DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 09/10/2011 Duedate: 09/23/2011
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-333
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
BRO'TOR
GLORY DISCIPLES (1575)
(93-9148) [3-2-0,26]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY BRO'TOR
GLORY DISCIPLES (1575)
(93-9148) [3-2-0,26]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
MARCUS PROTEUS
GLORY DISCIPLES (1575) GLORY DISCIPLES (1575)
(93-9149) [2-3-0,13] (93-9150) [1-4-0,7]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
THE PC LINE-UP (1576)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. SUPERMARKET (1578) 44
2. THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582) 36 RAGE (388)
3. GLORY DISCIPLES (1575) 21 Unchartered Team
4. CONAN-LUKE (1570) 16
5. THE PC LINE-UP (1576) 13 SUPERMARKET (1578)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 0*SUPERMARKET (1578) 7 3 0 70.0 1/ 2*THE PC LINE-UP (1576) 9 6 0
2/ 2*THE PC LINE-UP (1576) 9 6 0 60.0 2/ 0*SUPERMARKET (1578) 7 3 0
3/ 1*TEACHER'S PETS (1579) 6 4 0 60.0 3/ 4*TEACHER'S PETS (1579) 6 4 0
4/ 0*THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582) 3 2 0 60.0 4/ 5*GLORY DISCIPLES (1575) 5 5 0
5/ 5*GLORY DISCIPLES (1575) 11 14 2 44.0 5/ 0*THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582) 3 2 0
6/ 0*CONAN-LUKE (1570) 1 4 0 20.0 6/ 0*CONAN-LUKE (1570) 1 4 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
THEY CALL THIS D2 (DUELMASTERS)?
Or
WHAT IS THIS ENTERTAINMENT REALLY ALL ABOUT?
Or
I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS ALL THAT TO DO.
Or
A NEWBY PRIMER ABOUT THE LIFE OF A D2 MANAGER
Or
TEACHER'S LESSON PLAN II
Once upon a time (Don't all stories begin this way?), in a far away land, there
was a D2 Rollup Sheet. That was the "hook"! That's where it all began.
The fun begins? What do I name my team? What will the warriors be named? Does
it matter? Do I want something that strikes fear in the heart of men? Do I want
something personal? Do I want something unusual-but-catchy? (Rumor has it that The
Consortium's first team was Bulldogs, named after his high school mascot, with all
warriors named something that relates to either "bulls" or "dogs;" it was managed by
Kennelworth.)
But more important than the names are the "designs." They are really just a set
of numbers, aren't they? Five separate warriors. Seven categories ST, CN, SZ, WT,
WL, SP, DF and 70 points, with none lower than 3 and higher than 21. Plus, the fun
part, fourteen more points to add! Yes! The manager cannot add more than six to any
category, and the end resultant cannot yield any category outside the 3-21 limits.
Plus, SZ (size) is off-limits and cannot be added to. Will my warriors be strong or
have lots of "hit points," or smart, or willful, or speedy, or great hand-and-eye
coordinated? Or some combination thereof? I also get to (or have to) pick a style
for each: AB (Aimed Blow) aimer, BA (Basher), LU (Lunger), PL (Parry Lunge) plunger,
PR (Parry Riposte) ripper, PS (Parry Strike) piker, SL (Slasher), ST (Striker), TP
(Total Parry), WS (Wall Of Steel) waste. How does one choose? By experiment, by
gut, by learning from a mentor or teacher, by accessing the RSI site, by accessing
the Terrablood site, by whatever? (Note, the earlier managers-- like Assur,
Consortium/Teacher, and Jorja, did not have access to the wonderful and enormous
information on the two internet sites. This is, after all, a Play-By-Mail game.)
Rumor has it that the simpler, but by no means lesser, styles to learn are BA, LU,
ST, SL, TP. The finesse styles are more difficult, but by no means lesser, and they
are AB, PL, PR, PS, and WS
Then the team is sent to the witches and wizards of RSI to run through a
computer, and some die rolls, and some luck/hose designations, and voila, a great
team is born. (NOTE: A later lecture about skills, hosing, bonusing, assessing the
warrior profile sheet, stats verses skills, etc., will be forthcoming.)
What next? Every two weeks (or four if one is in a "slow" arena.) in advance of
the due date, strategy sheets for each warrior fighting must have appeared (mail,
fax) in RSI's hands for entry into the stewpot of mystery. For each warrior, the
manager must enter basic data (warrior name, ID, arena, account, Team, etc) and also
gets to choose weapons, armor, seven offensive efforts, seven activity levels, seven
kill desires, seven attack locations, seven protect locations, zero to seven
offensive tactics, zero to seven defensive tactics, two challenges (challenge warrior
number), two avoids (avoid team numbers) AND, if the manager wishes, one whole
different set of strategies for the challenge or in preparation for someone else's
challenge. Wow! That is a lot (Five times; remember?), and it is a lot of fun
choosing. (WARNING: Print legibly.)
The computer matches are made at the RSI secret underground headquarters, and
the results are mailed to the managers' headquarters. Reading the fights is one of
the most valued parts of the game. There is much to be learned from the actions,
resultant, and the wordings on the fight sheet.
As the warriors fight more and more, they acquire FE (Fight Equivalent). In a
normal arena, FE is simply the number of fights. (One fight = one FE.) FE is a
measure of experience and is different from arena recognition. Why is FE important?
Some warriors fight in tournaments, and the records from those tournaments are not a
"natural part" of the fighter's w/l arena record. Hence, some warriors in arenas can
have "hidden" experience and their total arena w/l record is, then, inaccurate or
understated. (Note: There are two no-tournament arenas: DM81, slow DM83, where this
cannot happen.) Let me state this plainer. In an arena, a warrior may have listed a
4-3 record, 35 (or whatever) recognition points, and could also have fought in a few
tournaments and have an additional, not listed, 8-6 record for an FE of 14. If you
fight that warrior with your own 4-3 record, the opponent has 14 more fights than you
in experience (Tournament FE is halved as skill learning in tournaments is halved.),
7 more FE, had 14 more fights to raise stats or skills, and is probably quite a bit
better than you are. This whole process of "hidden record and FE" is called
sandbagging. More on tournaments later.
As you win and lose in the arenas, your warriors grow in status and move closer
and closer to being the top warrior, Duelmaster, in that arena. The battle for wins
and losses, and stylemasters (best in style), and Duelmaster are really what the
arena is all about.
As a Noblish Island member, you have one special difference. You must move your
team out to a "real" arena after your tenth round of fights. In normal arenas, one
can participate as long as one wants, and that team's record continues to accumulate.
(There are several long-running teams in Alastari with over 2000 fights recorded.
And that does not include the amount of tournament fights-- hidden w/l--that those
teams have.) Choosing the best arena for a Noblish grad is a topic for a different
day.
But things change and "stuff" happens in arenas. Your warrior gets killed. You
kill someone's warrior. A warrior is killed in a tournament. Teams leave. New
teams start. New warriors (replacements) start. This adds spice to the arena, and
can be cause for changed game plans and strategies. These particular actions can
change your team from those starting five warriors that you hand-designed and may
have become attached to:
1. A warrior is killed in an arena fight
2. Fighting in an outside tournament, your warrior is killed.
3. The manager sends a presumably undesirable warrior to the Dark Arena and most
likely the warrior is killed
4. A warrior is named Lord Protector and is "graduated" to The Isle
In all cases a single replacement 70-point rollup (Unless more than one of these
happened at the same time-- and it certainly can.) is provided to the manager for the
team. This allows the manager to retain five warriors in the arena at all times.
What happens to those "lost" warriors? The dead warriors are just that. Dead and
gone. (NOTE: There is actually an outside-the-arena Tournament of The Dead each year
and it is possible, but very difficult, to bring a warrior back from the dead. Most
dead warriors are simply not worth an attempt.) The fourth situation-- Lord
Protector graduation-- creates a whole new world of D2 (Duelmasters) for its manager.
With your very first graduate you will receive a "packet" which explains everything
you want to know about ADM. You will also receive some information on your warrior's
"favorites." (Favorite rhythm, weapon, tactic and skill learn.) You will get the
opportunity to place the now immortal (Well, they can die in ADM fights, but, then,
are immediately resurrected and ready for the next round of fights), warrior in an
ADM arena and fight it there. ADM arenas are different, in a way, and that, too, is
a topic for a different lecture. However, the point is that you will get a
replacement for your basic arena, AND, you will now have an advanced warrior you can
fight in a different advanced arena.
Advanced arenas? What's different? The warriors are immortal. The warriors
are more experienced. Arena selection is limited. The warrior ID MUST include the
arena number (e.g. 93-9170, not just 9170). Warriors are from many basic arenas.
Sandbagging is far more prevalent. Stat learning and skill learning is probably
faster. Warriors can now train their stats to a 25-25-x-25-25-25-25. The cost to
run is different, based only on an individual warrior cost to fight. A manager can
run as many warriors as he/she wants. (Not just limited to the five as in Basic.)
And somewhere along the line, a manager just might want to expand and run
additional teams in other basic arenas. (There are rumors, nay, truths, that a
manager has actively run nearly 40 at one time! Dedication-- or dumbness? That
manager runs appx eighteen at the moment.) Usually a manager can only run one team
in an arena, but there are lots of arenas out there-- large and small. While arena
selection is a lecture for a later date, I will mention that there are several kinds/
styles of arenas:
1. Regular arenas, large(20+ teams), medium, and small
2. Slow arenas, large, medium and small
3. Tournament-oriented arenas-- one can have an unlimited amount of teams, and full
teams of warriors are seldom or never run. Lots of sandbagged FE, and normally
used for special tournament prepping.
4. Old throwback arenas-- no hidden FE; both normal and slow
5. Arenas where special events are likely to occur. (example, the Turf Wars in
current DM47)
New rollup sheets only cost $5.00, with no charge to "rolling" the warriors. Some
experienced managers may buy quite a few rollup sheets in a year's time. It does, of
course, cost additional to run more arenas, with no real discounts for volume.
Your D2 experience will not be complete until you enter one or more warriors in
a tournament. Most managers will tell you that the greatest thrill in DM is being
able to attend a Face-To-Face tournament. So much can be learned in a short time,
meeting, competing, and networking with the "best in the game." Exciting,
educational, and worth it! Let's take a moment to talk about tournaments.
There are normally four tournaments annually, and any warrior from any team can
enter. January-- FTF (Face To Face) Tempe AZ. April-- Mail In Tournament. July--
FTF East with the location varying from Midwest to Southeast, to Northeast. (Last
Locations-- Milwaukee, Orlando), and October-- Mail-In Tournament, including a Dead
Warrior Tournament. A mailer from RSI is sent out in advance of each tournament,
outlining the event. The following brief explanation explains many of the
differences between tournaments and arenas.
It costs $7 per warrior (same price as in the 80s) and each warrior is
guaranteed three fights (unless killed) and on the average fights five+ times.
Strategies (except challenges and avoids), are the same as for arenas. Death rates
and skill/stat learning rates are halved. Warriors fight until they acquire three
losses. (The Primus and Contenders classes-- at the top end-- are different.)
Acquiring eight wins earns a warrior a Tournament Victor (TV) achievement. Winning
the class (the last one standing without three losses) earns a Tournament Champion
status (TC). TCs are precious! There are advantages and/or prizes given to these
special achievers. Mail-In Tournaments are done completely by mail and approximately
a week to ten days after the weekend event, a packet with all warriors fights will
arrive in the mail. Face-To-Face Tournaments are just that-- fought in person. On
site, (FTFs are held in a local hotel's large meeting room.) each manager knows his
next opponent and has the opportunity to submit a strategy or strategy change
specifically for that fight. The fight sheet is presented to the manager on the spot
after each round of fights. The action can be fast-and-furious, exciting, and
personal. The final match for the TC of each class is read out loud to the crowd as
the two managers sit side-by-side. Tournaments usually have eleven classes-- Rookies
(0FE), Apprentices (1-4FE), Initiates (3-10FE), Adepts (11-20FE), Champions (21-
30FE), Challengers (mortal warriors above 30FE) and the five immortal ADM Classes
from the lowest to the highest-- Freshman, ADM, Eligibles, Contenders, and Primus.
Should you enter a tournament? Will you run more than one team? How long
before your first Lord Protector and subsequent running in an ADM arena? It is all
ahead of you. But, first, let's get you through Noblish Island and feeling somewhat
comfortable and confident about D2 and excited about your prospects.
The end.
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
Profile of a Style
Slashers
This article is not the Last Word on Slashers. But I've run a lot of them, and
I think I have something useful to say. They were my default style when I was
learning the game; if I didn't know what else to do with a roll-up, I made it a
Slasher, armed it with a scimitar, and ran it 10-10-x until I figured out what I
should be doing instead. Usually, "instead" meant lightening the armor and slowing
them down because they got tired too fast, activity level first, then if necessary,
offensive effort. An amazing number of them survived and even graduated on this
strategy.
I have the details of sixty-five immortal Slashers here, warriors who,
regardless of my managerial expertise or lack thereof, managed to survive to
graduation. Some are very bad, but lucky. A few are very good. Most are ordinary
warriors of moderate ability, made from the kind of roll-ups that you see every day.
I'm not going to list all sixty-five of them, which is way too many for a practical
discussion, but think of them in the background, confirming or denying suggestions
and suppositions.
Favorite weapons: You will find that only those weapons which may show up as
favorites when a warrior graduates will be listed as "well-suited" in the fight
reports. These favored weapons vary with style, and I assure you they have been
thoroughly researched by players over the years.
The eight weapons suitable for use by Slashers, and the minimum stats required
to use them, are:
Battleaxe ST 15 WT 9 DF 9 \\ 12 in sample
Broadsword ST 11 WT 9 DF 7 \\ 7 in sample
Epee ST 7 WT 15 DF 15 \\ 5 in sample
Greataxe ST 13 WT 9 DF 11 \\ 8 in sample
Hatchet ST 5 WT 3 DF 7 \\ 9 in sample
Longsword ST 11 WT 13 DF 11 \\ 8 in sample
Scimitar ST 9 WT 11 DF 11 \\ 10 in sample
Shortsword ST 5 WT 11 DF 3 \\ 6 in sample
[Data courtesy of Pagan and other managers, for which I thank them. Any errors are
my own.]
The final number on each line is the total number of Slashers in my sample who
had the weapon in question as a favorite. (Just as a warning on the unreliability of
statistics, the first twenty-two warriors on my Slasher list favored an axe of some
kind over a sword by 2 to 1. But on the group of sixty-five, the proportions are
reversed! Tricky things, numbers.)
Study this chart, and resist the temptation to make a Slasher who doesn't have
the stats to use at least one of these weapons well. I can tell you from bitter
experience that you do not want a warrior who is unsuited to every weapon in the book
by reason of either stat deficiencies or style preferences. If you haven't done it
yet, then take my advice and avoid this pitfall; it is enormously frustrating.
Weapons not listed on this chart are not suited to the slashing style. Really,
we're not guessing--managers have tested this repeatedly, and arming a Slasher with,
say, a war hammer or a long spear will always, regardless of his stats, get the
result "uses this weapon in an unorthodox style" (meaning "badly"). You want to
avoid that.
As you can see from the list above, a Slasher doesn't have just ONE important
stat where weapon choice is concerned. Over all, strength, wit, and deftness are
equally important, but there is enough variation that a warrior deficient in one area
but not the others can find something to fight with.
Below are two dozen immortal Slashers, three who favor each of the Slasher's
weapons, their relevant stats, and their favorite rhythms.
Battleaxe
Damoreth ST 13 WT 17 DF 11 H/VL
Kaltho ST 10 WT 17 DF 13 VH/L
Robin ST 10 WT 17 DF 7 M/M
Note that none of these three warriors has the minimum stats needed to use a
battleaxe to best advantage! That's one of the little tricks the Commission plays on
us to make sure we don't find things too easy. You'll see others below who lack some
critical stat needed for using their favorite weapon, also.
Broadsword
The Kid ST 13 WT 11 DF 11 H/L
Elin ST 19 WT 11 DF 17 H/VL
Gilis ST 9 WT 17 DF 11 H/VL
Epee
Billie ST 12 WT 12 DF 9 H/VL
Anlis ST 11 WT 15 DF 13 VH/L
Kyra ST 9 WT 11 DF 17 M/VL
Greataxe
Kothland ST 10 WT 15 DF 9 H/VL
Jane Erh ST 9 WT 15 DF 15 M/VL
Ginger ST 9 WT 11 DF 11 H/VL
Hatchet
Kirmo ST 9 WT 15 DF 13 H/VL
Treefrog ST 10 WT 13 DF 9 H/L
Medio Curr ST 9 WT 11 DF 13 H/L
Longsword
Goff ST 9 WT 11 DF 9 H/VL
Tumbleweed ST 11 WT 13 DF 9 H/L
Nelinaria ST 12 WT 17 DF 13 H/L
Scimitar
Horace ST 13 WT 11 DF 13 VH/VL
Wolf ST 9 WT 15 DF 13 H/VL
Geladina ST 9 WT 15 DF 12 M/VL
Shortsword
Rover ST 13 WT 9 DF 11 VH/VL
Riya ST 10 WT 15 DF 9 VH/VL
Hammir ST 9 WT 15 DF 13 VH/L
My habit of giving any Slasher with the necessary stats a scimitar to wield
means that a lot of these warriors never ran their favorite weapon. But they
survived anyway, because the scimitar is so GOOD. I really like arming Slashers (and
many other styles) with scimitars, and I highly recommend it. Just one scimitar in
hand, off-hand empty, and a back-up on the belt. A warrior who does NOT have the
stats for a scimitar (hard to imagine, given my basic design philosophy) is not
trained as a Slasher.
Which brings us to the question of warrior design. With me, if I'm determined
that a warrior shall be a Slasher, the basic design decisions are already made: a
Slasher must be able to use a scimitar. Okay, not always. Seven of the twenty-four
warriors listed above lack the deftness for a scimitar, which means I probably sent
them out with a shortsword or a hatchet. But "able to use a scimitar" is still my
basic Slasher criterion. If there are points left over after arranging that, I put
'em on will. And if will is 11 or better, I MIGHT put some points on speed, just to
see what happens.
You will note that I don't figure any points to be added to CN. True, a Slasher
burns endurance rapidly and may get tired in less than a minute if running hard. But
Slashers are offensive warriors. They aren't out there for a long fight; their style
wins quickly by attacking, or quits and fights another day. For the same reason, I
am unlikely to put a Slasher in anything heavier than leather armor. (The "quits to
fight another day" strategy has offensive effort and kill desire both dropped to
moderate or lower in desperation.)
Favorite rhythm: As I said at the beginning, when I started playing, I used to
run my Slashers 10-10-x, and many of them did well enough to graduate under that
regimen. But looking at the favorites from my graduated Slashers, I find no
offensive effort lower than Moderate (5 or 6) and no activity level higher than
moderate. It breaks down this way:
Very High (9-10)/Moderate (5-6): 2
Very High (9-10)/Low (4-5): 6
Very High (9-10)/Very Low (1-2): 8
High (7-8)/Moderate (5-6): 1
High (7-8)/Low (3-4): 10
High (7-8)/Very Low (1-2): 21
Moderate (5-6)/Moderate (5-6): 4
Moderate (5-6)/Low (3-4): 6
Moderate (5-6)/Very Low (1-2) 7
This gives you a clear idea of how the Gladiatorial Commission sees Slashers:
offensive. In all but four out of sixty-five cases, offensive effort is higher than
activity level, and sometimes--often--it's a lot higher. This is not to say that you
will always want to run your Slasher hard and fast, which will burn his endurance at
a furious rate, but this is what he does best.
There is no evidence to support the hypothesis that warriors have a favorite
kill desire.
There is no convincing evidence to support the hypothesis that warriors have a
favorite attack location. Logical arguments based on real-life concepts do not
necessarily apply to Duelmasters. There IS evidence to support the claim that
increased deftness means a better chance of hitting the designated attack location,
in case you wondered about that. And even without training DF to a higher number, a
warrior appears to gain accuracy with experience and an increase in skills.
Favorite Tactics: In my sample of sixty-five warriors, only four have a
favorite tactic, and in all four cases that favorite is the offensive tactic Slash.
This is not to say that your warrior can't use any other tactic to advantage, because
maybe he can. Well, okay, I wouldn't give him a Bash tactic, and probably not a
Lunge, either.... But apparently the only tactic he really likes is Slash.
Going from the general to the specific--
Profile of a Warrior
Black Victor
Slasher
Vic is 9-7-15-17-15-10-11, no stats trained, and he was 22-18-2 running on
maintenance at the time he received his graduation notice. He had an advanced master
in initiative, and advanced expert in riposte, a master in attack, and an advanced
expert in decisiveness.
According to his overview, he is very intelligent (something not always
demonstrated in his dealings with his teammates)
Nothing short of a genius at keeping his foes at sword's point
Does a lot of little things well
Uses an unusual fighting style, deadly to slower, less active foes (I have
NEVER gotten an overview that claimed the warrior used a hackneyed, common fighting
style that would result in getting himself killed)
Avoids blows well
He's an extremely active fighter (the SP and DF)
Cannot take a lot of punishment (low CN)
Can only carry a very little weight in armor and weapons (low ST)
Is very quick on his feet
Avoiding rather than trading blows
Can do good damage with a blow (largely a result of his SZ)
The Commission claim he favors a battle axe, which he has never tried, and a
rhythm of very high offensive effort and very low activity level
At the time this invitation to the Isle arrived, he was running 10-10-8 straight
across, carrying a scimitar and backup scimitar, in leather armor and a helm,
attacking right arm, protecting body, and using no tactics. Sunset (DM 21) is not an
easy arena, but this strategy--you'll note that it is not his "favorite"--got him out
alive.
But suppose he had the same stats but some other style. What difference might
that have made? None to his ability to take and deal out damage, but more than you
might think to his initial, or base, skills. Several managers (Sir Boyd and Pagan
are prominent among them, but I know others have helped, all unsung) have done a lot
of research, analysis, and experiment on the relation between a warrior's starting
stats and style and his starting skills. (Note that a warrior's starting skills may
not be exactly what the charts would lead you to expect. There is a luck factor; a
warrior may sometimes have more or fewer of a given skill than expected.) His
ability to take and deal out damage, and to carry or not carry weight would have
remained the same, but....
This is how Vic would have stacked up as a warrior of another style in the
skills department:
Skills
Style Init Rip Att Par Def Dec Total
AB 5 3 6 1 5 10 30
BA 12 7 10 1 3 10 33
LU 13 7 12 1 7 9 49
PL 10 7 10 3 5 8 43
PR 8 11 6 3 3 6 37
PS 8 7 6 3 5 8 37
SL 14 7 10 -1 5 9 44
ST 9 7 6 0 5 10 37
TP 8 7 4 7 5 6 37
WS 14 7 10 5 5 8 49
All styles are not created equal, but have their own various strengths and
weaknesses.
Do you look at this chart and wonder why all warriors aren't created lungers and
walls of steel? Well, a lot of them are, especially lungers. Some die of that low
CN, inability to carry much armor, and lack of parry and defense skills. Some fall
victim to bad matches, develop losing records (this warrior is NOT at his best
against a long-haul total parry, for instance), and get sent to the Dark Arena. Some
managers simply LIKE to play other styles, and can make up in skilled management what
the warrior may lose on the initial roll-up.
Which brings me to an issue I would like to just mention to those of you here
who are new managers. You can design warriors to maximize starting skills. Let's
suppose that Vic's initial roll-up had a ST of 7 and I decided NOT to add two points
to it. I could have put those points on either WT, WL, or DF, the three most skill-
rich stats and had more skills for him to start with. But with a ST of 7, I couldn't
have counted on getting at least normal damage done, even with his big SZ, and
"little damage" has been the end of many warriors. What good are skills if you can't
take your opponent down? If I'd accepted a lower CN, I could have put more points
into stockpiling skills... and maybe gotten a "very frail" warrior, one who couldn't
survive a blow. What good are skills if you can die from a single blow?
Good warrior design is a balancing act. You have to know what you expect of the
warrior: is he to be a long-term project, destined to dominate high-end play, or a
dixie-cup short-term warrior? A short-term warrior can get away with a lot of
"design flaws" that would be disaster for a long-termer. He can get away with being
very frail, or having a WL too low for training up stats. He can be experimental.
But the first requirement for a long-term warrior is that he survive to reach the
Isle and immortality. Skills alone are not enough for that.
Jorja
Middle Way
P.S. If there's something you'd specifically like to hear about, ASK. I don't know
what your questions are if you don't ask 'em.
+>]H[<+-----+>]H[+ Question of the Week #4 +]H[<+-----+>]H[<+
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 bloodfeus, 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). -- Jorja
Question, turn 405:
All -- If I had a warrior blessed +4 in all areas, maxed out with all 25's would I
have a chance to beat the top warriors in Primus or Gateway? RSI says you get better
as you gain FE. Some of those warriors have 10 years of FE. How could one ever
compete? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 406:
Q.O.W. -- A warrior as you have described would definitely be a viable contender at
the top of Gateway! Maybe even the best. Experience, though helpful, is vastly
outweighed by raw skill. Plus, a great set of favorites make's such a warrior much
better. If worked properly, a warrior +4 in everything could possibly TC a couple of
times and use those prizes to make them better. Young warriors are continually
making gains into being competitive with the top of Primus and Gateway. It just
takes a lot of time. Donatello and some older warriors used to be the very best, but
younger ones have upset the balance. Nothing is set in stone. -- Adie
P.S. Not that I've had much luck chipping at that stone. It's very difficult when
you're a small manager.
Hanibal -- If that hypothetical warrior you speak of had one of the fighting styles
that were suited to high end competition, then it would be very competitive. Let's
say you went whole-hog and made it a lunger. Being bonused by four in every category
would make it one of the very best. But it just doesn't happen! Ask the Consortium
how many +24 warriors they've had.
Total FEs have a slight, even marginal effect, on the outcome of fights. Having
good favorites is more important, and the amount of tourney prizes used on a warrior
cannot be discounted either. If you're trying to choose which tourney class to try
and TC, I would advise something lower than Primus or Gateway! -- Generalissimo
Puerco
Hannibal -- Regarding your question of the week: Does their long experience make the
top warriors in Gateway unbeatable? I have no personal experience with Gateway and
don't care to get any at this point, but a manager who IS in Gateway says, No, the
top warriors in Gateway are not unbeatable. But the critical factors include not
only the warrior's abilities but those of the manager. -- Leeta
Not a question of the week, but something else you might find interesting. Thank of
it as an alternative to all the "How to make a perfect whatever" articles.
Jorja -- In dm 12 Riztab you asked me what I'd do with a certain roll-up wich wasn't
too good: 12-16-12-3-9-12-6.
IF I wanted to actually play this monstrosity of brilliance, then I would do so
only for a limited time it depends upon what I can challenge in the arena but let's
say there are a lot of poor endurance weaklings, and/or a lot of Scum TP's. Then I
would run this guy until I didn't have a descent chance to get my challenges through.
There seems to me only one option for this guy: 17-16-12-3-13-12-11 Basher. He has
a 50-50 chance to get tremendous damage capability. If he only gets Great Damage
then DA him. If he gets his Tremendous damage then what you do is challenge EVERY
scum TP you possibly can, and since they are scum TPs they are prime targets for
down-challenging. Its not like you are picking on them; they are scum. This guy has
a 100% chance to get Good endurance. I would ONLY run a 10 Kill-desire and try to
kill things, but perhaps multiple wins over the same warriors is beter than being
bloodfeuded by a warrior that can beat you. I would ONLY run with the MAce. You
could go ahead and use a HL or a ML for those TP's but at tremendous damage and a
MAce you shouldn't get any bounces, and plenty of massive damage statements. Only
use a MODERATE OE with a 1 AL starting in minute 3. USE BASH. Minute 1 and 2 go
with a scum TP strategy but use response. No armor of course. Now for all other
match-ups you go out like the scum you are: APA+F MA+LG (well-suited to the weapons
selected), and run a triple-10 trying to get the jump, desperation should mimick your
minute 1 strat. Minute 2 onward just drop the AL to LOW and then to VERY LOW.
Physicals for this guy are: Good endurance, can sustain a Tremendous amount of
damage, can carry a Tremendous amount of weight, can do a Tremendous amount of
damage. This kind of warrior is much more fun than a Scum TP. He should beat any TP
as long as you follow my guidelines. During random match-ups you will have some
definate good chances to kill those weaklings that can't do enough damage to get
through the plate and the hit-points. If you don't want to kill then I advise not
droping your KD below a 6. The problem is that although you can take a lot of hits
like a TP you can't parry any of them. If you can't start swinging sometime in
Minute 2 then your chances to win are slim against those random offensive matchups. -
- Pagan
Question, turn 406:
All -- Does having a lot of initiative skills help to steal initiative or is it all
riposte skills? Is there a difference between "seeking the counterstrike" and "tries
to steal the initiative" or is it the same thing, but a different statement. --
Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 407:
Hanibal -- QoW: If two warriors are fighting and one has a great deal more init.
skills than the other, it is possible for the initiative in the fight to get taken
without a riposte. It doesn't happen an awful lot, but it isn't shocking to see it
happen. Ex: A friend had a basher that started AE init on the rollup. His first
fight he matches against an aimed blow. The aimed blow wins decise, hits him once in
the head, and without going desperate or anything, he just starts swinging and beats
the poor aimer just like that. You probably know that aimers usually tend to lack
init skills, so in that case the difference in total init allowed the basher to just
steal it. Even when ripostes are involved, init still plays a role. If you've seen
a warrior repeatedly make riposte attempts, only to get attacked again, then its
because the defending warrior's init was insufficient to allow him to attack after
the riposte. Alternatively, styles like plungers and wastes make fewer attempts to
riposte, but their attempts are usually successful because their init is so good. Of
course, the strategy a particular warrior is using (as well as the strategy of his
opponent) is important in taking and maintaining the initiative too. -- Generalissimo
Puerco
Q.O.W. -- Those fancy terms that come after a parry or dodge are successful attempts
to potentially riposte. Then, once you succeed at getting that fancy line (your
riposte vs. their init), you make another check (I think your init vs. your
opponent's init) to actually take the initiative from them. This is usually the
easiest way to take the initiative from a warrior. Each riposte line is a chance to
take it away. An example is how some rippers with low init may attempt to riposte
off of every single attack, but they may only steal it after several tries.
Sometimes, however, a warrior may actually just straight out steal the
initiative. This occurs usually when the one doing the stealing has a very high
rating in init and the opponent's rating is low. A good example includes when a
lunger gets hit by say an aimed blow, but the very next line is the lunger swinging
back. No riposte what-so-ever! This is much rarer. This can also be a function of
what offensive effort and activity a warrior is running. Warriors running more
slowly can often lose the initiative this way as they just give it up. -- Adie
Question, turn 407:
All -- Is there a difference in between an Expert and (AE). It appears to me that
your (17, 18, 19th) skills don't seem to make a difference until you get that next
rating @ 20? -- Q.O.W.
Answer next turn, don't have the time to dig it out today! -- Jorja
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
No surprise, a standby for me to fight today. This will be my last fight here,
and the last fight of all this team, in fact. We're chartering (reaching ten active
turns) and being kicked off the island. Jorja will have another team in, but
probably not this turn.
Elorise Kuhl
SPY REPORT
I was going on vacation, see? Surf, sun... But what do those bums say? "Hit
the road, Debby Tonte. NOBLISH ISLAND needs a spyreport." Oh, well. Like, THE LOW
ROAD had to be so embarrassed when they got kicked off #1 spot by THE PC LINE-UP!
Way to go THE PC LINE-UP! MVP award for GENNA HAYES? THE LOW ROAD 2's proud of her
after beating EMBEZZLING SCRIBE and getting 16 points. Talk about yer big time
losers! DELL got smashed by BRO'TOR, and lost 6 points! And I was just getting used
to the ex-Duelmaster's habit of...(!) Oh well, welcome BRO'TOR. Aren't GLORY
DISCIPLES proud. (Oh, my.) Is the Duelmaster really being a real snob to his
teammates? Don't ask me!
So just why would someone becomes a warrior anyway? It can't be for these
really neat Spyreports can it? SUPERMARKET was NOBLISH ISLAND's most avoided team.
Is there some award for that? I don't know what TEACHER'S PETS' been doing. They
certainly haven't been accepting many fights from SUPERMARKET, that's fer sher. Can
THE PC LINE-UP's HP be more popular than me? He was challenged the most, but is that
really the same?
Challenges, revenges, Bloodfeuds. All NOBLISH ISLAND ever talks about is
fighting! Me, I'm more laid back. Fight, fight, fight. Is that all you guys can
do?
Remember, blood on a purple robe may stain. Soak it in cold water, and hand
wash. I know how much you like reading this stuff, but I really should stop. I had
a fun time, see you later-- Debby Tonte
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
BRO'TOR 9148 3 2 0 26 GLORY DISCIPLES (1575)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
HP 9159 3 0 0 25 THE PC LINE-UP (1576)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
LUGH THE LONGARM 9153 3 1 1 23 GLORY DISCIPLES (1575)
HTC 9176 2 0 0 21 THE PC LINE-UP (1576)
ROTTEN PRODUCE 9175 2 0 0 20 SUPERMARKET (1578)
AISLE BLOCKER 9165 2 0 0 17 SUPERMARKET (1578)
GENNA HAYES 9188 1 0 0 16 THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582)
MANDY 9174 2 0 0 15 TEACHER'S PETS (1579)
DELL 9155 2 1 0 14 THE PC LINE-UP (1576)
MARCUS 9149 2 3 0 13 GLORY DISCIPLES (1575)
LITTLE JOHNNY 9171 1 1 0 13 TEACHER'S PETS (1579)
FORLOY GERDAN 9187 1 0 0 13 THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582)
LYNN-LEIA 9121 1 0 0 12 CONAN-LUKE (1570)
OUT OF STOCK 9166 1 1 0 11 SUPERMARKET (1578)
SLOW CHECKER 9167 1 1 0 11 SUPERMARKET (1578)
LONG CHECKOUT LINES 9169 1 1 0 11 SUPERMARKET (1578)
CHRISTOS 9152 2 3 1 10 GLORY DISCIPLES (1575)
HOMER 9173 2 0 0 10 TEACHER'S PETS (1579)
PROTEUS 9150 1 4 0 7 GLORY DISCIPLES (1575)
LENOVO 9156 1 2 0 5 THE PC LINE-UP (1576)
HOBSON IPP 9189 1 0 0 5 THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582)
AZUZ 9158 1 2 0 5 THE PC LINE-UP (1576)
DAISY 9172 1 1 0 4 TEACHER'S PETS (1579)
TOMMY 9170 0 2 0 2 TEACHER'S PETS (1579)
PATH DAGGERS-PAND 9127 0 1 0 1 CONAN-LUKE (1570)
IZZY JORMIN 9190 0 1 0 1 THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582)
SOLATIA-LANDOVER 9122 0 1 0 1 CONAN-LUKE (1570)
KULBERT LEW 9191 0 1 0 1 THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582)
WOLVERINE-LEADER 9125 0 1 0 1 CONAN-LUKE (1570)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
MORD-SITH 9126 0 1 0 1 CONAN-LUKE (1570)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
PERSONAL ADS
I answer to Lugh The Longarm's fine questions:
Question: What determines a gladiator's ability to effectively wield two weapons?
The more "coordinated" the warrior is, the better the likeliood of being able
to effectively use a weapon in each hand. Coordination is a combination of DF
(Deftness) and SP (Speed). Sometimes it takes a little more DF to hold certain
combinations, and the primary hand must have the ST (Strength) and WT (Wit) to
hold the primary weapon. Remember, you can always try to use the two weapons,
and see what penalty statement you get. It would not at all be unusual for a
warrior to readily overcome the penalty statement and fight well with the combo
and win. Then again....
Teacher
Note that your ST and WT apply to both hands. You don't have one ST for your
primary and another for your off hand, and neither hand is known for WT. That's
kept in the head.
Question: How do I instruct a gladiator to wield a single-handed weapon two-handed?
This one is easy. Simply list the weapon in the primary hand. If it is a weapon
which can be weilded two-handed, your warrior will do so.
Teacher
Slow Checker -- I hate your type! You irritate me and everyone else. They should
bump you up to the front office. Meanwhile, take THAT! -- Daisy
Aisle Blocker -- My Dad is always griping about those people who hog the aisles. You
know, them on one side, and their cart on the other. Grrrrr! I tried to straighten
YOU out, but the Store Owner held me back. Next time, pal! -- Tommy
Lenova -- What line up am I supposed to pick you out of? What did you do? You
certainly didn't assault me?! -- Little Johnny
Long Checkout -- It suuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrre was! And I, for one, liked it! --
Homer
Christos -- It was a pleasure meeting you and sparring with you. You are such a
hotty! -- Mandy
Assur! Is that YOU! What a pleasure and an honor it is to share an arena with you.
Kudos on a fabulous basher spotlight. Very, very well done.
Teacher
HP -- Well fought. I've challenged you back trying something fairly unique to see if
I can take advantage of your weaknesses. -- Assur
Assur's Helpful Tidbit -- Two questions came in last week about using weapons two
handed. First, a gladiator will automatically use a weapon two handed if you leave
the strategy sheet blank for the off handed weapon AND the weapon is usable with two
hands. As far as the ability to use two weapons, your strength, size, wit, and
deftness determine what weapons you can use well suited, with deftness determining
whether you can use those two weapons together.
More important, though, is what weapons you use and whether you want to use an
off hand weapon or a shield. As a very gross rule, pure offensives shouldn't use
anything off hand, pure defensives should use a shield, and hybrids should use an
off-hand weapon. That rule is very gross and while a decent place to start, does not
tell the entire story.
As far as what weapons to use, not all weapons are equal. There are some well
known 'fast' weapons and some well known 'superior' weapons which are VERY COMMONLY
used. For speed, I typically choose SS, QS, WH, or HA, depending on the style. This
is not an exhaustive list, simply what I use.
Weapons that are considered 'superior' include SC, LO, and BA. I also include
DA and BS in this list, but the shorter list is those first three. The pure bashing
weapons (weapons that do not have edges/points) are generally inferior because of the
mechanics of crushing damage in Duel2.
Because warrior design is so critical, I will follow Teacher's example and show you
how I designed mywarriors over the next few turns. Out of Stock was a 9-7-13-11-11-
7-12 rollup. Most managers would call this a very solid setup and much better than
average. In general, high wit and will are very desired on warriors and low con and
low speed are the best places to get extra points for wit and will. Eleven deftness
is a great place to be because it qualifies you for most every weapon and has lots of
skills. Given the rest of the numbers, I decided to add 6 points each to wit and
will. And while I could have chosen almost any style for this setup, I went with my
favorite style, the Bashing style. I added my last two points to speed and strength
for 10-7-13-17-17-8-12 Basher. The speed gets him an extra starting decise skill
(every even point of speed gives a decise skill) and the strength to get him closer
to well suited with one of the best weapons for a basher in basic, the Quarterstaff.
The exact same setup would perform better as a Striker, but the name of the game is
fun and I'll have more fun with him as a Basher.
Bro'tor -- Just out of curiosity, which half is crazy, the elf half or the human
half? -- Burris Hammel
Marcus -- "Hound of havoc," I like that. As to my weapons, no point in even trying
to make a change, since this team is headed into retirement. If I ever touch
anything bigger than a paring knife, it'll be too soon. -- Davona Jernig
First question, two weapons at once: Deftness, most likely, though brains probably
helps.
Second question, a one-handed weapon with both hands: Make sure the off hand is
empty. You can't TELL him to use both on his scimitar or whatever, but you can make
it possible for him to do so.
Teacher -- Often, new players don't have web access. Is there some other source for
them? Besides these newsletters, which I hope they're saving. -- Jorja
Marcus -- It's the skill / experience difference that did you in, more than anything.
-- Burris Hammel
One thing I have never understood is why those Dangerous Criminals are not only
allowed to run around loose, they're encouraged to fight in the arena and become MORE
dangerous. This seems contraindicated. -- Arden Gish
Dell -- I could have left this island quite happily without that final loss, you
know. -- Chas Imbro
P.S. I've never adjusted to being called a dwarf, and me six feet tall! Just
because I hadn't shaved on the day I walked into the recruiting office, the clerk
said, "facial hair, you're a dwarf." He's an idiot.
Bro'tor -- "Unbelievably bested"? I believe it. -- Davona Jernig
P.S. The weapon would be okay, if I were a better fighter.
Arden Gish -- I hear your help with Jorja's standard advice about dropping the off-
hand weapon. Perhaps it's just old habit from when I was in the Arkers 32 regiment
and fighting phalanx-style. Seeing as how I'm now 1-3-0 there may be cause to modify
(by one step) my off-hand set-up to begin adapting to the arena. To your remark
about me being a little tall for a Dwarf-- Twas the work of a Karragit-blooded human
wizard trying to cast an enlargement spell on a Troll to break our lines. I ran the
foul creature through before the spell's delivery. The wizard missed and fell
forward upon me instead. Come to find out that we battled in a cavern that had a raw
magic surge pulse through. Been this way ever since. -- Proteus, the Arkers
Legionnaire
Perhaps there's a typo here? Arkers is arena eight, and thirty-two is Arvat.
Davona Jernig -- Thanks for the back-pat. I'm just glad to finally find some rhythm
on the sands. Not quite where I'd like to be, but so long as I live to fight another
day, steel sharpens steel so they say. -- Marcus, the Harkeny Hound of Havoc
Chas Imbro -- I'm cool with you talking; more so because it's in your contract. I
was just frustrated with myself for not gettin' in the fight... yet... even with
weapons that I've been well suited with. Like my stable buddy Marcus says, "So long
as I live to fight another day, steel sharpens steel so they say"... just wish all my
opponents weren't the only ones doin' all the sharpening, on me. Ha, ha, ha, ha. --
Oro'tor, the half-crazy Andorian Half-Elf
Davona Jernig -- Ha, ha, ha; I'm starting to feel like one of those pool games where
the opponents run the table, but scratch on the 8-ball. For what it's worth, you
fought an incredible 8 minute bloody-me-up duel. -- Bro'tor, the half-crazy Andorian
Half-Elf
Mandy -- You Shagonran Elves are fast, aye, I'll not deny ya that. But we dwarves of
the Daggerspine are resilient, weathering the storms that come and go, living to
brave the elements another day. Congrats, my lady, to yer fine debut. -- Christos,
the dread drifter of Daggerspine Mts
HTC -- I could be mistaken, but I'm fairly sure the defensive tactic I ran
handicapped that trip. We picked up a nice set of skills from the experience,
though, so I'd tip my hat to you, but I'm a lot sore for now. -- Proteus, the Arkers
Legionnire
Burris Hammel -- Guess I got what I was looking for... minus the victory. At least I
live to tell the tale. I gotta say, I'm impressed with the handiwork of your weapon
set up. -- Marcus, the Harkeny Hound of Havoc
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
HOMER bested PROTEUS in a action packed 4 minute amateur's Challenge fight.
TOMMY was demolished by LONG CHECKOUT LINES in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge melee.
LITTLE JOHNNY was defeated by HP in a 2 minute amateur's Challenge duel.
BRO'TOR bested DELL in a 2 minute novice's Challenge Title fight.
HTC demolished DAISY in a 1 minute mismatched competition.
ROTTEN PRODUCE vanquished KULBERT LEW in a 1 minute mismatched fight.
MANDY savagely defeated MORD-SITH in a slow 4 minute gruesome amateur's brawl.
MARCUS won victory over LENOVO in a 2 minute gruesome beginner's duel.
CHRISTOS was defeated by SLOW CHECKER in a 1 minute beginner's duel.
LUGH THE LONGARM overpowered PATH DAGGERS-PAND in a 2 minute one-sided fight.
AZUZ was handily defeated by LYNN-LEIA in a 1 minute one-sided bout.
AISLE BLOCKER demolished IZZY JORMIN in a 1 minute bloody mismatched match.
OUT OF STOCK devastated SOLATIA-LANDOVER in a 1 minute one-sided battle.
WOLVERINE-LEADER was bested by HOBSON IPP in a 1 minute amateur's bout.
FORLOY GERDAN handily defeated CONVICTED THIEF in a 1 minute uneven fight.
GENNA HAYES defeated EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 1 minute beginner's struggle.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|AIMED BLOW 5 STRIKING ATTACK 12 - 4 - 0 75 |
|BASHING ATTACK 5 AIMED BLOW 15 - 7 - 0 68 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 4 PARRY-LUNGE 3 - 2 - 1 60 |
|WALL OF STEEL 4 WALL OF STEEL 13 - 10 - 1 57 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 2 TOTAL PARRY 15 - 13 - 0 54 |
|TOTAL PARRY 2 PARRY-STRIKE 5 - 5 - 0 50 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 2 SLASHING ATTACK 6 - 6 - 0 50 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 BASHING ATTACK 13 - 13 - 0 50 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 2 LUNGING ATTACK 2 - 6 - 0 25 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 4 - 0 20 |
Turn 333 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the
used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are:
PARRY-STRIKE 2 - 0 WALL OF STEEL 1 - 3 4 AIMED BLOW
TOTAL PARRY 2 - 0 LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 2 2 BASHING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK 3 - 1 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 2 1 STRIKING ATTACK
AIMED BLOW 3 - 2 1 TOTAL PARRY
BASHING ATTACK 3 - 2 1 PARRY-LUNGE
PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 1 1 WALL OF STEEL
PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 1 1 PARRY-STRIKE
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is MARCUS 9149. The most popular warrior this turn was
PROTEUS 9150. The ten other most popular fighters were MARCUS 9149, LITTLE JOHNNY
9171, GENNA HAYES 9188, BRO'TOR 9148, SLOW CHECKER 9167, LONG CHECKOUT LINES 9169,
DELL 9155, HTC 9176, ROTTEN PRODUCE 9175, and LENOVO 9156.
The least popular fighter this week was MORD-SITH 9126. The other ten least popular
fighters were WOLVERINE-LEADER 9125, SOLATIA-LANDOVER 9122, AZUZ 9158, CHRISTOS 9152,
MANDY 9174, KULBERT LEW 9191, HOMER 9173, FORLOY GERDAN 9187, IZZY JORMIN 9190, and
LYNN-LEIA 9121.
Article for Newbies
This here is an article aimed mostly at you new managers to the game out there.
This chart is a consensus of managers on the internet about how they felt each style
fairs against all other styles at the beginning levels of the game. Of course, once
you get ten or so fights under your belt the whole scenario changes and you can throw
this right out the window. But in the meantime, use this chart to help you get a
feel for the game, how the different styles interact with each other and to hopefully
dispel those 5-25 starts that can make you drop the game. Hope this helps you some.
KEY FOR ODDS OF WINNING:
1 - ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE 6 - BETTER THAN EVEN
2 - HARDLY LIKELY 7 - GOOD CHANCE
3 - NOT MUCH 8 - HIGHLY PROBABLE
4 - SLIGHT CHANCE 9 - MOST DEFINATELY
5 - 50/50 10 - ALMOST GUARANTEED
Reminder: Left Row vs Top Column
BA ST LU SL AB TP PS PL PR WS
BA 5 2 6 6 8 9 7 6 5 6
ST 8 5 8 9 9 6 7 5 6 4
LU 4 4 5 6 10 5 7 7 9 6
SL 4 1 5 5 8 6 8 7 8 9
AB 2 2 2 4 5 10 6 6 6 7
TP 3 4 6 4 1 5 7 8 6 5
PS 3 3 3 4 5 4 5 4 5 4
PL 5 4 3 3 6 2 7 5 7 6
PR 7 5 2 2 4 5 6 3 5 4
WS 5 8 6 2 4 6 7 5 6 5
There you have it folks. I would personally like to thank all the managers on the
internet who made a contribution to this effort. You know who you are. Also a big
nod of appreciation goes out to the mighty PUG (Ben Hitz) who organizes and runs the
roundtable and without whose effort little projects like this would prove quite
difficult.
David Gottwald - Magic Man
The Crew - Monuntial (34)
Rocky's Heroes - North Fork (47)
Tragedy Strikes - Andor (57) (inactive)
Natural Born - Illis (59)
Slow & Easy - Aradi (60)
Omega Squadron - Dragonhead (72)
MAKING YOUR CHALLENGES GO THROUGH
First, you need to be sure you are making your challenges correctly.
1. Are you writing down the warrior I.D. number of the warrior you want to
challenge?
2. Is your handwriting clear?
3. Is the warrior you are challenging within range of your warrior? Warriors
can challenge within their own class and the next higher class, plus the "Challenger"
classes can also challenge the next lower class. So, an Adept can challenge Adepts
and Challenger Adepts. A Challenger Adept can challenge Adepts, Challenger Adepts,
and Champions. (Try not to challenge down, though. Besides being unsportsmanlike and
making everyone mad, it isn't advantageous to your warriors. They need to fight more
experienced warriors so they will learn.)
4. Are your warriors eligible to make challenges? If they didn't fight within
the last two turns, then they can't challenge.
5. Are the warriors they want to fight eligible to receive challenges? If they
didn't fight within the last two turns, then they can't be challenged.
Next, adjust your choices for the maximum likelihood of getting your challenges.
There are several things that will help:
1. Have each of your warriors challenge two different opponents from two
different teams. That way, if the first opponent's team doesn't fight that turn, you
still might get your second challenge.
2. Use your avoids. Have each warrior avoid the teams of whoever you think
might be likely to challenge him. If you can get out of being challenged, that
increases your chance of getting your own challenge through.
3. Don't challenge warriors who didn't fight last turn. The odds are higher
that they won't be fighting this turn.
4. Don't challenge warriors who might be involved in a bloodfeud (either as the
killers, or the avengers). A bloodfeud challenge has priority over all other
challenges.
5. Don't challenge Tournament Victors. A TV challenge has priority over all
other challenges except bloodfeuds. You'll need to do a little research in back
issues of the newsletter to find out who the TVs are.
6. Don't challenge warriors who you know are going to challenge someone else, or
are going to get challenged by someone else. Your challenge has a better chance of
getting through if it is the only challenge to that particular warrior.
7. Don't challenge the "easy pickings." That is, warriors above you who have
way too few fights or very bad records for where they are ranked. They will tend to
get challenged a lot.
8. Don't challenge warriors who are likely to be avoiding your team. This
includes any warrior your team fought within the last two turns.
Well, it sounds like I've eliminated just about everybody, doesn't it? Of course
you can challenge opponents who fit into one or more of those categories; just try to
find ones who don't. Your idea candidate for a challenge is: A warrior ranked
somewhat above your warrior in the same class, or in the next higher class, with a few
more fights than your warrior, and a winning record, who isn't a TV and isn't
currently at war with anyone.
I hope this will be of some help to you.
The Rogue She-Puppy
MAXIMIZING THE DUELMASTERS EXPERIENCE: WHAT THE RULES DIDN'T SAY
When you get your turn results in the mail it is very important that you squeeze
as much enjoyment as possible out of that envelope! I recommend (and also use!) the
following procedures.
First, open the envelope lengthwise with a letter opener. Remove the blue-sheet
BUT DON'T LOOK AT IT! It may tell you that you are broke and owe RSI a lot of money.
Flip it over instead! The blue-sheet will be used as a "hider" when you read the
fight results line by line, so you don't see the end of the fight by mistake and ruin
the excitement.
Remove the rest of the sheets in one smooth maneuver and place the flipped-over
blue-sheet on top of the pile, without looking at anything. You don't want to
accidentally uncover an unexpected replacement rollup. This is a traumatic experience
that should be avoided at all costs, as it indicates that one of your battles didn't
go exactly as planned.
Now you must prepare your room, or whever you are, for the battles. If you are
suicidal, or a lousy manager, or a suicidally lousy manager, remove all sharp objects
from the area. If you happen to manage an entire team of scummy warriors it is okay
to leave a loaded musket nearby.
The next step is to put on music. It definitely adds to the experience to have
your favorite tunes playing in the background, preferably AS LOUD AS YOU CAN GET AWAY
WITH! I christen each new warrior with a song that is his and his alone, and play
that song whenever it is his turn upon the sands. It is a personal choice but I
recommend Judas Priest, Manowar or Metallica. Avoid Abba and Barry Manilow (like I
had to say it). It is also important to match the song length with the expected
length of the fight. Don't choose "The Immigrant Song" for your 21-con Ultra-Scum.
Likewise, don't choose "Stairway to Heaven" for your quick lunger. Finally, sometimes
it is nice to choose an exceptionally violent alternate selection for those
Bloodfeuds.
Now you are almost ready! The final preparatory step (optional) is to prepare a
pot of coffee. Beer also works well, especially on Fridays, but I understand that
some managers are not Well-Suited to that particular beverage. I've heard the Duke
Malibu in Solven drinks goat blood, but mind you this is only a rumor. For the final
touch, try putting on any handy armor you have. Or a loin-cloth. I put on most of my
hockey gear.
The fights are on! The music is loud! The coffee is good! Read the fights
slowly, line by line using your blue-sheet as a guide. Don't go too fast, now. Yell,
"Yeah!" if your warrior scores an especially gruesome hit. Cringe if your warrior
feels the joys of a great axe connecting with his face (that means you, Marilith).
Raise your fist in the air when that total parry realizes that his last shield has
broken! And cry when your favorite gladiator is gravely injured and then takes ten
consecutive war hammer shots to the head...
When the end of the fight comes you will be emotionally drained, so yell out,
"Huzzah!!!" or "Damnnn!!!" or whatever, to take the edge off. When the fighting is
ended take a breather before preparing for the next cycle's fights. Reflect on what
has transpired and make a few notes. You'll be a better person (and manager) for it!
Isn't Duelmasters great?
Brought to you by ICE (the deranged): DM-49 (Vithicar) Rotting Livers (205)
DM-10 (Kolact) Beermacht
DM-22 (Solven) Steel Warriors
DM-24 (Zorpunt) No Escape
Winning With the Average Warrior
Hi! The Master of Anime here... Yeah, yeah, I know, you're all doing a
collective, "Who the Hell is this character?" Well, my claim to fame, if you can call
it that, is that I run Eve, one of the more popular, if not completely unspectacular,
warriors to fight in Alastari. I am a micro-manager (you've heard of mega-managers?
Well, think in reverse) who has been mainly running only one team during my 8+ years
of Duelmasters. This little write-up is aimed towards the less experienced managers,
the ones that can be brainwashed from some of the "How to build the perfect
warrior..." spotlights that tend to appear from time to time.
Many of the "How to build..." spotlights tend to deal with roll-ups that are
quite ideal, but in reality, rarely come out of RSI's number crunching machine,
commonly referred to as "the Roll-Up Gods". There have been a few good articles on
how to design skillful warriors from 'average' roll-ups. Those articles, in my
opinion, are the most helpful to new managers for the simple fact that you will almost
always get an 'average' roll-up. Occasionally, that 'average' roll-up might turn out
to be something special, and that is what I would like to key in on.
I know a lot of managers who will continually DA their warriors until they get
something that is as close to perfect as possible. You know, the warrior with three
or four 17s or the warrior with a couple of 21s or that size 3 or 4 warrior, etc...
If you are a relatively new manager and you are also doing this, I think you are
missing out on one of the more intriguing aspects of this game and that is warrior
development.
Being a micro-manager, I do not have an army of warriors like the mega-managers
do, but I'd like to think that I can hold my own against them (hey, if you're gonna
dream, dream big). Anyway, back to the point. One of my 'average' warriors seems to
have achieved a form of notoriety in Advanced Duelmasters to the extent that even the
ever quiet Mirage (manager of Donatello) has had something to say (it was at the last
Tempe FTF and my warrior, at the end of the 6th or 7th round, was listed as the top
Primus warrior on the tourney list.) Mirage pointed at my warrior on the list and
said, "That, is embarrassing..." I took it as a compliment. In case you're
wondering, my warrior is Akira (the reason I'm writing this article is that I've been
approached many times of late by managers who wanted to see Akira's numbers, thinking
he had some sort of godlike roll-up. I set them straight).
I'm not going to print Akira's numbers in this article for the main reason that I
don't have them with me at this time (it'll probably tick-off a lot of managers whose
warriors Akira has beaten anyway), but I do know this... he has about 30 attribute
increases and only one attribute is in the 20's, that one being WL (he even got gypped
by not getting some skills that you normally think he'd get by raising WL up the
20's). He won't be getting another attribute above 20 for a long, long time. (I
think his next highest attribute is 17... note that this is after the 30 or so
increases...) You should have a pretty good idea how generic this roll-up is... a
roll-up that would probably be DA'd by most managers looking for a good roll-up... a
roll-up that I even said, "I'll run him for kicks, but will probably retire him once
he gets to AD."... a roll-up that entered AD with a less-than-stellar 14-10 record...
a roll-up currently on a 20 fight win streak... a roll-up with three consecutive
Primus TVs.
So, before you give up on that average warrior, think again about giving him a
chance to flourish... he might suprise you as Akira has surprised me. Good luck in
the arena!
M.A., a proud member of GAPPDA
P.S. If you want to know Akira's original roll-up, diplo Anime Legends (Arena 102,
104).
P.P.S. Swift -- We GAPPDA members are NOT slugs!!! At least, I don't think we are...
TWELVE TIPS
A rookie manager asked me a question recently which prompted my "teaching juices"
to flow. I quote: "Just give me a dozen hints, and I'll leave you alone!" Obviously,
his challenge prompted me to organize my thought creating my Twelve Tips.
"Now wait a minute!" I hear you asking. "Why should I read on?" Simply put:
-- If you're an experience manager, you'll want to "clue me in" on other valuable tips
I missed.
-- If you're a "newbie," these tips will enhance your W-L record and compound your
fun.
"But, are they GOOD tips?" you ask. Believe me, fellow opponents, after 5000+
fights, dozens of "tutored pupils," many A.D. warriors, and a rather lofty W-L record,
they're GOOD tips. So here we go, in no particular order.
(I) ASK FOR HELP--Ask RSI about the Sponsor Program. Diplo "good" managers in your
arena. Proclaim your willingness to learn in a personal ad. You'll get some
conversation.
(II) OFFENSIVES FIRST--This is not an easy game, and the basher, lunger, striker can
be readily designed and more easily "mastered." (Whatever that means.) Avoid the most
difficult finessives, such as aimers (AB), rippers (PR), and probably wastes (WS).
Get some confidence first! Most of us old-timers yet struggle with a good aimed-blow.
(III) SKILLS, SKILLS, SKILLS--One of the most prevalent rookie errors is training too
many stats. Skills win fights, and in the long run, you will regret certain stat
raises.
(IV) COLLECT DATA--The more you know about your own warrior (And even with the same
stats, warriors differ) and the more you know about your opponents, the more likely
you can cause something "good" to happen. In the military/political world, we call
this "intelligence." (Clue: ask about a D.M. handbook filled with info.)
(V) PERSONAL ADS--Don't be a jerk! But write some every time. Let me assure you that
an unliked rookie cannot succeed in an arena against the local "Powers-in-control."
You want to create friendly opponents. (When you know what you're doing--then you can
try the jerk routine!)
(VI) TURN SHEET--Accuracy counts. Fill it out perfectly (and legibly) pal! Know what
each section is for. (Reread the instructions.) Many have been the surprised and
frustrated manager who caused his or her own problem! (Even us "megas" blow it now and
then!)
(VII) NO CON--Don't ever (well maybe 1% of the time) add points to constitution on an
offensive rollup. Other attributes may add skills; con won't. (Just wait until you
hear someone shout never add to con--ever. I didn't say that.)
(VIII) ONE WEAPON--For offensives. When you get to finesse styles, you'll understand
why you may want one in your off-hand also. But, almost always carry a backup. (Hands
can be hurt both striking and defending.)
(IX) CHALLENGE/AVOID--Always! A manager's prime purpose is to optimize his warrior's
chances. Challenge those you'll have a good shot at beating and avoid teams who can
cause you the most difficulties. (Challenge warriors--avoid teams.)
(X) ENTER TOURNAMENTS--What a way to acquire skills and experience without impacting
your arena W-L record. Actually, you will create a positive impact in that those
"tournament earnings" are "hidden" from other arena warriors. Plus, tournaments are a
real "rush!"
(XI) FIND A FRIEND--In every arena find at least one "friendly" foe. Share opponent
info. With two, or more, of you sharing, look how much more "intelligence" you'll
have.
(XII) STAY COOL--Don't let any problem (loss, death, personal ad, error, etc.) anger
you. (This is fun, right?) The cool head wins more matches than the emotional one.
So good luck, rookie! We were all in your shoes once. (And for some of us that
was a long, long time ago.)
THE CONSORTIUM
DM 8 Smithsonian (Curator)
DM 11 Bulldogs (Kennelworth)
DM 20 Animal Farm (Mino)
DM 46 Fandils (Fandil the Wise)
(and many, many more)