DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 09/30/2006    Duedate: 10/13/2006

NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA

DM-93    TURN-218

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

MAORAKITH
HELLSWORN (1421)
(93-8214) [7-2-1,75]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

POSITION IS EMPTY              MAORAKITH
                               HELLSWORN (1421)
                               (93-8214) [7-2-1,75]

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

BELISSA HOUGH                  DORTHA JANETTO
MIDDLE WAY 15 (1427)           MIDDLE WAY 15 (1427)
(93-8241) [5-4-0,38]           (93-8243) [5-4-0,30]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

HELLSWORN (1421)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. TEAM CHAOS (1416)           46
2. MISFIT CREW (1417)          24      DARK TOADS II (725)
3. FOLLOWER'S OF XOAN (1441)   23      Unchartered Team
4. ORDO HERETICUS (1420)       20
5. GODS OF WAR (1446)          16      HELLSWORN (1421)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 2*HELLSWORN (1421)          30  15  2 66.7   1/ 1*HELLSWORN (1421)         12  3 2
 2/ 3*ORDO HERETICUS (1420)     12   6  1 66.7   2/ 2*INDIGO CIPHER (1445)      9  5 0
 3/ 1*INDIGO CIPHER (1445)       9   5  0 64.3   3/ 3*MARIONETTE PETS (1433)    8  6 0
 4/ 6*MARIONETTE PETS (1433)    14  10  2 58.3   4/ 4*MIDDLE WAY 15 (1427)      8  7 0
 5/ 5*MIDDLE WAY 15 (1427)      23  21  0 52.3   5/ 7*ORDO HERETICUS (1420)     6  3 1
 6/ 8*MISFIT CREW (1417)        16  16  5 50.0   6/ 6*TEAM CHAOS (1416)         6  9 0
 7/ 4*GODS OF WAR (1446)         5   5  1 50.0   7/ 8*GODS OF WAR (1446)        5  5 1
 8- 7*THE TOMAHAWKS (1432)       3   3  0 50.0   8/ 5*CANOE CLUB (1434)         4 10 0
 9/10*TEAM CHAOS (1416)         17  28  0 37.8   9/ 9*MISFIT CREW (1417)        2  0 0
10/ 9*CANOE CLUB (1434)          7  16  0 30.4  10/10*FOLLOWER'S OF XOA (1441)  2  6 0
11/11*FOLLOWER'S OF XOA (1441)   2   6  0 25.0  11/11*MARAUDER'S FIVE (1443)    1  8 0
12/ 0*THE DAIKEN TADA (152)      2  10  1 16.7  12-12*THE TOMAHAWKS (1432)      0  1 0
13/12*MARAUDER'S FIVE (1443)     1   8  0 11.1  13/ 0*THE DAIKEN TADA (152)     0  1 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[ +

     I thought I'd say a few words today about styles and challenges.  You have all
seen--or will see before you leave Noblish Island (it runs on turns numbered ending
in 3), this chart (and I thank Magic Man for making it available):

                         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

     I consider this chart to be a fertile topic for debate, possibly even
acrimonious debate.  There is some truth in it, I don't dispute that.  And it is to
this chart, usually, that managers refer when they speak of some warrior having "the
style advantage" over another.  But I believe that other factors than style are at
least as important, and perhaps MORE important, such as the relative skill of the two
managers and two warriors involved.
     But, as I say, there is some truth in it, especially where the managers and
warriors are on a level of experience.  Therefore, information on the styles of other
warriors in a given arena is important, so you can gauge your challenges and avoids
to give you the best chances for winning.  This is one of the things alliances do for
their members--provide a forum for exchanging style information.  It is also the
reason why experienced managers generally regard it is bad form to reveal a warrior's
style in the personals.  [Exceptions to this--when the warrior in question has been a
stylemaster, and when the warrior in question is graduating.]  Style information is
valuable; you, or somebody, fought to get it, so it shouldn't be given away.
     But there's more to "style knowledge" than simply being able to say, "X has the
style advantage over Y."  You have to use your information.  Note that "offensive
warriors" are bashers, lungers, strikers, and slashers.  Defensive styles are those
with "parry" in their names.  Aimed Blows and Walls of Steel are ambiguous and may be
considered--and run--either way.
     If you KNOW or even just suspect that you have an offensive warrior who will be
facing a defensive warrior, you can adjust your strategy accordingly.  You change
your armor and the speed with which you're running the warrior to pace him for a long
haul, perhaps.  (And this is the adjustment that most often needs to be made.)
     Or if you've got an offensive warrior facing another offensive, you can do the
same--slow your warrior's pace--and hope to take out your opponent in the second
minute when he's gasping for breath.  Of course, you have to survive the first minute
somehow.  More armor, perhaps, or defenisve tactics.  But it's a fact that,
especially in the lower levels of the game, many offensive warriors DO burn out by
the end of the first minute or shortly thereafter.  So if you're paced for that, you
may be surprised at some of the wins you can get.

Jorja
The Middle Way

           +<]H[>+-----+<]H[+ Question of the Week #10 +]H[>+-----+<]H[>+

The Question, Aruak City (dm 11), turn 426:

If a warrior is wearing plate and he is hit on the hand or ankle does he get the same
amount of protection?  It seems to me the most you could wear on your hand is
Chainmail. -- Hanibal, Q.O.W.

The Answers, turn 427:

Q.O.W. -- I think if you wear armor of chainmail or lighter, the protection to your
limbs is limited, certainly not to a degree equal to the armor you are wearing over
the body.  But I think with platemail or full plate, the armor protects your limbs
well.  Gauntlets, which I imagine being used with platemail and up, are steel plates,
so they protect better than chain.  I think this is played out well in our fighters'
fights.  I've seen chain wearing warriors who are tough go down with one shot to the
leg, while the same warrior in platemail takes one or two more hits.  You'd be
surprised at how well medieval gauntlets' metal plates flexed for hand movement. --
Adie

QoW -- When using heavy armor, the limbs seem to be less well protected than the
chest and abdomen.  I base this observation mainly on the number of ineffective
("bounced") hits seen against the torso compared to the limbs.  The lighter armors
don't seem to have this difference. -- Generalissimo Puerco

Hannibal -- Questions!  Great, I've missed them.  Unfortunately, I can't offer much
help on this.  I do know that to rely on "it would logically seem that" is the way to
get into trouble, unfortunately.  After all, it would logically seem that a basher
should be well-suited to using the fist, and this is not so.  So I can't guess about
the "armor for hands and feet" question. -- Leeta

Hannibal -- Take a good look at a suit of full plate some time. ; Everything EXCEPT
the head is protected, unless you're wearing a helmet of some sort as well.  If
you're going to have warriors wearing APA, you better put them in a Helm or a Full
Helm as well, otherwise you may as well send them out in leather.  A hit to an
unarmored head and your APA is worthless. -- Talon, War-Priest of Mantor the Bright

The Question, Aruak City (dm 11), turn 427:

All -- I was looking at a fight a few turns ago with Predator (Broadsword fav).  In
min 1 he attacked 12 times w/ BS and only 1 crit.  Min 2 six normal attacks, weapons
breaks, pulls his epee and throws three crits in a row.  He always threw more crits
using an epee even though he is -6 in Deftness to use it.  He used a BS in two other
fights with no crits.  This makes me wonder; are favorites generated after your
warrior graduates? -- Hanibal Q.O.W.

The Answers, turn 428:

Q.O.W. -- From my understanding, favorite weapons are generated when your warrior is
created, and the bonuses are applied in basic.  However, I have experienced similiar
situations to what you have seen with Predator.  I have a lunger who never seemed to
throw a crit with the short spear, but constantly threw crits with the longspear even
though he wasn't quite suited to it in strength or deftness.  I felt certain the
longspear was his favorite weapon because of this, and was highly shocked when upon
graduation the shortspear was listed as his weapon of choice. -- the Outsider

Hanibal, Q.O.W. -- From what I have experienced and discussed with other managers,
fighting rhythm, weapon, learns and tactics are determined upon creation.  Did you
change rhythms during any of these fights?  Was your attack rating high or low at the
time?  If all is the same, and you throw more crits with an epee, maybe you should
send your "favorite weapon" to hell and go with what works.  After all, the whole
point of finding your fave weapon is to increase your crit percentage.  Although, it
would be nice to have BS crits over the EP crits (except for the knockdowns!) -- Dr.
Strange

QoW -- Well, now you're understanding why I don't make too much of an effort to try
to find a warrior's "favorite" weapon.  Finding a weapon they win with is much more
important, and Predator certainly had no problem winning.  I think people have had
enough cases where a suspected favorite weapon was confirmed to suggest that a
warrior's favorites are determined before AD, but the exceptions such as Predator's
are numerous.  I'll bet Adie will have more to say on this matter, since it seems
like it happens to her warriors a lot. -- Generalissimo Puerco

Q.o.W. (Fav Weapons) -- I was the closest thing the KoV had to somebody who found
their favorite weapon in basic.  But since I got my advanced master in attack so soon
it's hard to tell.  We really haven't noticed our warriors having a favorite weapon
in basic.  I personally think there may be something to what you're saying.  But I
think most people believe that it's there all along. -- Maxwell Honorblade

Hanibal's Question of the Week -- No, favorites are generated when the warrior is
first created.  Unless you get a favorites-prize and use it on a warrior, his
favorites always and forever remain what they were at the time of generation. --
Leeta

Q.O.W -- BS favorite and no crits sounds typical for a lot of warriors.  Or GA...or
BA...or even SC.  Sometimes, favorite weapons just don't serve.  I have a WS in
Primus with GA favorite and Grandmaster Attack who throws more normals than crits
with her favorite.  To make matters worse, I have a LU in Primus with Archmaster
Attack who still throws normals...with her favorite and with LO.  Some warriors, in
my experience, just don't throw crits like they should.  Others will go crazy with
their favorite weapon in basic, right from the start.  I've discovered many favorite
weapons that way over the years...then again, I've also THOUGHT I'd discovered a
favorite, only to have them be something else.  I've always thought that somewhere, a
bit is kept with each warrior for how experienced they are with any given weapon...
and if you use a weapon enough, you get better with it (skills not withstanding).  I
can't prove it, but watching some of my LS and SS, SH and MS favorite warriors using
SC and LO, you see improvement over time, even when they aren't getting more attack.
-- Talon Warsmith, Epee favorite <grin>

Hanibal, Q.O.W., favorites are born with the warrior.  It's just that sometimes they
seem hard to believe. -- Kennelworth

Q.O.W. -- I've always understood that a warrior's favorite weapon is generated right
at the beginning.  I have however, had the similar experience of throwing more crits
with a non-fav weapon. -- Anti

                                 DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
                             Notes from the arena champ.

Islanders,

     Well my second column didn't make the newsletter, so let's give it another shot.
Hellsworn went 5-0 and I retain again!!  Whooo!!
     From where I sit, it looks like nothing but standbys the rest of my time on
Noblish Island, so eat my dust.

                                                        Your Champ,
                                                               Maorakith

                                      SPY REPORT

     Ready for some action-packed adventure, some thrills, chills and spills?  Well 
fergit it, cause this is the Spyreport for NOBLISH ISLAND.  One team deserves special 
mention 'cause they moved up 0 after going 4-1-0.  Keep it up, MARIONETTE PETS!  Our 
Duelmaster has lost, folks, lost to VETERAN MERCENARY, BUT MAORAKITH is still the 
Duelmaster because he has the most recognition points!  I hear the top team insists 
all their warriors get nine hours sleep.  They want photogenic fighters for PR 
photos.   
     AAARRGH!!!  I HATE SPYREPORTING!!!  Sorry.  I just had to say it.  Like, is 
STRATUS popular, or what?  She was challenged the most in all of NOBLISH ISLAND!  
She's got a 3-6-0, is that good?  People were asking me did ANGUS REALLY challenge 
EDGILES KAPP?  (all right, maybe they didn't, but it sounded good!) It wasn't a 
spectacular fight, or anything, but EDGILES KAPP wants me to write about it since he 
was defeated by ANGUS.  Satisfied?  OBERON must not be a good enough fighter to get 
in fair fights.  He challenged FLAVIUS VALERIUS.  10 is a big difference.  (Well, 
that's what they tell me.) I thought OBERON showed great skill and promise when he 
beat FLAVIUS VALERIUS.  All right, so I slept through it!  Big deal!   
     Challenges, revenges, Bloodfeuds.  All NOBLISH ISLAND ever talks about is 
fighting!  Me, I'm more laid back.  AURORA bloodfeuded (is that a word?) SOLEMN GOLEM 
for revenge over some guy's bad fortune.  Was it really worth it?  What if they had a 
fight and nobody showed up?  I'd be out of a job, that's what!!!   
     I really didn't, you know, study when I was a kid.  Who would've guessed I'd be 
a famous Spyreporter?  I gotta leave.  NOBLISH ISLAND is like such a dump, and you 
guys smell too much!  Remember you guys, ease up sometimes!  Chill out!  Later, Debby 
Tonte  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 MAORAKITH 8214                7   2  1    75       HELLSWORN (1421)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 ANGUS 8280                    4   1  2    52       MISFIT CREW (1417)
 AURORA 8189                   6   3  0    45       TEAM CHAOS (1416)
 BAZTHRAX 8281                 6   1  0    45       HELLSWORN (1421)
 SINSTER MINSTER 8277          4   1  1    40       MARIONETTE PETS (1433)
 BELISSA HOUGH 8241            5   4  0    38       MIDDLE WAY 15 (1427)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 EDGILES KAPP 8244             7   2  0    30       MIDDLE WAY 15 (1427)
 DORTHA JANETTO 8243           5   4  0    30       MIDDLE WAY 15 (1427)
 XIAN THE BLACK 8353           3   0  0    30       INDIGO CIPHER (1445)
 VRANCELLE 8283                6   1  1    29       HELLSWORN (1421)
 SARJSKI 8282                  5   2  0    29       HELLSWORN (1421)
 OBBO 8336                     4   0  0    24       HELLSWORN (1421)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 GULLET 8207                   3   1  0    23       ORDO HERETICUS (1420)
 SOLEMN GOLEM 8278             4   1  1    22       MARIONETTE PETS (1433)
 OBERON 8349                   3   0  0    21       INDIGO CIPHER (1445)
 AURELIUS GAIUS 8322           2   3  0    19       TEAM CHAOS (1416)
 TOBIUS 8209                   4   0  0    17       ORDO HERETICUS (1420)
 CHUCKER ISTTA 8242            3   6  0    17       MIDDLE WAY 15 (1427)
-LI LONG 804                   1   2  1    16       THE DAIKEN TADA (152)
-MYRA 8191                     3   3  2    15       MISFIT CREW (1417)
 STRATUS 8185                  3   6  0    15       TEAM CHAOS (1416)
 ARVIN LARN 8289               2   0  1    15       ORDO HERETICUS (1420)
-CUNNING FOX 8273              1   0  0    15       THE TOMAHAWKS (1432)
 MORRIGAN 8382                 1   0  0    15       GODS OF WAR (1446)
-SHOUTING LION 8271            1   0  0    15       THE TOMAHAWKS (1432)
-STANDING BEAR 8270            1   0  0    15       THE TOMAHAWKS (1432)
 LOATHING MAULER 8279          2   3  0    14       MARIONETTE PETS (1433)
-GROTHEN 8194                  3   3  1    13       MISFIT CREW (1417)
-MEAN TEA 8190                 3   3  0    12       MISFIT CREW (1417)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-CROCKER 8192                  3   3  0    12       MISFIT CREW (1417)
 AGASAYA 8355                  2   0  0    12       GODS OF WAR (1446)
 TOPO GIGIO 8360               1   2  0    12       TEAM CHAOS (1416)
 JON 8286                      3   2  0    11       CANOE CLUB (1434)
 RHAPSODY RHYME 8275           2   3  0    11       MARIONETTE PETS (1433)
 DOLBY JOSSEL 8368             2   0  0    10       MIDDLE WAY 15 (1427)
 FLAVIUS VALERIUS 8323         2   3  0     9       TEAM CHAOS (1416)
 YOUSEFF 8208                  2   2  0     8       ORDO HERETICUS (1420)
 STEEL 8341                    1   1  0     8       MARAUDER'S FIVE (1443)
 PIER 8326                     2   0  0     7       FOLLOWER'S OF XOAN (1441)
 MENTU 8354                    1   1  0     7       GODS OF WAR (1446)
 LIONHEART 8288                1   4  0     7       CANOE CLUB (1434)
 VENGENCE SWORN 8361           1   0  0     7       MARIONETTE PETS (1433)
 RICK 8284                     1   4  0     7       CANOE CLUB (1434)
-LUTHER 803                    1   1  0     6       THE DAIKEN TADA (152)
 CAMULUS 8358                  1   1  1     5       GODS OF WAR (1446)
 GRIMJAW 8343                  1   2  0     5       CANOE CLUB (1434)
 ROLNANDO 8359                 1   1  0     5       CANOE CLUB (1434)
-BEQUIN 8206                   1   2  0     5       ORDO HERETICUS (1420)
 MALEEVA 8352                  1   2  0     5       INDIGO CIPHER (1445)
 COG TWOTHUDS 8351             1   1  0     4       INDIGO CIPHER (1445)
 SENIOR BOB 806                0   3  0     3       THE DAIKEN TADA (152)
 SEPTU 8356                    0   2  0     2       GODS OF WAR (1446)
 SNAKE 8340                    0   2  0     2       MARAUDER'S FIVE (1443)
-HAZARD 807                    0   2  0     2       THE DAIKEN TADA (152)
 SHANK 8337                    0   2  0     2       MARAUDER'S FIVE (1443)

'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.

THE DEAD               W  L K TEAM NAME             SLAIN BY             TURN Revenge?
BOB 8287               0  2 0 CANOE CLUB 1434       MYRA 8191             215         
OCTIS 8328             0  2 0 FOLLOWER'S OF XO 1441 HIGH ELF 19           218 NONE    
OGLA 8325              0  2 0 FOLLOWER'S OF XO 1441 MASTER SEN GANAMIR 23 218 NONE    
SHIMTAINT 8350         1  2 0 INDIGO CIPHER 1445    SPYMASTER 22          218 NONE    
BONE CRUSHER 8338      0  2 0 MARAUDER'S FIVE 1443  VRANCELLE 8283        218         
STRIKER 8339           0  1 0 MARAUDER'S FIVE 1443  CAMULUS 8358          217         
BERT HARGE 8329        0  1 0 MIDDLE WAY 15 1427    ANGUS 8280            214 REVENGED
CULLY IRVEL 8342       0  2 0 MIDDLE WAY 15 1427    ARVIN LARN 8289       216         
ORION 8186             2  4 0 TEAM CHAOS 1416       SOLEMN GOLEM 8278     215 JUST REV

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Drake's Comments on Last Turn's Articles:

Note that I'm specifically writing about the articles that appear at the end of the
newsletter as they tend to be a bit dated and thus misleading.  Those articles that
appear under the Team Spotlight heading are going to be far more recent and thus
accurate in the info they provide.  So, with that in mind, here we go:

'REALITY SIMULATIONS E-MAIL ADDRESSES' by RSI -- Hmm.  I wonder what they're trying
to say.

'A NOTE ON MAILMEN' by Staple Gun -- Now there's a manager name I haven't heard in a
long time.  Remember, be nice to your local postal representative.  Especially if you
run a lot of scum.

"Strikers R Us" by Talon -- Not a bad article on Striker design.  Way more Deftness
than is really needed, but that was the rule back when this article would have been
written.  Really, you don't need more than 11 and I place a much higher premium on
Wit & Strength with Strikers.  The strategy is pretty standard, but you can see the
influences of that old myth about getting a bonus from matching your OE and KD.
Trust me, doing that has no appreciable effect on your warrior's performance.

'HOW I MADE DUELMASTER IN THREE EASY STEPS' by Khyron -- Hey, look, it's a Dixie Cup
(disposable) Aimed Blow.  Don't try this set up if you're wanting to be competitive
in ADM.  Wit is how your warrior learns skills and thus I won't put less than a 13 on
any long-term warrior.  Will is nice and needed for the way this guy runs Aimers but
in general you don't need more than 9 for Basic and 15 for ADM.  A 19 Deftness gets
you nothing that a 17 doesn't give you.  I would say Khyron got lucky with this guy
as any decent offensive that doesn't drop from exhaustion in the first 2 minutes
should be able to eat this design alive.  Finally, the trick with the DM bloodfeuding
and losing is *highly* unlikely to work in most arenas.

'THE WALL OF STEEL AS A BERSERKER' by She-Puppy -- I strongly recommend *against* a
Deftness below 11 (okay, you can do 9 but you'd best have a high Wit [17+] on that
guy).  This is because most waste weapons require at least an 11 DFT (though the BS
does only need a 7) and 11 is a *major* skill breakpoint.  Also, I like more SPD on
my wastes in order to bring up their base Riposte as they won't be learning any Rip
skills for quite a while.  The given strat is a bit odd for a waste.  Most wastes
seem to prefer more moderate numbers in OE and lower numbers in AL.  Also, you can
see another mention of that old OE = KD gives a bonus myth.  I also don't recommend
switching around attack locations like that.  You'll finish off a foe quicker if
you're consistently damaging one area.

Another general note for everyone:  I strongly recommend those with internet access
check out www.terrablood.com for all kinds of useful charts, tips & hints to help
with this game.  Also, visit the Forums on www.duel2.com where you can converse with
many of the more experienced managers in the game.  If you don't have internet
access, contact me with a mailing address and I'll see about putting together a small
'D2 Care Package' with some of the more commonly used charts. -- Drake (who can be
reached by diploing Drake's Bar-B-Q in arena 101, emailing dm_drake@sbcglobal.net or
you can find me on the Duel2 website posting under the name Drake; who'da guessed)

Angus -- You're a bully and a Troll.  Not sure which I despise more.  I'll be to see
you very soon. -- Nathen Van Hesser

Belissa Hough -- You're our favorite. -- Men of Qyar

Jon, Lionheart and Rick -- You'll not likely get another shot at Seraphina but we can
help you with Myra.  Let us know. -- Men of Qyar

Jorja -- The Men of Qyar were detained and managed to miss turn 215 (I'm afraid Ehmis
can get rather longwinded after a few ales), but hopefully they have fought well in
turn 216.  Would you please give them some personal advice.  They are new to your
world and thus inexperienced in your fighting styles.  Yours truly. -- Morpheus, The
Great White Wizard

Drake -- Thank you for the package of charts.  It was very helpful.  Thanks again. --
Silky, mgr. Misfit Crew DM-93, Ladies of Dread DM-47

Solemn Golem -- I hate it when people do stuff right.  I want you to make mistakes
and LOSE, dammit. -- Dortha Janetto
P.S.  The only comment I might make is that given our respective styles, we could
and perhaps should have had some clashes before the announcer reported definite
blows.  You might want to consider (don't change it right now, because it ain't
broke) running harder some time, just to see what happens.

Ah, the Userous Merchant.  Gotta love those standbys.  Rotten fighters, mostly, and,
what a surprise, rotten teachers, too. -- Edgiles Kapp

Another standby!  I laughed at the Cult Member.  He looked silly standing there after
I disarmed him, and if the arenamaster hadn't stepped in, I'd've ripped the OTHER arm
off, too.  I wanted a matched set. -- Belissa Hough

Topo Gigio -- Nothing like a gross mismatch to increase the chaos on the sands, eh?
If you want to avoid, or reduce the chances of, that happening in the future, issue
challenges.  Challenges and avoids are important management tools. -- Chucker Istta
P.S.  Train that stat.  Or switch to a shortspear, which is quite a decent sort of
weapon for your style.

Septu -- Your name sounds like something the Infirmary should be fighting. -- Dolby
Jossel
P.S.  You have been, in case you wondered, the victim of what is called "a classic
style match."  At the lower levels of the game, your style generally has problems
with my style.  Not always, there is NO "always," but generally.

Bazthrax -- Why should I be a striker? -- Dortha Janetto
P.S.  It's generally considered "bad arena manners" to reveal someone else's
warrior's style in the personals.  Just thought I'd mention it, or how would you
learn?  Because knowing the style of your opponent is valuable when it comes to
picking your fights.
P.P.S.  Just mark 1427 in one of the "avoid" blanks.  No need to mark it in both, as
this does NOT double the effectiveness.  It isn't a one hundred percent guarantee
that we won't match up again, but it helps.

Maorakith -- Jobs are hard to get on Noblish Island.  And so are concubines, who can
afford 'em here?  So I have to dress funny, I can live with that for a paycheck every
two weeks. -- Haplaine Sarle, "Venomous Concubine"
P.S.  And I do NOT want to hear any jokes about those with elven blood being "girly."
So we're slim, graceful, and good looking, eat your hearts out.

Sinster Minster -- Nice try. -- Bazthrax

Shimtaint -- You're weird. -- Sarjski

Stratus -- You don't want to get me desperate! -- Vrancelle

Rhapsody Rhyme -- Don't I hit hard? -- Obbo

Veteran Mercenary -- You and your cronies don't teach! -- Maorakith

     It's their revenge, since they aren't allowed to learn.

Marionette Pets -- Why are you avoiding us?  We don't even know who you are. -- Ikaun

     Don't trust what the spy report says about avoids.  I once had a team in a now-
     closed arena that was repeatedly avoided, according to the spy report, but the
     Dark Arena!

Jorja -- Drake clued me in on your mentorship here at the arena.  I look forward to
your advice, and competition. -- Orellon Silvercloak, mgr. Indigo Cipher

Sarjski -- Perhaps I over-stepped bounds with my challenge to you?!  I underestimated
your abilities and sacrificed a warrior with a three wit.  Before you and the rest of
Hellsworn depart to another arena in a couple turns, diplo me so I can have some more
experience next fight. -- Orellon Silvercloak, mgr. Indigo Cipher

     The loss of a three-wit warrior is not a "sacrifice."

All -- Hmph!  And just when you thought I was unpopular I showed you gents that the
Lady of Destruction can party with the rest.  Next please?!  Kisses. -- Maleeva

Dortha -- Mmmm...I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave.  You locals are
smokin'.  (whistles -n- catcalls) -- Solemn

Bazthrax -- Good (gasp) fight (gasp) hmmm, nine minutes!  (wicked grin)  See you
around.  Just not in this town. -- Sinister Minister

Obbo -- And then I woke up and my intestines were sloopin' out, an the nurse was
going' through my gear.  What kind of infirmary is this? -- Rhapsody

     The alternative is being nailed back together in the back room over at the
     carpenter's shop.  Although I hear he also uses a glue made from boiled down
     sheep hooves.

Grimjaw -- The irony of the gods is a cruel thing...and just as I was becoming
frantic.  Train that stat. -- Mauler

4 September 2006
Civil War/The Crusades

The next edition of the Civil War series is to be held in Tobir, arena 14, beginning
November 25th with a round where all participating managers must DA all 5 of their
warriors; in addition all warriors must be prefixed with an A an F or a D in the
following manner:  A-Broke Stroker or (A) Broke Stroker.  Names simply beginning with
the letter of your federation will NOT count as properly prefixed!  Existing teams
are welcome but no warrior who survives the DA who had prior Fight Experience (arena
or tourney) will be allowed to score or challenge into the contest teams.  There will
be an equal number of teams set up for each of the three factions (Andorian, Free
Blades, and Delarquan) to create sides as equal as possible.  This along with the DA
round should set up pretty equal footing for all managers.  After the DA there will
be another round where you can either DA again or fight your new, or surviving,
warriors so they will be set up to challenge an opponent beginning on round 1.  So as
a recap DA round, turn 0, then turn 1 it begins with the following rules:

The Civil War to be held in arena 14.
- The contest runs for 10-28 turns (barring ties).
- No tourney participation allowed.  Teams with warriors participating in any
  tournament are disqualified.
- An even number of teams per faction worked out by the Faction Leaders.  No later
  substitutions are allowed.
- If a manager brings in a second team and challenges into the contest he is DQ'd and
  his side will fight one team short!
- Three factions will be participating:  Andorian, Delarquan, Free Blades
- Everyone prefixes their warrior with A-, F-, or D- (No prefix = disqualification of
  the warrior)
- Turn DA:  (The DA Round) November 25, 2006.  Every warrior must DA.  (Warriors not
  DA'd on Turn 0 are disqualified)
- Turn 0:  December 9th, 2006.  There will be no scoring this turn it is meant to
  allow for challenges on turn 1.
- Turn 1+:  Scoring as detailed below
- Each team gets 1 point for defeating a warrior from an opposing team.
- Fights against warriors on your team do not generate points in any situation.
- The team with the most points each turn gets a Battle Point (if there is a tie for
  the most points then no Battle Points are accrued)
- The first team to 10 Battle Points wins the war
- Managers of teams on the winning side each receive a +1 bonus potion to be used on
  a warrior on their contest team.  This must be applied within a month of the
  conclusion of the contest and the team must have been active on the last turn of
  the contest.

Anyone wishing to participate, and feels they can probably stick around for the
duration (don't want to handicap a side, of course unforeseeable events cannot be
planned for), should either diplo me at THE DEATH SQUAD(63) in Tobir (arena 14) or
place a personal ad in the arena.  You may also contact me via the Duel2.com boards!

Let me know which faction you would like to fight for!  This contest is intended to
be open to ALL managers wishing to pit themselves against each other to try and
determine which faction has the best managers! -- Street Legal

14 September 2006
     I am back in the arena and thinking back to those days in 1984 where I was a
novice and clueless manager.
     Now, 22 years later it looks like I am an ancient and once again clueless
manager.
     I am looking to recover some old warriors.  Since none of them are Aimed Blows,
they are no threat to win anything.  I just want to see how they turned out.

The Couatl 2-17
Madam Butterfly 20-701
Gypsy Moth 20-703
King Crab 21-1
Priestess Python 26-1388

Please contact me at DekeYoung@Comcast.net if you know about any of these ancient
warriors, or just want to bs about the old, old, old times.

25 September 2006
It is obvious that the Dark Knights wish to be shown the light.  Allow me to step
forward and blind them with truth.  YOU ARE WORTHLESS!!!  The Dark Knights are so
afraid of the light that they hide behind their black armor and empty threats.  It is
too bad they are unwilling to actually FIGHT us!  I guess our natural light is too
bright for you all to face!  Fear us, for we are here! -- Gemini Goldphoenix,
Overlord of the Avengers of Light!

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

OCTIS was butchered by HIGH ELF in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
OGLA was butchered by MASTER SEN GANAMIR in a 1 minute Dark Arena duel.
SHIMTAINT was murdered by SPYMASTER in a 1 minute Dark Arena melee.
AURORA demolished SOLEMN GOLEM in a 1 minute uneven Bloodfeud fight.
ANGUS devastated EDGILES KAPP in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge contest.
SINSTER MINSTER luckily beat SARJSKI in a 2 minute bloody Challenge match.
STRATUS was unbelievably bested by XIAN THE BLACK in a 7 minute gory Challenge duel.
OBERON slimly won victory over FLAVIUS VALERIUS in a 3 minute Challenge match.
COG TWOTHUDS was outlasted by LOATHING MAULER in a 11 minute Challenge melee.
YOUSEFF lost to OBBO in a 1 minute novice's Challenge duel.
GRIMJAW lost to TOBIUS in a 6 minute novice's Challenge duel.
ROLNANDO was defeated by ARVIN LARN in a 2 minute beginner's Challenge match.
AURELIUS GAIUS beat JON in a 1 minute novice's Challenge fight.
MAORAKITH was subdued by VETERAN MERCENARY in a 2 minute Title competition.
BELISSA HOUGH was overcome by DANGEROUS CRIMINAL in a 1 minute contest.
BAZTHRAX luckily beat DORTHA JANETTO in a crowd pleasing 4 minute gory match.
CHUCKER ISTTA unbelievably bested MENTU in a 2 minute conflict.
VRANCELLE assassinated BONE CRUSHER in a 1 minute one-sided duel.
RICK was viciously subdued by TOPO GIGIO in a exciting 3 minute beginner's duel.
LIONHEART was unbelievably bested by DOLBY JOSSEL in a 7 minute brutal novice's brawl.
RHAPSODY RHYME savagely defeated SNAKE in a 2 minute brutal novice's bout.
PIER defeated SEPTU in a 6 minute amateur's conflict.
SHANK was bested by AGASAYA in a 2 minute novice's bout.
STEEL viciously subdued MALEEVA in a dull 8 minute gruesome novice's match.
GULLET handily defeated CAMULUS in a 1 minute one-sided contest.
SENIOR BOB was subdued by VENGENCE SWORN in a 3 minute gruesome novice's fight.
MORRIGAN overpowered PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 1 minute uneven fight.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|LUNGING ATTACK                  10         SLASHING ATTACK   25 -  12 -  4      68  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   9         TOTAL PARRY       24 -  18 -  2      57  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      7         BASHING ATTACK    31 -  26 -  3      54  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  5         LUNGING ATTACK    26 -  23 -  2      53  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  5         STRIKING ATTACK   20 -  21 -  1      49  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    5         PARRY-STRIKE       9 -  11 -  0      45  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     3         AIMED BLOW        11 -  17 -  0      39  |
|AIMED BLOW                       2         PARRY-LUNGE        4 -   8 -  0      33  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      2         PARRY-RIPOSTE      8 -  18 -  0      31  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    0         WALL OF STEEL      3 -  10 -  1      23  |

Turn 218 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:

TOTAL PARRY        6 -  1     BASHING ATTACK     4 -  5         4  BASHING ATTACK 
PARRY-STRIKE       2 -  1     SLASHING ATTACK    2 -  3         2  SLASHING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK    3 -  2     LUNGING ATTACK     3 -  7         2  STRIKING ATTACK
AIMED BLOW         1 -  1     PARRY-RIPOSTE      0 -  5         1  LUNGING ATTACK 
PARRY-LUNGE        1 -  1     WALL OF STEEL      0 -  0         1  TOTAL PARRY    
                                                                1  PARRY-STRIKE   

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
LUNGING ATTACK   MAORAKITH 8214              7   2  1   75 HELLSWORN (1421)
BASHING ATTACK   ANGUS 8280                  4   1  2   52 MISFIT CREW (1417)
SLASHING ATTACK  AURORA 8189                 6   3  0   45 TEAM CHAOS (1416)
TOTAL PARRY      BAZTHRAX 8281               6   1  0   45 HELLSWORN (1421)
STRIKING ATTACK  BELISSA HOUGH 8241          5   4  0   38 MIDDLE WAY 15 (1427)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is BELISSA HOUGH 8241.  The most popular warrior this 
turn was DORTHA JANETTO 8243.  The ten other most popular fighters were TOPO GIGIO 
8360, STRATUS 8185, MENTU 8354, OBERON 8349, GRIMJAW 8343, RHAPSODY RHYME 8275, SNAKE 
8340, SEPTU 8356, VENGENCE SWORN 8361, and AURORA 8189.

The least popular fighter this week was COG TWOTHUDS 8351.  The other ten least 
popular fighters were MALEEVA 8352, TOBIUS 8209, STEEL 8341, PIER 8326, DOLBY JOSSEL 
8368, LOATHING MAULER 8279, CAMULUS 8358, SHANK 8337, RICK 8284, and BONE CRUSHER 
8338.

                                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.

                      Top 10 Things to Do to Have a Better FTF!

10.  Have at least one meal that doesn't involve either McDonalds or Domino's Pizza.  
Bonus points if that meal includes the use of utensils.  (Double bonus points if you 
already knew how to use utensils)

 9.  Recycle all those cover sheets and unwanted roll-ups into ammunition for the next 
great paper ball fight!  (And don't assume that because you don't have any ammo, 
you're not in the game.  When these things break out, ANYONE is a potential target!  
Don't assume that I'm going to throw AROUND you to get to my target, if you're sitting 
there in the middle of things trying to read your fights as the paper balls fly in all 
direction, you're not only likely to get hit by a misfired projectile, but I will be 
aiming for you!)

 8.  Showering at least once a day is not an option.  REPEAT:  Showering at least once 
a day, is NOT AN OPTION!!!

 7.  Much like a watched pot never boils, asking if your overviews or reprints are 
there yet every three minutes will only make the person sitting behind the desk 
irritable (or even more so than usual).  They'll be there when they get there.

 6.  Yes, the printer will break down, the hard drive will crash, and RSI will undergo 
some sort of catastrophe.  This is normal.  Be prepared for long delays.  Some people 
like to play Magic while waiting, some of us prefer heavy drinking.  

 5.  For you first timers, it is customary to do a triumphant little war dance each 
and every time you win a fight, complete with whoop-whoops.  That's what the raised 
platform is for, so the rest of us can see you.  If you don't do the dance, RSI will 
take away your TVs and you will forever get 3 WT roll-ups.  Would I lie to you?  

 4.  Converse with your fellow managers.  Take the time to chat, and introduce 
yourself to at least one complete stranger.  "Have you seen this warrior?" is not a 
good way to introduce yourself.  "Hi, my name is _______ and I run _______; nice to 
meet you!" is a much better way to introduce yourself.

 3.  When the run off fights are being read, I want to hear a lot of noise!  Cheer 
every time a brilliant parry is made, shudder at the impact of a horrific blow, laugh 
derisively when a warrior falls down.  Cheer those who read a good fight, and heckle 
those who can't.  Get crazy.  MAKE SOME NOISE GOLDURNIT!!!

 2.  Conversely, if you insist on reading your fights out loud and you don't have an 
audience, go back to your room until the urge passes.

 1.  Buy your good ol' buddy Forge a beer!

  As always, your own tips and comments are appreciated.  *LOL!*  Hope to see you all 
there!

                                                                      -- Forge

                                  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

                     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.

                          'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE TOURNEY...

'Twas the night before Tourney, And all through the place
Many managers were drinking, Getting smashed at the Face;
The staff were all busy, The computers were humming,
Rollups were bought, for the deadline was coming;
 
Soon managers were nestled, all smug at their tables,
With visions of TC's coming from their stables;
And NAIMT doing massages, while A-Sop caused trouble,
An hour before deadline, the workload just doubled,
 
When by the computers, there arose such a clatter,
All eyes turned to them, to see what was the matter.
Sue glaring at the screen, Lee's fingers just flew,
Oh, the computer was down, so what else was new?
 
The lights in the room were too bright, someone said,
Nah, it's just the reflection from off Hoffa's head,
Then, what to our wondering eyes should appear,
But Soultaker and Sentinel, once again here this year, 

Yes, we heard "No more Faces!", We hear this each time,
But we know it's a farce, like this parody's rhyme.
More rollups are bought, more warriors are made,
Names are thought up, and carefully weighed;

"How 'bout FREE WILLY? Or RODMAN? Or PUSSY? Or KNOCKERS? 
Or SHEIK T'WEEZEL? Or BALLSY? Or TAKE OFF THEM DOCKERS!?
Not a chance say the censors! Nice try, bub, but no!
Now it's HAPPY, and BARNEY, and WE LOVE YOU SO! 

The managers groan, but undaunted keep trying,
The censors all laugh, and just are not buying,
The RUGS altars are burning, offerings are gifted,
With hopes that the rollup curses soon will be lifted.

And then, in a twinkling, we hear down the hall,
A Lunat!k roar and Fusion chased with a maul.
You see, he'd heard about Fusion's campaign for the Prez,
Now it's "Off with his Head!", so Lunat!k says. 

At the Dark Circle table, 6'7" down in height,
With their arrogant statures, their great show of might.
Yet amidst all the notebooks, are nerf toys and giraffe,
Such silliness there, NAIMT can't help but laugh. 

At Aradi's table -- how they giggle, at the cartoons and stories 
Of the FONZ done by Nuln, in his infinite glories!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a ring,
And Barb drew his beard as straggly as string; 

The new guys at Duelmasters, some call them a rookie,
Making names for themselves like Jessie and Bookie;
The regulars are here, The Boss, PUG, and TUM
Carapace, Sensei, and lots more to come
 
Doc Steele and his legends, even now in the making,
If there weren't many witnesses, I'd think he was faking.
The paperball fight, and the chaos ensues,
Clean it up, says Lee, or your heads you will lose!

The independents and alliances, speaking more than a word,
NAIMT's resounding giggles can also be heard;
But the hour before deadline is soon at a close, 
And giving a nod, on a chair Sandy rose; 

Okay guys, she says, no more inputs to be made,
And away goes some managers for a Bourbon Street raid.
But ere I end this bad poem, I just want to say,
"GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD DAY!"

****Hey, what do you expect for a quickie?... <grin>

                            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