DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 05/19/2012 Duedate: 06/01/2012
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-351
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
BUSY
BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
(93-9223) [8-2-0,91]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
BUSY DUTIFUL
BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588) THE FARSEERS (1591)
(93-9223) [8-2-0,91] (93-9237) [6-0-2,77]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
CONTRACT BRIDGE PICKER
FAVORITE GAMES (1587) BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
(93-9218) [7-3-0,36] (93-9244) [3-2-1,18]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. THE FARSEERS (1591) 36
2. LOW ROAD 3 (1589) 30 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
3. NOISEMAKERS (1605) 20 Unchartered Team
4. DRAGONS (1491) 19
5. FAVORITE GAMES (1587) 14 NOISEMAKERS (1605)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 1 FAVORITE GAMES (1587) 34 16 0 68.0 1/ 4 BASH BROS TELEPHO (1588) 11 4 0
2/ 0*NOISEMAKERS (1605) 2 1 0 66.7 2/ 2*LOW ROAD 3 (1589) 10 5 0
3/ 4*LOW ROAD 3 (1589) 28 17 2 62.2 3/ 1*BRIDGE BURNERS (1592) 9 5 2
4/ 3 BASH BROS TELEPHO (1588) 31 19 0 62.0 4/ 3 FAVORITE GAMES (1587) 8 7 0
5- 5*DIE TODESBLUMEN (1602) 3 2 0 60.0 5/ 5*CRIT-GIVERS (1593) 5 5 0
6/ 2*CRIT-GIVERS (1593) 11 9 0 55.0 6/ 6*KNIGHT LIFE (1597) 5 7 0
7/ 7*THE FARSEERS (1591) 15 15 2 50.0 7/ 7*THE FARSEERS (1591) 4 6 0
8/ 6 OLIVA GALVARIUS (1586) 14 15 1 48.3 8- 8*DIE TODESBLUMEN (1602) 3 2 0
9/ 8*BRIDGE BURNERS (1592) 13 15 3 46.4 9/10 OLIVA GALVARIUS (1586) 3 3 0
10/ 9*KNIGHT LIFE (1597) 5 7 0 41.7 10/ 0*NOISEMAKERS (1605) 2 1 0
11-10*THE HERQULOIDS (1601) 2 3 0 40.0 11-11*THE HERQULOIDS (1601) 2 3 0
12-11*BLOODY VIXENS (1595) 3 9 2 25.0 12/12*DRAGONS (1491) 1 4 1
13/12*DRAGONS (1491) 2 10 1 16.7 13- 9*BLOODY VIXENS (1595) 1 6 1
14-13*KISS OF DEATH (1249) 0 1 0 0.0 14-13*KISS OF DEATH (1249) 0 1 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
After spending a few weeks on the Sands here in the Noblish Island arena, we of
the Farseers have made a nice home for ourselves. We are very thankful th have such
welcoming opposition to compete with. Our hope is that if we happen to match against
you to have the crowd cheering us and jeering you. Please do not feel a need to send
tribute, we have yet to take the throne. Of course, when we do, it would not be over
looked. May everyone bow when it is ours. -- The Catalyst, mgr.
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
Having not been able to get revenge for Deejay Gee by losing to Kalam of Bridge
Burners without even putting up a fight, Beast's only wish is to die a warrior in the
Dark Arena. Sitting outside under the stars with the rest of the Knight Life team,
he asks the gods to forgive him. "They all hate me, they all boo and call me names
even if I win."
Barbara Jean says to no one, "I swear, someone even threw a cup at me."
"I seen that." Cy Lent laughs.
"Well, everyone," De'von Kildor starts, "I am proud of you all. It does not
matter if we win or lose our fights on this Island. This is only a training arena.
As long as you go out there and try and learn, I'm happy."
"Speak for yourself, I did not come here to lose!" Mindy V explodes.
"I came to fight the best, not lose everthing." Beast says to De'von.
"Does anyone else feel this way?" De'von asks. "No? Good. Beast, Mindy, you
two will sit out this week due to not controlling your feelings. Barbar, Cy, Ken you
are up."
"Who shall kiss my blade this week?" Ken Do wonders.
"How do I get people to like me? " Barbara whines.
"About time!" Cy Lent says smiling at his sword.
Questions are being thrown at De'von, he doesn't know where to start. He only
wishes not to lose any more fighters, thinking that maybe there might be a way to
open talks with the manager of Bridge Burners, yet his team might no like it. So
much to think about all week...
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
A NEW TEAM TAKES SHAPE
or
HOW AN OLD-TIMER MIGHT DO IT
or
START-UP DESIGN UNFOLDED
There is a purpose behind this spotlight. It is offered to provide newer/
inexperienced D2 managers with warrior design concepts and to assist said newbies in
observing the details of a "real-time" team who will be competing against them in
their Noblish Island arena. The following information will be offered and/or
discussed:
1. An experienced manager's general design principles
2. The actual five-warrior design from an original team roll-up which is about to
compete on Noblish Island
3. Summary and comments relevant to those designs
First you might ask, "Who is offering this information to you?" And then I
shall answer that I am Doctor Dehydrated (Doc for short.), a member of The
Consortium, a long, long time (25+ year) player in Duelmasters/D2. I will be running
the "Drink Up" Team and will be tutoring you each round in Noblish Island. Feel free
to ask, ask, ask questions in the personal ads. You will get answers.
There is no one-and-only perfect design for any warrior. You will often find
that when asking for experienced design advice, varying opinions and designs are
offered. However, there are some guidelines that each manager uses. Here are,
generically, The Consortium warrior design principles:
1. Design to strengths/excesses, making high roll numbers higher.
2. Offensive oriented warriors need WT high to last. Design to 15, 17, 21 for skill
breaks.
3. All warriors except AB must have normal damage and really need good. Make
certain that ST/SZ allow that and have high enough WL to bump stats if not.
4. 9 WL is the acceptable low for offensives. Some warriors can do well with 7 or
8. No lower.
5. Do not add to CN for offensives.
6. Defensive style warriors need solid WL and CN.
7. Physicals never hurt any warrior. Warriors can win early with lesser skill, but
good physicals.
8. If all else fails, make the design a TP. They can win under almost any
circumstance. However, they need a higher combination (total) of CN, WL, ST.
9. If the warrior is to be long-term (meaning a godling or really nice roll), do not
design a burner. (A burner is one where the manager intends to raise stats and
physicals as a major strategy to winning.)
10. However, there is not a thing wrong with making a burner.
11. Design each warrior with the idea of winning 60%+ of its fights.
12. Have variation in styles in arenas. This allows for better challenging and
matchups.
Next are listed the starting statistics and design statistics of the Drink Up
team starting shortly on Noblish Island.
A. 8-8-10-16-7-17-4 to 11-8-10-21-9-18-7 striker. Almost never pass up a 21-WT
warrior! Up the WL to a minimum 9 for offensives. Get the ST to 11 and DF to 7 for
reasonable weapon selection. Leaves one to accentuate his strengths/excesses--SP.
This is a very nice warrior, and with a little luck it will roll good damage-doing at
11ST/10SZ.
B. 4-9-13-9-9-5-21 to 9-12-13-15-9-5-21 aimed blow. A 21-DF warrior almost always
leads one to think aimed blow. While not my favored style, it is nowadays considered
the most desirable style to own. However, they are difficult to manage, die easily,
and I really do not recommend the style to a newcomer. An aimer needs 21 DF to
start. Get WT to a good break-point, and now the choice was between a 15WT/15WL (and
6 ST) aimer, or an aimer with more strength. I chose the latter. Had I negated the
idea of making it an aimer, it would have been a 9-9-13-15-9-8-21 striker. I decided
for the aimer since I already had designed one striker for the team.
C. 11-5-15-4-15-10-10 to 15-5-15-7-21-10-11 basher. Many managers struggle with low
WT warriors, but I believe I can make this guy quite successful. Optimize his
strength/excess, which, in this case takes his WL to 21. High will makes stat
training easy, greatly enhances the warrior' endurance, and can actually add to his
decisiveness. 21 WL is nice. Lots of will, big and dumb and strong; that works. I
would have added more to ST, but I really wanted the 7WT as it is necessary to fully
qualify some of the key basher weapons. (Note: this, or any low CN warrior, will
probably need to strategize to hit first and not be hit!)
D. 6-14-11-11-10-9-9 to 11-15-11-17-10-9-11 parry-striker (piker). Occasionally I
might say optimize that CN, add some WL, and for a newbie, take the easy way out and
make a pretty decent total-parry (at 11-17-11-11-16-9-9). Pikers are possibly the
most difficult style to master, but since I can optimize both CN and WT, I like my
piker. (I also considered a 9-17-11-17-10-9-11 piker, which further optimized the CN
and WT, but I really want 11 ST for some good piker weapons--like QS and BS.)
E. 9-7-13-13-10-13-5 to 15-7-13-17-10-15-7 basher. Upping WT to 17, of course, and
optimizing the already good speed, plus adding strength for weapon selection and
power, yields an interesting and speedy basher. I like bashers, which are a
discriminated style in D2. A basher design option, which I might wish I had chosen,
was 13-7-13-17-10-13-11.
Good luck competing against my Drink Ups. They will be a competitive team and they
do both challenge and avoid.
Let's take a look at the overall design tendencies for this team in this
situation. We had 70 points to add to the designs. Totaled, they look like this:
ST = 23 (More than usual, caused by low base St and my need for 11+ST)
CN = 3 (SP and CN are usually the least added stats)
SZ = 0 (Cannot add to size.)
WT = 24 (Probably the most valuable stat.)
WL = 8 (Important stat; chose several low will designs; questionable?)
SP = 3 (SP and CN are usually the least added stats)
DF = 9 (DF additions are quite variable, and further reduced by a natural 21)
The tendencies look reasonable to me, but more normal probably would have been more
WL and less ST.
So there you have it: a new team; insight to warrior design; useful tidbits from
an old-timer. May your stay in D2 be long and prosperous, and fun.
Doctor Dehydrated (Doc)
Consortium affiliated
+ ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Lighthouse ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +
Where do you go when you leave Noblish Island?
After ten turns, just when you're getting used to the everlasting rain here on
Noblish Island, you're going to have to leave forever. Everyone (except me) leaves
after ten turns.
You have to go, but you get to choose your destination. Out of sixty or so
possible arenas, how do you choose?
Some of you will be following friends who have already gone, and for you this
question is moot. Otherwise....
Fast or slow? Noblish Island is a "fast" arena in that the fights are run every
two weeks. For some of you, this may not allow enough turn-around time. "Slow"
arenas run every four weeks. The slow arenas are 8, 28, 31, 39, 45, 47, 50, 52, 54,
59, and the three slow transfer arenas, 71, 72, and 73. You may have an unlimited
number of teams in a transfer arena, and many managers do; I would not recommend
choosing a transfer arena for your first non-Noblish home.
Regions--the world of Duelmasters is divided into four regions, which have
slightly different preferred style of management.
The Andorian region as a general rule tends toward a role-playing, non-killing
style of play. By "non-killing," I mean that Andorian managers perfer not to seek
kills and disapprove of down-challenging. In most (but not, alas, all) cases,
Andorian arenas will have lively personals. The Andorian arenas currently open are:
8 (slow), 11, 14, 22, 24, 25, 26, 30, 40, 41, 46, 52 (slow), 63, and 71 (slow
transfer).
The Delarquan region, except in the case of some of the slow arenas, is not much
prone to role-playing and convesation. For Delarquans, the win is all. Down-
challenging is an accepted tactic used when desired by any manager. Deaths may be
more frequent than elsewhere. The Delarquan arenas currently open are: 1, 2, 3, 5,
6, 7, 10, 18, 21, 36, 38, 39 (slow), 42, 51, 54 (slow), 59 (slow), 62, and 72 (slow
transfer).
The Free Blades region tends to be very active in the slow arenas and less
dogmatic in either direction about style of play. Free Blades arenas currently open
are: 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 28, 29, 31 (slow), 32, 33, 35, 43, 45 (slow), 47 (slow),
50 (slow), 56, 61, and 73 (slow transfer).
The Lirith Kai region is the youngest and is currently very small, having only
arenas 65, 74, 75, and 78 open at the present time. There is a tendency to prefer
the Andorian-style, "no down-challenges and no deliberate killing," but the managers
seem to be less dogmatic about it.
Note that currently contests of various kinds are being held in some arenas,
which I can't list for sure, they keep changing. If you're interested in a contest
arena, let me know (a personal ad will do), and I'll look around. Contest arenas
will tend to be bigger than others while the contest is going on, and full of
often-confusing personals.
Large arenas or small ones?
There are advantages for a new manager in either choice. In a large arena,
there are lots of managers who will be willing to help a novice. There will be a lot
of variety in the kind of competition your warriors come up against--varieties in
style, management, levels of skill. You can learn a lot in large arenas. But there
are drawbacks, too. You can get lost in the crowd, maybe find no one or only a few
of the available managers responding to your personals. You can get caught between
feuding factions.
In small arenas, you soon get to know every manager's playing style and what to
expect from their warriors. If you write personals, they will be noticed and
probably responded to. But just as you get to know all the managers and warriors
sharing the arena with you, so will they get to know you. You may see a lot of
standbys fighting, and while they are relatively easier to beat, they don't teach as
well. After a while, you won't meet with many surprises.
If you have access to the internet, I strongly recommend that you check out
RSI's website and sample the newsletters of various arenas to get the flavor of them.
If not, ask for advice. Diplo managers mentioned in the Regional Arena News from
arenas you're interested in, as they are likely to be leaders in those arenas. Ask
questions here, in the personals or by diplo. I'd like to see you all have the best
possible Duelmasters experience that's consistent with other people doing the same,
and I ALWAYS have opinions!
Jorja
The Middle Way
+>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+ Question of the Week #1 +>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+
Hanibal, manager of Cannibalz in Aruak City (DM 11) and formerly of Noblish
Island, has asked a series of questions of the experienced managers of that arena. I
believe you might find these questions and answers instructive, or at least
interesting. Feel free to comment or question in response. That goes for other
experienced managers, too; I'm sure your input would be valuable. -- Jorja, The
Middle Way
Question, turn 396:
All -- If 2 identical warriors (theoretically) ran 10-10-2 and 10-10-8, who
would swing first? Would they both have an equal chance? -- Hanibal's question of
the week
Replies, turn 397:
Hanibal -- Of the three numbers, I think KD is least influential in determining
who swings first. I'm not discounting its involvement entirely, but there are many
factors that weigh more heavily. I ran aimers 10-10-1 for a long time, when it was
the 'in' thing to do, and they fought quite aggressively. KD might be more important
in determining who swings LAST. -- Generalissimo Puerco
Hannibal -- I firmly believe that 10-10-2 will sometimes outjump 10-10-8. And
vice versa. -- Kennelworth The Seasoned
See also Captain K's article on "Getting the Jump." It was printed in this
newsletter a few turns ago, but if you want a copy and don't have it, email me at
jputney@zianet.com and I'll send it to you. Okay, okay, if you don't have email,
request it in the personals or even send me a diplo. -- Jorja
P.S. I believe this may now be included in the regularly cycling articles.
Question, turn 397:
All -- If two warriors have a good damage rating, one has 11 str. and one has 13
str., would it make a difference in the amount of damage they do? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
P.S. Warriors are same size.
Replies, turn 398:
Hanibal -- Regarding your QoW, it is a very good question. I think that there
is a difference in damage done between warriors with different strengths but similar
damage comments. Of course the attack rating a warrior has can make a world of
difference too. I've got a piker (the Consortium may know Lustra from DM 52) that
has a 5 str. and does normal damage with a blow. Yet, she performs like a warrior
that does little damage. (And I have a lot of experience with those.) Not only
that, she has normal endurance, too, but she seems to get tired awfully quick for a
piker with normal endurance. So that's one example. Another is my overall look at
warriors that do 'little' damage.
If you take one with 9 str. and another with 13 str. I think a clear Difference
can be discerned. On the high end, my experience doesn't go much past 'good' damage.
But what I can say is that my warriors that do 'good' damage seem to do more damage
than my few warriors that have done 'tremendous' damage. That is probably because
those big strong warriors have relatively lousy attack ratings. So in a nutshell I
would say yes, there is a minor but still noticeable effect. What you might be
finding is that there seems to be differences within those broad categories given on
the warrior overview. It's just like if you raise con you improve your warrior's
ability to sustain damage a little bit, even if the comment on the overview stays the
same. Your questions are getting at some of the interesting subtleties of the game.
Keep asking them! -- Generalissimo Puerco
Q.O.W. (Hanibal) -- I don't think so. -- Adie
Pagan's replies:
Question, turn 396:
All -- If 2 identical warriors (theoretically) ran 10-10-2 and 10-10-8, who
would swing first? Would they both have an equal chance?
This is a loaded question. There are a number of factors which will determine which
warrior swings first. In speaking of this I can only tell you what I have a 'feel'
for. In no way does anyone know all the factors or how this works exactly unless
someone gets to look at the source code for the program. I will ignore the KD
dispute simply because I don't know.
The Factors:
1. At warrior creation, the program initiates a random string class to be used for
your warrior. Each string has a series of numbers that are pre-generated and always
the same. It however appears random except for the facts that some strings are good
for some warriors and bad for others. You'll notice this only over time. This
string class is permanent and not all of them are created equal. This is above and
beyond any total number of skills.
2. At fight time, the program calls a random string to be used for BOTH warriors.
This string affects the string of the warrior. This is why you will never see two
fights that are line-by-line exactly the same. But if the fights were constantly run
with exactly the same string, and no strategy changes are made then you will
consistently have the same fight line-by-line.
3. Fight-String modified Warrior-String# are taken for each warrior and #Decise-
skills + OE + string# + tactic + weapon-weight + style-adjustment equates to a
number.
4. These bonuses could be negative in adjustments also: IE. Running responsiveness
would be the addition of a negative number equal to warrior's Decise. Running decise
would increase a lot, running lunge, slash, or bash use initiative instead of Decise
if higher than current #decise skills.
4. Biggest controllable factors are OE, tactic, & weapon-weight
5. If the number for JUMP does not have a disparity of a specific number then a
continued clash will occur until that disparity is shown. Then the fight actually
begins. You can have a series of 8+ clash statements until the program finds who
starts and initiates the fight sequences. Example: fighterA ends up with a jump# of
60 and fighterB ends up with a jump# of 65; if the disparity had to be 10 points then
what would happen is a clash statement would be printed and the steps repeated. The
next number from the Fight-String is called along with the next number in each of the
Warrior-strings ; the computation is done again until the disparity (for the computer
anyway) becomes true. Then the fight sequence is activated. -- Pagan
Question, turn 397:
All -- If two warriors have a good damage rating, one has 11 str. And one has 13
str., would it make a difference in the amount of damage they do? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
P.S. Warriors are same size.
Most definitely. Weapon damage is equated to Strength + damage class. So damage is
done like this:
1. Armor weight + 12 + any bonus it has vs weapon type is a negative to the damage
done. (How the hell did he get 12!?)
2. Damage done is strength + damage class variable + weapon variable.
3. Slashing & Bashing increase the damage done.
4. When the damage done equals 1 or less then there is a weapon bounce statement.
The minimum damage a blow can do is 1 point of damage. The program knows there's a
hit before it knows damage so you can't reverse a hit, you merely take a minimum of 1
point of damage to your hit-points.
5. The lower your strength then more bounces you will see. The lower your damage
class the more bounces you will see. The lighter weight a weapon is vs the armor its
hitting the more bounces you will see.
6. In reverse to #5, all of those secondary-damage statements (often referred to as
extra-damage statements) such as "it was a devastating blow"... "what a massive blow"
-- these merely show that you hit your opponent with enough damage to exceed the
computer secondary-damage statement threshold. Your warrior caused enough damage to
exceed a programmed set number (whatever that number may be) and the fight is only
showing that you exceeded that number. The programmed number for the secondary-damage
threshold is a Hard number: it is constant within the program and is used for all
fights and all warriors. It is not random. It has nothing to do with how much
damage you did in relation to your opponent's hit-points either. If you exceed that
number in damage, you get a printed statement showing that to be the case. There is
no such thing as Extra-Damage. -- Pagan
Question, turn 398:
All -- If you lower your kill desire in desperation, do you have less of a chance of
being killed? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Replies, turn 399:
Q.O.W. -- I think that if your KD is lower in desperation, you're more likely to
surrender than draw out the fight. Drawing out the fight by having a higher KD gives
the attacker more chance to kill you. But you could defend and make a come-back.
But that higher KD also lowers your defensive ability somewhat. -- Adie
Hanibal's Q.o.W -- Yes, lowering your own KD helps keep you alive and allows you to
surrender...hopefully in time. -- Armalias
Hanibal -- The choice of kill desire in desperation seems to be a very tactically
important one. I do believe that lowering kill desire will tend to preserve a
warrior's life by making him give up (and end the fight) sooner. This also means
the warrior may end up losing fights he could have won if he had hung around. I
think scum strategy is a good example of this. While it may be counterintuitive, a
good scum strategy involves using a moderate to high kill desire. This is done to
prevent them from giving up prematurely. Also, most managers don't care too much if
their scum gets killed, so there's no point to running with a low KD. There's a very
good article on the total parry written by Scrag, in which this scheme is discussed.
Maybe you saw it in Noblish. Personally, I either lower or raise KD in desperation,
based on my expectations for a particular warrior. I think it was Miles that first
wrote on this way of looking at kill desire, and I believe it to be the most correct.
Other published theories, such as Jessie Jest's, are variably more questionable.
(But then, everything Jessie Jest wrote should be taken with a grain of salt.) --
Generalissimo Puerco
Question, turn 399:
All -- If you have 18 HP and cannot take a lot of punishment and raise con once to
normal--20 HP, does the rating affect the rate at which you take damage or do you
just have 2 more Hit Points? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Replies, turn 400:
Hanibal's QOW -- I think you just get a bump in hit points. But that little bump
makes a big difference. I think armor and warrior experience are the only factors
that affect the rate of damage per blow. -- Adie
P.S. There's a new chart for hit points that is more accurate and does not involve a
luck factor.
Hanibal -- I think the amount of damage a warrior can take is not variable but
constant. The variables in the equation are: the weapon being struck with and the
armor it is striking, and the attack and damage-dealing ability of the warrior doing
the swinging. Not to mention kill desire, as discussed last turn. -- Generalissimo
Puerco
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===---
Duelmasters
-----------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 696): G-STRING of HOT STUFF (Papa Bear, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 698): ITCHY FROGGY of KAOS FROTS (Grimm, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 626): FLOYD CASTAWAY of ARCANE ROYALTY (Destitute Noble, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 692): SUNDOG of GREENWARDENS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 694): GOOD AS GOLD of GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 685): BOROMIR of IN MIDDLE EARTH (?, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 686): WATER WORKS of MONOPOLY (Sherlock, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 345): COLGATE SMILE of MY GENERATION (Storm Lord, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 683): PLUTONIUM PUNCH of METAL MINCERS (Oremaster, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 343): XANDAR of AVENGERS (Huckle Cat?, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 680): DISTORTION of DEATH BY DESIGN (Bubba Ganoosh, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 677): HEADLESS NORSEMAN of HALLOWEINERS (The Dark One)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 669): MONKEY MAN of REALLY? (Dr. Grimley, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 627): KIRVINJ of THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 320): ROSELYN of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 315): SPAWN of FANTASTIC FIVE (?, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 301): 4-H of LIFE IMPACTS (Coach, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 559): TIKI LA'BANE of INCONSISTENT FURY (Banthius, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 544): Q MARK of UNNAMEABLES (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 526): DEEMER EPPT of MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 520): KURLO TEN DOSHAN of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 250): BOOB of PALINDROMES (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 481): NEGATIVE ONE of NUMB-ERS (Sherlock, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 476): INCREDIBLE SPEED of CRITICALS (Howlin' Wolf, mgr)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 467): KURTAL DUCK of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 584): NIGHTCAP of DARKLINGS (She-Puppy, mgr.)
Top Teams
---------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 696): HOT STUFF (Papa Bear, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 698): DREAMERS (Sleepy, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 626): POSITION IS EMPTY
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 692): INK & STEEL RETRO (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 694): GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 685): 82ND ILLINOIS (Otto X, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 686): MONOPOLY (Sherlock, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 345): PHANTACITY (Omega, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 683): STREET WALKERS (Roadkill, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 343): AVENGERS (Huckle Cat?, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 680): DEVIL ADVOCATES (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 677): THE SEWING CIRCLE (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 669): REALLY? (Dr. Grimley, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 627): THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 320): DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 315): VEGAN CANNIBALS (The Anarchist, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 301): LIFE IMPACTS (Smitty, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 559): POSITION IS EMPTY
DM 60 ARADI (turn 544): RED DOG GANG (Spot, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 526): MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 520): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 250): MIDDLE WAY 18 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 481): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 476): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 467): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 584): DIRT DEVILS et al. (The Dark One, mgr.)
Recent Graduates
-----------------
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 697): XENOPHANES of DREAMERS (Sleepy, mgr.)
KUNG PO FROG of KAOS FROGS (Grimm, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 685): BOROMIR of IN MIDDLE EARTH (?, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 686): WATER WORKS of MONOPOLY (Sherlock, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 682): MISS CONDUCT of STREET WALKERS (Roadkill, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 679): DEE N. EMMI of DEVIL ADVOCATES (The Dark One, mgr.)
TIA MATTE of DEVIL ADVOCATES (The Dark One, mgr.)
S.W.A.T. of SECRET SQUIRRELS (Gentleben, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 519): ON THE CORNER of BASH BROS EVANGELIST
(Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 249): PANAMA OATES of MIDDLE WAY 18 (Jorja, mgr.)
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
A beautiful triangle. Monopoly can beat me, I can beat the NPCs, and the NPCs
can beat Monopoly. Alas but all that ends this turn. I am off to Erinika, where
I've been told I will fight soon, if not immediately.
Next turn we will have a new Duelmaster. Dutiful has the inside track and a win
should give him the throne.
We've done our worst to the phone lines here in Noblish Island, but our time has
come. Good bye!
Busy
SPY REPORT
Well, what are you looking at, NOBLISH ISLAND? Ain't you never seen Snide
Clemens before? Ah, shaddup and listen to my news. Later days, BRIDGE BURNERS,
since BASH BROS TELEPHONE took top team from you this turn, you guys are old news.
If this keeps up, BLOODY VIXENS, you'll have to shine swords instead of use them. A
drop of 4 in the rankings? BASH BROS TELEPHONE turned their 3-2-0 turn into a 1st
place rank in the listings this turn. Any better than this, and you get put on hit
lists. Gee, I'm impressed, a 4-1-0 is nice, but don't get cocky, LOW ROAD 3, the
Fates teach humility, and the Fates are proud. NOBLISH ISLAND saw the first turn for
NOISEMAKERS, a 2-1-0, and some teams are scared, others are too arrogant to notice.
Take note friends, take note. Of course, we're all terribly impressed to see TRUTTS
win a fight and gain 21 points, terribly. Tsk, tsk, DUTIFUL beat CAREERS and CAREERS
lost 13 points. You're breakin' my heart. And if variety is the spice of life,
NOBLISH ISLAND may be getting bland, as BUSY stays top dog in the city. Kickbacks
and bribes, kickbacks and bribes, how else do you think some of these guys win their
fights? Skill? Ha!
He who fights and runs away will live to fight another day, the coward. NOBLISH
ISLAND, I am losing what little hope I had in you. BASH BROS TELEPHONE the most
avoided team? What insult will suffice, I cannot say. And who led the way in this
mass act of cowardice? Let's see, well, whatcha know? It was FAVORITE GAMES. Ha ha
ha ha! DROPPED CALL was challenged more times this turn than the Duelmaster. Now
was the DM insulted or feared? Heh, heh. Looks like time for laurels or hemlock,
STATIC was challenged by STAR GIRL, who was ranked 26 points below him. But here's a
pretty tale--STAR GIRL did lose the fight, but gained 3 worth of recognition. Some
long shots can pay off, I guess. I guess I can give a little credit to BARBRA JEAN
of KNIGHT LIFE for challenging up by 19 to CANNOT HEAR. BARBRA JEAN lost to get 7
points of recognition.
Some people like volunteer work in the hospitals. I volunteer for NOBLISH
ISLAND's morgue. More variety. Three down, and one turn to go for OLIVA GALVARIUS
to call in the bloodfeud against DUTIFUL, else ELIN TOECHU is but small history.
Titanium shields and bamboo daggers, guess what brave team is developing these kinds
of weapons?
What does the NOBLISH ISLAND arena have in common with the inns? It's just as
comfortable to sleep in either place. Ha ha ha ha! Just wait 'till next time I show
up here, I won't be so nice! So nyaaah! Glad to see the back of this place-- Snide
Clemens
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
BUSY 9223 8 2 0 91 BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
DUTIFUL 9237 6 0 2 77 THE FARSEERS (1591)
MONOPOLY 9217 7 3 0 75 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
CHELSEA NOREN 9228 6 3 0 58 LOW ROAD 3 (1589)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
ALLANA LORIMER 9230 8 1 1 55 LOW ROAD 3 (1589)
CAREERS 9216 7 3 0 55 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
POKER 9219 6 4 0 45 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
-CORSAIR 7244 0 1 0 41 KISS OF DEATH (1249)
BAUS 9246 4 0 0 38 CRIT-GIVERS (1593)
CONTRACT BRIDGE 9218 7 3 0 36 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
TRUTTS 9245 2 4 0 33 BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
STATIC 9222 6 4 0 31 BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
NOT IN SERVICE 9225 6 4 0 31 BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
BELTRAN MOSS 9229 5 4 1 30 LOW ROAD 3 (1589)
CHESS 9220 7 3 0 29 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
SYRA SHORTER 9303 3 0 0 28 OLIVA GALVARIUS (1586)
CANNOT HEAR 9221 7 3 0 27 BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
KEN DO 9274 3 0 0 27 KNIGHT LIFE (1597)
DROPPED CALL 9224 4 6 0 25 BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
THE FOOL 9236 4 2 0 25 THE FARSEERS (1591)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
DELISE ORM 9227 4 5 0 23 LOW ROAD 3 (1589)
KALAM 9271 3 0 1 21 BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
DUMB BULL 8644 2 1 1 20 DRAGONS (1491)
ERBIN PARNAN 9226 5 4 0 19 LOW ROAD 3 (1589)
SORRY 9243 2 4 0 19 BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
PICKER 9244 3 2 1 18 BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
CHADE 9238 2 4 0 16 THE FARSEERS (1591)
SHREWD 9306 1 1 0 15 THE FARSEERS (1591)
STORMY 9242 3 3 1 13 BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
-FRAU FORALYSE 9297 1 0 0 13 DIE TODESBLUMEN (1602)
-MAC D 9304 1 0 1 11 BLOODY VIXENS (1595)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-EHLONNA GODKISSED 9293 1 0 0 11 THE HERQULOIDS (1601)
-FRAU LYDESSIA 9299 1 0 0 11 DIE TODESBLUMEN (1602)
FITZCHIVALRY 9239 2 4 0 10 THE FARSEERS (1591)
PAZOW! 9319 1 0 0 10 NOISEMAKERS (1605)
-FRAU KYRIENA 9298 1 0 0 10 DIE TODESBLUMEN (1602)
CRASH-BONG! 9320 1 0 0 9 NOISEMAKERS (1605)
AFRODYKIE 9247 2 2 0 8 CRIT-GIVERS (1593)
-UGHH 9292 1 0 0 8 THE HERQULOIDS (1601)
BARBRA JEAN 9273 2 1 0 7 KNIGHT LIFE (1597)
HARDY 9250 1 3 0 6 CRIT-GIVERS (1593)
STAR GIRL 8640 0 4 0 6 DRAGONS (1491)
-MA'TEE 9263 1 2 0 5 BLOODY VIXENS (1595)
POINTY END OUT 9302 1 1 0 4 CRIT-GIVERS (1593)
-HARSHNAG THE GRIM 8875 0 4 0 4 DRAGONS (1491)
-SULL 9294 0 1 0 3 THE HERQULOIDS (1601)
MISHA OGLONDORA 9259 0 3 0 3 OLIVA GALVARIUS (1586)
-TWINKLES 9262 0 2 0 2 BLOODY VIXENS (1595)
-MINDY V 9276 0 2 0 2 KNIGHT LIFE (1597)
-HONEY BEE 9264 0 2 0 2 BLOODY VIXENS (1595)
-MI MI 9261 0 2 0 2 BLOODY VIXENS (1595)
-BEAST 9272 0 2 0 2 KNIGHT LIFE (1597)
-FRAU ELYSE 9300 0 1 0 1 DIE TODESBLUMEN (1602)
CY LENT 9305 0 1 0 1 KNIGHT LIFE (1597)
-KONANN CEE 9296 0 1 0 1 THE HERQULOIDS (1601)
-FRAU SOLRAIA 9301 0 1 0 1 DIE TODESBLUMEN (1602)
SLAM-OW! 9318 0 1 0 1 NOISEMAKERS (1605)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
GLITTER 9265 1 1 1 BLOODY VIXENS 1595 STORMY 9242 349
KALAM 9241 0 2 0 BRIDGE BURNERS 1592 BELTRAN MOSS 9229 347 REVENGED
SEQUOIA 9249 2 2 0 CRIT-GIVERS 1593 DUMB BULL 8644 351
VISTAFIN 9248 1 1 0 CRIT-GIVERS 1593 PICKER 9244 348
DEEJAY GEE 9275 0 1 0 KNIGHT LIFE 1597 KALAM 9271 349
ELIN TOECHU 9208 6 1 1 OLIVA GALVARIUS 1586 DUTIFUL 9237 348
MAXOR STEELSTRIK 9295 0 1 0 THE HERQULOIDS 1601 MAC D 9304 350
PERSONAL ADS
A quick symposion of the variability in D2, and how things can fall apart quickly...
Gamemaster's team is riding high through 8 rounds winning 75%. (Lucky dog!) He has
a fine slasher Duelmaster. THEN The duelmaster loses to an NPC--Venomous Concubine--
on a match. NPCs CAN win. All else, including 2 challenges go wrong, for four more
losses, an opher is recorded, and "Don't lose your day job!" is heard in the
background. Life is sweet, but it stinks! -- Gamemaster
Hah, Assur, at least I don't have to write a DM Column. -- Gamemaster
Sin Rownstar -- Indeed, it was with a fit of gluttony that I scarfed all eight awards
a turn or so ago. Ow, slanderous! Did it please you better when I followed that up
with an 0-5? A dreaded opher!? -- Gamemaster
P.S. Several points about those awards:
I authorized to receive them, hence I get none
I did not purposely try to keep them all from you guys
I was honored to have accomplished it.
Dutiful, Sin Rowynstar -- When one kills and then avoids fighting and/or the
bloodfeud, then the killer is well within the rules. Physically, yes. Emotionally--
no. It is common to berate the "coward" and call him ugly names. He deserves it. --
Gamemaster
The Duelmasters Sponsors Program is an old, defunct program. Consider your tutors
here in Noblish Island as your Duelmaster Sponsors. You get far more "extra" from
this arena, from these newsletters, and from these teachers, than we sponsors ever
gave one in the old days. -- Gamemaster
All -- I observed many questions asked last round. WAY TO GO!!! Virtually every
question asked previously has been answered in the last ten Noblish newsletters,
spotlights, personal ads, and attached articles. We are here for you! -- Gamemaster
(for Jorja, Assur, and Gamemaster.
You have seen the last of Gamemaster and his Favorite Games. Welcome Doctor
Dehydrate and his Drink Up team. Consortium Affiliated.
Fitzchivalry -- After seeing you fight again, it appears you are a more traditional
basher. As such, I would highly recommend fighting like a pure offensive. Light (or
no) armor, fast weapon, and run hot (both offensive effort and activity level high to
very high). You can for sure use WH (which is one of the faster weapons) and ML
against heavy is not a bad start. But drop some of the armor, for sure. Static is a
tankish type of basher, which explains why he runs in heavy armor. And Static runs
very hot in minute 1. -- Assur (Static's stats are 17-18-10-17-9-8-5)
Chade -- Everything about what I saw with your fight looked good from my end. You'll
win some of those, you'll lose some of those. Experience mismatch didn't help you.
-- Assur
For those wishing to run ABs, ABs get double attack skills for high deftness values.
This means that 21 deftness is highly desired for ABs. Most managers don't hesitate
to make 17 deftness ABs, and some are fine with certain designs on 15 deftness. But
so you know, most of the ABs you'll face in opposition will have 21 deftness. --
Assur
Cannot Hear started as 7-3-15-12-10-13-10. He clearly is a pure offensive, so I
quickly add points to put wit at 17 and deftness at 11. Since I like to make most of
my offensives bashers I need to do something about endurance (low str/con/spd) and
weapon selection. Adding 3 to str and 5 to will gives a solid basher at 10-3-15-17-
15-13-11 lacking one strength initially for well suited to QS. Assur really should
have trained that to 11 early, because it could have increased damage to great and
removed the penalty for using QS with 10 str. He chose to train skills instead.
Not in Service was delivered as 12-12-7-9-10-10-10. A very flexible setup. 12 str/7
siz is a very good combination for those two stats, so I'll look elsewhere first.
Deftness 11 is great for any warrior that isn't an AB. Adding 6 each to wit and will
is never a bad idea, and looks like a fine thing to do on this setup. Last point on
Con and I've got a hybrid. Many would recommend 15 will and 14 con, but I ended with
12-13-7-15-16-10-11. I chose WOS, but TP or L would have been good choices as well.
I also considered maxing str and con instead of will, but I already had two other
warriors that looked like that.
Answers:
-- Challenges / Avoids. That is a tricky question, but I always consider it along
the lines of the way I think of warriors. Pure Offensives/Pure Defensives/Hybrids.
What am I? What do I have the best chance of beating? If I'm a really fast (high
decise) pure offensive, then other offensives are a great choice. If I'm a pure
defensive, high endurance burn styles are usually best. There are charts published
in the newsletters which give some standard challenges that are good to make, but
nothing is 100%, and individual warriors of a style may not be the best challenge.
As an example, Pure Defensives love challenging lungers, but there are lungers to
avoid, as well.
-- Duelmasters Sponsor program is I believe a defunct program to help new players
come up to speed. This arena is the replacement, with Jorja, myself (Assur), and
Consortium (currently Gamemaster) being active participants to assist you.
-- You did great with the Bagman charts!
-- Skill learning is random (as is much in this game). Over time, you can expect
most warriors to learn approximately your wit divided by 10 skills per fight. Some
learn faster, some learn slower. There are other factors involved in learning, but
they aren't as well understood.
Sir Rowynstar -- Run? Why would I do that? -- Dutiful
Sir Rowynstar -- What other arenas do you run teams in that would be fun for a new
manager? -- The Catalyst, mgr the Farseers
Misha -- Do I smell a spy? -- Dutiful
Ughh -- Your hit bounced off and I still fell down. I was not expecting that. The
last minute had me thinking you ran out of steam. Good win though. -- Shrewd
Bridge Burners -- Great, now I have to catch back up to you. More work for me. --
The Catalyst
Die Todesblumen -- Welcome to the Noblish Island sands, may your blood litter the
arena. -- The Catalyst
The Herquloids -- It seems our first meeting did not go so well, maybe next time it
will show me more favor. -- The Catalyst, mgr the Farseers
Kalam -- The gods must like you. May yor eyes never see Ken Do's. -- Beast
Misha and Frau Solraia -- The crowds may not like my slow pace, but it wins the race.
:) -- Barbra Jean
Harshnag the Grim -- Our fight lasted longer than I believed, I'm sorry, I try not
to play too much. NEXT! -- Ken Do
Frau Lydessia -- I know another Shewish Giant you could get with, Sequoia, you two
would make an ugly pair. :P -- MIndy V
All -- Does anyone know how to guess how many skills one needs to get a rating of
expert? I hear about a Bagman 2 chart but have not seen one. Also, has anyone ever
taken their very warrior to AD, or does it take more? -- Uncle D, mgr Knight Life
Uncle D -- Ask questions, and we'll do our best to answer, it's what Assur and
Gamemaster and myself are here for. -- Jorja, the Low Road
Sir Rowynstar -- The editor answered correctly. In game terms, you are allowed to
sit out a bloodfeud with no penalty. But other managers, especially those injured by
the killing, take it badly. -- Jorja
To the unidentified questioner:
Choice of arenas after chartering: See responses in the previous newsletter.
Clearly, Assur and I have different ideas about where to go--the ones on his list are
more difficult and challenging than my list.
Challenge and avoid strategies, eh. It's been so many years since I did much of
anything in the way of challenging and avoiding, I can't be much help there. Sorry.
Duelmasters Sponsor Program: Is that still in effect? One of the problems with
the rotating spotlights and articles in this arena (everything repeats on a ten-turn
cycle) is that some of the stuff is obsolete.
Skills calculation: Definitely a question for Gamemaster and Assur.
Skills not learned: Bad luck, short fights, the wrong opponents.
Charts: There are probably others, but you've got the best already.
Sorry -- That was well done. Jorja'd probably go for a heavier weapon, she's a
basher at heart, you know, but you didn't seem to feel any lack with what you had. --
Beltran Moss
Poker -- You can open with a pair of jacks, but my three of a kind beats you. --
Allana Lorimer
Contract Bridge -- I distrust contracts, and I got a Bash Bros Lawyer to look over
that one. Found me a loophole! -- Chelsea Noren
The Fool -- It might simply have been the experience difference that tripped you,
BUT... you might think about dropping your offhand weapon. Sometimes that helps.
And/or getting something edged for your primary. -- Erbin Parnan
Cannot Hear -- Me, either. -- Delise Orm
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
SORRY slimly lost to BELTRAN MOSS in a 2 minute bloody Bloodfeud fight.
CONTRACT BRIDGE viciously subdued DROPPED CALL in a 2 minute Challenge battle.
CHADE was demolished by BAUS in a 1 minute uneven Challenge fight.
CHESS devastated STORMY in a slow 6 minute one-sided Challenge contest.
FITZCHIVALRY was demolished by DELISE ORM in a 1 minute Challenge competition.
THE FOOL unbelievably bested PICKER in a crowd pleasing 11 minute Challenge fight.
STAR GIRL was beaten by STATIC in a crowd pleasing 1 minute gory Challenge brawl.
SHREWD handily defeated MISHA OGLONDORA in a 4 minute uneven Challenge melee.
POINTY END OUT was vanquished by KEN DO in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge duel.
AFRODYKIE was vanquished by SYRA SHORTER in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge fight.
BARBRA JEAN was beaten by CANNOT HEAR in a 1 minute Challenge melee.
BUSY beat MONOPOLY in a 2 minute Title fight.
CAREERS was demolished by DUTIFUL in a crowd pleasing 1 minute mismatched match.
ALLANA LORIMER devastated THE USEROUS MERCHANT in a 1 minute one-sided battle.
CHELSEA NOREN devastated CAPTURED ORC in a 1 minute bloody mismatched bout.
NOT IN SERVICE was savagely defeated by POKER in a popular 4 minute bloody duel.
ERBIN PARNAN was vanquished by TRUTTS in a crowd pleasing 1 minute one-sided fray.
DUMB BULL butchered SEQUOIA in a 1 minute one-sided brawl.
HARDY was savagely defeated by CRASH-BONG! in a 3 minute brutal novice's match.
KALAM overpowered SLAM-OW! in a 1 minute mismatched fight.
CY LENT was devastated by PAZOW! in a 2 minute one-sided contest.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|BASHING ATTACK 9 STRIKING ATTACK 35 - 18 - 4 66 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 7 WALL OF STEEL 14 - 10 - 0 58 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 6 SLASHING ATTACK 23 - 17 - 1 58 |
|TOTAL PARRY 4 TOTAL PARRY 15 - 14 - 0 52 |
|AIMED BLOW 4 AIMED BLOW 18 - 17 - 0 51 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 3 LUNGING ATTACK 12 - 12 - 1 50 |
|WALL OF STEEL 3 BASHING ATTACK 38 - 43 - 4 47 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 2 PARRY-STRIKE 3 - 4 - 1 43 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 - 6 - 0 25 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 - 0 0 |
Turn 351 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:
TOTAL PARRY 3 - 1 BASHING ATTACK 4 - 5 4 STRIKING ATTACK
LUNGING ATTACK 2 - 1 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 2 SLASHING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK 4 - 2 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 2 2 LUNGING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL 2 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 2 1 AIMED BLOW
SLASHING ATTACK 4 - 3 1 WALL OF STEEL
AIMED BLOW 2 - 2 1 BASHING ATTACK
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
AIMED BLOW BUSY 9223 8 2 0 91 BASH BROS TELEPHONE (1588)
STRIKING ATTACK DUTIFUL 9237 6 0 2 77 THE FARSEERS (1591)
SLASHING ATTACK MONOPOLY 9217 7 3 0 75 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
WALL OF STEEL CHELSEA NOREN 9228 6 3 0 58 LOW ROAD 3 (1589)
LUNGING ATTACK POKER 9219 6 4 0 45 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is CONTRACT BRIDGE 9218. The most popular warrior this
turn was PICKER 9244. The ten other most popular fighters were POKER 9219, CONTRACT
BRIDGE 9218, TRUTTS 9245, CRASH-BONG! 9320, BELTRAN MOSS 9229, NOT IN SERVICE 9225,
SORRY 9243, STATIC 9222, KEN DO 9274, and BUSY 9223.
The least popular fighter this week was CHESS 9220. The other ten least popular
fighters were STORMY 9242, THE FOOL 9236, SHREWD 9306, CY LENT 9305, SLAM-OW! 9318,
SEQUOIA 9249, BARBRA JEAN 9273, AFRODYKIE 9247, FITZCHIVALRY 9239, and CHADE 9238.
The Effects of Coordination
Coordination has long been ruled as having no effect on a warrior. I have
noticed a few things that may be the cause of certain coordination levels. So I
decided to write this article to give the general DM populace something to ponder.
Below is the coordination table:
Coordination = SP + DF
06 - 16 = Clumsy
17 - 20 = Slightly Uncoordinated
21 - 27 = Normal
28 - 31 = Highly Coordinated
32 - 39 = Very Highly Coordinated
40 - 42 = Marvel of Fighting Coordination
Since I run a lot of bashers that have a clumsy rating most of the time, I
noticed a few things that happen to them and not the high coordination warriors I
have. Most people don't have clumsy warriors, save some bashers and TPs, so it may
not be paid that much attention to.
The first thing I have noticed is that a clumsy warrior seems to drop his weapon
more often than a higher coordination warrior. So I think that maybe he has a higher
chance to do this than normally coordinated warriors.
Second, I noticed that clumsy warriors have harder time trying to quick draw
their back-up weapon, causing them to fumble around trying to get it.
Third is that the clumsy warrior also is slower to get up after he has been
knocked down. It may also influence the roll on whether you get knocked down or not,
along with other factors.
These things aren't as noticeable the higher the coordination becomes. That's
probably why a lot of people don't place any value on coordination. At the higher
levels of the game there aren't any clumsy warriors, so coordination isn't noticed.
You can still get knocked down, lose your weapon, and draw your back-up quickly, but
the odds are more in your favor with a higher coordination in my opinion.
Well, may joy and happiness be with you. If you would like to chat , I can be
reached at 103260.3347@compuserve.com
You may diplo me at LORDS OF THE ABYSS, in DM 11, or any of the JOKER'S WILDS
scattered about.
Ta-Ta,
Sir Jessie Jest
(He who always gets the last laugh......)
The Basic Ripper
Why isn't one of basic's most entertaining styles, a style capable of beating all
others, a common sight upon the sands? The myth that rippers are difficult to run and
inherently prone to dying is widely accepted. True, the graveyard is full of rippers
that began their careers running little numbers and the parry tactic. This is no
mystery given that very few rippers start with great defenses and the parry tactic
destroys a young ripper's offense. In their efforts to make better punching bags,
many managers have turned to big constitutions and heavy armor. A dose of sanity is
long overdue. If you would like to run some rippers who will survive and win, read
on.
DESIGN: My approach is somewhat unorthodox. I maintain an evolving list of
physical requirements for each style, i.e., endurance, punishment, damage, and carry
capacity. If you don't have the means to accurately forecast these ratings, ask
around. If at all possible, I first max out a new rollup's WL at a value of 15, 17,
or 21 and then compare the rollup's physical potential with each style's physical
requirements. Generally, the style that matches up best and requires me to add the
least number of points to ST and CN is the one I want. It isn't absolutely necessary
for a fighter to be physically fit at the beginning of his career. Plan ahead. Will
a few preselected attribute trains make him so? Must points be added to the rollup's
ST or CN so that he can make the grade with no more than two trains per attribute?
Which weapons will he use? With these questions answered, it's simply a matter of
taking WT to the highest odd value possible (avoid 19) and then doing the same with
DF. Godlings are not born as a results of how many points you can pump into WT, WL,
and DF; that's luck's job.
Young rippers need to be able to go fast for two minutes without tiring. If your
ripper isn't physically fit, he will slow down. If he slows down, you are gambling
with his life. The more frail the warrior, the greater the gamble. That said, if
your ripper can quickly meet the following criteria and learn reasonably well, you
will get your money's worth.
Endurance: Something in the neighborhood of 350 (that's {ST+CN}WL)
Punishment: Anywhere from the high end of very frail to midrange normal
Damage: Normal
Capacity: Cannot carry a lot (minimum ST/CN combos: 9/8, 10/7, 11/6, 12/5)
ST: 9 + Midgets need an 11 or better.
CN: See Endurance, punishment, and capacity requirements
SZ: Small (3-8) to medium (9-14)
WT: 15+ If your ripper doesn't learn, he's toast.
WL: 15+ See endurance and punishment requirements.
SP: Though frequently unimportant, it helps to have points here if you're stuck
with a few 15's in WT, WL, and DF.
DF: 15+ 13 will do if you're fortunate to have a big WT and/or WL.
Strats: X 8 9 5 5 5 8
X 8 5 3 3 3 10
X 6 7 7 7 7 5
ARM ------------------------- >
HE -------------------------- >
N --------------------------- >
N ------------------------ > R
Why the missing numbers in the first minute? You'll want to find what works for
your new ripper and possibly change his numbers as he develops. 8-8-6 is probably the
best opening minute for a young ripper. If your youngster has a high speed, try 10-
10-6. 6-8-6 is a bit slow for my taste. Nevertheless, this might be the way to go
even if your ripper doesn't need to build up his endurance. Something I call "the
change" occurs when your ripper approaches his master in riposte, his AD Ex in parry,
and Experts in attack, defense and initiative. This is a moment of decision. If your
ripper takes normal punishment, this is when you can opt to slow him down. I don't do
this, but I have seen 5-7-5 and 5-5-5 parry work rather well. It's probably wise for
a slow-running ripper to run fast in desperation. If your ripper continues to run
fast after "the change," a first minute strat of 8-10-4 often works well.
WEAPONS: A scimitar or longsword belongs in your ripper's hand. After he starts
critting, check to see if the epee is his favorite. I don't believe in heavy backups
for youngsters; a dagger will do. Most youngsters will benefit from an offhand dagger
(preferred), hatchet, or shortsword. After "the change," rippers who don't slow down
can improve the quality of their attacks by getting rid of their off hand weapons.
These guys will need a backup scimitar, longsword, or epee. Rippers who do slow down
should keep their offhand weapons.
ARMOR: Very frail rippers should debut in ASM/H. After ten fights or so, it's
probably best to go with APL/H. Guys who cannot take a lot of punishment belong in
ARM/H for their entire basic careers. Put them in ALE/H if you're feeling gutsy.
Rippers who take normal punishment can debut in APL/H, ARM/H, or ASM/H. After ten
fights or so, it's definitely time for APL/H. If you decide to slow one of these guys
down, you'd better put him back in ARM/H or ASM/H.
CHALLENGES: Scummers deserve numbers like 4-1-6; keep that big desperation,
though. If you know that an opponent is out to kick you when you're down, go with 5-
8-5 or 5-5-5 while he's playing dead and 8-8-5 and 9-5-7 when he's active. Good aimed
blows are a pain. Still, like every other style, they can be beaten with standard
strats.
Many people have contributed indirectly to the content of this article. Foremost
in my mind are The Lunatic, Scrag, Voo-Doo, U-Star, Shark, Moriarty, and Wormtongue.
Thanks. If you have a bone to pick or a story to tell, you know where to find me.
Cadmus
Wild Oats (479)
Solven, DM 22
Stimpy's Thoughts on Total Parries
part II
Well, when we last spoke I gave you a rundown on I feel TPs should be designed.
Now I will give you my ideas on how to run them.
First, you need to consider what type of warrior you now have. A total parry is
what its name suggests. Total defense. The idea around a TP is to concentrate on
defense first and utmost. Only when the situation arises will the TP decide to
attack. With this in mind NEVER run a TP with an offensive effort (OE) above 5. In
doing so you have just told your TP to do what they weren't designed to do. Go
offensive. If you want to run your TP above 5, you should have made an offensive
styled warrior, NOT a TP. By using a high OE, you cause your TP to ignore defense and
go offense. This results in numerous "flailing" and "wild" attacks. So don't do it.
While running your TP, you may find that he tends to really turn on the offense
often. That is typical, typical of a warrior who favors initiative skills. This does
not mean that you should boost your OE. What is happening is that one of your
warrior's favorite learns is initiative. So he/she will be naturally adept in
initiative. And remember that initiative is the skill that allows you to continuously
make attacks on your opponent. Since your TP decided to attack, your opponent should
be relatively worn down. So it will be hard for your opponent to steal that
initiative back from you. Hence the reason that your TP looks like an offensive
killer. But that's good. It means that you have a very dangerous warrior on your
hands. High endurance burning styles, look out!
I know, I know!!! There are managers out there still that believe in the
offensive TP and suggest using higher OE. That's all fine and dandy. Let those
managers do just that. I personally guarantee that if you run your TP with a low OE
like the style was designed to do, you'll win fights. Experiment with unorthodox
strategies when you get a better hang of the game.
Activity level (AL) is the variable in TP strategies. I would definitely begin
running a TP with a moderate/low AL. Try a 3 at first. After a few fights you'll see
if your TP likes to dodge more or parry more. It should be quite obvious; your TP
will learn more skills in his "favorite" area. Chances are, though, if your TP has
received the statement: "avoiding rather than trading blows," or "relying on his speed
to stay out of danger," your TP would rather dodge than parry. And that's just fine.
Boost your AL to about a 4 or 5. If you choose to use the dodge tactic in defense,
use AL up to 7. Beyond that tends to hurt your warrior more than it helps.
So why not go with an AL of 7 all the time if your TP likes to dodge more than
parry, you might ask? That's simple; your TP may like to dodge more, BUT HE STILL
PARRIES. So you'll need to be less active to allow your TP that choice. With an AL
of 4-5, your warrior will dodge when it is more advantageous, parry when it isn't.
Kill desire varies greatly from warrior to warrior. To be on the safe side, I
always go low KD with my TPs, until they gain expert in attack. After that point, I
may begin to experiment, seeing how my warrior reacts to various KDs. Generally, if
your warrior learns attack skills relatively well, then a higher KD won't inhibit them
at all. If this is the case, I believe that your warrior is not looking for landing
several blows to win the match (favoring initiative skills), but is instead looking to
land a few good blows (favoring attack skills). In the latter case, a moderate to
high KD may help. Keep in mind though that your TP is still defensively oriented. An
extremely high KD will cause any warrior to behave like a berserker, and may cause
your TP to make lots of bad attacks. With this in mind, stay below 7.
Now to place it all together...
Minute 1 2 3 4 5 6on Desp
OE 2 ------------------------ > varies
AL 2 ------------------------ > "
KD 2 ------------------------ > "
or
Minute 1 2 3 4 5 6on Desp
OE 2 ------------------------ > varies
AL 4 ------------------------ > "
KD 2 ------------------------ > "
These show my general strategies for parry and dodging oriented warriors,
respectively. Seldom do I use any tactics, unless I am making a challenge and wish my
warrior to behave differently to that challenge (i.e., using the dodge tactic against
a lunger). At that point I would refer to the paragraphs in the beginning to
customize that particular minute to fit the tactic.
Attack and protect locations are totally up to you. I like to protect the head
and body, while attacking the head, arms, and legs. This protects my vitals, yet can
allow my warrior to land blows on parts of the body that can cause a warrior to lose a
fight with the minimum number of hits.
Desperation is my opposite area. If I was relying on a low AL in the regular
minutes, I will boost it in desperation. While going vice versa if I had a high AL in
regular minutes.
Now the one tactic I haven't touched on is the riposte tactic. Occasionally your
TP will favor this tactic. When he does, I like to raise my OE to 3, sometimes 4, and
the AL to 4. If I use the riposte tactic, I will use 4-5 OE and a 3-5 AL. When these
numbers are any lower, your TP may refrain from attacking in a riposte situation in
favor of more defense.
I have found that these strategies work well whether your warrior fights as a
SCUM or skilled TP. If you remember from my last article, the difference between the
schools of thought are the amount of damage the warrior is willing/able to take.
Well, I hope that this has been informative for the newer players, and the older
ones, too. Good luck and see you on the sands.
Stimpy
MORE ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS
Many essays dwell on style specifics. This piece describes a playing philosophy.
When you just want to WIN, create scum TPs and size 17 monsters with impunity. Don't
worry about getting these warriors into ADM! YOU'RE concerned with winning those "Top
Team" and "Team on the Move" awards.
By comparison, managers with an excellent setup shouldn't be too concerned with
the team win/loss record. Their character must develop, gain every skill possible, in
order to blossom into a deadly duelist. THEIR goal is to advance this fighter into
ADM, and eternal life.
Here are some broad parameters for assessing a warrior's value, and a few
representative samples:
Primus Bound:
- WT, WL and DF total 49+.
- 4 or more wit statements.
- Start with Expert rating or gain it in one or two skills.
- [13-5-5-21-13-10-17, 6-6-9-17-21-9-17, 11-7-9-17-17-6-17, etc.]
Basic/ADM Only:
- WT, WL and DF total to 35+.
- At least 3 wit statements.
- Gain Expert rating in no more than five skills.
- [17-9-10-17-9-9-13, 13-11-11-17-13-8-11, 9-13-10-15-21-5-11, etc.]
Dark Arena: [Any two of these qualify the character as "expendable"]
- WT less than 13.
- Less than 3 wit statements.
- Is clumsy.
- Has very little endurance.
- [15-15-16-11-13-5-9, 7-18-13-17-5-13-11, 13-15-13-13-17-6-7, etc.]
The Primus Bound setups are rare; they are coddled, protected and sometimes
sandbagged for a year or so in order to build up a few Ad Experts to help them survive
in the arena.
The Basic/ADM Only fighters have mediocre to decent stats, and are going to be
very dependent on their overview for that elusive "luck factor." This class of
warrior should be highly competitive. Most of the fighters seen in the arena are in
this category.
Finally, the Dark Arena fighters: conceived from pitiful setups with little
chance of being competitive. However, these rollups might prove useful. Don't fight
the system; learn to use it to your advantage! Many managers send fighters to the
D.A. who might have provided them with a successful (if brief) career in Basic.
Give BIG numskulls lots of ST and SP; these are your killer LUs and STs. More WL
= LU; Higher DF = ST. (I don't advise making Bashers unless you have a 17+ wit and 15+
points in WL.) Give LITTLE morons a boost to WL, ST and CN; these are your TP scum.
If they have absolutely no WT or WL, escort them to the Dark Arena.
Of course, some fighters have good stats and decent overviews yet still lose most
of their fights in the beginning of their career. The "old" method of dealing with
this phenomenon was to bump all stats by two or more. Now, it's generally agreed that
this increases performance at the cost of future skill learns. This takes away from a
duelist's competitive abilities in the higher levels of play. Competitive fighters
should be making as few stat raises as possible until they have "maxed out" in at
least three of four skill areas. (Some managers advocate waiting until a character is
completely "maxed out" before raising stats; this will take a long time for most
warriors.)
Some warriors (particularly the finesse styles: AB, PR, PL, PS) take a little
longer to develop. If they DON'T have the stats or the overview to raise visions of a
Primus inductee, take a HARD look at their potential. Will stat raises help? Well
they come easily? Is the rest of the team strong? How much money are you willing to
invest in this character?
ANYONE can create an awe-inspiring fighter by adding a couple of points to key
stats. It means the fighter may lose some of its long-term potential, but so what?
Duelmaster, Most Popular Fighter, Best Win/Loss Record, etc. all equate into free
fights and recognition. If you don't have that Godling in your stable, what other
goal might you have but to excel in your arena?!!
I urge new managers to run EVERY setup at least once in the arena. Look on
rollups as a challenge; try to make the best killer or scum possible out of Dark Arena
material. There's a tremendous amount of experience to be gained by this.
See what effect a high ST or DF has on specific styles; compare overviews to find
what works and what doesn't; gain new insights on character design. You will enjoy
playing far more than you do now! You might even come up with a better way of
designing a character for a specific style, and write an article to share your views.
The point is, DON'T wait around for the "right" rollup, or waste time and money
(or sentiment) on characters who aren't doing anything for you. Play the percentages.
If a promising warrior is losing repeatedly, be patient. Once a few AdExperts are
gained he will probably turn things around. If you Dark Arena Mutant loses a lot and
his scumminess or killer-design aren't working, either bump a couple of stats or DA
him. If your scum/killer goes out there and wins a few, start paying attention to
challenges/avoids (which you SHOULD be doing anyway). Send that scum against a LU or
ST; send that monster ST against a midget Parry-whatever. Style vs. style matchups
are crucial in the early careers of EVERY fighter.
Generally, even lousy STs, LUs, BAs and TPs do well starting out. Later the
finesse styles--PL, PS, PR, AB--usually take over. Summary: Recognize the difference
between playing "to win" and playing "longterm." Start noticing which teams have high
win/loss percentages: what kind of warriors are they running? Start sending diplos;
don't be bashful. You can bring that win/loss to a respectable level with careful
play, short-term Mutant killers and scum, and the occasional stat-bump for those
mediocre fighters whom you plan on retiring later. Try it and see. It gives the game
more spice, you win more often, and you have more FUN! And just remember... I told
you so!
Diplo me with comments, questions, rebuke:
-- The Arcane Kid, of Astral Kin in Osksi (DM-3)
"Favorite Weapons"
One of the best ways to improve a warrior's record in basic is to find his
favorite weapon. The effect of using a favorite weapon is that a warrior's attack
ability will improve. A warrior will throw more critical attacks, improve the odds to
inflict critical damage, and make attacks that are more difficult to dodge and parry.
There are two methods used to find a favorite weapon. The first is, "Don't worry
about it. They tell you when you get to ADM anyway." While some managers have the
patience to wait that long, I would rather have my favorite in hand in fight one!
The second method is called, "Charting." The way I chart weapons is I break
down, statistically, my warrior's attacks with a particular weapon. (No, it's not
difficult to do!) I chart 4 categories, (1) Total number of attacks, (2) Total number
of crit attacks, (3) Total number of crit damages, (4) Total number of knockdowns.
(1) Total number of attacks (#ATT) -- Record the total number of attacks with the
weapon in question, including hits, crits, misses, parried attacks, dodged attacks,
and wild swings.
(2) Total number of crit attacks (C ATT) -- Record the total number of critical
attacks with the weapon in question. Do not get good attacks confused with critical
attacks. A good attack is a statement that is more descriptive than, "strikes with
dagger," but is not as spectacular as a critical. An example of a good attack is,
"Bats outward with her quarterstaff," or, "Makes a lunging attack wielding a short
spear." These are more descriptive but are not outstanding. A critical attack is
exemplified by spectacular statements such as; "Catapults forward, longsword stabbing
cruelly at his foe," "Punches with piston-like horsefelling power," or "Hatchet
flashes with snake-like speed and accuracy." As you can see, crit attacks are very
obvious.
(3) Total number of crit damages (C DAM) -- A crit damage statement will signify
a significant amount of additional damage and is typified by a statement such as;
"Spectators cringe as the horrific power of the blow strikes home" or "It was a
devastating attack."
(4) Total number of knockdowns (# KD) -- Record every time an opponent is knocked
off his feet with the weapon in question.
The next step is to convert this data into a usable format. To do this I divide
the last three categories by the first. This gives a "batting average" of sorts.
EXAMPLE: Dark One fights his first three fights with a scimitar. In those three
fights Dark One made 16 attacks, 2 crit attacks, 4 crit damage, and 1 knockdown. This
breaks down as such:
C ATT = .125
C DAM = .25
# KD = .06
Remember, the more fights with the weapon, the more accurate your chart will be.
Looking at Dark One's performance with the scimitar we can conclude that it is
not his favorite weapon. I determine this by looking at the three categories in order
of precedence.
First I look at C ATT:
.00-.25 Doubtful
.25-.35 Slight possibility
.35-.50 Very possible
.50 + BINGO!
If your warrior is critting 50% of the time, stick with that weapon. Favorite or
not, it is VERY effective.
Next is crit damage. This is trickier to look at, as the primary chance to do
critical damage is primarily based on strength.
Does little 0%
Normal 1-5% (style dependent)
Good 10%
Great 25%
Tremendous 50%
Awesome 75%
Look for increases in the expected average crit rate. These numbers may be a
little off as I don't have a large enough sample of warriors with high damage ratings.
In the example, Dark One rated at 25%, and with his great damage rating it appears he
is not doing any additional crits.
Finally, knockdowns. I don't have a fast and easy rule for this, but anything
over 15% or 20% if attacking the legs, could bear investigating. It's best to look at
all three and infer a weapon's performance.
Dark One switches to a short spear and after 4 fights has 15 attacks, 7 crit
attacks, 6 crit damages and 2 knockdowns.
C ATT = .466
C DAM = .40
# KD = .13
This weapon suits him much better. His crit percentage is up for all categories.
This weapon has a very good chance to be his favorite weapon. In this example it
wasn't, but his W/L record improved with 6 straight wins. (By the way, the names and
weapons have been changed but the numbers are from one of my ADM warriors.)
Okay, I've figured out that the weapon I'm using is not my favorite. What now?
There are some indicators to help you. Look at how your warrior uses his current
weapon. If he likes to slash a lot, stay with a slashing weapon. Also, look at good
attacks. If a warrior makes quite a few good attacks with the weapon, try a weapon
that is used in a similar fashion. I.E. epee is used in similar fashion to a long
sword. Dark One loved to lunge with his scimitar at a 3:1 ratio. Try weapons that
fit your stats at first but don't be afraid to try a weapon that is out of your stat
parameters. Should you find your favorite and you don't have the strength, size and
deftness to use it, who cares. The fact that it's your favorite will nullify or
minimize all those penalties.
I know that this is a question on the mind of new managers, as it was for me when
I was new to the game. I hope someone can get some good use out of this article and
expand upon the charting method in their own way. If you have any questions,
comments, additions, or criticism please feel free to Diplo.
-- Abe
Ango (DM 64, 103)
Imploding Ducks (DM 19, 103)