DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 11/15/2014 Duedate: 11/28/2014
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-416
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
FURY
MY 60'S TV (1661)
(93-9671) [3-2-0,42]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY FURY
MY 60'S TV (1661)
(93-9671) [3-2-0,42]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
THE RED VIPER THE RED VIPER
DARK LOTUS (1659) DARK LOTUS (1659)
(93-9659) [1-4-0,19] (93-9659) [1-4-0,19]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
BASH BROS SCUM (1663)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. THIRD HIGHWAY (1642) 53
2. EINHERJAR (1665) 36 IRON DRAGON (495)
3. BASH BROS SCUM (1663) 14 Unchartered Team
4. DARK LOTUS (1659) 13
5. MY 60'S TV (1661) 2 BASH BROS SCUM (1663)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 1*BASH BROS SCUM (1663) 20 5 1 80.0 1/ 1*BASH BROS SCUM (1663) 12 3 1
2/ 2*MY 60'S TV (1661) 15 10 0 60.0 2/ 3*MY 60'S TV (1661) 9 6 0
3/ 0*EINHERJAR (1665) 3 2 1 60.0 3/ 7*DARK LOTUS (1659) 5 10 1
4/ 3*THIRD HIGHWAY (1642) 3 2 0 60.0 4/ 0*EINHERJAR (1665) 3 2 1
5- 4*PHOENIX GUARD (1655) 18 16 0 52.9 5/ 2*THIRD HIGHWAY (1642) 3 2 0
6/ 6*DARK LOTUS (1659) 11 14 1 44.0 6- 4*PHOENIX GUARD (1655) 3 2 0
7- 5*THE SHADOW GUILD (1654) 17 23 0 42.5 7- 5*THE SHADOW GUILD (1654) 3 7 0
8/ 0*TOXIC STORM (1658) 11 24 3 31.4 8/ 0*TOXIC STORM (1658) 3 12 1
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
As we sit here in the firelight enjoying yet another wet, cold night here on
Noblish Island, I reflect back on the past few weeks and see that I have learned
quite alot. But, I also see that I have alot yet to learn. The fights have been
bloody, which is a good thing. The nights, like this one, have been wet, which is to
be expected. My best fighters seem to be my lovely ladies and my worst fighter
handed John Asazi his tail on a platter. Yet, something has been missing this whole
time. La Patrona had to take her leave, which for some reason seemed to upset one of
my warriors greatly, sorry about that Mike Dre'. Now with her gone there seems to be
something in the wind, something I almost couldn't recognize, but yes there it is,
the grit of sand in my teeth. So now you may welcome the newest member of Toxic
Storm, the scimitar wielding Rironi, the lovely, Lady Sandstorm. Now come on boys
don't be shy she won't bite too hard.
We are scanning the scene
In the city tonight
We are looking for you
To start up a fight
There is an evil feeling in our brains
But it is nothing new
You know it drives us insane.
The one, the only, the mighty........
American Infidel
mgr. Toxic Storm
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
QUESTIONS RECENTLY ASKED
and
QUESTIONS NOW ANSWERED
1. If you put your fighter's favorite weapon on their side, as a backup weapon, will
they still grab it, even though they have a weapon in their hand?
Backups are interesting. If you put a backup in the primary hand and the
warrior is already holding a primary weapon, he will not try to pull the backup. If
you put a backup in the off-hand, and he already is holding an off-hand weapon, he
will not try to pull the backup. (e.g. primary backups ONLY go in the primary hand
and off-hand backups ONLY go in the off-hand.) Realize, though, that a warrior will
not automatically draw a backup. This is dependent on many things like luck rolls,
heat of the action status, his deftness and/or coordination etc. He will likely, but
not always, try to draw the backup.
2. When you go to ADM, do you still "burn" skills or is that only during BASIC?
Any time, whether basic or ADM, you raise a stat which contains skills, you are
burning those skills. Burnt skills are not really a "bad" thing, especially in basic
where any skill one can get is a good thing. Burning skills is only a potential bad
thing for warriors who plan to or have already, earned all twenty skills of a type.
3. Can I downchallenge? What is downchallenging, anyway?
A downchallenge occurs when one challenges a warrior lower in recognition points
than oneself. There is nothing in the "rules" which precludes this. In some arenas
and some circles (usually those Andorian leaning) downchallenging is considered
unsportsmanlike and a "no no." In others, especially Darkholm-leaning, it is
considered perfectly appropriate. Note: some believe the recognition ranking system
is a farce or near farce.
4. Should I take the Red Book and the CIC papers for their word?
The Red Book is mostly helpful, occasionally misleading, and often called The
Red Book Of Lies. Use it carefully. The CIC is a compilation of empirical data by
many managers working together. It can be "trusted", but it has an error here and
there. The best information is available on line. Realize this--there is nothing
out there which is perfect.
5. When should I DA a warrior?
That is a very difficult question to answer, because the real answer is that
DAing is a very personal decision. The Consortium very, very seldom uses the DA,
thinking that any warrior can win; there is much to be learned from running
"difficult" warriors; and being unwilling to take that nearly automatic loss to the
record. Other managers and groups DA freely. Perhaps these are the most common
reasons? "...I do not know how to/cannot make that warrior win. It is an ugly
design. I want only godlings in my stables. The warrior is greatly hosed. It is
just not a good enough design. It just will not win. Etc. ..." So, there is no
real answer for when you SHOULD DA; rather it is a question of when do you want to
DA.
6. What makes a "scum" really a scum?
"Scum" tends to apply to a warrior that wins by absorbing hit point damage,
wearing an opponent out rather than damaging him, and seldom swinging (and often not
even carrying) a weapon. Shields tend to be a scum's best friend. While the Total
Parry style is considered the best scum style, other styles can scum. Very high CN,
WL, and ST are common attributes for a scum.
7. Can a high will "15,17" and a low wit "9" make it to ADM?
Most certainly warriors as such can graduate. (Make it to ADM) Almost any
design can make it to ADM. The Consortium finds a 3 will warrior to be the most
difficult. Here are a few of the most recent of the 1000+ Consortium graduates which
fit your question:
11-5-11-11-9-16-21 AB
11-16-14-5-16-9-13 TP
11-16-15-7-16-5-14 BA
10-10-10-4-17-9-14 TP
All graduated with winning records.
Of course, it would be "easier" to manage and graduate warriors with better designs
than these.
8. What numbers should I watch out for, and where should I place them to make my
warriors more lucky?
I do not believe one can MAKE or design luck into a warrior. I know of no model
for such. Luck or blessing or hosing is just that--the luck of the roll.
9. What do I need to do to make my fighter want to wield two weapons, rather than
one?
All, or virtually all, warriors can wield a weapon in each hand. All it takes
is listing a primary and a secondary weapon on the strategy sheet. If the question
is "how to get a warrior to wield two weapons without a penalty message then you must
make sure your warrior has the strength, size, and deftness to do so. A warrior may
not wield a two-handed weapon (such as a HL or a GS, etc.) in one hand, hence cannot
wield two such weapons together. The real question might be, should a warrior have a
weapon in each hand? My answer is usually "no." Having only one weapon can allow a
warrior to use certain weapons two-handed (e.g. BS) making it more powerful. Having
one weapon means less carry/weight. Having one only means the warrior will not
attempt to swing with a "lesser" weapon. (Off-hand is lesser than primary.) BUT,
some warriors do better with a shield to parry alongside a true weapon. There are
other reasons to wield two, but I rate wielding one best in 80%+ of the
circumstances.
* }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ * }%|[-----+O+-----]|%{ *
What is Knack?
If you stick around Duel2, you will eventually hear about a concept called
'Knack.' It is also sometimes called a warrior's Luck Factor or Hidden Stats.
Nobody completely understands what it is, but most managers agree that it exists.
First, understand that while Knack exists, there are many other items that
contribute to a warrior's record. Sometimes you may think you have a knacky warrior,
but you eventually figure out that it is something else that makes your warrior win.
This can include favorites (every warrior has a set of favorites which they get
bonuses when using), raw skills, as well as just plain old good design and
management.
But sometimes, you'll run across a warrior that fights above and beyond (or
below and before) their abilities. I will talk mostly about the positive side of
knack, but the negative side also exists. Warriors with knack will just plain find
ways to win. There is really nothing fancy about it. It doesn't mean they can't
lose, but it does mean they win fights they shouldn't.
The 9-1 parry-striker I just finished running may have been a knacky warrior.
His skills weren't terrible, but he won a lot of fights in different manners.
Misfits of Doom's Cami Deaordan may be a knacky warrior. You can't be entirely sure
when your warrior has 'it,' but time will tell the story. You also need to face
competition that proves one way or another that you are better than you should be.
My Piker was mostly fighting NPC's and while they were champion level NPC's, they are
NPC's still. He jumped several faster warriors early in his career, but attacking
first is so fickle it is impossible to be sure. Cami only has 3 wins, but it is a
great start, especially when one of the wins was against a tough style for a Parry
Riposte.
Perhaps the best example of a Knacky warrior is a famous warrior named Daydream
Believer. This PR started 17-14-4-17-7-8-17. Now understand that this is a solid
design for a Parry Riposte. In addition, the warrior rolled +4 in both attack and
parry. Finally, Mannequin, the manager, found DDB's favorites from fight #1. All of
that together and you'd expect some major success from DDB. On the other side of
things, 7 will... I (and many other managers) would fully expect to lose many a
fight because of that 7 will. Well, DDB surpassed all expectations and TC'd Rookies,
Adepts, Champions, and Challengers. DDB is the only naturally born warrior to TC 4
different classes. People have copied DDB's stats many times since then and to the
best of my knowledge have never seen more than a single TC from those stats. Even
with all the positives DDB had, you shouldn't see 4 TC's from this warrior. But DDB
has that magical knack (in addition to everything else) and been cloned many times.
While many of the clones have died one or more times, they have also generated
something like 5 or 6 additional TC's.
This article is mostly to be aware that there is a 'knack' factor to warriors.
Just because a warrior looks horrible on paper doesn't mean it can't win. And
sometimes, you may have a warrior that looks fantastic on paper, but can't win. It
is possible that warrior has 'inverse knack' and really is worse than it should be.
Or it could just be that you've had bad luck or really bad matchups.
+ ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Lighthouse ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +
The topic I've chosen to address today is The Obvious. There are some obvious
mistakes that new players can and sometimes do make. I've seen it happen. I'm sure
none of YOU have made these mistakes, but just in case....
Choice of weapon, there's a good area for mistakes. Every style has its
preferred weapons, NO weapon can be used by every style, nor can every style use all
weapons. At some point in your ten turns here in Arena 93, you will see the chart
that separates out weapons by style. Pay attention to that, this is not just whim,
opinion, or personal taste. This has been tested, over and over again. The fights
are monitored by a computer, and a computer doesn't care about "this should work" or
"that should be cool." If your weapon is unsuited to your style, you will be
penalized in the fight. This is more than just "doesn't seem to have the
strength/wit/deftness to use his weapon." That handicaps you, but not as badly. In
fact, just to confuse people, sometimes a warrior's "favorite" weapon, chosen by the
computer at the time the roll-up is first input, will be one for which he lacks the
perfect numbers. But it will ALWAYS be one suitable for his style.
Don't trust real-world logic in picking weapons, this is a game and has its own
rules. My stock example, which is TRUE, is bashers and fists. You'd think--many
have--that a basher would be a natural going in with his fists. No. Bashers are
unsuited to this weapon and will not do their best with it. Do not trust logic,
trust the charts.
Also, weapons have weight and bulk. If you go in loaded like an armory cart, as
I have seen characters in a role-playing game do, you will be at a disadvantage. The
computer is merciless when it comes to encumbrance. Always carry a backup, yes.
That's common sense. But do NOT carry a backup that's heavier than your primary
weapon, it's for emergencies, and you may not be able to draw it in time anyway.
Don't even THINK about carrying a two-handed weapon as a backup, the computer will
not allow this. The input program rejects this. Always. Yes, sure, if you go to
the Dark Arena, you might see the Shewish Giant with backup mauls. He's a special
case, he exists only to kill your warriors, and he is allowed more weapons than any
managed warrior will ever be able to carry. When you're looking for a backup, pick
something relatively light: dagger, shortsword, scimitar, if you want a sword,
hatchet, shortspear, warhammer. Maybe a mace.
Training. This is one of my stock cautionary tales, and it's true. It happened
back before Noblish Island was opened. A new manager who had run three turns and
pulled 0-15 wrote and asked me what was wrong. Not only were his warriors losing,
they hadn't learned a skill in the whole time. He sent me their stats to demonstrate
that they SHOULD have learned skills. Five warriors, three fights each, and between
them, they had TWELVE stat increases. They hadn't learned skills because they hadn't
been training skills. Read the rule book, read ALL of your Noblish Island
newsletters, and pay attention! It's depressingly easy to overlook the obvious, and
this can mean a disaster.
Armor. The offensive styles, basher, lunger, slasher, striker, are geared to
run fast, fight fast, move fast, get in and win and get out before they're hit. If
you put them in full plate, yes, you will probably reduce their chance of death. But
you will also reduce their chance of winning. They should not need the heavy armor
to keep them alive; their offensive capabilities should be doing that, by winning the
fight before they're in danger.
Perhaps not so obvious, but... you can often surrender when a fight is going
badly. If your desperation strategy is set up for that. Raising any of your fight
numbers, much less all of them, in desperation, will often cause your warrior to go
berserk, and it increases his chance of doing something stupid and getting killed.
Dropping the numbers, on the other hand, makes him feel that he doesn't want to fight
so hard, and he might surrender before his hit points drop to zero and he dies. No
guarantee, but it's worth a try in many cases.
Jorja
The Middle Way
+ ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ The Lighthouse ]H[ + ---:--- + ]H[ +
Profile of a Team
Middle Way 7
Instead of giving you the profile of a graduating warrior this week, I'm going
to show you what I started with and what I did to make the Middle Way 7.
Warrior #1 I made a parry-riposte, as much because I like making rippers as
because I thought this was an "ideal" ripper. (Hint, it is NOT an "ideal" ripper.)
13 + 0 = 13 I left the ST at 13 because that's enough to use any ripper's
5 + 0 = 5 weapon. I didn't raise the CN, though an "ideal" ripper would have
12 + 0 = 12 more, because I didn't have the points to spare. I can raise this
13 + 2 = 15 warrior's CN later, and in fact I did so on the first fight. Why
7 + 6 = 13 didn't I raise the WT to 17 or 19, as I could have done? Again, I
13 + 0 = 13 needed the points more elsewhere, and 15 is sufficient for any of
7 + 6 = 13 the ripper's preferred weapons. Learning with a 15 WT is fine,
also. I raised WL to 13, the maximum allowable addition of points, because that is
THE most important stat. Without a decent WL, you can't raise any of the other
stats, and 13 is marginal anyway. If this warrior survives to graduation, it will go
into automatic retirement because of that low WL. SP I left alone because that's
more than enough for any ripper to start with. DF I raised by the maximum six points
because it's so useful for a) getting initial skills (this warrior was born with an
expert in riposte) and b) hitting on target and winning fights before the low CN
loses them. This warrior is very frail--mostly the low CN, but incredibly quick
(relatively high SP and DF combined). She can't carry much weight, but she does do
good damage.
Warrior #2 I made a wall of steel, which may be my favorite style. I added
6 + 3 = 9 three to ST because I HATE warriors who do little damage. Also,
10 + 0 = 10 raising ST to 9 will allow this warrior to use the SC, one of my
16 + 0 = 16 favorite weapons. Nothing to CN, 10 is okay. Not great, but okay.
12 + 5 = 17 Five to WT, since I have the points to spend there, gives me 17,
7 + 6 = 13 just about the ideal starting WT. The full six to WL for the same
6 + 0 = 6 reason as above--gotta get it as high as possible, and this is
13 + 0 = 13 still just marginal for a long term warrior. I left the SP at 6,
because I never know what to do with SP anyway. And DF left at 13 because the points
were needed more urgently elsewhere, and 13 will give this warrior the SC, the wall
of steel's best weapon. This warrior came out slightly uncoordinated (the low SP)
but at the same time quick on his feet. He can trip faster than anyone you ever saw!
Again, can't carry much weight but does good damage.
Warrior #3 I made another ripper. Hey, I warned you I'm doing rippers right
9 + 0 = 9 now! It would probably have made a better lunger, but I didn't
8 + 0 = 8 feel like making a lunger, and besides, the idea of a seven-foot
20 + 0 = 20 tall ripper tickled my fancy. I left ST untouched, as 9 will
14 + 3 = 17 give this warrior the SC. CN is acceptable, though low for a
4 + 6 = 10 ripper. Raised WT to 17, because WT is always useful to have; if
4 + 1 = 5 I could have put the two extra points on WL, I'd have settled for
11 + 4 = 15 a WT of 15, though. Six points to WL for the same reason as above
--this team is cursed in the WILL department. Oh, well, you work with what you've
got. Four added to DF for starting skills and accuracy, and the final one point I
dropped on SP because it looked so desperately low. This warrior came out with
"slightly uncoordinated" but is not listed as "slow and inactive," possibly thanks to
that extra point on SP. At least, that's what I choose to tell myself. This one
came out slightly uncoordinated but incredibly quick and active, can't carry much
weight but does great damage (the SZ).
Warrior #4 has perhaps the best potential, in my view. I made it a wall of
11 + 0 = 11 steel (you're not surprised, are you?). Left ST and CN alone;
9 + 0 = 9 they're high enough to go with. Raised WT to 15, which is a good,
13 + 0 = 13 meaty WT. Why not 16? Because that wouldn't give me anything I
10 + 5 = 15 can't get at 15, and save the extra point for use elsewhere. WL to
12 + 5 = 17 seventeen--gotta love it. If this warrior survives, that 17 WL
5 + 1 = 6 means long-term possibilities in the form of relatively easy stat
10 + 3 = 13 raises later on. One point on SP because I had it and that seemed
more useful than any other place I might put it. Three to DF, because the extra
accuracy is always useful, though I could have stopped at 11 (the minimum needed to
use a SC) and put the other two points elsewhere. If I had chosen to do that, they
would probably have gone to ST for more damage. Slightly uncoordinated but active
and very quick on his feet, can't carry much weight but does good damage. A familiar
pattern, eh?
Warrior #5 is a total parry. Somehow he just didn't look like anything else.
4 + 5 = 9 Points to ST to reach my minimum preferred of nine, so that he will
14 + 1 = 15 not be cursed with little damage. After all, he MIGHT strike a
16 + 0 = 16 blow some day. Also, I wanted him to be able to stand up under his
9 + 0 = 9 armor. An extra point to CN, because total parries can always use
12 + 5 = 17 more of that. Nothing on WT, as skills are not important for him,
9 + 0 = 9 and 9 isn't too bad... for a total parry. Five to bring WL to 17;
6 + 3 = 9 this is as important for a total parry as for any other style, and
maybe more so, since it affects endurance. Left SP alone; he won't be moving much.
Three to DF to bring that up to 9 so that he can use some weapons other than the
shields. I have a hard time thinking of shields as weapons, frankly. Normal
intelligence--no statement as to how intelligent he is, but then again, no statement
that he is "very stupid" either. A compromise I--and he--can live with. He's got
good endurance and can take a lot of damage, thanks to CN, SZ, and WL. Can't carry
much weight (the low ST) but does great damage (the high SZ). I've already raised
his ST by one and plan to up it another point to 11, as I have chosen to arm him with
a longspear (they use 'em like quarterstaves for parrying and may, on rare occasions,
even attack with them); also, if I am reading the chart correctly, there are no
skills to be burned by stat trains from 9 to 11.
You'll note that only one of them won its first fight. This is not unusual, nor
is it distressing to me. In fact, I like for them to lose their first fight, as it
teaches them a little humility! But seriously, the first fight gives you a chance to
get the feel of the warrior and decide what adjustments to make to each one's
standard strategy.
Number 1 was going 6-6-6 straight across, not fast enough to burn out early, not
slow enough to scum. She got the first blow, which is good, but I don't expect her
to do it again; her opponent should probably be cranking up his Offensive Effort to
grab the first blow for himself. She didn't start showing exhaustion statements, so
she can handle this speed, at least; it was damage (that low CN) that took her down.
The second was going 8-6-6 and did NOT get the first blow, which was appropriate
considering his opponent's style. He went down to damage, the wimp, before I could
tell if he could sustain this speed.
The third, my seven-foot ripper, went 6-6-6 and had no trouble dealing with the
Persistent Beggar. I really can't call that a test.
The fourth was jumped, knocked down, went desperate, and quit, all in the space
of a few seconds. He's going to get some teasing for that from his teammates! He
was going 8-6-6, but there wasn't time to see how he liked that.
The last one, the total parry, went down to damage, having made no attempt to
parry, dummy that he is. I may set him the parry tactic in minute one. He was going
6-6-6, for all the good it did him. If he'd bothered to parry and hung on a little
longer, he could have had that fight, because his opponent was staggering with
exhaustion in the first minute.
Jorja
Middle Way 7
+>]H[<+-----+>]H[+ Question of the Week #6 +]H[<+-----+>]H[<+
From turn 412:
AK's Q.O.W. -- There's no single trick to keeping warriors alive. Constitution and
armor probably helps the most because it's more difficult for them to run out of hit
points and die in the infirmary, plus they don't go desperate as easy which is
usually when the death intent comment comes. Warrior experience is a big help, but
it takes time to earn, of course. Tourneys could help with this, but you can die
there too. It may be at half chance, but you get so many.... It really comes down
to the death intent statement usually. Skill, and toughness (including armor) help
to keep you from getting to that point, and once there, only warrior experience makes
a difference in reducing the chance of failing the survival role after that death
intent statement. -- Adie
AK's Q.O.W. #2 -- It takes a lot more than three master ratings once you get to the
middle ranks of ADM. In the lower end, that could be enough. But success is much
more attributed to the sum of the warriors' capabilities. Are they tough? Do they
have staying power/endurance? Do they defend well, even with low skills? Do they
have good rythyms? Do they 'like' their rythyms? How bout their favorite weapon?
Is it good and do they love it or hate it? Sometimes a warrior, for a reason not
easily definable, just wins. Other super skilled ones can just lose regularly. Of
course, each warrior may win at one level of the game, like basic and as freshmen,
but maybe lose like crazy higher up. Godlings will commonly come into their own as
champions and freshmen. The very rare few can win ALL the way. Those warriors are a
true joy.... -- Adie
Another Q.O.W. -- Perhaps it is not the fact that your good roll-ups never get
blessed and the others do. But it may be the fact, that you only get few great ones,
and it is EASY to remember them not getting gifted. Kind of like that syndrome where
people find it easy to remember all the negative things in their life, but find it
difficult to point out the equal or more numerous good things. However, if this is
not the case, keep those better gifted average roll-ups. Especially those that can
win in basic. You may find them winning in ADM later too, especially once they start
training stats. Also, if you get enough great roll-ups, you will eventually get
gifted ones. Remember, some styles find it easier to be more gifted. -- Adie
AK47 -- Let's see... <shuffling through paperwork> It says here that the three
recently deceased warriors from my team had 'normal', 'a lot', and 'very frail' hit
points. The 'very frail' one died in the infirmary, which is a little different.
The hit points, if you will, just determine how much damage can be sustained before
the warrior goes desperate/frantic/careless/you-name-it. Once that happens, con
ceases to matter. I've seen all types of warriors buy the farm, from 7 will to 21,
from no armor to APA/F. You hit upon the most important point, winning as much as
possible, but beyond that it's all about luck. Running in a friendly arena can help
the statistics of dying, but it doesn't mean any individual is safe and unkillable.
Tournies aren't that safe, in my opinion. FEs are helpful, but I think they are just
a visible artifact of being a developed fighter. A warrior with a lot of FEs but a
lousy learn rate probably isn't much more survivable just due to those FEs. -- Axly
AK47 -- Three masters sounds like a good rule of thumb, but that would vary depending
on what the warrior's physicals were like. I might say two masters and two ad exes
for defensives, but I'm no expert on them. -- Axly
Hanibal, QoW -- I have no idea. Some styles get gifted more than others, and in
certain areas. If you want the best bonuses, run aimers! -- Axly
QOW / AK 47 -- I've found skills keep a warrior alive better than anything. My best
learners have all lived. Especially offensives who learn a lot of init and decise
quickly. Swing first and keep swinging. I'd take WL over CN for its skills. I fear
mentioning this that it may jinx me, but I've never lost a warrior past about 10
fights. Armor has helped me at times, but it robs warriors of much of their finesse.
If a good defensive warrior can live through about 5-10 fights and learn well
he/she/it should be well on the way to success. -- JRK
QOW / AK 47 -- I think it's an oversimplification to say three masters are needed in
AD. I also think it depends on the arena. Andorak is very competitive right now. I
have warriors with three advanced masters who can't seem to win much anymore. As to
what the requirement is... I think it depends on a number of factors, where you are
in the rankings, what your favorites are, what you get in the way of challenges,
matchups and where your attributes fall. Three masters and tremendous
damage/endurance would be much different from three masters and normal in both areas.
I'm not sure a good benchmark can be set. But it is certainly and interesting
question. -- JRK
QOW -- Overall, I would lean toward saying the reverse is true as far as giftedness.
Most of my average warriors have come out very close to average, usually a little
above. While many of my good warriors have been at least +3, often +5 or more. On
my all star team of long ago (Maxwell Honorblade, Monica Virtueshield, Michael
Honorblade, Corina Honorblade, and Angela Silverblade) all of my warriors were gifted
(four of them by +3 or more, 3 by +5 or more), average or not. I also tend to do
well in attack and poorly in init. Giftedness seems to be a fickle thing, I suspect
this is because the RUGS are involved. -- JRK
P.S. I apologize if it seems I am bragging, but my record and I have never gotten
over the graduation of all those warriors.
Axly -- Damned if I know. I found the style-linked starting points very curious.
Looks to me like there was an attempt to balance styles that resulted in drastic
imbalances! -- Leeta
Hanibal -- Once you've gotten the death-intent statement, only luck will keep you
alive. The thing you need to do is avoid getting the death-intent statement. No,
this is serious. You can up a warrior's hit points in the design stage, by adding to
CN and, I think WL (but maybe ST), and having a large SZ helps. Of course, if you
pile the points on there, he may be dumb and clumsy. You can pile on the armor,
which will help keep him alive but may lose him fights unless he can scum; some
warriors are totally immobilized by armor.
On a more positive note, if I have a warrior who is "very frail" that I really
don't want to die, I will use armor, and I will attempt to keep him alive by using
the "surrender in desperation" tactic. No, no, it isn't a joke! Honest! Say I've
got a frail warrior, probably with normal or lower endurance. I send that boy out
running hard, 10-10, even. Sometimes, especially if he's smart and deft, he wins
right off. But if he doesn't win right off, he rapidly becomes exhausted and quits.
I forget who it was who suggested this to me, years ago--Phido, maybe. It doesn't
always work (nothing ALWAYS works), but it may help. And I'd rather have good
warriors lose than die; if they stay alive long enough, they build up skills and
start winning. -- Leeta
P.S. Yes, CN keeps you alive better than WL. WL sometimes leads a low-CN warrior to
go on fighting a little too long.
P.P.S. Yes, warriors who can take a lot of damage do die, sometimes, because some
warriors can dish out a lot of damage.
P.P.P.S. The survival of low-CN high skill warriors is more a matter of strategy
than anything else. And, obviously, if you don't lose, you don't die.
P.P.P.P.S. Picking your arena does contribute to warrior survival, but it can be
tricky, since a warrior has, as a normal minimum, a year to go before graduation and
the character of an arena may change in the course of a year. Andorian is not always
a guarantee of relative safety; you need to look at the actual managers present and
evaluate THEM for propensity to run killing styles and strategies. In my opinion,
tourneys are of limited value in building up a warrior for the regular arena. Sure,
the chance of dying is only half that in regular dueling, but the chance of learning
skills or training stats is also only half. And that's what increased FE is about:
more skills, more stat trains.
P.P.P.P.P.S. There is NO number of fights that will preserve you from being killed,
and if you fight equally experienced opponents who happen to be "headhunters," it
won't improve your chances much, either! Pick your fights with care, challenge and
avoid every time. The only absolute guarantee against death is a potion of
immortality (a tourney prize) or graduation.
AK47 -- It depends on the advanced arena you're fighting in. And by "hold your own,"
do you mean have a 50% winning percentage, or rise rapidly through the ranks, or make
it to the top, or what? I have run warriors in Lirin Kiv (ADM 107) from the day it
opened, and in that arena, no, you don't have to have three masters. Oh, sure, it
HELPS, especially now that the arena has aged enough so that some of the foundation
warriors DO have those masters. But it happens to be a small advanced arena fed by
small basic arenas, and while the competition among the fossils in the upper levels
is stiff, the lower levels aren't that bad. Heck, even MY warriors win sometimes!
Or, try 101, Home Guard. Yes, the current status lets in warriors who are
potentially good, but I doubt anyone there has three masters, and if they do, they're
probably on their way out. -- Leeta
P.S. And no amount of innate ability on the part of a warrior can overcome for long
the effects of careless management. Management may not be ALL, but it's at least
half.
Hanibal -- Regarding blessed warriors and great rollups, the law of averages says
everybody has a chance to be blessed. But it takes a LOT of warriors for the law of
averages to operate visibly. I have had great (in stats) warriors who were blessed
and the same who were cursed, ditto for average ones. -- Leeta
SPY REPORT
If you were disturbed from your beauty rest only to have to watch a bunch of
NOBLISH ISLAND brutes like you, you'd be grouchy, too. DARK LOTUS turned their 3-2-1
turn into a 3rd place rank in the listings this turn. Any better than this, and you
get put on hit lists. Of course, we're all terribly impressed to see TALLAHASSE MOON
win a fight and gain 21 points, terribly. Tsk, tsk, DO NOTHING beat MIKE DRE' and
MIKE DRE' lost 10 points. You're breakin' my heart. Due to absence, and inability
to defend the throne, AGEHA has lost the Title of Duelmaster. Start setting that
alarm earlier! And it's out with the old, in with the new, as FURY takes the Title
and last week's bar tab from the old Duelmaster. Heh, heh. I'm not in a very good
mood today, but why am I telling you this? You want to know what's new, don't you,
NOBLISH ISLAND?
Well, let's take a look at some more misdeeds of you miserable sword-boys.
What's the big D? MY 60'S TV was the most avoided team? Bunch of lily livered...
grumble... mumble... curse... And it looks like BASH BROS SCUM avoided them the most
this turn. What a pack of would be losers, if you ask me. Hmph. ROOKIES AND DONE
was challenged more times this turn than the Duelmaster. Now was the DM insulted or
feared? Heh, heh.
Ah, now we come to my favorite part, where we see all the guys who are dead and
gone, and get to see if their team cared. Nipped in the bud, you might say, was SKY
KING of MY 60'S TV this turn. Course, I wouldn't say that, so much as have a belly
laugh. Heh heh. Titanium shields and bamboo daggers, guess what brave team is
developing these kinds of weapons?
There's got to be a better place in NOBLISH ISLAND to get a drink than The
Dripping Blade! Any suggestions? Phlllt! Just had to do that before I leave the
fine city of NOBLISH ISLAND. I feel much better now. I see the crowds are getting
restless, I must leave now-- Snide Clemens
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
FURY 9671 3 2 0 42 MY 60'S TV (1661)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-AGEHA 9613 7 2 0 66 THE SHADOW GUILD (1654)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-SPARTAN 9614 7 1 0 45 THE SHADOW GUILD (1654)
-JINN SHAKAR 9653 5 0 0 42 PHOENIX GUARD (1655)
-CONOR PYREHEART 9624 4 3 0 35 PHOENIX GUARD (1655)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
RAVEN LEIGH 9648 3 4 1 33 TOXIC STORM (1658)
TERRIBLE ATTACKERS 9682 5 0 1 24 BASH BROS SCUM (1663)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
BORING 9681 5 0 0 22 BASH BROS SCUM (1663)
BRIENNE 9657 4 1 0 22 DARK LOTUS (1659)
DO NOTHING 9679 3 2 0 21 BASH BROS SCUM (1663)
TALLAHASSE MOON 9727 1 0 0 21 THIRD HIGHWAY (1642)
VIOLENT J 9658 4 1 1 20 DARK LOTUS (1659)
MICKEY MOUSE CLUB 9669 4 1 0 19 MY 60'S TV (1661)
THE RED VIPER 9659 1 4 0 19 DARK LOTUS (1659)
ASTRID 9696 1 0 1 17 EINHERJAR (1665)
URSUS DRAVEN 9650 2 5 0 16 TOXIC STORM (1658)
-RAGE 9628 4 3 0 15 PHOENIX GUARD (1655)
SARATOGA LEE 9726 1 0 0 15 THIRD HIGHWAY (1642)
QUINCY JONES 9724 1 0 0 15 THIRD HIGHWAY (1642)
MODE PARRY 9683 4 1 0 14 BASH BROS SCUM (1663)
MIKE DRE' 9651 2 5 1 13 TOXIC STORM (1658)
-NHICOLE 9686 1 0 0 13 PHOENIX GUARD (1655)
-AUTUMNBE 9643 3 2 0 12 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
-KURZAK 9660 3 1 0 12 PHOENIX GUARD (1655)
HADDYR WOTAN 9647 2 5 1 12 TOXIC STORM (1658)
ROOKIES AND DONE 9680 3 2 0 11 BASH BROS SCUM (1663)
PERRY MASON 9670 2 3 0 9 MY 60'S TV (1661)
STONG BELWAS 9685 1 2 0 9 DARK LOTUS (1659)
-OARS 9661 1 4 0 7 THE SHADOW GUILD (1654)
-DRAXXUS 9644 1 4 0 7 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
HERGER 9692 1 0 0 7 EINHERJAR (1665)
-FREDDY 9673 1 3 0 6 THE SHADOW GUILD (1654)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
LAETHA 9693 1 0 0 6 EINHERJAR (1665)
SHAGGY 2 DOPE 9684 0 4 0 6 DARK LOTUS (1659)
ROLLO 9694 0 1 0 5 EINHERJAR (1665)
-SEARRUS 9645 0 4 0 4 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
-PERSEPHONE 9642 0 4 0 4 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
-AGRISEL 9646 0 4 0 4 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
-KOGA 9697 0 1 0 1 THE SHADOW GUILD (1654)
UTAH NEAL 9728 0 1 0 1 THIRD HIGHWAY (1642)
LADY SANDSTORM 9723 0 1 0 1 TOXIC STORM (1658)
ROCHESTER KING 9725 0 1 0 1 THIRD HIGHWAY (1642)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
VLAD TALTOS 9656 1 1 0 DARK LOTUS 1659 HADDYR WOTAN 9647 412 NOT REVENGED
THJALFI 9695 0 1 0 EINHERJAR 1665 VIOLENT J 9658 416
AMERICAN BANDSTA 9668 2 3 0 MY 60'S TV 1661 ASTRID 9696 416
SKY KING 9672 4 1 0 MY 60'S TV 1661 RAVEN LEIGH 9648 416
PERSONAL ADS
Ageha again -- Congrats and well done. -- Ed Sullivan
Mode Parry -- Why can't I fight a Bash Bros Scum every time!? -- Fury
Brienne -- Good challenge, nice win. Well done, you dirty rotten winner. -- American
Grandstand
Oars -- Well, that is a good start for me. I flew off into the sunset... -- Sky King
Mike Dre -- You got something against mouse ears? -- Mickey Mouse Club
Stong Belwas -- You were an easy one to solve. Thanks for challenging and giving me
that terrific retainer. -- Perry Mason
'Oars, I am more of an Annette Finicello man, myself'. You know, the REAL Mickey
Mouse Club? As to a can and two spoons, I noted that you had the same two spoons,
but a much tinnier can. Perhaps you should visit a haberdashery? -- Mickey Mouse
Club
American Infidel -- No problem. I am sure you can place Assur and Jorja, and even
me, in that "smart" class. And I know for sure that both me and Assur make terrific
a$$es. So bray all you want. -- Ed Sullivan
Kaydiss and Abyss -- Kennelworth, a Consortium Elder, and his Bulldogs, look forward
to seeing you in Aruak City, The Heart And Soul Of Andoria. Scorpio's alliance
grows, I see. The more the merrier. -- Ed Sullivan (for The Consortium)
Health. Humility. Honor. And a Conservative runaway. (wink) -- Ed Sullivan
Dark Lotus -- I don't know how you can do any smack talking, when you can't even
revenge the deaths of not one but two of your fighters. Are you scared? Come and
get us if you dare. -- Toxic Storm
Jorja -- Where of where has the Third Highway gone? Ten turns gone by so fast. Who
are you now? I'm still here for a couple more turns. I want to have a little more
fun with your warriors. Remember, the coffee is always on the fire over here at the
Toxic Storm tent. Stop by and down some, or something a little stronger if that's
what you'd like. -- American Infidel
Mickey Mouse Club -- Where did you go running off to so fast? Oh yeah that's right
you were not running, you were carried off by the rest of you fellow warriors.
*laughs* -- Mike Dre'
All -- Searching, Seek and Destroy. -- American Infidel
Since we are now chartered, the travelers on the Third Highway that you have come to
know are leaving. I don't know if we'll get more in on time for this turn or not,
but somebody will be here by next turn for sure. -- Jorja, Third Highway
American Infidel -- I don't even know what's in the "role playing papers" these days.
But if you ask for help in that kind of thing, I'll give it. -- Jorja
Four-one this time, and we're out. -- Jorja and the current travelers on the Third
Highway
Professor -- Scum have no honor. If Assur would let me, I'd be making down
challenges and looking for cheap wins! -- Terrible Attackers
Ringmaster -- Keep the losses coming! Learn the power of AB's! On the other side of
things, Shaggy should look for Strikers or low attack/damage Basher/Lunger/Slashers.
-- Assur / Bash Bros Scum
American Infidel -- Unfortunately, the written word is much more difficult a medium
to communicate. Please be patient with our failures at using it appropriately and
we'll be patient with yours! -- Assur
Terrible Vipers -- Unfortunately for you, Lungers normally cry when they see TPs in
APA. -- Terrible Attackers
Koga -- And lungers aren't alone. -- Rookies and Done
Fury -- That win is probably about all you have left. I've never even heard of you
as a show. -- Mode Parry
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
MICKEY MOUSE CLUB unbelievably bested THE RED VIPER in a 4 minute Challenge fight.
URSUS DRAVEN was demolished by FURY in a 1 minute uneven Title fight.
SKY KING was butchered by RAVEN LEIGH in a 1 minute one-sided contest.
HADDYR WOTAN was narrowly defeated by MODE PARRY in a unpopular 13 minute match.
MIKE DRE' lost to DO NOTHING in a crowd pleasing 5 minute fight.
BRIENNE beat PERRY MASON in a 1 minute amateur's brawl.
VIOLENT J slew THJALFI in a 1 minute beginner's melee.
AMERICAN BANDSTAND was slaughtered by ASTRID in a 1 minute uneven duel.
STONG BELWAS narrowly defeated LADY SANDSTORM in a popular 3 minute beginner's duel.
ROOKIES AND DONE was overpowered by TALLAHASSE MOON in a 2 minute one-sided melee.
BORING savagely defeated ROCHESTER KING in a unpopular 10 minute novice's match.
TERRIBLE ATTACKERS bested ROLLO in a crowd pleasing 3 minute novice's battle.
SHAGGY 2 DOPE was outlasted by HERGER in a 10 minute gory amateur's conflict.
LAETHA won victory over UTAH NEAL in a action packed 1 minute amateur's bout.
QUINCY JONES handily defeated PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 1 minute mismatched bout.
SARATOGA LEE devastated PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 1 minute one-sided brawl.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|TOTAL PARRY 8 TOTAL PARRY 36 - 18 - 1 67 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 5 LUNGING ATTACK 15 - 9 - 0 63 |
|AIMED BLOW 4 STRIKING ATTACK 24 - 21 - 1 53 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 4 AIMED BLOW 21 - 20 - 1 51 |
|BASHING ATTACK 4 BASHING ATTACK 31 - 31 - 2 50 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 SLASHING ATTACK 18 - 19 - 3 49 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE 12 - 13 - 0 48 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 1 WALL OF STEEL 30 - 35 - 1 46 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 PARRY-STRIKE 5 - 17 - 1 23 |
|WALL OF STEEL 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 1 - 0 0 |
Turn 416 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the
used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are:
STRIKING ATTACK 4 - 1 BASHING ATTACK 1 - 3 4 TOTAL PARRY
AIMED BLOW 3 - 1 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 3 STRIKING ATTACK
TOTAL PARRY 6 - 2 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 1 2 LUNGING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK 2 - 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 2 1 BASHING ATTACK
LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 2 1 AIMED BLOW
WALL OF STEEL 0 - 0
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
STRIKING ATTACK FURY 9671 3 2 0 42 MY 60'S TV (1661)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is THE RED VIPER 9659. The most popular warrior this
turn was THE RED VIPER 9659. The ten other most popular fighters were MIKE DRE'
9651, STONG BELWAS 9685, ROLLO 9694, FURY 9671, TALLAHASSE MOON 9727, SHAGGY 2 DOPE
9684, LAETHA 9693, BRIENNE 9657, THJALFI 9695, and ASTRID 9696.
The least popular fighter this week was MODE PARRY 9683. The other ten least popular
fighters were BORING 9681, ROCHESTER KING 9725, HERGER 9692, ROOKIES AND DONE 9680,
LADY SANDSTORM 9723, DO NOTHING 9679, HADDYR WOTAN 9647, SKY KING 9672, URSUS DRAVEN
9650, and MICKEY MOUSE CLUB 9669.
CHALLENGES AND AVOIDS
To clarify: You issue Challenges to warriors, but Avoid teams.
To Challenge, write that warrior's name and ID# in the space provided.
To Avoid, write the team's name and Team ID in that space.
Make sure you include the ID!
A SACRED LORD'S SLASHER
Well, this article/spotlight is for Seal at 7th Order, so here goes.
ST: If he's huge (15+), 3 is okay, and use HA. I prefer 7 for epee. 9 gets scimitar
and 11 gets broadsword. Anything above 11 is a WASTE!!!
CN: Whatever they send you.
SZ: Any.
WT: 15, 17, or 21. 13 is workable, but I hate slow learners! 21 will probably take
a lot from other areas, so 17 is best.
WL: 17, 17, 17!!!! You need endurance, lots of endurance. Some of my friends use
15, but I prefer not to.
SP: 9+ They use SP as well as most, but don't add here until after WT/WL/DF.
DF: 15+, 15+, 15+. Once again, I have high standards. The reason? Have you ever
had a slasher come out w/ "relying on his speed to stay out of trouble"? That's
'cause his parry is in the negative. With a 15 DF your slasher will have a much
better parry and will probably be about 1-3 trains from a Master parry in advanced.
Later on, you'll see!
Now, how to run them:
10 9 7 -------------------------> 10
10 4 2 -------------------------> 10
7 9 7 -------------------------> 1
CH/HE -------------------------------------------- >
HE ----------------------------------------------- >
Off: D at first, open later, min 2 +, open
Def: D/S (preferably Dodge)
Min two+ is in case of a TP or WoS coming after you. This setup works, so good
luck!
Mike Bookout
Bookie, Sacred Lord of the Black Regime
Memphis Mafia (36,100)
P.S. Anybody want to join the Regime?
The Dark Arena: A Fighter's Perspective
(sung to the hymn: Battle Hymn of the Republic)
Mine eyes have seen the glory
Of the coming of the dawn
I am walking down the tunnel
After everyone is gone
I step into the torchlight
And I see the blade he's drawn
My mind, it sings this song:
CHORUS
Worry, worry, I've come for ya
Worry, worry, I've come for ya
Worry, worry, I've come for ya
My mind continues on
The crowd is chanting praises
But all I hear are growls
Mine enemy's upon me
So I strike him and he howls
Parry, parry, slash, and parry
I smell his breath so foul
And death, he sings this song:
(CHORUS)
Now we both are tired
And my strength is fading fast
Oh, let me give that fatal blow
Oh, let me be the last
I swing my sword with all my might
The crowd it stands, aghast
As he dies, I sing my song:
(CHORUS x2)
Scotlan (28, 31, 39, 50, ?)
Kill Desire: "Patience."
Many times I have lost warriors, and the manager claimed the KD was only five.
As if KD had anything to do with the death of my fighter. It was really the battle
axe to the head that killed him.
I was quite disturbed at the widespread belief that kill desire has something to
do with killing an opponent. But they have good reason to believe this: the
Duelmasters Handbook definition of kill desire has a tendency to cast a "confusion
spell" on the reader to make them think that way. The wording is very misleading.
The name "kill desire" is also misleading. A more correct word would be "patience."
Yes, kill desire is actually how much patience your fighter had before taking a
shot. KD doesn't add damage or tell your fighter where to aim at.
Damage is calculated by weapon and strength. (Of course, favorite weapon also
affects damage.)
You let your warrior know where you want him to aim at by filling out the attack
location boxes on the fight sheets.
Hit location and damage are the main two things that will kill warriors. Hit
locations to vital areas such as head, chest, and the abdomen repeated times increases
your chance to kill. The amount of damage inflicted to these vital areas also
increases your chance to kill an opponent.
As you see, none of this has anything to do with kill desire.
Now, I will tell you what kill desire, or patience, as I call it, actually is.
If you run your warrior with an 8-10 KD, you're telling him to swing like a
drunken wildman. You'll see statements in his fights that say "swings wildly" or
other things to that effect. He is not waiting for a good opening. He is swinging at
everything! This is bad for several reasons.
With his KD that high, he is very easily dodged and parried. Also, he can be
feinted into bad dueling decisions as well.
I think that KD between 5-7 for offensive styles and 3-6 for defensive styles is
perfect.
You get a lot more hits with a 5-7 KD, and feint a lot less. But you also get
more kills in this range. Reason being, you're waiting for a good shot that is hard
to dodge or parry. The example I used earlier about the manager with the 5 KD and
battleaxe is the point I am trying to make. If his warrior's KD was 10, my warrior
could have dodged or parried the attack and still be alive today. But since it was a
5 KD, he waited for a good shot that my warrior had trouble defending against, and
cleaved his head off! (Well, not literally.)
Defensive styles run about 3-6 KD. Defensive styles swing wildly a lot in the
beginning, but that is natural. They will get better. 3-4 KD, they still have a
tendency to let attacks go by. Of course, if you're scumming, go with a 1 KD.
In short, having an 8-10 KD means your warrior is doing all that swinging and
hitting less. Not to mention all the endurance he is burning up to no avail.
Any comments, you can diplo me.
ta-ta,
Sir Jessie Jest
DM 11: Lords of the Abyss
DM 61: Pit Fiends
DM 67: Storm Wizards
DM 5: Bad Girls
SOME INFO ON THE RIPPER
Being that the parry-riposte is my favorite style, I thought I'd share a few
things I've learned.
General design:
ST: 7-11 Strength isn't all important to the P.R. An 11 will gives you all well
suited weapons. I'll even go as high as 17, but with no dramatic
effect.
CN: Any A higher con will give a better endurance and make survival easier.
SZ: Any Although a smaller size gives you a defensive bonus.
WT: 15-21 As with all other styles the higher the better. 15 will give the epee.
A P.R. needs to learn skills to survive.
WL: 13-21 Will is as important as wit. It helps endurance and life expectancy.
A higher will allows you to pick apart most scum.
SP: 5-13 13 is a major breakpoint but it's not necessary to go that high. A
combo of 15 wit, 15 deftness and 11 speed will give you an expert in
riposte with any luck.
DF: 13-21 The higher the coordination the easier it is to hit your attack
location. A 15 will give you the epee.
The perfect P.R. would look something like this: 9-4-5-17-21-11-17 with starting
skill bases like:
Ini: 60%
Rip: 90%
Att: 75%
Par: 70%
Def: 75%
Dec: 40%
One of my first PRs looked like this: 15-10-9-15-15-6-14, Thror the Dark. He was
extremely unlucky as far as starting skills. He now looks a little different: 17-11-
9-17-16-7-15 with 90% Init, 145% Rip, 130% Att, 130% Par, 115% Def and 80% Dec. I
destroyed him with early stat raises.
I had a similar design that was luckier, at least until he got X-ed by a slasher
in a tourney. He died with a 12-3-1 record. But enough of that. You're probably
wanting to get on with the strategies.
So getting on with it, I've tried both offensive and defensive strategies.
Generally defensive has worked better for me. Something like: 3-6-6 going offensive
in minute 3 or 4 with a 10-8-6 or a 9-7-6 and then backing off to a 6-4-6 or a 4-5-6.
As far as tactics go I don't use 'em very often. If you use any offensive tactic
use the lunge or nothing. Defensively use dodge and parry sparingly, if at all, and
don't use the riposte tactic after you've achieved a master.
Okay, now on to weapons and armor. A parry-riposte is somewhat limited when it
comes to weapons. The longsword is their best choice against heavier armors. I once
tried the halberd (I'll wait until you finish laughing.) Anyway, Thror the Dark
savagely slew Spymaster with it. I only give the PR an off hand weapon with epee,
shortsword or the longsword.
I've done varying things with armor, but I've found that lighter armor works
better, personal favorites being APL, ARM, and ASM. I read an article about the
parry-riposte of coom that made me laugh. It said something about wearing more armor
than expected of a PR, listing nothing higher than ACM+F. Imagine what he would have
thought fighting Thror the Dark in APA+F.
This is just an opinion brought to you by Necrom, manager of Knightmares (33),
Pentad Paladins (55), Northlanders (70) and a couple of others.
Crimson Strikers
Greetings, fellow managers, I, Crimson Strategist, shall share my thoughts with
you on the striking attack style.
This style developed in cultures where weapon quality surpassed that of the
armors, this made landing the first blow vital. This blow is usually delivered in a
downward fashion quickly, surely, and with power in a minimal of wasted motion.
Here's how I rate the stats:
ST 11-15: Never go below 11, strikers are well suited to ALL the weapons in the
game and 11 allows the use of the majority of them. They also need to hurt their foe
when they hit, thus making this an important consideration for damage rating.
CN 3-9: This whole style revolves around finishing your foe quickly, if your foe
has time to develop a complex formal attack on your striker, then you're not fighting
him properly. A properly run striker should never be hit more than four or five
times, any more than this and the whole concept behind this style gets thrown right
out the window, therefore I rate con as the least important attribute for this style.
SZ 9-16: A size of 9 allows use of all the weapons and it is important in
determining your damage rating, plus, it also adds to your init and this style thrives
on init.
WT 13+: As with any style, the higher the better. 13 is rock bottom, it allows
the use of all weapons except the epee and you'll still learn at a decent pace.
WL 7-13: This style conserves endurance which allows this attribute to go
considerably less than most styles and still fight effectively for a respectable
length of time. I've had strikers with a 13 ST, 3 CN, and 5 WL get poor endurance
ratings and ones with 11 ST, 6 CN, and 9 WL get normal. However, if you want some
long term potential, you'd want to be around 13 or so.
SP 10+: This is very important for decise and init skills which are the heart of
this style. Landing the first blow and finishing the fight quickly is hinged on your
striker's speed.
DF 15+: This is crucial attribute for this style, they NEED to be precise with
their blows, plus, it also adds to their init. Get to 17 or 21 if possible.
Now let's take a look at the style itself. The striking attack is one of the
easiest styles to run, yet they have adversity that many styles lack. As I've said
before, a striker can use ALL the weapons in the game. They can fight effectively
wearing plate armor and no armor, they can use EVERY tactic in the game be it
offensive or defensive, a striker can fight like a lunger or basher, ripper or
slasher, etc... provided that you match up their strategy with the appropriate tactic
and weapon. They can beat ALL the styles in DM and beyond if you choose their
strategy correctly for that particular style vs. style matchup.
Here are some examples of style vs. style matchups for strikers and various
tactic selections vs. the different styles.
High decise strikers over slashers and lungers, strikers over total parry and
wall of steel, rippers over strikers, etc...
Using the decise tactic vs. lungers, slashers, and aimed blows. Using the lunge
tactic vs. rippers and aimed blows, using no tactic and having a moderate offensive
effort and moderate activity level vs. total parries and wall of steel, etc...
The possible variations for this style are virtually endless.
Now let's take a brief look at your striker overview and glean some helpful hints
on how to fight them. If you see statements like "relying on speed to stay out of
danger" or "avoiding rather than trading blows," this is telling you that your AL
should be moderate to high. If he does great damage, then don't use weapons like the
epee or shortsword, this would be an underutilization of his strengths. If he learns
attack skills easily, then this is telling you that he likes to take his time and pick
his shots so don't send him out with a 10 OE! If you see statements like "has learned
how to be a decisive and quick fighter," then by all means USE the decise tactic with
a high OE. Don't send him out with offhand weapons unless he's ambidextrous, if you
do, it will take away from his attack. As you can see, the various statements on your
overview are very helpful in telling you how your striker likes to fight.
Here's a very general strategy that has worked well for my strikers.
OE 10 8 7 7 7 6 6 Armor: ARM to ACM
AL 4 3 2 1 1 1 8 Weapons: BS,LO,SC,GS,BA
KD 6 6 6 6 6 6 5
ATT LOC Head, body, arms
PRO LOC Head or body
OFF TCT Decise or bash
DEF TCT Response or dodge
Before I close there is one last point I wish to emphasize, USE the
challenge/avoid system, it will help control who you fight and when. In closing, I
would like to thank the following managers for their diplos and articles which helped
me learn the game: Sir Jessie Jest, Talon, Tex, the managers on the roundtable, and
numerous others who took their time to put quill and ink on parchment and pass their
knowledge on to others, thanks!
Many of you know the Crimson Death stables or soon will know them since I plan to
have quite a few of them up and running, however, some of them will be on and off due
to monetary fluctuations so if you wish to diplo me with any comments, criticisms,
whatever, send them to my home arena, which, from here on out, will always be active.
Later,
Crimson Strategist
Crimson Death DM 61
* * * * * MEMO * * * * *
From: The Office of Accurate Census Reporting, Gladiatorial Commission
To: All Managers
In the interest of preserving our natural resources and preventing managerial writer's
cramp, census forms will be provided for warriors by request only, effective
immediately. Managers may register their warriors' races and/or favorite sayings by
simply writing them on a separate piece of paper and submitting them to the
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For any questions, please contact the Gladiatorial Commission.