja Loosey -- If you need that much armor, you should probably be training your CN. -- Tonar Wade Look, you guys, you want help, ask questions. That's the whole IDEA of Noblish Island! -- Jorja, the Middle Way P.S. Writing a personal is easy, and the response will be just as fast OR FASTER than to a diplo. 28 March 2006 We of the Desolate Empire Alliance want to welcome two managers to our fold. Kon of the Empire Rising, and Osiris! May they be blessed with the blood of their enemies, and give no quarter in War! -- Dark Knights of the Desolate Empire 11 April 2006 To all those lookin' for some easy pickins: I, Elfwine, manager of The Shallowship, the most feared team in all of Jhelum, invite all who seek wide open spaces for pubs and other such establishments of limited debauchery, to visit this deserted city and help me clear up some of the dust. I'm just about ready to have my guys face off against each other to get some new action. Guess I'd better join a tournament or something...hmmmm, there's a thought. LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS AMIDAMARU was bested by YOLAN BETTS in a 2 minute Challenge fight. COUNTRY was devastated by CONVICTED ASSASSIN in a 1 minute one-sided duel. NARUTO was overcome by TONAR WADE in a 2 minute gory match. VINDAL ZAIR vanquished AMBITIOUS GUARD in a popular 1 minute mismatched Title brawl. URVON YOLE subdued MON AMI in a 2 minute competition. GRIMTOOTH devastated ROCK LEE in a 1 minute one-sided duel. ELLA was bested by YINDELLE BETTS in a 2 minute amateur's match. PRINZ handily defeated KURAMA in a 2 minute uneven fight. LEENON vanquished CONVICTED THIEF in a 1 minute uneven duel. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |STRIKING ATTACK 4 PARRY-RIPOSTE 11 - 3 - 0 79 | |BASHING ATTACK 3 BASHING ATTACK 24 - 19 - 4 56 | |SLASHING ATTACK 3 PARRY-LUNGE 5 - 4 - 1 56 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 SLASHING ATTACK 18 - 16 - 2 53 | |AIMED BLOW 2 STRIKING ATTACK 17 - 19 - 0 47 | |TOTAL PARRY 1 TOTAL PARRY 7 - 9 - 1 44 | |PARRY-LUNGE 0 WALL OF STEEL 4 - 7 - 0 36 | |PARRY-STRIKE 0 AIMED BLOW 7 - 13 - 0 35 | |LUNGING ATTACK 0 LUNGING ATTACK 5 - 10 - 1 33 | |WALL OF STEEL 0 PARRY-STRIKE 3 - 8 - 0 27 | Turn 207 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are: PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 - 0 SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 2 4 BASHING ATTACK BASHING ATTACK 2 - 1 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 3 STRIKING ATTACK AIMED BLOW 1 - 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 2 AIMED BLOW STRIKING ATTACK 2 - 2 LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 0 1 SLASHING ATTACK TOTAL PARRY 0 - 1 1 PARRY-LUNGE WALL OF STEEL 0 - 0 TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME SLASHING ATTACK VINDAL ZAIR 8137 6 2 0 52 MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) BASHING ATTACK COUNTRY 8127 4 2 1 47 TEAM COUNTRY (1407) STRIKING ATTACK TONAR WADE 8135 6 2 0 44 MIDDLE WAY 14 (1409) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is YOLAN BETTS 8139. The most popular warrior this turn was URVON YOLE 8136. The ten other most popular fighters were YOLAN BETTS 8139, TONAR WADE 8135, VINDAL ZAIR 8137, YINDELLE BETTS 8177, PRINZ 8121, AMIDAMARU 8126, MON AMI 8179, GRIMTOOTH 8123, NARUTO 8128, and ELLA 8122. The least popular fighter this week was KURAMA 8129. The other ten least popular fighters were ROCK LEE 8174, COUNTRY 8127, LEENON 8178, ELLA 8122, NARUTO 8128, GRIMTOOTH 8123, MON AMI 8179, AMIDAMARU 8126, PRINZ 8121, and YINDELLE BETTS 8177. REALITY SIMULATIONS E-MAIL ADDRESSES For those of you who have e-mail access, you may find it more convenient to e-mail us! At this time, we cannot accept e-mailed strategy sheets, but we can accept your personal ads. If you would like to e-mail your personal ads, team spotlights, and DM columns, e-mail them to this address: ADS@REALITY.COM Our Customer Service Department has a separate e-mail address. If you have questions or any other requests, feel free to send us e-mail to this address: CSR@REALITY.COM Thank you. We wish you the best of luck in your games! -- RSI A NOTE ON MAILMEN In response to the articles on new fighting styles, those were good, but how can you forget our most favorite warrior who has a style all his own? The Mailman! To Duelmasters he is our most sacred person. I mean, how many of you managers out their have sat down and calculated what day your Duelmasters will arrive and have sat waiting for it to arrive, while unknown to you, your mailman is fighting away to get your Duelmasters delivered. Let's review him... ST - should be around 19. He needs to heft two medium bags, cloth mail armor and a ton of rubber bands. CN - 13, give or take a few. He does get bitten by dogs often. SZ - Any. WT - At least 10. He often likes to read the mail. WL - Try about 20. He must endure all kinds of weather. SP - 16 is good. He needs to run across streets in traffic. DF - 10 is good. Sometimes he has to carry packages. This setup should get you a good mailman but they are hard to come by. If you can come up with any better, diplo me. I am: Staple Gun mgr. of Technet (3) The New Deal (23) I am currently working on the U.P.S. and Federal Express warriors. "Strikers R Us" Greetings, everyone. It is I, Talon, again. I am very glad to see everyone participating in the arena and sharing their thoughts on styles and strategies. This turn I will take on the striking attack style, which is certainly one of my favorites. I believe the striker is one of the easiest styles to run, and one in which no team should be without. A high-powered striker can diversify and empower your team. A well run striker can beat any other style, period, at any level in regular Duelmasters. In arenas where scum TPs are rampant, strikers are just the answer as they can attack for up to 12 minutes or more. Strikers are versatile. They can do exceptionally well with a dagger as a weapon or with a halberd. They can do well with no armor or with plate armor. Stats: Biff Primal Solid Perfect ST 5-21 9-17 13 15 CN 3+ 3+ 6 3 SZ 9-21 3-17 9 5 WT 3-17 17 + 17 21 WL 9-17 13 + 17 15 SP 5+ 5-13 9 8 DF 9+ 9-17 13 17 With the way I design strikers, there are essentially two strikers that evolve. The BIFF and the PRIMAL. The Biff striker is typically one that is not looking long- term, but one which I want to run and have fun with. With this striker, I try to have one stat (wit, will, or deftness) which is extraordinary, one which is average, and the other ends up being at some non-normal level. Some examples of the Biff are: 10- 10-11-4-17-17-15, 7-11-17-17-11-6-15, 9-5-14-17-11-13-15, 4-8-17-15-13-10-17, and 21- 3-15-21-5-8-11. With these warriors, the emphasis is on having fun and learning more about the style. The Primal is essentially a Primus-quality warrior. In this category, the striker will be designed with stats that most other managers will gasp, "OH MY, WHY DID YOU MAKE HIM A STRIKER?" It is also the warrior that will be Duelmaster for 8 straight turns and will go to ADM with a 16-4-2 record, with 4 Masters and an Ad Ex. The key here is to create a warrior with AT LEAST a 17 wit and 15 deftness, along with a 13+ will and who will do normal damage or better. The goal with the Primal is a 21 wit and 17 deftness, because this will ensure a great warrior. Weapons and Armor: As for weapons, the best striking weapons that I have found and used are the dagger, epee, scimitar, broadsword, quarterstaff, greatsword, longsword, war hammer, and sometimes the short spear. I don't run my strikers with shields or off-hand weapons, as it takes away from their attack. The heaviest armor I will use is padded leather. Always wear a steel cap or a helm. Strategy (general): Min. 1 2 3 4 5 6+ Desp OE 10 8 6 6 6 5 5 AL 10 5 4 2 2 1 8 KD 6 8 6 6 6 5 5 attack arms/legs/head -- take your pick protect arms/legs/head -- take your pick off tactic decise, slash, bash, depending on weapon def tactic response is best; try dodge though. With this strategy, a striker with a normal endurance should fight for eight minutes as a scum TP and come out on top, outrageously victorious. Just match your weapon with your tactic and only use the tactics in minute one or desperation. If you have any further questions on this or any other style, feel free to diplo me. Talon, mgr. Eagle's Claw HOW I MADE DUELMASTER IN THREE EASY STEPS OR a new look for Aimed Blows Greetings and salutations, all. Here's a new twist on aimed blows I haven't seen before....one that works, at least for me! Here's what I did with Rex Walters, my first Duelmaster in the Free Blades transfer arena, DM 70. ST: 17 (for good damage, attack and parry skills) CN: 13 (gonna need every hit point he can get) SZ: 4 (smaller the better!) WT: 4 (overrated for aimed blows!) WL: 21 (if ya try this method, 17 is a MINIMUM) SP: 4 (ya want NO speed, none, nothing, zero!) DF: 21 (better max this one out too, at least a 19) You laugh at me? I started expert in both attack and parry! (OK, so I got lucky, I didn't expect either one of em.) But both are in reach with a little luck. Hey, if ya can get that strength to 21 you're almost guaranteed those experts... though a bit more CON would be nice. But how do I RUN this monstrosity, you may ask? Why, I'm glad you inquired! LOTS of armor. The hit points combined with, say, platemail should win this character a lot of fights. But, while I've picked up a few easy wins scumming, that's not really what this character does best. I use the only weapon Rex is well suited to: the bare hand. With an offhand small shield or shortsword, so I can take advantage of that expert parry rating. So: FI-SH, APM-H. And I run him at a 4 offensive effort, with a matching 4 activity level. He can last through the initial onslaught of nearly any offensive, then smash them.... like a good waste. And with that monster endurance and good damage, no one scums this warrior! I attack and protect the head, usually, and keep the kill desire high... 5-7 generally. Now, how to become Duelmaster? Well, step one is fight your first fight... and train your CON. Step two, now that you're in the arena, is get a fight with an up-and-coming young warrior from the Duelmaster's team... and kill them. (I randomly matched up with, and killed, a member of the incoming Duelmaster's team...luck helps, ya know.) Offensives that wear themselves out but haven't quite dropped are the easiest to kill. Then, when the Duelmaster comes at you (bragging about how he "only" needs to beat you twice to assure his ascension to the Isle) you stomp him. Badly. Once you're on that lofty throne he won't even be able to bloodfeud you, since you can bet he's not gonna be anywhere near the challenger champions after losing to a 2-fight warrior (just ask Ciron of ENDS WITH IRON, now in AD). There are drawbacks, of course. Once you get to that level, odds are you're gonna get stomped like a stuck pig (I was most challenged 2 turns in a row after this trick... Oo! I love mixed metaphors...) But... even a 4 wit warrior can learn skills against gladiators with 50 fights! Rex is now 7-3-1. All three losses have come against warriors now in AD. In those ten matches, he's trained his strength and constitution once each, and learned twenty skills, including his adex in both parry and attack. And boy, is it fun humiliating some of those "gods" bound for AD! What else can one do with this warrior? Well, Rex is, get this, well suited to an off-hand epee! He wouldn't dare use one as a primary weapon, but its a great off- hand toy... Does he have what it takes to be a long-term winner? Who knows? He's probably the DUMBEST aimed blow to ever make Duelmaster... He's in the Challenger Champions and climbing....and he'll meet ya in AD! Amazingly enough, this is not an isolated fluke. We entered a similar warrior into Bloodgames (with the 4's as 3's, and a bit more CON). That warrior, Jalon, is now in AD after going 9-1-5 and finishing on TOP of his Bloodgames arena. Ah, just thought I'd mention I have had a second bare-handed Duelmaster, now... Seeker Still Water in DM 74 is an open-hand lunger, Duelmaster at 8-1... but that's another story... --Khyron mgr., Pitt Gladiators (2,29,56,103) Jayhawks (70) Silent Storm (65,74,75) and numerous others.... THE WALL OF STEEL AS A BERSERKER This article is for newer players; more experienced managers will, I'm sure, have much more sophisticated ideas about warrior design and strategy. This will enable a newbie to design a competent warrior who should be able to achieve a better than 50/50 record. The wall of steel, or "waste," is often considered the second scummiest style in Duelmasters. I love the style, but I don't run mine that way; I prefer to think of the waste as a fierce dervish ripping into his opponent like an airplane propeller. In accordance with this view, most walls of steel that I design couldn't scum if they wanted to (well all right, sometimes it happens by accident if the opposing warrior is going all-out and can't last very long). It's fun to run them fast; they get the jump on people who don't expect it of them, and their fights are exciting. Mind you, they don't win as much as if they ran more defensively, but the ones with good stats still do okay (I'll make practically anything a waste and run it, but this article isn't about the ones that a sane manager would DA). So, here is a design for a competent wall of steel: ST 13+ Needed for endurance, damage doing, and weapon selection. CN 9+ You need a passably good con for endurance. SZ 7+ Teeny weenie wastes don't hit hard enough or take enough damage. Real big (15+) is bad because it hurts endurance. WT 13+ Preferably 17. Like any other style, the smarter they are, the better. WL 17+ Needed for endurance, damage-taking, and sheer grit. 21 is recommended. SP 3+ Whatever. DF 7+ Higher deftness is better, but you can get by without it. As you can see, these are fairly easy requirements. Of course, the more wit, will, and deftness, the better your waste will be (same as any other style). If you don't end up with at least good endurance on the overview, the warrior probably isn't going to do very well. With that high will, though, you can bump con a couple of times and you might get good endurance, so there's still a chance. Choose your weapons based on deftness, and your opponent's armor weight. I normally use something like 0-8 SC, 9-12 BS, 13+ GA, backup SC or BS. No shield. Some other good weapons for the waste are QS (only takes 11 ST, and can hit heavy armor), MS, and BA. The war flail isn't a very good weapon, but you can play with it against leather armor. For armor, I usually choose something middling like ARM & H, but will go with APL & H if he has a lot of con. For strategy--I heard a rumor (NOT confirmed) that a wall of steel gets a bonus if his OE equals his KD. Since I don't like to use a kill desire above 6, I don't go by that in the first couple of minutes. Keep the activity level moderate to low; the waste doesn't need to jump around a lot and the way he keeps his weapon moving, he's burning a lot of endurance without that added drain. Attack and defend the arms, like a slasher; a waste is a sort of parry-slasher. A typical strategy for my wastes might look like this: Minute 1 2 3 4 5 6 Desp Offensive 9 8 7 6 5 5 2 Activity 6 5 4 3 2 1 6 Kill des. 6 6 6 6 5 5 2 Att. loc. RA LA RA LA RA LA RA Pro. loc. AM AM AM AM AM AM HE Off tac. none -- -- -- -- -- -- Def tac. -- -- -- -- -- -- P I play with the numbers a lot, depending on what the warrior seems to like. For example, if he doesn't parry too well, I'll give him a more offensive desperation strategy, like 8-4-8-slash. (If I really like a warrior I sometimes use a 7+ KD to try and save his life.) If he never manages to get the jump on anybody, I'll try running him more defensively, like with a first minute of 3-6-3. It's not as much fun as going all out, but it's more fun than losing all the time. You can challenge pretty much any style (lungers aren't recommended). When fighting a warrior you know to be very defensive (a TP, or a scummy variety of PS, PR, PL, or WS), slow down or you will be scummed. For the most part, though, an offensive waste is very versatile and can beat any style. The better his important qualities are (WT, WL, DF, endurance), the better the quality of warriors he can defeat. In other words, if you have a so-so rollup that barely made the minimum requirements, challenge so-so opponents. If you have a good rollup, go for the gold. Challenge warriors with a few more fights than you, so you'll learn plenty of skills--but don't challenge way way up in experience, because it's no fun to lose a good warrior. For the most part, train skills--especially on your challenge strategy, when you're going after someone with more fights! And for sure on the first fight, because you'll likely be matched against someone who can teach you a lot. It's okay to train con once in a while if you need more endurance and damage-taking; and if you have bad luck on the rollup and get "does little damage" or something, you might have to train strength once or twice (no more!). But it's best not to train any other stats until way, way down the road. Ask your DM sponsor or any experienced manager in your arena for more advice (if they tell you I'm full of hot air, they're probably right). A little bit of good advice from a more advanced player can make a big difference in your enjoyment of the game! If you have any questions or suggestions, you can diplo: the She-Puppy, mgr. Mordant Prison DM-1, and others.