DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 11/28/2015 Duedate: 12/11/2015
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-443
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
POSITION IS EMPTY
Chartered Recognition LeaderUnchartered Recognition Leader
POSITION IS EMPTY POSITION IS EMPTY
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
VAMPIRIAL GENGELBACH
THE BLOODLUST (1688) FAMILY NAMES (1695)
(93-9849) [3-3-0,27] (93-9883) [1-1-0,7]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
FAMILY NAMES (1695)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. FAMILY NAMES (1695) 35
2. D-X (457) 27 THE MUPPETS (132)
3. BASH BROS RIPPER (1696) 23 Unchartered Team
4. ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) 3
5. JAZIN'S WOLVES (1694) 0 D-X (457)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 0*D-X (457) 1 0 1 100 1/ 4*FAMILY NAMES (1695) 8 2 0
2/ 1*FAMILY NAMES (1695) 8 2 0 80.0 2/ 1*CHAOS LORDS (1691) 7 7 0
3- 2*JAZIN'S WOLVES (1694) 4 1 0 80.0 3/ 2*THE BLOODLUST (1688) 5 4 0
4/ 5*ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) 5 3 1 62.5 4- 3*JAZIN'S WOLVES (1694) 4 1 0
5/ 4*THE BLOODLUST (1688) 9 9 2 50.0 5/ 6*BASH BROS RIPPER (1696) 4 6 1
6/ 3*CHAOS LORDS (1691) 7 7 0 50.0 6/ 5*ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) 2 1 0
7/ 7*BASH BROS RIPPER (1696) 4 6 1 40.0 7/ 0*D-X (457) 1 0 1
8- 6*FIGHTING IRISH (1693) 1 4 0 20.0 8- 7*FIGHTING IRISH (1693) 1 4 0
9- 8*THE FIGHTING CHAI (1692) 0 4 0 0.0 9- 8*THE FIGHTING CHAI (1692) 0 4 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
TIPS FOR WINNING MORE
Your warriors are putting up a good fight, but just can't seem to win? Perhaps this
list of recommended Consortium actions can help.
1. Always challenge and avoid. Use the challenge and if-challenged strategies on
your strategy sheet to manipulate fights in your favor.
2. Challenge warriors you have beaten before and styles your warrior has the
advantage with (e.g., A--challenge TP, TP challenge LU, ST challenge SL, SL
challenge LU, etc.). Take advantage of blood feuds to enhance challenges.
3. Avoid teams who seem to regularly beat you and teams with nearby warriors with
styles which have an advantage over your warrior. Avoid the team that just beat
you last fight.
4. Make your warrior do what his style does best (e.g., STs get the jump, LUs dodge,
TPs parry, etc.)
5. Use high CN to your advantage by soaking hits and then hitting a worn down
opponent.
6. Pay attention to where an opponent is aiming his attacks and protect that
location on subsequent fights.
7. Be bad. "Pick on" warriors with less skill, less experience, or lots of losses.
8. Pay attention to fight history in your arena. Know which are tournament
warriors, sandbaggers, etc. with hidden FE. (Fight experience.) These warriors
are likely highly skilled compared to your normal arena warrior. Stay clear of
them.
9. Use tactics appropriately -- Decise to help you get the jump, Dodge to help you
avoid being hit, Slash or Bash to hit harder, Parry to focus on parry, Response
to counter known decise users.
10. Dress appropriately -- naked is faster/quicker, plated is most protected and
sponges best but slower. Do not overdress and excessively encumber your
warrior's ability to carry and endure.
11. Watch fights carefully to find a favored weapon -- one which you crit often with
or which you get lots of extra value hits. Use that weapon and maybe those
similar to it.
12. Know your opposing manager's styles and methods. Try to fight weaker managers
and avoid those who just seem to win lots.
13. If your warrior is in a difficult spot in the rankings/arena listing, sit him
out. Don't fight if you do not have a good chance to win (e.g., your 5 FE warrior
has jumped way up in the rankings and is surrounded by much more experienced
warriors, or your scum TP is surrounded by aimed-blows, etc.)
14. Phone a friend. Write with questions. Ask for help or advice. The right helpful
person is likely to want to help you succeed.
15. Try to manipulate your fight so you match with an NPC.
16. Send your warrior to tournaments. It gets hidden FE on his record and ups his
skill/stat level unbeknownst to those paying little attention.
17. Pay attention to fighting in your arena. Know whom is using strategies set on
maintenance and take advantage of it by challenging and adjusting your strategies
to beat them.
18. Design warriors to win rather than to look godling-like. Sure, skills are
important, but maybe not as important as physicals -- especially early on.
19. Take advantage of arena DM93. Read the spotlights, particularly those at the top
as the latter ones can be outdated. Know your C.I.C. package info well.
***---------*---------*---------*---------**---------*---------*---------*---------***
High Hopes, Consortium affiliated
Assur's Guide to Pure Defensives
After the offensives, parry-based defensives are the easiest style to master, though
there are also dodge-based defensive warriors out there (the dodge-based defensives
are harder to win with in basic).
1) Design
In creating a pure defensive, the things that you should be concerned about are:
Hit Points, Carry Ability, Endurance, and your skills in parry and/or defense. Again,
other attributes and skills can't hurt, but those are the vital attributes for how
you'll be fighting.
Hit Points come from Constitution (mostly), Size, and Will Carry Ability comes
from Strength and Constitution, though if your Strength is lower than your
Constitution, the carry ability only comes from your Strength.
Endurance comes from Strength, Constitution, and Will (especially Will).
You get Parry Skills at
Str: 5, 7, 15, 17, 21, 21
Siz: (5), (7), (15), (17), (21), (21)
Wil: 5, 7, 15, 17, 21, 21
Dft: 5, 7, 9, 11, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 21
You get Defense Skills at
Siz: (5), (7), (15), (17), (21), (21)
Wit: 5, 7, 9, 11, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 21
Wil: 5, 7, 15, 17, 21, 21
Spd: 5, 7, 15, 17, 21, 21
Dft: 5, 7, 9, 11, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 21
Note that for parry and defense skills in size, you get penalized for having
higher sizes.
For parry based styles, it is highly recommended to have 11+ strength and as much
will as you can get. Eleven deftness is also very nice. You can't have too much
constitution. It is recommended to not be too big, because you don't typically have
enough points for the stats you really want. Wit is nice, but not necessary. Almost
always, 1 point of con is better than 1 parry skill.
For dodge based styles, it is much tougher. ABs are usually made with 21 deftness
because they get attack skill bonuses, but for a pure defensive dodging A-- the
deftness isn't as vital. If you're going open handed, strength can be sacrificed. I
do not know as much about pure defensive A--s, especially in basic. For Lungers, you
want lots and lots of endurance. Twenty-one will and as much strength and
constitution as you can get. Low size is highly recommended for dodge based
defensives. Somehow you also need to have enough defense skills from your other stats
to be able to dodge. High speed is not desired on either, simply because you want
those points elsewhere. Simply because of all the parry & defense skills, 11 deftness
is suggested as a minimum.
2) Style Choice
For parry based defensives, any style that learns parry naturally works fine.
Style is almost irrelevant, because in most of these fights, a couple of parry skills
or endurance burn doesn't come in to play. There are times when it does, which is
what makes Total Parries the king (good endurance conservation and best natural parry
in the game), but all of these styles can be very, very successful as pure defensives.
Total Parries are the most common pure defensive on the sands. There are plenty
of nicknames for Total Parries who are pure defensives, because of how frustrating it
can be to face them. They learn parry and defense skills naturally, are well suited
to all of the shields, and often ignore opportunities to attack. They also have the
highest parry base in the game.
Parry Strikers would be my next choice. They conserve endurance better than any
of the other parry based pure defensives. They learn parry naturally. They are well
suited to the Small Shield.
Parry Ripostes conserve somewhere around the same level as Total Parries. They
learn parry skills naturally. Because they also learn so many riposte skills, even
running defensive strategies they will tend to try to gain the initiative. They are
one of the best natural hybrids, but they make fine pure defensives as well.
Parry Lungers burn endurance much faster than the styles listed above. They have
much higher skill bases overall, but their parry is the same as Parry Ripostes and
Parry Strikers. They learn parry naturally.
Wall of Steels have the potential for the highest parry in the game. Total
Parries will never be bonused in parry skills, so while they start with the most, a
Wall of Steel can be bonused and start with two more parry skills than any other style
can. On the other side of things, they burn endurance faster than any of the other
styles listed and typically use heavier weapons. Like Parry Lungers, they have a
higher overall skill base, but for the discussion of the pure defensive, those other
skills don't matter as much.
The other option is a dodge-based Pure Defensive. Most of the time, these styles
are run as hybrids in later minutes, but they both have the ability to run as pure
defensives for an entire fight.
Lungers are the king in basic. They learn defense naturally and have the highest
starting defense in the game. In fact, they are the only style other than
Total Parries that learns defense naturally. On the down side, they burn
endurance fast.
Aimed Blows are the other style that typically runs as a pure dodge defensive. I
do not know much about these warriors, but watching them is a thing of beauty. In
ADM, when they can start going open handed without concern, they rule the game, but
even in basic, they can be very successful. The down side for them is that they do
not learn defense skills naturally, so you're really hoping it is their favorite
learn.
As always, any style can be run as a pure defensive, for part of a fight or an
entire fight. The styles listed above are merely the traditional choices. And realize
that the dodge based styles I list are often run as hybrids in later minutes. The
line between a pure defensive and a hybrid is often blurred, because even some Total
Parry pure scum will attack and win fights after their opponent is exhausted (which is
one of the hybrid strategies I will mention later).
3) Weapon Selection (with requirements)
If you aren't planning to attack, it hardly matters what weapon you use, right?
Typically, parry based pure defensives use an off hand shield (and often a main hand
shield) Large Shield (13 Str, 3 Wit, 7 Dft) (10+ Dft to use in off hand, depending on
Main hand weapon) Medium Shield (9 Str, 3 Wit, 5 Dft) (7+ Dft to use in off hand)
Small Shield (5 Str, 3 Wit, 5 Dft) (7+ Dft to use in off hand) ABs often use their
Fists, because they get a bonus to their ability to dodge. As with style choice,
weapons selection often does not matter for these fights. The fight outcome is more a
function of your opponent's ability to take you down or wait you out, not on your
abilities or skills. Main hand weapon is whatever you are well suited to. BA (requies
15 str, 7 wit, and 11 deft; plus 9 size if using an off hand) is a nice high
damage/low wit choice. SS is a nice low wit choice for some other styles (9 str, 5
wit, and 7 deft). For a dodging warrior, LS might also be a good choice (11 str, 9
siz, 5 wit, and 9 deft).
4) Strategy and Tactics
For your parry based pure defensive, 1-1 Parry or 1-1 Open works great. The
response tactic has some interesting uses, especially in minute 1 or minute 6. Note
that this strategy will usually make your fights quite boring to read, especially the
1-1 parry strategy. This strategy and type of warrior is not meant to be fun, but
good ones can amass amazing records, especially before Advanced Duel2. Your best
challenges are styles that burn their endurance fastest (Lungers, Wall of Steels, and
Parry Lungers) or any warrior that does average damage and runs hot (Many bashers,
slashers and strikers). Stay away from Aimed Blows!!! Really not recommended for a
parry based defensive to run higher than 6-6 in minute 1.
For the dodge based pure defensive, High Activity Level is important. How high
depends largely on your warrior. Experiment to find what works best. Offensive
Effort is typically low. Dodge or Open for tactics.
Once again, the line between pure defensive and hybrid can become very blurred.
Not attacking at all may not be your best way to win fights. What if in a later
minute you raise your offensive effort and do not use a defensive tactic? You're
suddenly not fighting as a pure defensive. For many warriors, this is a much better
strategy than simply trying to wait until your opponent drops from exhaustion. The
mechanics of the game can allow for some very strange results. I had a basher with
very little endurance and 3 will refuse to drop from exhaustion and finally won after
6 minutes against a total parry. This is probably more important for dodge based
defensives, but can also be true for parry based defensives.
5) Armor
APA/F is the norm. ASM/x is a nice choice, especially against that nasty SC. For
dodging defensives, I've experimented a lot and don't have a conclusion as to what
armor is best. I try not to overencumber for a dodge warrior, but even though
warriors don't dodge as well with APA/F, it is not clear to me that you shouldn't wear
APA/F.
SPY REPORT
Greetings warriors! It is I, Zontani Sharp Eyes, here to bring report of the
clash and bustle of the weekly NOBLISH ISLAND games. Former top team CHAOS LORDS was
unseated this week as FAMILY NAMES moved up from 4th ranking to take the top spot
with a 4-1-0 record for the round. Warriors--remember that glory waits always around
the corner! Witness how this week FAMILY NAMES went 4-1-0 to move up 3 in the
rankings. BLOOD ROSE caught the eye of many in the gladiatorial commission as he
skillfully bested DEATH BASHER and was awarded 27 points in recognition. In one of
the week's more notable duels, SPENCER put down TIMID TIM, causing her to lose 10
points of recognition in the process. Our last turn's Duelmaster has lost, folks,
lost to KUNG-FU MASTER, and VAMPIRIAL has made the way for a new Duelmaster! No
confirmation, but my sources claim that the top team has gained their position using
magical aids. Charmed weapons perhaps?
Many and various are the arts of battle. In NOBLISH ISLAND "art" is a word that
has long since passed from the language! I saw one fighter that warriors avoided
when this week's challenge seeking began. THE BLOODLUST is feared. This much I can
say. Methinks more than a few here could name the guild it was that spent the better
part of last week avoiding THE BLOODLUST. Indeed it was CHAOS LORDS. Mighty
fighters cannot but expect competition from those below. M. ALLEN take warning! You
have more than a few enemies in NOBLISH ISLAND.
What warrior does not hone his years, impatiently waiting for the moment of his
foe's mortality? My condolences to THE BLOODLUST for their loss of a very promising
warrior, DEATH BASHER. DEATH BASHER went to doom before the arms of BLOOD ROSE, a
warrior of D-X. Dark alleys may hide both secrets and assassins. In the arena there
is only the brightness of steel. Keep vigil always!
The girls are as pretty in NOBLISH ISLAND as ever I remembered them....and the
fighters as ugly! Don't let your reputation slip! More than a sharp eye must I
keep, indeed a stout pair of legs must I keep as well! The endless paths of Alastari
await me! Till we meet again, remember: a turtle walks slow, hides head in a shell,
and harms no one; a lion runs to slay its prey.-- Zontani Sharp Eyes
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
VAMPIRIAL 9849 3 3 0 27 THE BLOODLUST (1688)
BLOOD ROSE 2629 1 0 1 27 D-X (457)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
HODES 9884 2 0 0 23 FAMILY NAMES (1695)
-STABLER 9854 2 0 0 21 ROSS' RAIDERS (1689)
SPENCER 9886 2 0 0 19 FAMILY NAMES (1695)
HARD TO RUN 9890 1 1 1 17 BASH BROS RIPPER (1696)
M. ALLEN 9855 2 1 0 14 ROSS' RAIDERS (1689)
FANTHOM DEFT 9850 3 1 1 13 THE BLOODLUST (1688)
-AUTUMNBE 9643 3 2 0 12 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
MILLER 9887 2 0 0 11 FAMILY NAMES (1695)
-VAZZ 9881 1 0 0 11 JAZIN'S WOLVES (1694)
-NO BULL 9882 1 0 0 11 JAZIN'S WOLVES (1694)
-DRAKONYA 9867 1 0 0 10 THE BLOODLUST (1688)
TIMID TIM 9862 2 1 0 8 CHAOS LORDS (1691)
-LOTT R 9852 1 0 1 8 ROSS' RAIDERS (1689)
BAD ATTACK 9892 1 1 0 8 BASH BROS RIPPER (1696)
BLOODIED MIKE 9863 2 1 0 7 CHAOS LORDS (1691)
GENGELBACH 9883 1 1 0 7 FAMILY NAMES (1695)
-DRAXXUS 9644 1 4 0 7 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
WOEFUL BASES 9888 1 1 0 6 BASH BROS RIPPER (1696)
-MINSTREL 9877 1 0 0 6 FIGHTING IRISH (1693)
-RAIN DANCER 9878 1 0 0 6 JAZIN'S WOLVES (1694)
CUNNING TERRI 9866 1 2 0 5 CHAOS LORDS (1691)
-TYLENOL 9880 1 0 0 5 JAZIN'S WOLVES (1694)
-ASHLEY'S GHOST 9865 1 1 0 4 CHAOS LORDS (1691)
WON'T ATTACK 9889 1 1 0 4 BASH BROS RIPPER (1696)
HAGEDORN 9885 1 1 0 4 FAMILY NAMES (1695)
-SEARRUS 9645 0 4 0 4 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
-PERSEPHONE 9642 0 4 0 4 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
-AGRISEL 9646 0 4 0 4 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
WORST DEF IN GAME 9891 0 2 0 2 BASH BROS RIPPER (1696)
-FELDSPAR 9873 0 1 0 1 FIGHTING IRISH (1693)
ALEX BLOODBLADE 9895 0 1 0 1 CHAOS LORDS (1691)
-VALKYRIE 9875 0 1 0 1 FIGHTING IRISH (1693)
-CHAIRMANDER 9868 0 1 0 1 THE FIGHTING CHAIRS (1692)
-ROCKINGCHAIR 9871 0 1 0 1 THE FIGHTING CHAIRS (1692)
-ALEMBIC 9874 0 1 0 1 FIGHTING IRISH (1693)
-LONGSTER 9856 0 1 0 1 ROSS' RAIDERS (1689)
-DANTALION 9876 0 1 0 1 FIGHTING IRISH (1693)
-HALLE CHAIRY 9870 0 1 0 1 THE FIGHTING CHAIRS (1692)
DIPONA 9893 0 1 0 1 THE BLOODLUST (1688)
-VALORAN 9879 0 1 0 1 JAZIN'S WOLVES (1694)
-SADCHAIR BILLY 9869 0 1 0 1 THE FIGHTING CHAIRS (1692)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
EMBEZZLING SCRIB 0 0 0 HARD TO RUN 9890 443 NONE
ROCKET 9853 0 1 0 ROSS' RAIDERS 1689 DEATH BASHER 9847 440
DEATH BASHER 9847 2 1 1 THE BLOODLUST 1688 BLOOD ROSE 2629 443
PERSONAL ADS
Welcome to all the fine new teams -- Jazin's Wolves, Fighting Irish, The Fighting
Chai. May your stay be fruitful and may you learn oodles. -- High Hopes (HH to you.)
of Family Names, Consortium affiliated
Jazin! Top Team On The Move?! Great start! Don't I know you from somewhere? (wink) --
HH
Bash Bros Rippers, I think you are right, Assur. You should focus on the funs rather
than the wins. (smiley face which looks kinda smirky)
All, ask questions. What can Assur and I tell you about our activity that can help
you? For example, did you know these style nicknames? AB = Aimed Blow/Aimer; BA =
Basher; LU = Lunger; PL = Parry Lunge/Plunger; PR = Parry Riposte/Ripper; PS = Parry
Striker/Piker; SL = Slasher; ST = Striker; TP = Total Parry/Scum; WS = Wall Of
Steel/Waste/WOS. -- HH
Bloody Mike, I was the bloody one and you were the real fighter. Salute. -- Genglebach
Alembic, it must have been my lucky, lucky day! -- Spencer
Bad Attack, it sure seems like you do. And not much else, either. -- Hodes
Woeful Bases, does that mean your cup is not even half full? Wow! That's woeful. But,
I can truthfully say I am very glad to have met you. -- Hagedorn
Convicted Thief, thanks for being there and helping me break out a sweat. Felt good.
-- Miller
All, write some personal ads; it is the rite of passage on Noblish Isle. -- HH
EVERYONE take note. The following manager is asking for teams to join with him/her in
the Turf Wars in DM47. TWX (10th running) is a major event in Alastari and managers
new and old are welcomed. The event starts with the Feb 2016 running of slow arena
DM47. A manager would need to start/transfer a team to DM47, send a personal ads to
DM 47 declaring allegiance to alliance "Mercenaries," listing their team name and
manager moniker. One must also request two rollup gift certificates ($5 each) be sent
from RSI to The Consortium. You had better rush if you are interested.
Moderators -- I would like to announce myself for the Turf War: Deitys of Chaos,
mgr Wednesday. I have no affiliations or alliances, thus am simply a mercenary.
Please list me as temporary captain of Mercenaries (until someone more qualified
can take the job) for the Turf War. Anyone willing to join me or have me join them
please speak up; I simply want to fight in and win this Turf War, nothing more! It
may be easier for anyone wishing to contact me to do so directly: Lee Warner,
57307-308, PO Box 1000, Lewisburg, PA 17837. -- Wednesday, mgr Deitys of Chaos
Got the rolls I wanted. Now I have to figure out how to make them win... Not a good
start for my rippers! -- Assur
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
MILLER slimly won victory over WON'T ATTACK in a 18 minute amateur's Challenge fight.
HODES handily defeated BLOODIED MIKE in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge match.
CUNNING TERRI lost to M. ALLEN in a 5 minute amateur's Challenge brawl.
VAMPIRIAL was overpowered by KUNG-FU MASTER in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
BAD ATTACK unbelievably bested HAGEDORN in a unpopular 18 minute novice's duel.
DEATH BASHER was executed by BLOOD ROSE in a 1 minute mismatched brawl.
FANTHOM DEFT savagely defeated WORST DEF IN GAME in a 2 minute beginner's melee.
TIMID TIM lost to SPENCER in a action packed 1 minute novice's duel.
GENGELBACH won victory over DIPONA in a exciting 1 minute novice's fight.
WOEFUL BASES overcame ALEX BLOODBLADE in a 1 minute novice's bout.
HARD TO RUN killed EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 2 minute amateur's match.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 4 PARRY-LUNGE 9 - 4 - 0 69 |
|BASHING ATTACK 4 PARRY-STRIKE 2 - 1 - 0 67 |
|AIMED BLOW 3 WALL OF STEEL 14 - 7 - 2 67 |
|TOTAL PARRY 3 TOTAL PARRY 11 - 6 - 0 65 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 2 AIMED BLOW 20 - 12 - 3 63 |
|WALL OF STEEL 1 BASHING ATTACK 24 - 16 - 2 60 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 1 SLASHING ATTACK 12 - 12 - 2 50 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 1 STRIKING ATTACK 7 - 9 - 0 44 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 1 LUNGING ATTACK 7 - 9 - 0 44 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 4 - 15 - 1 21 |
Turn 443 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:
WALL OF STEEL 1 - 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 1 3 AIMED BLOW
AIMED BLOW 2 - 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 0 2 TOTAL PARRY
TOTAL PARRY 2 - 1 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 1 2 WALL OF STEEL
PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 - 2 STRIKING ATTACK 0 - 1 1 PARRY-LUNGE
LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 1 1 LUNGING ATTACK
BASHING ATTACK 2 - 2 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE
1 STRIKING ATTACK
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is VAMPIRIAL 9849. The most popular warrior this turn
was GENGELBACH 9883. The ten other most popular fighters were FANTHOM DEFT 9850,
SPENCER 9886, HODES 9884, CUNNING TERRI 9866, WOEFUL BASES 9888, HARD TO RUN 9890,
VAMPIRIAL 9849, BLOOD ROSE 2629, WORST DEF IN GAME 9891, and TIMID TIM 9862.
The least popular fighter this week was HAGEDORN 9885. The other ten least popular
fighters were BAD ATTACK 9892, MILLER 9887, WON'T ATTACK 9889, DIPONA 9893, DEATH
BASHER 9847, M. ALLEN 9855, BLOODIED MIKE 9863, ALEX BLOODBLADE 9895, TIMID TIM 9862,
and WORST DEF IN GAME 9891.
Article for Newbies
This here is an article aimed mostly at you new managers to the game out there.
This chart is a consensus of managers on the internet about how they felt each style
fairs against all other styles at the beginning levels of the game. Of course, once
you get ten or so fights under your belt the whole scenario changes and you can throw
this right out the window. But in the meantime, use this chart to help you get a
feel for the game, how the different styles interact with each other and to hopefully
dispel those 5-25 starts that can make you drop the game. Hope this helps you some.
KEY FOR ODDS OF WINNING:
1 - ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE 6 - BETTER THAN EVEN
2 - HARDLY LIKELY 7 - GOOD CHANCE
3 - NOT MUCH 8 - HIGHLY PROBABLE
4 - SLIGHT CHANCE 9 - MOST DEFINATELY
5 - 50/50 10 - ALMOST GUARANTEED
Reminder: Left Row vs Top Column
BA ST LU SL AB TP PS PL PR WS
BA 5 2 6 6 8 9 7 6 5 6
ST 8 5 8 9 9 6 7 5 6 4
LU 4 4 5 6 10 5 7 7 9 6
SL 4 1 5 5 8 6 8 7 8 9
AB 2 2 2 4 5 10 6 6 6 7
TP 3 4 6 4 1 5 7 8 6 5
PS 3 3 3 4 5 4 5 4 5 4
PL 5 4 3 3 6 2 7 5 7 6
PR 7 5 2 2 4 5 6 3 5 4
WS 5 8 6 2 4 6 7 5 6 5
There you have it folks. I would personally like to thank all the managers on the
internet who made a contribution to this effort. You know who you are. Also a big
nod of appreciation goes out to the mighty PUG (Ben Hitz) who organizes and runs the
roundtable and without whose effort little projects like this would prove quite
difficult.
David Gottwald - Magic Man
The Crew - Monuntial (34)
Rocky's Heroes - North Fork (47)
Tragedy Strikes - Andor (57) (inactive)
Natural Born - Illis (59)
Slow & Easy - Aradi (60)
Omega Squadron - Dragonhead (72)
MAKING YOUR CHALLENGES GO THROUGH
First, you need to be sure you are making your challenges correctly.
1. Are you writing down the warrior I.D. number of the warrior you want to
challenge?
2. Is your handwriting clear?
3. Is the warrior you are challenging within range of your warrior? Warriors
can challenge within their own class and the next higher class, plus the "Challenger"
classes can also challenge the next lower class. So, an Adept can challenge Adepts
and Challenger Adepts. A Challenger Adept can challenge Adepts, Challenger Adepts,
and Champions. (Try not to challenge down, though. Besides being unsportsmanlike and
making everyone mad, it isn't advantageous to your warriors. They need to fight more
experienced warriors so they will learn.)
4. Are your warriors eligible to make challenges? If they didn't fight within
the last two turns, then they can't challenge.
5. Are the warriors they want to fight eligible to receive challenges? If they
didn't fight within the last two turns, then they can't be challenged.
Next, adjust your choices for the maximum likelihood of getting your challenges.
There are several things that will help:
1. Have each of your warriors challenge two different opponents from two
different teams. That way, if the first opponent's team doesn't fight that turn, you
still might get your second challenge.
2. Use your avoids. Have each warrior avoid the teams of whoever you think
might be likely to challenge him. If you can get out of being challenged, that
increases your chance of getting your own challenge through.
3. Don't challenge warriors who didn't fight last turn. The odds are higher
that they won't be fighting this turn.
4. Don't challenge warriors who might be involved in a bloodfeud (either as the
killers, or the avengers). A bloodfeud challenge has priority over all other
challenges.
5. Don't challenge Tournament Victors. A TV challenge has priority over all
other challenges except bloodfeuds. You'll need to do a little research in back
issues of the newsletter to find out who the TVs are.
6. Don't challenge warriors who you know are going to challenge someone else, or
are going to get challenged by someone else. Your challenge has a better chance of
getting through if it is the only challenge to that particular warrior.
7. Don't challenge the "easy pickings." That is, warriors above you who have
way too few fights or very bad records for where they are ranked. They will tend to
get challenged a lot.
8. Don't challenge warriors who are likely to be avoiding your team. This
includes any warrior your team fought within the last two turns.
Well, it sounds like I've eliminated just about everybody, doesn't it? Of course
you can challenge opponents who fit into one or more of those categories; just try to
find ones who don't. Your idea candidate for a challenge is: A warrior ranked
somewhat above your warrior in the same class, or in the next higher class, with a few
more fights than your warrior, and a winning record, who isn't a TV and isn't
currently at war with anyone.
I hope this will be of some help to you.
The Rogue She-Puppy
MAXIMIZING THE DUELMASTERS EXPERIENCE: WHAT THE RULES DIDN'T SAY
When you get your turn results in the mail it is very important that you squeeze
as much enjoyment as possible out of that envelope! I recommend (and also use!) the
following procedures.
First, open the envelope lengthwise with a letter opener. Remove the blue-sheet
BUT DON'T LOOK AT IT! It may tell you that you are broke and owe RSI a lot of money.
Flip it over instead! The blue-sheet will be used as a "hider" when you read the
fight results line by line, so you don't see the end of the fight by mistake and ruin
the excitement.
Remove the rest of the sheets in one smooth maneuver and place the flipped-over
blue-sheet on top of the pile, without looking at anything. You don't want to
accidentally uncover an unexpected replacement rollup. This is a traumatic experience
that should be avoided at all costs, as it indicates that one of your battles didn't
go exactly as planned.
Now you must prepare your room, or whever you are, for the battles. If you are
suicidal, or a lousy manager, or a suicidally lousy manager, remove all sharp objects
from the area. If you happen to manage an entire team of scummy warriors it is okay
to leave a loaded musket nearby.
The next step is to put on music. It definitely adds to the experience to have
your favorite tunes playing in the background, preferably AS LOUD AS YOU CAN GET AWAY
WITH! I christen each new warrior with a song that is his and his alone, and play
that song whenever it is his turn upon the sands. It is a personal choice but I
recommend Judas Priest, Manowar or Metallica. Avoid Abba and Barry Manilow (like I
had to say it). It is also important to match the song length with the expected
length of the fight. Don't choose "The Immigrant Song" for your 21-con Ultra-Scum.
Likewise, don't choose "Stairway to Heaven" for your quick lunger. Finally, sometimes
it is nice to choose an exceptionally violent alternate selection for those
Bloodfeuds.
Now you are almost ready! The final preparatory step (optional) is to prepare a
pot of coffee. Beer also works well, especially on Fridays, but I understand that
some managers are not Well-Suited to that particular beverage. I've heard the Duke
Malibu in Solven drinks goat blood, but mind you this is only a rumor. For the final
touch, try putting on any handy armor you have. Or a loin-cloth. I put on most of my
hockey gear.
The fights are on! The music is loud! The coffee is good! Read the fights
slowly, line by line using your blue-sheet as a guide. Don't go too fast, now. Yell,
"Yeah!" if your warrior scores an especially gruesome hit. Cringe if your warrior
feels the joys of a great axe connecting with his face (that means you, Marilith).
Raise your fist in the air when that total parry realizes that his last shield has
broken! And cry when your favorite gladiator is gravely injured and then takes ten
consecutive war hammer shots to the head...
When the end of the fight comes you will be emotionally drained, so yell out,
"Huzzah!!!" or "Damnnn!!!" or whatever, to take the edge off. When the fighting is
ended take a breather before preparing for the next cycle's fights. Reflect on what
has transpired and make a few notes. You'll be a better person (and manager) for it!
Isn't Duelmasters great?
Brought to you by ICE (the deranged): DM-49 (Vithicar) Rotting Livers (205)
DM-10 (Kolact) Beermacht
DM-22 (Solven) Steel Warriors
DM-24 (Zorpunt) No Escape
Winning With the Average Warrior
Hi! The Master of Anime here... Yeah, yeah, I know, you're all doing a
collective, "Who the Hell is this character?" Well, my claim to fame, if you can call
it that, is that I run Eve, one of the more popular, if not completely unspectacular,
warriors to fight in Alastari. I am a micro-manager (you've heard of mega-managers?
Well, think in reverse) who has been mainly running only one team during my 8+ years
of Duelmasters. This little write-up is aimed towards the less experienced managers,
the ones that can be brainwashed from some of the "How to build the perfect
warrior..." spotlights that tend to appear from time to time.
Many of the "How to build..." spotlights tend to deal with roll-ups that are
quite ideal, but in reality, rarely come out of RSI's number crunching machine,
commonly referred to as "the Roll-Up Gods". There have been a few good articles on
how to design skillful warriors from 'average' roll-ups. Those articles, in my
opinion, are the most helpful to new managers for the simple fact that you will almost
always get an 'average' roll-up. Occasionally, that 'average' roll-up might turn out
to be something special, and that is what I would like to key in on.
I know a lot of managers who will continually DA their warriors until they get
something that is as close to perfect as possible. You know, the warrior with three
or four 17s or the warrior with a couple of 21s or that size 3 or 4 warrior, etc...
If you are a relatively new manager and you are also doing this, I think you are
missing out on one of the more intriguing aspects of this game and that is warrior
development.
Being a micro-manager, I do not have an army of warriors like the mega-managers
do, but I'd like to think that I can hold my own against them (hey, if you're gonna
dream, dream big). Anyway, back to the point. One of my 'average' warriors seems to
have achieved a form of notoriety in Advanced Duelmasters to the extent that even the
ever quiet Mirage (manager of Donatello) has had something to say (it was at the last
Tempe FTF and my warrior, at the end of the 6th or 7th round, was listed as the top
Primus warrior on the tourney list.) Mirage pointed at my warrior on the list and
said, "That, is embarrassing..." I took it as a compliment. In case you're
wondering, my warrior is Akira (the reason I'm writing this article is that I've been
approached many times of late by managers who wanted to see Akira's numbers, thinking
he had some sort of godlike roll-up. I set them straight).
I'm not going to print Akira's numbers in this article for the main reason that I
don't have them with me at this time (it'll probably tick-off a lot of managers whose
warriors Akira has beaten anyway), but I do know this... he has about 30 attribute
increases and only one attribute is in the 20's, that one being WL (he even got gypped
by not getting some skills that you normally think he'd get by raising WL up the
20's). He won't be getting another attribute above 20 for a long, long time. (I
think his next highest attribute is 17... note that this is after the 30 or so
increases...) You should have a pretty good idea how generic this roll-up is... a
roll-up that would probably be DA'd by most managers looking for a good roll-up... a
roll-up that I even said, "I'll run him for kicks, but will probably retire him once
he gets to AD."... a roll-up that entered AD with a less-than-stellar 14-10 record...
a roll-up currently on a 20 fight win streak... a roll-up with three consecutive
Primus TVs.
So, before you give up on that average warrior, think again about giving him a
chance to flourish... he might suprise you as Akira has surprised me. Good luck in
the arena!
M.A., a proud member of GAPPDA
P.S. If you want to know Akira's original roll-up, diplo Anime Legends (Arena 102,
104).
P.P.S. Swift -- We GAPPDA members are NOT slugs!!! At least, I don't think we are...
TWELVE TIPS
A rookie manager asked me a question recently which prompted my "teaching juices"
to flow. I quote: "Just give me a dozen hints, and I'll leave you alone!" Obviously,
his challenge prompted me to organize my thought creating my Twelve Tips.
"Now wait a minute!" I hear you asking. "Why should I read on?" Simply put:
-- If you're an experience manager, you'll want to "clue me in" on other valuable tips
I missed.
-- If you're a "newbie," these tips will enhance your W-L record and compound your
fun.
"But, are they GOOD tips?" you ask. Believe me, fellow opponents, after 5000+
fights, dozens of "tutored pupils," many A.D. warriors, and a rather lofty W-L record,
they're GOOD tips. So here we go, in no particular order.
(I) ASK FOR HELP--Ask RSI about the Sponsor Program. Diplo "good" managers in your
arena. Proclaim your willingness to learn in a personal ad. You'll get some
conversation.
(II) OFFENSIVES FIRST--This is not an easy game, and the basher, lunger, striker can
be readily designed and more easily "mastered." (Whatever that means.) Avoid the most
difficult finessives, such as aimers (AB), rippers (PR), and probably wastes (WS).
Get some confidence first! Most of us old-timers yet struggle with a good aimed-blow.
(III) SKILLS, SKILLS, SKILLS--One of the most prevalent rookie errors is training too
many stats. Skills win fights, and in the long run, you will regret certain stat
raises.
(IV) COLLECT DATA--The more you know about your own warrior (And even with the same
stats, warriors differ) and the more you know about your opponents, the more likely
you can cause something "good" to happen. In the military/political world, we call
this "intelligence." (Clue: ask about a D.M. handbook filled with info.)
(V) PERSONAL ADS--Don't be a jerk! But write some every time. Let me assure you that
an unliked rookie cannot succeed in an arena against the local "Powers-in-control."
You want to create friendly opponents. (When you know what you're doing--then you can
try the jerk routine!)
(VI) TURN SHEET--Accuracy counts. Fill it out perfectly (and legibly) pal! Know what
each section is for. (Reread the instructions.) Many have been the surprised and
frustrated manager who caused his or her own problem! (Even us "megas" blow it now and
then!)
(VII) NO CON--Don't ever (well maybe 1% of the time) add points to constitution on an
offensive rollup. Other attributes may add skills; con won't. (Just wait until you
hear someone shout never add to con--ever. I didn't say that.)
(VIII) ONE WEAPON--For offensives. When you get to finesse styles, you'll understand
why you may want one in your off-hand also. But, almost always carry a backup. (Hands
can be hurt both striking and defending.)
(IX) CHALLENGE/AVOID--Always! A manager's prime purpose is to optimize his warrior's
chances. Challenge those you'll have a good shot at beating and avoid teams who can
cause you the most difficulties. (Challenge warriors--avoid teams.)
(X) ENTER TOURNAMENTS--What a way to acquire skills and experience without impacting
your arena W-L record. Actually, you will create a positive impact in that those
"tournament earnings" are "hidden" from other arena warriors. Plus, tournaments are a
real "rush!"
(XI) FIND A FRIEND--In every arena find at least one "friendly" foe. Share opponent
info. With two, or more, of you sharing, look how much more "intelligence" you'll
have.
(XII) STAY COOL--Don't let any problem (loss, death, personal ad, error, etc.) anger
you. (This is fun, right?) The cool head wins more matches than the emotional one.
So good luck, rookie! We were all in your shoes once. (And for some of us that
was a long, long time ago.)
THE CONSORTIUM
DM 8 Smithsonian (Curator)
DM 11 Bulldogs (Kennelworth)
DM 20 Animal Farm (Mino)
DM 46 Fandils (Fandil the Wise)
(and many, many more)