DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 01/12/2013 Duedate: 01/25/2013
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-368
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
GAMECOCKS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618)
(93-9401) [5-2-0,47]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY GAMECOCKS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618)
(93-9401) [5-2-0,47]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
HOOSIERS HOOSIERS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618) COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618)
(93-9404) [4-3-0,33] (93-9404) [4-3-0,33]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. BASH BROS SUITCASE (1619) 25
2. COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618) 15 ONLY HUMANS (147)
3. LOW ROAD 5 (1620) 8 Unchartered Team
4. OLYMPUS MAXIMUS (1612) 0
COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 1*COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618) 23 12 1 65.7 1/ 1*COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618) 10 5 0
2/ 2*BASH BROS SUITCAS (1619) 20 15 0 57.1 2/ 2*BASH BROS SUITCAS (1619) 9 6 0
3/ 3*LOW ROAD 5 (1620) 8 12 0 40.0 3/ 3*LOW ROAD 5 (1620) 4 11 0
4- 4*OLYMPUS MAXIMUS (1612) 8 14 2 36.4 4- 4*OLYMPUS MAXIMUS (1612) 1 4 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
TRAINING: SKILLS or STATS
Or
A CONSORTIUM OPINION
Or
EITHER IS A SPIFFY CHOICE
But
BE SURE TO TRAIN SOMETHING!
Often one hears a statement similar to this: "Train skills; do not train stats."
The implication or sometimes direct statement is that you will be sorry if you train
stats, especially certain stats.
The Consortium opinion is that, in the majority of circumstances, it is
perfectly all right to train stats, and in some cases it is better to train stats.
(This process of training stats is often called "burning.") The purpose of this
article is to explore stat and skill training and to and to give the reader some
ideas as to if, or when, stat training is either a-okay or best. The article will
also explore when it is considered best not to train stats.
First, to set the stage, there are several principles, givens, and ideas that
the reader must understand.
1. Skill raining is mostly dependent on WT. (e.g. The higher the wit, the more
skills per fight the warrior is likely to learn.
2. Stat training is mostly dependent on two things:
a. WL; a warrior's stat learn probability is 5% times the will. (E.g. a warrior
with 10 WL has a (5%x10=50%) 50/50 chance to learn the stat, while a warrior
with 17 WL has an 85% chance of learning the stat.)
b. The number of stats of that type already trained. A warrior's learning rate
for a specific stat is halved each time he earns one of those stats. For
example, a warrior with 10 will has a 50% (5%x10) of earning a first stat of a
type, but only a 25% (5%x10 halved) of earning the second stat of that type
(and on to 12.5% for the third).
3. Training most stats also earns the warrior certain skills.
4. There are limits to the number of stats and skills a warrior can have.
a. In basic, a warrior can have no higher that 21 of any stat type.
b. A warrior is limited to earning 20 skills (beyond the initial skills the
warrior is "born" with) of each type in his career. Those 20 skills may come
from learning skills or from training a stat which gives the warrior one or
more of those skills. He is deemed "maxed" when he learns the 20th.
c. A warrior can, however, learn more that 20 skills of a type if he first learns
his 20 allowed skills, and then trains stats which give the warrior one of
those skills. (This factor is why one often hears "Do not train stats or you
will be sorry.")
5. Certain stats improve the "physicals" of your warrior. (e.g. there is a
reasonable possibility that training ST can improve how much damage your warrior
does when he hits)
With those principles in mind, one can postulate certain scenarios which might
provide a basis for decision-making as to "what to train." These represent, first,
the knowledge necessary, then, The Consortium scenarios for training decision--STATs
or SKILLs?
KNOWLEDGE
1 Be aware of the probable skill learn rate. (This is a highly variable number,
based on many, many factors of the game, including luck rolls.)
2 Be aware of the stat training probability for that stat.
3 Be aware that every thing in D2 has a probable roll or luck factor.
4 Be aware of the potential "physical" improvement to your warrior for stat training.
5 Know which stat trains do not provide any skills. (E.g. Raising to 12ST improves
the stat, but cannot provide any skills or "burning", while raising to 15ST
improves that stat and provides two "burned" skills--attack and parry.)
6 Determine if that specific warrior will be enhanced by a possibility of earning
more than 20 skills of a type. (Example, a warrior that is meant for the long-
term, or is deemed to be a near-godling is extremely likely to benefit from the
extra skills at high-ADM classes where every warrior is maxed or near maxed in
stats and skills and every single skill can make a difference in a fight. A
warrior who is expected to be around for a shorter period, or is to be "retired"
upon graduation to Lord Protectorship, will not be around long enough to earn and
benefit from the few extra skills available.
7 Know which is likely to benefit your warrior most when you decide to train skills
of a certain stat. (e.g. How many skills am I likely to learn if I train skills
verses the probability of learning that specific stat train and the subsequent
physical and skill gain earned.)
CONSORTIUM DECISION MODEL
1. Upon rollup, evaluate each warrior and classify--long-term/godling (GOD), possible
long term (UNS), standard warrior--run to graduation.(NRM)
2. Do not train stats on GOD, unless they are non-burning stats.
3. Limit training stats on UNS, unless they are non-burning stats, until it is
decided that this warrior is not a GOD.
4. If a NRM, train whatever the manager believes will most enhance the warrior
winning fights.
5. When deciding between stat or skill training, compare the probable quantity of
skill learning vs. the probable of learning the chosen stat and its potential
physical and skill contribution.
Perhaps a couple of Consortium examples are in order. Let's consider these two
warriors" 14-7-12-15-20-14-11 striker and 4-10-11-17-17-4-21 aimed-blow.
Although a solid warrior, the striker would be considered NRM, especially since
strikers are not considered likely Primus-level styles. The warrior probably rolled
good damage and good endurance. The odds of getting a first stat raise are near 100%
(5%x20, but everything has a "luck" roll). The warrior at 15WT should expect to earn
nearly two skills per turn (Consortium rates 15WT skill learn rate at 1.75ish)
Consortium Managers would plan two immediate "bumps"--WL to 21 and ST to 15. Moving
to 21 WL gains seven fine skills (2 each Att, Par, Def and 1 Decise) and enhances
physicals a tiny bit. (Adds 0.4 hit points and improves endurance a small amount)
Training skills would have yielded a probability of two skills, and three if lucky.
The choice to train WL is a no-brainer. The 2nd plan train to 15ST is also a good
one. At 15 ST, two skills are earned, attack and parry. The 15ST also enhances
weapon selection, making the striker now strong enough to carry certain "larger
weapons" with no penalty. (The battle axe is an often favored weapon of
Consortiumites--and probably should be a favorite of yours.) The 15ST also has the
possibility of raising the warrior's damage rating from good to great. Consortium
places this damage bump odds at 4-1, appx 20% likely. Compared to the probability of
learning 2 skills (or an unlucky 1 or a lucky 3) the 15ST raise seems like a good
one. There are no more planned raises for this warrior, but that does not preclude
that a Consortium manager might not later attempt an additional ST raise to 16 (if
great damage was not attained) and a raise to 8 CN, especially if the warrior has a
"frail" rating.
Warrior #2, the aimer is rated a GOD. There would be no planned stat raises to
the warrior, training skill all the way until maxed. However, there would be no
reason not to consider CN raises, as no CN raise burns skills and every aimer can use
additional hit points. This choice would need to be balanced against the probability
of earning 2.25 skills per turn (Consortium rating). One additional consideration
should be given. If this warrior rolled "little damage", (normal damage is more
likely) the bump to 5ST could be what is needed to get normal damage. The raising of
that stat "burns" a parry and an attack skill, however. For a long-term warrior,
especially an aimer which can use little-damage somewhat effectively, this bump would
not be recommended.
In conclusion, there is no absolute when it comes to training skills or stats.
Training stats is not a no-no. Burning skills can be inconsequential. Physical and
skill gains from stats can greatly enhance the warrior and the W/L record. But, like
most other decisions in D2, there is a trade-off. Burning stats on a long-term, ADM+
warrior could prove damaging to the warrior's long-term health. Choose wisely rather
than automatically.
Coach Rah Rah (for The Consortium)
+ ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Lighthouse ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +
"Tinkering strategies?" Jorja glanced around the common room of the Lighthouse
quickly. None of her gladiators were near by, but she leaned forward and lowered her
voice anyway. "The team here doesn't believe I ever do that, and I don't want them
to hear me saying differently, Diaretic. They'd get expectations, and I don't have
any plan to make life that easy for 'em. But here's the way I go at it when I'm
feeling generous with my warriors. Mind you, this is just the way *I* do it, and
there are plenty of other approaches.
"Say I've got a warrior who's a pure offensive style, which means a basher, a
lunger, or a slasher. I don't count strikers, as they're versatile and sometimes
unpredictable. Say I've started him out fast, maybe 8-6-x. Unless he's fighting
another pure offensive, he should be first off the mark. So I look for the problem.
If it's a problem with his numbers and style and he should have been some other kind
of fighter, well, too bad, we're both stuck with it. I can boost his offensive
effort to ten--sometimes it already IS ten, of course, but if it isn't, then that
goes up to the top. I can drop his activity level, say to four. I know some people
start their offensive warriors going 10-10-x, but to my mind, this is just asking for
early burnout in a fight. I've seen that kind of thing--a warrior comes out of the
starting gate like his socks are on fire, and by the MIDDLE, not the end, of the
first minute, he's panting and staggering, and losing. Sure, some warriors can take
that kind of energy burn, but most can't.
"So I tinker with his numbers, and it doesn't help, he still gets jumped when he
shouldn't. The next thing to try is dropping the weight he's carrying. Maybe I've
got him in some kind of mail, okay, I drop that to leather. This reduces his
protection against blows from his opponent, of course, but everything's a trade-off.
If he gets out there first and deals a shrewd blow or two, it won't matter; he'll win
before he gets hurt. If he's already in leather, or if I want to lighten him up
further, I'll drop his backup weapon and give him a lighter one. Say he's got a
scimitar with a backup same, maybe I'll drop the backup to a shortsword or even a
dagger. I'll always leave him SOME backup weapon--"
"He'd have his fists, if you didn't give him a backup weapon, wouldn't he?"
Diaretic asked.
Jorja shrugged. "Well... yes, but none of the pure offensives do well with
their fists. Strikers, maybe, but not bashers, lungers, or slashers. They can and
will use 'em if they have nothing else, but they won't do well. And frankly, I
wouldn't even send out an aimed blow, the CLASSIC unarmed style, with nothing but his
fists for backups. I've seen too many of them 'struck in the arm with the parry'.
It's too risky for a warrior who's already got problems. Unless, of course..." she
looked suddenly thoughtful, "I'm hoping he'll get killed...."
Diaretic raised his eyebrows. "Do you do that much?"
"Send them out hoping they'll die?" Jorja shrugged. "Well, yes and no. I run
everything, maybe send one warrior in a hundred to the Dark Arena--after he's fought
for a year or two. There are often warriors that I would LIKE to see die, even
though I hate the hassle of recruiting new ones. But I've never sent a warrior out
unarmed, unarmored, and with the basic 1-1-1 default strategy. At least, not
deliberately. There's a team I have in Murska that was running on maintenance once.
I wasn't paying attention, and no less than THREE new warriors started up there
without strategies--and survived! They had horrible records by the time one of the
other managers managed to get my attention, 0-19 I think it was, but they survived.
Tough men, and they eventually made it to graduation, once I gave them 'sharp pointy
things' to use on their opponents. But I don't do that deliberately." She paused
and signaled for one of the waiters to bring Diaretic a fresh drink.
"Where was I? Warriors getting jumped when they shouldn't be, right. As a last
resort, because I don't really care for tactics, I might give such a warrior
decisiveness in the first minute, also.
"But if none of this works, if he still gets jumped regularly, then I have to
think about taking a different approach. Maybe he'd be better off running slowly,
despite his style. So I put more armor on him, some kind of mail, usually, and I
slow down his first minute, maybe invert it: 4-6-x or 4-8-x or something. And then
in the second minute pop him up to eight or ten offensive effort, on the idea that
he'll catch the faster offensives when they're tired. Sometimes it works.
Especially with beginning warriors, winning can often be a game of endurance. He who
is still standing, wins."
Diaretic nodded and sipped his drink. Half-formed ideas of how he might use
these ideas on his own warriors revolved in his mind. "What about the opposite case,
a defensive warrior who can't last long enough to win as he should?"
"The total parry who collapses from exhaustion in the second minute?" Jorja
laughed. "I've had a few of those over the years. I call 'em 'the warriors of
exasperation'. It isn't easy running everything, you know--I end up with some
warriors that not even a mother could love, and with them, I tend to do really dumb
things, just for the heck of it. The aimed blow with a deftness of three or four,
for instance, or the total parry with no con.
"But for the, hmm, 'legitimate' cases of warriors running too fast, well, there
are signs as obvious as an offensive getting jumped. 'Fighting to conserve energy',
'straining to hold his weary arms at guard', stuff like that in the fight report is a
sure sign. You can take two approaches to that, lower the weight they're carrying so
as not to burn their energy that way--lighter armor, lighter weapons. Or slow 'em
down. Say I've got a ripper going 6-8-x and stumbling with exhaustion in the second
minute. I might slow this warrior down to 4-6 and see if that helps. Heck, I've
even done that with offensives. Back when I started slashers out going 10-10-x, I'd
get them stumbling with exhaustion and losing because of it in the second or even the
FIRST minute, and I'd slow 'em down. Activity level comes down first for an
offensive warrior--I think of that as the 'dodging and parrying' number. Offensive
effort comes down first for the defensives."
"Hmm." The younger manager frowned, making a series of linked rings on the
table top with the wet bottom of his glass. "What about warriors who flail wildly?"
"I've been told that this is due to lack of attack skills, and unless you're
going to train stats and burn those skills, nothing but time will cure it. But I've
found that sometimes--not always--lowering kill desire helps. Drop it to five, say,
if it's higher. Dropping the offensive effort a notch might help, too. I think of
'flailing wildly' as 'trying too hard'. You can never be sure, of course, because
managing gladiators is an art, not a science." She paused and half stood, looking
toward a center of commotion. "Do you want Wednesday to get falling down drunk on
the night before the fights?"
+<]H[>+-----+<]H[+ Question of the Week #8 +]H[>+-----+<]H[>+
Question, turn 417:
All -- Here's last cycle's question that didn't make it in (along with page two of my
personals). What are the top five weapons to be successful in Advanced? -- Hanibal
Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 418:
Q.O.W. Response -- The top weapons in AD, or even basic DM, are generally agreed upon
to be the SC, LO, BS, and BA. The scimitar is an all round great weapon. Seems
easier to crit with, and even against heavy armor, still dishes out a lot of damage.
Because it's a slashing weapon, it seems to pull a lot of critical damage on normal
hits. The longsword is the second best, though that could be contended, for its one
great ability, the knockdown! The broadsword is heavy, but it dishes out heavy
abuse, it doesn't break often, and it is pretty good at smashing through parries.
The battle axe is just plain cool, and it is very painful! After those four, it's
difficult to say which weapon is better. I like daggers, though shortswords are
strong, and the halberd is really fun if your warrior can throw crits with it. --
Adie
I must have missed the question this is answering, or it was part of an ongoing and
sometimes heated discussion on winning and killing and aiming locations in Aruak
City.
Q.O.W. Response -- Other than the obvious ability of aiming at the
chest/abdomen/head to gain death intent statement, I think that it's more difficult
to win when aiming at the body because there are more hit-points there. This is
especially the case against tough, armored warriors. Attacking the body with lunging
weapons can get knockdowns, but I think that it's even easier if you aim at the legs.
If you consider protect locations though, maybe the body is better to aim at because
maybe fewer people protect it.
The limbs, and head especially, have less hit points, so if struck, such a
warrior usually gives up sooner. Aiming at the head can get quick victories and
death intent statements, but results in more deaths, obviously. But I think a lot of
people routinely protect the head. Aiming at the arms allows the defeat of a warrior
when they lose their weapon, or use of their arm, and can't draw a back up. -- Adie
P.S. I only advocate aiming at the arms and legs in Aruak City. Elsewhere is a
different story.
Question for turn 418, to be answered next turn:
New Q.O.W. -- What have people seen in regards to arms that hang useless? Can
warriors regain the use of them eventually if the fight goes on? Can they punch or
parry with it, even though they can't draw a back-up? -- Adie
Adie's QoW -- Striking arms can cause an opponent to drop their weapon and
(temporarily) lose the use of the limb. Striking the legs can increase the chance of
a knockdown. Striking at head, chest, or abdomen can allow for a kill on the sands.
Chest and abdomen seem to be the locations best protected by armor. Head can have a
different level of armor protection than the rest of the warrior's body, which can
make things tactically interesting. From what I've seen, managers usually have their
warriors protect their vital hit locations by default, so to me it makes more sense
to aim at non-vitals. -- Generalissimo Puerco
Is Generalissimo Puerco psychic? Tune in next turn and find out!
Hanibal's QoW -- All of the one-handed swords make up the top tier of weapons, with
the axes and spears on the second tier (consider halberd in this group), and all the
bludgeoning weapons (and the greatsword) at the bottom. Quarterstaves, war hammers,
and mauls are liked by some, and as far as I'm concerned, they can have them.
Unfortunately the quarterstaff recently became tied (with longsword) among my LPs for
most popular favorite weapon. Also, interestingly, I only have one LP that favors
the scimitar, and it's a total parry! -- Generalissimo Puerco
Hanibal -- Top five weapons? Hm, scimitar, scimitar, scimitar.... Oh, you mean
DIFFERENT weapons? A lot depends on the style of the warrior in question and his or
her favorite. But scimitar is up there near the top of the list for many styles. --
Leeta
The question from turn 418:
New Q.O.W. -- What have people seen in regards to arms that hang useless? Can
warriors regain the use of them eventually if the fight goes on? Can they punch or
parry with it, even though they can't draw a back-up? -- Adie
Answers from turn 419 and 420:
Q.O.W. Answer: I have had all sorts of s#&t (not sure what word this was
supposed to be) happen regarding arms falling uselessly at their side: some warriors
give up, some continue on, I've even had a warrior lose his use of an arm twice in
one fight (and he still won!!!). One thing is certain...the weapon in the useless
hand always drops in the sand. -- Dr. Strange
Refers to last turn's question--
QOW -- Weapons? We agree that SC seems tops with LO and BS highly desirable. The
Consortium clan has a great affinity for these also: BA, DA, QS, SH, WH and GA. Not
the normal "feelings," but... -- Kennelworth
QOW -- A useless arm is a statement and since it normally comes at the end, it
"seems" to mean something, but it is similar to a dropped weapon. -- Kennelworth
Answer Q.O.W. (arms) -- When arms are struck in combat, I too have seen a variety of
things occur. I've seen them get hit, forcing a weapon to be dropped, but then a
back up pulled immediately. I've seen them get hit, drop a weapon, and be too hotly
engaged to pull a new one. Also, they can hang useless after being struck. The
weirdest thing I've ever seen is a warrior lose the use of their arm, drop their
weapon, strike with their fists, and then have one of those fists get parried, AND IT
WOULD BE THE ONE THAT WAS USELESS THAT WAS INJURED BY THE PARRY! Strange eh? So if
both arms went useless, you could still fight with fists? Hmm... -- Adie
New question, turn 419:
All -- I recently tried an experiment where I gave a warrior a Primary weapon
(Broadsword) and the same off-hand back-up. She pulled the back-up when things
slowed down in min. 2. Does this mean she prefers two weapons or do they always do
that? If you give a warrior two back-ups will they pull the one they prefer or
whatever you list first? -- Hanibal -- Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 420:
Answer Q.O.W. (backups) -- When things slow down in a fight and neither warrior is
eager to hold the initiative, they will usually pull any off-hand or back up weapon
they have, whether they need it or not. It has no relation to whether that warrior
prefers to fight with two weapons or not.
Drawing back-ups also can occur when the fight is intense. If your weapon
breaks while on the offense, often such a warrior will draw their back up and attempt
a riposte to hold the init. Also, if you're on the defensive and you attempt to
riposte, but you have a back-up weapon or off-hand weapon to draw, your warrior may
try to pull it. Success is not always guaranteed in either case though since your
warrior may be 'to hotly engaged'. Even if a defending warrior succeeds, drawing a
weapon after a riposte forces that warrior to give up the init they could have taken.
But if they pull a back-up and THEN riposte, then can take the init.
If you give a warrior two back-ups, they pull the one listed first, and if it
breaks or is dropped, they'll pull the second. It is not random. -- Adie
QoW -- If the warrior has a free off-hand, and a backup off-hand weapon, it usually
isn't long before they decide to make use of it. I'm guessing that OE and
coordination (anonymous source) are factors that affect the likelihood of drawing a
backup in the off-hand. Wanna Be, manager of A Savage Few here in Aruak, once hosted
a fast draw contest where contestants had to start the fight unarmed but could have
backup weapons. The all-out offensives would sometimes spend a full minute or more
with their fists before deciding to draw steel. The defensives would usually draw
something the first chance their opponent would give them. -- Generalissimo Puerco
New question, turn 420:
All -- I was noticing the skill modifiers for low to high size; do these negatives
keep a warrior from being successful at the high end of the game? -- Hanibal --
Q.O.W.
We're now caught up with Aruak City (dm 11) on the Questions of the Week; they are
about to run turn 421 as I write this. So if Hanibal misses a turn in asking, or the
managers there miss a turn in answering, we'll have to miss a turn in looking over
their shoulders. Amazing how things follow one another like dominoes falling, isn't
it? There is NO REASON AT ALL why you here can't pose Questions of the Week of your
own. Send them as a personal to DM 11, identify yourself as a new manager seeking
enlightenment, and you should get a helpful response. -- Jorja
Note that Hannibal's Questions of the Week stopped some time ago and Aruak City is
now in the 600s.
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===---
Duelmasters
-----------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 713): GLINDORA of CRIMSON DEATH (Verol, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 715): DIZZY GILLESPIE of BLUE NOTE (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 660): THE BEAKSTER of ARCANE ROYALTY (Destitute Noble, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 709): LUCK DEVIL of THE DEVIL'S OWN (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 711): DEE NILE of PUNNY AMINALS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 702): WHIRLING FROGGY of KAOS FROGS (Grimm, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 703): SIR BLUEBELL of LORDS INC. (Lord Z., mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 354): POSTAGE of EXPENSE ACCOUNT (Finance Manager, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 700): GRASSFIRE of CARDOW HUNTERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 351): DRONE-ON of BAD NEWS BEES (Stinger, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 697): PAM DEMONIUM of DEVIL ADVOCATES (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 694): HULL SCRUBBER of SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 686): GRINCY of BAD GUYS (Mr. Bad Guy, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 644): ARCHERS OF LOAF of UNC COLLEGE RADIO (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 329): AURORA MARIE of NORTHERN LIGHTS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 323): FROSTY of FAST FOOD (Madwand, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 310): 4-H of LIFE IMPACTS (Coach, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 576): LINKIN LOGGER of INCONSISTENT FURY (Banthius, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 561): TICK ... TOCK of UNNAMEABLES (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 543): GRAHAM CRACKER of SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 537): LINDIS TYL SARRO of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 259): FRISBEE of FOUND IN THE SAND (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 498): SPIDERPIG of HOMER'S PETS (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 493): KOGAN DJIAN of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 484): NAKED LUNCH of SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 601): NOREASTER of DIRT DEVILS (The Dark One, mgr.)
Top Teams
---------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 713): CRIMSON DEATH (Verol, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 715): BLUE NOTE (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 660): ARCANE ROYALTY (Destitute Noble, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 709): CRUCIAL TAUNT (Daikkan, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 711): PUNNY AMINALS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 702): MIDDLE WAY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 703): THE MAGNIFICENT MAGS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 354): LORD OF DISCIPLINE (Longshot, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 700): METAL MINCERS (Oremaster, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 351): POSITION IS EMPTY
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 697): DEATH BY DESIGN (Bubba Ganoosh, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 694): SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 686): HAPPY FUN TIME (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 644): THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 329): DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 323): FAST FOOD (Madwand, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 310): LIFE IMAPACTS (Coach, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 576): INCONSISTENT FURY (Banthius, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 561): RED DOG GANG (Spot, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 543): SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 537): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 259): SUPER STARS (Crip, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 498): MEDAL OF HONOR (The Anarchist, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 493): SAND DANCERSS (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 484): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 601): DIRT DEVILS et al (The Dark One, mgr.)
Recent Graduates
-----------------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 713): BLUE STREAK of BLUE MOON (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 715): DIZZY GILLESPIE of BLUE NOTE (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 660): THE BEAKSTER of ARCANE ROYALTY (Destitute Noble, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 711): DEE NILE of PUNNY AMINALS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 700): GRASSFIRE of CARDOW HUNTERS (Jorja, mgr.)
MOTHIAS of MID EARTH (Visionist, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 350): BUMBLE of BAD NEWS BEES (Stinger, mgr.)
XANDAR of AVENGERS (Huckle Cat?, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 697): INSIDIOUS of DEATH BY DESIGN (Bubba Ganoosh, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 323): FROSTY of FAST FOOD (Madwand, mgr.)
(turn 322): WILHELM SCREAM of OTTODROME TW (Otto X, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 310): MATH of LIFE IMPACTS (Coach, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 560): FENWRIST of RED DOG GANG (Spot, mgr.)
PRIME MINISTER of INGRATE WHITE NORTH (Crip, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 498): SPIDERPIG of HOMER'S PETS (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 484): NAKED LUNCH of SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
As a loyal Purple Ace and your Duelmaster, this is all I have to say:
Evansville, all hail to thee.
True and loyal we will be.
We will fight, fight, fight,
with all our might.
Cheering with pep and vim
For White and Purple.
And with every victory,
Our hearts with praise will fill.
We will back you with a
Rah, rah, rah.
All hail to our Evansville.
Ace, Duelmaster I
SPY REPORT
Oh, hi. Its just little 'ol Debby Tonte. Thought I'd check out NOBLISH ISLAND
to see what's new. MVP award for BENNY DOGGE? LOW ROAD 5's proud of him after
beating PERSISTANT BEGGAR and getting 13 points. Talk about yer major upsets!
CHARLOTTE ELLIS' match with GAMECOCKS cost her a loss of 5 points! Our last turn's
Duelmaster has lost, folks, lost to VENEMOUS CONCUBINE, and ACES has made the way for
a new Duelmaster! GAMECOCKS of COLLEGE FOOTBALL takes ACES' place. (But seriously,
who could ever take the place of ACES? Oh, all right.) Is the Duelmaster really
being a real snob to his teammates? Don't ask me!
So just why would someone becomes a warrior anyway? It can't be for these
really neat Spyreports can it? BASH BROS SUITCASE was NOBLISH ISLAND's most avoided
team. Is there some award for that? Hhmph! What kind of warriors are COLLEGE
FOOTBALL? BASH BROS SUITCASE, an easy team to beat if I ever saw one, can't get them
to accept an invitation!
What does a fighter fight for? I mean, the crowds don't give a hoot if someone
gets killed. Not after four more fights. Hey you guys, don't you think your
families would like to hear from you? Write! (Or have someone write for you.)
I really didn't, you know, study when I was a kid. Who would've guessed I'd be
a famous Spyreporter? I know how much you like reading this stuff, but I really
should stop. Remember you guys, ease up sometimes! Chill out! Later, Debby Tonte
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
GAMECOCKS 9401 5 2 0 47 COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
ACES 9405 5 2 1 42 COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
TIGERS 9403 4 3 0 36 COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618)
JAYHAWKS 9402 5 2 0 35 COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
HOOSIERS 9404 4 3 0 33 COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618)
OVERFILLED 9411 5 2 0 28 BASH BROS SUITCASE (1619)
BROKEN WHEEL 9410 5 2 0 26 BASH BROS SUITCASE (1619)
RIPPED OPEN 9415 3 3 0 24 BASH BROS SUITCASE (1619)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
CHARLOTTE ELLIS 9418 2 2 0 20 LOW ROAD 5 (1620)
BENNY DOGGE 9419 2 2 0 18 LOW ROAD 5 (1620)
OVERTHEWEIGHTLIMIT 9408 5 2 0 17 BASH BROS SUITCASE (1619)
-DOMITIUS 9362 3 3 2 14 OLYMPUS MAXIMUS (1612)
HOLES 9407 2 5 0 11 BASH BROS SUITCASE (1619)
-VITRUVIUS 9406 1 2 0 10 OLYMPUS MAXIMUS (1612)
ELMER GREEN 9416 2 2 0 8 LOW ROAD 5 (1620)
DAISY FRYE 9417 1 3 0 6 LOW ROAD 5 (1620)
ABRAM CROSS 9420 1 3 0 6 LOW ROAD 5 (1620)
-METALLUS 9364 1 2 0 5 OLYMPUS MAXIMUS (1612)
-HONORIA 9363 0 4 0 4 OLYMPUS MAXIMUS (1612)
-AURELIUS 9413 0 1 0 1 OLYMPUS MAXIMUS (1612)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
PERSONAL ADS
Hot Flash! The Face-to-Face Tourney will be in the 18th, 19th, and 20th of this
month. Get your strategies in by the 17th, please and thank you.
Benny Dogge -- You asked the question if "hoosiers" was like owls or something. The
answer is "no," I think you are mixed up. Owls would be more like Hooters, which are
nice if you like that sort of thing, even though their fried foods are not that good.
-- Hoosiers
The Tigers and Gamecocks both won their bowl games in exciting fashion. Yay! Good
prediction and call by... Coach Rah Rah
All -- Warriors can be, and some certainly are, "knacky" as Assur stated. The
Consortium, however, is not a believer that there is/are hidden stat/s. Maybe an
ingrown luck factor, and certainly lucky rolls, but hidden stats--not so much. --
Coach Rah Rah
Broken Wheel -- You must have been tired or lopsided from all that clackety-clack
from rolling around. It's hard, I know. -- Gamecocks
Overfilled -- The fight often goes to the nimble, and that I was. -- Aces
Elmer Green -- Maybe you spent too much time preaching? Are you related to Elmer
Gantry? You see one Elmer, you've seen 'em all. -- Hoosiers
I lost to The Userous merchant? It must have been football; it surely couldn't have
been basketball. -- Jayhawks
Abram Cross -- My bite was just as big as my growl. -- Tigers
Assur -- Unless you want to call luck a hidden stat, I do not believe in them.
Doesn't mean you're wrong and I'm right, but I don't believe in hidden stats. Luck
rolls, maybe even a warrior-by-warrior bias toward being lucky or unlucky, but no
more than that. -- Jorja
P.S. Which, of course, might be enough to explain things.
One-four, and we only fought Assur and the Coach? Bummer. And Jorja's tired, says
that spending money is exhausting (we'd like to try that sometime!), and is willing
to let us get away with no personals beyond this. After all, it isn't like we could
teach you guys anything. -- those who walk the Low Road
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
ACES was devastated by VENEMOUS CONCUBINE in a 1 minute mismatched fight.
GAMECOCKS vanquished CHARLOTTE ELLIS in a 1 minute uneven Title battle.
JAYHAWKS was savagely defeated by THE USEROUS MERCHANT in a 5 minute gruesome fight.
TIGERS devastated OVERTHEWEIGHTLIMIT in a 1 minute one-sided contest.
HOOSIERS defeated HOLES in a crowd pleasing 2 minute match.
BROKEN WHEEL devastated DAISY FRYE in a 1 minute one-sided duel.
OVERFILLED devastated ABRAM CROSS in a 1 minute mismatched match.
RIPPED OPEN handily defeated ELMER GREEN in a 1 minute uneven fight.
BENNY DOGGE vanquished PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 1 minute uneven duel.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|BASHING ATTACK 4 PARRY-STRIKE 2 - 1 - 0 67 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 3 BASHING ATTACK 36 - 22 - 3 62 |
|AIMED BLOW 2 LUNGING ATTACK 9 - 6 - 0 60 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 2 TOTAL PARRY 12 - 9 - 1 57 |
|WALL OF STEEL 2 STRIKING ATTACK 23 - 20 - 3 53 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 1 SLASHING ATTACK 9 - 11 - 1 45 |
|TOTAL PARRY 1 WALL OF STEEL 7 - 12 - 0 37 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 AIMED BLOW 9 - 19 - 0 32 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 1 - 0 0 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 - 0 0 |
Turn 368 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:
STRIKING ATTACK 3 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 3 STRIKING ATTACK
BASHING ATTACK 3 - 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 3 BASHING ATTACK
AIMED BLOW 1 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 1 AIMED BLOW
LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 1 1 SLASHING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 2 1 WALL OF STEEL
TOTAL PARRY 0 - 1 1 LUNGING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL 0 - 2 1 TOTAL PARRY
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
AIMED BLOW GAMECOCKS 9401 5 2 0 47 COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618)
SLASHING ATTACK ACES 9405 5 2 1 42 COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618)
STRIKING ATTACK TIGERS 9403 4 3 0 36 COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618)
WALL OF STEEL JAYHAWKS 9402 5 2 0 35 COLLEGE FOOTBALL (1618)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is HOOSIERS 9404. The most popular warrior this turn
was HOOSIERS 9404. The ten other most popular fighters were BROKEN WHEEL 9410,
OVERFILLED 9411, GAMECOCKS 9401, TIGERS 9403, RIPPED OPEN 9415, HOLES 9407, BENNY
DOGGE 9419, ACES 9405, CHARLOTTE ELLIS 9418, and OVERTHEWEIGHTLIMIT 9408.
The least popular fighter this week was JAYHAWKS 9402. The other ten least popular
fighters were ELMER GREEN 9416, ABRAM CROSS 9420, DAISY FRYE 9417, OVERTHEWEIGHTLIMIT
9408, CHARLOTTE ELLIS 9418, ACES 9405, BENNY DOGGE 9419, HOLES 9407, RIPPED OPEN
9415, and TIGERS 9403.
The Defensive Lunger
Perfect Minimums Actual Characters
ST 13 11 11 13
CN 7 3 3 11
SZ 4 4 10 6
WT 21 17 17 17
WL 17 13 17 19
SP 5 5 9 5
DF 17 13 17 13
The lunger, in my opinion, makes a much better defensive fighter than offensive
fighter. Fighting defensively will compensate for the speed at which lungers burn
endurance. They will still attack whenever possible but their defensive ability will
allow them to dodge most attacks. The most important part is their initiative. When
they do dodge, they'll usually steal the initiative and attack. I haven't been
fighting lungers defensively for long but my record is 14-5-0. Don't fight
defensively against other lungers as they will usually win.
The strategy I use is:
Min 1 2 3 4 5 6 Desp
Off 4 -------------------------> 9 Weapon: Any lunging
Act 6 4 --------------------> 9 No armor if low con
KD 4 -------------------------> 9 APL/H if average con
O.T. ---------------------------> L
D.T. -------------------------------->
You can attack any location you wish but I suggest protecting the body. The
third character listed started with experts in attack, defense and initiative. The
last character had an expert in attack.
The Wild Boar, manager of Things (5) and many inactive teams.
WARRIOR ENDURANCE
Greetings, joy and happiness to everyone! I hope you have had pleasant dueling.
This article is about endurance and some things to think about when you're designing
your warriors. Below is a chart showing the different endurance levels a warrior may
have. This chart may be a little off of due to the fact it isn't possible to have all
the variables as a manager, but it does give you idea of the amount of endurance a
warrior should have.
The formula for endurance is: E = (ST+CN)WL
With the result of that number use the chart below.
000-180 = Very Poor
181-240 = Poor
235-390 = Normal
391-509 = Good
510-639 = Great
640-699 = Tremendous
770+ = Awesome
Here are some examples of warriors with their Endurance ratings:
1) Slasher ST 5 CN 7 WL 15 (5+7)15 = 180 Poor
2) Striker ST 7 CN 13 WL 9 (7+13)9 = 180 Poor
3) Parry-Rip ST 7 CN 10 WL 11 (7+10)11 = 187 Poor
4) Basher ST 13 CN 9 WL 9 (13+9)9 = 198 Very Poor
5) Striker ST 13 CN 9 WL 9 (13+9)9 = 198 Poor
6) Aimed-Blow ST 9 CN 15 WL 9 (9+15)9 = 216 Normal
7) Striker ST 10 CN 5 WL 15 (10+5)15 = 225 Normal
8) Slasher ST 13 CN 10 WL 10 (13+10)10 = 230 Normal
9) Wall/Steel ST 13 CN 12 WL 17 (13+12)17 = 425 Great
There are several factors such as warrior style, RSI random factor, and there is
some evidence that SIZE has some effect on a warrior's endurance. In any case the RSI
LUCK factor can be around 7 to 8% in your favor or 2-3% worse than average. These are
just estimates, but are still factors nevertheless.
Some styles that are HIGH BURN endurance, like lungers, slashers and walls of
steel, are more likely to be UNLUCKY with the endurance rating.
Every action your warrior does consumes endurance. Attacking seems to use more
endurance than any other action. Once a warrior's endurance is used up, he will make
an endurance check against his WILL. If he fails the roll, he will either stop to rest
or collapse to the sand, depending on how badly he failed the roll. When a warrior
stops to rest, he gets back some endurance. When he gets enough endurance back, he
will start attacking again. This is just a theory that I have developed from
observations. It maybe completely off, but it gives one something to ponder.
That's it for now lords and ladies, I must go entertain elsewhere. If you would
like to chat about DM or other things, you can EMAIL me at 103260.3347@compuserve.com
or visit my DM website at
http://ourworld.compuserve.com./homepages/jessisjest/homepage.htm
You can also diplo me at DM 11 "The Lords Of the Abyss (319)" or any of the
Joker's Wilds scattered about.
Cheerio,
Sir Jessie Jest
Member of the Ivory League
Presenting, by Popular Demand (from 1989)...
THE NUMEROLOGY OF DUELMASTERS
by The Ghost of Eldrid
Character Generation
Hello, I am the Ghost of Eldrid, and I have an important message that directly
effects how well your team may do in the future. Some managers will not take this
important article seriously (some people don't believe in ghosts, either), and their
records will suffer for it. I have played Duelmasters for four years and searched
through all of my old turns and painstakingly researched every important fact in this
article, and I have discussed my conclusions with about ten different managers (named
managers such as Phido, Doctor LeGrand, Silk, Russ, and Biff Frothingslosh) who all
agree on the validity of my arguments. The results of my research are both startling
and magnificent. THERE IS NUMEROLOGY IN DUELMASTERS!!! Whether it was programmed in
or it exists on a higher plane, it matters not. IT EXISTS!!! And I plan to share
some of its amazing secrets with you, starting with character creation.
Remember in the realm of character generation the powers favor odd number stats.
NEVER, EVER have an even number on stats, except, of course, for size, which,
obviously should be even since everyone can tell what size your character is by his
description in the fight. Do you want people thinking your warrior is odd? I should
hope not!! But in case you decide to keep your odd warrior, DO NOT MAKE ANY OTHER
STATS EVEN!! Write a letter to the commission stating that you forgo the rights to
the last point and you want it to be sacrificed to the benefit of Alastari.
Always start adding points to wit and will first. Either make them 13, 17, or
21. Why? Under 12 wit is worthless, as any good manager will tell you. A 13
understandably gives your opponent bad luck, a 17 has the ever-lucky "7" in it, and 21
is BLACKJACK, and you get twice the number of winnings you would normally get. Why
not 15 or 19? Is it not obvious to everyone that 15 is unlucky? The only President
of the United States not married was the 15th, James Buchanan (who?). Lincoln was
shot on April 15th, and the clincher... my brother was born on the 15th of May. If
these "coincidences" don't prove to you that 15 is unlucky, I don't know what will.
19 is an evil number. It tries to deceive you into thinking it is better than 17, but
actually, it is an "11" with a small zero placed on the second pole, and we all know
that a zero is nothing. So what do we get for our extra eight points? In effect,
something smaller than nothing.
Next, make every other stat odd. Add the other points to make the style you
want. Deftness is the key to character generation.
Deftness (min)
5 to make a basher (ST 13+)
7 for a lunger
9 for a striker
11 for a wall of steel (ST 11+, WL 17+)
13 for a parry lunge (ST 11+), slasher (SP 11+), parry-strike, and total
parries (these styles depend on the opponent's bad luck.
17 for a parry-riposte (WT 17+)
21 for an aimed blow (this style needs the double winnings)
The last thing to remember is that luck is a big factor in this game and I don't
know if you noticed, but when warriors have even ID numbers they are luckier than odd
ID characters. Look at the best warriors in Primus: Wallbanger, Donatello, Epitaph,
Chaos Knight, Villiage Idiot, Silverflash, Khorga Khan, Jake the Snake, Sly, Max,
Stormbringer, Teetotaler, Raphael, Selleque, Kiri, Constance, Hangover, Eve, and Sam
Spade. All have even-numbered IDs. Now you say, "But Yoda and Necron-99 both have
odd IDs, and they are the best aimed blows of the game!" Yes, but they are AIMED
BLOWS and they are members of an odd style, so of course they do better with odd
numbers. So remember if you want your warriors to be best in all Alastari someday,
Dark Arena all your odd-numbered characters, unless of course they are aimed blows.
Good luck, and may the numbers fall your way.
-- The Ghost of Eldrid,
retired
PARRY-STRIKE, ANOTHER FUN STYLE
There have been several articles about fighting styles, some say theirs is the
best, or ultimate, one said theirs is the most fun style. Well, I feel that parry-
strikers are just as much fun to play as any other style.
First, let's start with the run down of what they say in the "RED BOOK". The
book says that parry-strikers are defensive, using small quick movements in their
actions (sounds like you could say that about some other styles as well.) The book
says that some managers swear that a high wit is critical to the style (only those who
have no brains would disagree with that.)
Let's get to business. First and foremost this style is deceptively aggressive,
making them a very good offensive type of fighter, or deadly type of defensive
fighter. Offensively they tend to get the jump on their opponent. I had a parry-
striker that was only jumped 3 out of 11 fights, before he died. To prepare and run a
parry-striker can be quite confusing, so I will try to help make it as simple as
possible. Here are my feelings on roll-ups for the parry-strike style:
ST: 11-15, I'll explain later.
CN: who cares.
SZ: 10-14, don't go over 14.
WT: 13-17, 17 is the best.
WL: 13-17, to get good endurance.
SP: not important.
DF: 11-15, I'll explain later.
Here are some good roll-ups for a parry-striker: 11,7,10,17,17,7,15;
15,7,11,17,16,7,11; 11,7,14,17,13,7,15; 15,7,14,17,13,7,11. Now, if you have a decent
wit, the way you run this fighting style will depend on strength and deftness. For
example: if your fighter has a high DF and a low ST it would be to his/her advantage
to be defensive, since the speed would benefit the ability to move in reaction to
their opponent. If the ST is high, and DF low, it would be better to fight
offensively like a striker, trying to get the first, and only blow in. If they don't
have a decent wit, you're on your own. I can't help you on that. Remember this style
of fighting is the same as a striker except for added knowledge of parrying, as well
as bein a little more aggressive. I would not suggest a low ST and DF, it will take
away from your WT & WL, and you don't want to do that, but if you do, good luck. You
don't need much CN if you have a good WL, which gives you your endurance. SZ; you
don't want it to be above 14, it would hurt your fighting style more than your
attributes. WT; it is the same as it is with strikers, the higher the WT the faster
and deadlier they become. Raise WT to 17 if you don't have it at the start, then
don't worry about it again until ADM. WL; this is where you get your endurance. 13
is fine to start out, but I would suggest 15, then bump it up to 17 in basic. SP; it
is what you need to riposte, but PSers have this "one strike one kill" attitude.
Meaning that there isn't much time to riposte with a killing attitude, so do whatever.
DF; what is there to say, it helps, but is not crucial to be a great PSer. Now to
running a PSer. If he is an offensive fighter 10-10-10 Dec. all the way through the
fight, even in desperation. If Defensive, 1st 10-10-10 Resp., 2nd 10-7-10 Dec., 3rd
10-10-10, 4th 10-10-10 Dec., 5th 10-10-10 Dec., 6th 10-10-10, Desp. 10-10-10 Resp.
Remember, first you want to assure your defense, and to do that, you should go
defensive the first minute. By the second minute you will be secure enough to go on
the offensive, but experiment. 6th minute on, leave blank, for by that time he/she
will know what to do (if their WT is high that is.) The best thing you could do for
your fighter is watch the fights, if you are getting more defensive skills than
offensive, run the def., or change weapons. That is the best advice I can give you
about PSers. About armor, I like to use ringmail or nothing, but experiment. I know
that there is someone that will disagree with me, but I feel that I have given you
some ideas about this fighting style that can be used, even though I am a new manager,
playing for just over a year. No matter who writes a style article, it is just
advice, not the bible. Just use the articles as a point of reference, not as sworn
law.
This is a very fun fighting style, try it out. I have written this in answer to
Foreign Legion Arena 31, and The Spartans Arena 8. I challenge any Primus Manager to
correct my writing of PSers. It is not my favorite style, but it is as fun as any
other that I have used, including my favorite one (Which is a STRIKER!!) If there are
any comments, please Diplo The Priest, the manager of The Heroes of XIAN DM-10, or The
Crucifiers DM-46.
THE ARMOR PIERCING PARRY-LUNGE
When you think "attack" what style comes to mind? Bashing? Definitely lunging?
Of course. Parry-Lunging? Excuse me? Yes, the parry-lunger! Few people realize the
fact that parry-lungers are attack gods waiting to be born. All it takes is the right
warrior and lots of guts. This warrior is not for the weak of heart. We'll begin
with stats.
Range Perfect
ST 9-11 11
CN 5-9 5
SZ 6-11 8
WT 17or21 21
WL 17or21 17
SP 5-8 5
DF 15-17 17
Why?
ST(11): This is your optimum PL strength. It puts your warrior in the normal to
good damage range. Also, you have the best PL weapon at your disposal--the LO!
CN(5): Yes, his life expectancy is low. What'd I tell you? Guts, right? He
gets his endurance from WL. If you want to make trains, make them here.
SZ(8): Our most flexible stat. A high SZ (i.e.11) allows you to skimp a bit on
Str (9).
WT(21): If it's not a 21 you're not going to get the attack this fellow counts
on. His learns will be awesome and a 21 WT will make him a better warrior out of the
chocks.
WL(17): End/Att are dependent on this one being high. Keeps you on your feet
when you should drop from exhaustion.
SP(5): Not a big requirement. Init and Parry will come from elsewhere (WT/DF).
This is not a lunger mimic.
DF(17): Combine this DF with a 21 WT and you will have a massive attack.
Pinpoint accuracy is the byword. Parry, init, def and riposte will all benefit
immeasurably. At 15 you have access to the EP, a fine lunging weapon this style can
put to devastating use.
Strategy (General, but effective in most cases)
2 9 9 7 6 5 10
6 9 9 7 6 5 10
2 7 7 7 5 5 10
HE ---------------------------->
HE BD ----------------------->
- - - - - - -
P - - - - - -
Minute 1: This fellow won't get the jump on offensives, so we'll just go
defensive and render their "mad minute" fruitless. This PL's counterattack will be
amazing at even 2-6-2 P due to the high AL. Keep the parry tactic until Adv Expert
parry is gained.
Minutes 2 and 3: These two will end most of his fights. When he starts landing
precision blows in his opponent's face it will usually be over quickly. Keep the kill
desire relatively low as to avoid sloppy attacking.
Minutes 4 through 6: If you haven't won by now you've got to depend on your WL
to carry you until you finish the job. He'll probably top out at the five min. mark.
But we want to keep the attacks coming so we do so at his endurance's expense.
Desp: If your opponent is an offensive he's probably blasted through your min. 1
defense. Your best bet is to go spastic and hope to take him out in one shot or so.
If he's some super-defensive (scum) this PL is probably exhausted and you're hoping
the super-offense will put him over the edge. After all, it's better to burn out than
fade away.
Always aim for the head to maximize the impact of your blows. If it tickles your
fancy, aim for your opponent's weapon arm and beat him senseless when he's unarmed.
Protecting the head in min. 1 is strictly odds playing on my part. My offensives aim
head so I assume everyone else's do too. After min. 1, we forget defense.
Weapons and armor are simple. APL/H or ARM/H (if you're challenging a real
heavy-hitter). I prefer swords for armament. My combos are usually LO/SM, LO/SH,
SC/DA etc. Against heavy armor go with LO/SH. Always aim for the head.
Philosophy: This guy clings to life by luck, early on, and will never be free of
the spectre of death. In his first few fights stay away from lungers and bashers.
Both have high attacks and usually do substantial damage. Prey on strikers, PS, PR
and slashers. As he progresses, his attack, parry and defense will equip him with the
tools to handle most everybody but always remain cautious of those bashers and
lungers.
A PL of this calibre should begin with around a 90 att, 70 par/init and 60-70
def. Decise and riposte will be slightly lower. Riposte 50 and decise anywhere from
35-50 depending on how lucky you get. Train skills exclusively from fight one and on.
Use tourneys if you must raise anything at all (including con).
Don't be discouraged if he's around .500 early on. By ten fights he'll be
sporting three Adv Experts at least (att, par and init) and will begin to dismantle
those scum/finesse styles that managed to beat him. Feel free to write or diplo me
with comments/criticisms/or questions.
Fight the Good Fight,
or: Agath
CPL Michael Dockus Lunatic Fringe (23)
H Co BLT 2/8 Circle of Five (51)
24 MEU (Det F) Slaves of Power (52)
FPO NY NY 09502-8531
AVOIDS, BLOODFEUDS, & CHALLENGES
by Pagan
Ever wonder how the whole challenge/avoid thing works?
Who you fight depends on exactly how it works. We will never know exactly how it
works unless we can get a look at the coding for the program, but this is how I think
it works:
The Situation:
The system allows a warrior to make two separate challenges and two distinct
avoids.
Avoids are distinct in that they MUST indicate a specific team to be avoided, so
a "double avoid" indicates a single team twice, which by default means you are
avoiding one team. In this case, the second avoid is a duplicate and therefore a
waste of an avoid.
Challenges are to specific warriors. You have a first challenge, and then you
have a second challenge.
The Process:
First the computer removes all Dark Arena challengers from the list of available
warriors.
Second, the computer checks for WHO fights WHO by going though all TVs and
bloodfeuds, which are 100% sure to go through except in four instances:
1. the warrior challenged does not fight,
2. the warrior challenged is also making a bloodfeud or TV challenge and that
challenge has already been assigned,
3. the warrior has already been assigned to a Dark Arena fight,
4. that warrior has declared your team to be one of his warrior's avoids,
reducing your challenge to 50%.
Third, the computer assesses all the regular first-challenge warriors and assigns
fights. All other challenges are at 100% chance of success except in a few instances:
warrior challenged is going to the DA, warrior challenged is involved in a previously
assigned challenge, warrior challenged is not running this turn, or warrior challenged
has avoided your team at 50% chance to avoid.
Fourth, the computer assesses and assigns all secondary challenges of warriors
not so far assigned for bloodfeuds and TVs.
Fifth, the computer assesses and assigns all the regular second challenges.
Sixth, the computer assigns random matchups in each available class starting with
the highest class first.
Seventh, the computer finds the remaining warriors that have successfully avoided
all first and second challenges and/or who also did not get randomly assigned, AND for
whom no more available warriors remain in their class for random pairing. All of
these warriors get RSI-generated warriors to fight based on their class.
So, if I'm right and avoids reduce the chance for a challenge to 50%, then:
In the absence of an avoid
single challenge = 100% success
double challenge = 100% success, then an additional 100% success
Where an avoid is involved
single challenge vs avoid = 50% success
double challenge vs avoid = 75% (chance to avoid is 0.5 * 0.5 = 0.25; 1 -
0.25 = 75% chance to succeed
Bloodfeuds and TVs may increase the percentage chance of success above 100%, or
they may not. I feel that their increased ability to get through is based solely on
the way the computer assigns challenges. They are first, so they are most likely to
go through. The 100% chance for a challenge to succeed is 100% if it's a TV bloodfeud
and you are the first one to get assigned a fight that day because you are also the
Duelmaster. But after that the chances start to diminish rapidly.
The run-through for second challenges theoretically means your challenge should
be 100% but it's not the case if you are the LAST guy the computer goes to for finding
challenges.
If you don't double challenge, you significantly lower your chance to get your
challenge through. The second challenge is not equal to the first challenge.
Pagan