DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 03/08/2014 Duedate: 03/21/2014
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-398
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
LOSING TO AIMERS
BASH BROS WASTE (1640)
(93-9525) [7-0-1,79]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY LOSING TO AIMERS
BASH BROS WASTE (1640)
(93-9525) [7-0-1,79]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
CONQUISTADOR SHADY LANE
OLD EL PASO (1641) THIRD HIGHWAY (1642)
(93-9530) [2-5-0,23] (93-9537) [1-3-0,8]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
(-1)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. BASH BROS WASTE (1640) 51
2. OLD EL PASO (1641) 31 THE RUSH (537)
3. X-MEN! (1644) 30 Unchartered Team
4. THE LIFE FORCE (1645) 19
5. THIRD HIGHWAY (1642) -28 OLD EL PASO (1641)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 1*OLD EL PASO (1641) 23 12 0 65.7 1/ 1*BASH BROS WASTE (1640) 11 4 0
2/ 3*BASH BROS WASTE (1640) 22 13 1 62.9 2/ 2*OLD EL PASO (1641) 11 4 0
3/ 0*X-MEN! (1644) 3 2 0 60.0 3/ 3*THIRD HIGHWAY (1642) 6 9 0
4/ 2*THIRD HIGHWAY (1642) 9 11 0 45.0 4/ 0*X-MEN! (1644) 3 2 0
5/ 0*THE LIFE FORCE (1645) 2 3 1 40.0 5/ 0*THE LIFE FORCE (1645) 2 3 1
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
FINDING FAVORITE WEAPONS -- THE CONSORTIUM WAY
Does your battle axe "slice across with tree-felling power"? Or your long sword
unleash a "piercingly accurate thrust"? Or your quarterstaff attack with "berserker
fury"? No? Read on.
A common discussion in D2 is about finding a favorite weapon. Why would anyone
want to find the warrior's favorite weapon? Why? Simply because a warrior usually
fights much better with his favorite in his hand.
Upon graduation to The Isle (Lord Protectorship) each warrior is informed of his
birthright favorites. (Called "faves" by most of us.) That includes, the favorite
weapon, the favorite rhythm, and with luck some favorite tactics and/or tactic
learns. Warriors also usually fight better when they are on their "faves".
This article is only about the weapon part of a warrior's faves. If one could
fine a warrior's faves early, one would presumably be giving their warrior a nice
advantage in fights. So how does one find a favorite weapon? Actually, you cannot
"find" it, merely surmise it from the data.
Consortium managers tend to find their warrior's fave weapon appx 40-50% of the
time before graduation. (Some of the time, the fave is just not discernable; some of
the time, the estimate is just plain incorrect.)
The Consortium method is as follows:
Chart/record these numbers from each fight:
Weapon used
Swings
Crits
Extra value hits
Then record the data by weapon as follows: crits/swings/EHV. For example, a striker
may have tried three weapons with these results:
BS 0-21-1
SS 3-13-2
SC 1-19-0
The more crits per swing, the more likely you have found a favorite weapon. (Bear in
mind that a favorite weapon is not the ONLY reason one crits more. Factors like
experience, attack skill quantity, strategy levels, etc, also come in to play.) Even
if it is not the fave, it is certainly a better performing weapon, and ought to be
considered for a lot of use. It is thought that if a weapon is performing well, the
favorite weapon is probably that weapon, or one of a similar type. For example, the
SS above looks most favorable, so there is some possibility that the fave is that SS
or another lunging type weapon, such as a LO or LS.
One of the more common questions is "Just what is a crit?" We Consortiumites
define it as a swing which "reads with extra ferociousness"! For example, using the
SS above - lunges with the SS is a normal swing while "shortspear moves like angry
lightning is a critical swing.
To alleviate any questions of what is a critical swing, below are listed the
best active list of criticals per weapon. The Weapons Criticals List
....................................
Broadsword (BS)
Brings his BROADSWORD down in a horrible cleaving motion!
BROADSWORD arcs from overhead with maximum momentum and force!
BROADSWORD whips horizontally across with a deadly timed power!
Charges forward, BROADSWORD whistling through the air!
Hacks at her (BROADSWORD at her) foe with untamed berserker energy!
Makes a ferocious backhanded assault with her BROADSWORD!
Sweeps his BROADSWORD in a sudden, vicious assault!
Unleashes a horrifying attack (with her BROADSWORD), straining every muscle for
power!
Battle Axe (BA)
Brings his BATLE AXE hurtling down with devastating force!
Brings his BATTLE AXE slicing across with tree-felling power!
BATTLE AXE arcs forward with a terrible destructive energy!
Makes an all out cleaving attack with his BATTLE AXE!
Slices up wickedly with the gleaming blade of his BATTLE AXE!
Sweeps his BATTLE AXE in a deadly assault on his opponent!
Unleashes an incredible full-bladed chop with her BATTLE AXE!
Whirls his BATTLE AXE from overhead, attacking with demonic fury!
Dagger (DA)
Attacks, his DAGGER wielded with an unnerving precision!
DAGGER flashes as he takes a sudden vicious slash at his foe!
DAGGER strikes instantly as his opponent leaves an opening!
Drives his DAGGER in a forward slash!
Ducks low and takes a wicked upward slice with his DAGGER!
Leaps forward, DAGGER thrusting with malevolence and surety!
Makes a cruel and cunning underhanded attack with his DAGGER!
Strikes overhead, DAGGER ripping with incredible swiftness!
Whirls and strikes backhandedly with his DAGGER!
Epee (EP)
Attacks from low guard, EPEE slicing wickedly upwards at her foe!
Blurs forward, EPEE stabbing suddenly with blinding speed!
Dives forward, EPEE stabbing repeatedly with his charge!
EPEE leaps forward suddenly from a high guard overhead!
EPEE strikes forward in a clash of cold steel!
Lunges forward, EPEE thrusting with incredible speed and accuracy!
Makes an incredible flesh-splitting slash with her EPEE!
Whips his EPEE blade back and forth as if to slash his foe to ribbons!
Fist (FI)
Attacks, FISTS punching with piston-like horse felling power!
Attacks his foe with a pinpoint accurate ELBOW!
Dives forward, FISTS driving at his opponent with menacing fury!
Explodes into a deadly double OPEN HAND strike!
HANDS flash forward, jabbing fiercely at her surprised foe!
Hammers down a ferocious FOREARM smash!
Hauls back and spins into a near-lethal ELBOW smash!
PUNCHES from the waist with an unbelievable quickness!
Spins around and hammers a tremendous ELBOW smash towards his foe!
Throws a rock-fisted PUNCH of incredible felling power
Kick (FI)
LEG smashes outward, kicking with tremendous force!
Throws a piston like SIDE KICK at his opponent!
Leaps into the air taking a vicious flying KICK at his opponent!
Unleashes a bone-crushing KICK of incredible power!
Focuses all of his skill and power into a devastating KICK!
Howls as he snaps a full force KICK at his foe!
Spins, throwing a devastating WHEEL KICK at his foe!
Attacks, LEGS flying in an unbelievable double footed kick!
Great Axe (GA)
Attacks, bringing his GREAT AXE down with bone-splitting force!
Brings his GREAT AXE ferociously slashing downward from his head!
Cuts powerfully forward, his full weight behind his GREAT AXE!
GREAT AXE slices at his opponent with concentrated hatred!
Makes a malevolent attack with his gleaming GREAT AXE!
Muscles ripple as his GREAT AXE cuts through the air!
Throws his entire weight behind his GREAT AXE in a mighty assault!
Greatsword (GS)
Attacks, bringing his GREATSWORD down with bone-splitting force!
Attacks, swinging his GREATSWORD with untamed savagery!
Brings his GREATSWORD hurtling downward from above his head!
Brings his GREATSWORD smashing outward in a vicious attack!
Hacks mercilessly at his foe with his GERATSWORD!
GREATSWORD arcs forward in an attempt to cut his foe in two!
Muscles ripple as he makes a powerful swing with his GREATSWORD!
Whirls his GREATSWORD overhead, attempting a bashing attack!
Halberd (HL)
Attacks, HALBARD sweeping with devastating momentum!
Batters mercilessly at his foe with his HALBARD!
Flashes outward, attacking with horrifying power!
Grimly unleashes an incredible attack with his HALBARD!
Hurls his body behind a full length sweep with his HALBARD!
Jerks her HALBARD brutally upward in a wicked thrusting arc!
Lashes out with the full length of her HALBARD!
Powers her HALBARD to smash at her foe with untamed fury!
Smashes her HALBARD down executioner-style from overhead!
Hatchet (HA)
Backhands mightily, revealing the flash of her HATCHET spike!
Chops savagely downward with her trusty HATCHET!
Hacks viciously downward with the blade of his HATCHET!
HATCHET flashes with snake-like speed and accuracy!
Lashes out brilliantly with his HATCHET!
Makes a HATCHET swing that takes the crowd's breath away!
Twists his HATCHET aiming a malevolent chop at the defense!
Unleashes a HATCHET attack that absolutely stuns the fans!
Large Shield (LG)
Barrels forward, LARGE SHIELD smashing before him as the crowd roars!
Cruelly attempts to pulverize his foe with his LARGE SHIELD!
Cruelly attempts to batter her foe with her LARGE SHIELD!
Rest same as other shields
Longspear (LS)
Catapults forward, LONGSPEAR flashing in a deadly assault!
Charges forward, LONG SPEAR thrusting with murderous power!
Is making a deliberate attempt to impale her enemy with her LONG SPEAR!
LONG SPEAR strikes forward with incredible swiftness and power!
Lunges into an attack, his LONGSPEAR flying with incredible force!
Makes a devastating thrust, LONG SPEAR blurring in the attack!
Makes a lighting thrust with his LONGSPEAR! (*)
Unleashes a murderous thrust that brings the crowd to their feet!
Longsword (LO)
Catapults forward, LONGSWORD stabbing cruelly at his foe!
Feints, then springs viciously forward with his LONGSWORD!
Lashes out with her longsword in a murderous thrust!
Leaps into an incredible flesh-splitting lunge with his LONGSWORD!
LONGSWORD lunges forward with a flash of cold, cruel steel!
Strikes forward with his LONGSWORD, all his weight behind his blow!
Thrusts her LONGSWORD, brilliantly timing her opponent's motion!
Thrusts his LONGSWORD, cleverly timing his opponent's motion!
Thrusts his LONGSWORD forward with an unbelievably deadly force!
Unleashes her LONGSWORD in a piercingly accurate thrust!
Maul (ML)
Bats murderously at his foe with his MAUL!
Bludgeons his MAUL with terrible savagery!
Makes a devastatingly powerful sweep with his MAUL!
Smashes furiously downward with his MAUL!
Sweeps his MAUL in a tremendous bone-crushing arc!
Throws his weight behind is MAUL in an all-out assault!
Medium Shield (ME)
Barrels forward, MEDIUM SHIELD smashing before him as the crowd roars!
Cruelly attempts to batter his foe with his MEDIUM SHIELD!
Cruelly attempts to flatten his foe with his MEDIUM SHIELD!
Smashes his MEDIUM SHIELD wickedly forward toward his foe!
Sweeps his MEDIUM SHIELD in a sudden, unexpected assault!
Runs forward, seeking to pummel his opponent with his MEDIUM SHIELD!
Morning Star (MS)
Attacks, whirling the MORNING STAR with tremendous Force!
Attempts to smash at his opponent with his MORNING STAR!
Cleverly tries to break her foes defense with her MORNING STAR!
MORNING STAR whines with unstoppable velocity!
Snaps the MORNING STAR forward in a deadly assault!
Swings his MORNING STAR with deadly intent at his target
Whips his MORNING STAR downward in a remorseless arc!
Whips his MORNING STAR downward in a vicious power smash!
Quarterstaff (QS)
Bats murderously at his foe with his QUARTERSTAFF!
Brings his QUARTERSTAFF smashing ferociously downward!
Impresses everyone with a masterful thrust of her QUARTERSTAFF!
Jabs murderously at her foe with the tip of her QUARTERSTAFF!
Lashes out with her QUARTERSTAFF in a lightning quick assault!
Surprises everyone with a masterful swing of his QUARTERSTAFF!
Sweeps her QUARTERSTAFF in a tremendous bone-crushing arc!
Whirls her QUARTERSTAFF, attacking with berserker fury!
Scimitar (SC)
Attacks, her SCIMITAR wielded with malevolence!
Ducks low, her SCIMITAR slicing suddenly upwards!
Leaps forward, swinging her SCIMITAR into a veritable wall of blades!
Leaps into the air, bringing his SCIMITAR down in a powerful slash!
Leaps into the air in a furious slash!
Leaps into the air taking a furious slash with his SCIMITAR!
makes a brilliant twisting thrust with his SCIMITAR!
times a devilish cunning attack, SCIMITAR leaping with deadly force!
twists into a tremendous cutting attack with his SCIMITAR!
Turns into a furious whirlwind of blades as her SCIMITAR leaps forward!
SCIMITAR lunges with awesome cutting power!
Small Shield (SM)
Attempts to swat at his foe with his SMALL SHIELD! (NOT a crit)
Barrels forward, SMALL SHIELD smashing before him as the crowd roars!
Charges forward, trying to run down his opponent with his SMALL SHIELD!
Cruelly attempts to batter his foe with his SMALL SHIELD!
Cruelly attempts to bruise his foe with his SMALL SHIELD!
Runs forward, seeking to pummel his opponent with his SMALL SHIELD!
Sweeps his SMALL SHIELD in a clever backhanded assault!
Sweeps his SMALL SHIELD in a sudden, unexpected assault!
Smashes his SMALL SHIELD wickedly forward towards his foe!
Short Spear (SS)
Dives into a powerful lunge with its SHORT SPEAR!
Lunges past its foe and brings its SHORT SPEAR into a brilliant backhand stab!
Makes a menacing underthrust with her SHORT SPEAR!
Rushes her foe, her SHORT SPEAR underthrusting malevolently!
SHORT SPEAR leaps forward with incredible swiftness and power!
SHORT SPEAR moves like angry lightning!
SHORT SPEAR strikes with blinding quickness!
Springs with full extension with her SHORT SPEAR!
Shortsword (SH)
Focuses his energy in a powerful upward stab with his SHORTSWORD!
Hacks viciously downward with her SHORTSWORD!
Lashes his SHORTSWORD cruelly at a break in the defense!
Makes a clever stab with his SHORTSWORD that stuns the fans!
Stabs powerfully upward with his SHORTSWORD!
Thrusts his SHORTSWORD forward with his full force behind it!
Thrusts his SHORTSWORD in a lightning move at the defense!
SHORTSWORD leaps forward in a bloodthirsty assault on his foe!
Sweeps his SHORTSWORD in a tight, powerful slash!
War Flail (WF) "Whiffle"
Attacks, his WAR FLAIL whistling with a frightful acceleration!
Cracks his cruelly barbed WAR FLAIL with tremendous force!
Hauls back and power smashes with his WAR FLAIL!
Lashes out, WAR FLAIL chains curling with a hideous power!
Takes a tremendous swipe at his foe with his WAR FLAIL!
Sweeps his WAR FLAIL in a vicious flailing arc!
Unleashes a murderous full force attack with his WAR FLAIL!
WAR FLAIL screams in the rush of this assault!
War Hammer (WH)
Attacks, his WARHAMMER wielded with pile-driving precision!
Backhands, swinging his HAMMER-SPIKE savagely at his target!
Brings his WAR HAMMER crashing downward with horrific power!
Is attempting to smash through the defense with his WAR HAMMER!
Launches a brilliant attack with his WAR HAMMER!
Makes a lightning-quick backhand smash with her WAR HAMMER!
Sweeps his WAR HAMMER downward in a crudely brutal smash!
Sweeps his WAR HAMMER downward in a vicious power slash!
Takes a tremendous swipe at his foe with his WAR HAMMER!
Good luck in your weapon selection decision making as it just may make the
difference between a win or a loss.
Ponce de Leon of Old El Paso (Consortium affiliated)
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
Winning Warrior Types -- Introduction
Assurnasirbanipal generally refers to warriors as one of three types (Offensive,
Defensive, and Hybrid). These three types do not exactly map to styles. There is no
reason a warrior can't utilize more than one of these modes in his career. But
understanding them helps greatly when designing a warrior and creating a strategy
which will allow him to win. Over the next few weeks I will go into detail of each
type as well as which styles have natural advantages fighting as which type.
Offensives win (as you might expect) by taking down their opponent through
damage and sustained attack. They really should do AT LEAST good damage with a blow
(which typically requires around 20 or more points on strength and size). Wit is the
most important stat, since they need to learn skills fast and wit gives all three of
the skills they care most about (initiative, decisiveness, and attack). Do not
undervalue will, as it is the primary contributor to endurance. Deftness of 11 is
perfect, 7 acceptable. Speed is preferred to be even. Traditional styles are
Strikers, Bashers, and Slashers. Lungers, Parry Strikers, and Aimed Blows are also
often run as offensives.
Defensives win by letting their opponent get tired. They usually want to wear
heavy armor, take damage, and have decent defensive skills. The most important stats
are strength, constitution, and will. Speed is virtually useless. Size is much
preferred to be very small. Deftness of 11 is again perfect. The traditional style
is Total Parry, but any of the parry learning styles (Parry-Strike, Parry-Riposte,
Parry-Lunge, Wall of Steel) or lungers work well. However, almost any style can win
fights with lots of hit points, high will, and the best armor in the game (APA/F).
You'll notice I don't mention wit. That is because defensives can come very stupid
(3 wit) or Geniuses (21 wit). Wit is always good, but defensives can win without it.
There is another type of Defensive warrior, the dodge specialist. These are usually
Lungers and Fist Aimed Blows. They are a specialized type of defensive that I will
discuss in depth separately, since they do not follow the same pattern as other
Defensives.
Hybrids are the hardest type of warrior to learn and win with. There are many
different ways to make them. They win by combining some combination of offense and
defense to win fights. They normally have at least a moderate amount of
constitution. Assur prefers to have 11 strength on hybrids in order to carry decent
weight, but many managers are fine with 9 strength. It is difficult to win with
'big' hybrids because they (usually) need the points elsewhere. Wit is always
desired. Will depends more on style and design than being required. Speed is
completely unnecessary and you'd rather have points elsewhere. Deftness should be at
least 11 for most hybrids. The traditional best hybrid styles are Lunger, Total
Parry, Wall of Steel, and Parry Riposte, but once again, there are many ways to make
hybrids and any style can fight like one.
Design principles common to all types of warriors
-Both Consortium and Assur recommend not going below 7 strength. Aimed Blows
are the only style that can 'excel' with very low strength, but even they use
strength the same as other styles.
-11 Deftness is magical. It gives you most weapons well suited and lots and
lots of important skills. Pretty soon you'll understand that Aimed Blows do
everything different and there is a very good reason why they are the exception with
deftness as well. Most Aimed Blows prefer 17 or 21 deftness.
-Will is also a stat that you normally never want below 7. And 7 is really low
(only really recommended for endurance conserving styles: Parry Strikers, Aimed
Blows, Total Parries, Parry Ripostes, and maybe Strikers)
-Every style wants wit. 11 is bare minimum for offensives. Wit is considered
the most important stat by many managers (Assur considers it the 3rd most important
(after Will and Strength). However even Assur realizes that 21 wit can cover for a
lot of mistakes.
-Size is probably most important to Hybrids, simply because with too many points
on size, you don't have enough points to be good. High size is 'best' on Offensives,
but defensives can sometimes deal with it. Note that for size, smaller is usually
considered better, as long as you don't do little damage with a blow.
-Constitution is not needed at all for offensives, while desired on the other
two types. For Defensives, it is a primary stat.
-Speed is the least important stat for hybrids and defensives (you almost never
want to add to speed on these types of warriors). For Offensives, add to an even
value, but even on offensives, speed is not the most important stat, especially if
you can get high wit and will.
-Design to your warrior's strengths (Consortium writes a great article
highlighting this topic. 21's are very nice, especially Wit and Will, but Deftness
for Aimed Blows and 21 Strength also has good use.
-Most warriors want at least one of Wit or Will to be high with 25+ a good
starting point for the minimum you 'want' on these two stats combined. Very few
managers have graduated warriors with lower than 20 total (and go much lower and you
can almost ensure your warrior an unsuccessful career).
+ ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Lighthouse ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +
"Tinkering strategies?" Jorja glanced around the common room of the Lighthouse
quickly. None of her gladiators were near by, but she leaned forward and lowered her
voice anyway. "The team here doesn't believe I ever do that, and I don't want them
to hear me saying differently, Diaretic. They'd get expectations, and I don't have
any plan to make life that easy for 'em. But here's the way I go at it when I'm
feeling generous with my warriors. Mind you, this is just the way *I* do it, and
there are plenty of other approaches.
"Say I've got a warrior who's a pure offensive style, which means a basher, a
lunger, or a slasher. I don't count strikers, as they're versatile and sometimes
unpredictable. Say I've started him out fast, maybe 8-6-x. Unless he's fighting
another pure offensive, he should be first off the mark. So I look for the problem.
If it's a problem with his numbers and style and he should have been some other kind
of fighter, well, too bad, we're both stuck with it. I can boost his offensive
effort to ten--sometimes it already IS ten, of course, but if it isn't, then that
goes up to the top. I can drop his activity level, say to four. I know some people
start their offensive warriors going 10-10-x, but to my mind, this is just asking for
early burnout in a fight. I've seen that kind of thing--a warrior comes out of the
starting gate like his socks are on fire, and by the MIDDLE, not the end, of the
first minute, he's panting and staggering, and losing. Sure, some warriors can take
that kind of energy burn, but most can't.
"So I tinker with his numbers, and it doesn't help, he still gets jumped when he
shouldn't. The next thing to try is dropping the weight he's carrying. Maybe I've
got him in some kind of mail, okay, I drop that to leather. This reduces his
protection against blows from his opponent, of course, but everything's a trade-off.
If he gets out there first and deals a shrewd blow or two, it won't matter; he'll win
before he gets hurt. If he's already in leather, or if I want to lighten him up
further, I'll drop his backup weapon and give him a lighter one. Say he's got a
scimitar with a backup same, maybe I'll drop the backup to a shortsword or even a
dagger. I'll always leave him SOME backup weapon--"
"He'd have his fists, if you didn't give him a backup weapon, wouldn't he?"
Diaretic asked.
Jorja shrugged. "Well... yes, but none of the pure offensives do well with
their fists. Strikers, maybe, but not bashers, lungers, or slashers. They can and
will use 'em if they have nothing else, but they won't do well. And frankly, I
wouldn't even send out an aimed blow, the CLASSIC unarmed style, with nothing but his
fists for backups. I've seen too many of them 'struck in the arm with the parry'.
It's too risky for a warrior who's already got problems. Unless, of course..." she
looked suddenly thoughtful, "I'm hoping he'll get killed...."
Diaretic raised his eyebrows. "Do you do that much?"
"Send them out hoping they'll die?" Jorja shrugged. "Well, yes and no. I run
everything, maybe send one warrior in a hundred to the Dark Arena--after he's fought
for a year or two. There are often warriors that I would LIKE to see die, even
though I hate the hassle of recruiting new ones. But I've never sent a warrior out
unarmed, unarmored, and with the basic 1-1-1 default strategy. At least, not
deliberately. There's a team I have in Murska that was running on maintenance once.
I wasn't paying attention, and no less than THREE new warriors started up there
without strategies--and survived! They had horrible records by the time one of the
other managers managed to get my attention, 0-19 I think it was, but they survived.
Tough men, and they eventually made it to graduation, once I gave them 'sharp pointy
things' to use on their opponents. But I don't do that deliberately." She paused
and signaled for one of the waiters to bring Diaretic a fresh drink.
"Where was I? Warriors getting jumped when they shouldn't be, right. As a last
resort, because I don't really care for tactics, I might give such a warrior
decisiveness in the first minute, also.
"But if none of this works, if he still gets jumped regularly, then I have to
think about taking a different approach. Maybe he'd be better off running slowly,
despite his style. So I put more armor on him, some kind of mail, usually, and I
slow down his first minute, maybe invert it: 4-6-x or 4-8-x or something. And then
in the second minute pop him up to eight or ten offensive effort, on the idea that
he'll catch the faster offensives when they're tired. Sometimes it works.
Especially with beginning warriors, winning can often be a game of endurance. He who
is still standing, wins."
Diaretic nodded and sipped his drink. Half-formed ideas of how he might use
these ideas on his own warriors revolved in his mind. "What about the opposite case,
a defensive warrior who can't last long enough to win as he should?"
"The total parry who collapses from exhaustion in the second minute?" Jorja
laughed. "I've had a few of those over the years. I call 'em 'the warriors of
exasperation'. It isn't easy running everything, you know--I end up with some
warriors that not even a mother could love, and with them, I tend to do really dumb
things, just for the heck of it. The aimed blow with a deftness of three or four,
for instance, or the total parry with no con.
"But for the, hmm, 'legitimate' cases of warriors running too fast, well, there
are signs as obvious as an offensive getting jumped. 'Fighting to conserve energy',
'straining to hold his weary arms at guard', stuff like that in the fight report is a
sure sign. You can take two approaches to that, lower the weight they're carrying so
as not to burn their energy that way--lighter armor, lighter weapons. Or slow 'em
down. Say I've got a ripper going 6-8-x and stumbling with exhaustion in the second
minute. I might slow this warrior down to 4-6 and see if that helps. Heck, I've
even done that with offensives. Back when I started slashers out going 10-10-x, I'd
get them stumbling with exhaustion and losing because of it in the second or even the
FIRST minute, and I'd slow 'em down. Activity level comes down first for an
offensive warrior--I think of that as the 'dodging and parrying' number. Offensive
effort comes down first for the defensives."
"Hmm." The younger manager frowned, making a series of linked rings on the
table top with the wet bottom of his glass. "What about warriors who flail wildly?"
"I've been told that this is due to lack of attack skills, and unless you're
going to train stats and burn those skills, nothing but time will cure it. But I've
found that sometimes--not always--lowering kill desire helps. Drop it to five, say,
if it's higher. Dropping the offensive effort a notch might help, too. I think of
'flailing wildly' as 'trying too hard'. You can never be sure, of course, because
managing gladiators is an art, not a science." She paused and half stood, looking
toward a center of commotion. "Do you want Wednesday to get falling down drunk on
the night before the fights?"
+<]H[>+-----+<]H[+ Question of the Week #8 +]H[>+-----+<]H[>+
Question, turn 417:
All -- Here's last cycle's question that didn't make it in (along with page two of my
personals). What are the top five weapons to be successful in Advanced? -- Hanibal
Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 418:
Q.O.W. Response -- The top weapons in AD, or even basic DM, are generally agreed upon
to be the SC, LO, BS, and BA. The scimitar is an all round great weapon. Seems
easier to crit with, and even against heavy armor, still dishes out a lot of damage.
Because it's a slashing weapon, it seems to pull a lot of critical damage on normal
hits. The longsword is the second best, though that could be contended, for its one
great ability, the knockdown! The broadsword is heavy, but it dishes out heavy
abuse, it doesn't break often, and it is pretty good at smashing through parries.
The battle axe is just plain cool, and it is very painful! After those four, it's
difficult to say which weapon is better. I like daggers, though shortswords are
strong, and the halberd is really fun if your warrior can throw crits with it. --
Adie
I must have missed the question this is answering, or it was part of an ongoing and
sometimes heated discussion on winning and killing and aiming locations in Aruak
City.
Q.O.W. Response -- Other than the obvious ability of aiming at the
chest/abdomen/head to gain death intent statement, I think that it's more difficult
to win when aiming at the body because there are more hit-points there. This is
especially the case against tough, armored warriors. Attacking the body with lunging
weapons can get knockdowns, but I think that it's even easier if you aim at the legs.
If you consider protect locations though, maybe the body is better to aim at because
maybe fewer people protect it.
The limbs, and head especially, have less hit points, so if struck, such a
warrior usually gives up sooner. Aiming at the head can get quick victories and
death intent statements, but results in more deaths, obviously. But I think a lot of
people routinely protect the head. Aiming at the arms allows the defeat of a warrior
when they lose their weapon, or use of their arm, and can't draw a back up. -- Adie
P.S. I only advocate aiming at the arms and legs in Aruak City. Elsewhere is a
different story.
Question for turn 418, to be answered next turn:
New Q.O.W. -- What have people seen in regards to arms that hang useless? Can
warriors regain the use of them eventually if the fight goes on? Can they punch or
parry with it, even though they can't draw a back-up? -- Adie
Adie's QoW -- Striking arms can cause an opponent to drop their weapon and
(temporarily) lose the use of the limb. Striking the legs can increase the chance of
a knockdown. Striking at head, chest, or abdomen can allow for a kill on the sands.
Chest and abdomen seem to be the locations best protected by armor. Head can have a
different level of armor protection than the rest of the warrior's body, which can
make things tactically interesting. From what I've seen, managers usually have their
warriors protect their vital hit locations by default, so to me it makes more sense
to aim at non-vitals. -- Generalissimo Puerco
Is Generalissimo Puerco psychic? Tune in next turn and find out!
Hanibal's QoW -- All of the one-handed swords make up the top tier of weapons, with
the axes and spears on the second tier (consider halberd in this group), and all the
bludgeoning weapons (and the greatsword) at the bottom. Quarterstaves, war hammers,
and mauls are liked by some, and as far as I'm concerned, they can have them.
Unfortunately the quarterstaff recently became tied (with longsword) among my LPs for
most popular favorite weapon. Also, interestingly, I only have one LP that favors
the scimitar, and it's a total parry! -- Generalissimo Puerco
Hanibal -- Top five weapons? Hm, scimitar, scimitar, scimitar.... Oh, you mean
DIFFERENT weapons? A lot depends on the style of the warrior in question and his or
her favorite. But scimitar is up there near the top of the list for many styles. --
Leeta
The question from turn 418:
New Q.O.W. -- What have people seen in regards to arms that hang useless? Can
warriors regain the use of them eventually if the fight goes on? Can they punch or
parry with it, even though they can't draw a back-up? -- Adie
Answers from turn 419 and 420:
Q.O.W. Answer: I have had all sorts of s#&t (not sure what word this was
supposed to be) happen regarding arms falling uselessly at their side: some warriors
give up, some continue on, I've even had a warrior lose his use of an arm twice in
one fight (and he still won!!!). One thing is certain...the weapon in the useless
hand always drops in the sand. -- Dr. Strange
Refers to last turn's question--
QOW -- Weapons? We agree that SC seems tops with LO and BS highly desirable. The
Consortium clan has a great affinity for these also: BA, DA, QS, SH, WH and GA. Not
the normal "feelings," but... -- Kennelworth
QOW -- A useless arm is a statement and since it normally comes at the end, it
"seems" to mean something, but it is similar to a dropped weapon. -- Kennelworth
Answer Q.O.W. (arms) -- When arms are struck in combat, I too have seen a variety of
things occur. I've seen them get hit, forcing a weapon to be dropped, but then a
back up pulled immediately. I've seen them get hit, drop a weapon, and be too hotly
engaged to pull a new one. Also, they can hang useless after being struck. The
weirdest thing I've ever seen is a warrior lose the use of their arm, drop their
weapon, strike with their fists, and then have one of those fists get parried, AND IT
WOULD BE THE ONE THAT WAS USELESS THAT WAS INJURED BY THE PARRY! Strange eh? So if
both arms went useless, you could still fight with fists? Hmm... -- Adie
New question, turn 419:
All -- I recently tried an experiment where I gave a warrior a Primary weapon
(Broadsword) and the same off-hand back-up. She pulled the back-up when things
slowed down in min. 2. Does this mean she prefers two weapons or do they always do
that? If you give a warrior two back-ups will they pull the one they prefer or
whatever you list first? -- Hanibal -- Q.O.W.
Answers, turn 420:
Answer Q.O.W. (backups) -- When things slow down in a fight and neither warrior is
eager to hold the initiative, they will usually pull any off-hand or back up weapon
they have, whether they need it or not. It has no relation to whether that warrior
prefers to fight with two weapons or not.
Drawing back-ups also can occur when the fight is intense. If your weapon
breaks while on the offense, often such a warrior will draw their back up and attempt
a riposte to hold the init. Also, if you're on the defensive and you attempt to
riposte, but you have a back-up weapon or off-hand weapon to draw, your warrior may
try to pull it. Success is not always guaranteed in either case though since your
warrior may be 'to hotly engaged'. Even if a defending warrior succeeds, drawing a
weapon after a riposte forces that warrior to give up the init they could have taken.
But if they pull a back-up and THEN riposte, then can take the init.
If you give a warrior two back-ups, they pull the one listed first, and if it
breaks or is dropped, they'll pull the second. It is not random. -- Adie
QoW -- If the warrior has a free off-hand, and a backup off-hand weapon, it usually
isn't long before they decide to make use of it. I'm guessing that OE and
coordination (anonymous source) are factors that affect the likelihood of drawing a
backup in the off-hand. Wanna Be, manager of A Savage Few here in Aruak, once hosted
a fast draw contest where contestants had to start the fight unarmed but could have
backup weapons. The all-out offensives would sometimes spend a full minute or more
with their fists before deciding to draw steel. The defensives would usually draw
something the first chance their opponent would give them. -- Generalissimo Puerco
New question, turn 420:
All -- I was noticing the skill modifiers for low to high size; do these negatives
keep a warrior from being successful at the high end of the game? -- Hanibal --
Q.O.W.
We're now caught up with Aruak City (dm 11) on the Questions of the Week; they are
about to run turn 421 as I write this. So if Hanibal misses a turn in asking, or the
managers there miss a turn in answering, we'll have to miss a turn in looking over
their shoulders. Amazing how things follow one another like dominoes falling, isn't
it? There is NO REASON AT ALL why you here can't pose Questions of the Week of your
own. Send them as a personal to DM 11, identify yourself as a new manager seeking
enlightenment, and you should get a helpful response. -- Jorja
Note that Hannibal's Questions of the Week stopped some time ago and Aruak City is
now in the 600s.
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
---===FREE BLADES REGIONAL NEWS===---
Duelmasters
-----------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 743): CHANTAL of BLUE MOON (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 745): MARTYR of TORTURED (Iron Maiden, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 720): BLIND OWL of CARDOW HUNTERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 739): CHANGE of BLIND MELON (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 741): 56TH AND WABASHA of BLOOD ON THE TRACKS (Howlin' Wolf)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 732): PING of G.O.L.F. (The Chosen One, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 733): MOTHER GHEA NEWS of THE MAGNIFICENT MAGS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 369): EYE BAGS of BASH BROS BODY (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 730): RAVAGE of THE TAKEN (Stillgard, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 366): NABUCA of WHAMMO & THUDDA 4U! (La Guillotine, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 727): EURYDICE TROYER of DEVIL ADVOCATES (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 724): INIGO MONTOYA of BIG LAKE BANDITS (Den, mgr)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 716): LORD'S PRAYER of FOOT OF PRIDE (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 674): LYRICAL DRUGGIST of ORL 2013K (The Muffin Man, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 344): LAPUR BISQUE of SHEWISH BUFFET (One Armed Bandit, mgr)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 338): YORL of LES TURFISTES (Le Pentarque, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 325): KINGU of MESOPOTAMIA (Var, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 606): NIGHT CRAWLER of THEM (Papa Bear, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 591): CLARENCE G. CRAFT of MEDAL OF HONOR B11 (The Anarcist, mgr)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 573): JENNI KORREG of MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 567): KALDAN TEN KARAN of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 274): WON TON NOT NOW of PALINDROMES (Assurnasirbanipal, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 528): HOGSHEAD of COUNTRY PIE (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 523): CLAWS OF NIGHT of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 514): ROSS F. GRAY of MEDAL OF HONOR Z2 (The Anarchist, mgr)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 631): BILBO BAGGINNI of MIDDLE ITALY (The Dark One, mgr.)
Top Teams
---------
DM 9 ZUKAL (turn 743): QUEEN (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 745): DREAMERS (Sleepy, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 720): CARDOW HUNTERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 739): GREENWARDENS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 741): GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 732): G.O.L.F. (The Chosen One, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 733): THE MAGNIFICENT MAGS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 369): LORD OF DISCIPLINE (Longshot, mgr.)
DM 29 LAPUR (turn 730): DEVIATION (Marma Duke, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 366): WHAMMO & THUDDA 4U! (La Guillotine, mgr.)
DM 32 ARVAT (turn 727): SECRET SQUIRRELS (Gentleben, mgr.)
DM 33 NIATOLI ISLAND (turn 724): OBSIDIAN HALL (Dameon Darkheart, mgr.)
DM 35 MURSKA (turn 716): CHILDREN OF LLYR (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 43 VEASTIAN (turn 674): THE FAMILY (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 45 STORMCROWE (turn 344): DARQUE FORCES (Master Darque, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 338): LAND OF OZ (Oz the All Managing, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 325): MESOPOTAMIA (Var, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 606): MEDAL OF HONOR A11 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
DM 60 ARADI (turn 591): MEDAL OF HONOR (The Anarchist, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 573): MEDAL OF HONOR G10 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 567): MEDAL OF HONOR C11 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
DM 73 ERINIKA (turn 274): MIDDLE WAY 18 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 74 DAYLA KIV (turn 531): COUNTRY PIE (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 523): RUNEBLADES (Stillgard, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 514): MEDAL OF HONOR Z2 (The Anarchist, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 630): DIRT DEVILS et al (The Dark One, mgr.)
Recent Graduates
-----------------
DM 12 RIZTAB (turn 745): KORYN FROG of KAOS FROGS (Grimm, mgr.)
DM 13 DULLENS (turn 720): BLIND OWL of CARDOW HUNTERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 15 MALCORN (turn 739): CHANGE of BLIND MELON (Howlin' Wolf, mgr.)
(turn 738): WREN of GREENWARDENS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 16 WILLAF (turn 740): GOLDEN GIRL of GOLDEN GLADIATORS (Midas, mgr.)
DM 17 ALJAFIR (turn 732): PING of G.O.L.F. (The Chosen One, mgr.)
DM 19 ZUWAYZA (turn 732): NEWT ROCKNE of MAN OR BEAST? (The Dark One, mgr.)
DM 28 MORYA (turn 369): KOROSHIYA ICHI of LORD OF DISCIPLINE (Longshot, mgr.)
DM 31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 366): NABUCA of WHAMMO & THUDDA 4U! (La Guillotine, mgr.)
(turn 365): VENGEANCE of THE STORM REAVERS (?, mgr.)
DM 47 NORTH FORK (turn 338): YORL of LES TURFISTES (Le Pentarque, mgr.)
DR. COX of SECOND BANANAS (Mannequin, mgr.)
(turn 337): JACK B. NIMBLE of ROYAL FLUSH (Crip, mgr.)
DM 50 SNOWBOUND (turn 324): QUALITY of LIFE IMPACTS (Smitty, mgr.)
DM 56 ROCANIS (turn 604): GASTON IPPS of MIDDLE WAY 20 (Jorja, mgr.)
DROXINE of TREXTRAS (Otto X, mgr.)
DM 61 JURINE (turn 671): CHUCK ENDERN of MIDDLE WAY 16 (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 65 DAL SHANG (turn 567): KALDAN TEN KARAN of SAND DANCERS (Jorja, mgr.)
DM 75 JADE MOUNTAIN (turn 521): WRATH of MASTERS OF SIN (The Greek Guy, mgr.)
DM 78 LIN TIRIAN (turn 514): SERGEANT 2 of MEDAL OF HONOR Z2 (The Anarchist, mgr)
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
Convicted Assassin--One of the 'easier' champion level NPCs. Certainly a better
matchup for me. Can I win another? Dare I hope for 10-0? I heard Assur's last guy
lost his last fight here in Noblish Island. Well, win or lose, I've had a good run
so far.
-- Losing to Aimers
SPY REPORT
It's me, The Unknown Spymaster here with my bag to give you the news on last
week's fights. Advancing in the rankings was OLD EL PASO who went from last turn's
19-11-0, to this week's record of 23-12-0. Hey everybody, watch out for SPECIAL
DISPOSAL, who flew up 17 points in the rankings after mashing CHIHUAHUAN DESERT like
a melon. Keep your eye on this guy. And falling like a basher in the top ten was
CHIHUAHUAN DESERT, who dropped 15 points after a disappointing (to say the least)
bout with SPECIAL DISPOSAL. Well, everybody's pal LOSING TO AIMERS moved his record
to 7-0-1 by defeating VETERAN MERCENARY in the Duelmaster's Title Bout and gaining 13
recognition points. 4 out of 5 gladiators surveyed protect the body, so try and
avoid aiming at that location.
Let's dig a little deeper into what's happening in the NOBLISH ISLAND arena.
And hey, kiddies, those of you who didn't avoid GHOSTWALKERS, please raise you hand.
Wow. Does NOBLISH ISLAND really have that many liars? And you guys like to boo me?
Well, unsling your rasberries, cause OLD EL PASO beats feet every time GHOSTWALKERS
smiles at them. Try farming, eh?
Death is kind of like a new puppy: he's always around wanting to play. (Ha
Zontani, how's that for a wise saying?). Here's some advice: warriors with little
wit and will may encounter problems on the trail to the Isle.
I think I had better cut this one short. It's been nice chatting to those of
you whom I have not offended yet. C'mon, Leadfoot, let's make some tracks. Its been
fun, and I'm sure you enjoyed it (boos). Now that I've got you worked up for Snide
Clemens, I'll be leaving-- The Unknown Spymaster
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
LOSING TO AIMERS 9525 7 0 1 79 BASH BROS WASTE (1640)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
PASO DEL NORTE 9532 7 0 0 50 OLD EL PASO (1641)
SPECIAL DISPOSAL 9527 4 3 0 50 BASH BROS WASTE (1640)
CIUDAD JUAREZ 9529 6 1 0 47 OLD EL PASO (1641)
CHIHUAHUAN DESERT 9531 3 4 0 39 OLD EL PASO (1641)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
MODE SKILLS 9524 5 2 0 27 BASH BROS WASTE (1640)
THE RIO GRANDE 9534 4 1 0 27 OLD EL PASO (1641)
-STRIKER 9469 5 5 1 26 GHOSTWALKERS (1630)
-THUMPER 9471 5 5 0 24 GHOSTWALKERS (1630)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
CONQUISTADOR 9530 2 5 0 23 OLD EL PASO (1641)
STINKS 9526 4 3 0 19 BASH BROS WASTE (1640)
DEL CURVE 9535 2 2 0 17 THIRD HIGHWAY (1642)
ENDURANCE BURN 9528 2 5 0 17 BASH BROS WASTE (1640)
XOOMA 9547 1 0 0 12 X-MEN! (1644)
JOHN 9551 1 0 1 10 THE LIFE FORCE (1645)
XUNA 9548 1 0 0 10 X-MEN! (1644)
ALLEN BRIDGER 9538 2 2 0 8 THIRD HIGHWAY (1642)
GERONIMO FORD 9536 2 2 0 8 THIRD HIGHWAY (1642)
DEAN END 9539 2 2 0 8 THIRD HIGHWAY (1642)
SHADY LANE 9537 1 3 0 8 THIRD HIGHWAY (1642)
XERXES 9545 1 0 0 6 X-MEN! (1644)
MILLZ 9554 1 0 0 6 THE LIFE FORCE (1645)
TIMER 9550 0 1 0 1 THE LIFE FORCE (1645)
XANDER 9549 0 1 0 1 X-MEN! (1644)
PRINCESS KAYLA 9552 0 1 0 1 THE LIFE FORCE (1645)
XAVIER 9546 0 1 0 1 X-MEN! (1644)
FORCER 9553 0 1 0 1 THE LIFE FORCE (1645)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
PERSISTANT BEGGA 0 0 0 JOHN 9551 398 NONE
STARFIRE 9472 3 4 1 GHOSTWALKERS 1630 LOSING TO AIMERS 9525 395
PERSONAL ADS
A salute to Duelmaster Losing To Aimers who keeps finding an NPC to defeat. -- Ponce
de Leon
Someone's got to do it.
Was that a 1-1, Assur? Sort of like kissing your sister? Ugh. But I would rather
kiss my sister than you! -- Ponce de Leon
Dean End -- Well done on your victory. I am supposed to be a royal warrior but I
cannot seem to defeat anyone. I am 0-3 against wastes and 1-1 against slashers.
Perhaps I should request to be burned at the stake? -- Conquistador (seemingly quite
depressed)
Special Disposal -- A salute to you on the win, and may the maggots have you for
lunch. -- The Rio Grande
Endurance Burn -- I can only say--THAT FELT GOOD! -- Ciudad Juarez
Fratsfan Slave and Fratsfan Noble, and all things Fratsfan -- Thank you for the work-
out. We needed to break out in a sweat and chalk up a victory. -- Chihuahuan Desert
and Paso del Norte
Spectre and The Ghostwalkers -- It has been a pleasure mentoring you. May luck and
victories follow you in your path. -- Ponce de Leon (Consortium affiliated)
Greeting to everyone. My X-Men look forward to besting you in battle. May the best
fighter prevail. -- Xyxlstyx
Thumper -- Damn, I was winning, I had nearly won, and then you tried to cut me in two
at the hips. Ouch. -- Allen Bridger
Conquistador -- You should have realized you were heading into a... Dead End
Striker -- I don't think being Most Challenged is worth it. Well done. -- Geronimo
Ford
Mode Skills -- (mutter, grumble, complain) -- Shady Lane
Stinks -- Or maybe not.... -- Del Curve
Spectre - Glad to hear it! Good luck and I hope to cross blades with you again soon.
-- Assur
P.S. Sorry for the kill. With me, it is very rarely, if ever intentional.
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
CONQUISTADOR devastated GERONIMO FORD in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge fight.
LOSING TO AIMERS won victory over VETERAN MERCENARY in a 2 minute Title battle.
PASO DEL NORTE slimly won victory over DANGEROUS CRIMINAL in a 4 minute match.
CHIHUAHUAN DESERT was defeated by SPECIAL DISPOSAL in a 2 minute duel.
CIUDAD JUAREZ devastated AMBITIOUS GUARD in a 1 minute one-sided contest.
MODE SKILLS defeated DEL CURVE in a 2 minute match.
STINKS bested ALLEN BRIDGER in a 2 minute gruesome brawl.
ENDURANCE BURN luckily beat SHADY LANE in a exciting 6 minute bloody struggle.
DEAN END was outwaited by XOOMA in a dull 8 minute beginner's fight.
THE RIO GRANDE vanquished XAVIER in a 1 minute uneven duel.
XERXES defeated PRINCESS KAYLA in a 2 minute beginner's duel.
XUNA overpowered FORCER in a 2 minute one-sided fight.
XANDER was viciously subdued by MILLZ in a 2 minute brutal novice's bout.
TIMER was demolished by MORDANT DESERTER in a 1 minute mismatched competition.
JOHN delivered the death blow upon PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 5 minute novice's battle.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|WALL OF STEEL 7 TOTAL PARRY 17 - 7 - 0 71 |
|AIMED BLOW 3 AIMED BLOW 11 - 7 - 1 61 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 3 STRIKING ATTACK 14 - 9 - 3 61 |
|TOTAL PARRY 3 WALL OF STEEL 32 - 22 - 1 59 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE 5 - 4 - 1 56 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 2 LUNGING ATTACK 6 - 6 - 0 50 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 2 BASHING ATTACK 9 - 10 - 0 47 |
|BASHING ATTACK 2 SLASHING ATTACK 7 - 8 - 0 47 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 1 PARRY-STRIKE 11 - 15 - 1 42 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 - 0 0 |
Turn 398 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 2 - 0 LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 2 5 WALL OF STEEL
WALL OF STEEL 5 - 2 TOTAL PARRY 1 - 2 1 TOTAL PARRY
AIMED BLOW 2 - 1 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 1 AIMED BLOW
SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 1 1 LUNGING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 1 1 SLASHING ATTACK
BASHING ATTACK 1 - 1 1 PARRY-STRIKE
1 BASHING ATTACK
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
WALL OF STEEL LOSING TO AIMERS 9525 7 0 1 79 BASH BROS WASTE (1640)
TOTAL PARRY PASO DEL NORTE 9532 7 0 0 50 OLD EL PASO (1641)
AIMED BLOW CIUDAD JUAREZ 9529 6 1 0 47 OLD EL PASO (1641)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is CONQUISTADOR 9530. The most popular warrior this
turn was SHADY LANE 9537. The ten other most popular fighters were CHIHUAHUAN DESERT
9531, XERXES 9545, LOSING TO AIMERS 9525, SPECIAL DISPOSAL 9527, STINKS 9526,
ENDURANCE BURN 9528, THE RIO GRANDE 9534, MILLZ 9554, CONQUISTADOR 9530, and CIUDAD
JUAREZ 9529.
The least popular fighter this week was XOOMA 9547. The other ten least popular
fighters were DEAN END 9539, JOHN 9551, FORCER 9553, XANDER 9549, PRINCESS KAYLA
9552, XAVIER 9546, GERONIMO FORD 9536, TIMER 9550, XUNA 9548, and ALLEN BRIDGER 9538.
The Defensive Lunger
Perfect Minimums Actual Characters
ST 13 11 11 13
CN 7 3 3 11
SZ 4 4 10 6
WT 21 17 17 17
WL 17 13 17 19
SP 5 5 9 5
DF 17 13 17 13
The lunger, in my opinion, makes a much better defensive fighter than offensive
fighter. Fighting defensively will compensate for the speed at which lungers burn
endurance. They will still attack whenever possible but their defensive ability will
allow them to dodge most attacks. The most important part is their initiative. When
they do dodge, they'll usually steal the initiative and attack. I haven't been
fighting lungers defensively for long but my record is 14-5-0. Don't fight
defensively against other lungers as they will usually win.
The strategy I use is:
Min 1 2 3 4 5 6 Desp
Off 4 -------------------------> 9 Weapon: Any lunging
Act 6 4 --------------------> 9 No armor if low con
KD 4 -------------------------> 9 APL/H if average con
O.T. ---------------------------> L
D.T. -------------------------------->
You can attack any location you wish but I suggest protecting the body. The
third character listed started with experts in attack, defense and initiative. The
last character had an expert in attack.
The Wild Boar, manager of Things (5) and many inactive teams.
WARRIOR ENDURANCE
Greetings, joy and happiness to everyone! I hope you have had pleasant dueling.
This article is about endurance and some things to think about when you're designing
your warriors. Below is a chart showing the different endurance levels a warrior may
have. This chart may be a little off of due to the fact it isn't possible to have all
the variables as a manager, but it does give you idea of the amount of endurance a
warrior should have.
The formula for endurance is: E = (ST+CN)WL
With the result of that number use the chart below.
000-180 = Very Poor
181-240 = Poor
235-390 = Normal
391-509 = Good
510-639 = Great
640-699 = Tremendous
770+ = Awesome
Here are some examples of warriors with their Endurance ratings:
1) Slasher ST 5 CN 7 WL 15 (5+7)15 = 180 Poor
2) Striker ST 7 CN 13 WL 9 (7+13)9 = 180 Poor
3) Parry-Rip ST 7 CN 10 WL 11 (7+10)11 = 187 Poor
4) Basher ST 13 CN 9 WL 9 (13+9)9 = 198 Very Poor
5) Striker ST 13 CN 9 WL 9 (13+9)9 = 198 Poor
6) Aimed-Blow ST 9 CN 15 WL 9 (9+15)9 = 216 Normal
7) Striker ST 10 CN 5 WL 15 (10+5)15 = 225 Normal
8) Slasher ST 13 CN 10 WL 10 (13+10)10 = 230 Normal
9) Wall/Steel ST 13 CN 12 WL 17 (13+12)17 = 425 Great
There are several factors such as warrior style, RSI random factor, and there is
some evidence that SIZE has some effect on a warrior's endurance. In any case the RSI
LUCK factor can be around 7 to 8% in your favor or 2-3% worse than average. These are
just estimates, but are still factors nevertheless.
Some styles that are HIGH BURN endurance, like lungers, slashers and walls of
steel, are more likely to be UNLUCKY with the endurance rating.
Every action your warrior does consumes endurance. Attacking seems to use more
endurance than any other action. Once a warrior's endurance is used up, he will make
an endurance check against his WILL. If he fails the roll, he will either stop to rest
or collapse to the sand, depending on how badly he failed the roll. When a warrior
stops to rest, he gets back some endurance. When he gets enough endurance back, he
will start attacking again. This is just a theory that I have developed from
observations. It maybe completely off, but it gives one something to ponder.
That's it for now lords and ladies, I must go entertain elsewhere. If you would
like to chat about DM or other things, you can EMAIL me at 103260.3347@compuserve.com
or visit my DM website at
http://ourworld.compuserve.com./homepages/jessisjest/homepage.htm
You can also diplo me at DM 11 "The Lords Of the Abyss (319)" or any of the
Joker's Wilds scattered about.
Cheerio,
Sir Jessie Jest
Member of the Ivory League
Presenting, by Popular Demand (from 1989)...
THE NUMEROLOGY OF DUELMASTERS
by The Ghost of Eldrid
Character Generation
Hello, I am the Ghost of Eldrid, and I have an important message that directly
effects how well your team may do in the future. Some managers will not take this
important article seriously (some people don't believe in ghosts, either), and their
records will suffer for it. I have played Duelmasters for four years and searched
through all of my old turns and painstakingly researched every important fact in this
article, and I have discussed my conclusions with about ten different managers (named
managers such as Phido, Doctor LeGrand, Silk, Russ, and Biff Frothingslosh) who all
agree on the validity of my arguments. The results of my research are both startling
and magnificent. THERE IS NUMEROLOGY IN DUELMASTERS!!! Whether it was programmed in
or it exists on a higher plane, it matters not. IT EXISTS!!! And I plan to share
some of its amazing secrets with you, starting with character creation.
Remember in the realm of character generation the powers favor odd number stats.
NEVER, EVER have an even number on stats, except, of course, for size, which,
obviously should be even since everyone can tell what size your character is by his
description in the fight. Do you want people thinking your warrior is odd? I should
hope not!! But in case you decide to keep your odd warrior, DO NOT MAKE ANY OTHER
STATS EVEN!! Write a letter to the commission stating that you forgo the rights to
the last point and you want it to be sacrificed to the benefit of Alastari.
Always start adding points to wit and will first. Either make them 13, 17, or
21. Why? Under 12 wit is worthless, as any good manager will tell you. A 13
understandably gives your opponent bad luck, a 17 has the ever-lucky "7" in it, and 21
is BLACKJACK, and you get twice the number of winnings you would normally get. Why
not 15 or 19? Is it not obvious to everyone that 15 is unlucky? The only President
of the United States not married was the 15th, James Buchanan (who?). Lincoln was
shot on April 15th, and the clincher... my brother was born on the 15th of May. If
these "coincidences" don't prove to you that 15 is unlucky, I don't know what will.
19 is an evil number. It tries to deceive you into thinking it is better than 17, but
actually, it is an "11" with a small zero placed on the second pole, and we all know
that a zero is nothing. So what do we get for our extra eight points? In effect,
something smaller than nothing.
Next, make every other stat odd. Add the other points to make the style you
want. Deftness is the key to character generation.
Deftness (min)
5 to make a basher (ST 13+)
7 for a lunger
9 for a striker
11 for a wall of steel (ST 11+, WL 17+)
13 for a parry lunge (ST 11+), slasher (SP 11+), parry-strike, and total
parries (these styles depend on the opponent's bad luck.
17 for a parry-riposte (WT 17+)
21 for an aimed blow (this style needs the double winnings)
The last thing to remember is that luck is a big factor in this game and I don't
know if you noticed, but when warriors have even ID numbers they are luckier than odd
ID characters. Look at the best warriors in Primus: Wallbanger, Donatello, Epitaph,
Chaos Knight, Villiage Idiot, Silverflash, Khorga Khan, Jake the Snake, Sly, Max,
Stormbringer, Teetotaler, Raphael, Selleque, Kiri, Constance, Hangover, Eve, and Sam
Spade. All have even-numbered IDs. Now you say, "But Yoda and Necron-99 both have
odd IDs, and they are the best aimed blows of the game!" Yes, but they are AIMED
BLOWS and they are members of an odd style, so of course they do better with odd
numbers. So remember if you want your warriors to be best in all Alastari someday,
Dark Arena all your odd-numbered characters, unless of course they are aimed blows.
Good luck, and may the numbers fall your way.
-- The Ghost of Eldrid,
retired
PARRY-STRIKE, ANOTHER FUN STYLE
There have been several articles about fighting styles, some say theirs is the
best, or ultimate, one said theirs is the most fun style. Well, I feel that parry-
strikers are just as much fun to play as any other style.
First, let's start with the run down of what they say in the "RED BOOK". The
book says that parry-strikers are defensive, using small quick movements in their
actions (sounds like you could say that about some other styles as well.) The book
says that some managers swear that a high wit is critical to the style (only those who
have no brains would disagree with that.)
Let's get to business. First and foremost this style is deceptively aggressive,
making them a very good offensive type of fighter, or deadly type of defensive
fighter. Offensively they tend to get the jump on their opponent. I had a parry-
striker that was only jumped 3 out of 11 fights, before he died. To prepare and run a
parry-striker can be quite confusing, so I will try to help make it as simple as
possible. Here are my feelings on roll-ups for the parry-strike style:
ST: 11-15, I'll explain later.
CN: who cares.
SZ: 10-14, don't go over 14.
WT: 13-17, 17 is the best.
WL: 13-17, to get good endurance.
SP: not important.
DF: 11-15, I'll explain later.
Here are some good roll-ups for a parry-striker: 11,7,10,17,17,7,15;
15,7,11,17,16,7,11; 11,7,14,17,13,7,15; 15,7,14,17,13,7,11. Now, if you have a decent
wit, the way you run this fighting style will depend on strength and deftness. For
example: if your fighter has a high DF and a low ST it would be to his/her advantage
to be defensive, since the speed would benefit the ability to move in reaction to
their opponent. If the ST is high, and DF low, it would be better to fight
offensively like a striker, trying to get the first, and only blow in. If they don't
have a decent wit, you're on your own. I can't help you on that. Remember this style
of fighting is the same as a striker except for added knowledge of parrying, as well
as bein a little more aggressive. I would not suggest a low ST and DF, it will take
away from your WT & WL, and you don't want to do that, but if you do, good luck. You
don't need much CN if you have a good WL, which gives you your endurance. SZ; you
don't want it to be above 14, it would hurt your fighting style more than your
attributes. WT; it is the same as it is with strikers, the higher the WT the faster
and deadlier they become. Raise WT to 17 if you don't have it at the start, then
don't worry about it again until ADM. WL; this is where you get your endurance. 13
is fine to start out, but I would suggest 15, then bump it up to 17 in basic. SP; it
is what you need to riposte, but PSers have this "one strike one kill" attitude.
Meaning that there isn't much time to riposte with a killing attitude, so do whatever.
DF; what is there to say, it helps, but is not crucial to be a great PSer. Now to
running a PSer. If he is an offensive fighter 10-10-10 Dec. all the way through the
fight, even in desperation. If Defensive, 1st 10-10-10 Resp., 2nd 10-7-10 Dec., 3rd
10-10-10, 4th 10-10-10 Dec., 5th 10-10-10 Dec., 6th 10-10-10, Desp. 10-10-10 Resp.
Remember, first you want to assure your defense, and to do that, you should go
defensive the first minute. By the second minute you will be secure enough to go on
the offensive, but experiment. 6th minute on, leave blank, for by that time he/she
will know what to do (if their WT is high that is.) The best thing you could do for
your fighter is watch the fights, if you are getting more defensive skills than
offensive, run the def., or change weapons. That is the best advice I can give you
about PSers. About armor, I like to use ringmail or nothing, but experiment. I know
that there is someone that will disagree with me, but I feel that I have given you
some ideas about this fighting style that can be used, even though I am a new manager,
playing for just over a year. No matter who writes a style article, it is just
advice, not the bible. Just use the articles as a point of reference, not as sworn
law.
This is a very fun fighting style, try it out. I have written this in answer to
Foreign Legion Arena 31, and The Spartans Arena 8. I challenge any Primus Manager to
correct my writing of PSers. It is not my favorite style, but it is as fun as any
other that I have used, including my favorite one (Which is a STRIKER!!) If there are
any comments, please Diplo The Priest, the manager of The Heroes of XIAN DM-10, or The
Crucifiers DM-46.
THE ARMOR PIERCING PARRY-LUNGE
When you think "attack" what style comes to mind? Bashing? Definitely lunging?
Of course. Parry-Lunging? Excuse me? Yes, the parry-lunger! Few people realize the
fact that parry-lungers are attack gods waiting to be born. All it takes is the right
warrior and lots of guts. This warrior is not for the weak of heart. We'll begin
with stats.
Range Perfect
ST 9-11 11
CN 5-9 5
SZ 6-11 8
WT 17or21 21
WL 17or21 17
SP 5-8 5
DF 15-17 17
Why?
ST(11): This is your optimum PL strength. It puts your warrior in the normal to
good damage range. Also, you have the best PL weapon at your disposal--the LO!
CN(5): Yes, his life expectancy is low. What'd I tell you? Guts, right? He
gets his endurance from WL. If you want to make trains, make them here.
SZ(8): Our most flexible stat. A high SZ (i.e.11) allows you to skimp a bit on
Str (9).
WT(21): If it's not a 21 you're not going to get the attack this fellow counts
on. His learns will be awesome and a 21 WT will make him a better warrior out of the
chocks.
WL(17): End/Att are dependent on this one being high. Keeps you on your feet
when you should drop from exhaustion.
SP(5): Not a big requirement. Init and Parry will come from elsewhere (WT/DF).
This is not a lunger mimic.
DF(17): Combine this DF with a 21 WT and you will have a massive attack.
Pinpoint accuracy is the byword. Parry, init, def and riposte will all benefit
immeasurably. At 15 you have access to the EP, a fine lunging weapon this style can
put to devastating use.
Strategy (General, but effective in most cases)
2 9 9 7 6 5 10
6 9 9 7 6 5 10
2 7 7 7 5 5 10
HE ---------------------------->
HE BD ----------------------->
- - - - - - -
P - - - - - -
Minute 1: This fellow won't get the jump on offensives, so we'll just go
defensive and render their "mad minute" fruitless. This PL's counterattack will be
amazing at even 2-6-2 P due to the high AL. Keep the parry tactic until Adv Expert
parry is gained.
Minutes 2 and 3: These two will end most of his fights. When he starts landing
precision blows in his opponent's face it will usually be over quickly. Keep the kill
desire relatively low as to avoid sloppy attacking.
Minutes 4 through 6: If you haven't won by now you've got to depend on your WL
to carry you until you finish the job. He'll probably top out at the five min. mark.
But we want to keep the attacks coming so we do so at his endurance's expense.
Desp: If your opponent is an offensive he's probably blasted through your min. 1
defense. Your best bet is to go spastic and hope to take him out in one shot or so.
If he's some super-defensive (scum) this PL is probably exhausted and you're hoping
the super-offense will put him over the edge. After all, it's better to burn out than
fade away.
Always aim for the head to maximize the impact of your blows. If it tickles your
fancy, aim for your opponent's weapon arm and beat him senseless when he's unarmed.
Protecting the head in min. 1 is strictly odds playing on my part. My offensives aim
head so I assume everyone else's do too. After min. 1, we forget defense.
Weapons and armor are simple. APL/H or ARM/H (if you're challenging a real
heavy-hitter). I prefer swords for armament. My combos are usually LO/SM, LO/SH,
SC/DA etc. Against heavy armor go with LO/SH. Always aim for the head.
Philosophy: This guy clings to life by luck, early on, and will never be free of
the spectre of death. In his first few fights stay away from lungers and bashers.
Both have high attacks and usually do substantial damage. Prey on strikers, PS, PR
and slashers. As he progresses, his attack, parry and defense will equip him with the
tools to handle most everybody but always remain cautious of those bashers and
lungers.
A PL of this calibre should begin with around a 90 att, 70 par/init and 60-70
def. Decise and riposte will be slightly lower. Riposte 50 and decise anywhere from
35-50 depending on how lucky you get. Train skills exclusively from fight one and on.
Use tourneys if you must raise anything at all (including con).
Don't be discouraged if he's around .500 early on. By ten fights he'll be
sporting three Adv Experts at least (att, par and init) and will begin to dismantle
those scum/finesse styles that managed to beat him. Feel free to write or diplo me
with comments/criticisms/or questions.
Fight the Good Fight,
or: Agath
CPL Michael Dockus Lunatic Fringe (23)
H Co BLT 2/8 Circle of Five (51)
24 MEU (Det F) Slaves of Power (52)
FPO NY NY 09502-8531
NEW GRADUATES--FROM ALL ARENAS (INCLUDING CLOSED ARENAS)
For those of you who keep track of such things, several additional warriors
graduated from regular DM arenas (including closed arenas) since the last tournament.
WILLOW (14-4754) ZOMBIE SQUAD (478)
SERPENTITO (36-7542) SERPENTS HOLD (629)
THE SHINING (82-1279) FAILED MUSICALS (222)
BESS (82-35303) SUPERIOR FORCES 4502 (5816)
JABBER HOGAN (82-49966) LAZY 9 (8398)
LAZY CRIMINAL (84-18259) KAOSTIC (1429)
HIDDEN GERBIL (84-19254) TMI (3416)
Congrats to the grads. -- Green Eyes