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