DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 09/19/2015 Duedate: 10/02/2015 NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA DM-93 TURN-438 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS NOT ENOUGH BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685) (93-9834) [5-2-0,66] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader POSITION IS EMPTY NOT ENOUGH BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685) (93-9834) [5-2-0,66] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite NOT ENOUGH NOT ENOUGH BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685) BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685) (93-9834) [5-2-0,66] (93-9834) [5-2-0,66] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. FARM ANIMALS (1682) 42 2. KRAKEN'S DEN (1681) 17 BRUTE STRENGTH (491) 3. THE BLOODLUST (1688) 8 Unchartered Team 4. BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685) 1 5. ANGELS OF ANARCHY (1687) -4BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 1*BASH BROS LEFTOVE (1685) 27 8 0 77.1 1/ 1*BASH BROS LEFTOVE (1685) 11 4 0 2/ 3*FARM ANIMALS (1682) 19 10 1 65.5 2/ 3*FARM ANIMALS (1682) 8 2 0 3/ 0*THE BLOODLUST (1688) 1 1 1 50.0 3/ 4*ANGELS OF ANARCHY (1687) 3 7 0 4/ 0*KRAKEN'S DEN (1681) 5 10 0 33.3 4/ 0*KRAKEN'S DEN (1681) 2 3 0 5/ 2*ANGELS OF ANARCHY (1687) 3 7 0 30.0 5/ 0*THE BLOODLUST (1688) 1 1 1 '*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn (###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank TEAM SPOTLIGHT FINDING FAVORITE WEAPONS -- THE CONSORTIUM WAY Does your battle axe "slice across with tree-felling power"? Or your long sword unleash a "piercingly accurate thrust"? Or your quarterstaff attack with "berserker fury"? No? Read on. A common discussion in D2 is about finding a favorite weapon. Why would anyone want to find the warrior's favorite weapon? Why? Simply because a warrior usually fights much better with his favorite in his hand. Upon graduation to The Isle (Lord Protectorship) each warrior is informed of his birthright favorites. (Called "faves" by most of us.) That includes, the favorite weapon, the favorite rhythm, and with luck, some favorite tactics and/or tactic learns. Warriors also usually fight better when they are on their "faves". This article is only about the weapon part of a warrior's faves. If one could fine a warrior's faves early, one would presumably be giving their warrior a nice advantage in fights. So how does one find a favorite weapon? Actually, you cannot "find" it, but you can surmise it from the data you collect. Consortium managers tend to find their warrior's fave weapon appx. 30-50% of the time before graduation. (Some of the time, the fave is just not discernable; some of the time, the estimate is just plain incorrect.) The Consortium method is as follows: Chart/record these numbers from each fight: Weapon used Swings Crits Extra value hits Then record the data by weapon as follows: crits/swings/EHV. For example, a striker may have tried three weapons with these results: BS 0-21-1 SS 3-13-2 SC 1-19-0 The more crits per swing, the more likely you have found a favorite weapon. (Bear in mind that a favorite weapon is not the ONLY reason one crits more. Factors like experience, attack skill quantity, strategy levels, etc., also come in to play.) Even if it is not the fave, it is certainly a better performing weapon, and ought to be considered for a lot of use. It is thought that if a weapon is performing well, the favorite weapon is probably that weapon, or one of a similar type. For example, the SS above looks most favorable, so there is some possibility that the fave is that SS or another lunging type weapon, such as a LO or LS. One of the more common questions is, "Just what is a crit?" We Consortiumites define it as a swing which "reads with extra ferociousness"! For example, using the SS above "lunges with the SS is a normal swing while "shortspear moves like angry lightning" is a critical swing. To alleviate any questions of what is a critical swing, below are listed the best active list of criticals per weapon. The Weapons Criticals List Broadsword (BS) Brings his BROADSWORD down in a horrible cleaving motion! BROADSWORD arcs from overhead with maximum momentum and force! BROADSWORD whips horizontally across with a deadly timed power! Charges forward, BROADSWORD whistling through the air! Hacks at her (BROADSWORD at her) foe with untamed berserker energy! Makes a ferocious backhanded assault with her BROADSWORD! Sweeps his BROADSWORD in a sudden, vicious assault! Unleashes a horrifying attack (with her BROADSWORD), straining every muscle for power! Battle Axe (BA) Brings his BATLE AXE hurtling down with devastating force! Brings his BATTLE AXE slicing across with tree-felling power! BATTLE AXE arcs forward with a terrible destructive energy! Makes an all-out cleaving attack with his BATTLE AXE! Slices up wickedly with the gleaming blade of his BATTLE AXE! Sweeps his BATTLE AXE in a deadly assault on his opponent! Unleashes an incredible full-bladed chop with her BATTLE AXE! Whirls his BATTLE AXE from overhead, attacking with demonic fury! Dagger (DA) Attacks, his DAGGER wielded with an unnerving precision! DAGGER flashes as he takes a sudden vicious slash at his foe! DAGGER strikes instantly as his opponent leaves an opening! Drives his DAGGER in a forward slash! Ducks low and takes a wicked upward slice with his DAGGER! Leaps forward, DAGGER thrusting with malevolence and surety! Makes a cruel and cunning underhanded attack with his DAGGER! Strikes overhead, DAGGER ripping with incredible swiftness! Whirls and strikes backhandedly with his DAGGER! Epee (EP) Attacks from low guard, EPEE slicing wickedly upwards at her foe! Blurs forward, EPEE stabbing suddenly with blinding speed! Dives forward, EPEE stabbing repeatedly with his charge! EPEE leaps forward suddenly from a high guard overhead! EPEE strikes forward in a clash of cold steel! Lunges forward, EPEE thrusting with incredible speed and accuracy! Makes an incredible flesh-splitting slash with her EPEE! Whips his EPEE blade back and forth as if to slash his foe to ribbons! Fist (FI) Attacks, FISTS punching with piston-like horse felling power! Attacks his foe with a pinpoint accurate ELBOW! Dives forward, FISTS driving at his opponent with menacing fury! Explodes into a deadly double OPEN HAND strike! HANDS flash forward, jabbing fiercely at her surprised foe! Hammers down a ferocious FOREARM smash! Hauls back and spins into a near-lethal ELBOW smash! PUNCHES from the waist with an unbelievable quickness! Spins around and hammers a tremendous ELBOW smash towards his foe! Throws a rock-fisted PUNCH of incredible felling power Kick (FI) LEG smashes outward, kicking with tremendous force! Throws a piston like SIDE KICK at his opponent! Leaps into the air taking a vicious flying KICK at his opponent! Unleashes a bone-crushing KICK of incredible power! Focuses all of his skill and power into a devastating KICK! Howls as he snaps a full force KICK at his foe! Spins, throwing a devastating WHEEL KICK at his foe! Attacks, LEGS flying in an unbelievable double footed kick! Great Axe (GA) Attacks, bringing his GREAT AXE down with bone-splitting force! Brings his GREAT AXE ferociously slashing downward from his head! Cuts powerfully forward, his full weight behind his GREAT AXE! GREAT AXE slices at his opponent with concentrated hatred! Makes a malevolent attack with his gleaming GREAT AXE! Muscles ripple as his GREAT AXE cuts through the air! Throws his entire weight behind his GREAT AXE in a mighty assault! Greatsword (GS) Attacks, bringing his GREATSWORD down with bone-splitting force! Attacks, swinging his GREATSWORD with untamed savagery! Brings his GREATSWORD hurtling downward from above his head! Brings his GREATSWORD smashing outward in a vicious attack! Hacks mercilessly at his foe with his GERATSWORD! GREATSWORD arcs forward in an attempt to cut his foe in two! Muscles ripple as he makes a powerful swing with his GREATSWORD! Whirls his GREATSWORD overhead, attempting a bashing attack! Halberd (HL) Attacks, HALBARD sweeping with devastating momentum! Batters mercilessly at his foe with his HALBARD! Flashes outward, attacking with horrifying power! Grimly unleashes an incredible attack with his HALBARD! Hurls his body behind a full length sweep with his HALBARD! Jerks her HALBARD brutally upward in a wicked thrusting arc! Lashes out with the full length of her HALBARD! Powers her HALBARD to smash at her foe with untamed fury! Smashes her HALBARD down executioner-style from overhead! Hatchet (HA) Backhands mightily, revealing the flash of her HATCHET spike! Chops savagely downward with her trusty HATCHET! Hacks viciously downward with the blade of his HATCHET! HATCHET flashes with snake-like speed and accuracy! Lashes out brilliantly with his HATCHET! Makes a HATCHET swing that takes the crowd's breath away! Twists his HATCHET aiming a malevolent chop at the defense! Unleashes a HATCHET attack that absolutely stuns the fans! Large Shield (LG) Barrels forward, LARGE SHIELD smashing before him as the crowd roars! Cruelly attempts to pulverize his foe with his LARGE SHIELD! Cruelly attempts to batter her foe with her LARGE SHIELD! Rest same as other shields Longspear (LS) Catapults forward, LONGSPEAR flashing in a deadly assault! Charges forward, LONG SPEAR thrusting with murderous power! Is making a deliberate attempt to impale her enemy with her LONG SPEAR! LONG SPEAR strikes forward with incredible swiftness and power! Lunges into an attack, his LONGSPEAR flying with incredible force! Makes a devastating thrust, LONG SPEAR blurring in the attack! Makes a lighting thrust with his LONGSPEAR! (*) Unleashes a murderous thrust that brings the crowd to their feet! Longsword (LO) Catapults forward, LONGSWORD stabbing cruelly at his foe! Feints, then springs viciously forward with his LONGSWORD! Lashes out with her longsword in a murderous thrust! Leaps into an incredible flesh-splitting lunge with his LONGSWORD! LONGSWORD lunges forward with a flash of cold, cruel steel! Strikes forward with his LONGSWORD, all his weight behind his blow! Thrusts her LONGSWORD, brilliantly timing her opponent's motion! Thrusts his LONGSWORD, cleverly timing his opponent's motion! Thrusts his LONGSWORD forward with an unbelievably deadly force! Unleashes her LONGSWORD in a piercingly accurate thrust! Maul (ML) Bats murderously at his foe with his MAUL! Bludgeons his MAUL with terrible savagery! Makes a devastatingly powerful sweep with his MAUL! Smashes furiously downward with his MAUL! Sweeps his MAUL in a tremendous bone-crushing arc! Throws his weight behind is MAUL in an all-out assault! Medium Shield (ME) Barrels forward, MEDIUM SHIELD smashing before him as the crowd roars! Cruelly attempts to batter his foe with his MEDIUM SHIELD! Cruelly attempts to flatten his foe with his MEDIUM SHIELD! Smashes his MEDIUM SHIELD wickedly forward toward his foe! Sweeps his MEDIUM SHIELD in a sudden, unexpected assault! Runs forward, seeking to pummel his opponent with his MEDIUM SHIELD! Morning Star (MS) Attacks, whirling the MORNING STAR with tremendous Force! Attempts to smash at his opponent with his MORNING STAR! Cleverly tries to break her foes defense with her MORNING STAR! MORNING STAR whines with unstoppable velocity! Snaps the MORNING STAR forward in a deadly assault! Swings his MORNING STAR with deadly intent at his target Whips his MORNING STAR downward in a remorseless arc! Whips his MORNING STAR downward in a vicious power smash! Quarterstaff (QS) Bats murderously at his foe with his QUARTERSTAFF! Brings his QUARTERSTAFF smashing ferociously downward! Impresses everyone with a masterful thrust of her QUARTERSTAFF! Jabs murderously at her foe with the tip of her QUARTERSTAFF! Lashes out with her QUARTERSTAFF in a lightning quick assault! Surprises everyone with a masterful swing of his QUARTERSTAFF! Sweeps her QUARTERSTAFF in a tremendous bone-crushing arc! Whirls her QUARTERSTAFF, attacking with berserker fury! Scimitar (SC) Attacks, her SCIMITAR wielded with malevolence! Ducks low, her SCIMITAR slicing suddenly upwards! Leaps forward, swinging her SCIMITAR into a veritable wall of blades! Leaps into the air, bringing his SCIMITAR down in a powerful slash! Leaps into the air in a furious slash! Leaps into the air taking a furious slash with his SCIMITAR! makes a brilliant twisting thrust with his SCIMITAR! times a devilish cunning attack, SCIMITAR leaping with deadly force! twists into a tremendous cutting attack with his SCIMITAR! Turns into a furious whirlwind of blades as her SCIMITAR leaps forward! SCIMITAR lunges with awesome cutting power! Small Shield (SM) Attempts to swat at his foe with his SMALL SHIELD! (NOT a crit) Barrels forward, SMALL SHIELD smashing before him as the crowd roars! Charges forward, trying to run down his opponent with his SMALL SHIELD! Cruelly attempts to batter his foe with his SMALL SHIELD! Cruelly attempts to bruise his foe with his SMALL SHIELD! Runs forward, seeking to pummel his opponent with his SMALL SHIELD! Sweeps his SMALL SHIELD in a clever backhanded assault! Sweeps his SMALL SHIELD in a sudden, unexpected assault! Smashes his SMALL SHIELD wickedly forward towards his foe! Short Spear (SS) Dives into a powerful lunge with its SHORT SPEAR! Lunges past its foe and brings its SHORT SPEAR into a brilliant backhand stab! Makes a menacing underthrust with her SHORT SPEAR! Rushes her foe, her SHORT SPEAR underthrusting malevolently! SHORT SPEAR leaps forward with incredible swiftness and power! SHORT SPEAR moves like angry lightning! SHORT SPEAR strikes with blinding quickness! Springs with full extension with her SHORT SPEAR! Shortsword (SH) Focuses his energy in a powerful upward stab with his SHORTSWORD! Hacks viciously downward with her SHORTSWORD! Lashes his SHORTSWORD cruelly at a break in the defense! Makes a clever stab with his SHORTSWORD that stuns the fans! Stabs powerfully upward with his SHORTSWORD! Thrusts his SHORTSWORD forward with his full force behind it! Thrusts his SHORTSWORD in a lightning move at the defense! SHORTSWORD leaps forward in a bloodthirsty assault on his foe! Sweeps his SHORTSWORD in a tight, powerful slash! War Flail (WF) "Whiffle" Attacks, his WAR FLAIL whistling with a frightful acceleration! Cracks his cruelly barbed WAR FLAIL with tremendous force! Hauls back and power smashes with his WAR FLAIL! Lashes out, WAR FLAIL chains curling with a hideous power! Takes a tremendous swipe at his foe with his WAR FLAIL! Sweeps his WAR FLAIL in a vicious flailing arc! Unleashes a murderous full force attack with his WAR FLAIL! WAR FLAIL screams in the rush of this assault! War Hammer (WH) Attacks, his WARHAMMER wielded with pile-driving precision! Backhands, swinging his HAMMER-SPIKE savagely at his target! Brings his WAR HAMMER crashing downward with horrific power! Is attempting to smash through the defense with his WAR HAMMER! Launches a brilliant attack with his WAR HAMMER! Makes a lightning-quick backhand smash with her WAR HAMMER! Sweeps his WAR HAMMER downward in a crudely brutal smash! Sweeps his WAR HAMMER downward in a vicious power slash! Takes a tremendous swipe at his foe with his WAR HAMMER! Remember "Crits" are the key. Good luck in your weapon selection decision making as it just may make the difference between a win or a loss. -- Friendly Farmer of Farm Animals (Consortium affiliated) ***---------*---------*---------*---------**---------*---------*---------*---------*** The Importance of Damage One thing that some articles allude to, but few spell out, is how important your damage rating is on your warrior. When your warrior is created, he will randomly be assigned a damage rating based on his strength and size. This damage rating can make or break a warrior. Realize that this article focuses entirely on your warrior's basic career (before he graduates to the Advanced arenas). First, I will talk about the possible damage ratings your warrior can have. Little Damage - For the most part, this is crippling to a warrior in basic. A few types of warriors can run successfully with little damage, but for the most part, this rating will kill a basic career. Doesn't mean it can't be fun, though. Normal Damage - The very least that most managers should consider to be successful. Still, it is not as much as I'd like most of the time, but I can work with Normal. But you'll still see often that normal damage warriors have difficulty finishing off their opponents. Good Damage - Here is where we start to see the sweet spot! Good damage is just fine for most warriors. More is better, but Good works! Great Damage - Great Damage can be the difference between fantastic performance and average performance. Highly recommended. Tremendous Damage - Tremendous Damage is nice, but once you have great damage, the increases in doing damage don't matter as much. More is better, but Tremendous is the last rating of damage that you'll see dramatic difference in performance with. Awesome Damage - Awesome Damage is fun and is the last damage rating where you won't cripple the rest of your abilities in basic. It is possible to get Awesome Damage with 21 strength and 11 size, which still leaves a reasonable amount of points for other more important stats. Devastating Damage - In basic, I do not recommend spending the points required to get Devastating or Super Human. It is a complete waste of points, unless you're doing it for the novelty and to have fun with it. Super Human Damage - This is the highest possible rating a new warrior can get. It requires 21 strength and 20 or 21 size (basically half your points). But what rating does my particular warrior need? Now I will try to give recommondations for how to identify the needs of your warrior in particular. First, Pure Defensive warriors don't care all that much about how much damage they do. If you aren't planning to win by damage, there is no need to do damage. So Little is fine in this situation. If you have access to high damage weapons (SC (most common), BS, BA, GS), damage also isn't as important. I still recommend normal or better, but these weapons do superior damage and can help overcome a smaller damage rating. Next, AB's, owing largely to their high attack and low endurance burn, are the most well suited offensive/hybrid warrior to be able to overcome the curse of little damage. Finally, if you have enough endurance, you can simply keep swinging and swinging until you finally take down a warrior. Most of the time, though, your opponent will try and swing back, which usually makes this strategy ineffective. On the opposite side of the spectrum, certain types of warriors are MUCH better with higher damage ratings. Parry Ripostes are the first style I will mention. Rippers have a notorious habit of letting their opponents swing. Because of this, they need to make their own swings count. I do not intend to ever run another Parry Riposte with less than Good damage. It is simply too hard to get them to finish fights otherwise. All offensive warriors, but especially Bashers, also would much prefer Good damage or better. I single out bashers because their weapons tend to do less damage than the weapons other types of warriors have available. Finally, Lungers need a good combination of endurance and damage. They want to run with very hot rhythms, so they aren't going to win a lot of longer fights. Normal damage lungers are fine if you have good or better endurance, but if you have normal endurance, you almost certainly want good or better damage. My main intention for writing this article is to help newer managers understand that damage rating (which is one of the most variable attributes on a new warrior) often goes hand in hand with success. I cannot stress enough how much little damage will hurt the vast majority of warriors out there (and how much good or better damage will tend to help a warrior). The only caveat is that with damage, more is not necessarily better if it means you're sacrificing in other areas! And I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that there are exceptions to nearly every rule. There will always be warriors that break the guidelines I've set out here. It doesn't mean my guidelines are wrong or bad. It simply means that some warriors outperform what you would expect (and others don't live up to your expectations). DUELMASTER'S COLUMN Notes from the arena champ. One Concubine down (barely), but I know that my reign could end or continue easily. And as I look below me, I see a Plow Horse working tirelessly trying to overtake my position here. Best of luck to me! -- Not Enough SPY REPORT Greetings, Warriors of NOBLISH ISLAND. Allow this humble servant Novgorodny Vir to give you a respite from the fights in the form of this Spyreport. Our Duelmaster has lost, folks, lost to KHALHUMS DWARF, BUT NOT ENOUGH is still the Duelmaster because he has the most recognition points! Word has it one team in NOBLISH ISLAND is using psychics to predict wins. They lead a charmed life! And how sociable are NOBLISH ISLAND's warriors? Come, let us see. Perhaps the warriors of BASH BROS LEFTOVERS should take up some hobbies, as they are the most avoided team... As a woman of good breeding scorns the "warriors" of FARM ANIMALS, so did that sorry team shy from BASH BROS LEFTOVERS Is it charming personality? Conversational abilities? Good oral hygiene? Whatever it is, SOMEONE ELSE ATE is the most challenged warrior. MOCKINGBIRD challenged SOMEONE ELSE ATE! Who says FARM ANIMALS are just a bunch of wimps! MOCKINGBIRD of FARM ANIMALS kept hers wits as she won victory over SOMEONE ELSE ATE. Like the wind whispering among the pines, do hearest I many disquieting rumors. Questions are being raised about the disposing of severed body parts in the arena. A certain tavern in NOBLISH ISLAND would I avoid! Do not think spyreporting in NOBLISH ISLAND is the highlight of my life. Keep those sands bloody and the buzzards fat! Can anything compare to the pleasure of writing Spyreports for NOBLISH ISLAND? On that giddy note I take my leave-- Novgorodny Vir DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME NOT ENOUGH 9834 5 2 0 66 BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME PLOW HORSE 9816 6 0 0 48 FARM ANIMALS (1682) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME MOCKINGBIRD 9814 2 4 0 31 FARM ANIMALS (1682) MYSTERIOUS 9831 5 2 0 28 BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685) ROOSTER 9813 3 3 0 28 FARM ANIMALS (1682) PRETTY KITTY 9815 5 1 1 26 FARM ANIMALS (1682) TOO MANY 9832 6 1 0 25 BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685) FAT COW 9812 3 2 0 25 FARM ANIMALS (1682) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME MOLDY 9830 6 1 0 23 BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685) PRISCUS 9807 2 1 0 18 KRAKEN'S DEN (1681) SOMEONE ELSE ATE 9833 5 2 0 17 BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685) SWEETNESS 9841 1 1 0 15 ANGELS OF ANARCHY (1687) SPICULUS 9808 2 1 0 13 KRAKEN'S DEN (1681) -AUTUMNBE 9643 3 2 0 12 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657) TETRAITES 9809 1 2 0 12 KRAKEN'S DEN (1681) FANTHOM DEFT 9850 1 0 1 7 THE BLOODLUST (1688) SALTY 9844 1 1 0 7 ANGELS OF ANARCHY (1687) -DRAXXUS 9644 1 4 0 7 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657) SUGAR 9840 1 1 0 7 ANGELS OF ANARCHY (1687) -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) GINA 9843 0 2 0 3 ANGELS OF ANARCHY (1687) CARPOPHORUS 9811 0 3 0 3 KRAKEN'S DEN (1681) SPICE 9842 0 2 0 2 ANGELS OF ANARCHY (1687) VAMPIRIAL 9849 0 1 0 1 THE BLOODLUST (1688) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? ATTILIUS 9810 0 3 0 KRAKEN'S DEN 1681 FANTHOM DEFT 9850 438 PERSONAL ADS Assur, I was 'perfect" with no losses last turn. What about you? (wink) -- Friendly Farmer Sorry for missing the last round, Folks. The turns were apparently LITM (lost in the mail), misplaced, hijacked by Assur, confiscated for Deflategate, detained at the border, or whatever. I did try. -- Friendly, but disappointed, Farmer Welcome to all the newbies! -- Friendly Farmer Assur -- Thank you for the welcome and the hints. -- Arya The CIC has been very helpful. Is there a way to translate the "wit statements" to AL/OE? In other words, would a warrior with "an extremely active fighter? be run better at 9 or 10 AL? Or does it matter? Is a wild swing the result of a lack of attack skills, too high of an OE/KD or coordination? How much of a negative is using an unsuitable weapon? I mean not suited because of ST/WT/DF. Hawaiian Shadow -- Great fight. You certainly looked better than your record suggested, but sometimes you can look good in fights and not win, too. Best of luck as you depart Noblish. -- Someone Else Ate Farmer -- It really is ok. We won't condemn you for your performance. (The Consortium Elders might, though). -- Assur LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS MOCKINGBIRD devastated SOMEONE ELSE ATE in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge fight. GINA lost to TOO MANY in a 1 minute Challenge battle. SUGAR was overcome by FAT COW in a 2 minute novice's Challenge match. SWEETNESS lost to ROOSTER in a 1 minute Challenge brawl. SALTY was bested by PRETTY KITTY in a 1 minute Challenge fight. NOT ENOUGH was defeated by KHALHUMS DWARF in a 3 minute Title match. PLOW HORSE bested AMBITIOUS GUARD in a action packed 4 minute brawl. MYSTERIOUS overpowered MORDANT DESERTER in a 1 minute one-sided struggle. MOLDY unbelievably bested SPICULUS in a 4 minute gory competition. CARPOPHORUS was viciously subdued by EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 1 minute beginner's melee. ATTILIUS was dispatched by FANTHOM DEFT in a 3 minute beginner's fight. TETRAITES vanquished VAMPIRIAL in a 2 minute brutal one-sided fight. PRISCUS handily defeated SPICE in a 1 minute one-sided bout. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |WALL OF STEEL 5 TOTAL PARRY 11 - 1 - 0 92 | |BASHING ATTACK 5 WALL OF STEEL 11 - 6 - 1 65 | |AIMED BLOW 3 PARRY-LUNGE 7 - 4 - 1 64 | |LUNGING ATTACK 2 BASHING ATTACK 29 - 17 - 1 63 | |SLASHING ATTACK 2 SLASHING ATTACK 14 - 12 - 2 54 | |STRIKING ATTACK 2 PARRY-STRIKE 2 - 2 - 0 50 | |PARRY-LUNGE 1 LUNGING ATTACK 9 - 10 - 0 47 | |PARRY-STRIKE 1 AIMED BLOW 11 - 13 - 1 46 | |TOTAL PARRY 1 STRIKING ATTACK 11 - 15 - 1 42 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 - 12 - 0 20 | Turn 438 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are: PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 0 WALL OF STEEL 2 - 3 3 BASHING ATTACK PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 0 BASHING ATTACK 1 - 4 2 AIMED BLOW LUNGING ATTACK 2 - 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 1 TOTAL PARRY TOTAL PARRY 1 - 0 STRIKING ATTACK 0 - 2 1 PARRY-LUNGE AIMED BLOW 2 - 1 1 SLASHING ATTACK SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 1 1 WALL OF STEEL 1 LUNGING ATTACK 1 PARRY-STRIKE TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME BASHING ATTACK NOT ENOUGH 9834 5 2 0 66 BASH BROS LEFTOVERS (1685) TOTAL PARRY PLOW HORSE 9816 6 0 0 48 FARM ANIMALS (1682) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is NOT ENOUGH 9834. The most popular warrior this turn was NOT ENOUGH 9834. The ten other most popular fighters were SPICULUS 9808, TETRAITES 9809, FAT COW 9812, MOCKINGBIRD 9814, ROOSTER 9813, PRETTY KITTY 9815, MOLDY 9830, TOO MANY 9832, MYSTERIOUS 9831, and FANTHOM DEFT 9850. The least popular fighter this week was SPICE 9842. The other ten least popular fighters were CARPOPHORUS 9811, PLOW HORSE 9816, SALTY 9844, SWEETNESS 9841, SUGAR 9840, GINA 9843, SOMEONE ELSE ATE 9833, PRISCUS 9807, VAMPIRIAL 9849, and ATTILIUS 9810. The Defensive Lunger Perfect Minimums Actual Characters ST 13 11 11 13 CN 7 3 3 11 SZ 4 4 10 6 WT 21 17 17 17 WL 17 13 17 19 SP 5 5 9 5 DF 17 13 17 13 The lunger, in my opinion, makes a much better defensive fighter than offensive fighter. Fighting defensively will compensate for the speed at which lungers burn endurance. They will still attack whenever possible but their defensive ability will allow them to dodge most attacks. The most important part is their initiative. When they do dodge, they'll usually steal the initiative and attack. I haven't been fighting lungers defensively for long but my record is 14-5-0. Don't fight defensively against other lungers as they will usually win. The strategy I use is: Min 1 2 3 4 5 6 Desp Off 4 -------------------------> 9 Weapon: Any lunging Act 6 4 --------------------> 9 No armor if low con KD 4 -------------------------> 9 APL/H if average con O.T. ---------------------------> L D.T. --------------------------------> You can attack any location you wish but I suggest protecting the body. The third character listed started with experts in attack, defense and initiative. The last character had an expert in attack. The Wild Boar, manager of Things (5) and many inactive teams. WARRIOR ENDURANCE Greetings, joy and happiness to everyone! I hope you have had pleasant dueling. This article is about endurance and some things to think about when you're designing your warriors. Below is a chart showing the different endurance levels a warrior may have. This chart may be a little off of due to the fact it isn't possible to have all the variables as a manager, but it does give you idea of the amount of endurance a warrior should have. The formula for endurance is: E = (ST+CN)WL With the result of that number use the chart below. 000-180 = Very Poor 181-240 = Poor 235-390 = Normal 391-509 = Good 510-639 = Great 640-699 = Tremendous 770+ = Awesome Here are some examples of warriors with their Endurance ratings: 1) Slasher ST 5 CN 7 WL 15 (5+7)15 = 180 Poor 2) Striker ST 7 CN 13 WL 9 (7+13)9 = 180 Poor 3) Parry-Rip ST 7 CN 10 WL 11 (7+10)11 = 187 Poor 4) Basher ST 13 CN 9 WL 9 (13+9)9 = 198 Very Poor 5) Striker ST 13 CN 9 WL 9 (13+9)9 = 198 Poor 6) Aimed-Blow ST 9 CN 15 WL 9 (9+15)9 = 216 Normal 7) Striker ST 10 CN 5 WL 15 (10+5)15 = 225 Normal 8) Slasher ST 13 CN 10 WL 10 (13+10)10 = 230 Normal 9) Wall/Steel ST 13 CN 12 WL 17 (13+12)17 = 425 Great There are several factors such as warrior style, RSI random factor, and there is some evidence that SIZE has some effect on a warrior's endurance. In any case the RSI LUCK factor can be around 7 to 8% in your favor or 2-3% worse than average. These are just estimates, but are still factors nevertheless. Some styles that are HIGH BURN endurance, like lungers, slashers and walls of steel, are more likely to be UNLUCKY with the endurance rating. Every action your warrior does consumes endurance. Attacking seems to use more endurance than any other action. Once a warrior's endurance is used up, he will make an endurance check against his WILL. If he fails the roll, he will either stop to rest or collapse to the sand, depending on how badly he failed the roll. When a warrior stops to rest, he gets back some endurance. When he gets enough endurance back, he will start attacking again. This is just a theory that I have developed from observations. It maybe completely off, but it gives one something to ponder. That's it for now lords and ladies, I must go entertain elsewhere. If you would like to chat about DM or other things, you can EMAIL me at 103260.3347@compuserve.com or visit my DM website at http://ourworld.compuserve.com./homepages/jessisjest/homepage.htm You can also diplo me at DM 11 "The Lords Of the Abyss (319)" or any of the Joker's Wilds scattered about. Cheerio, Sir Jessie Jest Member of the Ivory League Presenting, by Popular Demand (from 1989)... THE NUMEROLOGY OF DUELMASTERS by The Ghost of Eldrid Character Generation Hello, I am the Ghost of Eldrid, and I have an important message that directly effects how well your team may do in the future. Some managers will not take this important article seriously (some people don't believe in ghosts, either), and their records will suffer for it. I have played Duelmasters for four years and searched through all of my old turns and painstakingly researched every important fact in this article, and I have discussed my conclusions with about ten different managers (named managers such as Phido, Doctor LeGrand, Silk, Russ, and Biff Frothingslosh) who all agree on the validity of my arguments. The results of my research are both startling and magnificent. THERE IS NUMEROLOGY IN DUELMASTERS!!! Whether it was programmed in or it exists on a higher plane, it matters not. IT EXISTS!!! And I plan to share some of its amazing secrets with you, starting with character creation. Remember in the realm of character generation the powers favor odd number stats. NEVER, EVER have an even number on stats, except, of course, for size, which, obviously should be even since everyone can tell what size your character is by his description in the fight. Do you want people thinking your warrior is odd? I should hope not!! But in case you decide to keep your odd warrior, DO NOT MAKE ANY OTHER STATS EVEN!! Write a letter to the commission stating that you forgo the rights to the last point and you want it to be sacrificed to the benefit of Alastari. Always start adding points to wit and will first. Either make them 13, 17, or 21. Why? Under 12 wit is worthless, as any good manager will tell you. A 13 understandably gives your opponent bad luck, a 17 has the ever-lucky "7" in it, and 21 is BLACKJACK, and you get twice the number of winnings you would normally get. Why not 15 or 19? Is it not obvious to everyone that 15 is unlucky? The only President of the United States not married was the 15th, James Buchanan (who?). Lincoln was shot on April 15th, and the clincher... my brother was born on the 15th of May. If these "coincidences" don't prove to you that 15 is unlucky, I don't know what will. 19 is an evil number. It tries to deceive you into thinking it is better than 17, but actually, it is an "11" with a small zero placed on the second pole, and we all know that a zero is nothing. So what do we get for our extra eight points? In effect, something smaller than nothing. Next, make every other stat odd. Add the other points to make the style you want. Deftness is the key to character generation. Deftness (min) 5 to make a basher (ST 13+) 7 for a lunger 9 for a striker 11 for a wall of steel (ST 11+, WL 17+) 13 for a parry lunge (ST 11+), slasher (SP 11+), parry-strike, and total parries (these styles depend on the opponent's bad luck. 17 for a parry-riposte (WT 17+) 21 for an aimed blow (this style needs the double winnings) The last thing to remember is that luck is a big factor in this game and I don't know if you noticed, but when warriors have even ID numbers they are luckier than odd ID characters. Look at the best warriors in Primus: Wallbanger, Donatello, Epitaph, Chaos Knight, Villiage Idiot, Silverflash, Khorga Khan, Jake the Snake, Sly, Max, Stormbringer, Teetotaler, Raphael, Selleque, Kiri, Constance, Hangover, Eve, and Sam Spade. All have even-numbered IDs. Now you say, "But Yoda and Necron-99 both have odd IDs, and they are the best aimed blows of the game!" Yes, but they are AIMED BLOWS and they are members of an odd style, so of course they do better with odd numbers. So remember if you want your warriors to be best in all Alastari someday, Dark Arena all your odd-numbered characters, unless of course they are aimed blows. Good luck, and may the numbers fall your way. -- The Ghost of Eldrid, retired PARRY-STRIKE, ANOTHER FUN STYLE There have been several articles about fighting styles, some say theirs is the best, or ultimate, one said theirs is the most fun style. Well, I feel that parry- strikers are just as much fun to play as any other style. First, let's start with the run down of what they say in the "RED BOOK". The book says that parry-strikers are defensive, using small quick movements in their actions (sounds like you could say that about some other styles as well.) The book says that some managers swear that a high wit is critical to the style (only those who have no brains would disagree with that.) Let's get to business. First and foremost this style is deceptively aggressive, making them a very good offensive type of fighter, or deadly type of defensive fighter. Offensively they tend to get the jump on their opponent. I had a parry- striker that was only jumped 3 out of 11 fights, before he died. To prepare and run a parry-striker can be quite confusing, so I will try to help make it as simple as possible. Here are my feelings on roll-ups for the parry-strike style: ST: 11-15, I'll explain later. CN: who cares. SZ: 10-14, don't go over 14. WT: 13-17, 17 is the best. WL: 13-17, to get good endurance. SP: not important. DF: 11-15, I'll explain later. Here are some good roll-ups for a parry-striker: 11,7,10,17,17,7,15; 15,7,11,17,16,7,11; 11,7,14,17,13,7,15; 15,7,14,17,13,7,11. Now, if you have a decent wit, the way you run this fighting style will depend on strength and deftness. For example: if your fighter has a high DF and a low ST it would be to his/her advantage to be defensive, since the speed would benefit the ability to move in reaction to their opponent. If the ST is high, and DF low, it would be better to fight offensively like a striker, trying to get the first, and only blow in. If they don't have a decent wit, you're on your own. I can't help you on that. Remember this style of fighting is the same as a striker except for added knowledge of parrying, as well as bein a little more aggressive. I would not suggest a low ST and DF, it will take away from your WT & WL, and you don't want to do that, but if you do, good luck. You don't need much CN if you have a good WL, which gives you your endurance. SZ; you don't want it to be above 14, it would hurt your fighting style more than your attributes. WT; it is the same as it is with strikers, the higher the WT the faster and deadlier they become. Raise WT to 17 if you don't have it at the start, then don't worry about it again until ADM. WL; this is where you get your endurance. 13 is fine to start out, but I would suggest 15, then bump it up to 17 in basic. SP; it is what you need to riposte, but PSers have this "one strike one kill" attitude. Meaning that there isn't much time to riposte with a killing attitude, so do whatever. DF; what is there to say, it helps, but is not crucial to be a great PSer. Now to running a PSer. If he is an offensive fighter 10-10-10 Dec. all the way through the fight, even in desperation. If Defensive, 1st 10-10-10 Resp., 2nd 10-7-10 Dec., 3rd 10-10-10, 4th 10-10-10 Dec., 5th 10-10-10 Dec., 6th 10-10-10, Desp. 10-10-10 Resp. Remember, first you want to assure your defense, and to do that, you should go defensive the first minute. By the second minute you will be secure enough to go on the offensive, but experiment. 6th minute on, leave blank, for by that time he/she will know what to do (if their WT is high that is.) The best thing you could do for your fighter is watch the fights, if you are getting more defensive skills than offensive, run the def., or change weapons. That is the best advice I can give you about PSers. About armor, I like to use ringmail or nothing, but experiment. I know that there is someone that will disagree with me, but I feel that I have given you some ideas about this fighting style that can be used, even though I am a new manager, playing for just over a year. No matter who writes a style article, it is just advice, not the bible. Just use the articles as a point of reference, not as sworn law. This is a very fun fighting style, try it out. I have written this in answer to Foreign Legion Arena 31, and The Spartans Arena 8. I challenge any Primus Manager to correct my writing of PSers. It is not my favorite style, but it is as fun as any other that I have used, including my favorite one (Which is a STRIKER!!) If there are any comments, please Diplo The Priest, the manager of The Heroes of XIAN DM-10, or The Crucifiers DM-46. THE ARMOR PIERCING PARRY-LUNGE When you think "attack" what style comes to mind? Bashing? Definitely lunging? Of course. Parry-Lunging? Excuse me? Yes, the parry-lunger! Few people realize the fact that parry-lungers are attack gods waiting to be born. All it takes is the right warrior and lots of guts. This warrior is not for the weak of heart. We'll begin with stats. Range Perfect ST 9-11 11 CN 5-9 5 SZ 6-11 8 WT 17or21 21 WL 17or21 17 SP 5-8 5 DF 15-17 17 Why? ST(11): This is your optimum PL strength. It puts your warrior in the normal to good damage range. Also, you have the best PL weapon at your disposal--the LO! CN(5): Yes, his life expectancy is low. What'd I tell you? Guts, right? He gets his endurance from WL. If you want to make trains, make them here. SZ(8): Our most flexible stat. A high SZ (i.e.11) allows you to skimp a bit on Str (9). WT(21): If it's not a 21 you're not going to get the attack this fellow counts on. His learns will be awesome and a 21 WT will make him a better warrior out of the chocks. WL(17): End/Att are dependent on this one being high. Keeps you on your feet when you should drop from exhaustion. SP(5): Not a big requirement. Init and Parry will come from elsewhere (WT/DF). This is not a lunger mimic. DF(17): Combine this DF with a 21 WT and you will have a massive attack. Pinpoint accuracy is the byword. Parry, init, def and riposte will all benefit immeasurably. At 15 you have access to the EP, a fine lunging weapon this style can put to devastating use. Strategy (General, but effective in most cases) 2 9 9 7 6 5 10 6 9 9 7 6 5 10 2 7 7 7 5 5 10 HE ----------------------------> HE BD -----------------------> - - - - - - - P - - - - - - Minute 1: This fellow won't get the jump on offensives, so we'll just go defensive and render their "mad minute" fruitless. This PL's counterattack will be amazing at even 2-6-2 P due to the high AL. Keep the parry tactic until Adv Expert parry is gained. Minutes 2 and 3: These two will end most of his fights. When he starts landing precision blows in his opponent's face it will usually be over quickly. Keep the kill desire relatively low as to avoid sloppy attacking. Minutes 4 through 6: If you haven't won by now you've got to depend on your WL to carry you until you finish the job. He'll probably top out at the five min. mark. But we want to keep the attacks coming so we do so at his endurance's expense. Desp: If your opponent is an offensive he's probably blasted through your min. 1 defense. Your best bet is to go spastic and hope to take him out in one shot or so. If he's some super-defensive (scum) this PL is probably exhausted and you're hoping the super-offense will put him over the edge. After all, it's better to burn out than fade away. Always aim for the head to maximize the impact of your blows. If it tickles your fancy, aim for your opponent's weapon arm and beat him senseless when he's unarmed. Protecting the head in min. 1 is strictly odds playing on my part. My offensives aim head so I assume everyone else's do too. After min. 1, we forget defense. Weapons and armor are simple. APL/H or ARM/H (if you're challenging a real heavy-hitter). I prefer swords for armament. My combos are usually LO/SM, LO/SH, SC/DA etc. Against heavy armor go with LO/SH. Always aim for the head. Philosophy: This guy clings to life by luck, early on, and will never be free of the spectre of death. In his first few fights stay away from lungers and bashers. Both have high attacks and usually do substantial damage. Prey on strikers, PS, PR and slashers. As he progresses, his attack, parry and defense will equip him with the tools to handle most everybody but always remain cautious of those bashers and lungers. A PL of this calibre should begin with around a 90 att, 70 par/init and 60-70 def. Decise and riposte will be slightly lower. Riposte 50 and decise anywhere from 35-50 depending on how lucky you get. Train skills exclusively from fight one and on. Use tourneys if you must raise anything at all (including con). Don't be discouraged if he's around .500 early on. By ten fights he'll be sporting three Adv Experts at least (att, par and init) and will begin to dismantle those scum/finesse styles that managed to beat him. Feel free to write or diplo me with comments/criticisms/or questions. Fight the Good Fight, or: Agath CPL Michael Dockus Lunatic Fringe (23) H Co BLT 2/8 Circle of Five (51) 24 MEU (Det F) Slaves of Power (52) FPO NY NY 09502-8531 WINTER FACE-TO-FACE IN SUNNY ARIZONA! Our next winter FTF will be held in Tempe, Arizona, January 15-17, 2016. It will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Tempe, Arizona (480-897-7444), the same hotel as last year by popular request. Room rates are $149.00 per night, 1-2 occupancy, which includes full cooked breakfast, complimentary manager's reception, free airport shuttle, free parking and free high speed internet. There's a fitness center, jacuzzi, and pool. The rooms are blocked--code RSI. Please make your reservations now if you plan to go. Online registration site: http://tinyurl.com/FF56-Tempe This is prime season for Phoenix and the hotel tends to fill up quickly. Look for the tournament info sheet and minioverviews some time in December. We hope you're all looking forward to it and that we will see you there!