DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 04/07/2012 Duedate: 04/20/2012
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-348
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
BUSY
BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
(93-9223) [6-1-0,87]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY BUSY
BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
(93-9223) [6-1-0,87]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
CONTRACT BRIDGE STATIC
FAVORITE GAMES (1587) BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
(93-9218) [5-2-0,34] (93-9222) [3-4-0,15]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. THE FARSEERS (1591) 49
2. LOW ROAD 3 (1589) 44 DYSERAY (312)
3. FAVORITE GAMES (1587) 40 Unchartered Team
4. BRIDGE BURNERS (1592) 28
5. BLOODY VIXENS (1595) 24 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 2*FAVORITE GAMES (1587) 26 9 0 74.3 1/ 1*FAVORITE GAMES (1587) 14 1 0
2/ 4*LOW ROAD 3 (1589) 18 12 2 60.0 2/ 2*BASH BROS TELEPHO (1588) 10 5 0
3/ 1*CRIT-GIVERS (1593) 6 4 0 60.0 3/ 4*LOW ROAD 3 (1589) 9 6 2
4/ 3*BASH BROS TELEPHO (1588) 20 15 0 57.1 4/ 3*THE FARSEERS (1591) 9 6 1
5/ 5*THE FARSEERS (1591) 11 9 2 55.0 5/ 5*CRIT-GIVERS (1593) 6 4 0
6/ 6*OLIVA GALVARIUS (1586) 11 12 1 47.8 6/ 7*BRIDGE BURNERS (1592) 4 10 1
7/ 0*BLOODY VIXENS (1595) 2 3 1 40.0 7/ 6*OLIVA GALVARIUS (1586) 2 1 0
8/ 7*BRIDGE BURNERS (1592) 4 10 1 28.6 8/ 0*BLOODY VIXENS (1595) 2 3 1
9- 8*HEAVEN'S DEVILS (1590) 0 5 0 0.0 9- 8*HEAVEN'S DEVILS (1590) 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
Hello and greetings, fellow managers. My name is Ravinkor and I manage team
Paragons in DM 59 (Illis). It was there that I met the esteemed, accomplished,
generous Jorja, who suggested I start a team here. Don't let it be said that
Ravinkor was too haughty to take heed of good counsel from those of greater
experience.
I must say I was very happy to see so many teams and warriors here in Noblish
Island. My team here is Crit-Givers (1593). My warriors: Baus (pronounced "boss"),
Afrodykie (like the Greek goddess but likes girls and has a spectacular fro),
Vistafin, Sequoia (my resident giant), and Hardy.
I've come with this crew to gain knowledge and experience. My Paragons in Illis
are in the midst of a bloody rivalry. Already, three of my darlings have been
ruthlessly slaughtered, their bodies thrown about like masses in a gale. :(
MANAGERS! HEED THE LESSONS IN NOBLISH ISLAND!! Your mistakes may only cost you
some face, but it it may cost your warrior's life! We have a great responsibility
upon our shoulders. May we bear it well. -- Ravinkor, mgr. Crit-Givers
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
INTRODUCTION TO D2
Or
WHAT DO I DO NOW?
Or
A PROBABLE NEWBIE THOUGHT PROCESS
So you want to try out this D2 thing. You want to have the fun and pleasures
that hundreds of other managers before you have experienced. Can't blame you! I
have been enjoying Duelmasters-to-D2 for over 25 years. Perhaps this article will
aid or simplify your introduction to this game and speed up your enjoyment process.
It goes something like this....
ACQUIRE A D2 ROLL UPS sheet from RSI. (Reality Simulations Inc., P.O. Box 22400,
Tempe AZ 85285-2400, 480-967-7979) The first sheet/team is free. Subsequent teams
cost $5. Later, after your introduction 10 turns in the Noblish Island (DM93) arena,
you can transfer your starting team to another arena, or you may want to start up a
new team/s in other arenas, or both. Actually, you can start new teams any time,
even while going through your learning process in DM93; but you may want to "learn
the ropes" first.
FILL OUT THE ROLL UPS and send it to RSI. Other than the normal personal
information, the most important things to decide are: Team name, Manager name, and 5
individual warrior designs. Let's discuss each of those briefly. Team name and
manager name can be anything you like that fits you. (RSI will edit inappropriate
naming.) They can be gladiator driven, silly ideas, great play on words, or
whatever. The warrior names can be closely tied to the team name, or not. My very
first team was: Bulldogs, manager Kennelworth, and names like-- Tiger Lily, Sir
Smythe, Wild Wayne, and Flash. Etc. A team I admire in the game is Azure Clouds,
manager Slugbait, warrior names like-- Black Bile, Violent Orange, Blue Note....
We could spend hours and hours on warrior designs, (Where to place the 14 points
on the fixed 70 points and what style to chose?) but I will offer only a few basic
comments:
Offensive styles are easier to master for a newbie.
Gender does not matter at all in the fight process.
Generally fast & quick or brawny & strong rule.
WT and WL are the most important stats.
In general, there are reasons to design to odd numbers. (Exclude CN) Read
newsletters and other RSI info, especially DM93 for design reviews
You have received your 5 warrior profiles. Time to fill out DUEL II STRATEGY
FORMS and send them in to RSI. "Goodness!", you say; "I wish I had a lot more
information about weapons and strategies and what the warrior profile means, and..."
Here are a list of places and methods for getting additional info:
"Phone a friend." Diplo, e mail, call, write, etc. Beg from other players,
especially experienced players in the game.
"Put on your newbie outfit." Ask RSI, or better yet, diplo the teachers/coaches
in Noblish Island (DM93) the "starter's arena" and ask for information provided
there. If you are already in Noblish Island, ask Jorja or anyone there to make sure
you get the CIC or "fact sheets".
"Go electronic." The best information in the game is available at
reality.com/dm, or terrablood.com, or even try chatzy.com/42003746228981 as Dmers
chat there from appx 9AM to 2AM EST and would welcome inexperienced questions.
So back to the strategy sheets. One for each warrior you plan to fight. Write
legibly! You would be very disappointed to have a code inputted improperly because
your scribbles were not so discernible. The basic stuff like warrior name and ID, or
game # and account # don't need discussion. But weapon selection, strategy, armor
and challenging do.
Weapon choice is your chance to select a best weapon against the opponent's
probable armor. Bigger weapons are probably needed against heavy armor. Some
weapons do especially well against certain armor types. (Hmmm; that information
mentioned earlier would help.) The most common weapon arrangements are a single
primary weapon and a small backup primary for offensive types, and a primary/
/secondary (secondary could be a shield) and zero to two backups for defensives/
/finesse warriors.
Strategy is more difficult to decide. Offensives usually start "hot and heavy"
and then slow down, as they will wear down/tire due to weight being carried and a
high activity level. Defensives tend to run moderately, but current arena defensive
warriors can be found fighting anywhere from "hot and heavy" to very slow. The
desperation strategy is important, because if your warrior is nearing defeat or
exhaustion, you may want to do something different in a last-ditch effort to pull out
the win.
Armor is really a matter of preference, but like every other choice in the game,
there are trade-offs. Heavy armor can slow down and wear down warriors. Naked or
light armor may be less restricting and faster but offers little protection. It is
easy to think, "I need lots of armor.", but over encumbering a warrior greatly
impacts his fighting ability.
Training is simple. The most common training is "skills," but stats can be and
are trained also. In general the amount of skills learned is based on your WT (the
higher the better), but it is also impacted by the knowledge of the warriors you
fight (and other things). Stat training is very highly dependent on WL, as the odds
of getting a first stat train of a stat type are 5% times the WL. (e.g. a WL of 15 =
5%x15 or 75% chance.) There can be a luck roll impact also in almost everything that
occurs in Duel 2. Attempting to get a 2nd stat raise in a certain stat is halved.
(e.g. a WL of 15 = 5%x15x 0.5 = 37.5%)
Challenging and avoiding are a very strategic part of the game. There are quite
a few managers who do not challenge or avoid or both. You can use that to your best
advantage. Challenge warriors (the warrior ID number) and avoid teams (the team ID
number). Several points about challenging/avoiding):
1. Challenging and avoiding do not work until after you have fought your first fight
in the arena.
2. Challenge warriors or styles you think you can beat, or who will teach you well,
or to attempt to advance in the rankings.
3. Avoid those teams who have warriors that can probably beat you, or who are likely
to challenge you.
4. Remember: challenge warrior ID numbers (not names) and avoid team numbers
5. Some arenas, usually Andorian, frown on down challenging. (Usually defined as
challenging someone with fewer recognition points that oneself.) Be aware of the
arena environment, history, and politics.
You have the option to use an alternate "special strategy" either (or both) when you
challenge someone, or when someone challenges you. You can use this alternate to
prepare a specific strategy for that challenge you just made, or surprising an
opponent who will likely challenge or blood feud you. To use these alternatives, "x"
the proper box or boxes and fill out the strategy info on the back of the strategy
form. This alternative strategy will not be used unless the conditions you selected
occur.
That was easy, wasn't it!? After sending in your strategy sheets, (in plenty of
time for the due date-- or last minute via fax; no internet submittals allowed) the
computer utilizes everyone's inputs and the fights proceed. A few days after the
arena run date, the actual fights and arena newsletter will arrive in your mailbox.
Before submitting the new warrior strategies for the next round of fights, there is
much a manager can/should examine and review. Here are generic things that an old-
time manager evaluates:
1. Have I collected/recorded all the information I want from the fight so I can
access it quickly? (Gamemaster and his Consortium cronies record this for every
fight-- opponent's name, stable, arena and ID number, size, handedness, record,
style, armor, and weapons plus my warrior's train results, armor, weapons, swing
info (criticals/swings/extra value hits). W or L, how many minutes, recognition
points, and political point status, if any. Also recorded are who, if anyone,
challenged. This is manually recorded on a sheet with my warrior's name, ID, and
size, handedness, plus style.
2. Did each warrior fight as I expected from the strategy? Do I need to adjust or
change any strategies?
3. Did any warrior act over encumbered or tire faster than I thought? Do I need to
adjust strategies, armor, or weapons?
4. Did each warrior fight well with the weapon? (e.g. hit when he swung and had
critical hits-- which are strongly stated weapon hit statements compared to the
norm.) Do I need to change weapon selections?
5. Did another warrior out jump me when I did not expect it? Do I need to adjust
strategies or weapons?
6. Did the warriors learn what I expected and learn well? (e.g. earn lots of
skills.) If not, what can I do about it? (Switch to learning stats/skills?
Challenge a very experienced warrior?)
7. Do I know anything about the arena warriors that I can challenge? (Have I and my
friends accumulated style and other information on opponents?) Should I challenge
or take the luck of the draw? (Remember-- challenge warrior #s.)
8. Likewise, is there someone within range I just do not want to fight? (A warrior
that has beaten me? A warrior with lots more experience than me? A team that has
my number?) Should I avoid the team with that warrior? (Remember-- avoid team
#s.)
9. Have I written some personal ads or a spotlight to add to the enjoyment of the
arena?
Then it is time to turn in those strategy sheets again!
Duel 2 is a game of gladiators, comprised of knowledge, strategy, and a little
luck. Above all, it is fun. See you on the sands!
+ ]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 far end of the 600s.
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===---
Duelmasters
-----------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 693): FREE WHEEL of THE WILLBURYS 9 (Rascally Rabbit, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 695): ANTIPHON of DREAMERS (Sleepy, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 620): WOLFDOG of CARDOW HUNTERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 689): SHANK of SERPENTS' HOLD (Khisanth, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 691): GOLD CHARM of GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 682): DAWN of ZOMBIE SQUAD (Khisanth, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 683): WATER WORKS of MONOPOLY (Sherlock, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 344): TAXES of EXPENSE ACCOUNT (Finance Manager, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 680): CASIMIR PULASKI of BOHICA (Scruffy Puff, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 341): XANDAR of AVENGERS (Huckle Cat?, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 677): DEE N. EMMI of DEVIL ADVOCATES (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 674): HEADLESS NORSEMAN of HALLOWIENERS (The Dark One)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 666): MONKEY MAN of REALLY? (Dr. Grimley, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 624): KIRVENJ of THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 319): ROSELYN of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 313): SALAD SLAYER of VEGAN CANNIBALS (The Anarchist, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 300): 4-H of LIFE IMPACTS (Coach, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 556): TIKI LA'BANE of INCONSISTENT FURY (Banthius, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 541): ANON of UNNAMEABLES (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 523): HORSE D'OEUVRE of SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 517): IN YOUR FACE of BASH BROS EVANGELIST
(Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 249): PANAMA OATES of MIDDLE WAY 18 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 478): NEGATIVE ONE of NUMB-ERS (Sherlock, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 473): LEAPS INTO THE AIR of CRITICALS (Howlin' Wolf, mgr)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 464): CALEAM CHOWDER of SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 581): NIGHTCAP of DARKLINGS (She-Puppy, mgr.)
Top Teams
---------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 693): BLUE MOON (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 695): BLUE NOTE (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 620): CARDOW HUNTERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 689): SERPENT'S HOLD (Khisanth, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 691): GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 682): DUEL REALITY (The Duelist, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 683): GAIDINS (Noble Discord, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 344): PHANTACITY (Omega, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 680): CARDOW HUNTERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 341): MIDDLE WAY 7 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 677): COLLEGE RADIO (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 674): THE SEWING CIRCLE (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 666): REALLY? (Dr. Grimley, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 624): THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 318): DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 313): VEGAN CANNIBALS (The Anarchist, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 300): LIFE IMPACTS (Smitty, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 556): POSITION IS EMPTY
DM 60 ARADI (turn 541): SUPERIOR FORCES 60 (Manager, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 523): STAR WARS (Sir Jessie Jest, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 517): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 249): MIDDLE WAY 18 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 478): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 473): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 464): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 581): TOURNEY TEAM (LHI, mgr.)
Recent Graduates
-----------------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 693): FREE WHEEL of THE WILLBURYS 9 (Rascally Rabbit, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 695): ANTIPHON of DREAMERS (Sleepy, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 689): SHANK of SERPENTS' HOLD (Khisanth, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 340): OMBERT QURL of MIDDLE WAY 7 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 312): PATRY TRAP of PALINDROMES (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 299): PURPLE ACE of LIFE IMPACTS (Coach, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 555): DOBIE FROME of MIDDLE WAY 20 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 522): ANDRES of BOMB SQUAD (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 249): PANAMA OATES of MIDDLE WAY 18 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 471): GREEN ROCK of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
SPY REPORT
It is I, Novgorodny Vir, Spymaster of Spymasters. Look on my work, ye mighty,
and despair! Say what you will about blind luck and dirty fighting, but BRIDGE
BURNERS will tell you 4-10-1 is nothing to laugh at... FAVORITE GAMES had cause to
celebrate, after MONOPOLY got 17 points by beating CONVICTED ASSASSIN. Win some,
lose some. Speaking of which, THE FOOL was winsome, after beating CANNOT HEAR and
seeing him lose 10 points. BUSY successfully staved off a grab for the roses by
VETERAN MERCENARY of NOBLISH ISLAND. Does NOBLISH ISLAND have no one talented enough
to dethrone him? So who's the team that's been walking into taverns last week and
ordering milk? Sounds like a PR stunt to me.
A Zenmaster once told me, 'Does not the spinning wheel turn? And do not the
little birds cry out?' Any ideas? Like a horde of jackals fleeing from the lion, so
did the "warriors" in NOBLISH ISLAND avoid BASH BROS TELEPHONE. As a woman of good
breeding scorns the "warriors" of FAVORITE GAMES, so did that sorry team shy from
BASH BROS TELEPHONE Is it charming personality? Conversational abilities? Good oral
hygiene? Whatever it is, CONTRACT BRIDGE is the most challenged warrior.
The moving sword slashes, and having slashed, moves on... More than one
waitress at The Warty Toad was spilling more drinks than usual last week, as ELIN
TOECHU's early demise became known. What will OLIVA GALVARIUS do??? Never one to
advocate diplomacy and restraint, I was pleased to see THE FARSEERS retaliate against
OLIVA GALVARIUS in bloodfeud! Oh hard! that to strike a flame, the match itself
must needs be wasting!
Leave me now, you base fools! Keep those sands bloody and the buzzards fat!
Like a mixed metaphor, and an overtaxed simile, I now bid NOBLISH ISLAND farewell--
Novgorodny Vir
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
BUSY 9223 6 1 0 87 BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
MONOPOLY 9217 6 1 0 75 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
CAREERS 9216 6 1 0 61 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
DUTIFUL 9237 4 0 2 56 THE FARSEERS (1591)
CONTRACT BRIDGE 9218 5 2 0 34 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
ALLANA LORIMER 9230 5 1 1 32 LOW ROAD 3 (1589)
CHELSEA NOREN 9228 4 2 0 28 LOW ROAD 3 (1589)
NOT IN SERVICE 9225 4 3 0 26 BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
BELTRAN MOSS 9229 3 3 1 25 LOW ROAD 3 (1589)
THE FOOL 9236 3 1 0 25 THE FARSEERS (1591)
BAUS 9246 2 0 0 25 CRIT-GIVERS (1593)
CHESS 9220 5 2 0 24 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
CHADE 9238 2 2 0 24 THE FARSEERS (1591)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
DELISE ORM 9227 3 3 0 23 LOW ROAD 3 (1589)
POKER 9219 4 3 0 21 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
PICKER 9244 2 1 1 18 BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
CANNOT HEAR 9221 4 3 0 16 BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
STATIC 9222 3 4 0 15 BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
GLITTER 9265 1 0 1 14 BLOODY VIXENS (1595)
DROPPED CALL 9224 3 4 0 13 BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
ERBIN PARNAN 9226 3 3 0 12 LOW ROAD 3 (1589)
FITZCHIVALRY 9239 2 2 0 12 THE FARSEERS (1591)
AFRODYKIE 9247 1 1 0 12 CRIT-GIVERS (1593)
SORRY 9243 1 2 0 11 BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
MA'TEE 9263 1 0 0 7 BLOODY VIXENS (1595)
STORMY 9242 1 2 0 6 BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
HARDY 9250 1 1 0 4 CRIT-GIVERS (1593)
SEQUOIA 9249 1 1 0 4 CRIT-GIVERS (1593)
TRUTTS 9245 0 3 0 3 BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
TWINKLES 9262 0 1 0 1 BLOODY VIXENS (1595)
-TRAVOK 9233 0 1 0 1 HEAVEN'S DEVILS (1590)
-BERRIAN 9234 0 1 0 1 HEAVEN'S DEVILS (1590)
MI MI 9261 0 1 0 1 BLOODY VIXENS (1595)
HONEY BEE 9264 0 1 0 1 BLOODY VIXENS (1595)
-STASI 9231 0 1 0 1 HEAVEN'S DEVILS (1590)
-AMIE 9232 0 1 0 1 HEAVEN'S DEVILS (1590)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-DONAAR 9235 0 1 0 1 HEAVEN'S DEVILS (1590)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
EMBEZZLING SCRIB 0 0 0 ALLANA LORIMER 9230 348 NONE
MORDANT DESERTER 0 0 0 GLITTER 9265 348 NONE
KALAM 9241 0 2 0 BRIDGE BURNERS 1592 BELTRAN MOSS 9229 347
VISTAFIN 9248 1 1 0 CRIT-GIVERS 1593 PICKER 9244 348
ELIN TOECHU 9208 6 1 1 OLIVA GALVARIUS 1586 DUTIFUL 9237 348
BURICH 9251 0 3 0 THE FARSEERS 1591 WURM KIN 348 NONE
KITTRICKEN 9240 0 1 0 THE FARSEERS 1591 ELIN TOECHU 9208 345 JUST REVENGED
PERSONAL ADS
Busy? Busy? No telephone should be busy! How crass! However, congrats to Assur
for the coup. -- Gamemaster
Grit-Givers -- GREAT start! Great point gain! Kudos, kudos, kudos. Meanwhile, I
shall have my Favorite Games avoid these Gritty Pros. -- Gamemaster
Welcome everyone. This IS the place to learn. Jorja, Assur and old, old me have
much to offer. -- Gamemaster
Assur -- What a terrific article/spot on the defensive styles. Wonderfully done! A
tip of the hat to you. -- Gamemaster
Followed by a great "ripper" article from Jorja. No wonder this arena is the place
to be! -- Gamemaster
Hmmmmm. "Slackers who just play games all day...." Hmmmm. -- Gamemaster (thinking,
and wondering)
Captured Orc -- You will not pass GO and you will not collect $200. So there! --
Monopoly
Cannot Hear -- What? Didn't you hear me raise? Oh, you knew it was a bluff. Pshaw.
I hate winners like you! -- Poker
Allana Lorimer -- Today was my day, but I suspect you have a big career ahead of you.
-- Careers
Convicted Thief -- Checkmate! -- Chess
Static -- You want to play this well, you must always be counting cards. I just love
capturing quick tricks. -- Contract Bridge
A purposeful "plug" for Noblish graduates to play in:
arena DM47 North Fork -- the Turf War starts July 2012
where Oz and Master Darque moderate
arena DM11 Aruak City -- the Heart And Soul of Andoria
where Kennelworth and Mino would welcome and mentor you
You will be glad you did.
The Consortium (Gamemaster , the rep of Noblish)
You will be glad you did.
All -- Hello ladies & gentlemen, you can call me Mac D... As for the beautiful women
you've recently met on the sands well, they are mine. Be warned... fight fair and go
low with your kill desires... Cause if you kill one of my treasures, I'll not rest
til you DIE! -- Mac D, mgr Bloody Vixens
All -- If any of you want to know... I'm a size 5, yes, I'm so tiny. *giggles* Come
get some. -- Mi Mi
All -- I hope some of you actually know how to fight, but if not... I'll teach you.
-- Glitter
All -- Has anybody here ever seen a head get... lopped... like, you know, all the way
off? No? Keep watching. -- Ma Tee
All -- Hi... sorry my sisters are so mean... They just like attention. -- Honey Bee
Don't we all.
All -- Twinkles is a bit shy... She's an awesome sight when she fights, though. --
Mac D, mgr Bloody Vixens
Elin Toechu -- For some reason my Bloodfued was not run for turn 347. -- The Fool
It has to be specially marked as a bloodfeud challenge on each turn. If you
happened to forget to do that... no bloodfeud fight. Although if you get a
random match with someone who is eligible to be bloodfeuded by you, and win, it
counts as a successful bloodfeud.
Picker -- You sure can take a beating, do you enjoy the pain? -- Fitzchivarlry
Trutts -- Seems I overcame in our battle of wills. -- The Fool
Delise Orm -- Thank you for adding a tally mark to my win column, it was looking
bare. --Chade
Sorry -- A great learning opportunity for you. -- Dutiful
Beltran Moss -- Thank you, I feel blessed. -- Dutiful
Elin Toechu -- A hobby perhaps? Some days acting The Fool pays off. -- Dutiful
Elin Toechu -- Do you have a shovel I can borrow? -- Fitzchivalry
Sir Rowynstar -- No such thing as "too asky." That's what the three of us are here
for. For those new players who just arrived, Bash Bros Telephone is managed by
Assurnasirbanipal (Assur for convenience), Favorite Games by Gamemaster, and Low Road
3 by Jorja (me). We are all long-time players here for the specific purpose of
helping you get started well in (and hopefully hooked on) Duel 2. Ask us questions!
Answers are what we're here to give. -- Jorja
P.S. Or opinions, at least.
Kalam, or Ghost of Kalam -- Damn, my aim is really bad. I was trying for your legs.
Moderate kill desire. Obviously, I had a high offensive effort, making the first
attack (getting the jump) and the next six attacks, too. But your style shouldn't
have just stood there letting me hit you again and again. You should have been
fighting back, dammit. If your manager makes another such, tell him to run it fast.
-- Beltran Moss
Stormy -- Cheese louise. Well, at least you did parry some (a weird thing for your
style to do), but you should have beaten me to the first blow! What's with all that
armor, too? No wonder you were sluggish. -- Chelsea Noren
Careers -- Damned golem. -- Allana Lorimer
Chade -- Wow, I didn't know you *could* slash with that weapon. I guess it just
shows something-or-other. -- Delise Orm
Baus -- Ouch. That was incredibly embarrassing. You fit your team name well, too
well for my taste. -- Erbin Parnan
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
BURICH was butchered by WURM KIN in a 1 minute bloody Dark Arena fight.
DUTIFUL slaughtered ELIN TOECHU in a 1 minute brutal uneven Bloodfeud battle.
THE FOOL luckily beat CANNOT HEAR in a 2 minute bloody Challenge duel.
VISTAFIN was butchered by PICKER in a 1 minute brutal one-sided Challenge fight.
AFRODYKIE was bested by CHADE in a popular 1 minute beginner's Challenge brawl.
HARDY was devastated by CHELSEA NOREN in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge match.
FITZCHIVALRY was overcome by NOT IN SERVICE in a 1 minute Challenge fight.
BUSY slimly won victory over VETERAN MERCENARY in a 2 minute Title melee.
MONOPOLY vanquished CONVICTED ASSASSIN in a action packed 1 minute gory uneven fight.
CAREERS overpowered FRATSFA SLAVE in a 1 minute uneven match.
CONTRACT BRIDGE overpowered DROPPED CALL in a exciting 1 minute one-sided fight.
STATIC was unbelievably bested by CHESS in a crowd pleasing 5 minute brutal conflict.
ERBIN PARNAN was subdued by POKER in a popular 1 minute brawl.
DELISE ORM handily defeated SEQUOIA in a 1 minute one-sided conflict.
BELTRAN MOSS vanquished PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 1 minute mismatched bout.
ALLANA LORIMER slaughtered EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 1 minute one-sided fray.
STORMY unbelievably bested TWINKLES in a 3 minute gory amateur's brawl.
SORRY overpowered MI MI in a 1 minute one-sided match.
TRUTTS was savagely defeated by MA'TEE in a crowd pleasing 3 minute novice's match.
BAUS devastated HONEY BEE in a 1 minute one-sided bout.
GLITTER slaughtered MORDANT DESERTER in a 1 minute one-sided match.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|BASHING ATTACK 12 PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 0 - 0 100 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 5 PARRY-STRIKE 4 - 2 - 2 67 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 5 PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 - 1 - 0 67 |
|AIMED BLOW 4 STRIKING ATTACK 29 - 17 - 4 63 |
|TOTAL PARRY 3 WALL OF STEEL 12 - 10 - 0 55 |
|WALL OF STEEL 3 BASHING ATTACK 35 - 30 - 3 54 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 2 LUNGING ATTACK 8 - 7 - 1 53 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 1 AIMED BLOW 19 - 17 - 0 53 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 SLASHING ATTACK 11 - 14 - 0 44 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 TOTAL PARRY 10 - 14 - 0 42 |
Turn 348 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the
used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are:
PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 0 SLASHING ATTACK 2 - 3 4 STRIKING ATTACK
LUNGING ATTACK 2 - 0 BASHING ATTACK 3 - 9 2 SLASHING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK 5 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 2 WALL OF STEEL
AIMED BLOW 3 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 1 AIMED BLOW
TOTAL PARRY 2 - 1 1 LUNGING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL 2 - 1 1 TOTAL PARRY
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
AIMED BLOW BUSY 9223 6 1 0 87 BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
SLASHING ATTACK MONOPOLY 9217 6 1 0 75 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
STRIKING ATTACK CAREERS 9216 6 1 0 61 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
The overall popularity leader is CONTRACT BRIDGE 9218. The most popular warrior this
turn was STATIC 9222. The ten other most popular fighters were TRUTTS 9245, BUSY
9223, CHADE 9238, TWINKLES 9262, CANNOT HEAR 9221, MONOPOLY 9217, CONTRACT BRIDGE
9218, CHELSEA NOREN 9228, POKER 9219, and DELISE ORM 9227.
The least popular fighter this week was HONEY BEE 9264. The other ten least popular
fighters were MI MI 9261, STORMY 9242, SEQUOIA 9249, CHESS 9220, DROPPED CALL 9224,
HARDY 9250, VISTAFIN 9248, ELIN TOECHU 9208, BURICH 9251, and GLITTER 9265.
The Defensive Lunger
Perfect Minimums Actual Characters
ST 13 11 11 13
CN 7 3 3 11
SZ 4 4 10 6
WT 21 17 17 17
WL 17 13 17 19
SP 5 5 9 5
DF 17 13 17 13
The lunger, in my opinion, makes a much better defensive fighter than offensive
fighter. Fighting defensively will compensate for the speed at which lungers burn
endurance. They will still attack whenever possible but their defensive ability will
allow them to dodge most attacks. The most important part is their initiative. When
they do dodge, they'll usually steal the initiative and attack. I haven't been
fighting lungers defensively for long but my record is 14-5-0. Don't fight
defensively against other lungers as they will usually win.
The strategy I use is:
Min 1 2 3 4 5 6 Desp
Off 4 -------------------------> 9 Weapon: Any lunging
Act 6 4 --------------------> 9 No armor if low con
KD 4 -------------------------> 9 APL/H if average con
O.T. ---------------------------> L
D.T. -------------------------------->
You can attack any location you wish but I suggest protecting the body. The
third character listed started with experts in attack, defense and initiative. The
last character had an expert in attack.
The Wild Boar, manager of Things (5) and many inactive teams.
WARRIOR ENDURANCE
Greetings, joy and happiness to everyone! I hope you have had pleasant dueling.
This article is about endurance and some things to think about when you're designing
your warriors. Below is a chart showing the different endurance levels a warrior may
have. This chart may be a little off of due to the fact it isn't possible to have all
the variables as a manager, but it does give you idea of the amount of endurance a
warrior should have.
The formula for endurance is: E = (ST+CN)WL
With the result of that number use the chart below.
000-180 = Very Poor
181-240 = Poor
235-390 = Normal
391-509 = Good
510-639 = Great
640-699 = Tremendous
770+ = Awesome
Here are some examples of warriors with their Endurance ratings:
1) Slasher ST 5 CN 7 WL 15 (5+7)15 = 180 Poor
2) Striker ST 7 CN 13 WL 9 (7+13)9 = 180 Poor
3) Parry-Rip ST 7 CN 10 WL 11 (7+10)11 = 187 Poor
4) Basher ST 13 CN 9 WL 9 (13+9)9 = 198 Very Poor
5) Striker ST 13 CN 9 WL 9 (13+9)9 = 198 Poor
6) Aimed-Blow ST 9 CN 15 WL 9 (9+15)9 = 216 Normal
7) Striker ST 10 CN 5 WL 15 (10+5)15 = 225 Normal
8) Slasher ST 13 CN 10 WL 10 (13+10)10 = 230 Normal
9) Wall/Steel ST 13 CN 12 WL 17 (13+12)17 = 425 Great
There are several factors such as warrior style, RSI random factor, and there is
some evidence that SIZE has some effect on a warrior's endurance. In any case the RSI
LUCK factor can be around 7 to 8% in your favor or 2-3% worse than average. These are
just estimates, but are still factors nevertheless.
Some styles that are HIGH BURN endurance, like lungers, slashers and walls of
steel, are more likely to be UNLUCKY with the endurance rating.
Every action your warrior does consumes endurance. Attacking seems to use more
endurance than any other action. Once a warrior's endurance is used up, he will make
an endurance check against his WILL. If he fails the roll, he will either stop to rest
or collapse to the sand, depending on how badly he failed the roll. When a warrior
stops to rest, he gets back some endurance. When he gets enough endurance back, he
will start attacking again. This is just a theory that I have developed from
observations. It maybe completely off, but it gives one something to ponder.
That's it for now lords and ladies, I must go entertain elsewhere. If you would
like to chat about DM or other things, you can EMAIL me at 103260.3347@compuserve.com
or visit my DM website at
http://ourworld.compuserve.com./homepages/jessisjest/homepage.htm
You can also diplo me at DM 11 "The Lords Of the Abyss (319)" or any of the
Joker's Wilds scattered about.
Cheerio,
Sir Jessie Jest
Member of the Ivory League
Presenting, by Popular Demand (from 1989)...
THE NUMEROLOGY OF DUELMASTERS
by The Ghost of Eldrid
Character Generation
Hello, I am the Ghost of Eldrid, and I have an important message that directly
effects how well your team may do in the future. Some managers will not take this
important article seriously (some people don't believe in ghosts, either), and their
records will suffer for it. I have played Duelmasters for four years and searched
through all of my old turns and painstakingly researched every important fact in this
article, and I have discussed my conclusions with about ten different managers (named
managers such as Phido, Doctor LeGrand, Silk, Russ, and Biff Frothingslosh) who all
agree on the validity of my arguments. The results of my research are both startling
and magnificent. THERE IS NUMEROLOGY IN DUELMASTERS!!! Whether it was programmed in
or it exists on a higher plane, it matters not. IT EXISTS!!! And I plan to share
some of its amazing secrets with you, starting with character creation.
Remember in the realm of character generation the powers favor odd number stats.
NEVER, EVER have an even number on stats, except, of course, for size, which,
obviously should be even since everyone can tell what size your character is by his
description in the fight. Do you want people thinking your warrior is odd? I should
hope not!! But in case you decide to keep your odd warrior, DO NOT MAKE ANY OTHER
STATS EVEN!! Write a letter to the commission stating that you forgo the rights to
the last point and you want it to be sacrificed to the benefit of Alastari.
Always start adding points to wit and will first. Either make them 13, 17, or
21. Why? Under 12 wit is worthless, as any good manager will tell you. A 13
understandably gives your opponent bad luck, a 17 has the ever-lucky "7" in it, and 21
is BLACKJACK, and you get twice the number of winnings you would normally get. Why
not 15 or 19? Is it not obvious to everyone that 15 is unlucky? The only President
of the United States not married was the 15th, James Buchanan (who?). Lincoln was
shot on April 15th, and the clincher... my brother was born on the 15th of May. If
these "coincidences" don't prove to you that 15 is unlucky, I don't know what will.
19 is an evil number. It tries to deceive you into thinking it is better than 17, but
actually, it is an "11" with a small zero placed on the second pole, and we all know
that a zero is nothing. So what do we get for our extra eight points? In effect,
something smaller than nothing.
Next, make every other stat odd. Add the other points to make the style you
want. Deftness is the key to character generation.
Deftness (min)
5 to make a basher (ST 13+)
7 for a lunger
9 for a striker
11 for a wall of steel (ST 11+, WL 17+)
13 for a parry lunge (ST 11+), slasher (SP 11+), parry-strike, and total
parries (these styles depend on the opponent's bad luck.
17 for a parry-riposte (WT 17+)
21 for an aimed blow (this style needs the double winnings)
The last thing to remember is that luck is a big factor in this game and I don't
know if you noticed, but when warriors have even ID numbers they are luckier than odd
ID characters. Look at the best warriors in Primus: Wallbanger, Donatello, Epitaph,
Chaos Knight, Villiage Idiot, Silverflash, Khorga Khan, Jake the Snake, Sly, Max,
Stormbringer, Teetotaler, Raphael, Selleque, Kiri, Constance, Hangover, Eve, and Sam
Spade. All have even-numbered IDs. Now you say, "But Yoda and Necron-99 both have
odd IDs, and they are the best aimed blows of the game!" Yes, but they are AIMED
BLOWS and they are members of an odd style, so of course they do better with odd
numbers. So remember if you want your warriors to be best in all Alastari someday,
Dark Arena all your odd-numbered characters, unless of course they are aimed blows.
Good luck, and may the numbers fall your way.
-- The Ghost of Eldrid,
retired
PARRY-STRIKE, ANOTHER FUN STYLE
There have been several articles about fighting styles, some say theirs is the
best, or ultimate, one said theirs is the most fun style. Well, I feel that parry-
strikers are just as much fun to play as any other style.
First, let's start with the run down of what they say in the "RED BOOK". The
book says that parry-strikers are defensive, using small quick movements in their
actions (sounds like you could say that about some other styles as well.) The book
says that some managers swear that a high wit is critical to the style (only those who
have no brains would disagree with that.)
Let's get to business. First and foremost this style is deceptively aggressive,
making them a very good offensive type of fighter, or deadly type of defensive
fighter. Offensively they tend to get the jump on their opponent. I had a parry-
striker that was only jumped 3 out of 11 fights, before he died. To prepare and run a
parry-striker can be quite confusing, so I will try to help make it as simple as
possible. Here are my feelings on roll-ups for the parry-strike style:
ST: 11-15, I'll explain later.
CN: who cares.
SZ: 10-14, don't go over 14.
WT: 13-17, 17 is the best.
WL: 13-17, to get good endurance.
SP: not important.
DF: 11-15, I'll explain later.
Here are some good roll-ups for a parry-striker: 11,7,10,17,17,7,15;
15,7,11,17,16,7,11; 11,7,14,17,13,7,15; 15,7,14,17,13,7,11. Now, if you have a decent
wit, the way you run this fighting style will depend on strength and deftness. For
example: if your fighter has a high DF and a low ST it would be to his/her advantage
to be defensive, since the speed would benefit the ability to move in reaction to
their opponent. If the ST is high, and DF low, it would be better to fight
offensively like a striker, trying to get the first, and only blow in. If they don't
have a decent wit, you're on your own. I can't help you on that. Remember this style
of fighting is the same as a striker except for added knowledge of parrying, as well
as bein a little more aggressive. I would not suggest a low ST and DF, it will take
away from your WT & WL, and you don't want to do that, but if you do, good luck. You
don't need much CN if you have a good WL, which gives you your endurance. SZ; you
don't want it to be above 14, it would hurt your fighting style more than your
attributes. WT; it is the same as it is with strikers, the higher the WT the faster
and deadlier they become. Raise WT to 17 if you don't have it at the start, then
don't worry about it again until ADM. WL; this is where you get your endurance. 13
is fine to start out, but I would suggest 15, then bump it up to 17 in basic. SP; it
is what you need to riposte, but PSers have this "one strike one kill" attitude.
Meaning that there isn't much time to riposte with a killing attitude, so do whatever.
DF; what is there to say, it helps, but is not crucial to be a great PSer. Now to
running a PSer. If he is an offensive fighter 10-10-10 Dec. all the way through the
fight, even in desperation. If Defensive, 1st 10-10-10 Resp., 2nd 10-7-10 Dec., 3rd
10-10-10, 4th 10-10-10 Dec., 5th 10-10-10 Dec., 6th 10-10-10, Desp. 10-10-10 Resp.
Remember, first you want to assure your defense, and to do that, you should go
defensive the first minute. By the second minute you will be secure enough to go on
the offensive, but experiment. 6th minute on, leave blank, for by that time he/she
will know what to do (if their WT is high that is.) The best thing you could do for
your fighter is watch the fights, if you are getting more defensive skills than
offensive, run the def., or change weapons. That is the best advice I can give you
about PSers. About armor, I like to use ringmail or nothing, but experiment. I know
that there is someone that will disagree with me, but I feel that I have given you
some ideas about this fighting style that can be used, even though I am a new manager,
playing for just over a year. No matter who writes a style article, it is just
advice, not the bible. Just use the articles as a point of reference, not as sworn
law.
This is a very fun fighting style, try it out. I have written this in answer to
Foreign Legion Arena 31, and The Spartans Arena 8. I challenge any Primus Manager to
correct my writing of PSers. It is not my favorite style, but it is as fun as any
other that I have used, including my favorite one (Which is a STRIKER!!) If there are
any comments, please Diplo The Priest, the manager of The Heroes of XIAN DM-10, or The
Crucifiers DM-46.
THE ARMOR PIERCING PARRY-LUNGE
When you think "attack" what style comes to mind? Bashing? Definitely lunging?
Of course. Parry-Lunging? Excuse me? Yes, the parry-lunger! Few people realize the
fact that parry-lungers are attack gods waiting to be born. All it takes is the right
warrior and lots of guts. This warrior is not for the weak of heart. We'll begin
with stats.
Range Perfect
ST 9-11 11
CN 5-9 5
SZ 6-11 8
WT 17or21 21
WL 17or21 17
SP 5-8 5
DF 15-17 17
Why?
ST(11): This is your optimum PL strength. It puts your warrior in the normal to
good damage range. Also, you have the best PL weapon at your disposal--the LO!
CN(5): Yes, his life expectancy is low. What'd I tell you? Guts, right? He
gets his endurance from WL. If you want to make trains, make them here.
SZ(8): Our most flexible stat. A high SZ (i.e.11) allows you to skimp a bit on
Str (9).
WT(21): If it's not a 21 you're not going to get the attack this fellow counts
on. His learns will be awesome and a 21 WT will make him a better warrior out of the
chocks.
WL(17): End/Att are dependent on this one being high. Keeps you on your feet
when you should drop from exhaustion.
SP(5): Not a big requirement. Init and Parry will come from elsewhere (WT/DF).
This is not a lunger mimic.
DF(17): Combine this DF with a 21 WT and you will have a massive attack.
Pinpoint accuracy is the byword. Parry, init, def and riposte will all benefit
immeasurably. At 15 you have access to the EP, a fine lunging weapon this style can
put to devastating use.
Strategy (General, but effective in most cases)
2 9 9 7 6 5 10
6 9 9 7 6 5 10
2 7 7 7 5 5 10
HE ---------------------------->
HE BD ----------------------->
- - - - - - -
P - - - - - -
Minute 1: This fellow won't get the jump on offensives, so we'll just go
defensive and render their "mad minute" fruitless. This PL's counterattack will be
amazing at even 2-6-2 P due to the high AL. Keep the parry tactic until Adv Expert
parry is gained.
Minutes 2 and 3: These two will end most of his fights. When he starts landing
precision blows in his opponent's face it will usually be over quickly. Keep the kill
desire relatively low as to avoid sloppy attacking.
Minutes 4 through 6: If you haven't won by now you've got to depend on your WL
to carry you until you finish the job. He'll probably top out at the five min. mark.
But we want to keep the attacks coming so we do so at his endurance's expense.
Desp: If your opponent is an offensive he's probably blasted through your min. 1
defense. Your best bet is to go spastic and hope to take him out in one shot or so.
If he's some super-defensive (scum) this PL is probably exhausted and you're hoping
the super-offense will put him over the edge. After all, it's better to burn out than
fade away.
Always aim for the head to maximize the impact of your blows. If it tickles your
fancy, aim for your opponent's weapon arm and beat him senseless when he's unarmed.
Protecting the head in min. 1 is strictly odds playing on my part. My offensives aim
head so I assume everyone else's do too. After min. 1, we forget defense.
Weapons and armor are simple. APL/H or ARM/H (if you're challenging a real
heavy-hitter). I prefer swords for armament. My combos are usually LO/SM, LO/SH,
SC/DA etc. Against heavy armor go with LO/SH. Always aim for the head.
Philosophy: This guy clings to life by luck, early on, and will never be free of
the spectre of death. In his first few fights stay away from lungers and bashers.
Both have high attacks and usually do substantial damage. Prey on strikers, PS, PR
and slashers. As he progresses, his attack, parry and defense will equip him with the
tools to handle most everybody but always remain cautious of those bashers and
lungers.
A PL of this calibre should begin with around a 90 att, 70 par/init and 60-70
def. Decise and riposte will be slightly lower. Riposte 50 and decise anywhere from
35-50 depending on how lucky you get. Train skills exclusively from fight one and on.
Use tourneys if you must raise anything at all (including con).
Don't be discouraged if he's around .500 early on. By ten fights he'll be
sporting three Adv Experts at least (att, par and init) and will begin to dismantle
those scum/finesse styles that managed to beat him. Feel free to write or diplo me
with comments/criticisms/or questions.
Fight the Good Fight,
or: Agath
CPL Michael Dockus Lunatic Fringe (23)
H Co BLT 2/8 Circle of Five (51)
24 MEU (Det F) Slaves of Power (52)
FPO NY NY 09502-8531