DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 08/18/2007 Duedate: 08/31/2007
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-241
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
BLACKMOON
ECLIPSE (1476)
(93-8556) [5-0-1,42]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY BLACKMOON
ECLIPSE (1476)
(93-8556) [5-0-1,42]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
DEATHBLADE LEVITHEAN
ECLIPSE (1476) THE WOLVES (1467)
(93-8559) [3-2-2,36] (93-8485) [1-3-0,6]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
CRUCIBLE (1480)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. ECLIPSE (1476) 72
2. THE CYRKLE (1472) 42 SUBJUGATORS (617)
3. THE WOLVES (1467) 30 Unchartered Team
4. GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484) 28
5. MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483) 16 THE CYRKLE (1472)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1- 1*DARGONE (1006) 1 0 0 100 1/ 1*CRUCIBLE (1480) 10 4 1
2/ 0*THE CYRKLE (1472) 4 1 0 80.0 2/ 2*ECLIPSE (1476) 10 5 5
3/ 2*CRUCIBLE (1480) 14 5 2 73.7 3/ 3*MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483) 7 3 0
4/ 3*MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483) 7 3 0 70.0 4/ 0*THE CYRKLE (1472) 4 1 0
5/ 6*ECLIPSE (1476) 15 15 5 50.0 5/ 7*GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484) 4 6 0
6/ 8*GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484) 4 6 0 40.0 6/ 9*THE WOLVES (1467) 3 5 1
7/ 5*DRAGON LANCE (1479) 3 6 0 33.3 7/ 4*DRAGON LANCE (1479) 3 6 0
8/ 7*THE WOLVES (1467) 4 10 1 28.6 8/ 0*DEFENDERS (1481) 2 5 0
9/ 0*DEFENDERS (1481) 2 5 0 28.6 9- 6*DARGONE (1006) 1 0 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
"The Gargoyle"
Blackmoon, gasping for breath, climbed the final portion of the cliffside, his
clumsy, mailed hands dragging his tired body onto the ledge he had seen the creature
fly to just moments ago. Sweating from the effort, he regained his footing and
immediately pulled the maul from his back, grinning at the comfortable heft of it in
his meaty fists.
Looking out from beneath his helm he spotted a small cave opening ahead. About
seven feet tall, it was a tight fit for the towering Shewish Giant. The last rays of
sunshine beamed through the mouth of the cave, only to illuminate the entrance; good
thing he brought a couple of torches along. Blackmoon reached onto his back and
pulled off a pitch-soaked torch and grabbed a piece of flint from a pouch at his
side. He squatted down, putting the torch on the ground, lowering the maul's head to
right above it, and struck the flint upon its glistening surface. The torch flamed a
brilliant yellow, lighting up even more the rough hewn walls of the cave's opening.
Realizing he didn't have a hand free to actually hold the torch, Blackmoon
choked his right hand up on the maul and kicked the torch, sending it skittering into
the cave, a myriad of lights gleaming off the giant's chain link armor.
Slowly, listening between his ragged breaths, he crept into the dimly lit
opening, kicking the torch as he went. One last kick sent the torch slamming into
another smaller cliff as the cave came to a halt and opened up into a large shaft
heading up. Blackmoon slowly drew his eyes up the 15 foot high wall, looking for any
handholds to climb. When his eyes reached the top, he froze as adrenaline pumped
into his large muscles.
There it was, leering menacingly down at him: grey marbled skin, long muscular
limbs, short powerful wings, all attached to a 5 1/2 foot frame. Its horns and
teeth, shadowed by the flickering torchlight, appeared sharp as a razor's edge. A
deadly sight, indeed.
The gargoyle pounced down from the ledge attempting to strike our chain-clad
warrior with its long, wickedly-curved claws. Blackmoon, thinking clearly for once,
backed up a step and interceded his maul between him and his opponent, parrying the
blow.
The shorter creature lashed out immediately upon landing with tooth and nail.
Chain links flew through the air as the attacks slammed into Blackmoon's armor. The
assault coming too quickly for him to get an attack in, he slowly backpedaled out to
the remaining rays of the day's light, back to the large, outdoor cliff. Soon, he
would no longer be able to back up.
With the cunning of desperation, and with a prayer on his lips, he struck out
with his maul, catching the creature on the right knee and sent it sprawling to the
ground. Just then, the rain came pouring out of the sky as only it can do on Noblish
Island, in buckets. Grinning down his maul at the fallen gargoyle, Blackmoon asked,
"Beg for mercy, beast. I'm dying to say no."
In a fury of blows that surprised the giant himself, he struck the gargoyle on
the ground again and again, pummeling it into a pile of blood and stone. Did that
stone belong to the creature or did it belong to the ground below the creature being
destroyed by the maul? For that matter, is the blood Blackmoon's or the beast's? I
suppose it would be hard to tell.
A roar emanated from deep inside the cave.
Not sticking around to see what made the deep rumbling growl, Blackmoon
immediately began his descent down the cliff. When he reached the bottom he looked
up into the rain-streaked sky to see an even larger creature flying from the cliff
overhead. It had to be seven feet tall if it was an inch!
Blackmoon pressed himself into a niche in the cliff to hide himself from view of
the large flying creature. As soon as it passed from view he began his long, soggy
trip home, or rather to the Lighthouse for a few drinks and one hell of a story to
tell.
Lookout for part II entitled "Stumbling Inn."
P.S. I'm not a good writer, I know. But I had fun writing it and I hope you enjoyed
reading it. -- Fox, mgr. Eclipse
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
"Is there no sun on this accursed rock?!"
The rain poured heavily on these 5 warriors. All of them sent for training on
Noblish Island in the Trier Sea. Several fishermen, (why were they in the rain?) saw
the ferry carrying the warriors, and nodded an acknowledgement.
Upon arriving, their manager, Tiamat, pulled them into the Ice Dragon, ("The
sign looks like a puking pig the rumor is true." Raistlin mused), to quench their
thirsts. ("We could have stayed outside and swallowed the rain." Tasslchatt noted.)
Istar wanted this training. Her father had only daughters and wanted a son. It
never happened, even after 12 tries. She hoped this would make him proud to have
daughters.
Fireforge couldn't believe he'd left the Shewish forest for this. Actually, he
was sent away after that joke he'd played on the Shewish Giants. Who knew they
valued their weapons more than their own lives? His father, an Elf Elder, felt it
would be better for Fireforge to be gone so he could negotiate peace with the Shewish
Giants.
Goldmoon didn't care for the fighting. She came to spread the word of Ahringol
to all who would listen. She wasn't above "pounding" the teachings into her
listeners.
Raistlin had heard legends and rumors about Noblish Island, but wanted to see
for himself if they were true. (So far, 2, the rain and the Ice Dragon were.)
Tasslchaff came to try and get a profession, and learn to fight. He was a
prankster, and the people of his village wanted him to go. They even paid to send
him.
<)]H[(> + -----:----- + <)] Getting the Jump [(> + -----:----- + <)]H[(>
One of the most common questions that new players ask is what they can do to
defeat a certain warrior from another team who always attacks first and beats their
own warrior before he can get an attack in. Attacking first in a fight is called
"jumping" your opponent, and it decides the victor in a majority of fights between
two offensive warriors. By offensive, I mean Strikers, Bashers, Lungers, Slashers,
and Aimed Blows, although any style can be run offensively.
In this article, I will teach some of the more common things you can do to make
your warrior get the jump.
Part 1, the setup: To design a fast warrior, you must take into account Decisiveness
skills. Decise is gained from only three statistics: Wit, Will, and Speed. Of these
three, Speed is the only stat that has a large number of Decise skills in it. So if
you design a rollup with a high Speed stat and/or a high Wit and Will, it will be
fast.
Styles are also an important consideration. Strikers, Bashers, and Aimed Blows
start with more Decise skills than any other style. Slashers and Lungers have
slightly less, followed by Parry-Strike, Parry-Lunge, and Wall of Steel. Total
Parries and Parry-Ripostes have very low starting Decise scores.
Each style also learns Decise skills at different speeds. Strikers learn Decise
the fastest. Parry-Strikes also learn it quickly, and Bashers learn it reasonably
well. The other styles fall into the "don't count on learning it unless it's your
favorite learn" category.
Part 2, the strategy: What you put on your strategy sheet drastically affects your
chances of getting the jump.
Offensive effort: As high as possible (10). The more your warrior tries to
attack, the more likely he is to take the first opportunity offered him.
Activity level: As high as possible (10). The more your warrior moves around,
the more chances he will see to attack.
Note that running at these levels will tire your warrior out very quickly, and
your warrior may not fight at his best. Most styles prefer a much lower activity
level as their "favorite". But this article is about getting the jump, not fighting
efficiently. :)
Kill Desire: Kill desire is one of the most intangible factors in Duelmasters,
but one of the common theories is that each number of KD corresponds to a certain
skill, maximizing that skill. Seven is supposed to be the magic number for
Decisiveness. Try it and see if it works for you.
Tactics: Obviously, the Decisiveness (D) tactic increases your Decise. Other
tactics may increase your Decise, like the Bash tactic, but they don't increase it as
much as Decisiveness does.
Armor: None. Nada. Zilch. Armor weighs you down. Even if you have the
ability to carry a large load, you will still be faster running naked. Of course,
you will take much more damage if you get hit, so you'd better make sure you can put
your opponent down before he hits you back. With this strategy, you either win big
or you die.
Faster weapons: Lighter weapons are faster than heavier ones, but there are
certain weapons that are considered to be "faster" in general. Warhammer and Hatchet
are some of the best. Dagger and Bare Fist (FI) are probably the fastest, but
fighting bare-handed is dangerous.
So you've designed your warrior, probably a Striker or Basher with a good speed, wit,
and will. You're running him 10-10-7 Decise with no armor and a Warhammer. And that
same enemy warrior *still* outjumps you. If that's the case, he's probably running a
similar strategy and just has more Decise skills than you. So you have one more
trick up your sleeve: the Responsiveness tactic ('S' in the defensive tactics
section). If your opponent is using Decise and you use Response, you will probably
win. If your opponent is not using Decise, you will probably lose. It's like a
rock-scissors-paper relationship:
Decise beats no tactic; no tactic beats Response; Response beats Decise.
There are some other minor factors in getting the jump that are beyond the scope of
this article. Hopefully this will give you a better idea of how the warrior who
attacks first in a fight gets chosen.
Captain K., manager of Men of the Sea in DM 12 and assorted others
+<]H[>+-----+<]H[>+ Question of the Week #2 +<]H[>+-----+<]H[>+
For those of you who came in after I started this series of questions and
answers, they are being taken from the newsletter for Aruak City, DM 11. The
questions are being posed by Hanibal, a relatively new player and Noblish alumnus,
and the answers are offered by any members of that arena who care to respond.
Question, turn 400:
All -- I think I have a basic grasp on most aspects of this game, but one Thing I
have no clue about is how to maximize skill learning. I had an 18 wit TP challenge
up to a warrior who had 21 more fights than me and I only learned 2 skills. The next
fight I was matched up against a less experienced warrior And I learned 5 skills.
This is not an isolated incident. Any tips on skill learning? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 401:
ADIE'S ANSWER -- Theoretically I think, learning has so many variables affecting it,
that sometimes the number of learns appears random. Some suggested variables include
fight experience differences between combatants, total skill differences,
intelligence level of one or both combatants, what each's favorite learn may be, what
styles the two warriors are.... There are so many, it's difficult to say. Sometimes
you can see the effect of one variable more than another. Other times, one has
absolutely no clue. -- Adie
Hanibal -- In your example of warrior learns, did you lose the fight against the more
experienced opponent, but win the fight against the less experienced opponent? The
outcome of a fight may affect learning, with the winner being bonused and the loser
being penalized. I believe that the best way to make a warrior learn well is to give
them a 21 wit. That's why wit is my favorite stat to have a 21 in! (Not to mention
all the base skills it gives.) -- Generalissimo Puerco
Hannibal -- Skill learning is mainly a derivative of the warrior's wit--obviously the
higher the better. But luck (die roll) plays a big part, as do what the other
warrior can teach, how many skills yet to learn and a few lesser factors. --
Kennelworth
Hanibal, re the question of the week -- The main thing is to TRAIN skills. Okay,
everybody stop laughing. You people (Hanibal, too) already realize this, but there
may be a new manager reading this reply who doesn't. Seriously, I once had a manager
whose team had just chartered (i.e., he'd been playing for ten turns) diplo me and
ask why one of his warriors hadn't learned any skills. He sent me the warrior's
numbers, and a little simple math revealed that this warrior had eight stat increases
in those ten fights! He hadn't been TRAINING skills. Lesson there, never overlook
the obvious.
As to a more useful answer, I don't have one, but I do have some secondary
questions.
For instance, I was once told that a warrior learns better with an odd-numbered
WT. Since I have never personally run a warrior with an even-number WT that I can
recall, I don't know. It sounds unlikely, but then, who knows how a computer thinks?
Challenging up increases the ODDS of learning but is not guarantee. Does
anybody have any information as to whether a lower-ranked warrior who teaches well is
one with lots of skills? My own information would tend to contradict that, as I have
some excellent teachers in other arenas who have yet to receive their first rating.
I have heard that there is an increased chance of learning when the fight is a
long one. Anybody know whether this is true or just wishful thinking on the part of
those matched against scum?
Is the caliber of a warrior's teaching on a given fight reflected in his point
gain in the rankings? I have been given to understand that points gained in excess
of the basic minimum reflect how well above the average the warrior performed. In
theory, a good performance means better demonstration and thus better teaching, but
does it work out that way?
Do warriors of a given style tend to teach a specific skill or group of skills
better than other skills, as for instance, do total parries teach parry and defense?
I've heard it said that when facing an opponent who has only one skill left to
learn, a warrior teaches best that skill he learns best. Does this hold true in
other circumstances? -- Leeta
Question, turn 402:
All -- I understand that Deftness is the ability to better protect and attack your
chosen location. I could care less if I hit my attack location as long as I hit.
Does Deftness have any effect on connecting? I believe it is your attack skills vs.
your opponents def/parry skills that determines this. -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 403:
Hanibal -- Deftness contributes a lot of attack skills to a warrior's base skills.
This will increase your warriors' chances of hitting. Shot placement accuracy is
said to be based on coordination (DF+SP), but I think having a good attack rating can
lead to better shot placement as well. Kill desire may well influence shot placement
also. It has been suggested that a warrior's chosen location to protect is the
source of the "luck parry" comment that often results in broken weapons. While I
personally fancy this theory, I think it would be difficult to prove or disprove. It
sounds like a good project for some LP aimers to tackle. -- Generalissimo Puerco
Hanibal -- Re the QOW, probably. At least, I notice that those of my warriors with
very low DF (and I've got some doozies here and there) spend a lot of time flailing
wildly and missing. -- Leeta
SPY REPORT
Oh, hi. Its just little 'ol Debby Tonte. Thought I'd check out NOBLISH ISLAND
to see what's new. The guys at THE WOLVES like really pulled together to get a 2-3-1
this turn, moving up by 3. One team deserves special mention 'cause they moved up 0
after going 4-1-3. Keep it up, ECLIPSE! Talk about hot teams! THE CYRKLE goes out,
the very first time, and goes 4-1-0! Like, what do you guys eat for breakfast? MVP
award for TARG? THE WOLVES' proud of him after beating GUNNY HIGHWAY and getting 25
points. Talk about yer major upsets! RAISTLIN's match with GABRIELLE cost him a
loss of 10 points! And I was just getting used to the ex-Duelmaster's habit of...(!)
Oh well, welcome BLACKMOON. Aren't ECLIPSE proud. (Oh, my.) Who was the wiseguy
that said NOBLISH ISLAND's Duelmaster was paying for drinks at The Warty Toad? Don't
look at me!
So just why would someone becomes a warrior anyway? It can't be for these
really neat Spyreports can it?
What does a fighter fight for? I mean, the crowds don't give a hoot if someone
gets killed. Not after four more fights. Like, who is this guy??? MISTWALKER gets
sent to the Dark Arena, battles WURM KIN, and returns to tell of it!!! I bet ECLIPSE
manager is surprised! What a bummer deal for GUNNY HIGHWAY! He just barely was
getting his "fighter feet" but got kill by TARG of THE WOLVES! Those're the breaks,
I guess. What if they had a fight and nobody showed up? I'd be out of a job, that's
what!!!
Remember, blood on a purple robe may stain. Soak it in cold water, and hand
wash. I'm getting tired of writing this stuff, so I'm calling it quits. I had a fun
time, see you later-- Debby Tonte
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
BLACKMOON 8556 5 0 1 42 ECLIPSE (1476)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
DEATHBLADE 8559 3 2 2 36 ECLIPSE (1476)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
MISTWALKER 8605 1 0 1 33 ECLIPSE (1476)
NIGHTSHADOW 8555 4 1 1 30 ECLIPSE (1476)
-MYEYESAREUPHERE 8565 3 0 1 25 CRUCIBLE (1480)
TARG 8587 1 0 1 25 THE WOLVES (1467)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
RON BURGUNDY 8566 3 1 0 22 CRUCIBLE (1480)
ROS QUIN 8589 2 0 0 21 MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)
FALWORTH 8573 2 0 0 19 DEFENDERS (1481)
NOLAN MARRIK 8591 1 1 0 16 MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)
NIGHTFALL 8595 2 0 0 15 GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484)
TARIN SILLS 8588 2 0 0 14 MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)
FIREFORGE 8561 2 0 0 14 DRAGON LANCE (1479)
SLAPYOUINPUBLIC 8603 1 0 1 14 CRUCIBLE (1480)
GABRIELLE 8515 1 0 0 13 THE CYRKLE (1472)
-TRUNYEN 5853 1 0 0 13 DARGONE (1006)
KLAATU 8514 1 0 0 12 THE CYRKLE (1472)
MR. GREEN 8597 1 1 0 11 GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484)
ASH 8513 1 0 0 11 THE CYRKLE (1472)
DUNN 8488 1 0 0 10 THE WOLVES (1467)
BOLT THROWER 8567 2 2 0 8 CRUCIBLE (1480)
PROF. PLUM 8594 1 1 0 7 GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484)
LEVITHEAN 8485 1 3 0 6 THE WOLVES (1467)
POL ORVIN 8590 1 1 0 6 MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)
BUFFY 8511 1 0 0 5 THE CYRKLE (1472)
VALERIAN 8484 0 5 0 5 THE WOLVES (1467)
LISA KAROL 8592 1 1 0 4 MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)
RAISTLIN 8563 1 1 0 4 DRAGON LANCE (1479)
GUDGE 8593 0 2 0 2 GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484)
MISS SCARLET 8596 0 2 0 2 GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
TASSLCHUFF 8564 0 2 0 2 DRAGON LANCE (1479)
ISTAR 8560 0 2 0 2 DRAGON LANCE (1479)
BLIMRING 8576 0 2 0 2 DEFENDERS (1481)
-GIGRUNAN 8575 0 1 0 1 DEFENDERS (1481)
QUESTOR 8512 0 1 0 1 THE CYRKLE (1472)
-THURMONIN 8574 0 1 0 1 DEFENDERS (1481)
GOLDMOON 8562 0 1 0 1 DRAGON LANCE (1479)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
THE USEROUS MERCHA 10 0 1 0 1 BLACKMOON 8556 241 NONE
CULT MEMBER 6 0 1 0 1 DEATHBLADE 8559 241 NONE
GUNNY HIGHWAY 8568 3 1 0 CRUCIBLE 1480 TARG 8587 241
BLIZZARD 8569 2 1 0 CRUCIBLE 1480 DEATHBLADE 8559 240
WURM KIN 27 0 1 0 DARK ARENA 0 MISTWALKER 8605 241 NONE
BOROM 8577 0 1 0 DEFENDERS 1481 NIGHTSHADOW 8555 240
DARKWIND 8558 1 4 0 ECLIPSE 1476 SPYMASTER 22 241 NONE
CHEWIE 8487 1 1 0 THE WOLVES 1467 SLAPYOUINPUBLIC 8603 241
SONNY 8486 0 1 0 THE WOLVES 1467 MYEYESAREUPHERE 8565 238
PERSONAL ADS
Tasslchuff -- Yes, those were poor weapons choices but anything can happen...
Blizzard was actually killed by an EPEE. We shall be blood feuding...likely
repeatedly...however we will likely not be seeking the kill because of Burgundy.
*rolls eyes* -- Kodiak (Crucible)
Fox -- The Bloodfeuds will be coming...and I must say that I would like to see
Deathblade's lifeless tramp corpse on the sands of Noblish Island. However...Ron
Burgundy has intervened (thrown a tantrum) and insisted that we not see the kill
while feuding. Thus expect bruises but not hemorrhages. -- Kodiak (Crucible)
Deathblade -- I don't usually do this...you may not know who I am. I don't know how
to put this...but I'm kind of a big deal. People know me. I have...many leather
bound books...and my apartment smells of mahogany. -- Ron Burgundy
Blackmoon -- You managed to miss all of my challenges last turn. Probably good for
us. -- Kodiak
Noblish Island -- This is certainly about when I am supposed to announce my dominance
and declare that you all are doomed. *laughs aloud* I'm 'newly playing again--not
"new"'. I fully expect my beginner's luck to turn sour. However, while it's rolling
I'll take the free fights. -- Kodiak
Wolves -- I am not avoiding you, as made evident by my win over you last round. You
may want to give up the bloodfeuds, you likely don't have anyone who can beat me at
the moment. -- Myeyesareuphere
Blimring -- Oops! Sorry. Did't mean to hit dat hard. I tink I dented my mace. --
Chewie
Ron Burgundy -- Sir Burgundy, I just wanted to say that was a fine fight you gave
Valerian. I'm sure she would say the same but her jaw is still wired shut. That was
quite a hit. -- Samuel Pleasure, mgr. The Wolves
Myeyesareuphere -- That is two of my warriors that you have mesmerized with those
big, round, beautiful...eyes. Curse youand others like you. -- Samuel Pleasure, mgr.
The Wolves
Bolt Thrower -- Boy! You can take a hit! -- Darkwind
Defenders -- I am deeply sorry for the loss of your brave Borom but, as you can see,
Nightshadow gave him a chance to give up and he did not take it. He even said he
would take off his face and lo' and behold the killing blow was to the face. I
welcome your bloodfeud. With respect. -- Fox (Mgr. Eclipse)
Crucible -- I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship. Blizzard was a fine warrior and
he fought well. Deathblade is available for bloodfeuding. -- Fox (Mgr. Eclipse)
Nolan Marrik and Middle Way 18 -- Welcome Back Jorja! I am welling with pride in the
fact that Blackmoon gave you your only loss this turn, not to sounds mean or
anything. I have only been playing for a few turns (this is my first Team) and to
beat a veteran! I welcome a friendly rivalry. :) -- Fox (Mgr. Eclipse)
Blackmoon -- Wait a minute! Insurance policy? We get insurance on this job? Why
didn't anybody tell me? Where do I sign up? -- Nolan Marrik
P.S. Jorja said something about "advice." Why? You're already doing fine. Too
well, if you ask me.
Gigrunan -- A valiant effort, but I think some advice might be called for in your
case. Such as, drop the shield. It isn't like you used it for anything, and it was
an encumbrance. Drop the backup shield, same reasons, underlined. Try getting off
the mark faster (increase your offensive effort); I shouldn't have gotten the jump
(the first blow) in that match. And hang in there, an initial loss is not the end of
the world. As with everything worth doing, this takes practice. -- Tarin Sills
Miss Scarlet -- Bet you wish we could meet in the library with you carrying a
candlestick! But alas, no. Assorted advice: Drop the shield, same reason as given
above. Increase your armor, unlike the preceding warrior, you don't need to dash
around madly. Don't train that! You're already okay there, or you wouldn't be
"well-suited to the weapons selected." Also, you need SKILLS. To get skills, you
TRAIN skills. Trust me on this. -- Ros Quin
The Mordant Deserter? Why would I want to fight a standby? Off with his head! Or
at least dump him in the harbor. Ah...golems don't swim, do they? -- Pol Orvin
Prof. Plum -- Ah, where to begin? Well, bad style choice for a first team, but
you're stuck with that, and you CAN succeed. Find a weapon you can use; this is
determined by a combination of stats and style. I'd suggest a scimitar, unless your
strength is wretched low, in which case go for a shortsword. These things can make a
difference. Also, slow down, not so fast off the mark. That you got the first
attack, considering our respective styles and the fight numbers (offensive effort and
activity level) that I know I was using, is a sign of pushing too hard. Not every
style is intended to win in the first five seconds, you know. And hang in there.
Xochithlan was not built in a day, after all. -- Lisa Karol
27 July 2007
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*************************************
** STORMCROWE SLAUGHTERHOUSE II **
*************************************
*************************************
Years have passed since the last Slaughterhouse, but the season is right for a return
to STORMCROWE! Join us in DM-45 for the STORMCROWE SLAUGHTERHOUSE II.
WHEN
*The actions begins TURN-263 (due approximately November 27, 2007)
WHERE
*STORMCROWE (DM 45)
HOW LONG
*13 Turns (Turns 263-275)
TEAMS
*Teams will consist of two (2) managers. No more, no less. Only one team allowed
per manager. Violators will be disqualified from the competition. Old teams and new
teams are welcome to join the competition. Once the contest has begun (TURN 263)
managers MAY NOT exchange teams or partners.
SCORING
In the tradition of the Slaughterhouse, scoring will be simple and straight-forward.
Victory and achievements will be rewarded while defeats will be mocked and ridiculed.
+3 Win
+2 Kill (in addition to +3 Win for a total of +5)
+5 Team on the Move (Top Gainer(s) Only)
+3 Turn's Most Popular
+3 Turn's Least Popular
+5 Current Top Team (begins 3rd turn of contest)
SPECIAL SCORING CONSIDERATIONS
*Fights against teammates garner NO POINTS.
*Fights against Judith's team (Northern Lights), Arena Stand Bys and the Dark Arena
garner NO POINTS (this includes DA kills).
*Tourney participation is allowed (even encouraged), but NO POINTS will be given for
success in those endeavors.
*NO POINTS will be awarded for DM, Popularity Leader, Chartered Recognition Leader,
Top Chartered Team, Stylemasters, Top Unchartered Team, and Unchartered Recognition
Leader. Every effort has been made to insure scoring neither benefits established
teams nor new teams.
ENTRY
Entry into the Stormcrowe Slaughterhouse is easy:
*Find a Partner
*Declare your intentions in the Stormcrowe newsletter to enter before the first turn
of the contest. You may also email or diplo Master Darque.
*Each manager entering the Stormcrowe Slaughterhouse must submit one (1) Team Roll-Up
Certificate. Only certificates will be accepted for entry. All certificates
submitted will be used during the course of the contest as prizes.
PRIZES
*ENDURANCE AWARD: One (1) +1 Bonus Potion will be given to every team that competes
in 60 of the 65 contest fights.
*KILL MASTER AWARD: The individual manager with the most kills will receive a
Limited Immortality Potion. This potion may be applied to one (1) warrior. He/she
will be resurrected ONE-TIME if they are killed in Basic D2.
*TOP TEAM AWARD: Each manager on the winning team will receive the following prize
pack for their Slaughterhouse Dominance:
*One (1) +1 Bonus Potion
*Favorites Knowledge for one (1) Warrior
*Undisclosed amount of Team RU Certificates
Special note from RSI on prizes: All contest prizes must be used within three
months. All contest prizes may only be used on a living warrior on the participating
contest team in DM 45. The immortality potion may resurrect a warrior one time,
after a death in DM 45 only, after which time the potion disappears.
TIE-BREAKERS
In the unlikely event of a tie, pre-contest established tie-breakers will be
consulted to determine a winner. The tie-breaking criteria are known to the
Moderator and RSI. They will not be made public knowledge to avoid any exploitation.
MODERATOR
Master Darque will be serving as Master of Ceremonies for the Slaughterhouse II. As
such, all his decisions are final. Any rules inquiries should be directed to him.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Master Darque can be reached by Diplo in DM 45 (Darque Forces-428) or you may email
him at the following address: rebelnerfherder at yahoo dot com. Be sure to put
STORMCROWE in the Subject line of your Email so it can be easily spotted if sent to
his Spam folder.
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
DARKWIND was butchered by SPYMASTER in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
MISTWALKER butchered WURM KIN in a 1 minute Dark Arena duel.
BLACKMOON savagely slew THE USEROUS MERCHANT in a 2 minute brutal Title melee.
DEATHBLADE assassinated CULT MEMBER in a 1 minute mismatched duel.
LEVITHEAN was unbelievably bested by FIREFORGE in a 3 minute brutal novice's fight.
CHEWIE was viciously butchered by SLAPYOUINPUBLIC in a 2 minute gory beginner's brawl.
VALERIAN was viciously subdued by PROF. PLUM in a unpopular 8 minute amateur's match.
MR. GREEN handily defeated BLIMRING in a 1 minute uneven melee.
MISS SCARLET was vanquished by KLAATU in a action packed 1 minute one-sided duel.
NIGHTFALL luckily beat POL ORVIN in a 2 minute gruesome novice's fight.
GUDGE was overpowered by ASH in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
NIGHTSHADOW demolished BOLT THROWER in a 1 minute mismatched competition.
ISTAR was bested by RON BURGUNDY in a 2 minute novice's battle.
LISA KAROL was devastated by FALWORTH in a 1 minute mismatched bout.
RAISTLIN was viciously subdued by GABRIELLE in a 6 minute gory beginner's fight.
TASSLCHUFF was bested by TARIN SILLS in a 2 minute beginner's duel.
GUNNY HIGHWAY was executed by TARG in a 1 minute mismatched brawl.
NOLAN MARRIK devastated PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
ROS QUIN demolished PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 1 minute one-sided bout.
GOLDMOON was outlasted by BUFFY in a 7 minute amateur's fight.
QUESTOR was devastated by DUNN in a 1 minute one-sided contest.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|AIMED BLOW 7 SLASHING ATTACK 23 - 11 - 2 68 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 5 AIMED BLOW 15 - 12 - 2 56 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 5 PARRY-LUNGE 10 - 9 - 1 53 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 4 WALL OF STEEL 12 - 11 - 1 52 |
|BASHING ATTACK 4 LUNGING ATTACK 14 - 13 - 1 52 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 3 BASHING ATTACK 28 - 27 - 4 51 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 STRIKING ATTACK 28 - 33 - 4 46 |
|WALL OF STEEL 2 TOTAL PARRY 3 - 6 - 0 33 |
|TOTAL PARRY 2 PARRY-STRIKE 4 - 9 - 0 31 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 - 15 - 0 17 |
Turn 241 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-STRIKE 1 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 2 4 STRIKING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK 5 - 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 2 3 SLASHING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK 3 - 2 TOTAL PARRY 0 - 2 1 BASHING ATTACK
AIMED BLOW 4 - 3 1 AIMED BLOW
LUNGING ATTACK 2 - 2 1 LUNGING ATTACK
BASHING ATTACK 2 - 2 1 WALL OF STEEL
WALL OF STEEL 1 - 1
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
BASHING ATTACK BLACKMOON 8556 5 0 1 42 ECLIPSE (1476)
AIMED BLOW DEATHBLADE 8559 3 2 2 36 ECLIPSE (1476)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is DEATHBLADE 8559. The most popular warrior this turn
was LEVITHEAN 8485. The ten other most popular fighters were SLAPYOUINPUBLIC 8603,
KLAATU 8514, POL ORVIN 8590, RON BURGUNDY 8566, TARIN SILLS 8588, ROS QUIN 8589,
BLACKMOON 8556, ASH 8513, NIGHTSHADOW 8555, and GABRIELLE 8515.
The least popular fighter this week was VALERIAN 8484. The other ten least popular
fighters were GOLDMOON 8562, PROF. PLUM 8594, RAISTLIN 8563, QUESTOR 8512, GUNNY
HIGHWAY 8568, TASSLCHUFF 8564, LISA KAROL 8592, ISTAR 8560, BOLT THROWER 8567, and
GUDGE 8593.
The Effects of Coordination
Coordination has long been ruled as having no effect on a warrior. I have
noticed a few things that may be the cause of certain coordination levels. So I
decided to write this article to give the general DM populace something to ponder.
Below is the coordination table:
Coordination = SP + DF
06 - 16 = Clumsy
17 - 20 = Slightly Uncoordinated
21 - 27 = Normal
28 - 31 = Highly Coordinated
32 - 39 = Very Highly Coordinated
40 - 42 = Marvel of Fighting Coordination
Since I run a lot of bashers that have a clumsy rating most of the time, I
noticed a few things that happen to them and not the high coordination warriors I
have. Most people don't have clumsy warriors, save some bashers and TPs, so it may
not be paid that much attention to.
The first thing I have noticed is that a clumsy warrior seems to drop his weapon
more often than a higher coordination warrior. So I think that maybe he has a higher
chance to do this than normally coordinated warriors.
Second, I noticed that clumsy warriors have harder time trying to quick draw
their back-up weapon, causing them to fumble around trying to get it.
Third is that the clumsy warrior also is slower to get up after he has been
knocked down. It may also influence the roll on whether you get knocked down or not,
along with other factors.
These things aren't as noticeable the higher the coordination becomes. That's
probably why a lot of people don't place any value on coordination. At the higher
levels of the game there aren't any clumsy warriors, so coordination isn't noticed.
You can still get knocked down, lose your weapon, and draw your back-up quickly, but
the odds are more in your favor with a higher coordination in my opinion.
Well, may joy and happiness be with you. If you would like to chat , I can be
reached at 103260.3347@compuserve.com
You may diplo me at LORDS OF THE ABYSS, in DM 11, or any of the JOKER'S WILDS
scattered about.
Ta-Ta,
Sir Jessie Jest
(He who always gets the last laugh......)
The Basic Ripper
Why isn't one of basic's most entertaining styles, a style capable of beating all
others, a common sight upon the sands? The myth that rippers are difficult to run and
inherently prone to dying is widely accepted. True, the graveyard is full of rippers
that began their careers running little numbers and the parry tactic. This is no
mystery given that very few rippers start with great defenses and the parry tactic
destroys a young ripper's offense. In their efforts to make better punching bags,
many managers have turned to big constitutions and heavy armor. A dose of sanity is
long overdue. If you would like to run some rippers who will survive and win, read
on.
DESIGN: My approach is somewhat unorthodox. I maintain an evolving list of
physical requirements for each style, i.e., endurance, punishment, damage, and carry
capacity. If you don't have the means to accurately forecast these ratings, ask
around. If at all possible, I first max out a new rollup's WL at a value of 15, 17,
or 21 and then compare the rollup's physical potential with each style's physical
requirements. Generally, the style that matches up best and requires me to add the
least number of points to ST and CN is the one I want. It isn't absolutely necessary
for a fighter to be physically fit at the beginning of his career. Plan ahead. Will
a few preselected attribute trains make him so? Must points be added to the rollup's
ST or CN so that he can make the grade with no more than two trains per attribute?
Which weapons will he use? With these questions answered, it's simply a matter of
taking WT to the highest odd value possible (avoid 19) and then doing the same with
DF. Godlings are not born as a results of how many points you can pump into WT, WL,
and DF; that's luck's job.
Young rippers need to be able to go fast for two minutes without tiring. If your
ripper isn't physically fit, he will slow down. If he slows down, you are gambling
with his life. The more frail the warrior, the greater the gamble. That said, if
your ripper can quickly meet the following criteria and learn reasonably well, you
will get your money's worth.
Endurance: Something in the neighborhood of 350 (that's {ST+CN}WL)
Punishment: Anywhere from the high end of very frail to midrange normal
Damage: Normal
Capacity: Cannot carry a lot (minimum ST/CN combos: 9/8, 10/7, 11/6, 12/5)
ST: 9 + Midgets need an 11 or better.
CN: See Endurance, punishment, and capacity requirements
SZ: Small (3-8) to medium (9-14)
WT: 15+ If your ripper doesn't learn, he's toast.
WL: 15+ See endurance and punishment requirements.
SP: Though frequently unimportant, it helps to have points here if you're stuck
with a few 15's in WT, WL, and DF.
DF: 15+ 13 will do if you're fortunate to have a big WT and/or WL.
Strats: X 8 9 5 5 5 8
X 8 5 3 3 3 10
X 6 7 7 7 7 5
ARM ------------------------- >
HE -------------------------- >
N --------------------------- >
N ------------------------ > R
Why the missing numbers in the first minute? You'll want to find what works for
your new ripper and possibly change his numbers as he develops. 8-8-6 is probably the
best opening minute for a young ripper. If your youngster has a high speed, try 10-
10-6. 6-8-6 is a bit slow for my taste. Nevertheless, this might be the way to go
even if your ripper doesn't need to build up his endurance. Something I call "the
change" occurs when your ripper approaches his master in riposte, his AD Ex in parry,
and Experts in attack, defense and initiative. This is a moment of decision. If your
ripper takes normal punishment, this is when you can opt to slow him down. I don't do
this, but I have seen 5-7-5 and 5-5-5 parry work rather well. It's probably wise for
a slow-running ripper to run fast in desperation. If your ripper continues to run
fast after "the change," a first minute strat of 8-10-4 often works well.
WEAPONS: A scimitar or longsword belongs in your ripper's hand. After he starts
critting, check to see if the epee is his favorite. I don't believe in heavy backups
for youngsters; a dagger will do. Most youngsters will benefit from an offhand dagger
(preferred), hatchet, or shortsword. After "the change," rippers who don't slow down
can improve the quality of their attacks by getting rid of their off hand weapons.
These guys will need a backup scimitar, longsword, or epee. Rippers who do slow down
should keep their offhand weapons.
ARMOR: Very frail rippers should debut in ASM/H. After ten fights or so, it's
probably best to go with APL/H. Guys who cannot take a lot of punishment belong in
ARM/H for their entire basic careers. Put them in ALE/H if you're feeling gutsy.
Rippers who take normal punishment can debut in APL/H, ARM/H, or ASM/H. After ten
fights or so, it's definitely time for APL/H. If you decide to slow one of these guys
down, you'd better put him back in ARM/H or ASM/H.
CHALLENGES: Scummers deserve numbers like 4-1-6; keep that big desperation,
though. If you know that an opponent is out to kick you when you're down, go with 5-
8-5 or 5-5-5 while he's playing dead and 8-8-5 and 9-5-7 when he's active. Good aimed
blows are a pain. Still, like every other style, they can be beaten with standard
strats.
Many people have contributed indirectly to the content of this article. Foremost
in my mind are The Lunatic, Scrag, Voo-Doo, U-Star, Shark, Moriarty, and Wormtongue.
Thanks. If you have a bone to pick or a story to tell, you know where to find me.
Cadmus
Wild Oats (479)
Solven, DM 22
Stimpy's Thoughts on Total Parries
part II
Well, when we last spoke I gave you a rundown on I feel TPs should be designed.
Now I will give you my ideas on how to run them.
First, you need to consider what type of warrior you now have. A total parry is
what its name suggests. Total defense. The idea around a TP is to concentrate on
defense first and utmost. Only when the situation arises will the TP decide to
attack. With this in mind NEVER run a TP with an offensive effort (OE) above 5. In
doing so you have just told your TP to do what they weren't designed to do. Go
offensive. If you want to run your TP above 5, you should have made an offensive
styled warrior, NOT a TP. By using a high OE, you cause your TP to ignore defense and
go offense. This results in numerous "flailing" and "wild" attacks. So don't do it.
While running your TP, you may find that he tends to really turn on the offense
often. That is typical, typical of a warrior who favors initiative skills. This does
not mean that you should boost your OE. What is happening is that one of your
warrior's favorite learns is initiative. So he/she will be naturally adept in
initiative. And remember that initiative is the skill that allows you to continuously
make attacks on your opponent. Since your TP decided to attack, your opponent should
be relatively worn down. So it will be hard for your opponent to steal that
initiative back from you. Hence the reason that your TP looks like an offensive
killer. But that's good. It means that you have a very dangerous warrior on your
hands. High endurance burning styles, look out!
I know, I know!!! There are managers out there still that believe in the
offensive TP and suggest using higher OE. That's all fine and dandy. Let those
managers do just that. I personally guarantee that if you run your TP with a low OE
like the style was designed to do, you'll win fights. Experiment with unorthodox
strategies when you get a better hang of the game.
Activity level (AL) is the variable in TP strategies. I would definitely begin
running a TP with a moderate/low AL. Try a 3 at first. After a few fights you'll see
if your TP likes to dodge more or parry more. It should be quite obvious; your TP
will learn more skills in his "favorite" area. Chances are, though, if your TP has
received the statement: "avoiding rather than trading blows," or "relying on his speed
to stay out of danger," your TP would rather dodge than parry. And that's just fine.
Boost your AL to about a 4 or 5. If you choose to use the dodge tactic in defense,
use AL up to 7. Beyond that tends to hurt your warrior more than it helps.
So why not go with an AL of 7 all the time if your TP likes to dodge more than
parry, you might ask? That's simple; your TP may like to dodge more, BUT HE STILL
PARRIES. So you'll need to be less active to allow your TP that choice. With an AL
of 4-5, your warrior will dodge when it is more advantageous, parry when it isn't.
Kill desire varies greatly from warrior to warrior. To be on the safe side, I
always go low KD with my TPs, until they gain expert in attack. After that point, I
may begin to experiment, seeing how my warrior reacts to various KDs. Generally, if
your warrior learns attack skills relatively well, then a higher KD won't inhibit them
at all. If this is the case, I believe that your warrior is not looking for landing
several blows to win the match (favoring initiative skills), but is instead looking to
land a few good blows (favoring attack skills). In the latter case, a moderate to
high KD may help. Keep in mind though that your TP is still defensively oriented. An
extremely high KD will cause any warrior to behave like a berserker, and may cause
your TP to make lots of bad attacks. With this in mind, stay below 7.
Now to place it all together...
Minute 1 2 3 4 5 6on Desp
OE 2 ------------------------ > varies
AL 2 ------------------------ > "
KD 2 ------------------------ > "
or
Minute 1 2 3 4 5 6on Desp
OE 2 ------------------------ > varies
AL 4 ------------------------ > "
KD 2 ------------------------ > "
These show my general strategies for parry and dodging oriented warriors,
respectively. Seldom do I use any tactics, unless I am making a challenge and wish my
warrior to behave differently to that challenge (i.e., using the dodge tactic against
a lunger). At that point I would refer to the paragraphs in the beginning to
customize that particular minute to fit the tactic.
Attack and protect locations are totally up to you. I like to protect the head
and body, while attacking the head, arms, and legs. This protects my vitals, yet can
allow my warrior to land blows on parts of the body that can cause a warrior to lose a
fight with the minimum number of hits.
Desperation is my opposite area. If I was relying on a low AL in the regular
minutes, I will boost it in desperation. While going vice versa if I had a high AL in
regular minutes.
Now the one tactic I haven't touched on is the riposte tactic. Occasionally your
TP will favor this tactic. When he does, I like to raise my OE to 3, sometimes 4, and
the AL to 4. If I use the riposte tactic, I will use 4-5 OE and a 3-5 AL. When these
numbers are any lower, your TP may refrain from attacking in a riposte situation in
favor of more defense.
I have found that these strategies work well whether your warrior fights as a
SCUM or skilled TP. If you remember from my last article, the difference between the
schools of thought are the amount of damage the warrior is willing/able to take.
Well, I hope that this has been informative for the newer players, and the older
ones, too. Good luck and see you on the sands.
Stimpy
MORE ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS
Many essays dwell on style specifics. This piece describes a playing philosophy.
When you just want to WIN, create scum TPs and size 17 monsters with impunity. Don't
worry about getting these warriors into ADM! YOU'RE concerned with winning those "Top
Team" and "Team on the Move" awards.
By comparison, managers with an excellent setup shouldn't be too concerned with
the team win/loss record. Their character must develop, gain every skill possible, in
order to blossom into a deadly duelist. THEIR goal is to advance this fighter into
ADM, and eternal life.
Here are some broad parameters for assessing a warrior's value, and a few
representative samples:
Primus Bound:
- WT, WL and DF total 49+.
- 4 or more wit statements.
- Start with Expert rating or gain it in one or two skills.
- [13-5-5-21-13-10-17, 6-6-9-17-21-9-17, 11-7-9-17-17-6-17, etc.]
Basic/ADM Only:
- WT, WL and DF total to 35+.
- At least 3 wit statements.
- Gain Expert rating in no more than five skills.
- [17-9-10-17-9-9-13, 13-11-11-17-13-8-11, 9-13-10-15-21-5-11, etc.]
Dark Arena: [Any two of these qualify the character as "expendable"]
- WT less than 13.
- Less than 3 wit statements.
- Is clumsy.
- Has very little endurance.
- [15-15-16-11-13-5-9, 7-18-13-17-5-13-11, 13-15-13-13-17-6-7, etc.]
The Primus Bound setups are rare; they are coddled, protected and sometimes
sandbagged for a year or so in order to build up a few Ad Experts to help them survive
in the arena.
The Basic/ADM Only fighters have mediocre to decent stats, and are going to be
very dependent on their overview for that elusive "luck factor." This class of
warrior should be highly competitive. Most of the fighters seen in the arena are in
this category.
Finally, the Dark Arena fighters: conceived from pitiful setups with little
chance of being competitive. However, these rollups might prove useful. Don't fight
the system; learn to use it to your advantage! Many managers send fighters to the
D.A. who might have provided them with a successful (if brief) career in Basic.
Give BIG numskulls lots of ST and SP; these are your killer LUs and STs. More WL
= LU; Higher DF = ST. (I don't advise making Bashers unless you have a 17+ wit and 15+
points in WL.) Give LITTLE morons a boost to WL, ST and CN; these are your TP scum.
If they have absolutely no WT or WL, escort them to the Dark Arena.
Of course, some fighters have good stats and decent overviews yet still lose most
of their fights in the beginning of their career. The "old" method of dealing with
this phenomenon was to bump all stats by two or more. Now, it's generally agreed that
this increases performance at the cost of future skill learns. This takes away from a
duelist's competitive abilities in the higher levels of play. Competitive fighters
should be making as few stat raises as possible until they have "maxed out" in at
least three of four skill areas. (Some managers advocate waiting until a character is
completely "maxed out" before raising stats; this will take a long time for most
warriors.)
Some warriors (particularly the finesse styles: AB, PR, PL, PS) take a little
longer to develop. If they DON'T have the stats or the overview to raise visions of a
Primus inductee, take a HARD look at their potential. Will stat raises help? Well
they come easily? Is the rest of the team strong? How much money are you willing to
invest in this character?
ANYONE can create an awe-inspiring fighter by adding a couple of points to key
stats. It means the fighter may lose some of its long-term potential, but so what?
Duelmaster, Most Popular Fighter, Best Win/Loss Record, etc. all equate into free
fights and recognition. If you don't have that Godling in your stable, what other
goal might you have but to excel in your arena?!!
I urge new managers to run EVERY setup at least once in the arena. Look on
rollups as a challenge; try to make the best killer or scum possible out of Dark Arena
material. There's a tremendous amount of experience to be gained by this.
See what effect a high ST or DF has on specific styles; compare overviews to find
what works and what doesn't; gain new insights on character design. You will enjoy
playing far more than you do now! You might even come up with a better way of
designing a character for a specific style, and write an article to share your views.
The point is, DON'T wait around for the "right" rollup, or waste time and money
(or sentiment) on characters who aren't doing anything for you. Play the percentages.
If a promising warrior is losing repeatedly, be patient. Once a few AdExperts are
gained he will probably turn things around. If you Dark Arena Mutant loses a lot and
his scumminess or killer-design aren't working, either bump a couple of stats or DA
him. If your scum/killer goes out there and wins a few, start paying attention to
challenges/avoids (which you SHOULD be doing anyway). Send that scum against a LU or
ST; send that monster ST against a midget Parry-whatever. Style vs. style matchups
are crucial in the early careers of EVERY fighter.
Generally, even lousy STs, LUs, BAs and TPs do well starting out. Later the
finesse styles--PL, PS, PR, AB--usually take over. Summary: Recognize the difference
between playing "to win" and playing "longterm." Start noticing which teams have high
win/loss percentages: what kind of warriors are they running? Start sending diplos;
don't be bashful. You can bring that win/loss to a respectable level with careful
play, short-term Mutant killers and scum, and the occasional stat-bump for those
mediocre fighters whom you plan on retiring later. Try it and see. It gives the game
more spice, you win more often, and you have more FUN! And just remember... I told
you so!
Diplo me with comments, questions, rebuke:
-- The Arcane Kid, of Astral Kin in Osksi (DM-3)
"Favorite Weapons"
One of the best ways to improve a warrior's record in basic is to find his
favorite weapon. The effect of using a favorite weapon is that a warrior's attack
ability will improve. A warrior will throw more critical attacks, improve the odds to
inflict critical damage, and make attacks that are more difficult to dodge and parry.
There are two methods used to find a favorite weapon. The first is, "Don't worry
about it. They tell you when you get to ADM anyway." While some managers have the
patience to wait that long, I would rather have my favorite in hand in fight one!
The second method is called, "Charting." The way I chart weapons is I break
down, statistically, my warrior's attacks with a particular weapon. (No, it's not
difficult to do!) I chart 4 categories, (1) Total number of attacks, (2) Total number
of crit attacks, (3) Total number of crit damages, (4) Total number of knockdowns.
(1) Total number of attacks (#ATT) -- Record the total number of attacks with the
weapon in question, including hits, crits, misses, parried attacks, dodged attacks,
and wild swings.
(2) Total number of crit attacks (C ATT) -- Record the total number of critical
attacks with the weapon in question. Do not get good attacks confused with critical
attacks. A good attack is a statement that is more descriptive than, "strikes with
dagger," but is not as spectacular as a critical. An example of a good attack is,
"Bats outward with her quarterstaff," or, "Makes a lunging attack wielding a short
spear." These are more descriptive but are not outstanding. A critical attack is
exemplified by spectacular statements such as; "Catapults forward, longsword stabbing
cruelly at his foe," "Punches with piston-like horsefelling power," or "Hatchet
flashes with snake-like speed and accuracy." As you can see, crit attacks are very
obvious.
(3) Total number of crit damages (C DAM) -- A crit damage statement will signify
a significant amount of additional damage and is typified by a statement such as;
"Spectators cringe as the horrific power of the blow strikes home" or "It was a
devastating attack."
(4) Total number of knockdowns (# KD) -- Record every time an opponent is knocked
off his feet with the weapon in question.
The next step is to convert this data into a usable format. To do this I divide
the last three categories by the first. This gives a "batting average" of sorts.
EXAMPLE: Dark One fights his first three fights with a scimitar. In those three
fights Dark One made 16 attacks, 2 crit attacks, 4 crit damage, and 1 knockdown. This
breaks down as such:
C ATT = .125
C DAM = .25
# KD = .06
Remember, the more fights with the weapon, the more accurate your chart will be.
Looking at Dark One's performance with the scimitar we can conclude that it is
not his favorite weapon. I determine this by looking at the three categories in order
of precedence.
First I look at C ATT:
.00-.25 Doubtful
.25-.35 Slight possibility
.35-.50 Very possible
.50 + BINGO!
If your warrior is critting 50% of the time, stick with that weapon. Favorite or
not, it is VERY effective.
Next is crit damage. This is trickier to look at, as the primary chance to do
critical damage is primarily based on strength.
Does little 0%
Normal 1-5% (style dependent)
Good 10%
Great 25%
Tremendous 50%
Awesome 75%
Look for increases in the expected average crit rate. These numbers may be a
little off as I don't have a large enough sample of warriors with high damage ratings.
In the example, Dark One rated at 25%, and with his great damage rating it appears he
is not doing any additional crits.
Finally, knockdowns. I don't have a fast and easy rule for this, but anything
over 15% or 20% if attacking the legs, could bear investigating. It's best to look at
all three and infer a weapon's performance.
Dark One switches to a short spear and after 4 fights has 15 attacks, 7 crit
attacks, 6 crit damages and 2 knockdowns.
C ATT = .466
C DAM = .40
# KD = .13
This weapon suits him much better. His crit percentage is up for all categories.
This weapon has a very good chance to be his favorite weapon. In this example it
wasn't, but his W/L record improved with 6 straight wins. (By the way, the names and
weapons have been changed but the numbers are from one of my ADM warriors.)
Okay, I've figured out that the weapon I'm using is not my favorite. What now?
There are some indicators to help you. Look at how your warrior uses his current
weapon. If he likes to slash a lot, stay with a slashing weapon. Also, look at good
attacks. If a warrior makes quite a few good attacks with the weapon, try a weapon
that is used in a similar fashion. I.E. epee is used in similar fashion to a long
sword. Dark One loved to lunge with his scimitar at a 3:1 ratio. Try weapons that
fit your stats at first but don't be afraid to try a weapon that is out of your stat
parameters. Should you find your favorite and you don't have the strength, size and
deftness to use it, who cares. The fact that it's your favorite will nullify or
minimize all those penalties.
I know that this is a question on the mind of new managers, as it was for me when
I was new to the game. I hope someone can get some good use out of this article and
expand upon the charting method in their own way. If you have any questions,
comments, additions, or criticism please feel free to Diplo.
-- Abe
Ango (DM 64, 103)
Imploding Ducks (DM 19, 103)