DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 11/05/2011 Duedate: 11/18/2011
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-337
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
LITTLE JOHNNY
TEACHER'S PETS (1579)
(93-9171) [5-1-1,66]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY LITTLE JOHNNY
TEACHER'S PETS (1579)
(93-9171) [5-1-1,66]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
MARCUS IZZY JORMIN
GLORY DISCIPLES (1575) THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582)
(93-9149) [4-4-0,24] (93-9190) [1-4-0,7]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
SUPERMARKET (1578)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. TEACHER'S PETS (1579) 52
2. SUPERMARKET (1578) 33 DYSERAY (312)
3. STARBRIGHTS (1583) 21 Unchartered Team
4. CONAN-LUKE (1570) 0
5. THE PC LINE-UP (1576) -2 SUPERMARKET (1578)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 2*SUPERMARKET (1578) 22 8 0 73.3 1/ 2*SUPERMARKET (1578) 13 2 0
2/ 1*TEACHER'S PETS (1579) 21 9 1 70.0 2/ 1*TEACHER'S PETS (1579) 11 4 0
3/ 0*STARBRIGHTS (1583) 2 2 0 50.0 3/ 3*THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582) 8 7 0
4/ 4*THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582) 12 13 0 48.0 4/ 5*GLORY DISCIPLES (1575) 4 6 0
5/ 5*GLORY DISCIPLES (1575) 18 22 2 45.0 5/ 4*THE PC LINE-UP (1576) 3 12 0
6/ 3*THE PC LINE-UP (1576) 15 20 0 42.9 6/ 0*STARBRIGHTS (1583) 2 2 0
7- 6*CONAN-LUKE (1570) 1 9 0 10.0 7- 6*CONAN-LUKE (1570) 0 5 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
Assur's Guide to Tank Hybrids
Today's subject is one of Assur's favorite type of hybrids. They may not be the
best warriors to grace the sands, but they are a lot of fun. The idea is that you
can't take them down and at some point they will attack back and when they hit, they
will hit hard!
1) Design
Tank Hybrids (hereafter referred to as simply tanks) are hybrids that wear lots
of armor and have lots of hit points. There are lots of variations of this type of
hybrid, but typically they are not depending on anything other than their physical
prowess to win.
Encumbrance and Hit Points are amongst their most important attributes. Skills
are nice, but in some cases almost an afterthought. Attack is probably the most
useful skill to have, followed by Parry and Defense.
Endurance, Wit, and Will are all nice to have, but you can create a tank without
any of these. Typically they will have minimum 14 in strength and constitution,
often much more. Historically Assur has made high will versions of tanks, but has
seen others succeed with very low will tanks as well. Usually at least one of speed
or deftness is quite low. Most of Assur's tanks have also been stat trainers, so
some of them have started lower than 14 in strength or constitution.
2) Style Choice
Any style can tank it up, but the higher attack styles work better, simply
because when you do attack, you want to hit. But any style can work. Lungers have
the highest attack base. Aimed Blows with 21 deftness are just below Lungers. Next
is a four way tie between Parry Lungers, Wall of Steels, Bashers, and Slashers.
Parry Strikes, Parry Ripostes, and Strikers are all considered lower attack styles,
but the lowest starting attack style is, of course, the Total Parry (a full 8 attack
skills lower than the same Lunger). Advantages/disadvantages of tanking styles:
Lunger: Highest total skills, but learns are not the best and high endurance
burn.
Aimed Blows: High deftness requirements means designs are very limited.
Wall of Steels: High total skills, learns (att/par/ini) are awesome for tanks.
High Endurance burn.
Basher: Learn attack and decise, reasonable endurance burn. A more offensive
type of tank.
Parry Lungers: Similar to Wall of Steels, with slightly worse learning and
skills.
Slashers: Similar to Bashers, but don't learn decise as fast and slightly
higher endurance burn.
Parry Strikes: One of the few warrior types where their learns work together
(decise and parry). Conserve endurance very well. The best tanking style of the
lower attack styles.
Strikers: Again similar to bashers, but with fewer attack skills, but better
endurance conservation.
Parry Ripostes: Only 2 attack more than total parries, worse learning, and
worse weapon selection suggests that Total Parries would be a better choice.
Total Parries: Horrible attack, but can use most of the big weapons and the
best defenses in the game makes them a good choice for a more defensive tank.
3) Weapon Selection
Typically you will choose the highest damage weapon you can use for your Tank.
Some nice choices (with relatively low stat requirements) are: Maul (15 Str, 5 Wit,
7 Dft), Broadsword (11 Str, 9 Wit, 7 Dft), Battle Axe (15 Str, 7 Wit, 9 Dft), and
Long Spear (11 Str, 5 Wit, 9 Dft)
Feel free to choose other weapons, even if you lack the requirements to use
them.
4) Strategy and tactics
Tanks are fun to run, because you can really play with their strategies and see
different results. Typically you will run in the upper range of offensive effort
(5+), but in certain minutes, you very well might go more defensive depending on your
tank. As mentioned last turn, some warriors will actually attack more with lower
offensive effort (usually if it is their favorite rhythm). To start, though, play
with 5-10 offensive effort. Activity level can be anything. I have literally run
tanks with 10 activity level in one fight and 1 activity level in the next.
I have used almost every tactic with Tanks. I can't remember using the Riposte
tactic, but no reason you can't try it. And some styles are not well suited to some
tactics.
5) Armor
APA/F is the norm.
+ ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Lighthouse ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +
"Tinkering strategies?" Jorja glanced around the common room of the Lighthouse
quickly. None of her gladiators were near by, but she leaned forward and lowered her
voice anyway. "The team here doesn't believe I ever do that, and I don't want them
to hear me saying differently, Diaretic. They'd get expectations, and I don't have
any plan to make life that easy for 'em. But here's the way I go at it when I'm
feeling generous with my warriors. Mind you, this is just the way *I* do it, and
there are plenty of other approaches.
"Say I've got a warrior who's a pure offensive style, which means a basher, a
lunger, or a slasher. I don't count strikers, as they're versatile and sometimes
unpredictable. Say I've started him out fast, maybe 8-6-x. Unless he's fighting
another pure offensive, he should be first off the mark. So I look for the problem.
If it's a problem with his numbers and style and he should have been some other kind
of fighter, well, too bad, we're both stuck with it. I can boost his offensive
effort to ten--sometimes it already IS ten, of course, but if it isn't, then that
goes up to the top. I can drop his activity level, say to four. I know some people
start their offensive warriors going 10-10-x, but to my mind, this is just asking for
early burnout in a fight. I've seen that kind of thing--a warrior comes out of the
starting gate like his socks are on fire, and by the MIDDLE, not the end, of the
first minute, he's panting and staggering, and losing. Sure, some warriors can take
that kind of energy burn, but most can't.
"So I tinker with his numbers, and it doesn't help, he still gets jumped when he
shouldn't. The next thing to try is dropping the weight he's carrying. Maybe I've
got him in some kind of mail, okay, I drop that to leather. This reduces his
protection against blows from his opponent, of course, but everything's a trade-off.
If he gets out there first and deals a shrewd blow or two, it won't matter; he'll win
before he gets hurt. If he's already in leather, or if I want to lighten him up
further, I'll drop his backup weapon and give him a lighter one. Say he's got a
scimitar with a backup same, maybe I'll drop the backup to a shortsword or even a
dagger. I'll always leave him SOME backup weapon--"
"He'd have his fists, if you didn't give him a backup weapon, wouldn't he?"
Diaretic asked.
Jorja shrugged. "Well... yes, but none of the pure offensives do well with
their fists. Strikers, maybe, but not bashers, lungers, or slashers. They can and
will use 'em if they have nothing else, but they won't do well. And frankly, I
wouldn't even send out an aimed blow, the CLASSIC unarmed style, with nothing but his
fists for backups. I've seen too many of them 'struck in the arm with the parry'.
It's too risky for a warrior who's already got problems. Unless, of course..." she
looked suddenly thoughtful, "I'm hoping he'll get killed...."
Diaretic raised his eyebrows. "Do you do that much?"
"Send them out hoping they'll die?" Jorja shrugged. "Well, yes and no. I run
everything, maybe send one warrior in a hundred to the Dark Arena--after he's fought
for a year or two. There are often warriors that I would LIKE to see die, even
though I hate the hassle of recruiting new ones. But I've never sent a warrior out
unarmed, unarmored, and with the basic 1-1-1 default strategy. At least, not
deliberately. There's a team I have in Murska that was running on maintenance once.
I wasn't paying attention, and no less than THREE new warriors started up there
without strategies--and survived! They had horrible records by the time one of the
other managers managed to get my attention, 0-19 I think it was, but they survived.
Tough men, and they eventually made it to graduation, once I gave them 'sharp pointy
things' to use on their opponents. But I don't do that deliberately." She paused
and signaled for one of the waiters to bring Diaretic a fresh drink.
"Where was I? Warriors getting jumped when they shouldn't be, right. As a last
resort, because I don't really care for tactics, I might give such a warrior
decisiveness in the first minute, also.
"But if none of this works, if he still gets jumped regularly, then I have to
think about taking a different approach. Maybe he'd be better off running slowly,
despite his style. So I put more armor on him, some kind of mail, usually, and I
slow down his first minute, maybe invert it: 4-6-x or 4-8-x or something. And then
in the second minute pop him up to eight or ten offensive effort, on the idea that
he'll catch the faster offensives when they're tired. Sometimes it works.
Especially with beginning warriors, winning can often be a game of endurance. He who
is still standing, wins."
Diaretic nodded and sipped his drink. Half-formed ideas of how he might use
these ideas on his own warriors revolved in his mind. "What about the opposite case,
a defensive warrior who can't last long enough to win as he should?"
"The total parry who collapses from exhaustion in the second minute?" Jorja
laughed. "I've had a few of those over the years. I call 'em 'the warriors of
exasperation'. It isn't easy running everything, you know--I end up with some
warriors that not even a mother could love, and with them, I tend to do really dumb
things, just for the heck of it. The aimed blow with a deftness of three or four,
for instance, or the total parry with no con.
"But for the, hmm, 'legitimate' cases of warriors running too fast, well, there
are signs as obvious as an offensive getting jumped. 'Fighting to conserve energy',
'straining to hold his weary arms at guard', stuff like that in the fight report is a
sure sign. You can take two approaches to that, lower the weight they're carrying so
as not to burn their energy that way--lighter armor, lighter weapons. Or slow 'em
down. Say I've got a ripper going 6-8-x and stumbling with exhaustion in the second
minute. I might slow this warrior down to 4-6 and see if that helps. Heck, I've
even done that with offensives. Back when I started slashers out going 10-10-x, I'd
get them stumbling with exhaustion and losing because of it in the second or even the
FIRST minute, and I'd slow 'em down. Activity level comes down first for an
offensive warrior--I think of that as the 'dodging and parrying' number. Offensive
effort comes down first for the defensives."
"Hmm." The younger manager frowned, making a series of linked rings on the
table top with the wet bottom of his glass. "What about warriors who flail wildly?"
"I've been told that this is due to lack of attack skills, and unless you're
going to train stats and burn those skills, nothing but time will cure it. But I've
found that sometimes--not always--lowering kill desire helps. Drop it to five, say,
if it's higher. Dropping the offensive effort a notch might help, too. I think of
'flailing wildly' as 'trying too hard'. You can never be sure, of course, because
managing gladiators is an art, not a science." She paused and half stood, looking
toward a center of commotion. "Do you want Wednesday to get falling down drunk on
the night before the fights?"
+<]H[>+-----+<]H[+ Question of the Week #8 +]H[>+-----+<]H[>+
Question, turn 417:
All -- Here's last cycle's question that didn't make it in (along with page two of my
personals). What are the top five weapons to be successful in Advanced? -- Hanibal
Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 418:
Q.O.W. Response -- The top weapons in AD, or even basic DM, are generally agreed upon
to be the SC, LO, BS, and BA. The scimitar is an all round great weapon. Seems
easier to crit with, and even against heavy armor, still dishes out a lot of damage.
Because it's a slashing weapon, it seems to pull a lot of critical damage on normal
hits. The longsword is the second best, though that could be contended, for its one
great ability, the knockdown! The broadsword is heavy, but it dishes out heavy
abuse, it doesn't break often, and it is pretty good at smashing through parries.
The battle axe is just plain cool, and it is very painful! After those four, it's
difficult to say which weapon is better. I like daggers, though shortswords are
strong, and the halberd is really fun if your warrior can throw crits with it. --
Adie
I must have missed the question this is answering, or it was part of an ongoing and
sometimes heated discussion on winning and killing and aiming locations in Aruak
City.
Q.O.W. Response -- Other than the obvious ability of aiming at the
chest/abdomen/head to gain death intent statement, I think that it's more difficult
to win when aiming at the body because there are more hit-points there. This is
especially the case against tough, armored warriors. Attacking the body with lunging
weapons can get knockdowns, but I think that it's even easier if you aim at the legs.
If you consider protect locations though, maybe the body is better to aim at because
maybe fewer people protect it.
The limbs, and head especially, have less hit points, so if struck, such a
warrior usually gives up sooner. Aiming at the head can get quick victories and
death intent statements, but results in more deaths, obviously. But I think a lot of
people routinely protect the head. Aiming at the arms allows the defeat of a warrior
when they lose their weapon, or use of their arm, and can't draw a back up. -- Adie
P.S. I only advocate aiming at the arms and legs in Aruak City. Elsewhere is a
different story.
Question for turn 418, to be answered next turn:
New Q.O.W. -- What have people seen in regards to arms that hang useless? Can
warriors regain the use of them eventually if the fight goes on? Can they punch or
parry with it, even though they can't draw a back-up? -- Adie
Adie's QoW -- Striking arms can cause an opponent to drop their weapon and
(temporarily) lose the use of the limb. Striking the legs can increase the chance of
a knockdown. Striking at head, chest, or abdomen can allow for a kill on the sands.
Chest and abdomen seem to be the locations best protected by armor. Head can have a
different level of armor protection than the rest of the warrior's body, which can
make things tactically interesting. From what I've seen, managers usually have their
warriors protect their vital hit locations by default, so to me it makes more sense
to aim at non-vitals. -- Generalissimo Puerco
Is Generalissimo Puerco psychic? Tune in next turn and find out!
Hanibal's QoW -- All of the one-handed swords make up the top tier of weapons, with
the axes and spears on the second tier (consider halberd in this group), and all the
bludgeoning weapons (and the greatsword) at the bottom. Quarterstaves, war hammers,
and mauls are liked by some, and as far as I'm concerned, they can have them.
Unfortunately the quarterstaff recently became tied (with longsword) among my LPs for
most popular favorite weapon. Also, interestingly, I only have one LP that favors
the scimitar, and it's a total parry! -- Generalissimo Puerco
Hanibal -- Top five weapons? Hm, scimitar, scimitar, scimitar.... Oh, you mean
DIFFERENT weapons? A lot depends on the style of the warrior in question and his or
her favorite. But scimitar is up there near the top of the list for many styles. --
Leeta
The question from turn 418:
New Q.O.W. -- What have people seen in regards to arms that hang useless? Can
warriors regain the use of them eventually if the fight goes on? Can they punch or
parry with it, even though they can't draw a back-up? -- Adie
Answers from turn 419 and 420:
Q.O.W. Answer: I have had all sorts of s#&t (not sure what word this was
supposed to be) happen regarding arms falling uselessly at their side: some warriors
give up, some continue on, I've even had a warrior lose his use of an arm twice in
one fight (and he still won!!!). One thing is certain...the weapon in the useless
hand always drops in the sand. -- Dr. Strange
Refers to last turn's question--
QOW -- Weapons? We agree that SC seems tops with LO and BS highly desirable. The
Consortium clan has a great affinity for these also: BA, DA, QS, SH, WH and GA. Not
the normal "feelings," but... -- Kennelworth
QOW -- A useless arm is a statement and since it normally comes at the end, it
"seems" to mean something, but it is similar to a dropped weapon. -- Kennelworth
Answer Q.O.W. (arms) -- When arms are struck in combat, I too have seen a variety of
things occur. I've seen them get hit, forcing a weapon to be dropped, but then a
back up pulled immediately. I've seen them get hit, drop a weapon, and be too hotly
engaged to pull a new one. Also, they can hang useless after being struck. The
weirdest thing I've ever seen is a warrior lose the use of their arm, drop their
weapon, strike with their fists, and then have one of those fists get parried, AND IT
WOULD BE THE ONE THAT WAS USELESS THAT WAS INJURED BY THE PARRY! Strange eh? So if
both arms went useless, you could still fight with fists? Hmm... -- Adie
New question, turn 419:
All -- I recently tried an experiment where I gave a warrior a Primary weapon
(Broadsword) and the same off-hand back-up. She pulled the back-up when things
slowed down in min. 2. Does this mean she prefers two weapons or do they always do
that? If you give a warrior two back-ups will they pull the one they prefer or
whatever you list first? -- Hanibal -- Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 420:
Answer Q.O.W. (backups) -- When things slow down in a fight and neither warrior is
eager to hold the initiative, they will usually pull any off-hand or back up weapon
they have, whether they need it or not. It has no relation to whether that warrior
prefers to fight with two weapons or not.
Drawing back-ups also can occur when the fight is intense. If your weapon
breaks while on the offense, often such a warrior will draw their back up and attempt
a riposte to hold the init. Also, if you're on the defensive and you attempt to
riposte, but you have a back-up weapon or off-hand weapon to draw, your warrior may
try to pull it. Success is not always guaranteed in either case though since your
warrior may be 'to hotly engaged'. Even if a defending warrior succeeds, drawing a
weapon after a riposte forces that warrior to give up the init they could have taken.
But if they pull a back-up and THEN riposte, then can take the init.
If you give a warrior two back-ups, they pull the one listed first, and if it
breaks or is dropped, they'll pull the second. It is not random. -- Adie
QoW -- If the warrior has a free off-hand, and a backup off-hand weapon, it usually
isn't long before they decide to make use of it. I'm guessing that OE and
coordination (anonymous source) are factors that affect the likelihood of drawing a
backup in the off-hand. Wanna Be, manager of A Savage Few here in Aruak, once hosted
a fast draw contest where contestants had to start the fight unarmed but could have
backup weapons. The all-out offensives would sometimes spend a full minute or more
with their fists before deciding to draw steel. The defensives would usually draw
something the first chance their opponent would give them. -- Generalissimo Puerco
New question, turn 420:
All -- I was noticing the skill modifiers for low to high size; do these negatives
keep a warrior from being successful at the high end of the game? -- Hanibal --
Q.O.W.
We're now caught up with Aruak City (dm 11) on the Questions of the Week; they are
about to run turn 421 as I write this. So if Hanibal misses a turn in asking, or the
managers there miss a turn in answering, we'll have to miss a turn in looking over
their shoulders. Amazing how things follow one another like dominoes falling, isn't
it? There is NO REASON AT ALL why you here can't pose Questions of the Week of your
own. Send them as a personal to DM 11, identify yourself as a new manager seeking
enlightenment, and you should get a helpful response. -- Jorja
Note that Hannibal's Questions of the Week stopped some time ago and Aruak City is
now in the 600s.
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===---
Duelmasters
-----------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 682): SHORT SKIRT of HOT STUFF (Papa Bear, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 684): CRITIAS of DREAMERS (Sleepy, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 598): SAUSAGE PARTY of DUDE RANCH (Hombre, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 678): STEVE of RAINBOW CONNECTION (Sherlock, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 680): AMPERE of POWER LEGION (Seraphim, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 671): CORNBREAD STUFFING of ALMOST THANKSGIVING (Sherlock, mgr)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 672): HEMLOCK of SERPENTS HOLD II (Khisanth, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 338): TAXES of EXPENSE ACCOUNT (Finance Manager, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 669): DARIUS of OPEN HAND (Bahram, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 336): TERROR TWIN of ALL NIGHT LONG (?, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 666): D. DAVE ELL of DEVIL ADVOCATES (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 663): VIN DIESEL of HEROES (?, mgr)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 655): RABEL of ON THE ROCKS (Bartender, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 613): SAMUEL CLIPPER of WARRIORS OF STEEL (?, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 313): ANDROMEDA of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 TEMPLE OF ABARSIS (turn 308): RACECAR of PALINDROMES (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 294): 4-H of LIFE IMPACTS (Smitty, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 545): MANZA WIGGLES of INCONSISTENT FURY (Banthius, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 530): POTATO BUG of BUGS, SLUGS & THUGS (A-sop, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 512): ARKAN BARNES of MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 506): SASHA of ZOMBIE SQUAD (Khisanth, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 243): PANAMA OATS of MIDDLE WAY 18 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 467): TUNA SALAD of PARKING LOT 4 (Khisanth, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 462): BUBBA of ZOMBIE SQUAD (Khisanth, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 453): DELNA BERIN of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 570): UNFORGETTABLE of THE WILLBURYS 78 (Rascally Rabbit)
Top Teams
---------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 682): BLUE MOON (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 684): DREAMERS (Sleepy, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 598): CARDOW HUNTERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 678): GREENWARDENS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 680): GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 671): ALMOST THANKSGIVING (Sherlock, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 672): MONOPOLY (Sherlock, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 338): ISIS PTAH (Aesir Vanir, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 669): METAL MINCERS (Oremaster, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 336): MIDDLE WAY 7 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 666): DEVIL ADVOCATES (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 663): THE SEWING CIRCLE (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 655): ON THE ROCKS (Bartender, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 613): IS THAT A CLUE? (Sherlock, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 313): DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 TEMPLE OF ABARSIS (turn 308): VEGAN CANNIBALS (The Anarchist, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 294): LIFE IMPACTS (Smitty, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 545): INCONSISTENT FURY (Banthius, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 530): RED DOG GANG (Spot, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 512): MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 506): BASH BROS EVANGELIST (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 243): MIDDLE WAY 18 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 467): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 462): ZOMBIE SQUAD (Khisanth, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 453): J (Sherlock, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 570): THE WILLBURYS 78 (Rascally Rabbit, mgr.)
Recent Graduates
-----------------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 682): SHORT SKIRT of HOT STUFF (Papa Bear, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 669): INCONEL INDENTER of METAL MINCERS (Oremaster, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 666): D. DAVE ELL of DEVIL ADVOCATES (The Dark One, mgr.)
PETROV of ASSORTED (A-Sop, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 312): YUMALESCA of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 TEMPLE OF ABARSIS (turn 308): CHABAT of PAWN OF PROPHECY (Gentleben, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 294): NASTY NES of PUBLIC ENEMY (Pec Killer, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 530): CHIQUITA CHIWAWA of RED DOG GANG (Spot, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 242): STINKY PETE of DREW'S BOYS II (The Mun, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 466): 111 of NUMB-ERS (Sherlock, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 462): BUBBA of ZOMBIE SQUAD (Khisanth, mgr.)
NIGHTBRINGER of ZOMBIE SQUAD (Khisanth, mgr.)
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
Came in late,
I tried to tell that "holy" Karnhorn (93-9173) that the pain brought at this
level ain't no joke--and we've only been at the standbys. Now that I'm back in the
saddle and impressed with my own rhythms lately, let's see if I can bring the ruckus
and hold the title (by virtue of Might).
-- Bro'Tor, the half-crazy Andorian Half-Elf (DM 93, Turn 335, Noblish Island arena
Duelmaster gladiator, Glory Disciples stable)
Current column,
Little Johnny here. Make that Duelmaster Little Johnny. Has a ring to it,
doesn't it? I am Duelmaster, so I must be a great, great warrior design, wouldn't
you think? Well, when Teacher created us, I think you could have factually said that
I was the worst of the Teacher's Pets bunch. I am a testimonial. All warriors, no
matter badly they seem at design, can win-- especially in the short run.
12-4-17-4-13-14-6 -- a low CN, low WT, big lumbering SZ roll. That's me! What
do you do with "stuff" like that? Many managers will say... "DA. DA really fast!"
Consortium managers say, "How can we best design a winner out of this?"
Teacher's thoughts were that I could be fast and strong, so I was designed to
take advantage of those strengths. 15-4-17-7-18-16-7 BA. The design "points" were
placed on WL (I would not learn skills fast due to low WT, but I could add stats
pretty easy, and hence skills, through a high WL). Some ST with the big SZ made me
able to "hurt more than most" when I hit. And the extra SP made me naturally faster
and added a nice amount of decisiveness skills to my base. And I became a basher
(who can be almost as fast as a striker) because of the higher base skills that
bashers start with. I guess I could have been a "dumb" lunger, too, but dumb lungers
do not seem to be as successful as dumb bashers. Duh!
So I rolled up mode with most of my skill base being decise. Negative parry and
negative defense make it pretty clear that I am to be an offensive brat.
So, Teacher sends me out fast and furious and I jump everything in my path. I
hit hard, too. Well, there was a scummy TP that I did not beat, once, but I
challenged him with a "slowed down" strategy and banged him up pretty good. So now I
am 4-1-1 and Duelmaster.
You know all my secrets. Come and get me!
Little Johnny
SPY REPORT
You elder fighters surely remember me. The younger ones may call me Olaf
Modeen. I return to NOBLISH ISLAND once again! Woof! TEACHER'S PETS were a bunch
of dogs after SUPERMARKET got through with 'em! 2nd ain't so sweet as 1st! What's
with TOMMY? He actually beat GLORY DISCIPLES' BRO'TOR, and walked away with 18 more
points from the fight. Laughs were big at TEACHER'S PETS while they watched TOMMY
clobber BRO'TOR. He lost 15 points and got bruised from objects thrown from the
stands. VENEMOUS CONCUBINE was reminded on the sands why LITTLE JOHNNY is
Duelmaster. I suppose you want to hear some rumors and dirty gossip about your
fellow fighters? Tough!
Speaking of cowardly avoiders and unfair challenges... How well I know the
feeling of being in the most avoided team! Don't fall out of practive, THE PC
LINE-UP! In my day, no team with a 15-15-0 would scare me off! What's the problem,
TEACHER'S PETS? How well I know the feeling of being the most challenged warrior,
AISLE BLOCKER! Don't make idle boasts, they may come back to haunt you.
There have been some calls to lengthen the time limit. Do you want the fighters
to walk away, or not? Many a warrior has met his fate in a hungover stupor. You
young rapscallions, take note!
Many other cities have retirement homes for aged warriors. Any plans here? All
work and no play makes Olaf a dull fighter. Work and play no fighter dull Olaf.
Olaffighterwork and no play. Time for my medication, so I'll leave now. Practice,
practice, practice!-- Olaf Modeen
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
LITTLE JOHNNY 9171 5 1 1 66 TEACHER'S PETS (1579)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
TOMMY 9170 4 2 0 51 TEACHER'S PETS (1579)
AISLE BLOCKER 9165 6 0 0 45 SUPERMARKET (1578)
LUGH THE LONGARM 9153 5 2 1 38 GLORY DISCIPLES (1575)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
HOMER 9173 5 1 0 31 TEACHER'S PETS (1579)
SLOW CHECKER 9167 4 2 0 31 SUPERMARKET (1578)
BRO'TOR 9148 4 4 0 29 GLORY DISCIPLES (1575)
CHRISTOS 9152 4 4 1 26 GLORY DISCIPLES (1575)
DAISY 9172 4 2 0 26 TEACHER'S PETS (1579)
MARCUS 9149 4 4 0 24 GLORY DISCIPLES (1575)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
ROTTEN PRODUCE 9175 5 1 0 23 SUPERMARKET (1578)
FORLOY GERDAN 9187 4 1 0 22 THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582)
LONG CHECKOUT LINES 9169 4 2 0 21 SUPERMARKET (1578)
OUT OF STOCK 9166 3 3 0 21 SUPERMARKET (1578)
GENNA HAYES 9188 3 2 0 18 THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582)
HP 9159 5 2 0 17 THE PC LINE-UP (1576)
MANDY 9174 3 3 0 17 TEACHER'S PETS (1579)
DELL 9155 4 3 0 15 THE PC LINE-UP (1576)
AZUZ 9158 3 4 0 13 THE PC LINE-UP (1576)
KULBERT LEW 9191 2 3 0 13 THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582)
AURORA BOREALIS 9192 1 0 0 12 STARBRIGHTS (1583)
HTC 9176 2 4 0 10 THE PC LINE-UP (1576)
HOBSON IPP 9189 2 3 0 10 THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582)
LENOVO 9156 1 6 0 9 THE PC LINE-UP (1576)
IZZY JORMIN 9190 1 4 0 7 THE LOW ROAD 2 (1582)
NEBULA 9196 1 0 0 5 STARBRIGHTS (1583)
-LYNN-LEIA 9121 1 1 0 4 CONAN-LUKE (1570)
URSA 9195 0 1 0 3 STARBRIGHTS (1583)
-SOLATIA-LANDOVER 9122 0 2 0 2 CONAN-LUKE (1570)
-PATH DAGGERS-PAND 9127 0 2 0 2 CONAN-LUKE (1570)
-WOLVERINE-LEADER 9125 0 2 0 2 CONAN-LUKE (1570)
-MORD-SITH 9126 0 2 0 2 CONAN-LUKE (1570)
DEIPMAN VAILL 9207 0 1 0 1 GLORY DISCIPLES (1575)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
ORION 9193 0 1 0 1 STARBRIGHTS (1583)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
PERSONAL ADS
Forloy -- Thanks for your concern. Yes, that train will help me a lot in the
endurance area. I've been working out really hard, too. Would you like to see my
abs? (Giggle) -- Mandy
How nice! Your teachers and professors are providing you such a plethora of
information and homework that none of you had time for "Questions Of The Week."
Information overload is a blast, eh? -- Teacher
Long Ceckout Lines -- That was fun! I like to chat the day away waiting and waiting
and waiting.... -- Mandy
Aisle Blocker -- You got in the way of MY win. Assur is a meanie! Teacher says so.
-- Daisy
Forloy Gerdan -- I may have won, but I sure ain't much. -- Little Johnny
Izzy Jorman -- I had me a gud time. Hope ya did two. I like ta win. Yup. -- Homer
Dell -- I was on! I had a quick start-up, and opened my windows in a flash. I'm
just glad neither of us used the delete key. -- Tommy
Assur -- Your Team Spotlight on Pure Defensives/Offensives was very helpful to
answering my Personal Ad inquiry to All re: skills from stats. One question: Can
you clue me into the Riposte skills/stats (as that defensive skill wasn't laid out)?
-- Lugh the Longarm, mgr. Glory Disciples stable
Jorja -- May I pretty please get a copy of the Consortium Information Collection
(CIC) that you discussed in DM 93, Turn 335 Newsletter, Team Spotlight. -- Lugh the
Longarm, mgr. Glory Disciples stable.
P.S. I was wondering also if it wouldn't be too much trouble to nudge RSI to send
me a copy of the "Teacher's Cheat Sheet." I'm really enjoying the mental gymnastics
of Duel2, so I appreciate all/any guidance.)
I think these two sources are the same thing by different names.
Teacher, Jorja, Assur -- Thanks for inputing on my question about the rankings and
matchups. -- Lugh the Longarm, mgr. Glory Disciples stable
Assur -- If yer talkin' 'bout that Rirorni garbige of yourns, Rotten Produce, that I
skinned up a bit... wasn't my intent to take advantage of her style's weakness. I
didn't even know what her style was when I pushed for the challenge. What I did know
was that I only had 10 recognition points at the time and she was sittin' on 20.
Ain't no glory if I'm ont takin' down the big game. -- Christos, the dread drifter of
Daggerspine Mts.
Homer -- Mine is the disciplined tempest of the forest. Mine is the measured flow of
force in the life and death of each breath. I am the freedom of chaos contained. I
am the Harkeny Hound of Havoc. I! AM! MARCUS! -- 9149, Glory Disciples gladiator
HP -- Foiled again. Knowing your approximate strength and how much you carry, I was
really hoping to be able to outlast you. But there you see that even though you are
carrying a little bit too much, your endurance conservation and strategy were still
able to outlast my basher. Not an ideal strategy for a basher, but one that can
work in the right circumstances. Well fought and good win. I've been trying to get
that challenge through every turn since our last fight. -- Assur
Daisy -- I thought it best for everyone if I planted you in a nice place. -- Aisle
Blocker
Mandy -- Clearly the line wasn't long enough to overcome you. -- Long Checkout Lines
Azuz -- No surprises there. Bashers can do nasty things like that and all you can do
is get back up and hope for better next time. -- Slow Checker
HTC -- That challenge was meant for Homer. A paperwork mix up. Assur doesn't think
it was him, but it is certainly a possibility. Rotten luck for you. And Assur has
never even had me practice with that weapon. He says it's worthless and that its
nickname is well deserved (which can't be spoken in public forums). Perhaps try out
a Dagger instead? Meanwhile he believes I'm naturally adept with my weapon. --
Rotten Produce
Assur's Helpful Tidbit
How much weight can I carry without incurring penalties to my warrior? Assur
has seen 3 different methods used. Remember that when you see ST+CN, you should
substitute ST+ST if your ST is lower than your CN. Each gives you a numerical weight
which you can carry without penalty (including armor, helm, and all weapons) Method
1: ST+CN-6. Method 2: (ST+CN)*3/4. Method 3: 9 points of carry for each class above
very little (Not a lot = 9, Normal = 18, A Lot = 27, Tremendous = 36).
Assur -- Re the team names, I don't think there's a system. I'm not sure why I
started with the Middle Way, it was so long ago. Hmm. Ah! Maybe because I was
hoping to encourage new players not to be seduced by megamanagers into thinking they
had to be ready for Primus by the time their teams chartered out of Noblish. Seems
to me that too many managers fixate on the high end, when there's a lot of fun to be
had at the low end (Basic), too. As to changing the team name, I got TIRED of the
Middle Way. There are twenty-five of 'em floating around Alastari now. That's
enough. -- Jorja
Homer -- The steward might have found your win unbelievable, but I believe it
completely. -- Izzy Jormin
P.S. And I've got the bruises to prove it. I'm not actually a dwarf, by the way, I
just happen to have a beard, and the clerks at the sign-up office can't seem to
imagine any bearded person not being a dwarf.
Little Johnny -- You big guys really like to throw your weight around, don't you? --
Forly Gerdan
Lenovo -- I admit that my own fond memories go to Kaypro. A real friend, and so
steady! Kaypro never even noticed power flickers. -- Genna Hayes
And a couple of standbys. -- Kulbert Lew and Hobson Ipp
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
MARCUS was devastated by AISLE BLOCKER in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge fight.
HOMER vanquished KULBERT LEW in a 2 minute uneven Challenge battle.
MANDY was savagely defeated by SLOW CHECKER in a 1 minute gruesome Challenge fight.
LITTLE JOHNNY devastated VENEMOUS CONCUBINE in a 1 minute one-sided Title contest.
BRO'TOR was overpowered by TOMMY in a crowd pleasing 1 minute mismatched match.
LUGH THE LONGARM overpowered LENOVO in a 1 minute one-sided struggle.
DAISY bested HTC in a 1 minute competition.
DELL was defeated by OUT OF STOCK in a action packed 1 minute melee.
AZUZ was vanquished by CHRISTOS in a 1 minute uneven duel.
HP was outlasted by LONG CHECKOUT LINES in a dull 13 minute gory duel.
ROTTEN PRODUCE defeated HOBSON IPP in a 1 minute match.
FORLOY GERDAN overcame URSA in a 4 minute novice's bout.
GENNA HAYES subdued ORION in a 2 minute amateur's match.
IZZY JORMIN was overcome by AURORA BOREALIS in a exciting 2 minute novice's contest.
NEBULA beat DEIPMAN VAILL in a 6 minute gory amateur's conflict.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|BASHING ATTACK 6 BASHING ATTACK 25 - 14 - 1 64 |
|AIMED BLOW 6 STRIKING ATTACK 17 - 11 - 0 61 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 5 TOTAL PARRY 14 - 10 - 0 58 |
|WALL OF STEEL 3 SLASHING ATTACK 9 - 7 - 0 56 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 2 AIMED BLOW 19 - 15 - 0 56 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 2 PARRY-STRIKE 6 - 6 - 0 50 |
|TOTAL PARRY 2 PARRY-LUNGE 5 - 5 - 1 50 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 WALL OF STEEL 13 - 17 - 1 43 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 4 - 6 - 0 40 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 1 LUNGING ATTACK 4 - 10 - 0 29 |
Turn 337 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-RIPOSTE 1 - 0 STRIKING ATTACK 2 - 3 3 BASHING ATTACK
BASHING ATTACK 5 - 1 WALL OF STEEL 1 - 2 2 STRIKING ATTACK
AIMED BLOW 3 - 3 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 1 1 SLASHING ATTACK
PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 1 LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 1 1 PARRY-LUNGE
SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 1 1 TOTAL PARRY
TOTAL PARRY 1 - 1 1 WALL OF STEEL
1 PARRY-STRIKE
1 AIMED BLOW
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
BASHING ATTACK LITTLE JOHNNY 9171 5 1 1 66 TEACHER'S PETS (1579)
SLASHING ATTACK TOMMY 9170 4 2 0 51 TEACHER'S PETS (1579)
PARRY-LUNGE LUGH THE LONGARM 9153 5 2 1 38 GLORY DISCIPLES (1575)
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
IZZY JORMIN 9190. The ten other most popular fighters were FORLOY GERDAN 9187,
DEIPMAN VAILL 9207, OUT OF STOCK 9166, KULBERT LEW 9191, TOMMY 9170, LUGH THE LONGARM
9153, DAISY 9172, GENNA HAYES 9188, AISLE BLOCKER 9165, and SLOW CHECKER 9167.
The least popular fighter this week was HP 9159. The other ten least popular
fighters were LONG CHECKOUT LINES 9169, NEBULA 9196, HOBSON IPP 9189, AZUZ 9158, DELL
9155, HTC 9176, LENOVO 9156, HOMER 9173, MARCUS 9149, and URSA 9195.
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Thank you. We wish you the best of luck in your games! -- RSI
A NOTE ON MAILMEN
In response to the articles on new fighting styles, those were good, but how can
you forget our most favorite warrior who has a style all his own? The Mailman! To
Duelmasters he is our most sacred person. I mean, how many of you managers out their
have sat down and calculated what day your Duelmasters will arrive and have sat
waiting for it to arrive, while unknown to you, your mailman is fighting away to get
your Duelmasters delivered. Let's review him...
ST - should be around 19. He needs to heft two medium bags, cloth mail armor and
a ton of rubber bands.
CN - 13, give or take a few. He does get bitten by dogs often.
SZ - Any.
WT - At least 10. He often likes to read the mail.
WL - Try about 20. He must endure all kinds of weather.
SP - 16 is good. He needs to run across streets in traffic.
DF - 10 is good. Sometimes he has to carry packages.
This setup should get you a good mailman but they are hard to come by. If you
can come up with any better, diplo me. I am:
Staple Gun
mgr. of Technet (3)
The New Deal (23)
I am currently working on the U.P.S. and Federal Express warriors.
"Strikers R Us"
Greetings, everyone. It is I, Talon, again. I am very glad to see everyone
participating in the arena and sharing their thoughts on styles and strategies. This
turn I will take on the striking attack style, which is certainly one of my favorites.
I believe the striker is one of the easiest styles to run, and one in which no
team should be without. A high-powered striker can diversify and empower your team.
A well run striker can beat any other style, period, at any level in regular
Duelmasters. In arenas where scum TPs are rampant, strikers are just the answer as
they can attack for up to 12 minutes or more. Strikers are versatile. They can do
exceptionally well with a dagger as a weapon or with a halberd. They can do well with
no armor or with plate armor.
Stats:
Biff Primal Solid Perfect
ST 5-21 9-17 13 15
CN 3+ 3+ 6 3
SZ 9-21 3-17 9 5
WT 3-17 17 + 17 21
WL 9-17 13 + 17 15
SP 5+ 5-13 9 8
DF 9+ 9-17 13 17
With the way I design strikers, there are essentially two strikers that evolve.
The BIFF and the PRIMAL. The Biff striker is typically one that is not looking long-
term, but one which I want to run and have fun with. With this striker, I try to have
one stat (wit, will, or deftness) which is extraordinary, one which is average, and
the other ends up being at some non-normal level. Some examples of the Biff are: 10-
10-11-4-17-17-15, 7-11-17-17-11-6-15, 9-5-14-17-11-13-15, 4-8-17-15-13-10-17, and 21-
3-15-21-5-8-11. With these warriors, the emphasis is on having fun and learning more
about the style.
The Primal is essentially a Primus-quality warrior. In this category, the
striker will be designed with stats that most other managers will gasp, "OH MY, WHY
DID YOU MAKE HIM A STRIKER?" It is also the warrior that will be Duelmaster for 8
straight turns and will go to ADM with a 16-4-2 record, with 4 Masters and an Ad Ex.
The key here is to create a warrior with AT LEAST a 17 wit and 15 deftness, along with
a 13+ will and who will do normal damage or better. The goal with the Primal is a 21
wit and 17 deftness, because this will ensure a great warrior.
Weapons and Armor: As for weapons, the best striking weapons that I have found
and used are the dagger, epee, scimitar, broadsword, quarterstaff, greatsword,
longsword, war hammer, and sometimes the short spear. I don't run my strikers with
shields or off-hand weapons, as it takes away from their attack. The heaviest armor I
will use is padded leather. Always wear a steel cap or a helm.
Strategy (general):
Min. 1 2 3 4 5 6+ Desp
OE 10 8 6 6 6 5 5
AL 10 5 4 2 2 1 8
KD 6 8 6 6 6 5 5
attack arms/legs/head -- take your pick
protect arms/legs/head -- take your pick
off tactic decise, slash, bash, depending on weapon
def tactic response is best; try dodge though.
With this strategy, a striker with a normal endurance should fight for eight
minutes as a scum TP and come out on top, outrageously victorious. Just match your
weapon with your tactic and only use the tactics in minute one or desperation.
If you have any further questions on this or any other style, feel free to diplo
me.
Talon, mgr. Eagle's Claw
HOW I MADE DUELMASTER IN THREE EASY STEPS
OR
a new look for Aimed Blows
Greetings and salutations, all. Here's a new twist on aimed blows I haven't seen
before....one that works, at least for me! Here's what I did with Rex Walters, my
first Duelmaster in the Free Blades transfer arena, DM 70.
ST: 17 (for good damage, attack and parry skills)
CN: 13 (gonna need every hit point he can get)
SZ: 4 (smaller the better!)
WT: 4 (overrated for aimed blows!)
WL: 21 (if ya try this method, 17 is a MINIMUM)
SP: 4 (ya want NO speed, none, nothing, zero!)
DF: 21 (better max this one out too, at least a 19)
You laugh at me? I started expert in both attack and parry! (OK, so I got lucky,
I didn't expect either one of em.) But both are in reach with a little luck. Hey, if
ya can get that strength to 21 you're almost guaranteed those experts... though a bit
more CON would be nice.
But how do I RUN this monstrosity, you may ask? Why, I'm glad you inquired!
LOTS of armor. The hit points combined with, say, platemail should win this character
a lot of fights. But, while I've picked up a few easy wins scumming, that's not
really what this character does best.
I use the only weapon Rex is well suited to: the bare hand. With an offhand
small shield or shortsword, so I can take advantage of that expert parry rating. So:
FI-SH, APM-H.
And I run him at a 4 offensive effort, with a matching 4 activity level. He can
last through the initial onslaught of nearly any offensive, then smash them.... like a
good waste. And with that monster endurance and good damage, no one scums this
warrior!
I attack and protect the head, usually, and keep the kill desire high... 5-7
generally. Now, how to become Duelmaster?
Well, step one is fight your first fight... and train your CON. Step two, now
that you're in the arena, is get a fight with an up-and-coming young warrior from the
Duelmaster's team... and kill them. (I randomly matched up with, and killed, a member
of the incoming Duelmaster's team...luck helps, ya know.) Offensives that wear
themselves out but haven't quite dropped are the easiest to kill.
Then, when the Duelmaster comes at you (bragging about how he "only" needs to
beat you twice to assure his ascension to the Isle) you stomp him. Badly. Once
you're on that lofty throne he won't even be able to bloodfeud you, since you can bet
he's not gonna be anywhere near the challenger champions after losing to a 2-fight
warrior (just ask Ciron of ENDS WITH IRON, now in AD).
There are drawbacks, of course. Once you get to that level, odds are you're
gonna get stomped like a stuck pig (I was most challenged 2 turns in a row after this
trick... Oo! I love mixed metaphors...) But... even a 4 wit warrior can learn skills
against gladiators with 50 fights!
Rex is now 7-3-1. All three losses have come against warriors now in AD. In
those ten matches, he's trained his strength and constitution once each, and learned
twenty skills, including his adex in both parry and attack. And boy, is it fun
humiliating some of those "gods" bound for AD!
What else can one do with this warrior? Well, Rex is, get this, well suited to
an off-hand epee! He wouldn't dare use one as a primary weapon, but its a great off-
hand toy...
Does he have what it takes to be a long-term winner? Who knows? He's probably
the DUMBEST aimed blow to ever make Duelmaster... He's in the Challenger Champions and
climbing....and he'll meet ya in AD!
Amazingly enough, this is not an isolated fluke. We entered a similar warrior
into Bloodgames (with the 4's as 3's, and a bit more CON). That warrior, Jalon, is
now in AD after going 9-1-5 and finishing on TOP of his Bloodgames arena.
Ah, just thought I'd mention I have had a second bare-handed Duelmaster, now...
Seeker Still Water in DM 74 is an open-hand lunger, Duelmaster at 8-1... but that's
another story...
--Khyron
mgr., Pitt Gladiators (2,29,56,103)
Jayhawks (70)
Silent Storm (65,74,75)
and numerous others....
THE WALL OF STEEL AS A BERSERKER
This article is for newer players; more experienced managers will, I'm sure, have
much more sophisticated ideas about warrior design and strategy. This will enable a
newbie to design a competent warrior who should be able to achieve a better than 50/50
record.
The wall of steel, or "waste," is often considered the second scummiest style in
Duelmasters. I love the style, but I don't run mine that way; I prefer to think of
the waste as a fierce dervish ripping into his opponent like an airplane propeller.
In accordance with this view, most walls of steel that I design couldn't scum if they
wanted to (well all right, sometimes it happens by accident if the opposing warrior is
going all-out and can't last very long). It's fun to run them fast; they get the jump
on people who don't expect it of them, and their fights are exciting. Mind you, they
don't win as much as if they ran more defensively, but the ones with good stats still
do okay (I'll make practically anything a waste and run it, but this article isn't
about the ones that a sane manager would DA).
So, here is a design for a competent wall of steel:
ST 13+ Needed for endurance, damage doing, and weapon selection.
CN 9+ You need a passably good con for endurance.
SZ 7+ Teeny weenie wastes don't hit hard enough or take enough damage. Real big
(15+) is bad because it hurts endurance.
WT 13+ Preferably 17. Like any other style, the smarter they are, the better.
WL 17+ Needed for endurance, damage-taking, and sheer grit. 21 is recommended.
SP 3+ Whatever.
DF 7+ Higher deftness is better, but you can get by without it.
As you can see, these are fairly easy requirements. Of course, the more wit,
will, and deftness, the better your waste will be (same as any other style). If you
don't end up with at least good endurance on the overview, the warrior probably isn't
going to do very well. With that high will, though, you can bump con a couple of
times and you might get good endurance, so there's still a chance.
Choose your weapons based on deftness, and your opponent's armor weight. I
normally use something like 0-8 SC, 9-12 BS, 13+ GA, backup SC or BS. No shield.
Some other good weapons for the waste are QS (only takes 11 ST, and can hit heavy
armor), MS, and BA. The war flail isn't a very good weapon, but you can play with it
against leather armor. For armor, I usually choose something middling like ARM & H,
but will go with APL & H if he has a lot of con.
For strategy--I heard a rumor (NOT confirmed) that a wall of steel gets a bonus
if his OE equals his KD. Since I don't like to use a kill desire above 6, I don't go
by that in the first couple of minutes. Keep the activity level moderate to low; the
waste doesn't need to jump around a lot and the way he keeps his weapon moving, he's
burning a lot of endurance without that added drain. Attack and defend the arms, like
a slasher; a waste is a sort of parry-slasher. A typical strategy for my wastes might
look like this:
Minute 1 2 3 4 5 6 Desp
Offensive 9 8 7 6 5 5 2
Activity 6 5 4 3 2 1 6
Kill des. 6 6 6 6 5 5 2
Att. loc. RA LA RA LA RA LA RA
Pro. loc. AM AM AM AM AM AM HE
Off tac. none -- -- -- -- -- --
Def tac. -- -- -- -- -- -- P
I play with the numbers a lot, depending on what the warrior seems to like. For
example, if he doesn't parry too well, I'll give him a more offensive desperation
strategy, like 8-4-8-slash. (If I really like a warrior I sometimes use a 7+ KD to
try and save his life.) If he never manages to get the jump on anybody, I'll try
running him more defensively, like with a first minute of 3-6-3. It's not as much fun
as going all out, but it's more fun than losing all the time.
You can challenge pretty much any style (lungers aren't recommended). When
fighting a warrior you know to be very defensive (a TP, or a scummy variety of PS, PR,
PL, or WS), slow down or you will be scummed. For the most part, though, an offensive
waste is very versatile and can beat any style. The better his important qualities
are (WT, WL, DF, endurance), the better the quality of warriors he can defeat. In
other words, if you have a so-so rollup that barely made the minimum requirements,
challenge so-so opponents. If you have a good rollup, go for the gold. Challenge
warriors with a few more fights than you, so you'll learn plenty of skills--but don't
challenge way way up in experience, because it's no fun to lose a good warrior.
For the most part, train skills--especially on your challenge strategy, when
you're going after someone with more fights! And for sure on the first fight, because
you'll likely be matched against someone who can teach you a lot. It's okay to train
con once in a while if you need more endurance and damage-taking; and if you have bad
luck on the rollup and get "does little damage" or something, you might have to train
strength once or twice (no more!). But it's best not to train any other stats until
way, way down the road.
Ask your DM sponsor or any experienced manager in your arena for more advice (if
they tell you I'm full of hot air, they're probably right). A little bit of good
advice from a more advanced player can make a big difference in your enjoyment of the
game!
If you have any questions or suggestions, you can diplo: the She-Puppy, mgr.
Mordant Prison DM-1, and others.