DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 05/16/2015 Duedate: 05/29/2015 NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA DM-93 TURN-429 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS MISTAKES BASH BROS PAINTING (1673) (93-9757) [8-0-0,75] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader POSITION IS EMPTY MISTAKES BASH BROS PAINTING (1673) (93-9757) [8-0-0,75] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite MESSY MICK FOLEY BASH BROS PAINTING (1673) FAMOUS HOOSIERS (1672) (93-9754) [5-3-0,32] (93-9801) [3-0-0,22] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM (-1) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. BASH BROS PAINTING (1673) 50 2. PUPPET LORDS (1675) 27 ONLY HUMANS (147) 3. FAMOUS HOOSIERS (1672) 12 Unchartered Team 4. THE HEATHENS (1664) 4 5. THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679) 0 FAMOUS HOOSIERS (1672) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 1*FAMOUS HOOSIERS (1672) 27 12 1 69.2 1/ 1*FAMOUS HOOSIERS (1672) 11 4 0 2/ 2*BASH BROS PAINTIN (1673) 27 13 0 67.5 2/ 2*BASH BROS PAINTIN (1673) 11 4 0 3/ 4*PUPPET LORDS (1675) 11 14 0 44.0 3/ 3*PUPPET LORDS (1675) 7 8 0 4- 6*THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679) 4 9 0 30.8 4- 4*THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679) 3 7 0 5/ 5*THE HEATHENS (1664) 10 23 2 30.3 5/ 5*THE HEATHENS (1664) 1 4 0 6- 7*VALHALLA (1676) 1 4 0 20.0 6- 7*VALHALLA (1676) 1 4 0 7/ 0*RAINBOW BRIGADE (1674) 1 8 0 11.1 7/ 0*RAINBOW BRIGADE (1674) 0 5 0 '*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn (###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank TEAM SPOTLIGHT WHAT THEY DIDN'T TEACH YOU IN SCHOOL or D2 101 BUT YOU JUST MIGHT LEARN IT HERE Any warrior that loses a fight can die. Dead. Gone. One can die by being killed by the opponent, and every loser has a small chance (estimated odds 1 in 50) of dying in the infirmary. Note: There is no chance of dying if one wins! Any warrior can use any weapon. Not a problem. However, there are undefined penalties for using marginal, unsuited, inadequate wit, inadequate size, inadequate strength, and inadequate deftness weapons. One can certainly win with an improperly suited weapon, but, is it worth the chance? Usually not, I say. Warriors are born with certain skills which are dependent on the base 70 point stat sheet and the style selected. The 14 points of added stats also add skills to those base skills. You really need to know which skills come from what stat. RSI seldom makes input errors. I said seldom. The best thing a manager can do to help avoid input errors is to fill out the strategy sheet accurately and legibly with good penmanship. Yes, we have doctors in the warrior management ranks (Slugbait and Grimm come to mind) and they probably regret their yucky penmanship. These are considered the three best ways to acquire info, knowledge and "secrets" about D2: * Terrablood.com * Noblish Island (DM93) newsletters * Reality.com There is more to strategy than filling out the warrior's initial armor and weapon selection and offensive effort and activity level and kill desire and tactic selection. Challenges and avoids are an important way to attempt to give your warrior an advantage. Challenge warriors (warrior ID) that your warrior is likely to defeat and learn a lot from, and avoid teams (team ID) with warriors whom are likely to defeat you. Indeed, your warrior can be provided with an alternate strategy for challenging or when being challenged or both. A warrior does not have to challenge, bloodfeud, or avoid, but it is probably in his best interest to do so. Ask dumb questions! Often managers, especially new managers, have a doubt or a question, but they feel "asking for help/advice" is a sign of weakness or lack of intelligence or knowledge about D2. Do not let this be you! Ask! We dumb veteran managers ask each other dumb questions all the time. One man's dumb is another man's smart one. What are the best ways to ask? * On the Reality.com site * On the D2 Chatzy blog site * In personal ads in the arenas (especially Noblish Island) * By diplo to another manager in D2 (Certain managers will almost always respond; some may not) No matter what any veteran, friend or expert tells you about design or strategy or concept, it is not necessarily the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It may be good or great or common advice, but it is not necessarily the only good (or bad) advice. Some advice is best learned first-hand. D2 is a normally a friendly atmosphere. While managers are very competitive, most of the vets know each other, see each other at Faces, chat with each other on line, and even help each other out with advice and ideas. The fount of knowledge available now, about D2, was acquired by a collective "working together" and sharing info. Be advised that an overly mean, overbearing, threatening, haughty, unfriendly character/manager is likely to be colluded against and ostracized by D2 regulars. Smack talk is desirable and a part if the game. Personal threats, harsh meanness, or overbearingness is not at all welcomed. You are forewarned! Noblish Island is a great learning atmosphere. What comes after Noblish? Choose wisely an arena in which to participate. (Fast - two week turnaround or slow - four weeks) (Large: 15+ teams participating, medium: 8-14ish, small: 7 or less) (friendly: usually Andorian arenas are up for role-playing and up for helping newbies, and down on down-challenging or taking advantage of newbies) (cutthroat: Darkholm arenas tend to be win-at-all-cost). You can participate in as many arenas as you want. You can also participate in separate tournaments, held quarterly, which allow warriors from all arenas to compete with each other for acclaim and prizes. There are many other things they apparently didn't teach you, you say? Well send a personal ad or diplo to Assur, or The Consortium rep in DM93 Noblish Isle and give them a shot at answering in the newsletter. John Wooden of Famous Hoosiers (Consortium affiliated) Contact me for help. Ask me dumb questions. I tutor and coach -- all too often for free. ***---------*---------*---------*---------**---------*---------*---------*---------*** Skills, Natural Learning and Favorite Learns Favorite Learns... These can make or break a warrior. For many veteran managers, a warrior's favorite learn can mean he becomes a tourney warrior (or loses his status as a tourney warrior). It can mean retirement or the dark arena or a place on the manager's roster for life. What is a good favorite learn? Unfortunately, the answer 'depends.' First, you must understand the difference between a warrior's natural learning and favorite learn. Every fighting style has a natural order for learning skills. While the actual result can be dramatically different (learning is random and is affected by other things besides your warrior's fighting style). Here is Assur's best attempt to give the natural learning order for each style. Take this list with a grain of salt. The only list Assur will put any confidence on is the Bashing style. He's run enough and is familiar enough with their patterns to say with some confidence that the order is correct (even with the vast difference that individual warriors learn). Aimed Blows: Attack, Riposte, Parry, Decisiveness/Defense, Initiative Bashers: Attack, Decisiveness, Parry, Initiative, Riposte/Defense Lungers: Initiative, Defense, Riposte, Attack, Decisiveness, Parry Parry Lungers: Parry, Initiative, Defense, Attack, Decisiveness/Riposte Parry Ripostes: Riposte, Parry, Attack/Defense, Desisiveness/Initiative Parry Strikers: Parry, Decise, Initiative, Attack, Riposte, Defense Slashers: Initiative, Attack, Decisiveness, Riposte, Defense/Parry Strikers: Decisiveness, Attack, Initiative, Defense, Riposte/Parry Total Parries: Parry, Defense/Riposte, Attack, Decisiveness/Initiative Walls of Steel: Initiative, Attack, Parry, Defense, Decisiveness, Riposte Another thing to note is that some styles just plain learn poorly while other styles learn very well. In particular, Parry Lungers and Parry Strikers have the worst top two learns (learns that just do not work well together). Meanwhile, Strikers have one of the best patterns for the early game. After that, there is a lot of magic that happens that nobody understands completely which affect how a warrior learns. Some of it is randomness, too. BUT... in addition to all of this, every warrior, when created, gets assigned a favorite learn. It is believed by Assur that this roll is completely random and every favorite learn is equally likely. This roll can make or break your warrior. Some managers even design certain warriors with the hope that they will get a certain roll. Some styles want particular learns almost universally (Parry Ripostes love parry favorite learn, Slashers love decisiveness, etc). But most of the time, you will have an idea of what your favorite learn is early on in your warrior's career. Hopefully it will help your warrior win. Sometimes you can even tailor your warrior's strategy to use this favorite learn. Other times, you should just ignore that learn and still fight the warrior how it was originally designed and intended. Just as I will tell you that ignoring your warrior's favorite weapon and fighting rhythms are an important part of your development as a manager (don't always ignore these things, but feel free TO ignore them), I will also tell you that you can consider how to change your strategy to win based on what and how you are learning, but don't force it. A big, strong basher with favorite learn defense is not going to win many fights by dodging. Keep going hot with that warrior. Good luck and I hope this article about learning is helpful. DUELMASTER'S COLUMN Notes from the arena champ. It looks like I forgot to change my clothes after work before sitting on the throne and they were still wet. Let's just say our throne is more colorful now. If the next Duelmaster desires, they can clean it. I'm good with it as is. I don't expect to sit here long. -- Mistakes SPY REPORT Much has changed in NOBLISH ISLAND since last I was here. Never fear, Olaf Modeen adapts to many situations, as do all successful fighters. It seems so recently people were saying BASH BROS PAINTING was washed up, finished. But 5-0-0 moved them up 0. I guess they're washed no more... What's with BRAINOR? He actually beat RAINBOW BRIGADE's TIGER MOTHER, and walked away with 16 more points from the fight. Major screwup at THE HEATHENS. WIDOW-MAKER lost 10 points to CLEAN UP. Some new strategies, perhaps? Maybe WIDOW-MAKER will provide more easy wins... Try as he might, VETERAN MERCENARY wasn't good enough at persuading MISTAKES to step down from the Duelmaster's throne... I suppose you want to hear some rumors and dirty gossip about your fellow fighters? Tough! If at first you don't succeed, avoid. That'll get you in the Spyreports. How well I know the feeling of being in the most avoided team! Don't fall out of practive, BASH BROS PAINTING! In my day, no team with a 22-13-0 would scare me off! What's the problem, FAMOUS HOOSIERS? How well I know the feeling of being the most challenged warrior, MISSED A SPOT! Don't make idle boasts, they may come back to haunt you. MESSY didn't quite know what to make of a challenge he received from TRAICA of PUPPET LORDS, who is 19 points below him. TRAICA perhaps got hers just desserts, seeing as she was overcame by MESSY and ended up with 7 recognition points. There have been some calls to lengthen the time limit. Do you want the fighters to walk away, or not? MORTICIOUS was plum wore out after JOHN DILLINGER pounded 'im silly in a Bloodfeud. THE HEATHENS'll have to get a little better before going after JOHN DILLINGER again! Is it my imagination, or are fighters getting younger every day? To die so young, so gloriously! Who knows what the future holds for a warrior. More fights, there's no doubt. All work and no play makes Olaf a dull fighter. Work and play no fighter dull Olaf. Olaffighterwork and no play. Remember--a good fighter needs both good skills and good luck. Until next time,-- Olaf Modeen DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME MISTAKES 9757 8 0 0 75 BASH BROS PAINTING (1673) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME JOHN DILLINGER 9751 7 0 0 40 FAMOUS HOOSIERS (1672) MISSED A SPOT 9758 4 4 0 40 BASH BROS PAINTING (1673) MORTICIOUS 9762 3 1 1 34 THE HEATHENS (1664) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME CLEAN UP 9756 6 2 0 32 BASH BROS PAINTING (1673) MESSY 9754 5 3 0 32 BASH BROS PAINTING (1673) SAJAN 9772 4 1 0 32 PUPPET LORDS (1675) JAMES DEAN 9749 5 3 0 24 FAMOUS HOOSIERS (1672) VALEROS 9770 2 3 0 24 PUPPET LORDS (1675) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME DAN QUAYLE 9750 5 3 1 23 FAMOUS HOOSIERS (1672) WIDOW-MAKER 9688 2 5 1 23 THE HEATHENS (1664) -BENNY STREETER 9790 2 1 0 23 THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679) MICK FOLEY 9801 3 0 0 22 FAMOUS HOOSIERS (1672) TIME CONSUMING 9755 4 4 0 20 BASH BROS PAINTING (1673) -ED ALLEY 9793 2 0 0 20 THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679) RINDRA 9769 3 2 0 17 PUPPET LORDS (1675) BRAINOR 9795 1 1 0 17 THE HEATHENS (1664) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME LARRY BIRD 9753 4 4 0 16 FAMOUS HOOSIERS (1672) -AUTUMNBE 9643 3 2 0 12 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657) TRAICA 9773 1 4 0 7 PUPPET LORDS (1675) -DRAXXUS 9644 1 4 0 7 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657) -GUDBRAND 9778 1 0 0 6 VALHALLA (1676) DREAD SKEWER 9763 1 3 0 6 THE HEATHENS (1664) BELLINOS 9802 1 0 0 5 PUPPET LORDS (1675) TIGER MOTHER 9767 1 1 0 4 RAINBOW BRIGADE (1674) -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) -DORA LANE 9792 0 2 0 3 THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679) -CHARLENE WAYE 9791 0 3 0 3 THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679) -ANDREA RHODES 9789 0 3 0 3 THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679) SUGAR BELLY 9766 0 2 0 2 RAINBOW BRIGADE (1674) AXEFACE 9794 0 2 0 2 THE HEATHENS (1664) LENNY VENITO 9768 0 2 0 2 RAINBOW BRIGADE (1674) HAWAIIAN SHADOW 9765 0 2 0 2 RAINBOW BRIGADE (1674) ABDUL ALHAZRED 9764 0 1 0 1 RAINBOW BRIGADE (1674) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? AMELIA EARHART 9752 3 2 0 FAMOUS HOOSIERS 1672 MORTICIOUS 9762 426 JUST REVENGED PERSONAL ADS Assur, you have proven your might and are back in front by one, my friend. Perhaps I will get you in the playoffs. -- John Wooden, Famous Hoosiers Undefeated Mistake is no mistake Duelmaster. Salute. -- All Us Famous Hoosiers Missed A Spot, I cannot beat you playing imperfectly like that. You showed me! -- Larry Bird, Famous Hoosiers Charlene Way, I prefer fighting men; mean men. But I like winning. -- Mick Foley, Famous Hoosiers Sajan, thanks for the challenge. I needed a good fight. Perhaps I can talk Mr. Wooden into assessing the fight for you, when he finally gets to see and review it. -- John Dillinger, Famous Hoosiers (playing nice, for once) Traica, you are a cute one. I enjoyed our time together. I did. -- James Dean, Famous Hoosiers Messy, yeah, but not as messy as me. Can you tell me the right way to spell potatoe? -- Dan Quayle, Famous Hoosiers Health. Humility. Honor. -- John Wooden, Consortium affiliated Puppet Lords -- That is what we are here for. If you have specific questions, it is easier, otherwise watch the spotlights that come through, especially the recent ones at the top. The articles at the bottom are mixed in quality. Some are great, some not so great. -- Assur I would advise all new managers to think about how they expect their warriors to win and who they expect their warriors to win against. This is a critical skill. And yes, unfortunately sometimes warriors don't fight like you expect them to, even for managers with more skill than mine. I classify warriors into three categories: Offensive, Defensive, and Hybrid. There is of course overlap and sub-types, but that is how I think about it. -- Assur Dan Quayle -- My advice to you is to hide your head in shame -- Messy Valeros -- Great win for you. I wouldn't have expected that outcome, but if you can get that first clash, it can go either way. A faster weapon against light armor (or no armor) would be HA, though if you win with the SC, it could be a sign that you are naturally adept with that weapon. -- Time Consuming Larry Bird -- Blame it on back problems, right? -- Missed a Spot Dora Lane / Jorja -- Farewell, my friend -- Clean Up LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS JAMES DEAN was viciously subdued by MISSED A SPOT in a 3 minute Challenge fight. TRAICA was demolished by MESSY in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge melee. MISTAKES defeated VETERAN MERCENARY in a 2 minute bloody Title duel. MORTICIOUS was outwaited by JOHN DILLINGER in a 14 minute novice vs. veteran fight. WIDOW-MAKER was bested by CLEAN UP in a 1 minute brawl. DAN QUAYLE vanquished DREAD SKEWER in a 1 minute brutal mismatched fight. LARRY BIRD was devastated by SAJAN in a 1 minute one-sided competition. TIME CONSUMING handily defeated SUGAR BELLY in a 1 minute gruesome uneven melee. MICK FOLEY viciously subdued LENNY VENITO in a 2 minute beginner's fight. HAWAIIAN SHADOW was overpowered by RINDRA in a 5 minute gory uneven match. TIGER MOTHER was overpowered by BRAINOR in a 1 minute one-sided match. VALEROS devastated AXEFACE in a 1 minute mismatched conflict. ABDUL ALHAZRED was subdued by BELLINOS in a 1 minute gory amateur's match. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |BASHING ATTACK 6 PARRY-LUNGE 10 - 5 - 1 67 | |STRIKING ATTACK 6 TOTAL PARRY 21 - 14 - 0 60 | |LUNGING ATTACK 4 BASHING ATTACK 35 - 26 - 1 57 | |PARRY-LUNGE 2 SLASHING ATTACK 9 - 7 - 0 56 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 AIMED BLOW 19 - 16 - 0 54 | |TOTAL PARRY 2 LUNGING ATTACK 18 - 22 - 0 45 | |AIMED BLOW 2 STRIKING ATTACK 28 - 39 - 2 42 | |SLASHING ATTACK 1 PARRY-STRIKE 3 - 6 - 0 33 | |PARRY-STRIKE 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 6 - 13 - 0 32 | |WALL OF STEEL 0 WALL OF STEEL 0 - 0 - 0 0 | Turn 429 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: SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 0 LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 3 3 BASHING ATTACK BASHING ATTACK 5 - 1 AIMED BLOW 0 - 2 2 TOTAL PARRY PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 2 PARRY-LUNGE PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 1 WALL OF STEEL 0 - 0 2 STRIKING ATTACK STRIKING ATTACK 3 - 3 1 SLASHING ATTACK TOTAL PARRY 1 - 1 1 LUNGING ATTACK TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME BASHING ATTACK MISTAKES 9757 8 0 0 75 BASH BROS PAINTING (1673) TOTAL PARRY JOHN DILLINGER 9751 7 0 0 40 FAMOUS HOOSIERS (1672) PARRY-LUNGE MORTICIOUS 9762 3 1 1 34 THE HEATHENS (1664) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is MESSY 9754. The most popular warrior this turn was MICK FOLEY 9801. The ten other most popular fighters were MISSED A SPOT 9758, MISTAKES 9757, MORTICIOUS 9762, RINDRA 9769, MESSY 9754, CLEAN UP 9756, DAN QUAYLE 9750, SAJAN 9772, TIME CONSUMING 9755, and BELLINOS 9802. The least popular fighter this week was JOHN DILLINGER 9751. The other ten least popular fighters were ABDUL ALHAZRED 9764, AXEFACE 9794, TIGER MOTHER 9767, HAWAIIAN SHADOW 9765, LENNY VENITO 9768, SUGAR BELLY 9766, LARRY BIRD 9753, DREAD SKEWER 9763, TRAICA 9773, and VALEROS 9770. AVERAGE I was trying to design a warrior that would have no weaknesses, when my mind wandered (It does this a lot!) to what would be the average stat for this game called Duelmasters. Almost at once I came upon the number nine. Why, you may ask? Okay, I'll tell you, after all that's the point of this article. There are nineteen levels for each stat, half this is 9.5, since RSI randomly assigns attributes between 3-21. In this manner, even if they assign an attribute below average, the player can bring it up to at least average by adding 6 points when he modifies the rollup. I checked this assumption with some rolls I have received, and it appears to run true with some interesting results. A 9 SZ seems to allow use of any weapon without being too small. 9 ST seems to allow you to use most weapons without the comment "does not have ST to use weapon well." 9 SP with a 9 DF will give the normal speed/coordination to offensive warriors and to PS, PL and PR. (Does anyone think WS, TP, AB are normal?) 9 WT with a 9 WL will give no negative wit/will statement (no positive one either). A 9 in all attributes leaves 21 points to modify the key stats for a warrior's style. I have been trying for a while to design warriors with a minimum of 9 in all attributes, or to at least be able to train to a 9 in a couple of raises. I am still trying with mixed results to date. I lost track to the point or purpose of this article, but maybe it will provoke some thought, yes, no, maybe? Suggestion and comments will come. Jeff Hannah, c/o Star Signs, DM 13 EARTHWORM FLAMBE A LA THAIGYN Arena gourmets, try this tasty tidbit, before, during and after your next training session: Ingredients - 3 qts. processed camel spit 1 pint fingernail larva 6K cups giant earthworm droppings (imported) 3 cups sweet'n'sour orc sweat 1 slice head cheese 1 bavarian mint (imported) 1 tsp. toe jam (I would suggest your own) Directions - 1. Pre-heat oven to 6200C. 2. Grease 1 22x22 Turtle shell. 3. Pour camel spit & orc sweat into shell, mix with high octane gasoline (unleaded for those on diet), place in oven, and heat for 3 - 4 hours. 4. Place all other ingredients into osterizer at *whip* setting until thick. 5. Bake for 7 days or until you get that distinctive scorched aroma. 6. Take out of oven, get a match, and light that sucker up. 7. Now scarf it down. Yum, yum. *It's perfect for those Dark Arena picnics.* For a first hand experience come over to Thaigyn's Scarf'N'Barf, right next to the Welcome Wench, or go to D. Tramp's Tune-Up Garage & Salad Bar, 1 block east of Saugum's Outhouse Inn.. *** Coming to an arena near you, the Steel Breez Chop'N'Slop, (formerly known as the Eradicator's International House of Toe Jam*** To all, enjoy, Thaigyn of Petrys Acoplys D. Tramp, Lord Petrys & Ennexa Mephobasheth of Steel Breez. DEATH INTENT STATEMENT EXPLAINED In order to keep this brief, I'm going to avoid a long rambling opening and get right to the meat of the issue. The `death intent statement' (`fights with a deadly bloodlust in his eyes,' `is going for the kill,' `is eagerly seeking the death blow,' etc.) can ONLY be gained in normal combat (non-Dark Arena, non-Bloodgames) AFTER striking an opponent in a vital location (some region of the HE, CH, or AB, pelvis included.) Once the death intent statement is printed, the struck warrior makes a roll to survive the fight. If this roll is failed, he is dead, and the rest of the fight is simply a matter of running down the dead fighter's hit points by normal, non- critical attacks. Now, the moral offshoot of this is that, knowing this, any fighter sent out by his manager attacking a vital location is purposefully increasing his chance of killing his opponent. The logic is this: if you attack vitals you are more likely to hit a vital location. In striking a vital, you may get the death intent statement, and that's then one dice roll to end the fighter. By attacking non-vitals you are decreasing your chances of striking a vital (by increasing your chances of striking non-vitals.) Note that this is not flawless, as the percentage of actually HITTING your attack location is perhaps only 67% on high-deftness fighters, but by not attacking vitals you are doing the best you can, which is all anyone can ask. Here's the bottom line. A fighter can run 10-10-10 L-N and NEVER kill (excepting infirmary deaths, which is an entirely separate case) if he hits only arms or legs. Thus, while KD is a large factor in determining kills (a head shot by a 10-10-1 fighter is far less likely to get the statement than a head shot by a 10-10-10 fighter,) it is less important than attack location. Gary Triplett, a.k.a. Miles/Sir Boyd diplo Crimson Pegasi (arena 105) for advice, questions, comments, wit statement charts or other charts, etc. P.S. Apologies to those I said I'd diplo this to. I just decided to make this a general article. If you're one of the managers in the wave that received only the tan wit statement chart and the lavender activity statement chart, please re-contact me if you'd like the explanation sheet, which includes details on all the statements printed on the fighter overview. REBUTTAL TO "THE LITTLE BASHER" So many times I've seen one of these "helpful hints" that I disagreed with, but never have I been so disgusted that I'd write a rebuttal. Well, this time I could not sit aside and watch someone slaughter a style that I love. I am referring to Belegrath's article, entitled, "The Little Basher." Now, even though I have yet to have a warrior achieve the title of "Lord Protector," I have been at this game for a couple of years now. I've run bashers more than any other style, and my record with them is over .500. Therefore, I think I have enough experience and knowledge to say that Belegrath's basher sucks!!! The main purpose I write this is not to undermine Belegrath's managerial abilities, but to warn any new people who might read his article. I don't think anyone should waste their money on Belegrath's basher theory. Or even worse, to have someone quit the game after getting the crap beat out of them having warriors modeled after Belegrath's. First, I'll tell you what is wrong with "The Little Basher" (to refresh your memory: 20-6-3-13-7-20-15). 1) The best he can get, regardless of his strength, is good damage because of his 3 SZ. 2) He'll fall over from exhaustion before the first minute is up, unless you run a real low activity level. He'll be very frail and have very little endurance. 3) A 3 SZ?!? And what if the war hammer or mace aren't his favorite weapons? You lost the QS, a very reputable bashing weapon, and the GS, which I've recently found to be a great bashing weapon. 4) He probably won't pick up too many skills with a 13 WT. Good luck maxing out in the next decade!! 5) With a 7 WL, he has only a 35% chance to raise a stat ONCE, then the chances for that same category are halved every time thereafter. Therefore, he'll always be very frail with poor endurance. 6) 20 SP, what a waste! Bashers, in my opinion, have no need for speed. And even if you wanted to waste points on speed, you don't need to raise it to such an extreme. One stat raise here, and you lose app. four skills. 7) 15 DF. This is pretty much the only point I agree with. I know, I know, bashers don't need deftness. But just imagine a basher with an AB's accuracy! I had a ST once who looked similar to Belegrath's basher. He looked like this: 19-4-13-16-3-19-10. What happened to him, you ask? He was killed by a maul-wielding scum basher on his third fight. In his first two fights he hacked the crap out of two TP's, and then fell over from exhaustion. No broken shields, no broken bones. Get the point, yet? Now, a better basher, not the best, mind you, would look like this: 13 ST Achieve good damage (possibly great) and be able to use all bashing weapons (except HL). 10 CN This isn't important, but at least he'll be able to take a couple of blows. 9 SZ Fulfills requirement for all bashing weapons. 17 WT A nice number. 19 isn't good, and 21 means that it should be something else. 15 WL Gives at least normal endurance, and increases chances of raising stats. 5 SP SP is unimportant, absolutely no need! Although, it will take a few more skills to get a rating in Decise. 15 DF Wonderful to have DF. Keeps them from swinging at the flies (Most of the time). Well, there you have it. I hope I cleared things up a little. I doubt if anyone else agrees with me, but that's what makes this game so fun! LUVUALLWAYS, Vanion Drunken Stupor (11) The Dawn-Men (67) The Dark (26) Othrsydosanity (74) THE UN-SCUM The type of TP I make will often win fights without ever getting hit! The fights are exciting to read, full of dodges and ripostes, and if you've never seen a TP outjump a Basher, make an offensive TP. ST: 7-13 All you really need is normal damage! 11 is perfect, for carrying capacity and weapon selection. Good damage is nice to have, but if it looks like your rollup will get good or great, he's probably better off as a WS, LU or BA. CN: 9-16 Again, all you need is normal. We're making a finesse substyle, and the points are badly needed on WT, WL and DF. Just make sure he can take a hit or two. Don't add any points here on the rollup, but go ahead and raise it later if you think he needs it. Endurance is not a priority. SZ: 3-9 A single digit is important for dodging and activity levels. I will go as high as 10, but any bigger and you can't dodge well enough. Small size also helps parry and defense, as well as getting a good activity and elusive statement on the overview. Plus, you need the points below. WT: 15, 17 or 21 only! This is the biggie, he'll learn like crazy! I know what you're saying, "my 11 WT SCUM learns 3 skills a fight!" Yeah, but your SCUM's skill base will be so low, when he's maxxed out in skills, my off. TP will be at the same level of expertise by his 10th fight! For any style, 90% of the skills are in WT, WL and DF, and that's where the 14 points must go. WL: 13-21 As with any fighter, more is better. However, you can get by with normal endurance, believe it or not! This TP will wear moderate armor, and can run active for 6-7 minutes with normal endurance. That's long enough for all but a few opponents. Raise WL on the rollup to 17 or 21 if you can, but if 13 or 15 is all he can have, he'll be okay. SP: 5-9 This is a touchy area, and can make or break your TP. I like to use 7, 8 or 9. If you use 5 or 6, he'd better be small, and have a 17 or 21 WT. OR, a CN that will allow him to take a lot of damage. If he's too big, dumb and slow then he'll get "slow and inactive" on the overview, and that is too scummy for my TP. You MUST have normal or better activity. SP also helps with your riposte, crucial to the off. TP. DF: 11-17 Second in importance, behind WT. Parry, Riposte, Defense and Attack are your mainstays, and they're all enhanced by a high DF. Try to get normal coordination (SP+DF=21) if possible. Here are some examples of good off. TPs, all are real fighters; 11 10 8 11 7 11 10 14 12 15 9 15 13 12 7 4 7 6 8 7 10 17 15 15 17 21 17 17 17 21 17 21 13 17 13 5 7 9 9 7 8 8 13 15 13 11 13 11 13 Now, how to fight them, you ask? Every one of them seems to like to run differently, I've seen some tee off at 2-7-5, some do better at 4-4-5, some 2-3-2, even those who go 3-3-5 first min, then go ballistic in the second (10-10-6). Also, some run 7-7-7! You just have to play around with the numbers, 'til you find what works best. Here's a general strategy I usually start with: 4 5 6 7 4 3 10 Armor: I use ARM/H most of the time, 7 6 5 4 4 2 10 but guys like examples #1 and 2 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 would be better off in ACM/F. If facing a LU or SL, you can wear RA ------------------------> HE APA/F (yes, even with normal endur- AM ------------------------> HE ance!), 'cause the LU or SL is going - - - - - - - to drop in min. 2, more than likely. S S - - - - D Weapons: Any sword and shield you're suited to, as well as the Quarterstaff and the Longspear. Vs. heavy armor, use a BS two-handed. Tactics: Parry, dodge, and especially vs. strikers, responsiveness! Resp. will drive other managers nuts, prompting them to say, "How'd you do that?" My favorite tactic for the Un-Scum. Matchups: Every striker in the arena should be on your hit-list. Other good challenges are PS, WS, PR, BA. Avoid lungers and ABs like the plague! So, there you have it. If you'd rather have a TP who's as elusive as a La-Z-Boy than one who sidesteps more blows than he parries, then don't follow my advice. But, if you're ready to have fun fights with TPs, and watch their popularity rise (except vs. scum) every match, then that's what I offer you. Brought to you by Buri of the G.A.P.P.D.A., MGR. Aesier (3, 104), Swords of Sergio (4, 104), S.O.S. (59), and way too many others. Fell free to diplo me, for praise, ridicule, or just for the halibut. Duelmasters for Dummies There are handbooks around that will guide you in becoming the hottest player Duelmasters has ever seen... if you're prepared to work at it. But what if you don't want to be hot, but only pleasantly warm, have a good time, and not fret and stew over maximizing the potential of every roll-up you receive? What if spending months in the Dark Arena searching for the perfect roll-up sounds boring? What if the "Perfect Warrior" is not for you, and you have no intention of dominating Gateway? What if such handbooks as the Enchiridion represent "more than you ever wanted to know" about the inner workings and minute tunings of the game? This article is for you.... You have a new roll-up sheet in front of you; it doesn't matter whether it's a new team or only one replacement. How do you design the warrior(s) for best present enjoyment? First, don't send anyone straight to the Dark Arena. Okay, do if you like to read Dark Arena fights, but not otherwise. Give every roll-up, regardless of "Perfect Warrior" potential or lack thereof, your best design efforts and a chance to show his stuff. Some supposed duds will surprise you. A few simple rules for basic warrior design and strategy: 1) Aim at achieving an odd number in your key stats, 15 is good, 17 is better, except in unusual cases (DF for aimed blows), 21 is too much of a good thing. 2) Wit and Will are the key stats for any warrior except a freak experiment. Deftness and Strength are second, Speed and Constitution are third. 3) Offensive styles (Basher, Lunger, Slasher, Striker) and Total Parries are easier to run and easier to win with than the finesse styles (Aimed Blows, Parry- anythings, Walls of Steel). Yes, the finesse styles can be fun and devastating, but don't START there. Start with the easier styles and work up to finesse. Watch out for stereotypes. Big, dumb, clumsy bashers do not generally do well. Fast, brainy lungers with low CN and WL burn out early in the first minute and also tend to die easily. A medium good roll-up will do well at any of the offensive styles. 4) Pick your arena with some care, as different arenas favor and reward different styles of play and different tones in the personals. Generally speaking, arenas of the Andorian and Lirith Kai regions will frown on down-challenges and deliberate killing, and hostile "trash-talking" personals will not be appreciated. On the whole, these Andorian and Adantri arenas are the more sociable arenas and will tend to have more personals and more role-playing. (There are, of course, exceptions.) Players in the Andorian and Lirith Kai arenas will tend to be helpful to a newcomer. Arenas of the Delarquan region will accept more aggressive styles in play and in personals, more down-challenging, and more killing... BUT you can expect to draw a quick and hard response in kind. Generally these arenas are not as friendly as the Andorians, and they are much less likely to help out a newcomer. The arenas of the Free Blades region vary more among themselves than those of the other regions but generally tend to fall in between the Andorian and Delarquan extremes. 5) When arming your warrior, check the Weapon/Style/Stat Suitability chart below, probably THE most useful chart for a beginner. It sorts the weapons by style, listing only those that are favored by each style, and gives the minimum stats (in ST, SZ, WT, and DF) to use any particular weapon. Note which weapons your warrior is physically able to use. Arm him with something he can use and that is favored by his style, and GIVE HIM A BACK-UP WEAPON, even if it's only a dagger. Do not be misled by real-world logic, by the way: bashers are not well-suited to using the fists as weapons! (If you are going to use the same weapon against all armor weights, it isn't necessary to make three categories on your strategy sheet, and it annoys the inputter.) In fact, you might want to consult the chart below before picking a style for your new warrior. It is not a good idea to make a warrior into, say, a basher, if he is unable to use well any of the basher's weapons of choice. (I've done this by not paying attention, and I have ALWAYS regretted it afterward.) For example, I just got a replacement who is 8-10-20-9-12-4-7. If I make it 9-10-20-15-17-4-9, then I should NOT make it a Basher, because the poor goop couldn't use any bashing weapon well. If I go with this set of numbers, he should probably be a Lunger using a short spear, or a Striker using a hatchet. But if I drop WT to 13 and raise ST to 11, he could use a broadsword and might make a Slasher; equally, if I drop WT to 13 and raise DF to 11, instead, he could use a scimitar and make a Slasher.... Choices, choices.... 6) Put armor on the warrior before sending him out to fight. Armor saves lives. Total Parries can take the heaviest armors, as they generally don't move around a lot. Offensives can run faster with no armor or leather armor, but that doesn't give them much protection. If you're worried about their survival, put them in mid-weight armor; I favor ringmail for this, but scalemail and chainmail are also options. Always put something on their heads! A blow to the head can be especially deadly, so give them protection there--at least a steel cap, a helm for choice, a full helm if the warrior is a Total Parry. 7) Train skills, unless/until you're sure this is going to be a throw-away, short-term warrior. 8) Challenge warriors above your warrior, and/or those with more fights, for the best chance to learn skills. Challenge warriors below your warrior to improve your chances of winning and to provoke maximum hostility from other managers. Repeated challenges to the same warrior, when there are other targets available, will also provoke hostility. 9) Avoid teams with high kill percentages and teams that regularly down- challenge or repeat-challenge. 10) Don't run a warrior 10-10-10 unless you like to see him go berserk and then collapse half way through the first minute. Yes, the pure offensives should run fast, but drop either Activity Level or Kill Desire or both by a few points if your warrior doesn't have a good or better endurance. If endurance is not mentioned on the warrior's overview, then it is "normal" or "average," and 10-10-10 will probably burn him out early in the fight. If endurance is poor, don't even think of it. (Yes, I can hear all you number crunchers out there rising up to point out that there are exceptions. I admit the exceptions, but these are general guidelines for the average beginner. Exceptions belong in a different article.} Generally speaking, Total Parries should run slowly. 11) Be wary of using tactics. Sometimes they help, sometimes they hinder, and they're tricky. Even when a tactic gives some clear benefit, remember that it comes with a built-in danger in that it commits the warrior to that attitude during the minute it is used. A defensive tactic will tend to hinder offense, offensive tactics will reduce the warrior's defense. Do not use both an offensive and a defensive tactic in the same minute. 12) Fill out your strategy sheet clearly and completely to avoid antagonizing the inputter! Don't make her guess what you want your warrior to do. 13) Write personal ads to take part in the player-player interaction. This is a significant part of the fun of the game. If you want other managers to help you learn, write =friendly= personals! Surprising how some people miss this obvious point, but the obnoxious managers are likely to have a hard time getting help. 14) Fill out the front part of the Warrior Census Form. Picking a warrior's race can make him a more clearly realized character and one that it is more fun to write personals for. Filling out the warrior sayings can make reading the fights more amusing. Fill out the back of the form only if you feel like it, as NOTHING on the back, not even the character stats, has any effect on the fights. The back of the form is all role-playing information and, at this time, will only be used if/when your warrior appears in a spotlight written by a staff writer. When/if the extension of the Duelmasters system for which the back of the form was originally intended is completed, you will have another chance to fill out this stuff. Weapons, Styles, Minimum Stats required for use The weapons best-suited to each style are listed under that style. If a weapon is not listed under that style, then it is not well-suited to use by that style. Regardless of style, however, the stats required to use a weapon are the same. This chart was composed with information found in the Enchiridion, and I thank Pagan for making it readily available. Aimed Blow nine weapons Slasher eight weapons Dagger ST - SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 FiST - presumably any Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Hatchet ST 5 SZ - WT 3 DF 7 Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Striker Note that the strikers can Basher eleven weapons use every weapon plus the small shield Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11 effectively. This is the only style that Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 has so broad a selection. Twenty-one Halberd ST 17 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 weapons. Large shield ST 11 SZ 7 WT 5 DF 5 Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Mace ST 13 SZ - WT 3 DF 5 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 Maul ST 15 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 7 Dagger ST - SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Medium shield ST 9 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Morningstar ST 13 SZ - WT 7 DF 13 FiST - presumably any Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11 Warflail ST 11 SZ - WT 7 DF 5 Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 Warhammer ST 13 SZ - WT 5 DF 7 Halberd ST 17 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Hatchet ST 5 SZ - WT 3 DF 7 Lunger five weapons Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Mace ST 13 SZ - WT 3 DF 5 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Maul ST 15 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 7 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Morningstar ST 13 SZ - WT 7 DF 13 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Parry-Lunger six weapons Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Small shield ST 5 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Warflail ST 11 SZ - WT 7 DF 5 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Warhammer ST 13 SZ - WT 5 DF 7 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Total Parry twelve weapons Parry-Riposte six weapons Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Large shield ST 11 SZ 7 WT 5 DF 5 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Medium shield ST 9 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Parry-Striker eleven weapons Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Small shield ST 5 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Wall of Steel eight weapons Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 Small shield ST 5 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Morningstar ST 13 SZ - WT 7 DF 13 Warhammer ST 13 SZ - WT 5 DF 7 Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Warflail ST 11 SZ - WT 7 DF 5 Jorja The Middle Way DM 93 and elsewhere