DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 06/23/2007 Duedate: 07/06/2007
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-237
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
CHAENY GROVE
MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
(93-8471) [6-2-0,84]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY CHAENY GROVE
MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
(93-8471) [6-2-0,84]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
ABALOND EGRAN SHANIA TWAIN
MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464) COUNTRY LOVE (382)
(93-8469) [6-2-0,35] (93-2136) [2-0-0,13]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. ECLIPSE (1476) 53
2. MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464) 48 BRUTE STRENGTH (491)
3. COUNTRY LOVE (382) 15 Unchartered Team
4. ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462) 5
5. NO QUARTER (1463) 4 MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 1*MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464) 26 13 1 66.7 1/ 1*MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464) 10 4 0
2/ 2*BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461) 21 14 2 60.0 2/ 3*BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461) 9 6 2
3/ 7*COUNTRY LOVE (382) 3 2 0 60.0 3/ 4*NO QUARTER (1463) 8 7 0
4/ 3*NO QUARTER (1463) 18 22 0 45.0 4/ 2*ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462) 5 10 1
5/ 9*ECLIPSE (1476) 4 6 0 40.0 5/ 9*ECLIPSE (1476) 4 6 0
6/ 4*ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462) 14 24 3 36.8 6/ 7*COUNTRY LOVE (382) 3 1 0
7- 5*THE MEAT LOCKER (1466) 5 10 0 33.3 7- 6*THE WOLVES (1467) 1 1 0
8- 6*THE WOLVES (1467) 1 2 0 33.3 8/ 8*MITHRIL CROWN (1471) 1 9 0
9/ 8*MITHRIL CROWN (1471) 1 9 0 10.0 9- 5*THE MEAT LOCKER (1466) 0 2 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
The Dragon & The Warrior
There is a mean Dragon who lives in a cave
On that there mountain top high
When the moon is full he swoops on down
To the village, I tell you no lie
The villagers fear this dreaded old beast
For it breathes wicked jets of hot fire
They screamed and they screamed and they got on their knees
And they prayed for a warrior to hire
The very next day this man they did seek
Showed up at the villagers gate
He carried a sword that was six feet in length
On which many had tested their fate
He strode through the crowd that gathered to see
The warrior off that day
He climbed up the mountain and sought out the dragon
Who then feasted on warrior flambe
Fox, mgr. Eclipse
+ ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Lighthouse ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +
"Tinkering strategies?" Jorja glanced around the common room of the Lighthouse
quickly. None of her gladiators were near by, but she leaned forward and lowered her
voice anyway. "The team here doesn't believe I ever do that, and I don't want them
to hear me saying differently, Diaretic. They'd get expectations, and I don't have
any plan to make life that easy for 'em. But here's the way I go at it when I'm
feeling generous with my warriors. Mind you, this is just the way *I* do it, and
there are plenty of other approaches.
"Say I've got a warrior who's a pure offensive style, which means a basher, a
lunger, or a slasher. I don't count strikers, as they're versatile and sometimes
unpredictable. Say I've started him out fast, maybe 8-6-x. Unless he's fighting
another pure offensive, he should be first off the mark. So I look for the problem.
If it's a problem with his numbers and style and he should have been some other kind
of fighter, well, too bad, we're both stuck with it. I can boost his offensive
effort to ten--sometimes it already IS ten, of course, but if it isn't, then that
goes up to the top. I can drop his activity level, say to four. I know some people
start their offensive warriors going 10-10-x, but to my mind, this is just asking for
early burnout in a fight. I've seen that kind of thing--a warrior comes out of the
starting gate like his socks are on fire, and by the MIDDLE, not the end, of the
first minute, he's panting and staggering, and losing. Sure, some warriors can take
that kind of energy burn, but most can't.
"So I tinker with his numbers, and it doesn't help, he still gets jumped when he
shouldn't. The next thing to try is dropping the weight he's carrying. Maybe I've
got him in some kind of mail, okay, I drop that to leather. This reduces his
protection against blows from his opponent, of course, but everything's a trade-off.
If he gets out there first and deals a shrewd blow or two, it won't matter; he'll win
before he gets hurt. If he's already in leather, or if I want to lighten him up
further, I'll drop his backup weapon and give him a lighter one. Say he's got a
scimitar with a backup same, maybe I'll drop the backup to a shortsword or even a
dagger. I'll always leave him SOME backup weapon--"
"He'd have his fists, if you didn't give him a backup weapon, wouldn't he?"
Diaretic asked.
Jorja shrugged. "Well... yes, but none of the pure offensives do well with
their fists. Strikers, maybe, but not bashers, lungers, or slashers. They can and
will use 'em if they have nothing else, but they won't do well. And frankly, I
wouldn't even send out an aimed blow, the CLASSIC unarmed style, with nothing but his
fists for backups. I've seen too many of them 'struck in the arm with the parry'.
It's too risky for a warrior who's already got problems. Unless, of course..." she
looked suddenly thoughtful, "I'm hoping he'll get killed...."
Diaretic raised his eyebrows. "Do you do that much?"
"Send them out hoping they'll die?" Jorja shrugged. "Well, yes and no. I run
everything, maybe send one warrior in a hundred to the Dark Arena--after he's fought
for a year or two. There are often warriors that I would LIKE to see die, even
though I hate the hassle of recruiting new ones. But I've never sent a warrior out
unarmed, unarmored, and with the basic 1-1-1 default strategy. At least, not
deliberately. There's a team I have in Murska that was running on maintenance once.
I wasn't paying attention, and no less than THREE new warriors started up there
without strategies--and survived! They had horrible records by the time one of the
other managers managed to get my attention, 0-19 I think it was, but they survived.
Tough men, and they eventually made it to graduation, once I gave them 'sharp pointy
things' to use on their opponents. But I don't do that deliberately." She paused
and signaled for one of the waiters to bring Diaretic a fresh drink.
"Where was I? Warriors getting jumped when they shouldn't be, right. As a last
resort, because I don't really care for tactics, I might give such a warrior
decisiveness in the first minute, also.
"But if none of this works, if he still gets jumped regularly, then I have to
think about taking a different approach. Maybe he'd be better off running slowly,
despite his style. So I put more armor on him, some kind of mail, usually, and I
slow down his first minute, maybe invert it: 4-6-x or 4-8-x or something. And then
in the second minute pop him up to eight or ten offensive effort, on the idea that
he'll catch the faster offensives when they're tired. Sometimes it works.
Especially with beginning warriors, winning can often be a game of endurance. He who
is still standing, wins."
Diaretic nodded and sipped his drink. Half-formed ideas of how he might use
these ideas on his own warriors revolved in his mind. "What about the opposite case,
a defensive warrior who can't last long enough to win as he should?"
"The total parry who collapses from exhaustion in the second minute?" Jorja
laughed. "I've had a few of those over the years. I call 'em 'the warriors of
exasperation'. It isn't easy running everything, you know--I end up with some
warriors that not even a mother could love, and with them, I tend to do really dumb
things, just for the heck of it. The aimed blow with a deftness of three or four,
for instance, or the total parry with no con.
"But for the, hmm, 'legitimate' cases of warriors running too fast, well, there
are signs as obvious as an offensive getting jumped. 'Fighting to conserve energy',
'straining to hold his weary arms at guard', stuff like that in the fight report is a
sure sign. You can take two approaches to that, lower the weight they're carrying so
as not to burn their energy that way--lighter armor, lighter weapons. Or slow 'em
down. Say I've got a ripper going 6-8-x and stumbling with exhaustion in the second
minute. I might slow this warrior down to 4-6 and see if that helps. Heck, I've
even done that with offensives. Back when I started slashers out going 10-10-x, I'd
get them stumbling with exhaustion and losing because of it in the second or even the
FIRST minute, and I'd slow 'em down. Activity level comes down first for an
offensive warrior--I think of that as the 'dodging and parrying' number. Offensive
effort comes down first for the defensives."
"Hmm." The younger manager frowned, making a series of linked rings on the
table top with the wet bottom of his glass. "What about warriors who flail wildly?"
"I've been told that this is due to lack of attack skills, and unless you're
going to train stats and burn those skills, nothing but time will cure it. But I've
found that sometimes--not always--lowering kill desire helps. Drop it to five, say,
if it's higher. Dropping the offensive effort a notch might help, too. I think of
'flailing wildly' as 'trying too hard'. You can never be sure, of course, because
managing gladiators is an art, not a science." She paused and half stood, looking
toward a center of commotion. "Do you want Wednesday to get falling down drunk on
the night before the fights?"
+<]H[>+-----+<]H[+ Question of the Week #8 +]H[>+-----+<]H[>+
Question, turn 417:
All -- Here's last cycle's question that didn't make it in (along with page two of my
personals). What are the top five weapons to be successful in Advanced? -- Hanibal
Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 418:
Q.O.W. Response -- The top weapons in AD, or even basic DM, are generally agreed upon
to be the SC, LO, BS, and BA. The scimitar is an all round great weapon. Seems
easier to crit with, and even against heavy armor, still dishes out a lot of damage.
Because it's a slashing weapon, it seems to pull a lot of critical damage on normal
hits. The longsword is the second best, though that could be contended, for its one
great ability, the knockdown! The broadsword is heavy, but it dishes out heavy
abuse, it doesn't break often, and it is pretty good at smashing through parries.
The battle axe is just plain cool, and it is very painful! After those four, it's
difficult to say which weapon is better. I like daggers, though shortswords are
strong, and the halberd is really fun if your warrior can throw crits with it. --
Adie
I must have missed the question this is answering, or it was part of an ongoing and
sometimes heated discussion on winning and killing and aiming locations in Aruak
City.
Q.O.W. Response -- Other than the obvious ability of aiming at the
chest/abdomen/head to gain death intent statement, I think that it's more difficult
to win when aiming at the body because there are more hit-points there. This is
especially the case against tough, armored warriors. Attacking the body with lunging
weapons can get knockdowns, but I think that it's even easier if you aim at the legs.
If you consider protect locations though, maybe the body is better to aim at because
maybe fewer people protect it.
The limbs, and head especially, have less hit points, so if struck, such a
warrior usually gives up sooner. Aiming at the head can get quick victories and
death intent statements, but results in more deaths, obviously. But I think a lot of
people routinely protect the head. Aiming at the arms allows the defeat of a warrior
when they lose their weapon, or use of their arm, and can't draw a back up. -- Adie
P.S. I only advocate aiming at the arms and legs in Aruak City. Elsewhere is a
different story.
Question for turn 418, to be answered next turn:
New Q.O.W. -- What have people seen in regards to arms that hang useless? Can
warriors regain the use of them eventually if the fight goes on? Can they punch or
parry with it, even though they can't draw a back-up? -- Adie
Adie's QoW -- Striking arms can cause an opponent to drop their weapon and
(temporarily) lose the use of the limb. Striking the legs can increase the chance of
a knockdown. Striking at head, chest, or abdomen can allow for a kill on the sands.
Chest and abdomen seem to be the locations best protected by armor. Head can have a
different level of armor protection than the rest of the warrior's body, which can
make things tactically interesting. From what I've seen, managers usually have their
warriors protect their vital hit locations by default, so to me it makes more sense
to aim at non-vitals. -- Generalissimo Puerco
Is Generalissimo Puerco psychic? Tune in next turn and find out!
Hanibal's QoW -- All of the one-handed swords make up the top tier of weapons, with
the axes and spears on the second tier (consider halberd in this group), and all the
bludgeoning weapons (and the greatsword) at the bottom. Quarterstaves, war hammers,
and mauls are liked by some, and as far as I'm concerned, they can have them.
Unfortunately the quarterstaff recently became tied (with longsword) among my LPs for
most popular favorite weapon. Also, interestingly, I only have one LP that favors
the scimitar, and it's a total parry! -- Generalissimo Puerco
Hanibal -- Top five weapons? Hm, scimitar, scimitar, scimitar.... Oh, you mean
DIFFERENT weapons? A lot depends on the style of the warrior in question and his or
her favorite. But scimitar is up there near the top of the list for many styles. --
Leeta
The question from turn 418:
New Q.O.W. -- What have people seen in regards to arms that hang useless? Can
warriors regain the use of them eventually if the fight goes on? Can they punch or
parry with it, even though they can't draw a back-up? -- Adie
Answers from turn 419 and 420:
Q.O.W. Answer: I have had all sorts of s#&t (not sure what word this was
supposed to be) happen regarding arms falling uselessly at their side: some warriors
give up, some continue on, I've even had a warrior lose his use of an arm twice in
one fight (and he still won!!!). One thing is certain...the weapon in the useless
hand always drops in the sand. -- Dr. Strange
Refers to last turn's question--
QOW -- Weapons? We agree that SC seems tops with LO and BS highly desirable. The
Consortium clan has a great affinity for these also: BA, DA, QS, SH, WH and GA. Not
the normal "feelings," but... -- Kennelworth
QOW -- A useless arm is a statement and since it normally comes at the end, it
"seems" to mean something, but it is similar to a dropped weapon. -- Kennelworth
Answer Q.O.W. (arms) -- When arms are struck in combat, I too have seen a variety of
things occur. I've seen them get hit, forcing a weapon to be dropped, but then a
back up pulled immediately. I've seen them get hit, drop a weapon, and be too hotly
engaged to pull a new one. Also, they can hang useless after being struck. The
weirdest thing I've ever seen is a warrior lose the use of their arm, drop their
weapon, strike with their fists, and then have one of those fists get parried, AND IT
WOULD BE THE ONE THAT WAS USELESS THAT WAS INJURED BY THE PARRY! Strange eh? So if
both arms went useless, you could still fight with fists? Hmm... -- Adie
New question, turn 419:
All -- I recently tried an experiment where I gave a warrior a Primary weapon
(Broadsword) and the same off-hand back-up. She pulled the back-up when things
slowed down in min. 2. Does this mean she prefers two weapons or do they always do
that? If you give a warrior two back-ups will they pull the one they prefer or
whatever you list first? -- Hanibal -- Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 420:
Answer Q.O.W. (backups) -- When things slow down in a fight and neither warrior is
eager to hold the initiative, they will usually pull any off-hand or back up weapon
they have, whether they need it or not. It has no relation to whether that warrior
prefers to fight with two weapons or not.
Drawing back-ups also can occur when the fight is intense. If your weapon
breaks while on the offense, often such a warrior will draw their back up and attempt
a riposte to hold the init. Also, if you're on the defensive and you attempt to
riposte, but you have a back-up weapon or off-hand weapon to draw, your warrior may
try to pull it. Success is not always guaranteed in either case though since your
warrior may be 'to hotly engaged'. Even if a defending warrior succeeds, drawing a
weapon after a riposte forces that warrior to give up the init they could have taken.
But if they pull a back-up and THEN riposte, then can take the init.
If you give a warrior two back-ups, they pull the one listed first, and if it
breaks or is dropped, they'll pull the second. It is not random. -- Adie
QoW -- If the warrior has a free off-hand, and a backup off-hand weapon, it usually
isn't long before they decide to make use of it. I'm guessing that OE and
coordination (anonymous source) are factors that affect the likelihood of drawing a
backup in the off-hand. Wanna Be, manager of A Savage Few here in Aruak, once hosted
a fast draw contest where contestants had to start the fight unarmed but could have
backup weapons. The all-out offensives would sometimes spend a full minute or more
with their fists before deciding to draw steel. The defensives would usually draw
something the first chance their opponent would give them. -- Generalissimo Puerco
New question, turn 420:
All -- I was noticing the skill modifiers for low to high size; do these negatives
keep a warrior from being successful at the high end of the game? -- Hanibal --
Q.O.W.
We're now caught up with Aruak City (dm 11) on the Questions of the Week; they are
about to run turn 421 as I write this. So if Hanibal misses a turn in asking, or the
managers there miss a turn in answering, we'll have to miss a turn in looking over
their shoulders. Amazing how things follow one another like dominoes falling, isn't
it? There is NO REASON AT ALL why you here can't pose Questions of the Week of your
own. Send them as a personal to DM 11, identify yourself as a new manager seeking
enlightenment, and you should get a helpful response. -- Jorja
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
The Convicted Assassin. This is so tedious sometimes. I should be fighting
managed warriors, not standbys. It should be a real contest. But at least I won the
fight.
Chaeny Grove
SPY REPORT
Good day, in NOBLISH ISLAND a quiet thief gets rich, but a quiet spymaster gets
poor. So bring me ale and harken to my tidbits of news. Now keep the taverns open
late tonight, for there are sorrows to drown for THE MEAT LOCKER, whose 0-0-0 this
turn dropped them by 4 into 9th. ECLIPSE stable has parlayed this turn's 4-1-0 into
a 4 space move up the rankings. This brings them up to 5th place. Good work, guys!
And let's see, ELLIRIN IMBRAY fought TALYM and gained 19 points and contributed to
MIDDLE WAY 17's 4-0-0. TALYM has lost to ELLIRIN IMBRAY, falling 16 points, while
helping make BLOOD KNIGHTS a 3-2-1 turn. Defending hers title for another turn,
CHAENY GROVE kept NOBLISH ISLAND's warrior, VENEMOUS CONCUBINE, from claiming the
throne. Can someone confirm a rumor for me? I hear the top team makes their losing
fighters do dishes at The Warty Toad until they win. Maybe?
He who challenges well, fights well. He who avoids without cause, shall lose
for good reasons. My mama told me that one. I also notice that the NO QUARTER
stable was the most avoided team this turn. Come on NOBLISH ISLAND, what are you
afraid of? And avoiding NO QUARTER more than any other team we find MITHRIL CROWN.
NOBLISH ISLAND, are we going to accept, or respect this sort of thing? Well, sports
fans, take notice that SHANIA TWAIN from COUNTRY LOVE was NOBLISH ISLAND's most
challenged warrior this turn. In a brave attempt, BASAIDO from BLOOD KNIGHTS
challenged up 22 points to fight ABALOND EGRAN from the MIDDLE WAY 17 stable.
BASAIDO perhaps got his just desserts, seeing as he was beat by ABALOND EGRAN and
ended up with 13 recognition points.
A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man only once. Wise men know this to
be true. The manager of NO QUARTER will not be pleased to learn that GRIMME, a 2-0-0
fighter, has been killed at the hands of ABYSSAL PLAINS' MIDNIGHT RUIN. Kudos go out
to ELLIRIN IMBRAY this turn, for revenging MIDDLE WAY 17's bloodfeud against BLOOD
KNIGHTS' warrior TALYM. Well done. We'd like to remind certain teams not to rob the
graves of their enemies. You know who you are; and it's considered rude.
Remember, blood on the purple robe does not change it from a purple robe. Dare
to fight bravely. Well, I'm burning daylight here in NOBLISH ISLAND and I've a long
road ahead of me. Happy Trails. Until the sun next rises and my pen sets to paper--
Alarond the Scribe
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
CHAENY GROVE 8471 6 2 0 84 MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
KYRA 8457 7 0 0 54 BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
ELLIRIN IMBRAY 8473 5 3 1 51 MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
TALYM 8455 5 2 1 40 BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
ABALOND EGRAN 8469 6 2 0 35 MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
DENCIE HILLIS 8472 4 4 0 34 MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
MIDNIGHT RUIN 8461 5 3 1 33 ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)
PHOENIX RISING 8460 4 4 1 29 ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)
AEREON 8458 4 3 1 28 BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
VELUNA 8465 5 3 0 27 NO QUARTER (1463)
PEITON 8529 3 0 0 24 NO QUARTER (1463)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-MEATBALL 8481 2 1 0 23 THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)
DEATHBLADE 8559 1 0 0 15 ECLIPSE (1476)
NIGHTSHADOW 8555 1 0 0 15 ECLIPSE (1476)
-LEVITHEAN 8485 1 0 0 14 THE WOLVES (1467)
BASAIDO 8505 2 2 0 13 BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
SHANIA TWAIN 2136 2 0 0 13 COUNTRY LOVE (382)
-BURGER 8479 1 1 0 13 THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)
VORUS 8462 2 5 1 12 ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)
AALAIYA 8456 2 5 0 11 BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
DARKWIND 8558 1 0 0 11 ECLIPSE (1476)
MINDY MCCREADY 2137 1 0 0 11 COUNTRY LOVE (382)
BLACKMOON 8556 1 0 0 11 ECLIPSE (1476)
PAREDE 8554 1 0 0 7 NO QUARTER (1463)
-MYSTERY MEAT 8480 1 3 0 6 THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)
REQUIEM 8536 1 2 0 5 ABYSSAL PLAINS (1462)
-PORK CHOPS 8483 1 2 0 5 THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)
VARDA OF STARS 8506 1 1 0 4 MITHRIL CROWN (1471)
TINUVIEL 8508 0 2 0 2 MITHRIL CROWN (1471)
ODO PROUDFOOT 8507 0 2 0 2 MITHRIL CROWN (1471)
FUNDIN OF STONE 8510 0 2 0 2 MITHRIL CROWN (1471)
-VALERIAN 8484 0 2 0 2 THE WOLVES (1467)
-SIR LOIN 8517 0 1 0 1 THE MEAT LOCKER (1466)
BLOODHARVERSTER 8557 0 1 0 1 ECLIPSE (1476)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
ARDENT 8463 2 5 0 ABYSSAL PLAINS 1462 HIGH ELF 19 237 NONE
MEATLOAF 8482 0 2 0 THE MEAT LOCKER 1466 PHOENIX RISING 8460 233 NOT REVE
BARDON FROER 8470 5 2 0 MIDDLE WAY 17 1464 TALYM 8455 236 JUST REV
GRIMME 8530 2 1 0 NO QUARTER 1463 MIDNIGHT RUIN 8461 237
HEW 8528 1 2 0 NO QUARTER 1463 AEREON 8458 237
CROMWALLIS 8467 2 3 0 NO QUARTER 1463 VORUS 8462 234 REVENGED
PERSONAL ADS
Vorus -- Not only am I now 2-0 against you, but it was particularly nice to avenge
Cromwallis. I'll say it again, better luck NEXT time. -- Veluna
Odo Proudfoot -- You are a fierce competitor and I wish you a long career on Noblish
Island. -- Hew
Fundin of Stone -- Well fought! Should we meet again, I might not walk away with
victory. -- Grimme
Tinuviel -- Wow, I hardly broke a sweat. I hope that your next fight goes your way.
-- Peiton
No Quarter wishes to extend a hearty welcome to Country Love, Mithril Crown and
Eclipse. Welcome to Noblish Island! -- Reegan Ironbeard (promoter, No Quarter)
Reegan -- Vengeance is indeed sweet nectar, is it not? Well done my friend. --
Lazarian
All -- Ah well, 'twas bound to happen. Join me at the Lighthouse and let me be first
to raise a glass in tribute to Veluna of No Quarter and Reegan. I'm buying. -- Vorus
All -- A blanket of darkness falls over the land for the Gladiators of the Eclipse
have arrived! I have scoured the lands for a team with the skills and abilities to
be able to wipe out my foes. There is no escape.... -- Fox, mgr. Eclipse
Reegan -- I was thinking about Aruak City, Lapur, or maybe even the no tourney arena.
Lapur is where my dad has a team and they have about 18 teams now. It's a tough
decision. -- Arturius
P.S. I would love to hear Jorja's advice on which of the three is better.
Lapur. Yep, it's me. I don't always get a chance to add my comments, but
today, your luck is in. I would recommend Lapur for the following reasons:
It's fun. The population in the arena is big enough to provide variety
without being so big you get lost and never meet your friends. Small enough
that you get to know your fellow managers, but not so small that you're reduced
to fighting the same warriors over and over again. (I could tell you horror
stories about that!) People talk to each other, which I consider essential to
full enjoyment.
It isn't dogmatic. Aruak City managers can be very intense about enforcing
their traditions. I have no problem with their traditions, but sometimes the
intensity is a bit wearing.
I have no personal experience of either no-tourney arena (Shadowspire, 81,
and Telorinthe, 83), but I read the newsletters. They're big, and if they
continue so, any one manager could easily get lost in the crowd. I am not sure
whether it would be possible to transfer a team into Shadowspire from Noblish
Island, though I recall that the Player Committee rules prohibit transfering in
a team from any other arena. Neither of these arenas is old enough to have
developed a personality, only twelve turns for Shadowspire and just one for
Telorinthe. Of course, this means that anyone who goes there can have a hand in
setting the personality.
So taking it all together, I'd say: Lapur. Look for me there as Cardow
Hunters. -- Jorja
Lazarian -- You're welcome. Where are you going to go??? I would love to continue
our friendly rivalry after graduation. -- Arturius
Jorja -- I regret the actions of Talym in our recent matchup. In no way was death
the intended outcome of the fight. We at the Blood Knights bow our heads in a moment
of silence for the loss of a great young warrior. -- Arturius
It happens. I've been playing a long time, and I know that if you can't accept
that death will come when and where you least expect it, you won't enjoy the
game.
Middle Way -- I am very sorry. I have heard that you are not allowed to challenge to
avenge Bardon's death, so I will honor him in the rest of my fights. Until
graduation or until I join him in the beyond. -- Talym
Dencie Hillis -- I want to die, but Arturius won't send me. He keeps telling me that
I just need some skills. -- Aalaiya
Midnight Ruin -- Sorry about the splinters. You might want to try a faster weapon
next time. -- Kyra
Ellirin Imbray -- Arturius told me to call you "Bus Driver" because he said you just
took me to school. -- Aereon
Phoenix Rising -- Impressive. Five clash lines for your style versus mine. Aereon
thank you for not doing that in his fight. -- Basaido
The Blood Knights welcome you, Eclipse. We hope the rest of your fights are not by
torchlight. -- Arturius and the Knights
P.S. You can pick on Aalaiya. Everyone else does.
Aeron -- Not bad. Okay, you lost, but that wasn't actually your fault. You lost
because you were doing the right thing for your style: trying to win fast. I won
because I was doing the right thing for my style and pacing myself, and I had more
stamina when it counted. You might want to train CN, since getting tired before the
end of the first minute (rests to conserve his energy) can be a bad sign. Not
essential, you'll meet other gladiators who don't have my stamina, or my armor, or my
patience, and take 'em out right off. Hmm. That said, you might want to experiment
with slowing down in the second minute for just such an eventuality. -- Ellirin
Imbray
Aalaiya -- Drat. You should be contesting with me for the first blow. You should be
taking off like a jackrabbit. She who hesitates at the beginning gets hit first, and
the first blow can set the tone for the whole fight. -- Dencie Hillis
Talym -- I just hate it when that happens! Heck. -- Ghost of Bardon Froer
P.S. In case you wondered, 13-4-17-9-17-14-10. Jorja considered the WT of 9 and the
DF of 10 to be greater handicaps for a lunger than the CN of 4, but it was the low CN
that killed me. Oh, well.
Ardent -- You're supposed to at least TRY to parry or dodge, woman! Or maybe more
armor, something. -- Abalond Egran
P.S. Did you have a desperation strategy? I don't if its existence (or lack of
existence) would have made a difference, but whichever, you might try doing it the
other way. Just a thought.
Reegan Ironbeard -- You will find us in Aruak City under the team name Krill Cavalry.
-- Jorja
Lazarian -- I have a problem getting diplos out, bad timing, no one in the office
when I email 'em to print out the note. I try to answer questions in the newsletter
if it won't touch on sensitive matters (such as styles and stats of your warriors).
But I can do a diplo if need be. -- Jorja
P.S. From my note farther down the page, it looks like I must have done something on
that heading. Good.
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
ARDENT was butchered by HIGH ELF in a 1 minute bloody Dark Arena fight.
PHOENIX RISING was vanquished by KYRA in a 1 minute uneven Challenge battle.
VORUS was demolished by DENCIE HILLIS in a 1 minute uneven Challenge fight.
REQUIEM was overpowered by PEITON in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge fight.
TINUVIEL was bested by AALAIYA in a 1 minute Challenge brawl.
FUNDIN OF STONE was viciously subdued by SHANIA TWAIN in a 1 minute Challenge fight.
GRIMME was easily killed by MIDNIGHT RUIN in a 1 minute uneven Challenge fight.
BASAIDO lost to ABALOND EGRAN in a action packed 1 minute Challenge duel.
CHAENY GROVE vanquished VENEMOUS CONCUBINE in a 1 minute uneven Title fight.
TALYM lost to ELLIRIN IMBRAY in a 1 minute fight.
VELUNA was defeated by DANGEROUS CRIMINAL in a 1 minute match.
AEREON easily killed HEW in a 1 minute brutal one-sided bout.
VARDA OF STARS was narrowly defeated by BLACKMOON in a 1 minute amateur's competition.
ODO PROUDFOOT was savagely defeated by PAREDE in a 2 minute gory amateur's match.
MINDY MCCREADY viciously subdued BLOODHARVERSTER in a 1 minute novice's conflict.
NIGHTSHADOW luckily beat EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 2 minute gruesome beginner's struggle.
DARKWIND beat PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 1 minute amateur's brawl.
DEATHBLADE devastated PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|BASHING ATTACK 7 AIMED BLOW 8 - 3 - 0 73 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 5 LUNGING ATTACK 13 - 7 - 0 65 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 4 SLASHING ATTACK 16 - 13 - 1 55 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 4 PARRY-LUNGE 8 - 7 - 2 53 |
|WALL OF STEEL 3 BASHING ATTACK 25 - 27 - 2 48 |
|AIMED BLOW 2 PARRY-STRIKE 5 - 6 - 0 45 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 2 WALL OF STEEL 10 - 12 - 1 45 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 2 STRIKING ATTACK 22 - 29 - 1 43 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 TOTAL PARRY 2 - 3 - 0 40 |
|TOTAL PARRY 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 5 - 13 - 0 28 |
Turn 237 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:
AIMED BLOW 2 - 0 STRIKING ATTACK 2 - 3 3 BASHING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK 4 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 2 2 STRIKING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL 2 - 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 2 2 SLASHING ATTACK
BASHING ATTACK 4 - 3 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 1 1 AIMED BLOW
LUNGING ATTACK 2 - 2 TOTAL PARRY 0 - 0 1 WALL OF STEEL
1 PARRY-LUNGE
1 PARRY-STRIKE
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
STRIKING ATTACK CHAENY GROVE 8471 6 2 0 84 MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
AIMED BLOW KYRA 8457 7 0 0 54 BLOOD KNIGHTS (1461)
WALL OF STEEL ELLIRIN IMBRAY 8473 5 3 1 51 MIDDLE WAY 17 (1464)
BASHING ATTACK TALYM 8455 5 2 1 40 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 SHANIA TWAIN 2136. The ten other most popular fighters were VARDA OF STARS
8506, PAREDE 8554, DENCIE HILLIS 8472, ABALOND EGRAN 8469, CHAENY GROVE 8471, MINDY
MCCREADY 2137, DARKWIND 8558, KYRA 8457, PEITON 8529, and AALAIYA 8456.
The least popular fighter this week was BLOODHARVERSTER 8557. The other ten least
popular fighters were ODO PROUDFOOT 8507, VELUNA 8465, GRIMME 8530, FUNDIN OF STONE
8510, TINUVIEL 8508, REQUIEM 8536, PHOENIX RISING 8460, ARDENT 8463, NIGHTSHADOW
8555, and HEW 8528.
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Thank you. We wish you the best of luck in your games! -- RSI
A NOTE ON MAILMEN
In response to the articles on new fighting styles, those were good, but how can
you forget our most favorite warrior who has a style all his own? The Mailman! To
Duelmasters he is our most sacred person. I mean, how many of you managers out their
have sat down and calculated what day your Duelmasters will arrive and have sat
waiting for it to arrive, while unknown to you, your mailman is fighting away to get
your Duelmasters delivered. Let's review him...
ST - should be around 19. He needs to heft two medium bags, cloth mail armor and
a ton of rubber bands.
CN - 13, give or take a few. He does get bitten by dogs often.
SZ - Any.
WT - At least 10. He often likes to read the mail.
WL - Try about 20. He must endure all kinds of weather.
SP - 16 is good. He needs to run across streets in traffic.
DF - 10 is good. Sometimes he has to carry packages.
This setup should get you a good mailman but they are hard to come by. If you
can come up with any better, diplo me. I am:
Staple Gun
mgr. of Technet (3)
The New Deal (23)
I am currently working on the U.P.S. and Federal Express warriors.
"Strikers R Us"
Greetings, everyone. It is I, Talon, again. I am very glad to see everyone
participating in the arena and sharing their thoughts on styles and strategies. This
turn I will take on the striking attack style, which is certainly one of my favorites.
I believe the striker is one of the easiest styles to run, and one in which no
team should be without. A high-powered striker can diversify and empower your team.
A well run striker can beat any other style, period, at any level in regular
Duelmasters. In arenas where scum TPs are rampant, strikers are just the answer as
they can attack for up to 12 minutes or more. Strikers are versatile. They can do
exceptionally well with a dagger as a weapon or with a halberd. They can do well with
no armor or with plate armor.
Stats:
Biff Primal Solid Perfect
ST 5-21 9-17 13 15
CN 3+ 3+ 6 3
SZ 9-21 3-17 9 5
WT 3-17 17 + 17 21
WL 9-17 13 + 17 15
SP 5+ 5-13 9 8
DF 9+ 9-17 13 17
With the way I design strikers, there are essentially two strikers that evolve.
The BIFF and the PRIMAL. The Biff striker is typically one that is not looking long-
term, but one which I want to run and have fun with. With this striker, I try to have
one stat (wit, will, or deftness) which is extraordinary, one which is average, and
the other ends up being at some non-normal level. Some examples of the Biff are: 10-
10-11-4-17-17-15, 7-11-17-17-11-6-15, 9-5-14-17-11-13-15, 4-8-17-15-13-10-17, and 21-
3-15-21-5-8-11. With these warriors, the emphasis is on having fun and learning more
about the style.
The Primal is essentially a Primus-quality warrior. In this category, the
striker will be designed with stats that most other managers will gasp, "OH MY, WHY
DID YOU MAKE HIM A STRIKER?" It is also the warrior that will be Duelmaster for 8
straight turns and will go to ADM with a 16-4-2 record, with 4 Masters and an Ad Ex.
The key here is to create a warrior with AT LEAST a 17 wit and 15 deftness, along with
a 13+ will and who will do normal damage or better. The goal with the Primal is a 21
wit and 17 deftness, because this will ensure a great warrior.
Weapons and Armor: As for weapons, the best striking weapons that I have found
and used are the dagger, epee, scimitar, broadsword, quarterstaff, greatsword,
longsword, war hammer, and sometimes the short spear. I don't run my strikers with
shields or off-hand weapons, as it takes away from their attack. The heaviest armor I
will use is padded leather. Always wear a steel cap or a helm.
Strategy (general):
Min. 1 2 3 4 5 6+ Desp
OE 10 8 6 6 6 5 5
AL 10 5 4 2 2 1 8
KD 6 8 6 6 6 5 5
attack arms/legs/head -- take your pick
protect arms/legs/head -- take your pick
off tactic decise, slash, bash, depending on weapon
def tactic response is best; try dodge though.
With this strategy, a striker with a normal endurance should fight for eight
minutes as a scum TP and come out on top, outrageously victorious. Just match your
weapon with your tactic and only use the tactics in minute one or desperation.
If you have any further questions on this or any other style, feel free to diplo
me.
Talon, mgr. Eagle's Claw
HOW I MADE DUELMASTER IN THREE EASY STEPS
OR
a new look for Aimed Blows
Greetings and salutations, all. Here's a new twist on aimed blows I haven't seen
before....one that works, at least for me! Here's what I did with Rex Walters, my
first Duelmaster in the Free Blades transfer arena, DM 70.
ST: 17 (for good damage, attack and parry skills)
CN: 13 (gonna need every hit point he can get)
SZ: 4 (smaller the better!)
WT: 4 (overrated for aimed blows!)
WL: 21 (if ya try this method, 17 is a MINIMUM)
SP: 4 (ya want NO speed, none, nothing, zero!)
DF: 21 (better max this one out too, at least a 19)
You laugh at me? I started expert in both attack and parry! (OK, so I got lucky,
I didn't expect either one of em.) But both are in reach with a little luck. Hey, if
ya can get that strength to 21 you're almost guaranteed those experts... though a bit
more CON would be nice.
But how do I RUN this monstrosity, you may ask? Why, I'm glad you inquired!
LOTS of armor. The hit points combined with, say, platemail should win this character
a lot of fights. But, while I've picked up a few easy wins scumming, that's not
really what this character does best.
I use the only weapon Rex is well suited to: the bare hand. With an offhand
small shield or shortsword, so I can take advantage of that expert parry rating. So:
FI-SH, APM-H.
And I run him at a 4 offensive effort, with a matching 4 activity level. He can
last through the initial onslaught of nearly any offensive, then smash them.... like a
good waste. And with that monster endurance and good damage, no one scums this
warrior!
I attack and protect the head, usually, and keep the kill desire high... 5-7
generally. Now, how to become Duelmaster?
Well, step one is fight your first fight... and train your CON. Step two, now
that you're in the arena, is get a fight with an up-and-coming young warrior from the
Duelmaster's team... and kill them. (I randomly matched up with, and killed, a member
of the incoming Duelmaster's team...luck helps, ya know.) Offensives that wear
themselves out but haven't quite dropped are the easiest to kill.
Then, when the Duelmaster comes at you (bragging about how he "only" needs to
beat you twice to assure his ascension to the Isle) you stomp him. Badly. Once
you're on that lofty throne he won't even be able to bloodfeud you, since you can bet
he's not gonna be anywhere near the challenger champions after losing to a 2-fight
warrior (just ask Ciron of ENDS WITH IRON, now in AD).
There are drawbacks, of course. Once you get to that level, odds are you're
gonna get stomped like a stuck pig (I was most challenged 2 turns in a row after this
trick... Oo! I love mixed metaphors...) But... even a 4 wit warrior can learn skills
against gladiators with 50 fights!
Rex is now 7-3-1. All three losses have come against warriors now in AD. In
those ten matches, he's trained his strength and constitution once each, and learned
twenty skills, including his adex in both parry and attack. And boy, is it fun
humiliating some of those "gods" bound for AD!
What else can one do with this warrior? Well, Rex is, get this, well suited to
an off-hand epee! He wouldn't dare use one as a primary weapon, but its a great off-
hand toy...
Does he have what it takes to be a long-term winner? Who knows? He's probably
the DUMBEST aimed blow to ever make Duelmaster... He's in the Challenger Champions and
climbing....and he'll meet ya in AD!
Amazingly enough, this is not an isolated fluke. We entered a similar warrior
into Bloodgames (with the 4's as 3's, and a bit more CON). That warrior, Jalon, is
now in AD after going 9-1-5 and finishing on TOP of his Bloodgames arena.
Ah, just thought I'd mention I have had a second bare-handed Duelmaster, now...
Seeker Still Water in DM 74 is an open-hand lunger, Duelmaster at 8-1... but that's
another story...
--Khyron
mgr., Pitt Gladiators (2,29,56,103)
Jayhawks (70)
Silent Storm (65,74,75)
and numerous others....
THE WALL OF STEEL AS A BERSERKER
This article is for newer players; more experienced managers will, I'm sure, have
much more sophisticated ideas about warrior design and strategy. This will enable a
newbie to design a competent warrior who should be able to achieve a better than 50/50
record.
The wall of steel, or "waste," is often considered the second scummiest style in
Duelmasters. I love the style, but I don't run mine that way; I prefer to think of
the waste as a fierce dervish ripping into his opponent like an airplane propeller.
In accordance with this view, most walls of steel that I design couldn't scum if they
wanted to (well all right, sometimes it happens by accident if the opposing warrior is
going all-out and can't last very long). It's fun to run them fast; they get the jump
on people who don't expect it of them, and their fights are exciting. Mind you, they
don't win as much as if they ran more defensively, but the ones with good stats still
do okay (I'll make practically anything a waste and run it, but this article isn't
about the ones that a sane manager would DA).
So, here is a design for a competent wall of steel:
ST 13+ Needed for endurance, damage doing, and weapon selection.
CN 9+ You need a passably good con for endurance.
SZ 7+ Teeny weenie wastes don't hit hard enough or take enough damage. Real big
(15+) is bad because it hurts endurance.
WT 13+ Preferably 17. Like any other style, the smarter they are, the better.
WL 17+ Needed for endurance, damage-taking, and sheer grit. 21 is recommended.
SP 3+ Whatever.
DF 7+ Higher deftness is better, but you can get by without it.
As you can see, these are fairly easy requirements. Of course, the more wit,
will, and deftness, the better your waste will be (same as any other style). If you
don't end up with at least good endurance on the overview, the warrior probably isn't
going to do very well. With that high will, though, you can bump con a couple of
times and you might get good endurance, so there's still a chance.
Choose your weapons based on deftness, and your opponent's armor weight. I
normally use something like 0-8 SC, 9-12 BS, 13+ GA, backup SC or BS. No shield.
Some other good weapons for the waste are QS (only takes 11 ST, and can hit heavy
armor), MS, and BA. The war flail isn't a very good weapon, but you can play with it
against leather armor. For armor, I usually choose something middling like ARM & H,
but will go with APL & H if he has a lot of con.
For strategy--I heard a rumor (NOT confirmed) that a wall of steel gets a bonus
if his OE equals his KD. Since I don't like to use a kill desire above 6, I don't go
by that in the first couple of minutes. Keep the activity level moderate to low; the
waste doesn't need to jump around a lot and the way he keeps his weapon moving, he's
burning a lot of endurance without that added drain. Attack and defend the arms, like
a slasher; a waste is a sort of parry-slasher. A typical strategy for my wastes might
look like this:
Minute 1 2 3 4 5 6 Desp
Offensive 9 8 7 6 5 5 2
Activity 6 5 4 3 2 1 6
Kill des. 6 6 6 6 5 5 2
Att. loc. RA LA RA LA RA LA RA
Pro. loc. AM AM AM AM AM AM HE
Off tac. none -- -- -- -- -- --
Def tac. -- -- -- -- -- -- P
I play with the numbers a lot, depending on what the warrior seems to like. For
example, if he doesn't parry too well, I'll give him a more offensive desperation
strategy, like 8-4-8-slash. (If I really like a warrior I sometimes use a 7+ KD to
try and save his life.) If he never manages to get the jump on anybody, I'll try
running him more defensively, like with a first minute of 3-6-3. It's not as much fun
as going all out, but it's more fun than losing all the time.
You can challenge pretty much any style (lungers aren't recommended). When
fighting a warrior you know to be very defensive (a TP, or a scummy variety of PS, PR,
PL, or WS), slow down or you will be scummed. For the most part, though, an offensive
waste is very versatile and can beat any style. The better his important qualities
are (WT, WL, DF, endurance), the better the quality of warriors he can defeat. In
other words, if you have a so-so rollup that barely made the minimum requirements,
challenge so-so opponents. If you have a good rollup, go for the gold. Challenge
warriors with a few more fights than you, so you'll learn plenty of skills--but don't
challenge way way up in experience, because it's no fun to lose a good warrior.
For the most part, train skills--especially on your challenge strategy, when
you're going after someone with more fights! And for sure on the first fight, because
you'll likely be matched against someone who can teach you a lot. It's okay to train
con once in a while if you need more endurance and damage-taking; and if you have bad
luck on the rollup and get "does little damage" or something, you might have to train
strength once or twice (no more!). But it's best not to train any other stats until
way, way down the road.
Ask your DM sponsor or any experienced manager in your arena for more advice (if
they tell you I'm full of hot air, they're probably right). A little bit of good
advice from a more advanced player can make a big difference in your enjoyment of the
game!
If you have any questions or suggestions, you can diplo: the She-Puppy, mgr.
Mordant Prison DM-1, and others.