DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 10/06/2012 Duedate: 10/19/2012
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-361
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
DIET BIG RED
DRINK UP (1604)
(93-9317) [9-1-1,83]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
DIET BIG RED LEAPING LILAC
DRINK UP (1604) PARKS AND REC (1611)
(93-9317) [9-1-1,83] (93-9359) [4-1-0,32]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
DIET BIG RED VINCE YARE
DRINK UP (1604) THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610)
(93-9317) [9-1-1,83] (93-9367) [2-2-0,21]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
BASH BROS BASHERS (1606)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. BASH BROS BASHERS (1606) 55
2. THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610) 24 BASH BROS BASHERS (1606)
3. TEAM NIETZCHEAN (1614) 0 Unchartered Team
4. OLYMPUS MAXIMUS (1612) 0
5. DRAGON DISCIPLES (1608) 0 PARKS AND REC (1611)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 2 BASH BROS BASHERS (1606) 35 14 1 71.4 1/ 2 BASH BROS BASHERS (1606) 12 3 1
2/ 3 DRINK UP (1604) 30 19 2 61.2 2/ 1 DRINK UP (1604) 8 7 1
3- 5*DRAGON DISCIPLES (1608) 4 3 0 57.1 3/ 3*PARKS AND REC (1611) 6 7 0
4/ 4*PARKS AND REC (1611) 13 10 2 56.5 4- 4*OLYMPUS MAXIMUS (1612) 3 3 2
5- 6*OLYMPUS MAXIMUS (1612) 6 5 2 54.5 5/ 0*THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610) 3 11 0
6- 8*TEAM NIETZCHEAN (1614) 2 3 1 40.0 6- 7*TEAM NIETZCHEAN (1614) 2 3 1
7/ 0*THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610) 13 25 0 34.2 7- 8*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
NEW TEAM UNFOLDED
or
HOW A 25-YEAR VET DOES IT
or
START-UP DESIGN REVIEW
or
COACH RAH RAH AND FOOTBALL REPLACE DOC'S DRINK UPS
Hey, I have a purpose for writing this spotlight. It is offered to provide
newer/inexperienced D2 managers with warrior design concepts and to assist newbies in
observing the details of a "real-time" team who will be competing against them in
their Noblish Island arena. I will discuss the following:
1. An experienced manager's general design principles
2. The real five-warrior design (original team roll-up) ready 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 Coach Rah Rah (Coach for short), a member of The Consortium, a
long, long time (25+ year) player in Duelmasters/D2. I will be running this new 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.
Pretty simple, eh?
Next are listed the starting statistics and design statistics of the NCAA
Football (Actual team name yet undecided.) team starting shortly on Noblish Island.
A. 5-11-11-13-5-9-16 to 5-12-11-17-9-9-21 Aimed Blow. Design to the strength and
add five to DF for 21. A 21 DF always makes me think aimed-blow. Add four to the WT
--more designing to the strength plus getting the WT to 15/17/21. This will leave an
already low ST, still low, but of all styles, the aimed-blow can work decently with
low ST or even little damage. I really need some WL and 9 is quite workable for an
aimer, so four points go there. The one remaining point could go to ST or CN or SP,
depending on one's opinions/needs, and I choose CN for two reasons: a. design to
strengths b. aimers can take hits, and I like that CN to work with, because the low
strength will limit my carry/hence armor. I will say this, aimers are difficult to
run and nearly impossible to master, and I do not recommend the style for rookies.
(If I did not make this an AB, it would be a 10-11-11-17-9-9-17 striker.)
B. 6-16-11-10-11-5-11 to 11-16-11-15-15-5-11. This may be a little more difficult
to explain! Designing to the strength would lead one to add lots of points to CN and
having some type of super-tank warrior. That is certainly reasonable, and had I
chosen that route, an 11-21-11-10-15-5-11 TP would have resulted. However, the
15WT/15WL combo makes for a very solid warrior, and I chose that direction. Adding
the final 5 points to ST makes for a very solid arena warrior. I call this design a
Consortium Waste. (It can attack, and it can scum, and it can counter.) For many
years, Consortium managers looked for this style to have on their teams. (I will
attach an old--now edited--article on The Consortium Waste to the bottom of this
spotlight.)
C. 9-11-6-13-11-12-8 to 10-11-6-17-17-12-11 slasher. When WT and WL are the
strengths/excesses to accentuate, it is almost always best to do it. 17WT/17WL are
great combinations for almost any style. Hence 10 points added to WT/WL total.
Added three to DF for the fine skills gathered for 9 and 11 DF and for the weapon selection. The last was added to ST, wishing I had one more to make the ST 11. This
warrior could have been most any style, but since I knew the other four on my team
were AB, BA, ST, WS, I chose slasher. I am a little worried that the 10ST/6SZ combo
are not likely to produce good damage, which I really want for the SL, but I shall
pray for a luck roll.
D. 11-12-18-9-6-4-10 to 11-12-18-15-9-8-11 striker. Likely a big, strong guy.
Accentuating the strengths would mean adding to ST and CN. While that is doable, to
make warriors work, and especially one like this, he has to be able to learn or
train. So I first chose to add six to WT taking it to 15. I can train skills
decently with that. I now know I have an offensive warrior. Big offensives can
work. Large defensives or finesse styles are difficult to win with. It was natural
to add one to DF as there are big skills at 11DF and this is a major point for weapon
selection. I need some WL, and 9 tends to be the minimum we like to run with. This
again points out offensive as his endurance will not be high. But I plan to make
this big guy hit fast and he should only need a hit or three to finish off most.
That leaves the final 4 points for ST or SP, and since I want to hit fast, I choose
speed, realizing it is not exactly accentuating the strengths given.
E. Another big guy! 7-13-19-9-5-13-4 to 13-13-19-15-7-13-4 basher. The size, and
low DF, coupled with good CN, made me immediately think basher. Low WT/WL rollups
are the ones which do not always follow The Consortium design parameters. Were I to
add to my strengths, I would add to CN and SP. Those two stats seldom are
codependent as warriors are usually either physical or fast--not both. Therefore,
once again, to make this offensive work, I need to learn and the first points go to
make WT = 15. I already have a striker, so I know I need to make this guy a basher.
I really want 13 ST for a basher, because weapon selection almost requires it. It
takes 6 points to make ST = 13. I only have two left and they have to go to WL. I
really want 9 WL+ for warriors, but I occasionally will drop as low as seven. That
is what I do here. This warrior is going to have a weapon selection issue due to 4
DF. Most weapons, even basher weapons, require more than that. If I am not going to
meet weapon criteria, then this is the order of "miss" we Consortiumites choose--DF,
ST, SZ.
Good luck competing against my NCAA Footballers. 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 = 12 (More than usual, probably, but starting STs of 5,6,7 made this
necessary)
CN = 1 (SP and CN are usually the least added stats)
SZ = 0 (Cannot add to size.)
WT = 24 (Probably the most valuable stat. And this team had lots of low
WT starts.)
WL = 20 (Important stat; it is difficult to win without WT AND WL--unless
there are lots of TP scum on the team--and there are none on this
one.)
SP = 4 (SP and CN are usually the least added stats)
DF = 9 (DF additions are quite variable. )
The tendencies look reasonable to me, as WT and WL are prime stats, ST and DF are
probably next, and CN/SP are usually least added. (Well, except for SZ!
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.
Coach Rah Rah
Consortium affiliated
The CONSORTIUM WASTE
Not everything in DM needs to be defined by the parameters and expectations of
today's game--godlings, sandbaggers, tournaments, life-changing prizes, +20 warriors,
etc, etc. Many yet thrive on arena play, and for many years The Consortium was a
presence in 30+ active arenas. The record of over 400 (EDIT now 930+) warriors
graduated is not likely to be bested in our DM lifetimes.
You may know of The Consortium for one or many reasons:
* A different manager and theme in every arena with many personals, DM columns, and
spotlights.
* Helping many rookies and newcomers to understand and prosper in the game.
* Running every rollup, with virtually no DA action.
* 20+ arenas with .600+ W/L record, many with 500+ wins, and some nearing 1000. (EDIT
4 currently running with over 1000)
* No down challenging, little killing, and great respect for opponents.
* Well known managers like - Pretty Pandora, Crazy Creepster, Fandil The Wise,
Kennelworth, Ace, Senator Bob Dole, Mr. T, Lenpro, Mino, JD Rockefeller, Snuffy,
Oz, Sweetie-Pie, Midas, Uncle Sam, Oremaster, Lady Fern, Curator, Coach, Smitty and
many more.
* 400+ (EDIT 930+) warriors graduated to ADM, with over 30,000 (EDIT nearly 60,000)
wins in the game
One major factor in all the success was the running of mid-level, mediocre warriors,
the most important of which was "The Consortium Waste." How would you like to have 9
warriors (these are only examples of many more) provide a record of 175-48-2? No,
not "scum' as by far the majority of wins were by doing damage. These same nine
below provided 16 DM crowns, 4 TVs, and a 98-73-1 tournament record. The
contributions are from DM 20 (Animal Farm--Mino), DM 40 (Demons Of Death--Pretty
Pandora), DM46 (Fandils--Fandil The Wise), DM47 (Land Of Oz--Oz), and DM60 (The Crazy
Creeps--Creepster).
The data provided is "known starting info" supplemented by "graduation info."
WINGED MONKEY (47-1773) 11-14-9-15-17-5-13 WS 18-2-0 record
Good endure; normal dmg; +3 att/-1 par; 2TV 22-12-0 tourney
Great axe/mod/low
SHAHAG (46-1556) 11-14-11-15-17-5-11 WS 18-2-0 record
Good endure; good dmg; mode; 4DM crowns; 1TV 27-14-2 tourney
Scimitar/Low/Very low
AMBER APE (20-2735) 11-15-10-17-15-4-12 WS 20-4-0 record
Good endure; good dmg; +4 att/-3 par; 4 DM crowns 2-3 0 tourney
Battle axe/high/low
WINKIE (47-3210) 11-14-14-14-15-4-12 WS 17-3-0 record
Good endure; great dmg (+); mode; 1TV 16-7-1 tourney
Greatsword/very high/very low
SAINT LUCIFER (60-2194) 16-15-5-17-15-5-11 WS 20-5-0 record
Good endure; normal dmg; +3att; 11-9-0 tourney
Scimitar/mod/low
HEATHER HIPPO (20-3229) 11-13-14-15-15-5-11 WS 17-5-0 record
Normal endure; good dmg; -2 att/+4 par; 4 DM crowns 2-6-0 tourney
Morning star/mod/very low
GREY GRIFFON (20-1653) 11-13-12-15-15-5-13- WS 25-9-0 record
Normal endure; great dmg (+); mode 11-12-0 tourney
Broad sword/high/very low
AVARICE (40-2675) 11-13-15-16-15-4-10 WS 18-8-0 record
Good endure; tremendous dmg (++); -1 att/-2 par; 2DM crowns 4-6-0 tourney
Scimitar/high/low
CHOCOLATE CRAB (20-1755) 11-12-14-14-15-5-13 WS 22-10-2 record
Normal endure; good dmg; mode; 2 DM crowns 3-6-0 tourney
Great axe/mod/low
These warriors and their managers made a very great contribution to making The
Consortium what it was and is.
As a final note, great warriors can be made with 5-9 WL warriors--the opposite
of The Consortium Waste. Perhaps that makes for another days presentation.
P.S. By the way, for those of you who think that this type of design is a "thing of
the past," please observe "Hourglass" in DM47 running this very moment (10-12-04)
with a 12-1 record. The Consortium Waste is invaluable and timeless. (EDIT There
are appx 6-8 Consortium Wastes running in arenas at the moment.)
Brought to you by the many Consortium managers and scribes.
+ ]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 706): VENTRIIE of DARK WARDS (Dark Warden, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 708): HERMIAS of DREAMERS (Sleepy, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 647): THAT I DO SIR of ARCANE ROYALTY (Destitute Noble, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 702): GOLDEN STAIRS of GREENWARDENS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 704): SNAKE of SERPENTS HOLD 114 (Khisanth, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 696): LT. OLSEN of 82ND ILLINOIS (Otto X, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 697): DONKEY HOTAY of MAN OR BEAST? (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 350): COLGATE SMILE of MY GENERATION (Storm Lord, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 694): MOTHIAS of MID EARTH (Visionist, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 348): BUZZ-BUZZ of BAD NEWS BEES (Stinger, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 690): DAY DREAM of KAOS (Grimm, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 687): HULL SCRUBBER of SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 679): MAIRIE AP GAUR of CHILDREN OF LLYR (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 638): KHARIJANH of THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 326): ANDROMEDA of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 320): BIG MAC of FAST FOOD (Madwand, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 307): 4-H of LIFE IMPACTS (Coach, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 569): KULGAN of MEN OF STEEL (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 554): TICK ... TOCK of UNNAMEABLES (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 536): ARKAN BARNES of MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 531): LINDIS TYL SARRO of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 255): BURIED TREASURE of FOUND IN THE SAND (Assurnasirbanipal)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 492): SPIDERPIG of HOMER'S PETS (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 486): MOUNTAIN STORM of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 478): NAKED LUNCHR of SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 595): WILD THANG! of STREET WALKERS (Roadkill, mgr.)
Top Teams
---------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 706): SERPENTS HOLD 3 (Khisanth, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 708): BLUE NOTE (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 647): ARCANE ROYALTY (Destitute Noble, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 702): GREENWARDENS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 704): GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 696): 82ND ILLINOIS (Otto X, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 697): MAN OR BEAST? (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 350): THE WOLF PACK (?, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 694): MID EARTH (Visionist, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 348): THE STORM REAVERS (?, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 689): COLLEGE RADIO (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 687): TOOL SHED (Leprechaun, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 679): CHILDREN OF LLYR (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 638): THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 326): DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 320): SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 307): LIFE IMAPACTS (Coach, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 569): MIDDLE WAY 20 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 554): INGRATE WHITE NORTH (Crip, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 536): SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 531): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 255): SUPER STARS (Crip, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 492): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 486): SAND DANCERSS (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 478): SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 595): DIRT DEVILS et al (The Dark One, mgr.)
Recent Graduates
-----------------
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 707): MAC THE SPOON of THE SYNDICATE (Otto X, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 644): NIMBLE DANCER of ARCANE ROYALTY (Destitute Noble, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 701): INKED PIG of INK & STEEL RETRO (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 696): SENLUM NOSH of MIDDLE WAY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 697): DONKEY HOTAY of MAN OR BEAST? (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 350): COLGATE SMILE of MY GENERATION (Storm Lord, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 694): NERO of TREKKERS (Deep Thought, mgr.)
(turn 693): WENIEN of MID EARTH (Visionist, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 348): BUZZ-BUZZ of BAD NEWS BEES (Stinger, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 688): ROTTING ROLAND of THE WALKING DEAD (Deep Thought, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 326): ANDROMEDA of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 320): QUEEN OF TARTS of MYSTIC ORC FEAST (slugbait, mgr.)
BROOMSTICK of LAND OF OZ (Oz, mgr.)
(turn 319): GIZMO of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 307): 4-H of LIFE IMPACTS (Coach, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 567): TAM TAM KA BLAM of INCONSISTENT FURY (Banthius, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 552): Q MARK of UNNAMEABLES (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.0
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 531): MARAN TEN PALAN of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 477): CALEAM CHOWDER of SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit)
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
I am Diet Big Red and I am Duelmaster. For the second time, I might add.
Khalhum's Dwarf cheated me out of the third, but I don't want to say anything bad
about the little people and be considered a discriminator. So, nice job, KD, you
jerk!
I will be out of here after next turn. It is the tenth and time for a Drink Up
exit. I suspect that we will be run in some arena somewhere, because Mr. Consortium
likes to get his piker grads to ADM and because tsingtao is a pretty good rollup.
In case you forgot:
Diet Big Red (thru 8 fights)
11-15-11-17-10-9-11 Piker
+2/4 attack, +2/4 defense
normal endu, good damage
not much of a hitter with
LO at 0-22-0
QS at 0-10-0
SS at 3-15-0
skill learn rate 1.86
learned mostly decise and parry
TsingTao 9thru 7 fights)
12(+1)-9-10-21-9-18-7 Striker
+1/4 defense, bonused endu
normal endu, normal damage (bumped ST and damage to good)
hasn't found a favorite weapon
BS @ 1-12-3
FI @ 0-1-0
HA @ 0-5-0
SS @ 0-25-0
skill learn rate 1.83 (weak for a 21 WT)
learned mostly decise and attack
Enough of that. Will I get that 3rd DM Title? Or will that Assur-guy and his
basher-buddies steal it from me? Tune in to find out.
Diet Big Red DMII
SPY REPORT
Good day, in NOBLISH ISLAND a quiet thief gets rich, but a quiet spymaster gets
poor. So bring me ale and harken to my tidbits of news. It seems the training can
make the difference, as DRINK UP is pushed out of top team by BASH BROS BASHERS, who
came from 2nd with a 5-0-1 this turn. And let's see, WEAPONS fought DIET MOUNTAIN
DEW and gained 24 points and contributed to BASH BROS BASHERS' 5-0-1. DIET MOUNTAIN
DEW has lost to WEAPONS, falling 20 points, while helping make DRINK UP a 1-4-0 turn.
Defending its title for another turn, DIET BIG RED kept NOBLISH ISLAND's warrior, M.
CHARDINEE, from claiming the throne. By the way, was that our Duelmaster that I saw
last night, cramped under the table at The Dripping Blade?
The crowd's roar, the smell of iron and leather, mixed with sweat, what more
could a warrior ask of life? Well, besides that. I also notice that the PARKS AND
REC stable was the most avoided team this turn. Come on NOBLISH ISLAND, what are you
afraid of? And guess who avoided PARKS AND REC stable the most? Believe it or not,
it was DRINK UP. Anyone surprised? Well, sports fans, take notice that STRIKER
MATCHUPS from BASH BROS BASHERS was NOBLISH ISLAND's most challenged warrior this
turn.
We only live a short time in this world, so why not take a sharp blade, and
shave it close? A brave warrior does not carry a red shield, he has nothing to cover
or hide when the fight is over. Consider well.
I like this place, NOBLISH ISLAND, the taverns have old wine, and young serving
girls. Who could ask for more? Well, I'm burning daylight here in NOBLISH ISLAND
and I've a long road ahead of me. Happy Trails. Until the sun next rises and my pen
sets to paper-- Alarond the Scribe
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
DIET BIG RED 9317 9 1 1 83 DRINK UP (1604)
CHAMPIONS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
STRIKER MATCHUPS 9324 8 2 0 68 BASH BROS BASHERS (1606)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
WEAPONS 9323 7 3 0 65 BASH BROS BASHERS (1606)
TSINGTAO 9316 5 4 0 62 DRINK UP (1604)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
ENDURANCE BURN 9326 7 3 0 54 BASH BROS BASHERS (1606)
DIET MOUNTAIN DEW 9315 7 3 0 42 DRINK UP (1604)
FOLGERS 9353 3 4 1 41 DRINK UP (1604)
LOSING INITIATIVE 9327 6 3 0 36 BASH BROS BASHERS (1606)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
FAVE LEARN RIPOSTE 9325 7 3 1 32 BASH BROS BASHERS (1606)
LEAPING LILAC 9359 4 1 0 32 PARKS AND REC (1611)
QUEENIE PAROE 9345 6 2 0 29 THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610)
TAB 9314 5 5 0 26 DRINK UP (1604)
AVERAGE JOE 9360 3 2 2 25 PARKS AND REC (1611)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-DOMITIUS 9362 3 0 2 23 OLYMPUS MAXIMUS (1612)
VINCE YARE 9367 2 2 0 21 THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610)
-ODIN THORSEN 9377 1 0 1 15 TEAM NIETZCHEAN (1614)
ZOE YATES 9349 2 6 0 12 THE LOW ROAD 4 (1610)
NEUTER NELL 9358 3 2 0 11 PARKS AND REC (1611)
-DUNCAN 9338 1 1 0 9 DRAGON DISCIPLES (1608)
QUICK HIT HARRY 9356 1 4 0 7 PARKS AND REC (1611)
-FREYA SIGURSDOTTER 9373 1 0 0 7 TEAM NIETZCHEAN (1614)
-ASHER 9337 1 0 0 6 DRAGON DISCIPLES (1608)
-HONORIA 9363 0 2 0 2 OLYMPUS MAXIMUS (1612)
-HEL FRIGGASDOTTER 9376 0 1 0 1 TEAM NIETZCHEAN (1614)
-METALLUS 9364 0 1 0 1 OLYMPUS MAXIMUS (1612)
-SIF FRIGGASDOTTER 9374 0 1 0 1 TEAM NIETZCHEAN (1614)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
ZANE 9352 2 1 0 DRAGON DISCIPLE 1608 AVERAGE JOE 9360 358
ANTONIUS 9361 1 1 0 OLYMPUS MAXIMUS 1612 ODIN THORSEN 9377 359
AIMING AMANDA 9357 2 1 0 PARKS AND REC 1611 FOLGERS 9353 359
TYR ODINSEN 9375 0 1 0 TEAM NIETZCHEAN 1614 DOMITIUS 9362 359
SALOME RYAN 9346 1 6 0 THE LOW ROAD 4 1610 DOMITIUS 9362 360
URBIN TILL 9347 2 6 0 THE LOW ROAD 4 1610 FAVE LEARN RIPOS 9325 361
PERSONAL ADS
Assur -- I want to salute you for your Bash team's fine performance this segment.
Your five BAs have topped my solid Drink Up team and the whole arena. Kudos, guy! --
Doctor Dehydrate, Consortium affiliated
Weapons -- I challenged you because I thought my weapons were better than your
weapons and I was right. I may be not-so-smart, but I am RIGHT! -- Diet Moutain Dew
(doing the dew!)
Engurance Burn -- I tried to keep endurance out of our fight. You know, wham bam,
thank you, ma'am! -- Tsingtao
Striker -- What? You cheated! You aren't a striker; you're a reverse AB! As an
aimer, I hate reverse-ABs. They are taking over. -- Tab
Queenie Paroe -- I was good to the very last drop. -- Folgers (using deceased Maxwell
House's false advertising)
Konann Cee -- I want to thank you for the bloodfeud and the opportunity to reclaim my
throne. Good try, but.... -- Diet Big Red
I want to thank everyone here for making us Drink Ups welcome. As we will be "outta
here" after this last (tenth) round, we want to let you know how much we enjoyed it.
Look for the Consortium affiliated new team to have something to do with NCAA
Football, and probably managed by Coach Rah Rah. (Just where do these Consortium
manager names come from?) -- Doctor Dehydrate, signing off
P.S. Drink lots of water.
Tab -- I can think of other interpretations of your acronym, but Jorja won't let me
print 'em here. -- Zoe Yates
Folgers -- Don't look at me, I don't do coffee. -- Queenie Paroe
P.S. Especially not since Folgers bought out Butternut.
Fave Learns Riposte and Losing Initiative -- Ugh. -- Zoe Yates and Vince Yare
Neuter Nell -- The fans threw some quite good veggies at us. How about if we get
together and add a rabbit to 'em and call it stew? -- Urbin Till
Domitius -- I could have gone all day without that result, and been happy about it.
Not to mention that it wraps up an oh-fer turn for us, although *I* don't care about
that now. -- Ghost of Salome Ryan
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
FOLGERS was devastated by STRIKER MATCHUPS in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge fight.
DIET BIG RED demolished M. CHARDINEE in a 1 minute one-sided Title melee.
TSINGTAO was defeated by KUNG-FU MASTER in a crowd pleasing 1 minute duel.
DIET MOUNTAIN DEW was devastated by WEAPONS in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
ENDURANCE BURN demolished TAB in a 1 minute mismatched competition.
FAVE LEARN RIPOSTE slaughtered URBIN TILL in a 1 minute mismatched fight.
LOSING INITIATIVE beat AVERAGE JOE in a 1 minute brawl.
LEAPING LILAC handily defeated ZOE YATES in a 1 minute uneven fight.
QUEENIE PAROE vanquished QUICK HIT HARRY in a 1 minute uneven duel.
NEUTER NELL was viciously subdued by VINCE YARE in a 2 minute beginner's fight.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|BASHING ATTACK 7 PARRY-STRIKE 13 - 7 - 1 65 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 4 BASHING ATTACK 61 - 43 - 4 59 |
|AIMED BLOW 2 SLASHING ATTACK 20 - 17 - 1 54 |
|TOTAL PARRY 2 STRIKING ATTACK 23 - 24 - 4 49 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 1 AIMED BLOW 16 - 17 - 2 48 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 1 LUNGING ATTACK 5 - 9 - 0 36 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 - 4 - 0 33 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 2 - 1 33 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 WALL OF STEEL 4 - 8 - 0 33 |
|WALL OF STEEL 0 TOTAL PARRY 8 - 17 - 1 32 |
Turn 361 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the
used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are:
PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 0 AIMED BLOW 0 - 2 6 BASHING ATTACK
LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 2 STRIKING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 1 PARRY-STRIKE
BASHING ATTACK 6 - 1 STRIKING ATTACK 0 - 4 1 LUNGING ATTACK
TOTAL PARRY 0 - 2 1 SLASHING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL 0 - 0
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
PARRY-STRIKE DIET BIG RED 9317 9 1 1 83 DRINK UP (1604)
BASHING ATTACK STRIKER MATCHUPS 9324 8 2 0 68 BASH BROS BASHERS (1606)
STRIKING ATTACK TSINGTAO 9316 5 4 0 62 DRINK UP (1604)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is DIET BIG RED 9317. The most popular warrior this
turn was VINCE YARE 9367. The ten other most popular fighters were STRIKER MATCHUPS
9324, DIET BIG RED 9317, TSINGTAO 9316, WEAPONS 9323, FAVE LEARN RIPOSTE 9325, LOSING
INITIATIVE 9327, LEAPING LILAC 9359, QUEENIE PAROE 9345, FOLGERS 9353, and ENDURANCE
BURN 9326.
The least popular fighter this week was NEUTER NELL 9358. The other ten least
popular fighters were QUICK HIT HARRY 9356, ZOE YATES 9349, AVERAGE JOE 9360, URBIN
TILL 9347, TAB 9314, DIET MOUNTAIN DEW 9315, ENDURANCE BURN 9326, FOLGERS 9353,
QUEENIE PAROE 9345, and LEAPING LILAC 9359.
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)