DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 08/10/2013 Duedate: 08/23/2013
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-383
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
ALBUQUERQUE BOONE
THE HIGH WAY (1626)
(93-9448) [5-4-1,47]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY ALBUQUERQUE BOONE
THE HIGH WAY (1626)
(93-9448) [5-4-1,47]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
MAT TUKHOLT SHMEGAL
MISFITS OF DOOM (1624) MISFITS OF DOOM (1624)
(93-9438) [3-4-0,22] (93-9499) [0-1-0,1]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
COUNT ON ME (1633)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. BASH BROS PIKER (1634) 48
2. COUNT ON ME (1633) 25 BRUTE STRENGTH (491)
3. THE HIGH WAY (1626) 15 Unchartered Team
4. MISFITS OF DOOM (1624) 10
5. GODS AND HEROES (1627) 0 COUNT ON ME (1633)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1- 1*GODS AND HEROES (1627) 4 0 0 100 1/ 2*COUNT ON ME (1633) 8 2 0
2/ 2*COUNT ON ME (1633) 8 2 0 80.0 2/ 1*THE HIGH WAY (1626) 8 7 1
3/ 3*THE HIGH WAY (1626) 23 22 1 51.1 3/ 4*BASH BROS PIKER (1634) 4 6 0
4/ 4*BASH BROS PIKER (1634) 4 6 0 40.0 4- 3*GODS AND HEROES (1627) 1 0 0
5/ 5*MISFITS OF DOOM (1624) 4 29 0 12.1 5/ 5*MISFITS OF DOOM (1624) 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
WARRIOR DESIGN
or
HOW A 25-YEAR VETERAN DOES IT
or
NEW NOBLISH WARRIORS REVEALED
There is a purpose for writing this spotlight. It was developed 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 writing this? And I answer that I am Count Number
(aka Abba Cuss), manager of Count On Me, a member of The Consortium, and a long, long
time (25+ year) competitor in Duelmasters/D2. I will be overseeing this new team and
will be offering you advice each round on Noblish Island. Feel free to ask me (or
Jorja, or Assur) questions in the personal ads. You will get answers; most probably
you will get several 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 concepts are
offered. However, there are some guidelines that each manager uses. Here are The
Consortium generic 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, and 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. Have variation in styles in arenas. This allows for better challenging and
matchups. (and fun trough variety.)
12. PRIMARY PRINCIPAL: Design each warrior with the idea of winning 60%+ of its
fights.
Pretty simple, it would seem. Well, let's see how I applied these principals to the
Count On Me Team.
Next are listed the starting statistics (from the roll-up sheet) and the design
statistics (filled out and sent in by Abba Cuss) of this team just started on Noblish
Island.
A. 5-9-15-13-8-17-3 to 9-9-15-17-9-18-7 ST (striker) Design to strengths (concept
#1), which is either WT or SP. Seldom do super-high speeds work out, so I
selected to add to WT to the 17 break point. I need some ST and weapons, so to 9
ST, yielding the SS as long as I make the DF 7. I do bump SP to 18, getting the
decise skill, since I know this has to be a fast offensive. The last point goes
to get the "sorta minimum" 9 WL, and one more decise skill. He will be fast and
decisive, so he is clearly a striker to me.
B. 9-9-16-3-11-14-8 to 11-15-16-3-17-14-8 TP (total parry) The very low WT, with
"strengths" in WL, DF, ST, and even CN means that when I design to excesses, it is
likely to be a scummy type. Knowing that, and that bumping will be the name of
the game for this warrior, I add 6 to WL. I need the big CN, so 6 there. The
last two go to strength, for a respectable scummy total parry. I could have added
6 to DF to enhance it to 21, but, the 21DF leads toward an offensive, an aimer, or
similar, and a low wit version of those types just does not seem to work as well
as needed--especially with the 60% W/L target.
C. 14-5-11-5-14-16-5 to 14-5-11-10-20-17-7 ST (striker) This could be an interesting
design and a great fun warrior to manage. Add to the high WL, a prime stat. At
this point I realize that I really cannot get a "nice" warrior out of this, but,
by making it a burner, I can have an interesting offensive. I can leave most
stats under their really intended end resultant, and with that high will, bump
(raise stats) almost at will. This is why I only added 4 to WL as I intend to
bump WL too. Give it 5 to WT and I can bump it to the important eleven, and
spread the rest of the skills around. In the end (after bumping), this warrior
will look like 15-6-11-11-21-18-9, and will probably be a pretty good battle-axe
wielding striker.
D. 13-11-10-5-13-3-15 to 15-17-10-5-19-3-15 TP (total parry Another "no wit", no
speed, high will, high strength/con rollup. Shucks. While I do not want another
total parry on the team, this design leads me there. If you read all the comments
on warrior B above then you know all about this design.
E. 12-11-11-9-12-10-5 to 13-11-11-15-17-10-7 BA (basher) There were lots of options
here, but you can see that the first thing I did was (Concept #1) optimize high WL
to 17. That done, to make this a solid warrior, taking the WT to 15 was
necessary. That left three points and 2 to DF (for weapons) and 1 to ST (for
weapons) makes this a pretty decent basher.
Good luck competing against my Count On Me warriors. I suspect this team will
meet the 60% objective and each warrior will do its part. They will be a competitive
team and they do both challenge and avoid.
Now 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 = 9 (More than usual, probably, but a starting ST of 5, and the need to make
two scum, probably make this appropriate; it is difficult to win with very low
strength)
CN = 12 (SP and CN are usually the least added stats; the two TPs caused the
whole twelve; usually this stat tendency is near zero, but I had two scum which will
not win without con.)
SZ = 0 (Cannot add to size.)
WT = 15 (Probably one of two most valuable stats. And this team had some low
WT starts. Looks good to me.)
WL = 24 (Probably one of two most valuable stats. It is difficult to win
without WT AND WL.)
SP = 2 (SP and CN are usually the least added stats; looks good)
DF = 8 (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 ancient old-timer. May your stay in D2 be long and prosperous, and fun.
Count Number (aka Abba Cuss)
Consortium affiliated
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Because I mis-counted and ran Question of the Week One twice, I am now running Two
and Three together to get back on track. Sorry about that.
>)]H[(< + -----:----- + >)] Getting the Jump [(< + -----:----- + >)]H[(<
One of the most common questions that new players ask is what they can do to
defeat a certain warrior from another team who always attacks first and beats their
own warrior before he can get an attack in. Attacking first in a fight is called
"jumping" your opponent, and it decides the victor in a majority of fights between
two offensive warriors. By offensive, I mean Strikers, Bashers, Lungers, Slashers,
and Aimed Blows, although any style can be run offensively.
In this article, I will teach some of the more common things you can do to make
your warrior get the jump.
Part 1, the setup: To design a fast warrior, you must take into account Decisiveness
skills. Decise is gained from only three statistics: Wit, Will, and Speed. Of these
three, Speed is the only stat that has a large number of Decise skills in it. So if
you design a rollup with a high Speed stat and/or a high Wit and Will, it will be
fast.
Styles are also an important consideration. Strikers, Bashers, and Aimed Blows
start with more Decise skills than any other style. Slashers and Lungers have
slightly less, followed by Parry-Strike, Parry-Lunge, and Wall of Steel. Total
Parries and Parry-Ripostes have very low starting Decise scores.
Each style also learns Decise skills at different speeds. Strikers learn Decise
the fastest. Parry-Strikes also learn it quickly, and Bashers learn it reasonably
well. The other styles fall into the "don't count on learning it unless it's your
favorite learn" category.
Part 2, the strategy: What you put on your strategy sheet drastically affects your
chances of getting the jump.
Offensive effort: As high as possible (10). The more your warrior tries to
attack, the more likely he is to take the first opportunity offered him.
Activity level: As high as possible (10). The more your warrior moves around,
the more chances he will see to attack.
Note that running at these levels will tire your warrior out very quickly, and
your warrior may not fight at his best. Most styles prefer a much lower activity
level as their "favorite". But this article is about getting the jump, not fighting
efficiently. :)
Kill Desire: Kill desire is one of the most intangible factors in Duelmasters,
but one of the common theories is that each number of KD corresponds to a certain
skill, maximizing that skill. Seven is supposed to be the magic number for
Decisiveness. Try it and see if it works for you.
Tactics: Obviously, the Decisiveness (D) tactic increases your Decise. Other
tactics may increase your Decise, like the Bash tactic, but they don't increase it as
much as Decisiveness does.
Armor: None. Nada. Zilch. Armor weighs you down. Even if you have the
ability to carry a large load, you will still be faster running naked. Of course,
you will take much more damage if you get hit, so you'd better make sure you can put
your opponent down before he hits you back. With this strategy, you either win big
or you die.
Faster weapons: Lighter weapons are faster than heavier ones, but there are
certain weapons that are considered to be "faster" in general. Warhammer and Hatchet
are some of the best. Dagger and Bare Fist (FI) are probably the fastest, but
fighting bare-handed is dangerous.
So you've designed your warrior, probably a Striker or Basher with a good speed, wit,
and will. You're running him 10-10-7 Decise with no armor and a Warhammer. And that
same enemy warrior *still* outjumps you. If that's the case, he's probably running a
similar strategy and just has more Decise skills than you. So you have one more
trick up your sleeve: the Responsiveness tactic ('S' in the defensive tactics
section). If your opponent is using Decise and you use Response, you will probably
win. If your opponent is not using Decise, you will probably lose. It's like a
rock-scissors-paper relationship:
Decise beats no tactic; no tactic beats Response; Response beats Decise.
There are some other minor factors in getting the jump that are beyond the scope of
this article. Hopefully this will give you a better idea of how the warrior who
attacks first in a fight gets chosen.
Captain K., manager of Men of the Sea in DM 12 and assorted others
+>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+ Question of the Week #2 +>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+
For those of you who came in after I started posting this series of questions
And answers, they are being taken from the newsletter for Aruak City, DM 11. The
questions were being posed by Hanibal, a relatively new player and Noblish alumnus,
and the answers were offered by any members of that arena who cared to respond.
Question, turn 400:
All -- I think I have a basic grasp on most aspects of this game, but one Thing I
have no clue about is how to maximize skill learning. I had an 18 wit TP challenge
up to a warrior who had 21 more fights than me and I only learned 2 skills. The next
fight I was matched up against a less experienced warrior And I learned 5 skills.
This is not an isolated incident. Any tips on skill learning? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 401:
ADIE'S ANSWER -- Theoretically I think, learning has so many variables affecting it,
that sometimes the number of learns appears random. Some suggested variables include
fight experience differences between combatants, total skill differences,
intelligence level of one or both combatants, what each's favorite learn may be, what
styles the two warriors are.... There are so many, it's difficult to say. Sometimes
you can see the effect of one variable more than another. Other times, one has
absolutely no clue. -- Adie
Hanibal -- In your example of warrior learns, did you lose the fight against the more
experienced opponent, but win the fight against the less experienced opponent? The
outcome of a fight may affect learning, with the winner being bonused and the loser
being penalized. I believe that the best way to make a warrior learn well is to give
them a 21 wit. That's why wit is my favorite stat to have a 21 in! (Not to mention
all the base skills it gives.) -- Generalissimo Puerco
Hannibal -- Skill learning is mainly a derivative of the warrior's wit--obviously the
higher the better. But luck (die roll) plays a big part, as do what the other
warrior can teach, how many skills yet to learn and a few lesser factors. --
Kennelworth
Hanibal, re the question of the week -- The main thing is to TRAIN skills. Okay,
everybody stop laughing. You people (Hanibal, too) already realize this, but there
may be a new manager reading this reply who doesn't. Seriously, I once had a manager
whose team had just chartered (i.e., he'd been playing for ten turns) diplo me and
ask why one of his warriors hadn't learned any skills. He sent me the warrior's
numbers, and a little simple math revealed that this warrior had eight stat increases
in those ten fights! He hadn't been TRAINING skills. Lesson there, never overlook
the obvious.
As to a more useful answer, I don't have one, but I do have some secondary
questions.
For instance, I was once told that a warrior learns better with an odd-numbered
WT. Since I have never personally run a warrior with an even-number WT that I can
recall, I don't know. It sounds unlikely, but then, who knows how a computer thinks?
Challenging up increases the ODDS of learning but is not guarantee. Does
anybody have any information as to whether a lower-ranked warrior who teaches well is
one with lots of skills? My own information would tend to contradict that, as I have
some excellent teachers in other arenas who have yet to receive their first rating.
I have heard that there is an increased chance of learning when the fight is a
long one. Anybody know whether this is true or just wishful thinking on the part of
those matched against scum?
Is the caliber of a warrior's teaching on a given fight reflected in his point
gain in the rankings? I have been given to understand that points gained in excess
of the basic minimum reflect how well above the average the warrior performed. In
theory, a good performance means better demonstration and thus better teaching, but
does it work out that way?
Do warriors of a given style tend to teach a specific skill or group of skills
better than other skills, as for instance, do total parries teach parry and defense?
I've heard it said that when facing an opponent who has only one skill left to
learn, a warrior teaches best that skill he learns best. Does this hold true in
other circumstances? -- Leeta
Question, turn 402:
All -- I understand that Deftness is the ability to better protect and attack your
chosen location. I could care less if I hit my attack location as long as I hit.
Does Deftness have any effect on connecting? I believe it is your attack skills vs.
your opponents def/parry skills that determines this. -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 403:
Hanibal -- Deftness contributes a lot of attack skills to a warrior's base skills.
This will increase your warriors' chances of hitting. Shot placement accuracy is
said to be based on coordination (DF+SP), but I think having a good attack rating can
lead to better shot placement as well. Kill desire may well influence shot placement
also. It has been suggested that a warrior's chosen location to protect is the
source of the "luck parry" comment that often results in broken weapons. While I
personally fancy this theory, I think it would be difficult to prove or disprove. It
sounds like a good project for some LP aimers to tackle. -- Generalissimo Puerco
Hanibal -- Re the QOW, probably. At least, I notice that those of my warriors with
very low DF (and I've got some doozies here and there) spend a lot of time flailing
wildly and missing. -- Leeta
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Assur and His Bashers
If you get to know Assurnasirbanipal at all, you will learn that his favorite
style is the bashing style. Before going any further, you need to know that it is
not one of the 'best' styles in the game and that not all styles are created equal.
'Most' warriors that make good bashers could likely be made into a better something
else. There are a few notable exceptions which I will talk about briefly.
Jorja's Profile of a Basher is a solid article. The only things I'd say to
'add' to it are:
1) For weapons, I highly recommend WH and QS first and foremost. And I virtually
never use MS or WF. But the first two are the bread and butter weapons for Bashers
2) Design comments: Jorja undervalues wit. For bashers, don't undervalue wit.
11 or more. For Will, I recommend 9, 15, 17, or 21. That is where you get skills.
I'll typically add to Strength, Speed or Deftness once my Will is at one of those
values. If your setup starts with 9-11 will, I'd consider carefully whether adding
4-6 points is really worth it. There are other ways to make bashers, but her article
is a great place to start.
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Profile of a Style
Bashers
I make no claims to being exhaustive in this study of Bashers. There are
managers who know more about the style, managers who have better Bashers, managers
whose Bashers win more consistently. But this is a place to start.
I have the details of twenty-eight immortal Bashers under my hand here, Bashers
who, good, bad, or indifferent, survived long enough to graduate and discover their
favorites. In those favorites lie clues to how the Gladiatorial Commission expects
Bashers to operate. This does not mean that Bashers HAVE to operate that way, and it
can be fun to force a style to do the unexpected and take everyone by surprise, but
this could be said to be "what comes naturally."
Favorite weapons. You will find that only weapons that may be received as
favorites are ever described as "well-suited" to the style. For instance, an epee
never occurs as a favorite weapon for a Basher, and any Basher who uses one will find
he "is unsuited to his weapon" or "uses this weapon in an unorthodox style" at the
top of his fight report. There is little, if anything (well, okay, surprise), to be
gained from using a weapon unsuited to the style in question.
The eleven weapons suited to use by Bashers, and the minimum stats required for
their best use (information courtesy of Pagan's Enchiridion), are:
Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11
Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11
Halberd ST 17 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9
Large Shield ST 11 SZ 7 WT 5 DF 5
Mace ST 13 SZ any WT 3 DF 5
Maul ST 15 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 7
Medium Shield ST 9 SZ any WT 5 DF 5
Morningstar ST 13 SZ any WT 7 DF 13
Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11
Warflail ST 11 SZ any WT 7 DF 5
Warhammer ST 13 SZ any WT 5 DF 7
Assurnasirbanapal offers the following alternate requirements for some of these
weapons:
Halberd ST 17 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11
Large Shield ST 11 SZ 7 WT 3 DF 5
(not sure about size, but I believe wit is 3)
Morningstar ST 13 SZ any WT 7 DF 11
Warflail ST 11 SZ any WT 5 DF 5
(I can see that some warriors in my future are going to have to test these weapons.)
Study this chart, and never make a Basher who doesn't have the stats to use at
least one of the weapons well! I've made the mistake more than once (and more than
once done it deliberately, but then, I'm perverse) of creating a warrior who is
unable to use well any weapon to which his style is suited. This is enormously
frustrating. Take my advice and DON'T DO IT.
You may notice that the Fist is not listed as a weapon suited to the Bashing
attack. This is an example--one of the most glaring ones--of the fact that sometimes
intuition and real-world experience are "not well suited" to Duelmasters.
Two weapons not listed on this chart are the Broadsword and the Battleaxe. If
you arm a Basher with one of these weapons, the fight report will inform you that
your warrior is not well suited to the weapon or uses it in a marginally effective
manner. A manager I consulted informs me that he has had good results anyway with
the Broadsword and is still experimenting with the Battleaxe. So you CAN ignore the
weapon suitability chart above, though I would not recommend doing it until you have
enough experience to know what risks you're taking. And don't do it with a warrior
who adds the disadvantage of having inappropriate stats for the weapon to the
disadvantage of unsuited style.
As you can see from this list, the most important stat for a Basher, from the
standpoint of weapon use, is Strength. A Basher who is dumb and on the clumsy side
will find weapons he can use appropriately, provided he has the strength to lift
them. This has led to the creation of a lot of dumb, clumsy Bashers. My own
personal feeling--and I've run a lot of these depressing warriors--is that a dumb,
clumsy Basher is doomed in the long run. And often very boring, as well. Boring is
even worse than doomed.
My immortal Bashers, their relevant stats, and their favorite weapons:
Madoc ST 11 SZ 11 WT 13 DF 9 Mace
Wanda the Blonda ST 17 SZ 8 WT 9 DF 15 Warflail
Kenda Teegue ST 19 SZ 7 WT 11 DF 11 Greatsword
Al Kore ST 13 SZ 14 WT 11 DF 13 Quarterstaff
Broken Nose ST 17 SZ 18 WT 11 DF 9 Quarterstaff
Hogar ST 13 SZ 13 WT 21 DF 7 Maul
Ski Mask ST 13 SZ 15 WT 15 DF 9 Maul
Crabby Appleton ST 19 SZ 11 WT 13 DF 6 Warflail
Lissette ST 14 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 15 Greataxe
Velendeis ST 9 SZ 14 WT 13 DF 7 Maul
Hoftalj ST 21 SZ 14 WT 11 DF 7 Mace
Cadal ST 14 SZ 15 WT 15 DF 11 Mace
Caramella ST 13 SZ 13 WT 14 DF 11 Quarterstaff
Lulu ST 17 SZ 11 WT 15 DF 9 Morningstar
Franklin ST 15 SZ 6 WT 5 DF 17 Morningstar
Bam Bam ST 13 SZ 14 WT 11 DF 9 Medium Shield
Dune ST 19 SZ 17 WT 4 DF 3 Halberd
Old Maid ST 17 SZ 7 WT 15 DF 11 Halberd
Pelis the True ST 13 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 15 Large Shield
Joe ST 15 SZ 10 WT 15 DF 13 Medium Shield
Claudius ST 19 SZ 13 WT 10 DF 7 Quarterstaff
Ekkar ST 17 SZ 15 WT 13 DF 7 Mace
Jomon ST 11 SZ 17 WT 11 DF 15 Greatsword
Dijanna ST 17 SZ 12 WT 17 DF 7 Mace
Khora the Small ST 15 SZ 9 WT 17 DF 11 Warhammer
Sweet Jorja ST 13 SZ 13 WT 15 DF 7 Quarterstaff
Tarok ST 7 SZ 18 WT 11 DF 9 Warflail
Kelan ten Salth ST 14 SZ 15 WT 17 DF 11 Greatsword
You will notice that some of these warriors did not have the initial stats to
use their favorite weapon efficiently. That's a little trick the Commission plays on
us to keep us from getting too cocky. Only one of them (Tarok) was initially unable
to use ANY of the bashing weapons well, and I trained up his strength early in his
career. My personal favorites among the bashing weapons are the warhammer, the mace,
and if the warrior has the wit for it, the quarterstaff, as these seem to me to
produce the most interesting fights. If I'm going to train a warrior as a Basher, I
try to make him able to use one or another of those weapons; it saves me a lot of
stress.
Which brings up the question of Basher design. In almost all cases, the advice
routinely given is to put the points on WT, WL, and DF in preference to other stats.
But to use any of the weapons listed above, the warrior DOES NOT NEED a WT of more
than 11, and depending on which version of the stats for Morningstar you accept, he
doesn't need more than 11 or 13 in DF. Do not put points on these stats beyond the
necessary.
ST: A Basher needs strength, and lots of it--who wants a Basher who "does
little damage"? Besides, he needs a minimum strength of 9 for the least of his
weapons, and that's a medium shield. Who wants to send a Basher out with a medium
shield? Pile 'em on here.
CN: No. A Basher wins by attacking, not defending. He should be keeping his
opponent too busy to fight back, and he should not have to worry about his hit
points. Generally speaking, go with whatever you've been given on the roll-up. The
time to experiment with the creation of a Scum Basher is later, after you have more
experience.
SZ: You can't do anything about this, but a large size is not such a handicap
for a Basher as for some of the more finicky styles. And it will increase the damage
he can do--a Basher is all about doing damage.
WT: No more than is needed for the weapon you've chosen. If you have extra
points after satisfying other requirements, sure, go ahead and put them on wit, but
you can get a decent learning rate with a wit of 11 so why waste the points here?
Besides, if he survives long enough, you can train up more wit later.
WL: I would always put points on will (unless it was 17+ already), but for me,
that's reflex, not conscious planning. In theory, a Basher wins fights fast by
attacking all out, and so he doesn't need will for the stick-to-it effect. But
then... if he's a good Basher, wins a lot, graduates, and you want to keep on running
him, a high will does make it easier to train up stats once you get around to it.
SP: I don't really have a feel for the effects of high or low speed on ANY
style. I would cautiously suggest that if you can get the speed into the moderate
range (8-12?) without sacrificing anything important, then do it. But if you can't,
then don't.
DF: Enough to use the weapon of choice, or perhaps two or three weapons for
variety. No more.
And a note on armor: A Basher should NOT be loaded down with heavy armor. He
isn't supposed to get hit, so what does he need that armor FOR?
Favorite rhythms. Sometimes it's expedient to ignore a warrior's favorite
rhythm, once you know it, but it does give you a guideline for running the style.
Rhythm is given as Very High or VH (10-9), High or H (8-7), Moderate or M (6-5), Low
or L (4-3), and Very Low or VL (2-1), for Offensive Effort first, and then for
Activity Level. For the warriors listed above, the favorite rhythms are:
H/VL H/L H/L H/M VH/M VH/L M/L M/VL H/VL H/VL VH/VL M/VL
H/VL H/L H/L VH/VL VH/VL VH/VL H/L M/L VH/M VH/VL VH/VL H/L
H/VL H/L VH/M H/M.
You'll notice that there is no Offensive Effort lower than Moderate, and no
Activity Level higher than Moderate, and that Offensive Effort is usually at least
two steps higher than Activity Level. Not always--some of those listed above are
only one step apart, and another manager tells me that he has some Bashers with
favorite rhythms of Moderate/Moderate. But from the sample I have, it seems that
Bashers favor a higher Offensive Effort than Activity Level, often considerably
higher. While you may not always want to run a Basher this way, it appears that
nature and the Gladiatorial Commission intended them to run very offensively. With a
newly entered Basher, this kind of speed is a place to start. Once you get a feel
for the warrior in question and for his likely opponents, you can tinker with the
numbers for the ideal strategy. But be warned that running so offensively, the
average Basher won't be able to keep going for long! Especially, he won't be able to
go for long with a heavy weapon (one requiring more ST to handle) and heavy armor.
When I think of the Bashers I have seen come out in Plate and struggle to last a
single minute at high speed, I could weep. High speed burns endurance. Bashers go
out to win fast, or they become easy prey for a slower-paced, more deliberate
warrior.
Of course, sometimes you'll run up against a Basher who ignores the stereotype,
the so-called "Scum Basher." He differs from most of his kind by having a high
endurance which allows his manager to run him slowly and take people by surprise.
But this warrior is a freak. I distrust freakish warrior designs as a matter of
principle.
There is no evidence to support the hypothesis that warriors have a favorite
Kill Desire.
There is no convincing evidence to support the hypothesis that warriors or
styles have a favorite attack location. Managers have argued that the nature of the
bashing attack lends itself to overhead blows to the head and upper body. However, I
suspect that this is one of those intuitive things which turn out not to work, just
as one would intuitively expect a Basher to do well with his fists, and he does not.
Some managers have pointed out that a Basher aiming at the head tends to end his
fight quickly. ANY style striking the head tends to end the fight quickly.
(Consistently aiming at the head will increase the chance of killing, which will, in
the long run, decrease the chance of your Basher's survival. Managers bloodfeud
dedicated killers with hostile intent.) I consider this a case of "Not Proven."
Favorite Tactics. Of the twenty-eight Bashers listed above, only eight had
favorite tactics. Two favored the offensive tactic of Decisiveness, and the rest
favored the offensive tactic of Bash. It seems reasonable to assume that the
offensive tactics of Lunge and Slash are inappropriate for a Basher. (Of course, you
can't always count on reason here, but....) There were no defensive tactics favored
(granted, this is not a large sampling of warriors), which suggests that they should
be used sparingly, if at all--a Basher is a purely offensive style.
Proceeding from the general to the specific, here's a basher who had a very
unpromising beginning--
Profile of a Gladiator
Turo the Brick
Lord Protector and Pain in the Rear
Turo, a seven-foot Troll, just graduated from Lin Tirian, my own home arena, at
16-44-2, 94. He's a basher. And I suspect that most other managers would have sent
him straight to the Dark Arena.
At graduation, he is 11(2)-9-20-6(2)-17(2)-10-17.
According to his overview, even after those stat raises, he
Is not very bright
The more subtle points of the riposte simply escape him, which I could have
told anyone right off
Stands around making himself a target, which we noticed
Cannot carry a lot of weight in weapons and armor (that low ST)
Is slow on his feet (Does size have an effect here?)
Can do tremendous damage with a blow (mostly SZ, I suspect)
Turo is "naturally adept" with a maul (well, okay, he's probably pulled up a few
trees and swung 'em around to bat at pesky people), favors a rhythm of very high/low,
and has an innate ability to use the bash tactic. None of this comes as a great
surprise--it fits his character. He's aggressive by nature (definitely) and most
readily learns initiative skills. (Doesn't that require BRAINS?) Ah, well. I've
been running him lately as follows:
Mace, backup war hammer, offhand medium shield, plate mail and a full helm.
9 8 7 6 7 8 10
3 2 1 1 1 1 1
8 8 7 8 7 8 10 which I wouldn't swear is the strategy I sent in
for him originally, but it is what he's using. Attacking right arm, protecting head,
no tactics. Maybe this was based on something another manager suggested to me.
He graduated with no ratings at all. Yes, really.
Obviously, he's not anybody's ideal warrior, but he's been surprisingly fun to
read. And it seems at least possible that if I'd paid more attention to his
strategies, issued challenges and avoids, he might have taken a better record out of
the arena. He is headed for retirement, obviously. I think he has some idea of
going back to his home in the foothills of the Khriatrin Mountains and terrorizing
his kin.
And another example of a basher, a much more successful one:
Khora the Small
Lady Protector
Contender for the Throne in Lirin Kiv (ADM 107)
Basher
I don't have her graduation overview here, as that was a long time ago. But she
started as 15-12-9-17-11-9-11. Now, after years of fighting, maxed on skills and
training stats, she is 25-12-9-17-17-13-16. Her record at the present is 94-129-3,
and despite doing devastating damage, being incredibly quick and elusive, and having
an Advanced Master rating in attack and Masters in all the other skills, she is still
not woman enough to take the throne in this smallest of the Advanced Duelmasters
regions. Her favorite weapon is the war hammer, her favorite rhythm high offensive
effort and very low activity level, which are good favorites. So why isn't she
Duelmistress, or as it is called in Lirin Kiv, Champion of the Horn? Because there's
an even better basher up there already. Her most serious problem is that low CN, I
think. Maybe she should train that up....
Here's their most recent fight, a short one, so I'll give it to you in full--
Phetmolge is 8' tall, right-handed, fights with no armor or helm, carries a war
hammer and a large shield, to which he is well suited.
Khora is 5'7" tall, ambidextrous, in leather armor and a helm, carrying a war
hammer and an off-hand war hammer, to which she, too, is well-suited. Khora is
running 8 4 7 RA BD no tactics; about Phetmolge we can only guess.
Both warriors move with snake-like speed around each other.
The weapons lock together in a test of strength.
Phetmolge is moving constantly without pause!
He sweeps his large shield in a sudden unexpected assault!
A spectator exclaims, "Brilliant!" Phetmolge smiles briefly.
Khora parries the blow with her war hammer.
She disengages her foe's weapon arm and tries to steal the initiative!
She makes a lightning-quick backhand smash with her war hammer!
Phetmolge is struck in the belly.
Khora says admiringly (this is irony), "How much damage can you take, anyway?"
(Lots. Lots and lots. More than she can, anyway.)
She launches a brilliant attack with her war hammer.
Phetmolge stops the blow with his large shield.
He sidesteps, trying to throw his opponent off balance.
He launches a brilliant attack with his war hammer!
Khora is hit on the right hip!
It is a tremendous blow!
Khora winces, obviously feeling great pain.
She mutters a desperate prayer and is stopped by the herald.
She is determined to become top basher in Lirin Kiv and will keep fighting
until she is Inducted into Primus.
Jorja
The Middle Way
+>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+ Question of the Week #3 +>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+
Question, turn 403:
All -- I've read that once you have an AE in a skill area you don't need to use a
tactic in that area. What if you have a favorite tactic? Would it benefit your
warrior to use it even if he is maxed in that area? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 404:
Q.O.W. -- Tactics. It's generally believed that using a tactic, at any level of
skill, increases something (init, attack, damage, etc. though no one's sure) at the
expense of one or more other abilities. Usually it seems you lose more for using the
tactic than you gain, so they should be used sparingly. However, favorite tactics
are a bit different. I've noticed, generally, that the penalties usually imposed by
using the tactic are greatly reduced or eliminated, making it more useful. I run a
piker in AD who has response as a favorite and run her with it. She seems to do
great with it against everybody. My decise running striker still defends well
(though she's got favorite learn defense), and she still jumps everyone with a poor
decise rating. My advice is to give it a try if it's a tactic you think your warrior
needs, or can use based on their current point of development. -- Adie
Hanibal -- It really is almost like flicking a switch the way you can (usually)
prevent death intent statements if you want to. Dartor is the arena expert on
killing and he too agrees. Most new managers gain pleasure from seeing their
warriors kill, and it's not something to be ashamed of. But there is a better way of
going about things. I think as you gain more experience and experiment with lower
KD, you'll find that running with a 4 where you used to run with a 6 will have little
effect on a warrior's performance other than decreasing the chance of death intent.
This is especially true in the first minute, or before your warrior would get tired.
-- Generalissimo Puerco
Hanibal -- Each tactic has some benefits and some drawbacks. I can't tell you
exactly what those are because I don't know myself. If a tactic only provided the
equivalent of extra skills, then it might be true that a warrior wouldn't need them
after a certain level of skill is achieved. But let's say that your warrior has an
AE+3 and his opponent has a MA. Then there might still be good cause to use a
tactic.
I believe tactics grant benefits that can't always be translated into more
skills. I think the best example of this is what happens when response is used
against decise. Tactics have their value at all levels of the game, but the most
valuable tactics might change. I don't think many would run with decise at the top
of AD, though lunge and dodge remain popular. But for a new warrior, decise can be
very important. Tactics are not well documented in the literature, and for that
reason you may do well to learn first-hand and develop some instincts regarding the
use of appropriate tactics. -- Generalissimo Puerco
Hanibal -- Regarding the latest question: if you have an advanced expert in an area
that equates to a given tactic, is there any point in running the tactic. Yes, if
the tactic is a useful one. I don't THINK that there is a one-to-one equivalence
between types of skills and types of tactics. For one thing, there are eight tactics
and only six types of skills! -- Leeta
Question, turn 404:
All -- Do you think you are faster with your favorite weapon? If your fav is a
Halberd would you be quicker with a War Hammer? I've read you get +4 in each area if
you are using your favorite. -- Hanibal's Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 405:
Hanibal -- I strongly doubt that a favorite weapon gives four extra skills in each
category. I don't see how anyone could know that unless it was said by a credible
source within the GC. I'm terrible at finding favorite weapons. I can tell you that
the one large favorite weapon I've had experience with is the greatsword, and it is
still lousy even as a favorite. I really enjoy longsword as a favorite. --
Generalissimo Puerco
Q.O.W. -- With regard to favorites, the only really obvious effect is that you are
automatically well suited to it, and the warrior using it almost always throws more
critical attacks with that weapon than if it wasn't their favorite. That pretty much
gives me the impression it only helps attack. -- Adie
Q.O.W. -- I would be amazed if you would receive +4 in each area for a favorite
weapon. And we do not believe the fave adds to the speed with the weapon. The fave
greatly aids attack and parry, hit %, and ability to hold onto the weapon. And, of
course, criticals increase. -- Kennelworth
Hanibal -- I don't know about specific bonuses for using a favored weapon. However,
I do believe that if your favored weapon is something that you aren't otherwise
suited for (for example, a broadsword for someone lacking the necessary attributes),
you can often get good results by going for a lower version of that weapon. From the
halberd of your example, for instance, "down" to a great axe, or even farther down to
battle axe and then to hatchet. Experiment with them and see what might work. I
have no specific numbers to support this, but it is the impression I've gathered over
the cycles. -- Leeta
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===---
Duelmasters
-----------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 728): SCALES of SERPENTS HOLD 3 (Khisanth, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 730): KORYNN FROG of KAOS FROGS (Grimm, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 690): BOUTTE of ARCANE ROYALTY (Destitute Noble, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 724): SABBATH of CRUCIAL TAUNT (Daikkan, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 726): WELL DON of GARBAGE PAIL KIDS (Kharadmon, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 716): JIMI APPENDIX of BODY OF MUSIC (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 718): DOTTLE of VISIONS V2 (Tolbin, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 361): TALISMAN of MAGICAL MADNESS (Dameon Darkheart, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 715): CAIRRAIG AMADAN of CLAN CROW (Owsly, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 359): POSITION IS EMPTY
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 712): BRAINS MCGEE of THE WALKING DEAD (Deep Thought, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 709): DIGITALIS of OBSIDIAN HALL (Dameon Darkheart, mgr)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 701): FURIOUS FROGPALER of BATTLE FROGS (Grimm, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 659): KHARIJANH of THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 336): ROSELYN of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 331): LEGION of LUROCIAN DEVILS (The Greek Guy, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 318): C IS FOR COOKIE of OPEN SESAME (Crip, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 591): MEECHAM of MEN OF STEEL (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 576): DAISY DAWG of RED DOG GANG (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 558): FLAME SPIDER of FEAR FACTORY (Var, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 552): LORAND TEN SORN of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 266): R.S.I. of ALPHABET SOUP (Crip?, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 513): GEORGE PETERSON of MEDAL OF HONOR (The Anarchist, mgr)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 508): TEASER II of FALSE OVERTURES (Guido, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 499): MONSTER MASH of SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 616): GIMME SOME SUGAR of ARMY OF DARKNESS (The Dark One)
Top Teams
---------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 728): SERPENTS HOLD 3 (Khisanth, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 730): DREAMERS (Sleepy, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 690): ARCANE ROYALTY (Destitute Noble, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 724): CRUCIAL TAUNT (Daikkan, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 726): GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 717): BODY OF MUSIC (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 718): MAN OR BEAST? (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 361): EXPENSE ACCOUNT (Finance Manager, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 715): SHADOWMIST (Tolbin, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 359): MILITARY MAYHEM (Crip, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 712): SECRET SQUIRRELS (Gentleben, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 709): KNIGHTS OF LEGEND (Zorsea?, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 701): SOUND (Trim, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 659): THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 336): DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 331): LAND OF OZ (Oz, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 318): OPEN SESAME (Crip, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 591): MEDAL OF HONOR Z11 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 576): RED DOG GANG (Spot, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 558): SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 552): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 266): WORLD WIDE GORE (Crip, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 513): TOLBINS LADIES (Tolbin, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 508): FALSE OVERTURES (Guido, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 499): MEDAL OF HONOR Z2 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 616): DIRT DEVILS et al (The Dark One, mgr.)
Recent Graduates
-----------------
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 729): AESARA of DREAMERS (Sleepy, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 723): VARICK of TERMINUS (Carick, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 726): GOLDPLATED of GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 718): GRAVITRON of THE MOTHERSHIP CC (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 360): CAPEX of EXPENSE ACCOUNT (Finance Manager, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 714): CALYPSO of BOHICA (Scruffy Puff, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 359): THRALL of THE STORM REAVERS (?, mgr.)
(turn 358): KATANA of AVENGERS (Huckle Cat, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 712): BRAINS MCGEE of THE WALKING DEAD (Deep Thought, mgr.)
SHADOWFIST of DRAGON RIDERS (Daikkan, mgr.)
KAMI FLAUGE of SECRET SQUIRRELS (Gentleben, mgr.)
OBLITERATION of ANGELS OF PAIN (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 708):FROGGY FOO-FOO of BATTLE FROGS S01 (Grimm, mgr.)
KARINIRINA of THE SEWING CIRCLE (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 700): SMILE WAFFLE of HAPPY FUN TIME (Floyd, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 336): ROSELYN of DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 330): RAVAGE of OBSIDIAN ORDER (Skaven, mgr.)
NO BATHROOM of BASH BROS PARK (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 591): MERVIN OLDES of MIDDLE WAY WO (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 723): CHOPPED RABBIT of UNNAMEABLES (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 265): FRISBEE of FOUND IN THE SAND (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 507): ANDA of FALSE OVERTURES (Guido, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 498): STEAMED MUSCLES of SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit)
SPY REPORT
Greetings warriors! It is I, Zontani Sharp Eyes, here to bring report of the
clash and bustle of the weekly NOBLISH ISLAND games. Former top team THE HIGH WAY
was unseated this week as COUNT ON ME moved up from 2nd ranking to take the top spot
with a 4-1-0 record for the round. ALBUQUERQUE BOONE caught the eye of many in the
gladiatorial commission as he skillfully bested THE USEROUS MERCHANT and was awarded
20 points in recognition. In one of the week's more notable duels, INNISFREE JONES
put down MAT TUKHOLT, causing it to lose 11 points of recognition in the process.
The city has turned out in honor of ALBUQUERQUE BOONE, for with his arena victory he
may now lay claim to the highest position in the city! Would you believe that over
half of the old women in NOBLISH ISLAND seem to feel that they could fight better
than you gladiators?
I have been in deep conclave with my spies who watched all that has recently
transpired. Indeed there is much I would report. I saw one fighter that warriors
avoided when this week's challenge seeking began. THE HIGH WAY is feared. This much
I can say. Apparently the stalwarts of COUNT ON ME are catching the bulk of jests
down at the challenging board for their large share of the avoids. Loose talk at the
arena has reached my ears and it but confirms the knowledge that many fighters are
after HORRIBLE LEARNING. Watch your back!
Vendettas. Bloodied blades and broken spears. Indeed the city has seen more
than its fair share of red in recent times. Fate is a fickle mistress. She showers
the miserable with fortune but sets enemies against the victorious. Remember this!
If it were not for my skills as a spy I would have been mugged three times
already in NOBLISH ISLAND. Nice atmosphere you have here! More than a sharp eye
must I keep, indeed a stout pair of legs must I keep as well! The endless paths of
Alastari await me! Till next we meet remember - the pen is mightier than the sword,
but a maul is a different story!-- Zontani Sharp Eyes
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
ALBUQUERQUE BOONE 9448 5 4 1 47 THE HIGH WAY (1626)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-ATLANTEA 9453 4 0 0 51 GODS AND HEROES (1627)
INNISFREE JONES 9452 7 2 0 41 THE HIGH WAY (1626)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
GALLATIN HUGHES 9451 5 4 0 24 THE HIGH WAY (1626)
HORRIBLE LEARNING 9489 2 0 0 24 BASH BROS PIKER (1634)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
MAT TUKHOLT 9438 3 4 0 22 MISFITS OF DOOM (1624)
FAVE WEAPON 9493 1 1 0 21 BASH BROS PIKER (1634)
THIRTY-LOVE 9488 2 0 0 18 COUNT ON ME (1633)
CHICAGO DAWES 9449 3 6 0 15 THE HIGH WAY (1626)
EDINBURG FINN 9450 3 6 0 15 THE HIGH WAY (1626)
CAMI DEAORDAN 9500 1 0 0 15 MISFITS OF DOOM (1624)
INDY 500 9485 1 1 0 12 COUNT ON ME (1633)
LOW SKILL BASE 9490 1 1 0 9 BASH BROS PIKER (1634)
3 POINT SHOT 9487 2 0 0 7 COUNT ON ME (1633)
ZIDRIT DU'ORDEN 9441 0 7 0 7 MISFITS OF DOOM (1624)
100 YARD DASH 9484 2 0 0 6 COUNT ON ME (1633)
FIRST DOWN 9486 1 1 0 4 COUNT ON ME (1633)
FAVE RHYTHM 9491 0 2 0 2 BASH BROS PIKER (1634)
JACK OF ALL TRADES 9492 0 2 0 2 BASH BROS PIKER (1634)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
SHMEGAL 9499 0 1 0 1 MISFITS OF DOOM (1624)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
YAR'KEN TILLBIN 9440 0 7 0 MISFITS OF DOOM 1624 DARK CHAMPION 383 NONE
PERSONAL ADS
Why does Assur always talk about pure offensive, hybrids, and pure defensives rather
than warrior styles? Because any style 'can' be run in any way. It is more useful
to Assur to talk about the 'ways to win fights'. There are some guidelines to what
styles work best in what role, but they are guidelines. -- Assur
Horrible Learning -- You may learn horribly, but you sure do win easily. You dog! --
Indy 500 (had too many pit stops)
Fave Rhythm -- This is not a marathon, you know. Get with it if you ever expect to
beat anyone. -- 100 Yard Dash (out of the blocks fast)
Low Skill Base -- You will have to do better than that on defense in the Red Zone or
I will continue to score at will. -- First Down (not exactly a three-yards-and-a-
cloud-of-dust type)
Jack Of All Trades -- Let me suggest you get your hands up. I win from long range.
-- 3 Point Shot (swish, swish, swish)
Fave Weapon -- Having one is rather nice, but one has to know how to use it. I like
my strings very taut. You? -- Thirty-Love (Here I come Wimbledon)
Yup -- Count On Me is the new Consortium representative on Noblish Isle. The Big
Boss hired me, a true Count and collegiate math professor, to run the show for Count
On Me. It fits, eh? In the classroom, I was addressed as COUNT NUMBER, but you can
call me by my real name, ABBA CUSS, if you wish. -- Count Number (Abba Cuss) of Count
On Me
P.S. Perhaps I shall tell you all about my number warriors in a spotlight. Perhaps.
Assur -- Thank you, thank you, thank you. Never never ever did I expect to get the
opportunity to compete against a team of five pikers! Pikers, I say! You have made
my day. I shall have to thank you in person. -- Abba Cuss
P.S. While mentioning no other attributes, I admire your courage.
Embarrassing -- I could've done without that. -- Albuquerque Boone
Oh, cheese LOUISE! Gallatin lost to a Captured Orc, and everyone ELSE on this team
defeated a Persistent Beggar. It's enough to make me throw things. -- Jorja
P.S. Okay, I *like* to throw things....
I can count on taking lots of losses for the next ten turns!
At least this turn, my warriors will hopefully be running with the correct
strategies. And one of my recruits showed up considerably different than he was
reported to be showing up. Adjust and move on! -- Assur
Since I always name my warriors for things that bug, bother, or annoy me, I will in
the ads say things that I actually like about pikers.
"Pikers are flexible! You can adjust to just about any scenario!"
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
YAR'KEN TILLBIN was butchered by DARK CHAMPION in a 2 minute bloody Dark Arena fight.
MAT TUKHOLT was vanquished by INNISFREE JONES in a 1 minute uneven battle.
GALLATIN HUGHES was demolished by DANGEROUS CRIMINAL in a 1 minute uneven fight.
ALBUQUERQUE BOONE devastated THE USEROUS MERCHANT in a 1 minute Title contest.
CHICAGO DAWES was overpowered by HORRIBLE LEARNING in a 1 minute mismatched match.
EDINBURG FINN was devastated by FAVE WEAPON in a 1 minute one-sided duel.
ZIDRIT DU'ORDEN was unbelievably bested by LOW SKILL BASE in a 2 minute bloody match.
100 YARD DASH viciously subdued FAVE RHYTHM in a dull 9 minute beginner's fight.
INDY 500 vanquished JACK OF ALL TRADES in a 1 minute one-sided duel.
FIRST DOWN was vanquished by CAMI DEAORDAN in a 2 minute one-sided duel.
3 POINT SHOT luckily beat SHMEGAL in a popular 3 minute beginner's match.
THIRTY-LOVE overpowered PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 1 minute one-sided match.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|PARRY-STRIKE 6 SLASHING ATTACK 13 - 2 - 0 87 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 4 TOTAL PARRY 9 - 2 - 0 82 |
|TOTAL PARRY 2 LUNGING ATTACK 12 - 6 - 2 67 |
|BASHING ATTACK 2 WALL OF STEEL 13 - 11 - 0 54 |
|WALL OF STEEL 2 STRIKING ATTACK 10 - 9 - 0 53 |
|AIMED BLOW 2 BASHING ATTACK 22 - 20 - 1 52 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 AIMED BLOW 16 - 18 - 0 47 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 1 PARRY-STRIKE 4 - 12 - 0 25 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 4 - 0 20 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 - 0 0 |
Turn 383 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-RIPOSTE 1 - 0 STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 3 2 STRIKING ATTACK
LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 0 AIMED BLOW 0 - 2 2 AIMED BLOW
TOTAL PARRY 2 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 2 PARRY-STRIKE
PARRY-STRIKE 3 - 3 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 0 2 BASHING ATTACK
BASHING ATTACK 1 - 1 1 LUNGING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL 1 - 1 1 WALL OF STEEL
1 PARRY-RIPOSTE
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
LUNGING ATTACK ALBUQUERQUE BOONE 9448 5 4 1 47 THE HIGH WAY (1626)
WALL OF STEEL INNISFREE JONES 9452 7 2 0 41 THE HIGH WAY (1626)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is MAT TUKHOLT 9438. The most popular warrior this
turn was SHMEGAL 9499. The ten other most popular fighters were ALBUQUERQUE BOONE
9448, ZIDRIT DU'ORDEN 9441, INDY 500 9485, INNISFREE JONES 9452, HORRIBLE LEARNING
9489, FAVE WEAPON 9493, CAMI DEAORDAN 9500, 3 POINT SHOT 9487, THIRTY-LOVE 9488, and
GALLATIN HUGHES 9451.
The least popular fighter this week was 100 YARD DASH 9484. The other ten least
popular fighters were JACK OF ALL TRADES 9492, EDINBURG FINN 9450, CHICAGO DAWES
9449, MAT TUKHOLT 9438, YAR'KEN TILLBIN 9440, FIRST DOWN 9486, FAVE RHYTHM 9491, LOW
SKILL BASE 9490, GALLATIN HUGHES 9451, and THIRTY-LOVE 9488.
Article for Newbies
This here is an article aimed mostly at you new managers to the game out there.
This chart is a consensus of managers on the internet about how they felt each style
fairs against all other styles at the beginning levels of the game. Of course, once
you get ten or so fights under your belt the whole scenario changes and you can throw
this right out the window. But in the meantime, use this chart to help you get a
feel for the game, how the different styles interact with each other and to hopefully
dispel those 5-25 starts that can make you drop the game. Hope this helps you some.
KEY FOR ODDS OF WINNING:
1 - ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE 6 - BETTER THAN EVEN
2 - HARDLY LIKELY 7 - GOOD CHANCE
3 - NOT MUCH 8 - HIGHLY PROBABLE
4 - SLIGHT CHANCE 9 - MOST DEFINATELY
5 - 50/50 10 - ALMOST GUARANTEED
Reminder: Left Row vs Top Column
BA ST LU SL AB TP PS PL PR WS
BA 5 2 6 6 8 9 7 6 5 6
ST 8 5 8 9 9 6 7 5 6 4
LU 4 4 5 6 10 5 7 7 9 6
SL 4 1 5 5 8 6 8 7 8 9
AB 2 2 2 4 5 10 6 6 6 7
TP 3 4 6 4 1 5 7 8 6 5
PS 3 3 3 4 5 4 5 4 5 4
PL 5 4 3 3 6 2 7 5 7 6
PR 7 5 2 2 4 5 6 3 5 4
WS 5 8 6 2 4 6 7 5 6 5
There you have it folks. I would personally like to thank all the managers on the
internet who made a contribution to this effort. You know who you are. Also a big
nod of appreciation goes out to the mighty PUG (Ben Hitz) who organizes and runs the
roundtable and without whose effort little projects like this would prove quite
difficult.
David Gottwald - Magic Man
The Crew - Monuntial (34)
Rocky's Heroes - North Fork (47)
Tragedy Strikes - Andor (57) (inactive)
Natural Born - Illis (59)
Slow & Easy - Aradi (60)
Omega Squadron - Dragonhead (72)
MAKING YOUR CHALLENGES GO THROUGH
First, you need to be sure you are making your challenges correctly.
1. Are you writing down the warrior I.D. number of the warrior you want to
challenge?
2. Is your handwriting clear?
3. Is the warrior you are challenging within range of your warrior? Warriors
can challenge within their own class and the next higher class, plus the "Challenger"
classes can also challenge the next lower class. So, an Adept can challenge Adepts
and Challenger Adepts. A Challenger Adept can challenge Adepts, Challenger Adepts,
and Champions. (Try not to challenge down, though. Besides being unsportsmanlike and
making everyone mad, it isn't advantageous to your warriors. They need to fight more
experienced warriors so they will learn.)
4. Are your warriors eligible to make challenges? If they didn't fight within
the last two turns, then they can't challenge.
5. Are the warriors they want to fight eligible to receive challenges? If they
didn't fight within the last two turns, then they can't be challenged.
Next, adjust your choices for the maximum likelihood of getting your challenges.
There are several things that will help:
1. Have each of your warriors challenge two different opponents from two
different teams. That way, if the first opponent's team doesn't fight that turn, you
still might get your second challenge.
2. Use your avoids. Have each warrior avoid the teams of whoever you think
might be likely to challenge him. If you can get out of being challenged, that
increases your chance of getting your own challenge through.
3. Don't challenge warriors who didn't fight last turn. The odds are higher
that they won't be fighting this turn.
4. Don't challenge warriors who might be involved in a bloodfeud (either as the
killers, or the avengers). A bloodfeud challenge has priority over all other
challenges.
5. Don't challenge Tournament Victors. A TV challenge has priority over all
other challenges except bloodfeuds. You'll need to do a little research in back
issues of the newsletter to find out who the TVs are.
6. Don't challenge warriors who you know are going to challenge someone else, or
are going to get challenged by someone else. Your challenge has a better chance of
getting through if it is the only challenge to that particular warrior.
7. Don't challenge the "easy pickings." That is, warriors above you who have
way too few fights or very bad records for where they are ranked. They will tend to
get challenged a lot.
8. Don't challenge warriors who are likely to be avoiding your team. This
includes any warrior your team fought within the last two turns.
Well, it sounds like I've eliminated just about everybody, doesn't it? Of course
you can challenge opponents who fit into one or more of those categories; just try to
find ones who don't. Your idea candidate for a challenge is: A warrior ranked
somewhat above your warrior in the same class, or in the next higher class, with a few
more fights than your warrior, and a winning record, who isn't a TV and isn't
currently at war with anyone.
I hope this will be of some help to you.
The Rogue She-Puppy
MAXIMIZING THE DUELMASTERS EXPERIENCE: WHAT THE RULES DIDN'T SAY
When you get your turn results in the mail it is very important that you squeeze
as much enjoyment as possible out of that envelope! I recommend (and also use!) the
following procedures.
First, open the envelope lengthwise with a letter opener. Remove the blue-sheet
BUT DON'T LOOK AT IT! It may tell you that you are broke and owe RSI a lot of money.
Flip it over instead! The blue-sheet will be used as a "hider" when you read the
fight results line by line, so you don't see the end of the fight by mistake and ruin
the excitement.
Remove the rest of the sheets in one smooth maneuver and place the flipped-over
blue-sheet on top of the pile, without looking at anything. You don't want to
accidentally uncover an unexpected replacement rollup. This is a traumatic experience
that should be avoided at all costs, as it indicates that one of your battles didn't
go exactly as planned.
Now you must prepare your room, or whever you are, for the battles. If you are
suicidal, or a lousy manager, or a suicidally lousy manager, remove all sharp objects
from the area. If you happen to manage an entire team of scummy warriors it is okay
to leave a loaded musket nearby.
The next step is to put on music. It definitely adds to the experience to have
your favorite tunes playing in the background, preferably AS LOUD AS YOU CAN GET AWAY
WITH! I christen each new warrior with a song that is his and his alone, and play
that song whenever it is his turn upon the sands. It is a personal choice but I
recommend Judas Priest, Manowar or Metallica. Avoid Abba and Barry Manilow (like I
had to say it). It is also important to match the song length with the expected
length of the fight. Don't choose "The Immigrant Song" for your 21-con Ultra-Scum.
Likewise, don't choose "Stairway to Heaven" for your quick lunger. Finally, sometimes
it is nice to choose an exceptionally violent alternate selection for those
Bloodfeuds.
Now you are almost ready! The final preparatory step (optional) is to prepare a
pot of coffee. Beer also works well, especially on Fridays, but I understand that
some managers are not Well-Suited to that particular beverage. I've heard the Duke
Malibu in Solven drinks goat blood, but mind you this is only a rumor. For the final
touch, try putting on any handy armor you have. Or a loin-cloth. I put on most of my
hockey gear.
The fights are on! The music is loud! The coffee is good! Read the fights
slowly, line by line using your blue-sheet as a guide. Don't go too fast, now. Yell,
"Yeah!" if your warrior scores an especially gruesome hit. Cringe if your warrior
feels the joys of a great axe connecting with his face (that means you, Marilith).
Raise your fist in the air when that total parry realizes that his last shield has
broken! And cry when your favorite gladiator is gravely injured and then takes ten
consecutive war hammer shots to the head...
When the end of the fight comes you will be emotionally drained, so yell out,
"Huzzah!!!" or "Damnnn!!!" or whatever, to take the edge off. When the fighting is
ended take a breather before preparing for the next cycle's fights. Reflect on what
has transpired and make a few notes. You'll be a better person (and manager) for it!
Isn't Duelmasters great?
Brought to you by ICE (the deranged): DM-49 (Vithicar) Rotting Livers (205)
DM-10 (Kolact) Beermacht
DM-22 (Solven) Steel Warriors
DM-24 (Zorpunt) No Escape
Winning With the Average Warrior
Hi! The Master of Anime here... Yeah, yeah, I know, you're all doing a
collective, "Who the Hell is this character?" Well, my claim to fame, if you can call
it that, is that I run Eve, one of the more popular, if not completely unspectacular,
warriors to fight in Alastari. I am a micro-manager (you've heard of mega-managers?
Well, think in reverse) who has been mainly running only one team during my 8+ years
of Duelmasters. This little write-up is aimed towards the less experienced managers,
the ones that can be brainwashed from some of the "How to build the perfect
warrior..." spotlights that tend to appear from time to time.
Many of the "How to build..." spotlights tend to deal with roll-ups that are
quite ideal, but in reality, rarely come out of RSI's number crunching machine,
commonly referred to as "the Roll-Up Gods". There have been a few good articles on
how to design skillful warriors from 'average' roll-ups. Those articles, in my
opinion, are the most helpful to new managers for the simple fact that you will almost
always get an 'average' roll-up. Occasionally, that 'average' roll-up might turn out
to be something special, and that is what I would like to key in on.
I know a lot of managers who will continually DA their warriors until they get
something that is as close to perfect as possible. You know, the warrior with three
or four 17s or the warrior with a couple of 21s or that size 3 or 4 warrior, etc...
If you are a relatively new manager and you are also doing this, I think you are
missing out on one of the more intriguing aspects of this game and that is warrior
development.
Being a micro-manager, I do not have an army of warriors like the mega-managers
do, but I'd like to think that I can hold my own against them (hey, if you're gonna
dream, dream big). Anyway, back to the point. One of my 'average' warriors seems to
have achieved a form of notoriety in Advanced Duelmasters to the extent that even the
ever quiet Mirage (manager of Donatello) has had something to say (it was at the last
Tempe FTF and my warrior, at the end of the 6th or 7th round, was listed as the top
Primus warrior on the tourney list.) Mirage pointed at my warrior on the list and
said, "That, is embarrassing..." I took it as a compliment. In case you're
wondering, my warrior is Akira (the reason I'm writing this article is that I've been
approached many times of late by managers who wanted to see Akira's numbers, thinking
he had some sort of godlike roll-up. I set them straight).
I'm not going to print Akira's numbers in this article for the main reason that I
don't have them with me at this time (it'll probably tick-off a lot of managers whose
warriors Akira has beaten anyway), but I do know this... he has about 30 attribute
increases and only one attribute is in the 20's, that one being WL (he even got gypped
by not getting some skills that you normally think he'd get by raising WL up the
20's). He won't be getting another attribute above 20 for a long, long time. (I
think his next highest attribute is 17... note that this is after the 30 or so
increases...) You should have a pretty good idea how generic this roll-up is... a
roll-up that would probably be DA'd by most managers looking for a good roll-up... a
roll-up that I even said, "I'll run him for kicks, but will probably retire him once
he gets to AD."... a roll-up that entered AD with a less-than-stellar 14-10 record...
a roll-up currently on a 20 fight win streak... a roll-up with three consecutive
Primus TVs.
So, before you give up on that average warrior, think again about giving him a
chance to flourish... he might suprise you as Akira has surprised me. Good luck in
the arena!
M.A., a proud member of GAPPDA
P.S. If you want to know Akira's original roll-up, diplo Anime Legends (Arena 102,
104).
P.P.S. Swift -- We GAPPDA members are NOT slugs!!! At least, I don't think we are...
TWELVE TIPS
A rookie manager asked me a question recently which prompted my "teaching juices"
to flow. I quote: "Just give me a dozen hints, and I'll leave you alone!" Obviously,
his challenge prompted me to organize my thought creating my Twelve Tips.
"Now wait a minute!" I hear you asking. "Why should I read on?" Simply put:
-- If you're an experience manager, you'll want to "clue me in" on other valuable tips
I missed.
-- If you're a "newbie," these tips will enhance your W-L record and compound your
fun.
"But, are they GOOD tips?" you ask. Believe me, fellow opponents, after 5000+
fights, dozens of "tutored pupils," many A.D. warriors, and a rather lofty W-L record,
they're GOOD tips. So here we go, in no particular order.
(I) ASK FOR HELP--Ask RSI about the Sponsor Program. Diplo "good" managers in your
arena. Proclaim your willingness to learn in a personal ad. You'll get some
conversation.
(II) OFFENSIVES FIRST--This is not an easy game, and the basher, lunger, striker can
be readily designed and more easily "mastered." (Whatever that means.) Avoid the most
difficult finessives, such as aimers (AB), rippers (PR), and probably wastes (WS).
Get some confidence first! Most of us old-timers yet struggle with a good aimed-blow.
(III) SKILLS, SKILLS, SKILLS--One of the most prevalent rookie errors is training too
many stats. Skills win fights, and in the long run, you will regret certain stat
raises.
(IV) COLLECT DATA--The more you know about your own warrior (And even with the same
stats, warriors differ) and the more you know about your opponents, the more likely
you can cause something "good" to happen. In the military/political world, we call
this "intelligence." (Clue: ask about a D.M. handbook filled with info.)
(V) PERSONAL ADS--Don't be a jerk! But write some every time. Let me assure you that
an unliked rookie cannot succeed in an arena against the local "Powers-in-control."
You want to create friendly opponents. (When you know what you're doing--then you can
try the jerk routine!)
(VI) TURN SHEET--Accuracy counts. Fill it out perfectly (and legibly) pal! Know what
each section is for. (Reread the instructions.) Many have been the surprised and
frustrated manager who caused his or her own problem! (Even us "megas" blow it now and
then!)
(VII) NO CON--Don't ever (well maybe 1% of the time) add points to constitution on an
offensive rollup. Other attributes may add skills; con won't. (Just wait until you
hear someone shout never add to con--ever. I didn't say that.)
(VIII) ONE WEAPON--For offensives. When you get to finesse styles, you'll understand
why you may want one in your off-hand also. But, almost always carry a backup. (Hands
can be hurt both striking and defending.)
(IX) CHALLENGE/AVOID--Always! A manager's prime purpose is to optimize his warrior's
chances. Challenge those you'll have a good shot at beating and avoid teams who can
cause you the most difficulties. (Challenge warriors--avoid teams.)
(X) ENTER TOURNAMENTS--What a way to acquire skills and experience without impacting
your arena W-L record. Actually, you will create a positive impact in that those
"tournament earnings" are "hidden" from other arena warriors. Plus, tournaments are a
real "rush!"
(XI) FIND A FRIEND--In every arena find at least one "friendly" foe. Share opponent
info. With two, or more, of you sharing, look how much more "intelligence" you'll
have.
(XII) STAY COOL--Don't let any problem (loss, death, personal ad, error, etc.) anger
you. (This is fun, right?) The cool head wins more matches than the emotional one.
So good luck, rookie! We were all in your shoes once. (And for some of us that
was a long, long time ago.)
THE CONSORTIUM
DM 8 Smithsonian (Curator)
DM 11 Bulldogs (Kennelworth)
DM 20 Animal Farm (Mino)
DM 46 Fandils (Fandil the Wise)
(and many, many more)