DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 11/30/2013 Duedate: 12/13/2013 NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA DM-93 TURN-391 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS HORRIBLE LEARNING BASH BROS PIKER (1634) (93-9489) [9-1-0,81] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader HORRIBLE LEARNING MEOSHA PALMER BASH BROS PIKER (1634) HIGH WAY 2 (1637) (93-9489) [9-1-0,81] (93-9508) [6-1-1,37] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite FIRST DOWN THUMPER COUNT ON ME (1633) GHOSTWALKERS (1630) (93-9486) [7-3-1,66] (93-9471) [3-2-0,15] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM COUNT ON ME (1633) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. COUNT ON ME (1633) 37 2. GHOSTWALKERS (1630) 27 COUNT ON ME (1633) 3. BASH BROS PIKER (1634) -4 Unchartered Team 4. HIGH WAY 2 (1637) -13 HIGH WAY 2 (1637) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 1 COUNT ON ME (1633) 35 15 1 70.0 1/ 1 COUNT ON ME (1633) 12 3 1 2/ 2 BASH BROS PIKER (1634) 26 24 0 52.0 2/ 4*GHOSTWALKERS (1630) 7 5 3 3/ 3*HIGH WAY 2 (1637) 17 18 1 48.6 3/ 3 BASH BROS PIKER (1634) 7 8 0 4/ 4*GHOSTWALKERS (1630) 10 11 3 47.6 4/ 2*HIGH WAY 2 (1637) 6 9 0 '*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn (###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank TEAM SPOTLIGHT SKILLS or STATS? THE REAL SCOOP Have you ever heard a statement similar to this: "Train skills; never train stats." The implication or sometimes direct statement is that you will be sorry if you train stats. Can that be true? The Consortium opinion is that, in the majority of circumstances, it is perfectly all right and normal 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 give the reader some ideas as to if, when, or whether stat training is either aok or best. The article will also explore when it is considered best not to train stats, but rather train skills. (No matter what, train something!) 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 upon 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 15 WL has a 75% 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.) (However WT is the primary factor.) 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 or a certain stat. (e.g. How many skills am I likely to learn if I train skills versus 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 (POS), standard warrior--run to graduation.(NRM) 2. Do not train stats on GOD, unless they are non-burning stats. 3. Limit training stats initially on POS, 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 probability quantity of skill earning vs. the probablity 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 it 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 certainly 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. Abba Cuss, Consortium affiliated * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * How to make a loser win One of the most common problems new (and even old) managers face is what to do when their young promising warrior keeps losing. Understanding how to turn a warrior around is a skill that once acquired, will be invaluable. One of the first things to understand is that warriors improve their abilities by learning skills and training stats. This means your opponents are improving, too. A warrior with lower wit is at an inherent disadvantage. Once you leave Noblish Island, 21 wit is a lot more common than you'd care to think about. That said, not every warrior has 21 wit, but the way things have progressed, most managers are highly focused on tourney success and in basic, that usually means 21 wit. So if you are a lower wit warrior (say 13 or less), your opponent likely has been learning faster than you have. But wit and skills are not the only thing that you need to win. Plenty of warriors with low wit are very successful. Even offensives can do very well with 11 wit. Use your challenges and use your avoids. That alone will do much to improve your record. Looking at how you have won and lost will give you clear clues. Especially how you've won. These are the fights you want to replicate and avoid. Your warrior's strengths and weaknesses determine who you want to challenge and avoid. Next, what you've been doing isn't working. Start to change things up. Even some offensives fight better when you start to lower the numbers. And hybrids and defensives can dramatically change their careers by altering the numbers just slightly, especially offensive effort. As to whether you want to increase or decrease numbers, there is no hard and fast rule. I will say that very low activity level is usually the first thing you want to remove on most warriors. Those super low activity levels aren't the best unless you are a scum or are facing a scum (scum being a total parry that tries only to wear you out). I've had numerous warrior magically start to fight better when I run on certain numbers, though. Weapon selection is another key item. Weapons have different attributes. Changing weapons can help your warrior. Almost every weapon has circumstances where I'll use it. The only weapon I'll never use is the MS (but the bashing weapons in general are worse than the slashing and lunging weapons). Learn what weapons are good for what circumstances. The last thing I'll mention in this article is optimizing a warrior. This is key for your losers. I started this article by hinting that all warriors are not equal. This is the only way you can make a truly inferior warrior win. Optimize him for a single way to win. Ignore all other fights and hope he faces someone that he can beat in his way to win. There will always be someone who can beat you, but if you try to make a loser win all his fights, you won't succeed. We publish many articles on what makes a good 'this type of warrior' articles in these newsletters. Choose the type that best matches your warriors strengths and optimize your strategy for that--then look for warriors that can lose to your strategy. And if all else fails, look for other losers to beat up! + ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Lighthouse ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ + Where do you go when you leave Noblish Island? (note that this article is old, but still mostly relevant) After ten turns, just when you're getting used to the everlasting rain here on Noblish Island, you're going to have to leave forever. Everyone (except me) leaves after ten turns. You have to go, but you get to choose your destination. Out of sixty or so possible arenas, how do you choose? Some of you will be following friends who have already gone, and for you this question is moot. Otherwise.... Fast or slow? Noblish Island is a "fast" arena in that the fights are run every two weeks. For some of you, this may not allow enough turn-around time. "Slow" arenas run every four weeks. The slow arenas are 8, 28, 31, 39, 45, 47, 50, 52, 54, 59, and the three slow transfer arenas, 71, 72, and 73. You may have an unlimited number of teams in a transfer arena, and many managers do; I would not recommend choosing a transfer arena for your first non-Noblish home. Regions--the world of Duelmasters is divided into four regions, which have slightly different preferred style of management. The Andorian region as a general rule tends toward a role-playing, non-killing style of play. By "non-killing," I mean that Andorian managers perfer not to seek kills and disapprove of down-challenging. In most (but not, alas, all) cases, Andorian arenas will have lively personals. The Andorian arenas currently open are: 8 (slow), 11, 14, 22, 24, 25, 26, 30, 40, 41, 46, 52 (slow), 63, and 71 (slow transfer). The Delarquan region, except in the case of some of the slow arenas, is not much prone to role-playing and convesation. For Delarquans, the win is all. Down- challenging is an accepted tactic used when desired by any manager. Deaths may be more frequent than elsewhere. The Delarquan arenas currently open are: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 18, 21, 36, 38, 39 (slow), 42, 51, 54 (slow), 59 (slow), 62, and 72 (slow transfer). The Free Blades region tends to be very active in the slow arenas and less dogmatic in either direction about style of play. Free Blades arenas currently open are: 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 28, 29, 31 (slow), 32, 33, 35, 43, 45 (slow), 47 (slow), 50 (slow), 56, 61, and 73 (slow transfer). The Lirith Kai region is the youngest and is currently very small, having only arenas 65, 74, 75, and 78 open at the present time. There is a tendency to prefer the Andorian-style, "no down-challenges and no deliberate killing," but the managers seem to be less dogmatic about it. Note that currently contests of various kinds are being held in some arenas, which I can't list for sure, they keep changing. If you're interested in a contest arena, let me know (a personal ad will do), and I'll look around. Contest arenas will tend to be bigger than others while the contest is going on, and full of often-confusing personals. Large arenas or small ones? There are advantages for a new manager in either choice. In a large arena, there are lots of managers who will be willing to help a novice. There will be a lot of variety in the kind of competition your warriors come up against--varieties in style, management, levels of skill. You can learn a lot in large arenas. But there are drawbacks, too. You can get lost in the crowd, maybe find no one or only a few of the available managers responding to your personals. You can get caught between feuding factions. In small arenas, you soon get to know every manager's playing style and what to expect from their warriors. If you write personals, they will be noticed and probably responded to. But just as you get to know all the managers and warriors sharing the arena with you, so will they get to know you. You may see a lot of standbys fighting, and while they are relatively easier to beat, they don't teach as well. After a while, you won't meet with many surprises. If you have access to the internet, I strongly recommend that you check out RSI's website and sample the newsletters of various arenas to get the flavor of them. If not, ask for advice. Diplo managers mentioned in the Regional Arena News from arenas you're interested in, as they are likely to be leaders in those arenas. Ask questions here, in the personals or by diplo. I'd like to see you all have the best possible Duelmasters experience that's consistent with other people doing the same, and I ALWAYS have opinions! Jorja The Middle Way +>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+ Question of the Week #1 +>]H[<+-----+>]H[<+ Hanibal, manager of Cannibalz in Aruak City (DM 11) and formerly of Noblish Island, has asked a series of questions of the experienced managers of that arena. I believe you might find these questions and answers instructive, or at least interesting. Feel free to comment or question in response. That goes for other experienced managers, too; I'm sure your input would be valuable. -- Jorja, The Middle Way Question, turn 396: All -- If 2 identical warriors (theoretically) ran 10-10-2 and 10-10-8, who would swing first? Would they both have an equal chance? -- Hanibal's question of the week Replies, turn 397: Hanibal -- Of the three numbers, I think KD is least influential in determining who swings first. I'm not discounting its involvement entirely, but there are many factors that weigh more heavily. I ran aimers 10-10-1 for a long time, when it was the 'in' thing to do, and they fought quite aggressively. KD might be more important in determining who swings LAST. -- Generalissimo Puerco Hannibal -- I firmly believe that 10-10-2 will sometimes outjump 10-10-8. And vice versa. -- Kennelworth The Seasoned See also Captain K's article on "Getting the Jump." It was printed in this newsletter a few turns ago, but if you want a copy and don't have it, email me at jputney@zianet.com and I'll send it to you. Okay, okay, if you don't have email, request it in the personals or even send me a diplo. -- Jorja P.S. I believe this may now be included in the regularly cycling articles. Question, turn 397: All -- If two warriors have a good damage rating, one has 11 str. and one has 13 str., would it make a difference in the amount of damage they do? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W. P.S. Warriors are same size. Replies, turn 398: Hanibal -- Regarding your QoW, it is a very good question. I think that there is a difference in damage done between warriors with different strengths but similar damage comments. Of course the attack rating a warrior has can make a world of difference too. I've got a piker (the Consortium may know Lustra from DM 52) that has a 5 str. and does normal damage with a blow. Yet, she performs like a warrior that does little damage. (And I have a lot of experience with those.) Not only that, she has normal endurance, too, but she seems to get tired awfully quick for a piker with normal endurance. So that's one example. Another is my overall look at warriors that do 'little' damage. If you take one with 9 str. and another with 13 str. I think a clear Difference can be discerned. On the high end, my experience doesn't go much past 'good' damage. But what I can say is that my warriors that do 'good' damage seem to do more damage than my few warriors that have done 'tremendous' damage. That is probably because those big strong warriors have relatively lousy attack ratings. So in a nutshell I would say yes, there is a minor but still noticeable effect. What you might be finding is that there seems to be differences within those broad categories given on the warrior overview. It's just like if you raise con you improve your warrior's ability to sustain damage a little bit, even if the comment on the overview stays the same. Your questions are getting at some of the interesting subtleties of the game. Keep asking them! -- Generalissimo Puerco Q.O.W. (Hanibal) -- I don't think so. -- Adie Pagan's replies: Question, turn 396: All -- If 2 identical warriors (theoretically) ran 10-10-2 and 10-10-8, who would swing first? Would they both have an equal chance? This is a loaded question. There are a number of factors which will determine which warrior swings first. In speaking of this I can only tell you what I have a 'feel' for. In no way does anyone know all the factors or how this works exactly unless someone gets to look at the source code for the program. I will ignore the KD dispute simply because I don't know. The Factors: 1. At warrior creation, the program initiates a random string class to be used for your warrior. Each string has a series of numbers that are pre-generated and always the same. It however appears random except for the facts that some strings are good for some warriors and bad for others. You'll notice this only over time. This string class is permanent and not all of them are created equal. This is above and beyond any total number of skills. 2. At fight time, the program calls a random string to be used for BOTH warriors. This string affects the string of the warrior. This is why you will never see two fights that are line-by-line exactly the same. But if the fights were constantly run with exactly the same string, and no strategy changes are made then you will consistently have the same fight line-by-line. 3. Fight-String modified Warrior-String# are taken for each warrior and #Decise- skills + OE + string# + tactic + weapon-weight + style-adjustment equates to a number. 4. These bonuses could be negative in adjustments also: IE. Running responsiveness would be the addition of a negative number equal to warrior's Decise. Running decise would increase a lot, running lunge, slash, or bash use initiative instead of Decise if higher than current #decise skills. 4. Biggest controllable factors are OE, tactic, & weapon-weight 5. If the number for JUMP does not have a disparity of a specific number then a continued clash will occur until that disparity is shown. Then the fight actually begins. You can have a series of 8+ clash statements until the program finds who starts and initiates the fight sequences. Example: fighterA ends up with a jump# of 60 and fighterB ends up with a jump# of 65; if the disparity had to be 10 points then what would happen is a clash statement would be printed and the steps repeated. The next number from the Fight-String is called along with the next number in each of the Warrior-strings ; the computation is done again until the disparity (for the computer anyway) becomes true. Then the fight sequence is activated. -- Pagan Question, turn 397: All -- If two warriors have a good damage rating, one has 11 str. And one has 13 str., would it make a difference in the amount of damage they do? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W. P.S. Warriors are same size. Most definitely. Weapon damage is equated to Strength + damage class. So damage is done like this: 1. Armor weight + 12 + any bonus it has vs weapon type is a negative to the damage done. (How the hell did he get 12!?) 2. Damage done is strength + damage class variable + weapon variable. 3. Slashing & Bashing increase the damage done. 4. When the damage done equals 1 or less then there is a weapon bounce statement. The minimum damage a blow can do is 1 point of damage. The program knows there's a hit before it knows damage so you can't reverse a hit, you merely take a minimum of 1 point of damage to your hit-points. 5. The lower your strength then more bounces you will see. The lower your damage class the more bounces you will see. The lighter weight a weapon is vs the armor its hitting the more bounces you will see. 6. In reverse to #5, all of those secondary-damage statements (often referred to as extra-damage statements) such as "it was a devastating blow"... "what a massive blow" -- these merely show that you hit your opponent with enough damage to exceed the computer secondary-damage statement threshold. Your warrior caused enough damage to exceed a programmed set number (whatever that number may be) and the fight is only showing that you exceeded that number. The programmed number for the secondary-damage threshold is a Hard number: it is constant within the program and is used for all fights and all warriors. It is not random. It has nothing to do with how much damage you did in relation to your opponent's hit-points either. If you exceed that number in damage, you get a printed statement showing that to be the case. There is no such thing as Extra-Damage. -- Pagan Question, turn 398: All -- If you lower your kill desire in desperation, do you have less of a chance of being killed? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W. Replies, turn 399: Q.O.W. -- I think that if your KD is lower in desperation, you're more likely to surrender than draw out the fight. Drawing out the fight by having a higher KD gives the attacker more chance to kill you. But you could defend and make a come-back. But that higher KD also lowers your defensive ability somewhat. -- Adie Hanibal's Q.o.W -- Yes, lowering your own KD helps keep you alive and allows you to surrender...hopefully in time. -- Armalias Hanibal -- The choice of kill desire in desperation seems to be a very tactically important one. I do believe that lowering kill desire will tend to preserve a warrior's life by making him give up (and end the fight) sooner. This also means the warrior may end up losing fights he could have won if he had hung around. I think scum strategy is a good example of this. While it may be counterintuitive, a good scum strategy involves using a moderate to high kill desire. This is done to prevent them from giving up prematurely. Also, most managers don't care too much if their scum gets killed, so there's no point to running with a low KD. There's a very good article on the total parry written by Scrag, in which this scheme is discussed. Maybe you saw it in Noblish. Personally, I either lower or raise KD in desperation, based on my expectations for a particular warrior. I think it was Miles that first wrote on this way of looking at kill desire, and I believe it to be the most correct. Other published theories, such as Jessie Jest's, are variably more questionable. (But then, everything Jessie Jest wrote should be taken with a grain of salt.) -- Generalissimo Puerco Question, turn 399: All -- If you have 18 HP and cannot take a lot of punishment and raise con once to normal--20 HP, does the rating affect the rate at which you take damage or do you just have 2 more Hit Points? -- Hanibal's Q.O.W. Replies, turn 400: Hanibal's QOW -- I think you just get a bump in hit points. But that little bump makes a big difference. I think armor and warrior experience are the only factors that affect the rate of damage per blow. -- Adie P.S. There's a new chart for hit points that is more accurate and does not involve a luck factor. Hanibal -- I think the amount of damage a warrior can take is not variable but constant. The variables in the equation are: the weapon being struck with and the armor it is striking, and the attack and damage-dealing ability of the warrior doing the swinging. Not to mention kill desire, as discussed last turn. -- Generalissimo Puerco * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * ---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===--- Duelmasters ----------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 736): WATSON of SERPENTS HOLD 3 (Khisanth, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 738): GHOST of THE UNDEAD (Death Jester, mgr.) DM 13 DULLENS (turn 706): FRANKIE of SERPENTS HOLD 929 (Khisanth, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 732): STOLEYOURSPOT of BASH BROS PARKING (Assurnasirbanipal) DM 16 WILLAF (turn 734): SLIDE TO HELL of DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND (The Dark One, mgr.) DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 725): PING of G.O.L.G. (?, mgr.) DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 726): NEWT ROCKNE of MAN OR BEAST? (The Dark One, mgr.) DM 28 MORYA (turn 365): KOROSHIYA ICHI of LORD OF DISCIPLINE (Longshot, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 723): SPIN MCDUECAN of CLAN CROW (Owsly, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 363): GROM HELLSCREAM of THE STORM REAVERS (?, mgr.) DM 32 ARVAT (turn 720): PIMP IN A BOX of DEATH BY DESIGN (Bubba Ganoosh, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 717): PRINCE VALIANT of KNIGHTS OF LEGEND (?, mgr) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 709): URCHIN of SEA DOGS (One Armed Bandit, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 667): HALFTIME of EPIC RAP (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 340): THE JANITOR of AVID FANS (Crip, mgr.) DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 335): DING DONG of LAND OF OZ (Oz, mgr.) DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 322): THE BEATLES of OPEN SESAME (Crip, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 599): BACKLASH of SERPENTS' HOLD (Khisanth, mgr.) DM 60 ARADI (turn 584): DAISY DAWG of RED DOG GANG (Spot, mgr.) DM 61 JURINE (turn 566): FIFINE GILLY of MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 560): KALDAN TEN KARAN of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 570): EDMONDS of GASHOUSE GANG (Crip, mgr.) DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 521): HOPE of TOLBINS LADIES (Tolbin, mgr.) DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 516): DEADLY FORCE of CRITICALS (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.) DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 507): SERGEANT 2 of MEDAL OF HONOR Z2 (The Anarchist, mgr.) ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 624): DONKEY HOTAY of MAN OR BEAST? (The Dark One, mgr.) Top Teams --------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 736): QUEEN (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 738): THE UNDEAD (Death Jester, mgr.) DM 13 DULLENS (turn 706): CARDOW HUNTERS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 732): TERMINUS (Carick, mgr.) DM 16 WILLAF (turn 734): GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.) DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 725): A UNIT (Padre, mgr.) DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 726): THE MAGNIFICENT MAGS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 28 MORYA (turn 365): LORD OF DISCIPLINE (Longshot, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 723): THE GUILD (Guido, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 363): THE STORM REAVERS (?, mgr.) DM 32 ARVAT (turn 7720: COLLEGE RADIO (Floyd, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 717): BIG LAKE BANDITS (Den, mgr.) DM 35 MURSKA (turn 709): CHILDREN OF LLYR (Jorja, mgr.) DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 667): TOLBIN'S X-MEN (Tolbin, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 340): AVID FANS (Crip, mgr.) DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 335): BAAL'S MINIONS (Var, mgr.) DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 322): LIFE IMPACTS (Smitty, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 599): MEDAL OF HONOR A11 (The Anarchist, mgr.) DM 60 ARADI (turn 554): MEDAL OF HONOR B11 (The Anarchist, mgr.) DM 61 JURINE (turn 566): MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.) DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 560): MEDAL OF HONOR C11 (The Anarchist, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 270): GASHOUSE GANG (Crip, mgr.) DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 521): TOLBINS LADIES (Tolbin, mgr.) DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 516): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 507): SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.) ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 624): DIRT DEVILS et al (The Dark One, mgr.) Recent Graduates ----------------- DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 736): WATSON of SERPENTS HOLD 3 (Khisanth, mgr.) DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 738): GHOST of THE UNDEAD (Death Jester, mgr.) KANE TOAD of KAOS FROGS (Grimm, mgr.) SKELETON of THE UNDEAD (Death Jester, mgr.) GUILLOTINE of BLADES OF TERROR (The Dark One, mgr.) DM 13 DULLENS (turn 704): LITTLE GRAY BIRD of CARDOW HUNTERS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 15 MALCORN (turn 731): DUSKBLOOD PUDDING of SHEWISH BURRET (One Armed Bandit) DM 16 WILLAF (turn 733): GOLDEN GLOBE of GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.) DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 724): GABOGOOL of STORMY'S TROOPERS I (Storm Lord, mgr.) DM 29 LAPUR (turn 723): SPIN MCDUECAN of CLAN CROW (Owsly, mgr.) DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 363): GROM HELLSCREAM of THE STORM REAVERS (?, mgr.) (turn 362): GENERAL PURPOSE of MILITARY MAYHEM (Crip, mgr.) DM 32 ARVAT (turn 720): PIMP IN A BOX of DEATH BY DESIGN (Bubba Ganoosh, mgr.) (turn 719): BRITISH SEA POWER of COLLEGE RADIO (Floyd, mgr.) DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 716): TORG THUNDERCLAP of BIG LAKE BANDITS (Den, mgr) LORTAN FALCONEYE of BIG LAKE BANDITS (Den, mgr.) DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 340): THE JANITOR of AVID FANS (Crip, mgr.) A TALENT SCOUT of AVID FANS (Crip, mgr.) (turn 339): AURORA MARIE of NORTHERN LIGHTS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 334): PAUL of CHEERS (Otis, mgr.) DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 599): MEECHAM of MEN OF STEEL (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.) DM 61 JURINE (turn 564): ZENSU LASAGNA of SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit, mgr.) DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 558): LORAND TEN SORN of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.) DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 270): CARPENTER of GASHOUSE GANG (Crip, mgr.) DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 520): GORAN DJIAN of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.) DUELMASTER'S COLUMN Notes from the arena champ. We missed the deadline for our ads and DM Column last turn, so we apologize. I am one fight away from going 10-0. Assur says I've beaten all the hard matchups except Kung-Fu Master, but that he'd prefer me face anyone but the Kung-Fu Master, who uses the AB style and can be a real pest for champions. Apparently ABs have developed super defenses when they fight without weapons. And Kung-Fu Master does just that. After the fight, regardless of the outcome, we Pikers will be packing our bags and leaving Noblish Island. Assur will be bringing the Bash Bros Wastes to Noblish Island for his next circuit. I'm sure he'll talk more of them in the newsletter next turn. So Long! -- Horrible Learning SPY REPORT Welcome NOBLISH ISLAND. I, Olaf Modeen remember this place well. Many the fights have I fought here. The celebrations, the disappointments... What's with FAVE RHYTHM? He actually beat HIGH WAY 2's MEOSHA PALMER, and walked away with 17 more points from the fight. Major screwup at HIGH WAY 2. MEOSHA PALMER lost 13 points to FAVE RHYTHM. Some new strategies, perhaps? Maybe MEOSHA PALMER will provide more easy wins... Our Duelmaster has lost, folks, lost to CONVICTED ASSASSIN, BUT HORRIBLE LEARNING is still the Duelmaster because he has the most recognition points! Wouldn't it be nice to have live subjects to practice on? I hear some team is looking into the uses of convicted prisoners. If at first you don't succeed, avoid. That'll get you in the Spyreports. How well I know the feeling of being in the most avoided team! Don't fall out of practive, BASH BROS PIKER! Management must be dealin', as the boys at COUNT ON ME ain't reelin'! BASH BROS PIKER's mad! What do people see in 3 POINT SHOT? His 6-4-0? COUNT ON ME ain't talkin', but he's got 23 points. There have been some calls to lengthen the time limit. Do you want the fighters to walk away, or not? We all knew it had to happen sooner or later. A warrior can't stick around with a 5-5-0, and FIRST DOWN easily took care of FAVE WEAPON. Here's some advice: study your opponent, master many skills, fight dirty. Many other cities have retirement homes for aged warriors. Any plans here? NOBLISH ISLAND is a nice place to live, but I don't like to live in nice places. I don't want to overstay my welcome...-- Olaf Modeen DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME HORRIBLE LEARNING 9489 9 1 0 81 BASH BROS PIKER (1634) CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME FIRST DOWN 9486 7 3 1 66 COUNT ON ME (1633) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME FAVE RHYTHM 9491 5 5 0 52 BASH BROS PIKER (1634) THIRTY-LOVE 9488 8 2 0 48 COUNT ON ME (1633) MEOSHA PALMER 9508 6 1 1 37 HIGH WAY 2 (1637) INDY 500 9485 7 3 0 34 COUNT ON ME (1633) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME KEOSAQUA LANE 9506 4 3 0 28 HIGH WAY 2 (1637) 100 YARD DASH 9484 7 3 0 24 COUNT ON ME (1633) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME 3 POINT SHOT 9487 6 4 0 23 COUNT ON ME (1633) STRIKER 9469 4 1 1 23 GHOSTWALKERS (1630) JACK OF ALL TRADES 9492 4 6 0 23 BASH BROS PIKER (1634) STARFIRE 9472 2 1 1 23 GHOSTWALKERS (1630) LOW SKILL BASE 9490 3 7 0 19 BASH BROS PIKER (1634) THUMPER 9471 3 2 0 15 GHOSTWALKERS (1630) QUINCY ROSS 9509 3 4 0 15 HIGH WAY 2 (1637) SMYTHE TODD 9510 3 4 0 13 HIGH WAY 2 (1637) SWIFTY 9470 1 3 1 10 GHOSTWALKERS (1630) MILTON ONLY 9507 1 6 0 10 HIGH WAY 2 (1637) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? CONVICTED THIEF 0 0 0 STRIKER 9469 391 NONE MORDANT DESERTER 0 0 0 SWIFTY 9470 391 NONE FAVE WEAPON 9493 5 5 0 BASH BROS PIKER 1634 FIRST DOWN 9486 391 BRUTE 9473 0 4 0 GHOSTWALKERS 1630 WURM KIN 391 NONE PERSONAL ADS A salute to Horrible Learning a 9-0 Duelmaster piker. He and his Manager are supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! -- Count Number (Abba Cuss) Shall I try to break that 10-0, or should I support it? Hmmmmm. First Down and Thirty-Love are wondering. Or, will Horrible make an easy challenge for the 10? I must think on this.... -- Abba Cuss This will be the last round for the Count On Me team. It is likely that I will lead them into oblivion for an infinite rest. Next up for The Consortium is El Paso, managed by Consortium's newest--Ponce De Leon. -- Abba Cuss (Count Number to you) Jack Of All Trades -- May you grow large in the shadows of too many calories and too little exercise. (Your manager also.) -- 100 Yard Dash Fave Rhythm -- My favorite rhythm was better than your favorite rhythm.... Ha! -- First Down Low Skill Base -- I went vroom, vroom; you went silent. -- Indy 500 Assur -- Was that 2-1 in my favor? -- Abba Cuss Milton Only -- My shooting was on today. Swish, swish, swish. -- 3 Point Shot Smythe Todd -- Your lateral movement sucked! Perhaps if you were lighter and dropped the Todd from the name? Smythe is solid. -- Thirty-Love Good bye to all. It has been fun. I hope I taught you something. If you have any questions, ask Ponce De Leon. He is quite old and wise. -- Abba Cuss Quincy Ross -- As an AB, am considering fighting unarmed? If I do, how much armor should I wear? -- Starfire All -- Can I ask my questions here, or should I use team spotlights? -- Spectre, mgr Ghost Walkers Here is fine. Count -- 2-1 in your favor last turn. -- Assur Need to go 2-3 to keep my piker stable above .500! Best of luck to me. -- Assur Spectre -- Welcome and good luck to you! We are here to try and help. -- Assur Striker -- Different weapon! "Marginally effective" means you have the wrong weapon for your style. Check the chart at the end of the turn 389 newsletter. Quincy Ross P.S. Doesn't matter that you won with it. Okay, it MATTERS, but with a suitable weapon, you'd have won better and WILL WIN more often. And the rest of our fights are against Assur and Abba Cuss, so no point giving THEM advice, right? -- those of us out on High Way 2 LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS BRUTE was butchered by WURM KIN in a 1 minute bloody Dark Arena fight. THIRTY-LOVE vanquished KEOSAQUA LANE in a 1 minute uneven Challenge battle. INDY 500 subdued JACK OF ALL TRADES in a action packed 1 minute Challenge fight. THUMPER was bested by 3 POINT SHOT in a popular 6 minute Challenge contest. HORRIBLE LEARNING was defeated by CONVICTED ASSASSIN in a 5 minute Title match. FAVE RHYTHM viciously subdued MEOSHA PALMER in a 4 minute bloody fight. FIRST DOWN executed FAVE WEAPON in a 1 minute mismatched brawl. 100 YARD DASH luckily beat MILTON ONLY in a action packed 4 minute gruesome melee. QUINCY ROSS won victory over OSKSI NOBLE in a 3 minute duel. LOW SKILL BASE narrowly defeated SMYTHE TODD in a 2 minute duel. STARFIRE slaughtered CONVICTED THIEF in a 1 minute one-sided fight. SWIFTY killed MORDANT DESERTER in a 3 minute novice's melee. STRIKER assassinated CONVICTED THIEF 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 TOTAL PARRY 19 - 8 - 1 70 | |STRIKING ATTACK 4 LUNGING ATTACK 2 - 1 - 0 67 | |TOTAL PARRY 3 BASHING ATTACK 12 - 9 - 0 57 | |BASHING ATTACK 2 WALL OF STEEL 10 - 8 - 0 56 | |WALL OF STEEL 2 PARRY-STRIKE 30 - 26 - 1 54 | |AIMED BLOW 1 STRIKING ATTACK 19 - 17 - 1 53 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 - 3 - 1 50 | |SLASHING ATTACK 1 AIMED BLOW 4 - 4 - 1 50 | |PARRY-LUNGE 0 SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 6 - 0 14 | |LUNGING ATTACK 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 - 0 0 | Turn 391 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: AIMED BLOW 1 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 4 PARRY-STRIKE PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 0 LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 0 3 TOTAL PARRY BASHING ATTACK 2 - 0 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 1 2 STRIKING ATTACK TOTAL PARRY 2 - 1 WALL OF STEEL 0 - 2 1 BASHING ATTACK PARRY-STRIKE 3 - 3 1 WALL OF STEEL STRIKING ATTACK 2 - 2 TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME PARRY-STRIKE HORRIBLE LEARNING 9489 9 1 0 81 BASH BROS PIKER (1634) STRIKING ATTACK FIRST DOWN 9486 7 3 1 66 COUNT ON ME (1633) BASHING ATTACK THIRTY-LOVE 9488 8 2 0 48 COUNT ON ME (1633) TOTAL PARRY MEOSHA PALMER 9508 6 1 1 37 HIGH WAY 2 (1637) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is FIRST DOWN 9486. The most popular warrior this turn was THUMPER 9471. The ten other most popular fighters were HORRIBLE LEARNING 9489, MILTON ONLY 9507, INDY 500 9485, FAVE RHYTHM 9491, LOW SKILL BASE 9490, SMYTHE TODD 9510, THIRTY-LOVE 9488, JACK OF ALL TRADES 9492, FIRST DOWN 9486, and 100 YARD DASH 9484. The least popular fighter this week was 3 POINT SHOT 9487. The other ten least popular fighters were FAVE WEAPON 9493, MEOSHA PALMER 9508, KEOSAQUA LANE 9506, BRUTE 9473, STRIKER 9469, SWIFTY 9470, STARFIRE 9472, QUINCY ROSS 9509, 100 YARD DASH 9484, and FIRST DOWN 9486. MAIL-IN TOURNEY LVI INITIATES TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME MAT TUKHOLT 9438 (4-4-0) 1 3 0 MISFITS OF DOOM The Effects of Coordination Coordination has long been ruled as having no effect on a warrior. I have noticed a few things that may be the cause of certain coordination levels. So I decided to write this article to give the general DM populace something to ponder. Below is the coordination table: Coordination = SP + DF 06 - 16 = Clumsy 17 - 20 = Slightly Uncoordinated 21 - 27 = Normal 28 - 31 = Highly Coordinated 32 - 39 = Very Highly Coordinated 40 - 42 = Marvel of Fighting Coordination Since I run a lot of bashers that have a clumsy rating most of the time, I noticed a few things that happen to them and not the high coordination warriors I have. Most people don't have clumsy warriors, save some bashers and TPs, so it may not be paid that much attention to. The first thing I have noticed is that a clumsy warrior seems to drop his weapon more often than a higher coordination warrior. So I think that maybe he has a higher chance to do this than normally coordinated warriors. Second, I noticed that clumsy warriors have harder time trying to quick draw their back-up weapon, causing them to fumble around trying to get it. Third is that the clumsy warrior also is slower to get up after he has been knocked down. It may also influence the roll on whether you get knocked down or not, along with other factors. These things aren't as noticeable the higher the coordination becomes. That's probably why a lot of people don't place any value on coordination. At the higher levels of the game there aren't any clumsy warriors, so coordination isn't noticed. You can still get knocked down, lose your weapon, and draw your back-up quickly, but the odds are more in your favor with a higher coordination in my opinion. Well, may joy and happiness be with you. If you would like to chat , I can be reached at 103260.3347@compuserve.com You may diplo me at LORDS OF THE ABYSS, in DM 11, or any of the JOKER'S WILDS scattered about. Ta-Ta, Sir Jessie Jest (He who always gets the last laugh......) The Basic Ripper Why isn't one of basic's most entertaining styles, a style capable of beating all others, a common sight upon the sands? The myth that rippers are difficult to run and inherently prone to dying is widely accepted. True, the graveyard is full of rippers that began their careers running little numbers and the parry tactic. This is no mystery given that very few rippers start with great defenses and the parry tactic destroys a young ripper's offense. In their efforts to make better punching bags, many managers have turned to big constitutions and heavy armor. A dose of sanity is long overdue. If you would like to run some rippers who will survive and win, read on. DESIGN: My approach is somewhat unorthodox. I maintain an evolving list of physical requirements for each style, i.e., endurance, punishment, damage, and carry capacity. If you don't have the means to accurately forecast these ratings, ask around. If at all possible, I first max out a new rollup's WL at a value of 15, 17, or 21 and then compare the rollup's physical potential with each style's physical requirements. Generally, the style that matches up best and requires me to add the least number of points to ST and CN is the one I want. It isn't absolutely necessary for a fighter to be physically fit at the beginning of his career. Plan ahead. Will a few preselected attribute trains make him so? Must points be added to the rollup's ST or CN so that he can make the grade with no more than two trains per attribute? Which weapons will he use? With these questions answered, it's simply a matter of taking WT to the highest odd value possible (avoid 19) and then doing the same with DF. Godlings are not born as a results of how many points you can pump into WT, WL, and DF; that's luck's job. Young rippers need to be able to go fast for two minutes without tiring. If your ripper isn't physically fit, he will slow down. If he slows down, you are gambling with his life. The more frail the warrior, the greater the gamble. That said, if your ripper can quickly meet the following criteria and learn reasonably well, you will get your money's worth. Endurance: Something in the neighborhood of 350 (that's {ST+CN}WL) Punishment: Anywhere from the high end of very frail to midrange normal Damage: Normal Capacity: Cannot carry a lot (minimum ST/CN combos: 9/8, 10/7, 11/6, 12/5) ST: 9 + Midgets need an 11 or better. CN: See Endurance, punishment, and capacity requirements SZ: Small (3-8) to medium (9-14) WT: 15+ If your ripper doesn't learn, he's toast. WL: 15+ See endurance and punishment requirements. SP: Though frequently unimportant, it helps to have points here if you're stuck with a few 15's in WT, WL, and DF. DF: 15+ 13 will do if you're fortunate to have a big WT and/or WL. Strats: X 8 9 5 5 5 8 X 8 5 3 3 3 10 X 6 7 7 7 7 5 ARM ------------------------- > HE -------------------------- > N --------------------------- > N ------------------------ > R Why the missing numbers in the first minute? You'll want to find what works for your new ripper and possibly change his numbers as he develops. 8-8-6 is probably the best opening minute for a young ripper. If your youngster has a high speed, try 10- 10-6. 6-8-6 is a bit slow for my taste. Nevertheless, this might be the way to go even if your ripper doesn't need to build up his endurance. Something I call "the change" occurs when your ripper approaches his master in riposte, his AD Ex in parry, and Experts in attack, defense and initiative. This is a moment of decision. If your ripper takes normal punishment, this is when you can opt to slow him down. I don't do this, but I have seen 5-7-5 and 5-5-5 parry work rather well. It's probably wise for a slow-running ripper to run fast in desperation. If your ripper continues to run fast after "the change," a first minute strat of 8-10-4 often works well. WEAPONS: A scimitar or longsword belongs in your ripper's hand. After he starts critting, check to see if the epee is his favorite. I don't believe in heavy backups for youngsters; a dagger will do. Most youngsters will benefit from an offhand dagger (preferred), hatchet, or shortsword. After "the change," rippers who don't slow down can improve the quality of their attacks by getting rid of their off hand weapons. These guys will need a backup scimitar, longsword, or epee. Rippers who do slow down should keep their offhand weapons. ARMOR: Very frail rippers should debut in ASM/H. After ten fights or so, it's probably best to go with APL/H. Guys who cannot take a lot of punishment belong in ARM/H for their entire basic careers. Put them in ALE/H if you're feeling gutsy. Rippers who take normal punishment can debut in APL/H, ARM/H, or ASM/H. After ten fights or so, it's definitely time for APL/H. If you decide to slow one of these guys down, you'd better put him back in ARM/H or ASM/H. CHALLENGES: Scummers deserve numbers like 4-1-6; keep that big desperation, though. If you know that an opponent is out to kick you when you're down, go with 5- 8-5 or 5-5-5 while he's playing dead and 8-8-5 and 9-5-7 when he's active. Good aimed blows are a pain. Still, like every other style, they can be beaten with standard strats. Many people have contributed indirectly to the content of this article. Foremost in my mind are The Lunatic, Scrag, Voo-Doo, U-Star, Shark, Moriarty, and Wormtongue. Thanks. If you have a bone to pick or a story to tell, you know where to find me. Cadmus Wild Oats (479) Solven, DM 22 Stimpy's Thoughts on Total Parries part II Well, when we last spoke I gave you a rundown on I feel TPs should be designed. Now I will give you my ideas on how to run them. First, you need to consider what type of warrior you now have. A total parry is what its name suggests. Total defense. The idea around a TP is to concentrate on defense first and utmost. Only when the situation arises will the TP decide to attack. With this in mind NEVER run a TP with an offensive effort (OE) above 5. In doing so you have just told your TP to do what they weren't designed to do. Go offensive. If you want to run your TP above 5, you should have made an offensive styled warrior, NOT a TP. By using a high OE, you cause your TP to ignore defense and go offense. This results in numerous "flailing" and "wild" attacks. So don't do it. While running your TP, you may find that he tends to really turn on the offense often. That is typical, typical of a warrior who favors initiative skills. This does not mean that you should boost your OE. What is happening is that one of your warrior's favorite learns is initiative. So he/she will be naturally adept in initiative. And remember that initiative is the skill that allows you to continuously make attacks on your opponent. Since your TP decided to attack, your opponent should be relatively worn down. So it will be hard for your opponent to steal that initiative back from you. Hence the reason that your TP looks like an offensive killer. But that's good. It means that you have a very dangerous warrior on your hands. High endurance burning styles, look out! I know, I know!!! There are managers out there still that believe in the offensive TP and suggest using higher OE. That's all fine and dandy. Let those managers do just that. I personally guarantee that if you run your TP with a low OE like the style was designed to do, you'll win fights. Experiment with unorthodox strategies when you get a better hang of the game. Activity level (AL) is the variable in TP strategies. I would definitely begin running a TP with a moderate/low AL. Try a 3 at first. After a few fights you'll see if your TP likes to dodge more or parry more. It should be quite obvious; your TP will learn more skills in his "favorite" area. Chances are, though, if your TP has received the statement: "avoiding rather than trading blows," or "relying on his speed to stay out of danger," your TP would rather dodge than parry. And that's just fine. Boost your AL to about a 4 or 5. If you choose to use the dodge tactic in defense, use AL up to 7. Beyond that tends to hurt your warrior more than it helps. So why not go with an AL of 7 all the time if your TP likes to dodge more than parry, you might ask? That's simple; your TP may like to dodge more, BUT HE STILL PARRIES. So you'll need to be less active to allow your TP that choice. With an AL of 4-5, your warrior will dodge when it is more advantageous, parry when it isn't. Kill desire varies greatly from warrior to warrior. To be on the safe side, I always go low KD with my TPs, until they gain expert in attack. After that point, I may begin to experiment, seeing how my warrior reacts to various KDs. Generally, if your warrior learns attack skills relatively well, then a higher KD won't inhibit them at all. If this is the case, I believe that your warrior is not looking for landing several blows to win the match (favoring initiative skills), but is instead looking to land a few good blows (favoring attack skills). In the latter case, a moderate to high KD may help. Keep in mind though that your TP is still defensively oriented. An extremely high KD will cause any warrior to behave like a berserker, and may cause your TP to make lots of bad attacks. With this in mind, stay below 7. Now to place it all together... Minute 1 2 3 4 5 6on Desp OE 2 ------------------------ > varies AL 2 ------------------------ > " KD 2 ------------------------ > " or Minute 1 2 3 4 5 6on Desp OE 2 ------------------------ > varies AL 4 ------------------------ > " KD 2 ------------------------ > " These show my general strategies for parry and dodging oriented warriors, respectively. Seldom do I use any tactics, unless I am making a challenge and wish my warrior to behave differently to that challenge (i.e., using the dodge tactic against a lunger). At that point I would refer to the paragraphs in the beginning to customize that particular minute to fit the tactic. Attack and protect locations are totally up to you. I like to protect the head and body, while attacking the head, arms, and legs. This protects my vitals, yet can allow my warrior to land blows on parts of the body that can cause a warrior to lose a fight with the minimum number of hits. Desperation is my opposite area. If I was relying on a low AL in the regular minutes, I will boost it in desperation. While going vice versa if I had a high AL in regular minutes. Now the one tactic I haven't touched on is the riposte tactic. Occasionally your TP will favor this tactic. When he does, I like to raise my OE to 3, sometimes 4, and the AL to 4. If I use the riposte tactic, I will use 4-5 OE and a 3-5 AL. When these numbers are any lower, your TP may refrain from attacking in a riposte situation in favor of more defense. I have found that these strategies work well whether your warrior fights as a SCUM or skilled TP. If you remember from my last article, the difference between the schools of thought are the amount of damage the warrior is willing/able to take. Well, I hope that this has been informative for the newer players, and the older ones, too. Good luck and see you on the sands. Stimpy MORE ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS Many essays dwell on style specifics. This piece describes a playing philosophy. When you just want to WIN, create scum TPs and size 17 monsters with impunity. Don't worry about getting these warriors into ADM! YOU'RE concerned with winning those "Top Team" and "Team on the Move" awards. By comparison, managers with an excellent setup shouldn't be too concerned with the team win/loss record. Their character must develop, gain every skill possible, in order to blossom into a deadly duelist. THEIR goal is to advance this fighter into ADM, and eternal life. Here are some broad parameters for assessing a warrior's value, and a few representative samples: Primus Bound: - WT, WL and DF total 49+. - 4 or more wit statements. - Start with Expert rating or gain it in one or two skills. - [13-5-5-21-13-10-17, 6-6-9-17-21-9-17, 11-7-9-17-17-6-17, etc.] Basic/ADM Only: - WT, WL and DF total to 35+. - At least 3 wit statements. - Gain Expert rating in no more than five skills. - [17-9-10-17-9-9-13, 13-11-11-17-13-8-11, 9-13-10-15-21-5-11, etc.] Dark Arena: [Any two of these qualify the character as "expendable"] - WT less than 13. - Less than 3 wit statements. - Is clumsy. - Has very little endurance. - [15-15-16-11-13-5-9, 7-18-13-17-5-13-11, 13-15-13-13-17-6-7, etc.] The Primus Bound setups are rare; they are coddled, protected and sometimes sandbagged for a year or so in order to build up a few Ad Experts to help them survive in the arena. The Basic/ADM Only fighters have mediocre to decent stats, and are going to be very dependent on their overview for that elusive "luck factor." This class of warrior should be highly competitive. Most of the fighters seen in the arena are in this category. Finally, the Dark Arena fighters: conceived from pitiful setups with little chance of being competitive. However, these rollups might prove useful. Don't fight the system; learn to use it to your advantage! Many managers send fighters to the D.A. who might have provided them with a successful (if brief) career in Basic. Give BIG numskulls lots of ST and SP; these are your killer LUs and STs. More WL = LU; Higher DF = ST. (I don't advise making Bashers unless you have a 17+ wit and 15+ points in WL.) Give LITTLE morons a boost to WL, ST and CN; these are your TP scum. If they have absolutely no WT or WL, escort them to the Dark Arena. Of course, some fighters have good stats and decent overviews yet still lose most of their fights in the beginning of their career. The "old" method of dealing with this phenomenon was to bump all stats by two or more. Now, it's generally agreed that this increases performance at the cost of future skill learns. This takes away from a duelist's competitive abilities in the higher levels of play. Competitive fighters should be making as few stat raises as possible until they have "maxed out" in at least three of four skill areas. (Some managers advocate waiting until a character is completely "maxed out" before raising stats; this will take a long time for most warriors.) Some warriors (particularly the finesse styles: AB, PR, PL, PS) take a little longer to develop. If they DON'T have the stats or the overview to raise visions of a Primus inductee, take a HARD look at their potential. Will stat raises help? Well they come easily? Is the rest of the team strong? How much money are you willing to invest in this character? ANYONE can create an awe-inspiring fighter by adding a couple of points to key stats. It means the fighter may lose some of its long-term potential, but so what? Duelmaster, Most Popular Fighter, Best Win/Loss Record, etc. all equate into free fights and recognition. If you don't have that Godling in your stable, what other goal might you have but to excel in your arena?!! I urge new managers to run EVERY setup at least once in the arena. Look on rollups as a challenge; try to make the best killer or scum possible out of Dark Arena material. There's a tremendous amount of experience to be gained by this. See what effect a high ST or DF has on specific styles; compare overviews to find what works and what doesn't; gain new insights on character design. You will enjoy playing far more than you do now! You might even come up with a better way of designing a character for a specific style, and write an article to share your views. The point is, DON'T wait around for the "right" rollup, or waste time and money (or sentiment) on characters who aren't doing anything for you. Play the percentages. If a promising warrior is losing repeatedly, be patient. Once a few AdExperts are gained he will probably turn things around. If you Dark Arena Mutant loses a lot and his scumminess or killer-design aren't working, either bump a couple of stats or DA him. If your scum/killer goes out there and wins a few, start paying attention to challenges/avoids (which you SHOULD be doing anyway). Send that scum against a LU or ST; send that monster ST against a midget Parry-whatever. Style vs. style matchups are crucial in the early careers of EVERY fighter. Generally, even lousy STs, LUs, BAs and TPs do well starting out. Later the finesse styles--PL, PS, PR, AB--usually take over. Summary: Recognize the difference between playing "to win" and playing "longterm." Start noticing which teams have high win/loss percentages: what kind of warriors are they running? Start sending diplos; don't be bashful. You can bring that win/loss to a respectable level with careful play, short-term Mutant killers and scum, and the occasional stat-bump for those mediocre fighters whom you plan on retiring later. Try it and see. It gives the game more spice, you win more often, and you have more FUN! And just remember... I told you so! Diplo me with comments, questions, rebuke: -- The Arcane Kid, of Astral Kin in Osksi (DM-3) "Favorite Weapons" One of the best ways to improve a warrior's record in basic is to find his favorite weapon. The effect of using a favorite weapon is that a warrior's attack ability will improve. A warrior will throw more critical attacks, improve the odds to inflict critical damage, and make attacks that are more difficult to dodge and parry. There are two methods used to find a favorite weapon. The first is, "Don't worry about it. They tell you when you get to ADM anyway." While some managers have the patience to wait that long, I would rather have my favorite in hand in fight one! The second method is called, "Charting." The way I chart weapons is I break down, statistically, my warrior's attacks with a particular weapon. (No, it's not difficult to do!) I chart 4 categories, (1) Total number of attacks, (2) Total number of crit attacks, (3) Total number of crit damages, (4) Total number of knockdowns. (1) Total number of attacks (#ATT) -- Record the total number of attacks with the weapon in question, including hits, crits, misses, parried attacks, dodged attacks, and wild swings. (2) Total number of crit attacks (C ATT) -- Record the total number of critical attacks with the weapon in question. Do not get good attacks confused with critical attacks. A good attack is a statement that is more descriptive than, "strikes with dagger," but is not as spectacular as a critical. An example of a good attack is, "Bats outward with her quarterstaff," or, "Makes a lunging attack wielding a short spear." These are more descriptive but are not outstanding. A critical attack is exemplified by spectacular statements such as; "Catapults forward, longsword stabbing cruelly at his foe," "Punches with piston-like horsefelling power," or "Hatchet flashes with snake-like speed and accuracy." As you can see, crit attacks are very obvious. (3) Total number of crit damages (C DAM) -- A crit damage statement will signify a significant amount of additional damage and is typified by a statement such as; "Spectators cringe as the horrific power of the blow strikes home" or "It was a devastating attack." (4) Total number of knockdowns (# KD) -- Record every time an opponent is knocked off his feet with the weapon in question. The next step is to convert this data into a usable format. To do this I divide the last three categories by the first. This gives a "batting average" of sorts. EXAMPLE: Dark One fights his first three fights with a scimitar. In those three fights Dark One made 16 attacks, 2 crit attacks, 4 crit damage, and 1 knockdown. This breaks down as such: C ATT = .125 C DAM = .25 # KD = .06 Remember, the more fights with the weapon, the more accurate your chart will be. Looking at Dark One's performance with the scimitar we can conclude that it is not his favorite weapon. I determine this by looking at the three categories in order of precedence. First I look at C ATT: .00-.25 Doubtful .25-.35 Slight possibility .35-.50 Very possible .50 + BINGO! If your warrior is critting 50% of the time, stick with that weapon. Favorite or not, it is VERY effective. Next is crit damage. This is trickier to look at, as the primary chance to do critical damage is primarily based on strength. Does little 0% Normal 1-5% (style dependent) Good 10% Great 25% Tremendous 50% Awesome 75% Look for increases in the expected average crit rate. These numbers may be a little off as I don't have a large enough sample of warriors with high damage ratings. In the example, Dark One rated at 25%, and with his great damage rating it appears he is not doing any additional crits. Finally, knockdowns. I don't have a fast and easy rule for this, but anything over 15% or 20% if attacking the legs, could bear investigating. It's best to look at all three and infer a weapon's performance. Dark One switches to a short spear and after 4 fights has 15 attacks, 7 crit attacks, 6 crit damages and 2 knockdowns. C ATT = .466 C DAM = .40 # KD = .13 This weapon suits him much better. His crit percentage is up for all categories. This weapon has a very good chance to be his favorite weapon. In this example it wasn't, but his W/L record improved with 6 straight wins. (By the way, the names and weapons have been changed but the numbers are from one of my ADM warriors.) Okay, I've figured out that the weapon I'm using is not my favorite. What now? There are some indicators to help you. Look at how your warrior uses his current weapon. If he likes to slash a lot, stay with a slashing weapon. Also, look at good attacks. If a warrior makes quite a few good attacks with the weapon, try a weapon that is used in a similar fashion. I.E. epee is used in similar fashion to a long sword. Dark One loved to lunge with his scimitar at a 3:1 ratio. Try weapons that fit your stats at first but don't be afraid to try a weapon that is out of your stat parameters. Should you find your favorite and you don't have the strength, size and deftness to use it, who cares. The fact that it's your favorite will nullify or minimize all those penalties. I know that this is a question on the mind of new managers, as it was for me when I was new to the game. I hope someone can get some good use out of this article and expand upon the charting method in their own way. If you have any questions, comments, additions, or criticism please feel free to Diplo. -- Abe Ango (DM 64, 103) Imploding Ducks (DM 19, 103) NAME CHANGE-O-RAMA There was a line outside the Gladiatorial Commission's registry office. There often was, but surely not now? Alarond the Scribe, who had drawn office duty today, frowned at them. A stocky, fit, moderately handsome gladiator stepped up to the counter. "I want a name-change," he said. "How can I do my best known as," he shuddered, "'Dangling Eyeball'? My name is Joe, and I want to use it." A small and very shapely woman stepped up beside him. "And I am really tired of being known as 'DA Bait'." She smiled, causing Alarond to sway where he stood. "I'd like to be known as... Aphrodite, I think." The others crowded forward, each advancing a claim, the babble of voice rising to a roar, the crowd beginning to look like a mob--and every member of it armed and dangerous. Alarond raised his hands to quiet them, without much success. He raised his voice, too. "We'll do it! A Name-Change-O-Rama, as soon as we can get the paperwork lined up! Two or three months, maybe--" The gladiators howled in protest at the delay. "No, listen! The files here are HUGE, it will take time to get everything straight. You've got to be patient. It WILL happen!" * * * * * Warrior and team name changes will be accepted during the month of January. If you have names you want to change, please contact Customer Service. -- RSI