DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 06/16/2012 Duedate: 06/29/2012
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-353
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
DUTIFUL
THE FARSEERS (1591)
(93-9237) [8-0-2,83]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY DUTIFUL
THE FARSEERS (1591)
(93-9237) [8-0-2,83]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
DUTIFUL UGHH
THE FARSEERS (1591) THE HERQULOIDS (1601)
(93-9237) [8-0-2,83] (93-9292) [2-1-0,17]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. BRIDGE BURNERS (1592) 57
2. THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610) 42 DYSERAY (312)
3. THE HERQULOIDS (1601) 37 Unchartered Team
4. DRAGONS (1491) 28
5. GATHERING (1603) 17 DRINK UP (1604)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1- 3*NOISEMAKERS (1605) 2 1 0 66.7 1/ 1*BRIDGE BURNERS (1592) 10 5 0
2/ 1*DRINK UP (1604) 6 4 0 60.0 2/ 3*THE FARSEERS (1591) 8 7 0
3/ 2*BASH BROS BASHERS (1606) 5 4 0 55.6 3/ 6*THE HERQULOIDS (1601) 6 4 0
4/ 7*BRIDGE BURNERS (1592) 21 17 3 55.3 4/ 5*DRINK UP (1604) 6 4 0
5- 6*CRIT-GIVERS (1593) 11 9 0 55.0 5/ 7*BASH BROS BASHERS (1606) 5 4 0
6/10*THE HERQULOIDS (1601) 8 7 0 53.3 6/ 4*KNIGHT LIFE (1597) 4 6 0
7/ 8*THE FARSEERS (1591) 20 20 2 50.0 7/11*GATHERING (1603) 3 7 2
8/ 9*KNIGHT LIFE (1597) 8 11 0 42.1 8- 9*NOISEMAKERS (1605) 2 1 0
9/ 0*THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610) 2 3 0 40.0 9/ 0*THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610) 2 3 0
10/12*GATHERING (1603) 3 7 2 30.0 10/13*DRAGONS (1491) 2 4 2
11/13*DRAGONS (1491) 3 13 2 18.8 11-12*CRIT-GIVERS (1593) 1 4 0
12- 0*JUSTICE LEAGUE (1088) 0 1 0 0.0 12- 0*JUSTICE LEAGUE (1088) 0 1 0
13/ 0*DRAGON DISCIPLES (1608) 0 1 0 0.0 13/ 0*DRAGON DISCIPLES (1608) 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
As the dark clouds floated over Noblish Island, the rain fell down on team
Knight Life as they walked around town. After watching their friend Beast freely and
happily walk into the Dark Arena, they all start to think about the future.
"Now that we have all paid our respects, it is time to get back to training.
Yet remember, Beast chose to go," De'von Kilder, mgr. of the team (aka "Uncle D")
said to his team.
Ken Do grinned wickedly. "With only Dutiful to fight for the Duelmaster place,
I shall make him kiss my blade, and it will be MINE!"
"You may win, yet do not forget: I shall be up there soon," Cy Lent replied.
"Brag all you want now, but when you are in that sandbox, keep your mind on your
training," Uncle D instructed. "Ken Do, no one can match your speed, yet someone may
come who may be smarter or be able to last longer."
"Yeah, like me!" a smiling Barbra Jean said.
"Baby Girl, you're beautiful, but you can't even spar with me," Ken Do replied.
As Barbra Jean stuck out her tongue, Mindy V said, "I need to try something new.
What I'm doing now isn't working."
"Mindy, I believe I've found the perfect thing for you. Everyone else, we are
going after all these new teams just to show them who is boss now," Uncle D declared.
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WARRIOR SKILL BASE, A REAL LIFE EXAMPLE
Today, using the CIC (I am sure you all have requested and received your copies
from RSI by now.) we will take a real life example to predict and determine starting
skills.
"Chronic Pain" 32-4593 of team Disillusioned was designed from 5-6-18-10-8-10-13
to be a 9-6-18-15-9-10-17 striker. First, we will predict his skill base. Then we
will observe his initial warrior profile. Lastly, we will summarize what we know
about any skill bonuses he might have.
For the purposes of this lecture, we will use the following code: for stats-- ST
= strength, CN = con, SZ = size, WT = wit, WL = will, SP = speed, and DF = deftness;
for skills - I = initiative, R = riposte, A = attack, P = parry, F = defense, and D =
decisiveness.
Using the BAGMAN2 SKILL CHART from the CIC, we see that:
9 ST provides 2 A and 2 P
6 CN provides no skills
18 SZ provides 2 I and negative/minus 2 P and 2 F
15 WT provides 9 I, 3 R, 7 A, 7 F, and 2 D
9 WL provides 2 A, 2 P, 2 F, 3 D
10 SP provides 2 I, 3 R, 2 F 4 D
17 DF provides 6 I, 7 R, 8 A, 8 P, 8 F
Totaling this created skills of 17,13,19,10,17,9 (always speak I,R,A,P,F,D in that
order)
Sounds pretty awesome so far! But next we must apply the style modifications,
from the STYLE MODIFIER CHART in the CIC. This warrior is a STRIKER, and the chart
indicates that striker skill mods are -7, -4, -12, -9, -12, -1. (Again, always using
the order, I,R,A,P,F,D.) A different style would have quite different modifiers, all
of which are zero or negative modifiers.
Combining(adding) the skills from BAGMAN2 and STYLE MODIFIER indicates that
Chronic Pain would expect starting skills of 10I ,9R ,7A,1P ,5F ,8D. One note to
this is that on the Terrablood website is a module which allows one to input the stat
numbers and the starting skills and the expected warrior profile is provided. But,
today, we are learning "long hand."
Okay, now, let's check to see if we can predict any wit statements. (Wit
statements, if any, always appear on the warrior profile just below the intelligence
/ wit level.) These are key to determining skill bonuses or hoses. Using the HIGH
WIT STATEMENT chart, checking first initiative (I), we see that at 15WT (In this
example, we will always use the 15WT line on each skill because the warrior in
question has 15WT.), and low order, 10-12 skills should provide a "With a very
aggressive and clever fighting skill" statement. Continuing to riposte, we have nine
skills which is lower that the low order requirement of 10, so we should expect no
riposte statement. Our expected 7 attack skills do, however, indicate that we should
get the "Has an unusual fighting style that confuses many opponents" statement. Our
one parry skill will not get us a statement as 6 skills are required to get anything.
And lastly, our 5 defense skills should get us the low order (3-6 base skills
required) defense statement of "avoids blows well." To summarize we expect three wit
statements, one each for I, A, and F.
Using the CIC, we can also predict endurance, punishment level (hit points),
carry, and damage-doing, so let's also do that. Endurance = WLx(ST+CN) = 9x(9+6) =
135, which indicates "very little" on the CIC. Hit points are 3.75CN+(1.1SZ+0.4WL) =
3.75x6 + (1.1x18 + 0.4X9) = 22.5+19.8+3.6 = 45.9 = "Cannot take a lot." Carry (per
the encumbrance chart) for 9ST and 6 CN = "A carry", which is very little or 9 points
carry max. And lastly, damage-doing, per the damage chart, for 9ST and 18SZ =
"great."
We have concluded our "predictions" or "expectations", and when we get the
warrior profile, we will know what the warrior truly has, and whether or not he is
hosed or bonused anywhere. So let's see what the actual Chronic Pain warrior profile
said.
CHRONIC PAIN
Fights using the STRIKING ATTACK style
Is AMBIDEXTROUS
Is INTELLIGENT
nothing short of a genius at keeping his foes off balance and in trouble
has an unusual fighting style that confuses many opponents
avoids blows well
has POOR ENDURANCE
CANNOT take a LOT of PUNISHMENT
Can only carry a VERY LITTLE WEIGHT in armor and weapons
Does GREAT DAMAGE
STRENGTH = 9
CONSTITUTION = 6
SIZE = 18
WIT = 15
WILL = 9
SPEED = 10
DEFTNESS = 17
So what does this profile tell us about the warrior. First, accept that the
profile is "true." We may have been calculating and predicting from charts and data
before, but what is on the profile is the warrior in fact.
Notice first, the ambidextrous bonus. This is special. Being left or right
handed is merely a statement, but being ambidextrous adds one attack skill to the
warrior's base. Had we known the warrior was going to be ambi, we would have added
one attack skill to our prediction, making his predicted base attack at 8. (But, of
course, we didn't/couldn't.)
The warrior has three statements under wit/intelligence. The first is the
Initiative statement, but not the one we predicted. If you look on the HIGH WIT
chart, you will see that the "nothing short of genius..." is a high order statement,
indicating 13+ Init skills! Great! We predicted 10! He as 13I+. Therefore, he is
bonused +3 or +4. As to riposte, we expected no statement at 9 skills, and he got
none. Hence, we could consider that he is mode, but, in actuality, we only truly
know he has less than 10 R skills since he received no statement. He could, then, be
less than 9. Therefore, we know he is mode to -4 R. (+ or - 4 is the most blessing /
hosing possible.) Moving on to attack, where we expect the low order statement for
7-9 A skills. This is even after we added the one A to our calculated 7 base for the
ambi condition. Surely enough, we received the "has an unusual fighting..." we
expected, so we know this warrior has 7-9 A skills. We expect 8, so he could be from
-1 to +1A. There is no wit statement for parry, nor did we expect one as his
expected 1P is less than the low wit minimum of three. What we know, then, is that
he could have 2P and be +1, or he could have two less than we calculated and be
hosed. (It is probably important to state at this time that, depending on style,
warriors are sometimes limited to which skills can be hosed or bonused. But that is
a lecture for another day.) Last, then comes defense, where our calculated 5F
indicated that we should get the low wit statement of "avoids blows well" and this
warrior did get it. We now know he has 3 to 6 F skills so he could be -2 hosed to +1
bonused. There is no wit statement for decisiveness.
One last offering, you can know even more about your warrior's starting skills
if he were to start with a rating (e.g. expert attack) as you would then know that
your warrior has between 16-19 skills in that category. There are a few very fine
warriors that even start with an Advanced Expert in a skill. (20 skills +)
Let's make a final check of endurance and damage-doing. The charts predicted
very little endurance, and the warrior received poor. He may be slightly bonused.
The warrior received the great damage-doing our charts predicted, so he is probably
mode.
There you have it. Your real-life example of evaluating the warrior's starting
skill base. Learn it. Have the charts available. You will definitely be tested on
this subject day-in-day-out in D2 arena life.
Doctor Dehydrate (Who says, "Drink plenty of water daily.")
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Profile of a Style
Bashers
I make no claims to being exhaustive in this study of Bashers. There are
managers who know more about the style, managers who have better Bashers, managers
whose Bashers win more consistently. But this is a place to start.
I have the details of twenty-eight immortal Bashers under my hand here, Bashers
who, good, bad, or indifferent, survived long enough to graduate and discover their
favorites. In those favorites lie clues to how the Gladiatorial Commission expects
Bashers to operate. This does not mean that Bashers HAVE to operate that way, and it
can be fun to force a style to do the unexpected and take everyone by surprise, but
this could be said to be "what comes naturally."
Favorite weapons. You will find that only weapons that may be received as
favorites are ever described as "well-suited" to the style. For instance, an epee
never occurs as a favorite weapon for a Basher, and any Basher who uses one will find
he "is unsuited to his weapon" or "uses this weapon in an unorthodox style" at the
top of his fight report. There is little, if anything (well, okay, surprise), to be
gained from using a weapon unsuited to the style in question.
The eleven weapons suited to use by Bashers, and the minimum stats required for
their best use (information courtesy of Pagan's Enchiridion), are:
Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11
Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11
Halberd ST 17 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9
Large Shield ST 11 SZ 7 WT 5 DF 5
Mace ST 13 SZ any WT 3 DF 5
Maul ST 15 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 7
Medium Shield ST 9 SZ any WT 5 DF 5
Morningstar ST 13 SZ any WT 7 DF 13
Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11
Warflail ST 11 SZ any WT 7 DF 5
Warhammer ST 13 SZ any WT 5 DF 7
Assurnasirbanapal offers the following alternate requirements for some of these
weapons:
Halberd ST 17 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11
Large Shield ST 11 SZ 7 WT 3 DF 5
(not sure about size, but I believe wit is 3)
Morningstar ST 13 SZ any WT 7 DF 11
Warflail ST 11 SZ any WT 5 DF 5
(I can see that some warriors in my future are going to have to test these weapons.)
Study this chart, and never make a Basher who doesn't have the stats to use at
least one of the weapons well! I've made the mistake more than once (and more than
once done it deliberately, but then, I'm perverse) of creating a warrior who is
unable to use well any weapon to which his style is suited. This is enormously
frustrating. Take my advice and DON'T DO IT.
You may notice that the Fist is not listed as a weapon suited to the Bashing
attack. This is an example--one of the most glaring ones--of the fact that sometimes
intuition and real-world experience are "not well suited" to Duelmasters.
Two weapons not listed on this chart are the Broadsword and the Battleaxe. If
you arm a Basher with one of these weapons, the fight report will inform you that
your warrior is not well suited to the weapon or uses it in a marginally effective
manner. A manager I consulted informs me that he has had good results anyway with
the Broadsword and is still experimenting with the Battleaxe. So you CAN ignore the
weapon suitability chart above, though I would not recommend doing it until you have
enough experience to know what risks you're taking. And don't do it with a warrior
who adds the disadvantage of having inappropriate stats for the weapon to the
disadvantage of unsuited style.
As you can see from this list, the most important stat for a Basher, from the
standpoint of weapon use, is Strength. A Basher who is dumb and on the clumsy side
will find weapons he can use appropriately, provided he has the strength to lift
them. This has led to the creation of a lot of dumb, clumsy Bashers. My own
personal feeling--and I've run a lot of these depressing warriors--is that a dumb,
clumsy Basher is doomed in the long run. And often very boring, as well. Boring is
even worse than doomed.
My immortal Bashers, their relevant stats, and their favorite weapons:
Madoc ST 11 SZ 11 WT 13 DF 9 Mace
Wanda the Blonda ST 17 SZ 8 WT 9 DF 15 Warflail
Kenda Teegue ST 19 SZ 7 WT 11 DF 11 Greatsword
Al Kore ST 13 SZ 14 WT 11 DF 13 Quarterstaff
Broken Nose ST 17 SZ 18 WT 11 DF 9 Quarterstaff
Hogar ST 13 SZ 13 WT 21 DF 7 Maul
Ski Mask ST 13 SZ 15 WT 15 DF 9 Maul
Crabby Appleton ST 19 SZ 11 WT 13 DF 6 Warflail
Lissette ST 14 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 15 Greataxe
Velendeis ST 9 SZ 14 WT 13 DF 7 Maul
Hoftalj ST 21 SZ 14 WT 11 DF 7 Mace
Cadal ST 14 SZ 15 WT 15 DF 11 Mace
Caramella ST 13 SZ 13 WT 14 DF 11 Quarterstaff
Lulu ST 17 SZ 11 WT 15 DF 9 Morningstar
Franklin ST 15 SZ 6 WT 5 DF 17 Morningstar
Bam Bam ST 13 SZ 14 WT 11 DF 9 Medium Shield
Dune ST 19 SZ 17 WT 4 DF 3 Halberd
Old Maid ST 17 SZ 7 WT 15 DF 11 Halberd
Pelis the True ST 13 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 15 Large Shield
Joe ST 15 SZ 10 WT 15 DF 13 Medium Shield
Claudius ST 19 SZ 13 WT 10 DF 7 Quarterstaff
Ekkar ST 17 SZ 15 WT 13 DF 7 Mace
Jomon ST 11 SZ 17 WT 11 DF 15 Greatsword
Dijanna ST 17 SZ 12 WT 17 DF 7 Mace
Khora the Small ST 15 SZ 9 WT 17 DF 11 Warhammer
Sweet Jorja ST 13 SZ 13 WT 15 DF 7 Quarterstaff
Tarok ST 7 SZ 18 WT 11 DF 9 Warflail
Kelan ten Salth ST 14 SZ 15 WT 17 DF 11 Greatsword
You will notice that some of these warriors did not have the initial stats to
use their favorite weapon efficiently. That's a little trick the Commission plays on
us to keep us from getting too cocky. Only one of them (Tarok) was initially unable
to use ANY of the bashing weapons well, and I trained up his strength early in his
career. My personal favorites among the bashing weapons are the warhammer, the mace,
and if the warrior has the wit for it, the quarterstaff, as these seem to me to
produce the most interesting fights. If I'm going to train a warrior as a Basher, I
try to make him able to use one or another of those weapons; it saves me a lot of
stress.
Which brings up the question of Basher design. In almost all cases, the advice
routinely given is to put the points on WT, WL, and DF in preference to other stats.
But to use any of the weapons listed above, the warrior DOES NOT NEED a WT of more
than 11, and depending on which version of the stats for Morningstar you accept, he
doesn't need more than 11 or 13 in DF. Do not put points on these stats beyond the
necessary.
ST: A Basher needs strength, and lots of it--who wants a Basher who "does
little damage"? Besides, he needs a minimum strength of 9 for the least of his
weapons, and that's a medium shield. Who wants to send a Basher out with a medium
shield? Pile 'em on here.
CN: No. A Basher wins by attacking, not defending. He should be keeping his
opponent too busy to fight back, and he should not have to worry about his hit
points. Generally speaking, go with whatever you've been given on the roll-up. The
time to experiment with the creation of a Scum Basher is later, after you have more
experience.
SZ: You can't do anything about this, but a large size is not such a handicap
for a Basher as for some of the more finicky styles. And it will increase the damage
he can do--a Basher is all about doing damage.
WT: No more than is needed for the weapon you've chosen. If you have extra
points after satisfying other requirements, sure, go ahead and put them on wit, but
you can get a decent learning rate with a wit of 11 so why waste the points here?
Besides, if he survives long enough, you can train up more wit later.
WL: I would always put points on will (unless it was 17+ already), but for me,
that's reflex, not conscious planning. In theory, a Basher wins fights fast by
attacking all out, and so he doesn't need will for the stick-to-it effect. But
then... if he's a good Basher, wins a lot, graduates, and you want to keep on running
him, a high will does make it easier to train up stats once you get around to it.
SP: I don't really have a feel for the effects of high or low speed on ANY
style. I would cautiously suggest that if you can get the speed into the moderate
range (8-12?) without sacrificing anything important, then do it. But if you can't,
then don't.
DF: Enough to use the weapon of choice, or perhaps two or three weapons for
variety. No more.
And a note on armor: A Basher should NOT be loaded down with heavy armor. He
isn't supposed to get hit, so what does he need that armor FOR?
Favorite rhythms. Sometimes it's expedient to ignore a warrior's favorite
rhythm, once you know it, but it does give you a guideline for running the style.
Rhythm is given as Very High or VH (10-9), High or H (8-7), Moderate or M (6-5), Low
or L (4-3), and Very Low or VL (2-1), for Offensive Effort first, and then for
Activity Level. For the warriors listed above, the favorite rhythms are:
H/VL H/L H/L H/M VH/M VH/L M/L M/VL H/VL H/VL VH/VL M/VL
H/VL H/L H/L VH/VL VH/VL VH/VL H/L M/L VH/M VH/VL VH/VL H/L
H/VL H/L VH/M H/M.
You'll notice that there is no Offensive Effort lower than Moderate, and no
Activity Level higher than Moderate, and that Offensive Effort is usually at least
two steps higher than Activity Level. Not always--some of those listed above are
only one step apart, and another manager tells me that he has some Bashers with
favorite rhythms of Moderate/Moderate. But from the sample I have, it seems that
Bashers favor a higher Offensive Effort than Activity Level, often considerably
higher. While you may not always want to run a Basher this way, it appears that
nature and the Gladiatorial Commission intended them to run very offensively. With a
newly entered Basher, this kind of speed is a place to start. Once you get a feel
for the warrior in question and for his likely opponents, you can tinker with the
numbers for the ideal strategy. But be warned that running so offensively, the
average Basher won't be able to keep going for long! Especially, he won't be able to
go for long with a heavy weapon (one requiring more ST to handle) and heavy armor.
When I think of the Bashers I have seen come out in Plate and struggle to last a
single minute at high speed, I could weep. High speed burns endurance. Bashers go
out to win fast, or they become easy prey for a slower-paced, more deliberate
warrior.
Of course, sometimes you'll run up against a Basher who ignores the stereotype,
the so-called "Scum Basher." He differs from most of his kind by having a high
endurance which allows his manager to run him slowly and take people by surprise.
But this warrior is a freak. I distrust freakish warrior designs as a matter of
principle.
There is no evidence to support the hypothesis that warriors have a favorite
Kill Desire.
There is no convincing evidence to support the hypothesis that warriors or
styles have a favorite attack location. Managers have argued that the nature of the
bashing attack lends itself to overhead blows to the head and upper body. However, I
suspect that this is one of those intuitive things which turn out not to work, just
as one would intuitively expect a Basher to do well with his fists, and he does not.
Some managers have pointed out that a Basher aiming at the head tends to end his
fight quickly. ANY style striking the head tends to end the fight quickly.
(Consistently aiming at the head will increase the chance of killing, which will, in
the long run, decrease the chance of your Basher's survival. Managers bloodfeud
dedicated killers with hostile intent.) I consider this a case of "Not Proven."
Favorite Tactics. Of the twenty-eight Bashers listed above, only eight had
favorite tactics. Two favored the offensive tactic of Decisiveness, and the rest
favored the offensive tactic of Bash. It seems reasonable to assume that the
offensive tactics of Lunge and Slash are inappropriate for a Basher. (Of course, you
can't always count on reason here, but....) There were no defensive tactics favored
(granted, this is not a large sampling of warriors), which suggests that they should
be used sparingly, if at all--a Basher is a purely offensive style.
Proceeding from the general to the specific, here's a basher who had a very
unpromising beginning--
Profile of a Gladiator
Turo the Brick
Lord Protector and Pain in the Rear
Turo, a seven-foot Troll, just graduated from Lin Tirian, my own home arena, at
16-44-2, 94. He's a basher. And I suspect that most other managers would have sent
him straight to the Dark Arena.
At graduation, he is 11(2)-9-20-6(2)-17(2)-10-17.
According to his overview, even after those stat raises, he
Is not very bright
The more subtle points of the riposte simply escape him, which I could have
told anyone right off
Stands around making himself a target, which we noticed
Cannot carry a lot of weight in weapons and armor (that low ST)
Is slow on his feet (Does size have an effect here?)
Can do tremendous damage with a blow (mostly SZ, I suspect)
Turo is "naturally adept" with a maul (well, okay, he's probably pulled up a few
trees and swung 'em around to bat at pesky people), favors a rhythm of very high/low,
and has an innate ability to use the bash tactic. None of this comes as a great
surprise--it fits his character. He's aggressive by nature (definitely) and most
readily learns initiative skills. (Doesn't that require BRAINS?) Ah, well. I've
been running him lately as follows:
Mace, backup war hammer, offhand medium shield, plate mail and a full helm.
9 8 7 6 7 8 10
3 2 1 1 1 1 1
8 8 7 8 7 8 10 which I wouldn't swear is the strategy I sent in
for him originally, but it is what he's using. Attacking right arm, protecting head,
no tactics. Maybe this was based on something another manager suggested to me.
He graduated with no ratings at all. Yes, really.
Obviously, he's not anybody's ideal warrior, but he's been surprisingly fun to
read. And it seems at least possible that if I'd paid more attention to his
strategies, issued challenges and avoids, he might have taken a better record out of
the arena. He is headed for retirement, obviously. I think he has some idea of
going back to his home in the foothills of the Khriatrin Mountains and terrorizing
his kin.
And another example of a basher, a much more successful one:
Khora the Small
Lady Protector
Contender for the Throne in Lirin Kiv (ADM 107)
Basher
I don't have her graduation overview here, as that was a long time ago. But she
started as 15-12-9-17-11-9-11. Now, after years of fighting, maxed on skills and
training stats, she is 25-12-9-17-17-13-16. Her record at the present is 94-129-3,
and despite doing devastating damage, being incredibly quick and elusive, and having
an Advanced Master rating in attack and Masters in all the other skills, she is still
not woman enough to take the throne in this smallest of the Advanced Duelmasters
regions. Her favorite weapon is the war hammer, her favorite rhythm high offensive
effort and very low activity level, which are good favorites. So why isn't she
Duelmistress, or as it is called in Lirin Kiv, Champion of the Horn? Because there's
an even better basher up there already. Her most serious problem is that low CN, I
think. Maybe she should train that up....
Here's their most recent fight, a short one, so I'll give it to you in full--
Phetmolge is 8' tall, right-handed, fights with no armor or helm, carries a war
hammer and a large shield, to which he is well suited.
Khora is 5'7" tall, ambidextrous, in leather armor and a helm, carrying a war
hammer and an off-hand war hammer, to which she, too, is well-suited. Khora is
running 8 4 7 RA BD no tactics; about Phetmolge we can only guess.
Both warriors move with snake-like speed around each other.
The weapons lock together in a test of strength.
Phetmolge is moving constantly without pause!
He sweeps his large shield in a sudden unexpected assault!
A spectator exclaims, "Brilliant!" Phetmolge smiles briefly.
Khora parries the blow with her war hammer.
She disengages her foe's weapon arm and tries to steal the initiative!
She makes a lightning-quick backhand smash with her war hammer!
Phetmolge is struck in the belly.
Khora says admiringly (this is irony), "How much damage can you take, anyway?"
(Lots. Lots and lots. More than she can, anyway.)
She launches a brilliant attack with her war hammer.
Phetmolge stops the blow with his large shield.
He sidesteps, trying to throw his opponent off balance.
He launches a brilliant attack with his war hammer!
Khora is hit on the right hip!
It is a tremendous blow!
Khora winces, obviously feeling great pain.
She mutters a desperate prayer and is stopped by the herald.
She is determined to become top basher in Lirin Kiv and will keep fighting
until she is Inducted into Primus.
Jorja
The Middle Way
+>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+ Question of the Week #3 +>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+
Question, turn 403:
All -- I've read that once you have an AE in a skill area you don't need to use a
tactic in that area. What if you have a favorite tactic? Would it benefit your
warrior to use it even if he is maxed in that area? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 404:
Q.O.W. -- Tactics. It's generally believed that using a tactic, at any level of
skill, increases something (init, attack, damage, etc. though no one's sure) at the
expense of one or more other abilities. Usually it seems you lose more for using the
tactic than you gain, so they should be used sparingly. However, favorite tactics
are a bit different. I've noticed, generally, that the penalties usually imposed by
using the tactic are greatly reduced or eliminated, making it more useful. I run a
piker in AD who has response as a favorite and run her with it. She seems to do
great with it against everybody. My decise running striker still defends well
(though she's got favorite learn defense), and she still jumps everyone with a poor
decise rating. My advice is to give it a try if it's a tactic you think your warrior
needs, or can use based on their current point of development. -- Adie
Hanibal -- It really is almost like flicking a switch the way you can (usually)
prevent death intent statements if you want to. Dartor is the arena expert on
killing and he too agrees. Most new managers gain pleasure from seeing their
warriors kill, and it's not something to be ashamed of. But there is a better way of
going about things. I think as you gain more experience and experiment with lower
KD, you'll find that running with a 4 where you used to run with a 6 will have little
effect on a warrior's performance other than decreasing the chance of death intent.
This is especially true in the first minute, or before your warrior would get tired.
-- Generalissimo Puerco
Hanibal -- Each tactic has some benefits and some drawbacks. I can't tell you
exactly what those are because I don't know myself. If a tactic only provided the
equivalent of extra skills, then it might be true that a warrior wouldn't need them
after a certain level of skill is achieved. But let's say that your warrior has an
AE+3 and his opponent has a MA. Then there might still be good cause to use a
tactic.
I believe tactics grant benefits that can't always be translated into more
skills. I think the best example of this is what happens when response is used
against decise. Tactics have their value at all levels of the game, but the most
valuable tactics might change. I don't think many would run with decise at the top
of AD, though lunge and dodge remain popular. But for a new warrior, decise can be
very important. Tactics are not well documented in the literature, and for that
reason you may do well to learn first-hand and develop some instincts regarding the
use of appropriate tactics. -- Generalissimo Puerco
Hanibal -- Regarding the latest question: if you have an advanced expert in an area
that equates to a given tactic, is there any point in running the tactic. Yes, if
the tactic is a useful one. I don't THINK that there is a one-to-one equivalence
between types of skills and types of tactics. For one thing, there are eight tactics
and only six types of skills! -- Leeta
Question, turn 404:
All -- Do you think you are faster with your favorite weapon? If your fav is a
Halberd would you be quicker with a War Hammer? I've read you get +4 in each area if
you are using your favorite. -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 405:
Hanibal -- I strongly doubt that a favorite weapon gives four extra skills in each
category. I don't see how anyone could know that unless it was said by a credible
source within the GC. I'm terrible at finding favorite weapons. I can tell you that
the one large favorite weapon I've had experience with is the greatsword, and it is
still lousy even as a favorite. I really enjoy longsword as a favorite. --
Generalissimo Puerco
Q.O.W. -- With regard to favorites, the only really obvious effect is that you are
automatically well suited to it, and the warrior using it almost always throws more
critical attacks with that weapon than if it wasn't their favorite. That pretty much
gives me the impression it only helps attack. -- Adie
Q.O.W. -- I would be amazed if you would receive +4 in each area for a favorite
weapon. And we do not believe the fave adds to the speed with the weapon. The fave
greatly aids attack and parry, hit %, and ability to hold onto the weapon. And, of
course, criticals increase. -- Kennelworth
Hanibal -- I don't know about specific bonuses for using a favored weapon. However,
I do believe that if your favored weapon is something that you aren't otherwise
suited for (for example, a broadsword for someone lacking the necessary attributes),
you can often get good results by going for a lower version of that weapon. From the
halberd of your example, for instance, "down" to a great axe, or even farther down to
battle axe and then to hatchet. Experiment with them and see what might work. I
have no specific numbers to support this, but it is the impression I've gathered over
the cycles. -- Leeta
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===---
Duelmasters
-----------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 698): TOREADOR of DARK WARDS (Dark Warden, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 700): ORIOLA of SWEET MAGIC (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 630): MICKEY HANDS of ARCANE ROYALTY (Destitute Noble, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 694): PURPLE DRAGON of INK & STEEL RETRO (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 696): GOOD AS GOLD of GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 687): CAPT KIRCHNER of 82ND ILLINOIS (Otto X, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 688): BULL HALSEY of MAN OR BEAST? (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 346): COLGATE SMILE of MY GENERATION (Storm Lord, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 685): SULU of TREKKERS (Deep Thought, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 344): XANDAR of AVENGERS (Huckle Cat?, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 682): DISTORTION of DEATH BY DESIGN (Bubba Ganoosh, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 679): HEADLESS NORSEMAN of HALLOWEINERS (The Dark One)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 671): MONKEY MAN of REALLY? (Dr. Grimley, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 629): CYCLONE of FAMOUS HURLERS (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 321): MINI DRIVER of STREET WALKERS (Roadkill, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 316): ARTICHOKE ON THIS of VEGAN CANNIBALS (The Anarchist)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 302): 4-H of LIFE IMPACTS (Coach, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 561): ELISE GOUDGE of MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 546): Q MARK of UNNAMEABLES (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 528): REWARD of ERRATA (JE, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 522): MARAN TEN PALAN of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 251): BOOB of PALINDROMES (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 483): HALF PAST PI of NUMB-ERS (Sherlock, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 478): LIGHTNING THRUST of CRITICALS (Howlin' Wolf, mgr)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 469): HAROUN SHADDAR of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 586): NIGHTCAP of DARKLINGS (She-Puppy, mgr.)
Top Teams
---------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 698): SERPENTS HOLD 3 (Khisanth, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 700): SWEET MAGIC (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 630): ARCANE ROYALTY (Destitute Noble, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 694): INK & STEEL RETRO (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 696): GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 687): 82ND ILLINOIS (Otto X, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 688): THE MOTHERSHIP CC (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 346): THE PENTARCHY (Le Pentarque, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 685): STREET WALKERS (Roadkill, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 344): NUMBERS GAME (Destitute Noble, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 682): CALL THE PRIEST (Destitute Noble, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 679): HALLOWEINERS (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 671): REALLY? (Dr. Grimley, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 629): FAMOUS HURLERS (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 321): DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 316): PURE POISON (?, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 302): LIFE IMPACTS (Smitty, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 561): INCONSISTENT FURY (Banthius, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 546): RED DOG GANG (Spot, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 528): STAR WARS (Sir Jessie Jest, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 522): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 251): MIDDLE WAY 18 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 483): NUMB-ERS (Sherlock, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 478): EL CAMINO:DOS (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 469): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 586): DIRT DEVILS et al (The Dark One, mgr.)
Recent Graduates
-----------------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 697): G-STRING of HOT STUFF (Papa Bear, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 700): ORIOLA of SWEET MAGIC (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 696): GOOD AS GOLD of GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
(turn 695): GOLD CHARM of GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 321): JOSIE WALES of STREET WALKERS (Roadkill, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 316): ENDEMIC of BLACK LIGHTING (Dark Angel, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 302): RED ALERT of PUBLIC ENEMY (Pec Killer, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 561): ELISE GOUDGE of MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 527): DEEMER EPPT of MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 251): RED HOT CHILE PAPA of WORLDWIDE GORE (Crip, mgr.)
MONGOL HORDE of WORLDWIDE GORE (Crip, mgr.)
CROSS CZECH of WORLDWIDE GORE (Crip, mgr.)
YANKEE DOODLE of WORLDWIDE GORE (Crip, mgr.)
APPLE DANISH of WORLDWIDE GORE (Crip, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 482): NEGATIVE ONE of NUMB-ERS (Sherlock, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 468): KURTAL DUCK of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
First I want to thank everyone who contributed to my success here on Noblish
Island. It seems that all the long hours studying under veteran warriors has paid
off. Second, I do hope that my place as duelmaster will be fixed until I must move
on. So if you are looking for a comfortable place to rest, I ask you to search
elsewhere. It would pain me to have to turn you away. Then again, if you have a
valid lesson to teach, please feel welcome to come share it with me. Just please
remember, once an opportunity passes, you may not get another.
Your champion,
Dutiful
SPY REPORT
If you were disturbed from your beauty rest only to have to watch a bunch of
NOBLISH ISLAND brutes like you, you'd be grouchy, too. GATHERING turned their 2-3-1
turn into a 7th place rank in the listings this turn. Any better than this, and you
get put on hit lists. Now let's all watch THE HERQULOIDS' heads swell from their
4-1-0 this turn. Haa ha ha ha! Big shots, big talk, big deal. Of course, we're all
terribly impressed to see SALOME RYAN win a fight and gain 20 points, terribly. Tsk,
tsk, KONANN CEE beat WEAPONS and WEAPONS lost 13 points. You're breakin' my heart.
And if variety is the spice of life, NOBLISH ISLAND may be getting bland, as DUTIFUL
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. THE FARSEERS the most avoided
team? What insult will suffice, I cannot say. And it looks like DRINK UP avoided
them the most this turn. What a pack of would be losers, if you ask me. Hmph.
STORMY 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, KEN DO was
challenged by SORRY, who was ranked 30 points below him. Well, ok, the upstart knave
(where've I heard that before?) won this match and gained 27 points to boot! Ha ha
ha, KEN DO.
Ah, now we come to my favorite part, where we see all the guys who are dead and
gone, and get to see if their team cared. We're all going to die in the end, so why
worry if the fate catches up with you sooner that later?
I was about to buy a new quill pen the other day, but some fighter took it for
an epee. Forgive me for writing with a dagger. Well, I've had enough of this
drivel, and I'm sure you have too. Off like a dirty shirt of padded leather. Paste
this one in your scrapbooks, you'll need the kindling come this winter-- Snide
Clemens
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
DUTIFUL 9237 8 0 2 83 THE FARSEERS (1591)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-MONOPOLY 9217 7 3 0 75 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-CAREERS 9216 7 3 0 55 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
SORRY 9243 4 4 0 52 BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
TRUTTS 9245 4 4 0 51 BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
-POKER 9219 6 4 0 45 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
-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
KALAM 9271 5 0 1 33 BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
KEN DO 9274 4 1 0 30 KNIGHT LIFE (1597)
-CHESS 9220 7 3 0 29 FAVORITE GAMES (1587)
KONANN CEE 9296 2 1 0 29 THE HERQULOIDS (1601)
DUMB BULL 8644 3 1 2 28 DRAGONS (1491)
STORMY 9242 4 4 1 25 BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
THE FOOL 9236 5 3 0 24 THE FARSEERS (1591)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
PICKER 9244 4 3 1 23 BRIDGE BURNERS (1592)
STRIKER MATCHUPS 9324 2 0 0 20 BASH BROS BASHERS (1606)
SALOME RYAN 9346 1 0 0 20 THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610)
QUEENIE PAROE 9345 1 0 0 19 THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610)
DIET BIG RED 9317 2 0 0 18 DRINK UP (1604)
UGHH 9292 2 1 0 17 THE HERQULOIDS (1601)
PEN STEELSLASH 9328 2 0 0 17 THE HERQULOIDS (1601)
FAVE LEARN RIPOSTE 9325 2 0 0 17 BASH BROS BASHERS (1606)
DIET MOUNTAIN DEW 9315 2 0 0 15 DRINK UP (1604)
CHADE 9238 3 5 0 14 THE FARSEERS (1591)
CY LENT 9305 2 1 0 13 KNIGHT LIFE (1597)
MR BLUE 9310 1 1 1 13 GATHERING (1603)
FITZCHIVALRY 9239 2 6 0 12 THE FARSEERS (1591)
-PAZOW! 9319 1 0 0 10 NOISEMAKERS (1605)
MR WHITE 9309 1 1 0 10 GATHERING (1603)
-CRASH-BONG! 9320 1 0 0 9 NOISEMAKERS (1605)
-AFRODYKIE 9247 2 2 0 8 CRIT-GIVERS (1593)
SHREWD 9306 2 2 0 8 THE FARSEERS (1591)
-BARBRA JEAN 9273 2 2 0 8 KNIGHT LIFE (1597)
SULL 9294 1 2 0 8 THE HERQULOIDS (1601)
WEAPONS 9323 1 1 0 7 BASH BROS BASHERS (1606)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-HARDY 9250 1 3 0 6 CRIT-GIVERS (1593)
MS RED 9312 1 1 1 5 GATHERING (1603)
-STAR GIRL 8640 0 5 0 5 DRAGONS (1491)
TAB 9314 1 1 0 4 DRINK UP (1604)
MAXWELL HOUSE 9313 1 1 0 4 DRINK UP (1604)
-POINTY END OUT 9302 1 1 0 4 CRIT-GIVERS (1593)
-HARSHNAG THE GRIM 8875 0 4 0 4 DRAGONS (1491)
-MINDY V 9276 0 3 0 3 KNIGHT LIFE (1597)
TSINGTAO 9316 0 2 0 2 DRINK UP (1604)
ENDURANCE BURN 9326 0 2 0 2 BASH BROS BASHERS (1606)
MR GREEN 9311 0 2 0 2 GATHERING (1603)
MR BLACK 9308 0 2 0 2 GATHERING (1603)
LOSING INITIATIVE 9327 0 1 0 1 BASH BROS BASHERS (1606)
ZOE YATES 9349 0 1 0 1 THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610)
WAYLON VOLE 9348 0 1 0 1 THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610)
-SLAM-OW! 9318 0 1 0 1 NOISEMAKERS (1605)
URBIN TILL 9347 0 1 0 1 THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610)
'-' 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 NOT REVENGED
SEQUOIA 9249 2 2 0 CRIT-GIVERS 1593 DUMB BULL 8644 351
ASHLY 9335 0 1 0 DRAGON DISCIPLE 1608 MR BLUE 9310 353
BRALANI 8642 0 1 0 DRAGONS 1491 DARK CHAMPION 353 NONE
MARILITH 8643 0 1 0 DRAGONS 1491 MASTER SEN GANAM 353 NONE
SUPERMAN 6327 0 1 0 JUSTICE LEAGUE 1088 MS RED 9312 352
DEEJAY GEE 9275 0 1 0 KNIGHT LIFE 1597 KALAM 9271 349 NOT REVENGED
EHLONNA GODKISSE 9293 1 2 0 THE HERQULOIDS 1601 DUMB BULL 8644 353
MAXOR STEELSTRIK 9295 0 1 0 THE HERQULOIDS 1601 MAC D 9304 350
PERSONAL ADS
Dutiful of Farseers -- DUELMASTER. As predicted. Masterful! Congrats and kudos! --
All us envious Drink Ups
Star Girl -- I was lucky, lucky, lucky-- especially with you having all that
experience. I guess it shows what one can do when one "Does The DesW." -- Diet
Mountain Dew
The Gathering -- Are you sure you are not prepping for a game of Clue? Well, Maxwell
House wants to send his regards to Mrs, oops!, Mr. White. He enjoyed banging her in
the kitchen with a coffee pot. And Diet Big Red wants to send his kudos to Mr. Green
for a nice fight. Diet Big Red probably won because his diet trimmed him down and
made him faster. -- Doc Dehydrate
Endurance Burn -- I didn't have THAT problem, as you could see. -- Tab
Striker Matchup -- Well named, well matched, and well won. You meanie! -- Tsingtao
Ravinkor, Crit Givers -- I'd say your strategy on the aimer did not really hurt his
performance. It is likely that the warrior would have fought better on his fave
weapon and rythym. But who knows that? Aimers are hard. They do not follow Manager
directions well. And they have proclivities to die. Love 'em. Hate 'em. -- Doc.
Dehydrate
Ravinkor -- A warrior can be matched with anyone in his "allowable range." His
allowable range can be sorta anyone kinda near you. Near can be a very open
proposition. Challenging is more defined. The MUGs (Match Up Gods) are very, very
fickle (and stupid!) at times. -- Doc D
"One stat raise and you lose 4 skills" is not exactly a true statement, Ravinkor.
Maybe better stated is "Certain stat raises can reduce the "potential" of earning an
extra X skills." To wit: Certain stats also earn skills when learned. (Refer to the
CIC data you received.) The warrior skill accumulation program allows you to learn
20 each skills per category (120 total). If you train a stat that also provides
skills, those skills become a part of that earned 120. However, a "glitch / design
consideration" in the game, allows the warrior to first earn his 20 skills in a
categoty, and THEN train a stat which gives a skill of that maxed type, and ADDS that
skill to his earnings. Hence a warrior can end up with more than 20 skills in a
category late in life. -- Doc D
Saying it differently. Earn a couple (2) of attack skills, and then train a stat
which gives you an attack skill and you have three. Your maximum attack potential is
still 20. But training that stat AFTER you have the 20 attack skills earned, will
allow you to go to 21 attack skills. Get it? -- Doc D
Saying both the above, The Consortium philosophy is that ONLY on godling-long-term-
probable-high ADM-many-tournament warriors do we worry one bit about the skill
maximum. We train stats if-and-when we think they will help. -- Doc D
The Catalyst -- What nice things to say. Thank you. -- Doc D (for his Consortium
manager teammates)
The Fool -- If that was a real question, the answer is "probably. (If I used an
edged weapon with an offhand shield, would I still parry with my shield? -- The Fool)
No matter what type of primary weapon one has, they CAN and DO normally parry with
their off hand weapon. But not always will your warrior choose to do so. No matter
what you want, he may decide to try to parry with his primary hand. Warriors just do
not always take good direction from their managers! (The louts!) But, then again,
they sometimes do not get good direction from their manager. (wink) -- Doc D
Knight Life -- Nice point gain! Way to beat us Drink Ups out! You are to be
avoided! -- Doctor Dehydrate
Mr. Green -- You really do not need all that backup stuff. It could really "hurt"
your endurance through encumbrance. Be careful or you will get dehydrated! -- Doc
Dehydrate
Trutts -- I think you have hammered your point home. -- Fitzchivalry
Ehlonna Godkissed -- Have you considered using some other weapons vs heavier armors?
You may have hit a lot, but they seemed to glace off my armor doing little real
damage. -- Shrewd
Picker -- Thank you for the skill gains, that is the most I have recieved so far. --
Chade
Low Road -- Another road to tread underfoot! -- The Catalyst mgr the Farseers
Bash Bros Bashers -- Good first turn, please slow down some, for your safety. -- The
Catalyst mgr. the Farseers
Drink up -- Well done! Can you continue at that rate? -- The Catalyst mgr. The
Farseer
Dutiful -- Good job, but don't relax on the throne. It will be me on it soon. -- Ken
Do :P
Allana Lorimer -- It was nice to be your last fight here on the Island. May you find
fame where you are going. -- Ken Do
Mr. Black -- Welcome to my world! Drop down to one weapon and start with a short
sword. -- Cy Lent
Kalam -- You have made a fool of me and two of my team. You are a good fighter. See
you around. -- Mindy V.
Dr. Hydrate & Jorja & Assur -- Thank you for all your insight. It has been a great
help. Got the C.I.C. and wow, wish I had this when I first made my warriors. How
many skills does it take to get a Master rating? I already have an AdEx in one skill
and almost an Ex. in two others, if I did the CIC right. What are Primus and
Gateway? And what are these magic items I've read about? -- Uncle D, mgr. Knight
Life
The Catalyst -- Good job on your coaching! -- Uncle D
All New Teams -- Welcome to the Island. Good luck and study what Jorja, Assur, and
Dr. Hydrate say-- it will help. -- Team Knight Life
Uncle D -- I am told that the Consortium information packet is going to come to you
this turn as a diplo. The instructions on using it were most recently printed in the
turn 350 newsletter, which I trust you have. Always save your Noblish Island
newsletters! -- Jorja
Ravinkor -- All I can say for sure about the aimers in the Rhythm and Blues article
is: that is what the Commission claims about them. Some warriors of any style will
defy the stereotypes, and even their own alleged favorites. You experiment until
something works, and then you stick with it. -- Jorja
P.S. But the thing that aimers in the Basic (mortal) level of the game do BEST is:
they die.
Ravinkor -- Re Corsair getting forty-one points on a loss, it must have been an
impressive effort that he put up, loss or no. The minimum point gain is one point
for a loss and three for a win. But if a particular warrior looks good doing
whichever, he gets more points. -- Jorja
Ravinkor -- In Rebuttal to the Little Basher-- AAAAHG! It's the Dread Skill Burn!
Raising certain stats to certain numbers gains you a skill or more. Managers trying
to create godlings for upper-level play try to avoid this, as it slows down skill
accumulation later on. I feel reasonably sure that either the Consortium manager du
jour or Assur will explain this in detail, so I'll just give you my biased opinion
here. Which is that for someone just learning the ropes in Basic play, this concern
over possible skill burns is inappropriate. Very few managers are going to get one
of their first-ever warriors all the way to the highest levels of the game. The main
thing at the beginning of your managing life is to keep your warriors ALIVE long
enough to learn from they while having fun. A burned skill here and there is not
going to be an issue. -- Jorja the Biased
The Fool -- You might, if you're deft enough. Worth a try, but if you don't seem to
be parrying, you should think about dropping the shield to see if THAT makes a
difference. -- Erbin Parnan
This last turn was the final one for Low Road 3, and they are now gone. If all has
gone properly in the Commission office, Low Road 4 should be here. If not this time,
then the next time. -- Jorja
Ken Do -- If you have the WL for a stat train (stat trains are: first time on a
given stat the chance is WF x 5%, second time on the >same< stat is half that, and so
on), you should raise that stat. It will make a difference. -- Allana Lorimer
Ughh -- That challenge was insane. One fight to nine? Insane. -- Erbin Parnan
Dutiful -- That was well fought. Glad I'm leaving before I have to meet you again.
You're a bit bloodthirsty. -- Chelsea Noren
The Fool -- A classic style match. One of the things a manager should do is collect
style information on possible opponents so he can avoid matches like that. Still, if
it had gone a minute longer, I'd probably have burned out. I was running a lot
faster than is normal for my style. -- Delise Orm
Stormy -- You won that on luck. If I hadn't been trying to win it in the first
minute, you might have lost, because it was my weariness that defeated me, and you
were beginning to fade by the end, too. Most likely your problem was your armor. --
Beltran Moss
Uncle D -- Re your diplo:
Question one, the CIC: It should be coming, and if Bagman isn't included in it, I'd
be surprised.
Question two, running a partial team: Sure. The only serious handicap in that (so
far as comes to my mind at the moment, anyway) is that you will be unlikely to get
the Current Top Team award. That is dependent on number of wins in three turns, and
it stands to reason that someone running five warriors is likely to have more wins
than someone running two or three.
Question three, DF and weapon selection: If your guy does well with a weapon that
the Commission says he lacks the stat for and poorly with one that he can handle at
ease, ignore the Commission. Go with what wins. -- Jorja
P.S. And bear in mind that it is not unusual for a warrior's favorite weapon
(bestowed at "birth") to be something for which he lacks the stats. Although never
one unsuited to his style.
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
BRALANI was butchered by DARK CHAMPION in a 1 minute bloody Dark Arena fight.
MARILITH was slaughtered by MASTER SEN GANAMIR in a 1 minute Dark Arena battle.
SORRY demolished KEN DO in a 1 minute uneven Challenge fight.
FITZCHIVALRY was devastated by PICKER in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge contest.
MR WHITE defeated MAXWELL HOUSE in a 2 minute amateur's Challenge match.
MR GREEN was devastated by DIET BIG RED in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge duel.
KALAM devastated CHADE in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge match.
DUTIFUL overcame KUNG-FU MASTER in a action packed 1 minute Title fight.
TRUTTS vanquished THE USEROUS MERCHANT in a 1 minute uneven duel.
STORMY was viciously subdued by FRATSFA SLAVE in a 5 minute gruesome fight.
THE FOOL vanquished ENDURANCE BURN in a exciting 4 minute one-sided fight.
DUMB BULL easily killed EHLONNA GODKISSED in a 1 minute brutal one-sided bout.
UGHH savagely defeated TAB in a crowd pleasing 3 minute brutal amateur's competition.
SULL subdued MR BLACK in a crowd pleasing 1 minute novice's brawl.
KONANN CEE handily defeated WEAPONS in a 1 minute uneven fight.
CY LENT defeated TSINGTAO in a 2 minute gruesome beginner's struggle.
SHREWD was beaten by QUEENIE PAROE in a crowd pleasing 2 minute amateur's brawl.
MR BLUE assassinated ASHLY in a 1 minute brutal one-sided bout.
PEN STEELSLASH overpowered WAYLON VOLE in a 1 minute one-sided match.
MS RED was handily defeated by STRIKER MATCHUPS in a 1 minute mismatched competition.
DIET MOUNTAIN DEW beat LOSING INITIATIVE in a 1 minute beginner's fight.
FAVE LEARN RIPOSTE subdued ZOE YATES in a 1 minute beginner's bout.
SALOME RYAN vanquished EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 1 minute mismatched fray.
URBIN TILL was defeated by CONVICTED THIEF in a slow 6 minute novice's match.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|BASHING ATTACK 14 STRIKING ATTACK 34 - 20 - 4 63 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 7 PARRY-STRIKE 9 - 6 - 1 60 |
|AIMED BLOW 5 SLASHING ATTACK 28 - 20 - 1 58 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 4 WALL OF STEEL 13 - 10 - 0 57 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 4 LUNGING ATTACK 12 - 11 - 1 52 |
|TOTAL PARRY 3 AIMED BLOW 20 - 20 - 1 50 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 1 BASHING ATTACK 49 - 50 - 5 49 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 1 TOTAL PARRY 15 - 17 - 0 47 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 2 - 1 33 |
|WALL OF STEEL 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 - 9 - 0 18 |
Turn 353 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 4 - 0 BASHING ATTACK 6 - 8 4 STRIKING ATTACK
LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 0 AIMED BLOW 2 - 3 4 SLASHING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK 4 - 3 TOTAL PARRY 1 - 2 1 BASHING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK 2 - 2 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 1 1 LUNGING ATTACK
PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 1 1 TOTAL PARRY
WALL OF STEEL 0 - 1
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
STRIKING ATTACK DUTIFUL 9237 8 0 2 83 THE FARSEERS (1591)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is DUTIFUL 9237. The most popular warrior this turn
was UGHH 9292. The ten other most popular fighters were QUEENIE PAROE 9345,
ENDURANCE BURN 9326, TAB 9314, DUTIFUL 9237, TSINGTAO 9316, PICKER 9244, MAXWELL
HOUSE 9313, SULL 9294, MR BLUE 9310, and SORRY 9243.
The least popular fighter this week was URBIN TILL 9347. The other ten least popular
fighters were STORMY 9242, MS RED 9312, WAYLON VOLE 9348, ASHLY 9335, SHREWD 9306,
WEAPONS 9323, EHLONNA GODKISSED 9293, CHADE 9238, MR GREEN 9311, and FITZCHIVALRY
9239.
Article for Newbies
This here is an article aimed mostly at you new managers to the game out there.
This chart is a consensus of managers on the internet about how they felt each style
fairs against all other styles at the beginning levels of the game. Of course, once
you get ten or so fights under your belt the whole scenario changes and you can throw
this right out the window. But in the meantime, use this chart to help you get a
feel for the game, how the different styles interact with each other and to hopefully
dispel those 5-25 starts that can make you drop the game. Hope this helps you some.
KEY FOR ODDS OF WINNING:
1 - ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE 6 - BETTER THAN EVEN
2 - HARDLY LIKELY 7 - GOOD CHANCE
3 - NOT MUCH 8 - HIGHLY PROBABLE
4 - SLIGHT CHANCE 9 - MOST DEFINATELY
5 - 50/50 10 - ALMOST GUARANTEED
Reminder: Left Row vs Top Column
BA ST LU SL AB TP PS PL PR WS
BA 5 2 6 6 8 9 7 6 5 6
ST 8 5 8 9 9 6 7 5 6 4
LU 4 4 5 6 10 5 7 7 9 6
SL 4 1 5 5 8 6 8 7 8 9
AB 2 2 2 4 5 10 6 6 6 7
TP 3 4 6 4 1 5 7 8 6 5
PS 3 3 3 4 5 4 5 4 5 4
PL 5 4 3 3 6 2 7 5 7 6
PR 7 5 2 2 4 5 6 3 5 4
WS 5 8 6 2 4 6 7 5 6 5
There you have it folks. I would personally like to thank all the managers on the
internet who made a contribution to this effort. You know who you are. Also a big
nod of appreciation goes out to the mighty PUG (Ben Hitz) who organizes and runs the
roundtable and without whose effort little projects like this would prove quite
difficult.
David Gottwald - Magic Man
The Crew - Monuntial (34)
Rocky's Heroes - North Fork (47)
Tragedy Strikes - Andor (57) (inactive)
Natural Born - Illis (59)
Slow & Easy - Aradi (60)
Omega Squadron - Dragonhead (72)
Top 10 Things to Do to Have a Better FTF!
10. Have at least one meal that doesn't involve either McDonalds or Domino's Pizza.
Bonus points if that meal includes the use of utensils. (Double bonus points if you
already knew how to use utensils)
9. Recycle all those cover sheets and unwanted roll-ups into ammunition for the next
great paper ball fight! (And don't assume that because you don't have any ammo,
you're not in the game. When these things break out, ANYONE is a potential target!
Don't assume that I'm going to throw AROUND you to get to my target, if you're sitting
there in the middle of things trying to read your fights as the paper balls fly in all
direction, you're not only likely to get hit by a misfired projectile, but I will be
aiming for you!)
8. Showering at least once a day is not an option. REPEAT: Showering at least once
a day, is NOT AN OPTION!!!
7. Much like a watched pot never boils, asking if your overviews or reprints are
there yet every three minutes will only make the person sitting behind the desk
irritable (or even more so than usual). They'll be there when they get there.
6. Yes, the printer will break down, the hard drive will crash, and RSI will undergo
some sort of catastrophe. This is normal. Be prepared for long delays. Some people
like to play Magic while waiting, some of us prefer heavy drinking.
5. For you first timers, it is customary to do a triumphant little war dance each
and every time you win a fight, complete with whoop-whoops. That's what the raised
platform is for, so the rest of us can see you. If you don't do the dance, RSI will
take away your TVs and you will forever get 3 WT roll-ups. Would I lie to you?
4. Converse with your fellow managers. Take the time to chat, and introduce
yourself to at least one complete stranger. "Have you seen this warrior?" is not a
good way to introduce yourself. "Hi, my name is _______ and I run _______; nice to
meet you!" is a much better way to introduce yourself.
3. When the run off fights are being read, I want to hear a lot of noise! Cheer
every time a brilliant parry is made, shudder at the impact of a horrific blow, laugh
derisively when a warrior falls down. Cheer those who read a good fight, and heckle
those who can't. Get crazy. MAKE SOME NOISE GOLDURNIT!!!
2. Conversely, if you insist on reading your fights out loud and you don't have an
audience, go back to your room until the urge passes.
1. Buy your good ol' buddy Forge a beer!
As always, your own tips and comments are appreciated. *LOL!* Hope to see you all
there!
-- Forge
MAKING YOUR CHALLENGES GO THROUGH
First, you need to be sure you are making your challenges correctly.
1. Are you writing down the warrior I.D. number of the warrior you want to
challenge?
2. Is your handwriting clear?
3. Is the warrior you are challenging within range of your warrior? Warriors
can challenge within their own class and the next higher class, plus the "Challenger"
classes can also challenge the next lower class. So, an Adept can challenge Adepts
and Challenger Adepts. A Challenger Adept can challenge Adepts, Challenger Adepts,
and Champions. (Try not to challenge down, though. Besides being unsportsmanlike and
making everyone mad, it isn't advantageous to your warriors. They need to fight more
experienced warriors so they will learn.)
4. Are your warriors eligible to make challenges? If they didn't fight within
the last two turns, then they can't challenge.
5. Are the warriors they want to fight eligible to receive challenges? If they
didn't fight within the last two turns, then they can't be challenged.
Next, adjust your choices for the maximum likelihood of getting your challenges.
There are several things that will help:
1. Have each of your warriors challenge two different opponents from two
different teams. That way, if the first opponent's team doesn't fight that turn, you
still might get your second challenge.
2. Use your avoids. Have each warrior avoid the teams of whoever you think
might be likely to challenge him. If you can get out of being challenged, that
increases your chance of getting your own challenge through.
3. Don't challenge warriors who didn't fight last turn. The odds are higher
that they won't be fighting this turn.
4. Don't challenge warriors who might be involved in a bloodfeud (either as the
killers, or the avengers). A bloodfeud challenge has priority over all other
challenges.
5. Don't challenge Tournament Victors. A TV challenge has priority over all
other challenges except bloodfeuds. You'll need to do a little research in back
issues of the newsletter to find out who the TVs are.
6. Don't challenge warriors who you know are going to challenge someone else, or
are going to get challenged by someone else. Your challenge has a better chance of
getting through if it is the only challenge to that particular warrior.
7. Don't challenge the "easy pickings." That is, warriors above you who have
way too few fights or very bad records for where they are ranked. They will tend to
get challenged a lot.
8. Don't challenge warriors who are likely to be avoiding your team. This
includes any warrior your team fought within the last two turns.
Well, it sounds like I've eliminated just about everybody, doesn't it? Of course
you can challenge opponents who fit into one or more of those categories; just try to
find ones who don't. Your idea candidate for a challenge is: A warrior ranked
somewhat above your warrior in the same class, or in the next higher class, with a few
more fights than your warrior, and a winning record, who isn't a TV and isn't
currently at war with anyone.
I hope this will be of some help to you.
The Rogue She-Puppy
MAXIMIZING THE DUELMASTERS EXPERIENCE: WHAT THE RULES DIDN'T SAY
When you get your turn results in the mail it is very important that you squeeze
as much enjoyment as possible out of that envelope! I recommend (and also use!) the
following procedures.
First, open the envelope lengthwise with a letter opener. Remove the blue-sheet
BUT DON'T LOOK AT IT! It may tell you that you are broke and owe RSI a lot of money.
Flip it over instead! The blue-sheet will be used as a "hider" when you read the
fight results line by line, so you don't see the end of the fight by mistake and ruin
the excitement.
Remove the rest of the sheets in one smooth maneuver and place the flipped-over
blue-sheet on top of the pile, without looking at anything. You don't want to
accidentally uncover an unexpected replacement rollup. This is a traumatic experience
that should be avoided at all costs, as it indicates that one of your battles didn't
go exactly as planned.
Now you must prepare your room, or whever you are, for the battles. If you are
suicidal, or a lousy manager, or a suicidally lousy manager, remove all sharp objects
from the area. If you happen to manage an entire team of scummy warriors it is okay
to leave a loaded musket nearby.
The next step is to put on music. It definitely adds to the experience to have
your favorite tunes playing in the background, preferably AS LOUD AS YOU CAN GET AWAY
WITH! I christen each new warrior with a song that is his and his alone, and play
that song whenever it is his turn upon the sands. It is a personal choice but I
recommend Judas Priest, Manowar or Metallica. Avoid Abba and Barry Manilow (like I
had to say it). It is also important to match the song length with the expected
length of the fight. Don't choose "The Immigrant Song" for your 21-con Ultra-Scum.
Likewise, don't choose "Stairway to Heaven" for your quick lunger. Finally, sometimes
it is nice to choose an exceptionally violent alternate selection for those
Bloodfeuds.
Now you are almost ready! The final preparatory step (optional) is to prepare a
pot of coffee. Beer also works well, especially on Fridays, but I understand that
some managers are not Well-Suited to that particular beverage. I've heard the Duke
Malibu in Solven drinks goat blood, but mind you this is only a rumor. For the final
touch, try putting on any handy armor you have. Or a loin-cloth. I put on most of my
hockey gear.
The fights are on! The music is loud! The coffee is good! Read the fights
slowly, line by line using your blue-sheet as a guide. Don't go too fast, now. Yell,
"Yeah!" if your warrior scores an especially gruesome hit. Cringe if your warrior
feels the joys of a great axe connecting with his face (that means you, Marilith).
Raise your fist in the air when that total parry realizes that his last shield has
broken! And cry when your favorite gladiator is gravely injured and then takes ten
consecutive war hammer shots to the head...
When the end of the fight comes you will be emotionally drained, so yell out,
"Huzzah!!!" or "Damnnn!!!" or whatever, to take the edge off. When the fighting is
ended take a breather before preparing for the next cycle's fights. Reflect on what
has transpired and make a few notes. You'll be a better person (and manager) for it!
Isn't Duelmasters great?
Brought to you by ICE (the deranged): DM-49 (Vithicar) Rotting Livers (205)
DM-10 (Kolact) Beermacht
DM-22 (Solven) Steel Warriors
DM-24 (Zorpunt) No Escape
Winning With the Average Warrior
Hi! The Master of Anime here... Yeah, yeah, I know, you're all doing a
collective, "Who the Hell is this character?" Well, my claim to fame, if you can call
it that, is that I run Eve, one of the more popular, if not completely unspectacular,
warriors to fight in Alastari. I am a micro-manager (you've heard of mega-managers?
Well, think in reverse) who has been mainly running only one team during my 8+ years
of Duelmasters. This little write-up is aimed towards the less experienced managers,
the ones that can be brainwashed from some of the "How to build the perfect
warrior..." spotlights that tend to appear from time to time.
Many of the "How to build..." spotlights tend to deal with roll-ups that are
quite ideal, but in reality, rarely come out of RSI's number crunching machine,
commonly referred to as "the Roll-Up Gods". There have been a few good articles on
how to design skillful warriors from 'average' roll-ups. Those articles, in my
opinion, are the most helpful to new managers for the simple fact that you will almost
always get an 'average' roll-up. Occasionally, that 'average' roll-up might turn out
to be something special, and that is what I would like to key in on.
I know a lot of managers who will continually DA their warriors until they get
something that is as close to perfect as possible. You know, the warrior with three
or four 17s or the warrior with a couple of 21s or that size 3 or 4 warrior, etc...
If you are a relatively new manager and you are also doing this, I think you are
missing out on one of the more intriguing aspects of this game and that is warrior
development.
Being a micro-manager, I do not have an army of warriors like the mega-managers
do, but I'd like to think that I can hold my own against them (hey, if you're gonna
dream, dream big). Anyway, back to the point. One of my 'average' warriors seems to
have achieved a form of notoriety in Advanced Duelmasters to the extent that even the
ever quiet Mirage (manager of Donatello) has had something to say (it was at the last
Tempe FTF and my warrior, at the end of the 6th or 7th round, was listed as the top
Primus warrior on the tourney list.) Mirage pointed at my warrior on the list and
said, "That, is embarrassing..." I took it as a compliment. In case you're
wondering, my warrior is Akira (the reason I'm writing this article is that I've been
approached many times of late by managers who wanted to see Akira's numbers, thinking
he had some sort of godlike roll-up. I set them straight).
I'm not going to print Akira's numbers in this article for the main reason that I
don't have them with me at this time (it'll probably tick-off a lot of managers whose
warriors Akira has beaten anyway), but I do know this... he has about 30 attribute
increases and only one attribute is in the 20's, that one being WL (he even got gypped
by not getting some skills that you normally think he'd get by raising WL up the
20's). He won't be getting another attribute above 20 for a long, long time. (I
think his next highest attribute is 17... note that this is after the 30 or so
increases...) You should have a pretty good idea how generic this roll-up is... a
roll-up that would probably be DA'd by most managers looking for a good roll-up... a
roll-up that I even said, "I'll run him for kicks, but will probably retire him once
he gets to AD."... a roll-up that entered AD with a less-than-stellar 14-10 record...
a roll-up currently on a 20 fight win streak... a roll-up with three consecutive
Primus TVs.
So, before you give up on that average warrior, think again about giving him a
chance to flourish... he might suprise you as Akira has surprised me. Good luck in
the arena!
M.A., a proud member of GAPPDA
P.S. If you want to know Akira's original roll-up, diplo Anime Legends (Arena 102,
104).
P.P.S. Swift -- We GAPPDA members are NOT slugs!!! At least, I don't think we are...
TWELVE TIPS
A rookie manager asked me a question recently which prompted my "teaching juices"
to flow. I quote: "Just give me a dozen hints, and I'll leave you alone!" Obviously,
his challenge prompted me to organize my thought creating my Twelve Tips.
"Now wait a minute!" I hear you asking. "Why should I read on?" Simply put:
-- If you're an experience manager, you'll want to "clue me in" on other valuable tips
I missed.
-- If you're a "newbie," these tips will enhance your W-L record and compound your
fun.
"But, are they GOOD tips?" you ask. Believe me, fellow opponents, after 5000+
fights, dozens of "tutored pupils," many A.D. warriors, and a rather lofty W-L record,
they're GOOD tips. So here we go, in no particular order.
(I) ASK FOR HELP--Ask RSI about the Sponsor Program. Diplo "good" managers in your
arena. Proclaim your willingness to learn in a personal ad. You'll get some
conversation.
(II) OFFENSIVES FIRST--This is not an easy game, and the basher, lunger, striker can
be readily designed and more easily "mastered." (Whatever that means.) Avoid the most
difficult finessives, such as aimers (AB), rippers (PR), and probably wastes (WS).
Get some confidence first! Most of us old-timers yet struggle with a good aimed-blow.
(III) SKILLS, SKILLS, SKILLS--One of the most prevalent rookie errors is training too
many stats. Skills win fights, and in the long run, you will regret certain stat
raises.
(IV) COLLECT DATA--The more you know about your own warrior (And even with the same
stats, warriors differ) and the more you know about your opponents, the more likely
you can cause something "good" to happen. In the military/political world, we call
this "intelligence." (Clue: ask about a D.M. handbook filled with info.)
(V) PERSONAL ADS--Don't be a jerk! But write some every time. Let me assure you that
an unliked rookie cannot succeed in an arena against the local "Powers-in-control."
You want to create friendly opponents. (When you know what you're doing--then you can
try the jerk routine!)
(VI) TURN SHEET--Accuracy counts. Fill it out perfectly (and legibly) pal! Know what
each section is for. (Reread the instructions.) Many have been the surprised and
frustrated manager who caused his or her own problem! (Even us "megas" blow it now and
then!)
(VII) NO CON--Don't ever (well maybe 1% of the time) add points to constitution on an
offensive rollup. Other attributes may add skills; con won't. (Just wait until you
hear someone shout never add to con--ever. I didn't say that.)
(VIII) ONE WEAPON--For offensives. When you get to finesse styles, you'll understand
why you may want one in your off-hand also. But, almost always carry a backup. (Hands
can be hurt both striking and defending.)
(IX) CHALLENGE/AVOID--Always! A manager's prime purpose is to optimize his warrior's
chances. Challenge those you'll have a good shot at beating and avoid teams who can
cause you the most difficulties. (Challenge warriors--avoid teams.)
(X) ENTER TOURNAMENTS--What a way to acquire skills and experience without impacting
your arena W-L record. Actually, you will create a positive impact in that those
"tournament earnings" are "hidden" from other arena warriors. Plus, tournaments are a
real "rush!"
(XI) FIND A FRIEND--In every arena find at least one "friendly" foe. Share opponent
info. With two, or more, of you sharing, look how much more "intelligence" you'll
have.
(XII) STAY COOL--Don't let any problem (loss, death, personal ad, error, etc.) anger
you. (This is fun, right?) The cool head wins more matches than the emotional one.
So good luck, rookie! We were all in your shoes once. (And for some of us that
was a long, long time ago.)
THE CONSORTIUM
DM 8 Smithsonian (Curator)
DM 11 Bulldogs (Kennelworth)
DM 20 Animal Farm (Mino)
DM 46 Fandils (Fandil the Wise)
(and many, many more)
'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE TOURNEY...
'Twas the night before Tourney, And all through the place
Many managers were drinking, Getting smashed at the Face;
The staff were all busy, The computers were humming,
Rollups were bought, for the deadline was coming;
Soon managers were nestled, all smug at their tables,
With visions of TC's coming from their stables;
And NAIMT doing massages, while A-Sop caused trouble,
An hour before deadline, the workload just doubled,
When by the computers, there arose such a clatter,
All eyes turned to them, to see what was the matter.
Sue glaring at the screen, Lee's fingers just flew,
Oh, the computer was down, so what else was new?
The lights in the room were too bright, someone said,
Nah, it's just the reflection from off Hoffa's head,
Then, what to our wondering eyes should appear,
But Soultaker and Sentinel, once again here this year,
Yes, we heard "No more Faces!", We hear this each time,
But we know it's a farce, like this parody's rhyme.
More rollups are bought, more warriors are made,
Names are thought up, and carefully weighed;
"How 'bout FREE WILLY? Or RODMAN? Or PUSSY? Or KNOCKERS?
Or SHEIK T'WEEZEL? Or BALLSY? Or TAKE OFF THEM DOCKERS!?
Not a chance say the censors! Nice try, bub, but no!
Now it's HAPPY, and BARNEY, and WE LOVE YOU SO!
The managers groan, but undaunted keep trying,
The censors all laugh, and just are not buying,
The RUGS altars are burning, offerings are gifted,
With hopes that the rollup curses soon will be lifted.
And then, in a twinkling, we hear down the hall,
A Lunat!k roar and Fusion chased with a maul.
You see, he'd heard about Fusion's campaign for the Prez,
Now it's "Off with his Head!", so Lunat!k says.
At the Dark Circle table, 6'7" down in height,
With their arrogant statures, their great show of might.
Yet amidst all the notebooks, are nerf toys and giraffe,
Such silliness there, NAIMT can't help but laugh.
At Aradi's table -- how they giggle, at the cartoons and stories
Of the FONZ done by Nuln, in his infinite glories!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a ring,
And Barb drew his beard as straggly as string;
The new guys at Duelmasters, some call them a rookie,
Making names for themselves like Jessie and Bookie;
The regulars are here, The Boss, PUG, and TUM
Carapace, Sensei, and lots more to come
Doc Steele and his legends, even now in the making,
If there weren't many witnesses, I'd think he was faking.
The paperball fight, and the chaos ensues,
Clean it up, says Lee, or your heads you will lose!
The independents and alliances, speaking more than a word,
NAIMT's resounding giggles can also be heard;
But the hour before deadline is soon at a close,
And giving a nod, on a chair Sandy rose;
Okay guys, she says, no more inputs to be made,
And away goes some managers for a Bourbon Street raid.
But ere I end this bad poem, I just want to say,
"GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD DAY!"
****Hey, what do you expect for a quickie?... <grin>