DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 10/27/2007    Duedate: 11/09/2007

NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA

DM-93    TURN-246

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

RAPHAEL
LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
(93-8434) [5-1-1,61]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

POSITION IS EMPTY              RAPHAEL
                               LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
                               (93-8434) [5-1-1,61]

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

RON BURGUNDY                   ROENELLA QUIN
CRUCIBLE (1480)                MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)
(93-8566) [6-3-0,49]           (93-8645) [1-0-0,8]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)        41
2. MIDDLE EARTH (1488)         34      DRAGON'S FIRE (711)
3. EYES OF SET (1489)          27      Unchartered Team
4. DEFENDERS (1481)            20
5. LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)       19      MIDDLE EARTH (1488)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 0*MIDDLE EARTH (1488)        4   1  1 80.0   1/ 5*MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)      8  6 0
 2/ 3*MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)      21  13  1 61.8   2/ 1*CRUCIBLE (1480)           8  7 1
 3/ 2*CRUCIBLE (1480)           26  18  3 59.1   3- 4*FAUX TIDES (1482)         5  5 0
 4/ 1*THE CYRKLE (1472)         10   9  0 52.6   4/ 0*MIDDLE EARTH (1488)       4  1 1
 5- 4*FAUX TIDES (1482)          5   5  0 50.0   5/ 6*THE CYRKLE (1472)         4  5 0
 6/ 6*LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)     14  16  1 46.7   6/ 8*LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)     4  6 0
 7/ 9*DEFENDERS (1481)           7   8  0 46.7   7/ 7*DEFENDERS (1481)          3  1 0
 8- 7*THE WOLVES (1467)         11  16  2 40.7   8- 3*THE WOLVES (1467)         3  2 0
 9/ 0*EYES OF SET (1489)         2   3  0 40.0   9/ 0*EYES OF SET (1489)        2  3 0
10/ 8*GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484)    7  13  1 35.0  10/ 9*GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484)   1  4 1

    '*'   Unchartered team                       '-'  Team did not fight this turn
   (###)  Avoid teams by their Team Id          ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank

                                    TEAM SPOTLIGHT

            >)]H[(< + -----:----- + >)] *IHI* [(< + -----:----- + >)]H[(<
                                 Profile of a Style
                                    Parry-Riposte

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

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

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

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

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

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

And to go from the general to the specific--

                                 Profile of a Warrior
                                   Tailida Dawnrain

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jorja
The Middle Way

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

From turn 414:

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

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

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

Question from turn 415 of Aruak City:

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

Answers from turn 416:

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

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

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

      * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *

                        ---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===---

                                     Duelmasters
                                     -----------
 DM   9 ZUKAL (turn 579): INCISOR of FANGS (The Anarchist, mgr.)
 DM  12 RIZTAB (turn 579): BACRADI LIMON of BLACKED OUT ON... (Otis the Drunk, mgr.)
 DM  15 MALCORN (turn 573): SOMNAMBULANT of DARK CREATION (Herbert Philip Lovecraft
                            West, mgr.)
 DM  16 WILLAF (turn 575): GOLDEN DOME of GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
 DM  17 ALJAFIR (turn 573): ATTILA THE HUN of DEATH INCARNATE (The Dark One, mgr.)
 DM  19 ZUWAYZA (turn 571): VENENOSO of JAGUAR WARRIORS (Noachian, mgr.)
 DM  28 MORYA (turn 286): SHARAPOVA of THE PENTARCHY (Le Pentarque, mgr.)
 DM  29 LAPUR (turn 564): TYE FOON of FORCE OF NATURE (Storm Front, mgr.)
 DM  31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 283): SVEIN FORKBEARD of LORDS OF VALHALLA (High Lord Bosk)
 DM  32 ARVAT (turn 561): ROLAND of RILL'S GCSC2 (Rillion, mgr.)
 DM  33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 559): THE ANVIL of RAVAGING LORDS (?, mgr.)
 DM  35 MURSKA (turn 550): BILDIS of CHILDREN OF LLYR (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  43 VEASTIAN (turn 512): THOMAS FOWLER of MEDAL OF HONOR 27 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
 DM  45 STORMCROWE (turn 261): RAGGEDY ANN of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
 DM  47 DOUBLE X (turn 255): SMOKESCREEN of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
 DM  50 SNOWBOUND (turn 242): HARRY MONSTER of OPEN SESAME (Crip, mgr.)
 DM  56 ROCANIS (turn 440): MANDORALLEN of KNIGHTS OF ROCANIS (Jakari, mgr.)
 DM  60 COLLUSION COVE (turn 427): ALAN JOHNSON of TPW FOREVER (TUM, mgr.)
 DM  61 JURINE (turn 418): ROEKFORT SIMS of MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  65 DAL SHANG (turn 405): KILLIAN TEN VIR of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  73 ERINIKA (turn 191): WANSTEAD of KIWI CONNECTION (The Mun, mgr.)
 DM  74 DAYLA KIV (turn 375): KIRSSARINA of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 372): ZAGWE BANSHEE of HUE AND CRY (Noachian, mgr.)
 DM  78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 360): DEELAR MARION of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 465): NEBUCHADNEZZAR of BLADES OF WONDER (The Sandman)

                                      Top Teams
                                      ---------
 DM   9 ZUKAL (turn 579): BLUE MOON (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  12 RIZTAB (turn 579): HIGH HINKS (Jondeaux, mgr.)
 DM  15 MALCORN (turn 573): DR. SEUSS (The Sentinel, mgr.)
 DM  16 WILLAF (turn 575): JLG (Otis the Drunk, mgr.)
 DM  17 ALJAFIR (turn 573): COOL WORDS (The Sentinel, mgr.)
 DM  19 ZUWAYZA (turn 571): TEAM CHAOS (?, mgr.)
 DM  28 MORYA (turn 286): THE PENTARCHY (Le Pentarque, mgr.)
 DM  29 LAPUR (turn 564): POSITON IS EMPTY
 DM  31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 283): WAR (Lord of War, mgr.)
 DM  32 ARVAT (turn 561): LUROCIAN GUARD (The Greek Guy, mgr.)
 DM  33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 569): NOT A SPORT (The Sentinel, mgr.)
 DM  35 MURSKA (turn 550): CHILDREN OF LLYR (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  43 VEASTIAN (turn 512): POSITION IS EMPTY
 DM  45 STORMCROWE (turn 261): DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
 DM  47 DOUBLE X (turn 255): THINGS I DROOL IN (Snuln, mgr.)
 DM  50 SNOWBOUND (turn 242): LIFE IMPACTS (Smitty, mgr.)
 DM  56 ROCANIS (turn 440): POSITION IS EMPTY
 DM  60 COLLUSION COVE (turn 427): UNDERDOGS (Technogeek, mgr.)
 DM  61 JURINE (turn 418): MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  65 DAL SHANG (turn 405): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  73 ERINIKA (turn 191): KIWI CONNECTION (The Mun, mgr.)
 DM  74 DAYLA KIV (turn 375): SAND DANCERS (Olinda, mgr.)
 DM  75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 372): HUE AND CRY (Noachian, mgr.)
 DM  78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 360): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 464): DO IT AGAIN et al (The Dark One, mgr.)

                                   Recent Graduates
                                  -----------------
 DM   9 ZUKAL (turn 579): ULTORINO of BLUE MOON (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  12 RIZTAB (turn 579): BACRADI LIMON of BLACKED OUT ON... (Otis the Drunk, mgr.)
               (turn 578): DEXTER of HIGH JINKS (Jondeaux, mgr.)
 DM  16 WILLAF (turn 574): CHAUNCY of PUNNY ANIMALS (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  19 ZUWAYZA (turn 570): FLAVIUS VALERIUS of TEAM CHAOS (?, mgr.)
 DM  29 LAPUR (turn 564): TYE FOON of FORCE OF NATURE (Storm Front, mgr.)
 DM  31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 283): ULTHAR THYDRIM of THE STORMGUARDS (The Icelord, mgr.)
                               SVEIN FORKBEARD of LORDS OF VALHALLA (High Lord Bosk)
 DM  33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 559): THE ANVIL of RAVAGING LORDS (?, mgr.)
 DM  35 MURSKA (turn 550): PITFALL HARRY of FLIPPERS ARCADE (Huckle Cat, mgr.)
 DM  43 VEASTIAN (turn 512): ETTORE HSIDAR of TERMAGANT VOTARY (Noachian, mgr.)
 DM  47 DOUBLE X (turn 255): MY SLEEP of THINGS I DROOL IN (Snuln, mgr.)
 DM  50 SNOWBOUND (turn 241): SWEET AIR of OPEN SESAME (Crip, mgr.)
                              GERRICK GRIMM of DRUID'S GROVE (Armalias, mgr.)
 DM  56 ROCANIS (turn 440): BUCK FEVER of BAD APPLES (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  61 JURINE (turn 417): XANDER HAXAN of BLADE AND BLOOD (Noachian, mgr.)
 DM  73 ERINIKA (turn 191): WANSTEAD of KIWI CONNECTION (The Mun, mgr.)
                (turn 190): KARATIA of KIWI CONNECTION (The Mun, mgr.)
 DM  78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 359): MIRIAL ADAMANT of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)

                                      SPY REPORT

     It's me, The Unknown Spymaster here with my bag to give you the news on last 
week's fights.  We now have a new top team for all of you guys to dogpile on.  MIDDLE 
WAY 18 now holds the crown and they are betting they can keep it.  For every winner 
there is a loser.  Speaking of losers, lets take a look at THE WOLVES, who went down 
to 3rd from 8th.  Life is tough.  Coming up with a solid 5-0-0 outing, MIDDLE WAY 18 
has advanced 4 places in the rankings.  Call it luck at the right time or bribes in 
the right hands, but the new team MIDDLE EARTH scored a 4-1-1 record this week.  Most 
new teams do poorly at first.  EYES OF SET, however, has gotten off to a reasonable 
start at 2-3-0.  Nice job!  Hey everybody, watch out for KLAATU, who flew up 20 
points in the rankings after mashing NIGHTFALL like a melon.  Keep your eye on this 
beast.  Ya know, some days it doesn't pay to walk out on the sands.  RON BURGUNDY was 
overcame by RAPHAEL and drops 12 points.  It's a proud day for the LORDS OF LIGHT 
stable, as their warrior, RAPHAEL, ascended the Duelmaster's throne.  4 out of 5 
gladiators surveyed protect the body, so try and avoid aiming at that location.   
     But enough of that bunch, let's get on to the wimps who like to avoid battle!  
And hey, kiddies, those of you who didn't avoid THE WOLVES, please raise you hand.  
Wow.  Does NOBLISH ISLAND really have that many liars?  And you guys like to boo me?  
Well, unsling your rasberries, cause CRUCIBLE beats feet every time THE WOLVES smiles 
at them.  Try farming, eh?   
     Being a spy is great--other people die and you spend the rest of the day 
drinking to their memory.  Better tanked than dead!  Here's some advice:  warriors 
with little wit and will may encounter problems on the trail to the Isle.   
     Well, that wasn't too bad; Alarond told me that the people in NOBLISH ISLAND 
have no sense of humor.  Or maybe that they were senseless.  Well, there goes another 
Spy Report.  Good luck in next week's fights.  See ya next time I'm on this 
circuit!-- The Unknown Spymaster  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 RAPHAEL 8434                  5   1  1    61       LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 RON BURGUNDY 8566             6   3  0    49       CRUCIBLE (1480)
 FALWORTH 8573                 6   0  0    43       DEFENDERS (1481)
 LISA KAROL 8592               4   3  1    40       MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)
 BOLT THROWER 8567             5   4  0    39       CRUCIBLE (1480)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 GABRIELLE 8515                3   1  0    33       THE CYRKLE (1472)
-TARG 8587                     3   1  1    32       THE WOLVES (1467)
 NOLAN MARRIK 8591             5   2  0    27       MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)
 KLAATU 8514                   2   2  0    26       THE CYRKLE (1472)
 TARIN SILLS 8588              5   2  0    25       MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)
 GRAVEN IMAGE 8617             3   0  1    24       CRUCIBLE (1480)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-DUNN 8488                     3   1  1    23       THE WOLVES (1467)
-CAL I. BURR 8613              2   0  0    21       THE WOLVES (1467)
-ONE EYED MACK 8579            2   0  0    21       FAUX TIDES (1482)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 ANUBARIS 8631                 1   0  0    19       EYES OF SET (1489)
 ROS QUIN 8589                 4   3  0    18       MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)
 HANIEL 8433                   3   3  0    17       LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
-LEVITHEAN 8485                2   4  0    16       THE WOLVES (1467)
 SLAPYOUINPUBLIC 8603          3   3  1    15       CRUCIBLE (1480)
-BROTHER TAO 8580              1   1  0    15       FAUX TIDES (1482)
 GIGRUNAN 8575                 1   1  0    14       DEFENDERS (1481)
 DARK ARENA MEAT 8624          1   0  0    13       MIDDLE EARTH (1488)
 URIEL 8435                    3   3  0    12       LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
 BUFFY 8511                    3   1  0    10       THE CYRKLE (1472)
 NIGHTFALL 8595                3   1  0    10       GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484)
 RATZIEL 8432                  2   4  0    10       LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
-UMBRA EIDOLON 8578            1   1  0    10       FAUX TIDES (1482)
 GIMLI 8623                    1   0  0     9       MIDDLE EARTH (1488)
 PROF. PLUM 8594               2   2  0     8       GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484)
 GUDGE 8593                    1   3  1     8       GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484)
 ROENELLA QUIN 8645            1   0  0     8       MIDDLE WAY 18 (1483)
 KHAMAEL 8436                  1   5  0     8       LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
-VALERIAN 8484                 0   8  0     8       THE WOLVES (1467)
 ARAGORN 8626                  1   0  1     6       MIDDLE EARTH (1488)
 QUESTOR 8512                  1   3  0     6       THE CYRKLE (1472)
-MEGILTURA 8581                1   1  0     5       FAUX TIDES (1482)
 KALESHMET 8632                1   0  0     5       EYES OF SET (1489)
 BOROMIR 8627                  1   0  0     5       MIDDLE EARTH (1488)
 MISS SCARLET 8596             0   4  0     4       GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484)
-BLIMRING 8576                 0   3  0     3       DEFENDERS (1481)
-WINTER SWORD 8604             0   2  0     2       DEFENDERS (1481)
-INSIDIOUS BLACK 8582          0   2  0     2       FAUX TIDES (1482)
 SAMWISE 8625                  0   1  0     1       MIDDLE EARTH (1488)
 NECRONABUS 8633               0   1  0     1       EYES OF SET (1489)
-THURMONIN 8574                0   1  0     1       DEFENDERS (1481)
 COL. MUSTARD 8639             0   1  0     1       GOTTA GET A CLUE (1484)
 CANTOR SHEN 8629              0   1  0     1       EYES OF SET (1489)

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

THE DEAD               W  L K TEAM NAME             SLAIN BY             TURN Revenge?
MYEYESAREUPHERE 8565   4  4 1 CRUCIBLE 1480         HIGH ELF 19           246 NONE    
CHORD 8616             0  1 0 THE CYRKLE 1472       ARAGORN 8626          246         
ASH 8513               1  1 0 THE CYRKLE 1472       LISA KAROL 8592       242 NOT REVE
HATSHEPSUT 8630        0  1 0 EYES OF SET 1489      GUDGE 8593            246         
MR. GREEN 8597         1  2 0 GOTTA GET A CLUE 1484 DUNN 8488             243         
POL ORVIN 8590         2  3 0 MIDDLE WAY 18 1483    GRAVEN IMAGE 8617     244         

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Night Shadow -- Hate to have to prove you right like that.  See you in Arvat if I
don't get DA'd first. -- Ron Burgundy

Middle Way -- Kill ONE guy and his ghost hangs around to haunt you.  Just my luck. --
Graven Image

Middle Way -- I do have a tendency to play the game roughly.  I can't help it, it's
part of what I enjoy in the game.  You are correct, when I reach mainland there will
certainly be some people who don't like me.  On the other hand I usually meet and
make several friends as well.  I'd like a middle to large arena where I can find both
friends and enemies.  When there are managers going out of their way to try and cut
down my warriors I just find it more exciting.  I like to kill and I don't cry about
it when I'm on the receiving end.  (That was not meant to imply you were crying about
anything, just making a point.)  I have had some fun here in Noblish and made a good
friend in Fox and you have been very friendly and helpful.  I appreciate that and I
respect you or I would not have apologized for the death.  Feel free to bloodfeud
away, that is another aspect of the game I enjoy a great deal.  It's driven me crazy
that I wasn't able to avenge Gunny Highway by killing Targ.  I don't have anybody
fast enough to beat that guy, he is DECISIVE!  I've tried to behave and play nice
here because of what this arena is but I can't wait to get into some real destructive
wars and it looks like those will be in Arvat.  Fox and I have agreed to head to the
same arena. -- Kodiak

Targ -- We hate you. -- Crucible
P.S.  I finally got the jump on you and you held out and turned the tables.  Nicely
done.

All -- Buy Eyes a last drink and say your good-byes to those big, beautiful...eyes.
She's as dumb as she is hot and the DA is calling. -- Kodiak

Tarin Sills -- Sorry but I had to fight you again and if it wouldn't be such a gross
down challenge I'd do it again.  You should have been a teacher instead of a fighter.
Win or lose I can't resist those skills.  Kick someone's butt this turn and climb up
here so we can fight again.  And I promise not to target vitals, I want you alive. --
Bolt Thrower

Megitura -- I've never seen anyone fight for 2 minutes from their knees.  And you
almost wore me out.  Great effort and glad you didn't die.  You see Middle Way, I
don't target vitals, I carved up his legs while he was on his knees.  Of course...it
was a wicked opening head shot that put him there. *grin* -- Graven Image

Bolt Thrower -- For one who has chosen a difficult style, you're doing very well.
But then, I knew that already. -- Tarin Sills
P.S.  Jorja doesn't care much, I don't care much, but in some arenas on the mainland,
a challenge like that, 3-4,24 to 4-1,17, will cause hard feelings.  It's a down-
challenge "either way," as Jorja says, in recognition points and number of fights
both.  I would be remiss not to warn you that some managers call that dishonorable
and get really steamed about it.  Mind you, that challenge was PERFECTLY LEGAL, but
when you come up against a manager with strong Andorian principles, "perfectly legal"
is still going to get sparks flying.  There are other managers who will do it--back
at you, as often as not--freely.  We aren't complaining, just warning you of what you
will face elsewhere.  Okay, mostly in the Andorian arenas, or at least most vocally
there, but in other arenas you might get the challenge-back strike without the verbal
rattle.

Slapyouinpublic -- I can see why you'd be that testy.  Six foot two and they call you
a dwarf?  It'd make anyone testy. -- Ros Quin

Redblade -- Darned if I know what your problem is.  Well, okay, your problem MIGHT
have been that I am good, but...nah, surely not.  And even if I am good, I don't have
a high enough Ego to make an issue of it.  (I wish we could actually use those
personality stats somehow....)  Well, better luck next time. -- Lisa Karol

Valerian -- "Uses this weapon in an unorthodox style" means it's a weapon unsuited to
your fighting style, and you will not do your best with it.  (pause to check the
chart)  Ah, okay.  Put that dagger in its sheath (do not thrust it through your belt,
this will cause the belt to break and your pants will fall down), and take your
offhand weapon into your primary hand.  You are suited to that one, almost certainly.
Keep your offhand empty for a while, just use the one. -- Nolan Marrik
P.S.  My FIRST impulse was to advise you to change styles, but alas, that is not
possible.

Drat, I could have sworn I hired a fifth warrior, but nobody showed up to fight today
in that slot.  I'll have to send out the bounty hunters. -- Jorja, the Middle Way

Kodiak -- This could be so.  But death does happen, and very often when facing a
lunger in the arena.  No hard feelings unless you plainly and obviously come out with
the intent to kill. -- Jorja

Crucible -- The official stay on Noblish Island is ten active turns.  You can,
however, leave early if you want to.  You can't come BACK, though, or start another
team here, so far as I know.  Once you leave, you're gone. -- Jorja

In response to the Q.O.W., no name given -- It's a judgment call, and there are no
rules on those.  My own feeling is that as long as a warrior is fun to run and/or is
teaching you something, he's worth his entry fee.  But you can send 'em to the Dark
Arena any time. -- Jorja
P.S.  Some managers send them to the Dark Arena as their first fight, which I think
is possibly a waste, but hey, it's their money.

Shadowspawn -- Yeah, you did good, kid, but less boasting about your thieving ways!
You just FOUND a lost initiative that had been dropped in the sand at some point,
right? -- Ros Quin

Fox -- We'll see you there. -- Jorja, the Middle Way

The Cyrkle wishes to thank Noblish Island Arena teams for their patience.  As a new
team it has been difficult to circumvent the inane bumblings of our inept manager
Gort.  We came together on the island without benefit of charts, rules, or
conventional wisdom, our skills unsuited for combat.  Alas, poor scores combined with
poor management, cost the life of our team member Ash--struck down in the bloom of
youth by Lisa Karol--who'da thunk it, you can't wield two epees at the same time even
if you are very highly coordinated!  We look forward to his reanimation and hope he
does well in the Halloween Tournament of the Dead.  Sorry for the delay of this
messages--our owl got stuck behind a giant slug that was going down our driveway. --
Team Cyrkle
P.S.  If anyone could see it in their heart to post or diplo Gort info on how
endurance is effected by OE, AL and total weight (or weapon weight) or what ever, it
would be greatly appreciated--please before he kills us all...

Bolt Thrower -- Well met, if we bump elbows at the Ice Dragon someday, the first
leather of ale is on me. -- Gabrielle

Tarin Sills -- Alas--another humiliating defeat. :(  Thanks for the shield advice--I
hope I can get the hang of this without getting killed. -- Klaatu
P.S.  Did you have to attack my buttocks?  I know it's a big target but still....

To the late Pol Orvin -- Sorry to hear of your early demise, many (belated) thanks
for your advice.  My manager is slow on the uptake but he's starting to get his head
out of his bum.  If I don't survive this turn, hope to see you at the Halloween bash.
-- Questor

Goldmoon -- I don't know how I lasted 7 rounds either, I thought I was a goner!  Hope
the neck & throat wounds healed up ok.  Happy Halloween! -- Buffy

Q.O.W. -- Is it true there are no skills to be burned by stat training from 9 to 11?

23 October 2007
                   ******************************************
                   ******************************************
                   *****                              *******
                   ***** STORMCROWE SLAUGHTERHOUSE 3  *******
                   *****                              *******
                   ******************************************
                   ******************************************

9 TEAM (18 MANAGERS) have declared for the STORMCROWE SLAUGHTERHOUSE 3!!!  There is
still time for you to join in on the competition.  The carnage begins TURN 263!!!!

ALL YOU NEED TO DO TO JOIN:

*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.

*RU certificates must be received on or before the first turn of the contest which is
Stormcrowe Turn 263 (running approximately December 4, 2007).

RULES and SCORING

Rules and Scoring information for the Slaughterhouse will be posted every turn in the
Stormcrowe newsletter beginning with Turn 260 and in a final all arena ad in
November.

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.

NEED MORE INFORMATION

Rules questions and clarifications may be directed to Master Darque the contest
coordinator.  He may be reached by email at rebelnerfherder at yahoo dot com or by
diplo in DM 45 (Darque Forces-428).

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

MYEYESAREUPHERE was butchered by HIGH ELF in a 1 minute bloody Dark Arena fight.
RAPHAEL won victory over RON BURGUNDY in a 1 minute Challenge Title battle.
SLAPYOUINPUBLIC was demolished by LISA KAROL in a 1 minute uneven Challenge fight.
FALWORTH bested GABRIELLE in a popular 2 minute contest.
BOLT THROWER overpowered URIEL in a 1 minute mismatched match.
KHAMAEL was devastated by GIGRUNAN in a 1 minute one-sided duel.
TARIN SILLS devastated PROF. PLUM in a 2 minute mismatched match.
HANIEL overcame QUESTOR in a 1 minute fight.
RATZIEL was viciously subdued by GRAVEN IMAGE in a action packed 1 minute melee.
NOLAN MARRIK vanquished PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 1 minute uneven fight.
ROS QUIN viciously subdued MISS SCARLET in a popular 2 minute brutal fight.
KLAATU handily defeated NIGHTFALL in a 1 minute one-sided bout.
BUFFY was demolished by ANUBARIS in a 1 minute mismatched match.
GUDGE barely slew HATSHEPSUT in a 2 minute novice's contest.
CHORD was killed by ARAGORN in a 1 minute novice's brawl.
GIMLI handily defeated CANTOR SHEN in a crowd boring 6 minute gory one-sided conflict.
DARK ARENA MEAT devastated MORDANT DESERTER in a 1 minute uneven duel.
SAMWISE was savagely defeated by ROENELLA QUIN in a 4 minute amateur's brawl.
BOROMIR beat NECRONABUS in a 1 minute novice's match.
KALESHMET beat COL. MUSTARD in a 1 minute novice's match.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|STRIKING ATTACK                  9         SLASHING ATTACK   33 -   9 -  3      79  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   6         LUNGING ATTACK    22 -  17 -  4      56  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  5         WALL OF STEEL      9 -   8 -  0      53  |
|AIMED BLOW                       5         STRIKING ATTACK   30 -  29 -  5      51  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    4         BASHING ATTACK    21 -  22 -  3      49  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      3         AIMED BLOW        20 -  22 -  2      48  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    2         PARRY-LUNGE        7 -  10 -  0      41  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      1         PARRY-STRIKE       4 -   9 -  0      31  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     1         TOTAL PARRY        2 -   7 -  0      22  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   1         PARRY-RIPOSTE      3 -  16 -  0      16  |

Turn 246 was great if you     Not so great if you used      The fighting styles of the
used the fighting styles:     the fighting styles:          top eleven warriors are:

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

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
PARRY-LUNGE      RAPHAEL 8434                5   1  1   61 LORDS OF LIGHT (1458)
LUNGING ATTACK   RON BURGUNDY 8566           6   3  0   49 CRUCIBLE (1480)
SLASHING ATTACK  FALWORTH 8573               6   0  0   43 DEFENDERS (1481)
AIMED BLOW       BOLT THROWER 8567           5   4  0   39 CRUCIBLE (1480)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is RON BURGUNDY 8566.  The most popular warrior this 
turn was ROENELLA QUIN 8645.  The ten other most popular fighters were GABRIELLE 
8515, ROS QUIN 8589, FALWORTH 8573, GRAVEN IMAGE 8617, RAPHAEL 8434, TARIN SILLS 
8588, BOLT THROWER 8567, HANIEL 8433, MISS SCARLET 8596, and RON BURGUNDY 8566.

The least popular fighter this week was CANTOR SHEN 8629.  The other ten least 
popular fighters were GIMLI 8623, COL. MUSTARD 8639, NECRONABUS 8633, SAMWISE 8625, 
NIGHTFALL 8595, RATZIEL 8432, QUESTOR 8512, PROF. PLUM 8594, URIEL 8435, and 
SLAPYOUINPUBLIC 8603.

                             A SACRED LORD'S SLASHER

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

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

Now, how to run them:

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

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

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

P.S.  Anybody want to join the Regime?

                      The Dark Arena:  A Fighter's Perspective

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

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

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

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

(CHORUS)

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

(CHORUS x2)

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

                               Kill Desire: "Patience."

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

                                        ta-ta,
                                                  Sir Jessie Jest

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

                               SOME INFO ON THE RIPPER

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                                   Crimson Strikers

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

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

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

                                             Later, 
                                                  Crimson Strategist
                                                  Crimson Death DM 61