DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 06/09/2007    Duedate: 06/22/2007

NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA

DM-93    TURN-236

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

CHAENY GROVE
MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
(93-8471) [5-2-0,66]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

POSITION IS EMPTY              CHAENY GROVE
                               MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
                               (93-8471) [5-2-0,66]

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

ABALOND EGRAN                  GRIMME
MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)           NO QUARTER (1463)
(93-8469) [5-2-0,33]           (93-8530) [2-0-0,21]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. ECLIPSE (1476)              56
2. NO QUARTER (1463)           31      IRON DRAGON (495)
3. MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)        20      Unchartered Team
4. MITHRIL CROWN (1471)        14
5. BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)        13      MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 2*MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)      22  13  1 62.9   1/ 2*MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)      9  6 0
 2/ 1*BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)      18  12  1 60.0   2/ 1*ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)     7  8 1
 3/ 4*NO QUARTER (1463)         16  19  0 45.7   3/ 3*BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)      6  4 1
 4/ 3*ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)     13  20  2 39.4   4/ 4*NO QUARTER (1463)         6  9 0
 5- 5*THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)     5  10  0 33.3   5- 5*THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)    2  4 0
 6- 6*THE WOLVES (1467)          1   2  0 33.3   6- 7*THE WOLVES (1467)         1  1 0
 7- 7*COUNTRY LOVE (382)         1   2  0 33.3   7- 6*COUNTRY LOVE (382)        1  1 0
 8/ 8*MITHRIL CROWN (1471)       1   5  0 16.7   8/ 8*MITHRIL CROWN (1471)      1  5 0
 9/ 0*ECLIPSE (1476)             0   5  0  0.0   9/ 0*ECLIPSE (1476)            0  5 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[(< + -----:----- + >)] *IHI* [(< + -----:----- + >)]H[(<
                                 Profile of a Style
                                    Parry-Riposte

     When you read about the parry-riposte style in the rulebook, it looks like it
might be a lot of fun to run, and it is.  But it's also really tricky.  The plain
offensives: basher, lunger, slasher, striker, and the total parry, are easier.  I
don't think I've ever heard a manager say that he really understands the parry-
riposte style, I certainly don't myself.  But I've run a lot of them, and some have
survived, and they ARE fun.
     So just for a basic introduction to warriors of the parry-riposte style, known
to one and all as rippers, here's what I know.

     Design:  This is tough.  The ripper needs it all!  Especially important, though,
are endurance from constitution (CN) and will (WL), plus skill from wit (WT) and
deftness (DF), and it doesn't hurt to have enough strength (ST) to do a decent amount
of damage... and what does that leave that you can go short on?  Size (SZ), okay, a
ripper can be--usually is--small.  Speed (SP), well, I just don't know.  It wouldn't
hurt them to have speed, but where are all the points going to come from?
     I have made a lot of rippers over the years, some of them from roll-ups that
were spectacularly unsuited to the style.  These are ones who lived to graduation:
     Santee    13- 7-14-17-15- 8-10  LO  mod/mod   slash
     Toryn      9-12- 7-13-15-11-17  EP  vlo/mod
     Scovellie  9-13- 8-17-17- 5-15  SH  low/mod
     Chia      10-13- 5-17-17- 5-17  SS  low/high
     Saba       5-17- 9-15-17- 4-17  EP  mod/low
     Bali       9- 6-14-15-17- 8-15  LO  vlo/mod
     Jane       9-10- 9-17-17- 5-17  SS  mod/mod   lunge/riposte
     Cedar     15- 6- 7-15-17- 9-15  LS  mod/mod
     Azureen    9-12- 8-17-10-11-17  SC  high/mod  riposte
     Similde    6- 6- 5-17-17-16-17  LO  low/mod
     Tailida    9-13- 5-15-17- 8-17  SH  low/mod
     Korlo      9- 8-12-17-15- 8-15  LS  vlo/mod
     Tilona     9- 9- 7-15-17-10-17  SH  low/mod   lunge
You'll see my biases at work here.
  Strength is usually at least nine; in the cases where it started lower, the
warriors were cursed with little damage, and I trained it up as soon as I could.
(The numbers shown here are all original, before stat trains.)
  Constitution generally moderate.  Most of these warriors could take a hit or two
and survive.
  Size mostly small, but not always.  I did try a couple six-footers, and they didn't
do as badly as one might expect.
  Wit is 15 or 17, except in one case.  I always look for brains in a gladiator, and
this style needs it.
  Will is, except in one case, 15 or 17.  High will improves endurance, an important
factor for a parry-style, and makes it easier to train stats when the time comes.
  Speed may be anything.  I generally did not add any points to speed during the
design phase.
  Deftness is 15 or 17 again, except in one case.  Deftness, and the skills that go
with it, are important to a finesse style like the ripper.  Plus, where strength may
be a problem, accuracy helps.

     Weapon selection:  There are six weapons well suited to the parry-riposte style,
listed below with the minimum stats required for their best use.
                      Epee           ST  7  SZ  -  WT 15  DF 15
                      Longspear      ST 11  SZ  9  WT  5  DF  9
                      Longsword      ST 11  SZ  -  WT 13  DF 11
                      Scimitar       ST  9  SZ  -  WT 11  DF 11
                      Shortspear     ST  9  SZ  -  WT  7  DF  7
                      Shortsword     ST  5  SZ  -  WT 11  DF  3
Only weapons well suited to the style will show up as favorite weapons when a warrior
graduates.  Yes, you CAN put other weapons in their hands, but you aren't likely to
get the best results that way.  (You may note that some of my graduated rippers
listed above were initially unable to use their favorite weapon to best advantage.
This is one of the sneaky things the Gladiatorial Commission does to keep you on your
toes.)  I STRONGLY advise that when you design a ripper, consult the weapon chart and
make sure that your warrior will have the stats to use at least one of the weapons
listed to its best advantage.

     Armor selection:  This depends on how you plan to run the warrior.  If he's
going to be fast, and/or he can take a few hits (takes normal damage, for instance,
signified by no comment on the overview) but maybe has low endurance, put him in
light armor.  If you plan to run him slow, or he can take little damage but maybe has
high endurance, put him in medium to heavy armor.

     Strategy:  This is always a tricky thing to advise people on, which is why I've
listed the favorite rhythms on the warriors above.  Very low (vlo) is 1 or 2, low is
3 or 4, moderate (mod) is 5 or 6, high is 7 or 8, and very high (vhi) is 9 or 10.
Offensive effort is listed first, then activity level.  You can see that most rippers
in this sample prefer to run at middling speeds, usually with the activity level
higher than the offensive effort.  Not all of them, but a majority.  You can ignore
that--I sometimes do--and run them fast and hard, as though they were simple
offensive warriors.  Some take to this treatment, others burn out.  The medium speeds
are safe, and a place to start from.
     You'll note I haven't mentioned kill desire here.  There is no such thing as a
warrior or style having a favorite kill desire.  Your kill desire can have a profound
effect on how the warrior fights, but it is strictly a personal decision.  However, I
can say that my own experience has been that if a warrior has a high KD in
desperation, he will tend to go berserk, and if he has a low KD in desperation, he
will surrender.  Warriors who surrender lose fights, but generally they survive to
fight again.  I can't say the same of warriors who go berserk in desperation.

     Tactics:  I don't use tactics much, myself, but that's just me.  You'll note
that out of the thirteen warriors listed above, two have favorite offensive tactics
(slash and lunge) and one has a favorite defensive tactic (riposte) and one has both
an offensive and a defensive tactic (lunge/riposte).  All this tells us for sure is
that slash, lunge, and riposte are tactics that rippers can use well (or they
wouldn't appear as favorites).  Experiment with them, but don't try to use an
offensive AND a defensive tactic in the same minute; it confuses the warrior.

And to go from the general to the specific--

                                 Profile of a Warrior
                                   Tailida Dawnrain

Tailida is one of the rippers listed above.
She's left-handed
She's intelligent
     Makes the most of her enemy's mistakes
     Has an unusual fighting style that confuses many opponents
     Rarely makes mistakes
     Is always thinking ahead
     She plans out every move that she makes, seldom wasting any effort
She is very quick  (the DF more than the SP, I think)
She cannot carry a lot of weight in armor and weapons
     (more a question of her SZ than her ST)
She is incredibly quick and elusive on her feet
     Making even dangerous opponents look harmless
She does little damage with each blow
     (curses!  I had hoped that the ST of 9 would offset her small SZ.  It didn't.)

ST   9  CN  13  SZ   5  WT  15  WL  17  SP   8  DF  17
     If I decide to run her on the Isle, I will train up her ST until I get normal
damage.  (Note, no skills will be burned between ST 9 and ST 14, skill-wise, this is
a barren stretch.  But it WILL increase the amount of damage a warrior can do.)

She graduates with a master in riposte, an expert in attack, a master in parry, and
an advanced expert in defense.

She is naturally adept with the shortsword, which I don't think she tried
She favors a fighting rhythm of low offensive effort and moderate activity level
And she tends to learn parry skills most easily.

She received her graduation notice when her record was 21-9-2,96 in Tricorus (dm 51).

     On the same turn as her graduation notice arrived, she was challenged by a total
parry in plate armor and a full helm, carrying a broadsword and a medium shield.
     Tailida herself was in leather armor and a helm, carrying a scimitar (and a
backup).
     Tailida was running 7-7-x, faster than she would have liked, but that's how
she's being running straight along, and it kept her alive and with a winning record,
so I don't want to hear her complain.
     Tailida got the jump and hit her opponent twice in the first minute, several
other blows being parried, hit once each in the second and third minutes, with other
blows being parried, was parried completely in the fourth minute, was showing signs
of weariness in the fifth minute but still managed to land a few blows in the fifth,
sixth, and seventh minutes.  Then she collapsed with exhaustion at the end of the
seventh minute and lost the fight without being hit once.  This is why you find
managers speaking harshly of "scum": we all hate to see our warrior work hard, do all
the right things, and lose because the opponent wasn't doing anything but standing
there in heavy armor.

Jorja
The Middle Way

           +<]H[>+-----+<]H[+ Question of the Week #7 +]H[>+-----+<]H[>+

From turn 414:

All -- In case last cycle's personals don't make it:  What are the advantages and
disadvantages of using one or two weapons.  I'm particularly interested in Riposte
effects. -- Q.O.W. Hanibal

Q.O.W. -- Two Weapons.  That's a good subject.
     Disadvantages: Few if any, but it has been suggested that some weapons give
bonuses to attack if you use them in two hands instead of one, such as SC.  An
obvious one is you can't use two handed weapons.  If you don't have the attribute
requirements (which are more stringent for off-hand weapons), then you may suffer
penalties when using certain combinations.  Last, you may swing with an off-hand more
than you want, say if you are using a shield.  It's usually prefered to have a real
weapon in your off-hand.
     Advantages:  You have a second weapon already in hand if one breaks.  If you are
ambidextrous, this is the biggest advantage, because they will swing with that off-
hand weapon almost as if it were their on-hand.  My ambi-warriors will win fights
with off-hand weapons.  An off-hand weapon is not bound to a warrior's style
suitability, so a LU could use a SC in their off-hand without penalty if they have
the attribute requirements.  Another advantage is suggested in that it assists in
parrying.  I tend to think highly coordinated warriors are better at parrying with
their second weapon than those who aren't.  I rarely use shields, so I can't comment
extensively on their benefits over a real weapon, especially in AD, but in basic,
shields seem to make it easier to parry attacks.
     Riposte and 2-Weapons:  I have not noticed any specific variance in the ability
of a warrior to riposte if they are using two weapons.  Once in AD, riposting is more
often than not following a dodge.  I don't think there is much correlation here, but
it is definitely something to look into. -- Adie

     The Question of the Week is posed in Aruak City (DM 11) by Hanibal, a manager
who is himself an alumnus of Noblish Island.  The answers are provided by other
managers in that arena.  Any manager here in Noblish who wishes to pose a question to
the more experienced managers of Aruak City, feel free to do so, either by sending in
a personal directed to DM 11 and identifying yourself as a manager from Noblish
seeking enlightenment, or by posting the question here, in which case I will be glad
to see that it reaches Aruak.
     Also, Hanibal sends you greetings and asks that we remind you that all arenas do
not have the same attitude and local conventions.  Aruak City is an Andorian arena
and subscribes to the doctrine of Honorable Play, meaning, no down-challenging except
from the throne or in bloodfeuds, no deliberate attempts to kill the warriors of
other managers, and a general attitude of friendly respect toward the other members
of the arena.  It is, in fact, a fine arena, and one where you would all be welcome
(though there are plenty of others--just ask, and I'll be glad to tell you about my
favorites).
     If you have questions that you would like answered by the experienced managers
of the game, don't hesitate to ask--we can't answer if you don't ask.  Questions can
be posed in the personals here, or by email to me (jputney@zianet.com) or Pagan
(pagan@gte.net), or by diplo to Jorja/The Middle Way 4 here in DM 93.

Question from turn 415 of Aruak City:

All -- Do you think you get negative modifiers when you go desperate?  What about "is
dangerously stunned" or "is bleeding badly" or "is on the verge of shock"? -- Hanibal
Q.O.W.

Answers from turn 416:

Hanibal -- That's a good question!  I honestly don't have much of an opinion on that.
In the old days, warriors could get permanent wounds that would affect their fighting
in later matches (but not anymore), and it's been suggested that getting hit in
certain locations affects what your character can do during a match (obvious cases
are losing the use of an arm or being knocked down), but the sorely wounded comments?
It probably just has to do with giving a hint as to how close that warrior is to
going down if it gets hit in that badly wounded spot again. -- Adie

QOW -- After 'bleeding badly', 'dangerously stunned', 'sorely wounded', 'verge of
shock', etc., a warrior's ability to defend themselves is penalized.  Desperation by
itself may not represent an ability penalty as much as a time to check for surrender
and a switch to the desperation strategy.  Often, with a drastic strategy switch in
desperation, a warrior's performance can improve. -- Carmen

QOW -- I've noticed that by the time I get somebody to that point they're finished.
But I've also noticed that some of my more defensive comrades will give their
opponent a moment to recover and they're still able to.  Despite this I would say
that by the time the comments you listed come into play the warrior who's getting
beat is in really bad shape.  Whereas statements like "fights with the cunning of
desperation" or "eyes flare with renewed determination" still leave plenty of room
for the warrior to make a comeback.  Therefore I would say that the earlier
desperation statements don't carry any significant penalties. -- Maxwell Honorblade

                                 DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
                             Notes from the arena champ.

     I really hate this meaningless inflation of rank that I get as a result of
LOSING to a standby and holding the title.  But it would never do to have a standby
as Duelmaster.

                                     Chaeny Grove

P.S.  At least I made him work for my loss!

                                      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.  Later days, ABYSSAL PLAINS, 
since MIDDLE WAY 17 took top team from you this turn, you guys are old news.  Now 
let's all watch NO QUARTER's heads swell from their 4-1-0 this turn.  Haa ha ha ha!  
Big shots, big talk, big deal.  Of course, we're all terribly impressed to see TALYM 
win a fight and gain 29 points, terribly.  Tsk, tsk, PHOENIX RISING beat BASAIDO and 
BASAIDO lost 19 points.  You're breakin' my heart.  And if variety is the spice of 
life, NOBLISH ISLAND may be getting bland, as CHAENY GROVE stays top dog in the city. 
The Welcome Wench, humph!  I've tasted better ale at mortuaries.  Where do they get 
this stuff?  From NOBLISH ISLAND's trash dumps?   
     Well, let's take a look at some more misdeeds of you miserable sword-boys.  Ooh, 
I'm frightfully impressed, KYRA was this turn's most challenged warrior.  Watch that 
ego swell, sports fans.   
     Death and Taxes.  The less death I see, the more it taxes my patience.  Let's 
see if anyone's dead or dying.  And now a passing thought on a warrior dying young 
(BARDON FROER of MIDDLE WAY 17):  You had your chance and now you're dead.  Oh 
well...  Not that I'll be buying the drinks, but I'll be glad to see VELUNA and NO 
QUARTER at The Welcome Wench tonight celebrating their bloodfeud victory over VORUS.  
We're all going to die in the end, so why worry if the fate catches up with you 
sooner that later?   
     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.  Paste this 
one in your scrapbooks, you'll need the kindling come this winter-- Snide Clemens  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 CHAENY GROVE 8471             5   2  0    66       MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 TALYM 8455                    5   1  1    56       BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
 KYRA 8457                     6   0  0    47       BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 ABALOND EGRAN 8469            5   2  0    33       MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
 PHOENIX RISING 8460           4   3  1    33       ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)
 ELLIRIN IMBRAY 8473           4   3  1    32       MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
 VELUNA 8465                   5   2  0    26       NO QUARTER (1463)
 DENCIE HILLIS 8472            3   4  0    25       MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 MIDNIGHT RUIN 8461            4   3  0    23       ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)
-MEATBALL 8481                 2   1  0    23       THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)
 GRIMME 8530                   2   0  0    21       NO QUARTER (1463)
 AEREON 8458                   3   3  0    20       BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
 PEITON 8529                   2   0  0    18       NO QUARTER (1463)
 VORUS 8462                    2   4  1    17       ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)
-LEVITHEAN 8485                1   0  0    14       THE WOLVES (1467)
-BURGER 8479                   1   1  0    13       THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)
 BASAIDO 8505                  2   1  0    11       BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
 ARDENT 8463                   2   4  0    10       ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)
 VARDA OF STARS 8506           1   0  0     9       MITHRIL CROWN (1471)
-SHANIA TWAIN 2136             1   0  0     9       COUNTRY LOVE (382)
 AALAIYA 8456                  1   5  0     8       BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
 HEW 8528                      1   1  0     7       NO QUARTER (1463)
-MYSTERY MEAT 8480             1   3  0     6       THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)
-PORK CHOPS 8483               1   2  0     5       THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 REQUIEM 8536                  1   1  0     4       ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)
-VALERIAN 8484                 0   2  0     2       THE WOLVES (1467)
-SIR LOIN 8517                 0   1  0     1       THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)
 TINUVIEL 8508                 0   1  0     1       MITHRIL CROWN (1471)
 FUNDIN OF STONE 8510          0   1  0     1       MITHRIL CROWN (1471)
 ODO PROUDFOOT 8507            0   1  0     1       MITHRIL CROWN (1471)

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

THE DEAD               W  L K TEAM NAME             SLAIN BY             TURN Revenge?
ASYANA 8489            0  1 0 BLOOD KNIGHTS 1461    ELLIRIN IMBRAY 8473   232 REVENGED
KAKITA MORENITO 8540   0  1 0 ECLIPSE 1476          SPYMASTER 22          236 NONE    
JERGO HAMMERTON 8539   0  1 0 ECLIPSE 1476          MASTER SEN GANAMIR 23 236 NONE    
MILENA SUREFIST 8538   0  1 0 ECLIPSE 1476          WURM KIN 27           236 NONE    
KORAK DARKSPEAR 8537   0  1 0 ECLIPSE 1476          MASTER SEN GANAMIR 23 236 NONE    
WRETH WISEBLADE 8541   0  1 0 ECLIPSE 1476          MASTER SEN GANAMIR 23 236 NONE    
MEATLOAF 8482          0  2 0 THE MEAT LOCKER 1466  PHOENIX RISING 8460   233         
BARDON FROER 8470      5  2 0 MIDDLE WAY 17 1464    TALYM 8455            236         
GOTHMOG 8509           0  2 0 MITHRIL CROWN 1471    WURM KIN 27           236 NONE    
NIGHTBLADE 8464        2  5 0 NO QUARTER 1463       STONE GOLEM 26        236 NONE    
CROMWALLIS 8467        2  3 0 NO QUARTER 1463       VORUS 8462            234 JUST REV

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Arturius -- No Quarter will likely head towards Aruak City (Arena 11).  We would be
thrilled to see your team there! -- Reegan Ironbeard (promoter, No Quarter)

Nightblade -- Thanks for your kind words and yes, I did survive the infirmary.
However, I don't think I will survive for very long.  That crowd was not pleased with
my performance.  I must learn to put on a better show of my abilities. -- Valerian

All -- Welcome to the wonderful game of Duel2.  If you are nearing the end of your
tenure here on Noblish Island and are in search of an arena, let me suggest DM 45 to
you.  It is a slow turn arena with veteran and rookie managers.  You may continue
your training and I for one will be happy to answer any questions you may have in the
arena NL.  Noblish Island is a great introduction into the game, but if you would
like to further your education in the art of Duel2, come to Stormcrowe-DM 45. --
Master Darque

Drake and Jorja -- Thank you to both of you for the valuable info a couple of turns
ago.  it was very helpful. -- Arturius

Reegan -- We at the Blood Knights send our condolences to your remaining team
members.  As someone that fought your warriors on a regular basis, we are saddened by
the loss of three great warriors.  We hope that your new recruits have the potential
to keep your team as competitive as you have been. -- Arturius and the Blood Knights

Welcome Country Love and Mitril Crown. -- Arturius

Veluna -- I was glad to see that we finally had a match.  But I was disappointed that
it didn't last long.  Good luck to you with that style. -- Talym

Grimme -- I suck again!!!!!! -- Aalaiya

Abalond -- Is that anyway to treat a lady?  Well, at least I got the chance to return
the favor. -- Kyra

Phoenix Rising -- Wow!  I got the jump on you even with the weapon I had.  Run faster
and listen to Jorja when she says "Drop the Shield". -- Aereon

Ardent -- Well, that was a bad style matchup for you.  Better luck next time. --
Basaido

Congratulations, No Quarter, for a nice welcome to Noblish Island. -- Shadowfax

Reegan -- All those who walk the Abyssal Plains are in mourning for your losses.
Indeed, we look forward to No Quarter meeting us on the sands again. -- Lazarian

Aereon -- Of course.  I relish the chance to dance the sands with the Blood Knights.
-- Ardent

Abalond Egran -- Training skills we are indeed.  I've taken your advice so hopefully
my next match won't be in Dark Arena. -- Ardent

Arturius -- Well met my friend.  Thank you. -- Lazarian

Jorja -- Thank you for your advice.  I look forward to you Diplo in response to mine.
-- Lazarian

Kyra -- Ah!  Now, that was well done.  Very well done indeed. -- Abalond Egran
P.S.  Mind you, I hated it!

The Ambitous Guard?  I didn't want to fight the Ambitious Guard, I wanted a real
gladiator.  Dratted standbys.  Just wasting my time. -- Bardon Froer

Midnight Ruin -- Drat.  You catch on too fast.  I hate being matched with people who
have a clue. -- Dencie Hillis

Valerian -- Oh, gods, woman, what was your manager THINKING to give you that style?
These are the weapons your style may hope to use well, IF the minimum stats for the
weapon in question are met:
                       Epee           ST  7  SZ  --  WT 15  DF 15
                       Longspear      ST 11  SZ   9  WT  5  DF  9
                       Longsword      ST 11  SZ  --  WT 13  DF 11
                       Scimitar       ST  9  SZ  --  WT 11  DF 11
                       Shortspear     ST  9  SZ  --  WT  7  DF  7
                       Shortsword     ST  5  SZ  --  WT 11  DF  3
If your WL is at least 10, preferably more, but you're stuck with it now, train your
ST, girl!  For now, your only hope is that you have what it takes to use a shortsword
(SH).  Note that these requirements were discovered as a result of twenty years of
player research.  Trust these figures.
      Yes, I know, sometimes you can win with a weapon that exceeds your capacities.
But don't count on it, kiddo. -- Ellirin Imbray
P.S.  And drop the off-hand weapon.  You don't have the strength or attention to
spare for it.

Drake -- "The team spotlights are far more recent"?  I blush to say they're at least
four years old.  Maybe it's time for me to think about doing new ones. -- Jorja

Nightblade -- (blushing)  I wanted everything, uh, you know, THERE to be in good
working condition. -- Dencie Hillis
P.S.  We always aim for the limbs.  It's a team policy.

Lazarian -- Diplo received, things in motion. -- Jorja

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

NIGHTBLADE was viciously butchered by STONE GOLEM in a 3 minute Dark Arena fight.
GOTHMOG was slaughtered by WURM KIN in a 1 minute gruesome Dark Arena battle.
KAKITA MORENITO was murdered by SPYMASTER in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
JERGO HAMMERTON was butchered by MASTER SEN GANAMIR in a 1 minute Dark Arena contest.
MILENA SUREFIST was assassinated by WURM KIN in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
KORAK DARKSPEAR was murdered by MASTER SEN GANAMIR in a 2 minute competition.
WRETH WISEBLADE was assassinated by MASTER SEN GANAMIR in a 1 minute struggle.
VELUNA bested VORUS in a 4 minute gory Bloodfeud competition.
MIDNIGHT RUIN was handily defeated by KYRA in a 1 minute uneven Challenge melee.
AEREON lost to ELLIRIN IMBRAY in a 2 minute Challenge duel.
PHOENIX RISING overpowered BASAIDO in a 2 minute uneven Challenge duel.
AALAIYA was overpowered by DENCIE HILLIS in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge fight.
CHAENY GROVE handily defeated CONVICTED ASSASSIN in a 1 minute one-sided Title bout.
BARDON FROER was butchered by TALYM in a 1 minute mismatched conflict.
ABALOND EGRAN demolished ARDENT in a 1 minute mismatched match.
HEW beat ODO PROUDFOOT in a 2 minute gory amateur's conflict.
PEITON vanquished TINUVIEL in a 1 minute gruesome mismatched bout.
GRIMME overcame FUNDIN OF STONE in a crowd pleasing 2 minute bloody amateur's bout.
REQUIEM was defeated by VARDA OF STARS in a 4 minute novice's bout.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|STRIKING ATTACK                  5         AIMED BLOW         6 -   3 -  0      67  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   5         LUNGING ATTACK    12 -   6 -  0      67  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   4         PARRY-LUNGE        8 -   5 -  2      62  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  4         PARRY-STRIKE       5 -   4 -  0      56  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      3         BASHING ATTACK    23 -  24 -  1      49  |
|AIMED BLOW                       3         SLASHING ATTACK   13 -  14 -  0      48  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     3         STRIKING ATTACK   22 -  26 -  1      46  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    2         WALL OF STEEL      9 -  12 -  1      43  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    1         TOTAL PARRY        2 -   3 -  0      40  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      0         PARRY-RIPOSTE      5 -  12 -  0      29  |

Turn 236 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-LUNGE        2 -  1     STRIKING ATTACK    2 -  3         3  BASHING ATTACK 
LUNGING ATTACK     2 -  2     BASHING ATTACK     2 -  3         2  STRIKING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL      1 -  1     AIMED BLOW         1 -  2         1  AIMED BLOW     
                              PARRY-STRIKE       1 -  2         1  PARRY-LUNGE    
                              SLASHING ATTACK    1 -  3         1  WALL OF STEEL  
                              PARRY-RIPOSTE      0 -  1         1  PARRY-STRIKE   
                              TOTAL PARRY        0 -  0         1  SLASHING ATTACK
                                                                1  LUNGING ATTACK 

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
STRIKING ATTACK  CHAENY GROVE 8471           5   2  0   66 MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
BASHING ATTACK   TALYM 8455                  5   1  1   56 BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
AIMED BLOW       KYRA 8457                   6   0  0   47 BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is ABALOND EGRAN 8469.  The most popular warrior this 
turn was GRIMME 8530.  The ten other most popular fighters were PHOENIX RISING 8460, 
CHAENY GROVE 8471, VELUNA 8465, VORUS 8462, AEREON 8458, ELLIRIN IMBRAY 8473, HEW 
8528, KORAK DARKSPEAR 8537, KYRA 8457, and BASAIDO 8505.

The least popular fighter this week was FUNDIN OF STONE 8510.  The other ten least 
popular fighters were TINUVIEL 8508, ODO PROUDFOOT 8507, ARDENT 8463, BARDON FROER 
8470, AALAIYA 8456, MIDNIGHT RUIN 8461, WRETH WISEBLADE 8541, MILENA SUREFIST 8538, 
JERGO HAMMERTON 8539, and KAKITA MORENITO 8540.

                             A SACRED LORD'S SLASHER

     Well, this article/spotlight is for Seal at 7th Order, so here goes.

ST:  If he's huge (15+), 3 is okay, and use HA.  I prefer 7 for epee.  9 gets scimitar 
and 11 gets broadsword.  Anything above 11 is a WASTE!!!
CN:  Whatever they send you.
SZ:  Any.
WT:  15, 17, or 21.  13 is workable, but I hate slow learners!   21 will probably take 
a lot from other areas, so 17 is best.
WL:  17, 17, 17!!!!  You need endurance, lots of endurance.  Some of my friends use 
15, but I prefer not to.
SP:  9+  They use SP as well as most, but don't add here until after WT/WL/DF.
DF:  15+, 15+, 15+.  Once again, I have high standards.  The reason?  Have you ever 
had a slasher come out w/ "relying on his speed to stay out of trouble"?  That's 
'cause his parry is in the negative.  With a 15 DF your slasher will have a much 
better parry and will probably be about 1-3 trains from a Master parry in advanced.  
Later on, you'll see!

Now, how to run them:

     10        9         7 ------------------------->  10
     10        4         2 ------------------------->  10
      7        9         7 ------------------------->   1
     CH/HE -------------------------------------------- >
     HE ----------------------------------------------- >
Off:  D at first, open later, min 2 +, open
Def:                                                  D/S (preferably Dodge)

     Min two+ is in case of a TP or WoS coming after you.  This setup works, so good 
luck!

Mike Bookout
Bookie, Sacred Lord of the Black Regime
Memphis Mafia (36,100)

P.S.  Anybody want to join the Regime?

                      The Dark Arena:  A Fighter's Perspective

(sung to the hymn:  Battle Hymn of the Republic)

Mine eyes have seen the glory
Of the coming of the dawn
I am walking down the tunnel
After everyone is gone
I step into the torchlight
And I see the blade he's drawn
My mind, it sings this song:

CHORUS
Worry, worry, I've come for ya
Worry, worry, I've come for ya
Worry, worry, I've come for ya
My mind continues on

The crowd is chanting praises
But all I hear are growls
Mine enemy's upon me
So I strike him and he howls
Parry, parry, slash, and parry
I smell his breath so foul
And death, he sings this song:

(CHORUS)

Now we both are tired
And my strength is fading fast
Oh, let me give that fatal blow
Oh, let me be the last
I swing my sword with all my might
The crowd it stands, aghast
As he dies, I sing my song:

(CHORUS x2)

Scotlan (28, 31, 39, 50, ?)

                               Kill Desire: "Patience."

     Many times I have lost warriors, and the manager claimed the KD was only five.  
As if KD had anything to do with the death of my fighter.  It was really the battle 
axe to the head that killed him.
     I was quite disturbed at the widespread belief that kill desire has something to 
do with killing an opponent.  But they have good reason to believe this: the 
Duelmasters Handbook definition of kill desire has a tendency to cast a "confusion 
spell" on the reader to make them think that way.  The wording is very misleading.  
The name "kill desire" is also misleading.  A more correct word would be "patience."
     Yes, kill desire is actually how much patience your fighter had before taking a 
shot.  KD doesn't add damage or tell your fighter where to aim at.
     Damage is calculated by weapon and strength.  (Of course, favorite weapon also 
affects damage.)
     You let your warrior know where you want him to aim at by filling out the attack 
location boxes on the fight sheets.
     Hit location and damage are the main two things that will kill warriors.  Hit 
locations to vital areas such as head, chest, and the abdomen repeated times increases 
your chance to kill.  The amount of damage inflicted to these vital areas also 
increases your chance to kill an opponent.
     As you see, none of this has anything to do with kill desire.
     Now, I will tell you what kill desire, or patience, as I call it, actually is.
     If you run your warrior with an 8-10 KD, you're telling him to swing like a 
drunken wildman.  You'll see statements in his fights that say "swings wildly" or 
other things to that effect.  He is not waiting for a good opening.  He is swinging at 
everything!  This is bad for several reasons.
     With his KD that high, he is very easily dodged and parried.  Also, he can be 
feinted into bad dueling decisions as well.
     I think that KD between 5-7 for offensive styles and 3-6 for defensive styles is 
perfect.
     You get a lot more hits with a 5-7 KD, and feint a lot less.  But you also get 
more kills in this range.  Reason being, you're waiting for a good shot that is hard 
to dodge or parry.  The example I used earlier about the manager with the 5 KD and 
battleaxe is the point I am trying to make.  If his warrior's KD was 10, my warrior 
could have dodged or parried the attack and still be alive today.  But since it was a 
5 KD, he waited for a good shot that my warrior had trouble defending against, and 
cleaved his head off!  (Well, not literally.)
     Defensive styles run about 3-6 KD.  Defensive styles swing wildly a lot in the 
beginning, but that is natural.  They will get better.  3-4 KD, they still have a 
tendency to let attacks go by.  Of course, if you're scumming, go with a 1 KD. 
     In short, having an 8-10 KD means your warrior is doing all that swinging and 
hitting less.  Not to mention all the endurance he is burning up to no avail.
     Any comments, you can diplo me.

                                        ta-ta,
                                                  Sir Jessie Jest

                                                  DM 11: Lords of the Abyss
                                                  DM 61: Pit Fiends
                                                  DM 67: Storm Wizards
                                                  DM 5:  Bad Girls

                               SOME INFO ON THE RIPPER

     Being that the parry-riposte is my favorite style, I thought I'd share a few 
things I've learned.
     General design:

     ST: 7-11  Strength isn't all important to the P.R.  An 11 will gives you all well 
               suited weapons.  I'll even go as high as 17, but with no dramatic 
               effect.

     CN: Any   A higher con will give a better endurance and make survival easier.

     SZ: Any   Although a smaller size gives you a defensive bonus.

     WT: 15-21 As with all other styles the higher the better.  15 will give the epee.  
               A P.R. needs to learn skills to survive.
     
     WL: 13-21 Will is as important as wit.  It helps endurance and life expectancy.  
               A higher will allows you to pick apart most scum.

     SP: 5-13  13 is a major breakpoint but it's not necessary to go that high.  A 
               combo of 15 wit, 15 deftness and 11 speed will give you an expert in 
               riposte with any luck.

     DF: 13-21 The higher the coordination the easier it is to hit your attack 
               location.  A 15 will give you the epee.

     The perfect P.R. would look something like this: 9-4-5-17-21-11-17 with starting 
skill bases like:
     Ini: 60%
     Rip: 90%
     Att: 75%
     Par: 70%
     Def: 75%
     Dec: 40%
     One of my first PRs looked like this: 15-10-9-15-15-6-14, Thror the Dark.  He was 
extremely unlucky as far as starting skills.  He now looks a little different: 17-11-
9-17-16-7-15 with 90% Init, 145% Rip, 130% Att, 130% Par, 115% Def and 80% Dec.  I 
destroyed him with early stat raises.
     I had a similar design that was luckier, at least until he got X-ed by a slasher 
in a tourney.  He died with a 12-3-1 record.  But enough of that.  You're probably 
wanting to get on with the strategies.
     So getting on with it, I've tried both offensive and defensive strategies.  
Generally defensive has worked better for me.  Something like: 3-6-6 going offensive 
in minute 3 or 4 with a 10-8-6 or a 9-7-6 and then backing off to a 6-4-6 or a 4-5-6.
     As far as tactics go I don't use 'em very often.  If you use any offensive tactic 
use the lunge or nothing.  Defensively use dodge and parry sparingly, if at all, and 
don't use the riposte tactic after you've achieved a master.
     Okay, now on to weapons and armor.  A parry-riposte is somewhat limited when it 
comes to weapons.  The longsword is their best choice against heavier armors.  I once 
tried the halberd (I'll wait until you finish laughing.)  Anyway, Thror the Dark 
savagely slew Spymaster with it.  I only give the PR an off hand weapon with epee, 
shortsword or the longsword.
     I've done varying things with armor, but I've found that lighter armor works 
better, personal favorites being APL, ARM, and ASM.  I read an article about the 
parry-riposte of coom that made me laugh.  It said something about wearing more armor 
than expected of a PR, listing nothing higher than ACM+F.  Imagine what he would have 
thought fighting Thror the Dark in APA+F.
     This is just an opinion brought to you by Necrom, manager of Knightmares (33), 
Pentad Paladins (55), Northlanders (70) and a couple of others.

                                   Crimson Strikers

     Greetings, fellow managers, I, Crimson Strategist, shall share my thoughts with 
you on the striking attack style.
     This style developed in cultures where weapon quality surpassed that of the 
armors, this made landing the first blow vital.  This blow is usually delivered in a 
downward fashion quickly, surely, and with power in a minimal of wasted motion.
     Here's how I rate the stats:
     ST 11-15: Never go below 11, strikers are well suited to ALL the weapons in the 
game and 11 allows the use of the majority of them.  They also need to hurt their foe 
when they hit, thus making this an important consideration for damage rating.
     CN 3-9:  This whole style revolves around finishing your foe quickly, if your foe 
has time to develop a complex formal attack on your striker, then you're not fighting 
him properly.  A properly run striker should never be hit more than four or five 
times, any more than this and the whole concept behind this style gets thrown right 
out the window, therefore I rate con as the least important attribute for this style.
     SZ 9-16:  A size of 9 allows use of all the weapons and it is important in 
determining your damage rating, plus, it also adds to your init and this style thrives 
on init.
     WT 13+:  As with any style, the higher the better.  13 is rock bottom, it allows 
the use of all weapons except the epee and you'll still learn at a decent pace.
     WL 7-13: This style conserves endurance which allows this attribute to go 
considerably less than most styles and still fight effectively for a respectable 
length of time.  I've had strikers with a 13 ST, 3 CN, and 5 WL get poor endurance 
ratings and ones with 11 ST, 6 CN, and 9 WL get normal.  However, if you want some 
long term potential, you'd want to be around 13 or so.
     SP 10+: This is very important for decise and init skills which are the heart of 
this style.  Landing the first blow and finishing the fight quickly is hinged on your 
striker's speed.
     DF 15+:  This is crucial attribute for this style, they NEED to be precise with 
their blows, plus, it also adds to their init.  Get to 17 or 21 if possible.
     Now let's take a look at the style itself.  The striking attack is one of the 
easiest styles to run, yet they have adversity that many styles lack.  As I've said 
before, a striker can use ALL the weapons in the game.  They can fight effectively 
wearing plate armor and no armor, they can use EVERY tactic in the game be it 
offensive or defensive, a striker can fight like a lunger or basher, ripper or 
slasher, etc... provided that you match up their strategy with the appropriate tactic 
and weapon.  They can beat ALL the styles in DM and beyond if you choose their 
strategy correctly for that particular style vs. style matchup.
     Here are some examples of style vs. style matchups for strikers and various 
tactic selections vs. the different styles.
     High decise strikers over slashers and lungers, strikers over total parry and 
wall of steel, rippers over strikers, etc...
     Using the decise tactic vs. lungers, slashers, and aimed blows.  Using the lunge 
tactic vs. rippers and aimed blows, using no tactic and having a moderate offensive 
effort and moderate activity level vs. total parries and wall of steel, etc...
     The possible variations for this style are virtually endless.
     Now let's take a brief look at your striker overview and glean some helpful hints 
on how to fight them.  If you see statements like "relying on speed to stay out of 
danger" or "avoiding rather than trading blows," this is telling you that your AL 
should be moderate to high.  If he does great damage, then don't use weapons like the 
epee or shortsword, this would be an underutilization of his strengths.  If he learns 
attack skills easily, then this is telling you that he likes to take his time and pick 
his shots so don't send him out with a 10 OE!  If you see statements like "has learned 
how to be a decisive and quick fighter," then by all means USE the decise tactic with 
a high OE.  Don't send him out with offhand weapons unless he's ambidextrous, if you 
do, it will take away from his attack.  As you can see, the various statements on your 
overview are very helpful in telling you how your striker likes to fight.
     Here's a very general strategy that has worked well for my strikers.

OE             10   8    7    7    7    6    6       Armor: ARM to ACM
AL              4   3    2    1    1    1    8       Weapons: BS,LO,SC,GS,BA
KD              6   6    6    6    6    6    5
ATT LOC        Head, body, arms
PRO LOC        Head or body
OFF TCT        Decise or bash
DEF TCT        Response or dodge

     Before I close there is one last point I wish to emphasize, USE the 
challenge/avoid system, it will help control who you fight and when.  In closing, I 
would like to thank the following managers for their diplos and articles which helped 
me learn the game: Sir Jessie Jest, Talon, Tex, the managers on the roundtable, and 
numerous others who took their time to put quill and ink on parchment and pass their 
knowledge on to others, thanks!
     Many of you know the Crimson Death stables or soon will know them since I plan to 
have quite a few of them up and running, however, some of them will be on and off due 
to monetary fluctuations so if you wish to diplo me with any comments, criticisms, 
whatever, send them to my home arena, which, from here on out, will always be active.

                                             Later, 
                                                  Crimson Strategist
                                                  Crimson Death DM 61