DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 02/20/2016 Duedate: 03/04/2016 NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA DM-93 TURN-449 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS HODES FAMILY NAMES (1695) (93-9884) [4-4-0,50] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader POSITION IS EMPTY HODES FAMILY NAMES (1695) (93-9884) [4-4-0,50] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite GENGELBACH DEIDRE FAMILY NAMES (1695) FIGHTING IRISH (1693) (93-9883) [6-2-1,37] (93-9904) [2-0-0,21] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM BASH BROS RIPPER (1696) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. BASH BROS RIPPER (1696) 33 2. FIGHTING IRISH (1693) 27 BANE'S CHILDREN (235) 3. BRIT BULLDOGS (957) 0 Unchartered Team 4. ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) 0 5. VALHALLA (1676) 0 FAMILY NAMES (1695) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 1*FAMILY NAMES (1695) 25 14 1 64.1 1/ 1*BASH BROS RIPPER (1696) 9 6 0 2/ 0*ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) 7 5 1 58.3 2/ 2*FAMILY NAMES (1695) 8 7 1 3/ 2*BASH BROS RIPPER (1696) 23 17 2 57.5 3/ 3*FIGHTING IRISH (1693) 7 6 0 4/ 3*FIGHTING IRISH (1693) 15 18 0 45.5 4/ 0*ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) 2 2 0 5- 4*VALHALLA (1676) 1 5 0 16.7 5- 4*BRIT BULLDOGS (957) 0 1 0 6- 5*BRIT BULLDOGS (957) 0 1 0 0.0 6- 5*VALHALLA (1676) 0 1 0 '*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn (###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank TEAM SPOTLIGHT CONSORTIUM RESPONSES TO RECENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1. Should I take the Red Book and the CIC papers for their word? Do I need them? The Red Book is mostly helpful, occasionally misleading, and often called The Red Book of Lies. Use it carefully. The CIC, available in the Noblish Isle arena, is a compilation of empirical data by many managers working together. It can be "trusted", but it has a minor error here and there. The best information is available on line. Realize this: there is nothing out there which is perfect. Note: ALL newbies in Noblish Isle should request the CIC package from RSI. It will be invaluable. 2. If you put your fighter's favorite weapon on their side, as a backup weapon, will they still grab it, even though they have a weapon in their hand? Backups are interesting. If you put a backup in the primary hand and the warrior is already holding a primary weapon, he will not try to pull the backup. If you put a backup in the off-hand, and he already is holding an off-hand weapon, he will not try to pull the backup (e.g. primary backups ONLY go in the primary hand and off-hand backups ONLY go in the off-hand.) Realize, though, that a warrior will not automatically draw a backup when that hand is empty. The draw is dependent on many things like luck rolls, heat of the action status, his deftness and/or coordination etc. He most will likely, but not always, try to draw the backup. 3. When you go to ADM, do you still "burn" skills or is that only during BASIC? Any time, whether basic or ADM, you raise a stat which contains skills, you are burning those skills. Burnt skills are not really a "bad" thing, especially in basic where any skill one can get is a good thing. Burning skills is only a potential bad thing for warriors who plan to earn all twenty skills of a type. 4. Can I downchallenge? What is downchallenging, anyway? A downchallenge occurs when one challenges a warrior lower in recognition points than oneself. There is nothing in the "rules" which precludes this. In some arenas and some circles (usually those Andorian leaning) downchallenging is considered unsportsmanlike and a "no no". In others, especially Darkholm-leaning, it is considered perfectly appropriate. Note: some believe the recognition ranking system is a farce or near farce. Consortium members feel it is a very appropriate rating system. 5. When should I DA a warrior? That is a very difficult question to answer, because the real answer is that DAing is a very personal decision. The Consortium very, very seldom uses the DA, thinking that any warrior can win; there is much to be learned from running "difficult" warriors; and being unwilling to take that nearly automatic loss to the record. Other managers and groups DA freely. Perhaps these are the most common reasons? "... I do not know how to/cannot make that warrior win. It is an ugly design. I want only godlings in my stables. The warrior is greatly hosed. It is just not a good enough design. It is not a tournament quality warrior. It just will not win. Etc. ..." So, there is no real answer for when you SHOULD DA; rather it is a question of when or if you WANT TO DA. 6. What makes a "scum" really a scum? "Scum" tends to apply to a warrior that wins by absorbing hit point damage, wearing an opponent out rather than damaging him, and seldom swinging (and often not even carrying) a real weapon. Shields tend to be a scum's best friend. While the Total Parry style is considered the best scum style, other styles can scum. Very high CN, WL, and ST plus near zero offensiveness, are common attributes for a scum. 7. Can a high will "15, 17" and a low wit "9" make it to ADM? Most certainly warriors as such can graduate (make it to ADM). Almost any design can make it to ADM. The Consortium finds a 3 will warrior to be the most difficult. Here are a few of the most recent of the 1000+ Consortium graduates which fit your question: 11-5-11-11-9-16-21 AB 11-16-14-5-16-9-13 TP 11-16-15-7-16-5-14 BA 10-10-10-4-17-9-14 TP All graduated with winning records. Of course, it would be "easier to manage and graduate warriors with better designs than these. 8. What numbers should I watch out for, and where should I place them to make my warriors more lucky? We Consortium Managers do not believe one can make or design luck into a warrior. WE know of no model for such. Luck or blessing or hosing is just that: the luck of the roll. 9. What do I need to do to make my fighter want to wield two weapons, rather than one? All, or virtually all, warriors can wield a weapon in each hand. All it takes is listing a primary and a secondary weapon on the strategy sheet. If the question is "how to get a warrior to wield two weapons without a penalty message then you must make sure your warrior has the strength, size, and deftness to do so. A warrior may not wield a two-handed weapon (such as a HL or a GS, etc.) in one hand, hence cannot wield two such weapons together. The real question might be, should a warrior have a weapon in each hand? Our answer is usually "no". Having only one weapon can allow a warrior to use certain weapons two-handed (e.g. BS) making it more powerful. Having one weapon means less carry/weight. Having one only means the warrior will not attempt to swing with a "lesser" weapon. (Off-hand is lesser than primary.) BUT, some warriors do better with a shield to parry alongside a true weapon. There are other reasons to wield two, but I rate wielding one best in 80%+ of the circumstances. 10. How can I kill? Killing can be more complicated than it seems. To kill, first, you have to win. A warrior can be killed outright by another warrior. Also a losing warrior can go to the infirmary and randomly die. Approximately 2% of all warriors that lose a battle can die randomly. While that "kill" was somewhat randomly caused, it still goes on the winner's record, and the loser is dead. So, DO NOT LOSE. It can be life threatening. Direct killing is highly dependent on the death die roll. High kill desires and aiming for vitals (HE, AB, CH) optimize the warrior's potential to kill. A blow to a vital, whether aimed there or not, may (die roll) cause the hitter to get a death intent statement. A direct kill will not occur without getting this death statement. (Example statement: "wants to be the only one to come out of this fight alive".) Death after the statement is dependent on many things, some, dependent on the loser's makeup. After a death intent, the loser may die, or the loser may give up, or, the seemingly loser can even fight back and possibly win or even kill for a victory. Feel free to ask us questions, not only in DM93, or in any arena where you find Consortium folk. We like questions. It can make this spotlight longer! -- High Hopes, Consortium affiliate ***---------*---------*---------*---------**---------*---------*---------*---------*** Assur's Weapon Requirement Chart (without the inaccuracies) Over the years, many people have published weapon charts. Most of them have had mistakes. This is the correct weapon chart and you should discard all others. STR SIZ WIT DFT STR SIZ WIT DFT Battle Axe 15 3 7 9 Maul 15 9 5 7 Broadsword 11 3 9 7 Morning Star 13 3 9 11 Dagger 3 3 7 7 Quarterstaff 11 9 11 11 Epee 7 3 15 15 Scimitar 9 3 11 11 Great Axe 13 3 9 11 Shortsword 5 3 11 3 Greatsword 15 9 9 11 Shortspear 9 3 5 7 Hatchet 7 3 5 7 War Flail 11 3 5 5 Halberd 17 9 9 11 War Hammer 13 3 5 7 Longsword 11 3 13 11 Large Shield 13 7 3 7 Longspear 11 9 5 9 Medium Shield 9 3 3 5 Mace 13 3 3 5 Small Shield 5 3 3 5 ** Battle Axe requires 9 size if you are carrying an off hand weapon Off Hand No Wit Requirement Strength Requirement same as for Main Hand No Size Requirement Off Hand Deftness Requirements For this section, you look at the weapons you want to use in your main hand (MH) and off hand (OH). From the chart above find their deftness requirements. Use these values in the chart below (MH on the left, OH on the top) and the result is the deftness to use them together. Examples: Suppose your scum wants to use ME in your main hand and LG in your off hand. Cross referencing, 5 on the left, 7 on the top, you'll see that the required deftness to use them together is 9. MH\OH 3 5 7 9 11 15 3 4 6 8 10 12 16 5 5 7 9 11 13 17 7 6 8 10 12 14 18 9 7 9 11 13 15 19 11 8 10 12 14 16 20 15 10 12 14 16 18 22 Caveats: In finding the values for this chart, there have been inconsistencies. The chart shows the value that we believe will always be well suited. Some warriors seem to be able to use weapons in both hands with lower deftness than the chart shows. So far, I have not seen evidence for a warrior requiring more than the value shown. Note that some values make little sense. (While you can use an EP with an off hand SH together with 10 deftness, you would still lack 5 points of deftness to use the Epee.) DUELMASTER'S COLUMN Notes from the arena champ. Can you believe it? Some say I do not deserve this Duelmaster Title. Buncha Rumdums, I think. I AM Duelmaster. I DO HAVE the most recognition points. So lah ti dah! So what that I have consecutively lost to Kung-Fu Master, Khalhum's Dwarf, and Veteran Mercenary. And your question is? I got lotsa things going for me. I am an Aimer -- the best style in the game. I am a big babe at size 18. (UConn recruited me for basketball.) And I like being on top, So, I think I will just keep on truckin. You? -- Hodes, DMIV SPY REPORT Thankyouthankyou. It's great for me, The Unknown Spymaster to be back in NOBLISH ISLAND. Hope you enjoy the show. Oh, who am I kidding? I already got paid! It looks like the guys(?) at FIGHTING IRISH had a good week as they went 3-1-0 to put them in 3rd place. I guess steroids help! Hey everybody, watch out for HARD TO RUN, who flew up 22 points in the rankings after mashing MILLER like a melon. Keep your eye on this guy. Ya know, some days it doesn't pay to walk out on the sands. MILLER was overcame by HARD TO RUN and drops 19 points. Our Duelmaster has lost, folks, lost to VENEMOUS CONCUBINE, BUT HODES is still the Duelmaster because she has the most recognition points! 4 out of 5 gladiators surveyed protect the body, so try and avoid aiming at that location. But enough of that bunch, let's get on to the wimps who like to avoid battle! And hey, kiddies, those of you who didn't avoid FIGHTING IRISH, please raise you hand. Wow. Does NOBLISH ISLAND really have that many liars? For those of you who like math, try this one: FIGHTING IRISH + Weapons That go Boom = FAMILY NAMES + Avoid City. Well dang howdy, but if challenges were votes, WOEFUL BASES would be president. Although it may be a contest he doesn't want to win. Being a spy is great--other people die and you spend the rest of the day drinking to their memory. Better tanked than dead! Knowing when to use the right tactics at the proper time is a very important step on the road to Duelmaster. I think I had better cut this one short. It's been nice chatting to those of you whom I have not offended yet. Well, there goes another Spy Report. Good luck in next week's fights. See ya next time I'm on this circuit!-- The Unknown Spymaster DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME HODES 9884 4 4 0 50 FAMILY NAMES (1695) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME HARD TO RUN 9890 5 3 1 47 BASH BROS RIPPER (1696) FELDSPAR 9873 5 2 0 44 FIGHTING IRISH (1693) MINSTREL 9877 5 2 0 38 FIGHTING IRISH (1693) GENGELBACH 9883 6 2 1 37 FAMILY NAMES (1695) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME WOEFUL BASES 9888 5 3 0 32 BASH BROS RIPPER (1696) WORST DEF IN GAME 9891 4 4 1 30 BASH BROS RIPPER (1696) MILLER 9887 6 1 0 24 FAMILY NAMES (1695) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME HAGEDORN 9885 5 3 0 21 FAMILY NAMES (1695) DEIDRE 9904 2 0 0 21 FIGHTING IRISH (1693) WON'T ATTACK 9889 5 3 0 18 BASH BROS RIPPER (1696) SPENCER 9886 4 4 0 18 FAMILY NAMES (1695) M. ALLEN 9855 3 1 0 17 ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) BAD ATTACK 9892 4 4 0 16 BASH BROS RIPPER (1696) LONGSTER 9856 1 1 0 13 ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) -AUTUMNBE 9643 3 2 0 12 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657) ALEMBIC 9874 1 6 0 11 FIGHTING IRISH (1693) STABLER 9854 2 1 0 8 ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) -DRAXXUS 9644 1 4 0 7 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657) LOTT R 9852 1 1 1 6 ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) -GUDBRAND 9778 1 1 0 4 VALHALLA (1676) -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) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? DANTALION 9876 2 4 0 FIGHTING IRISH 1693 GENGELBACH 9883 448 PERSONAL ADS Fighting Irish, I apologize profusely. It was my intent to win, but not kill, your warrior, Dantalion. May he fight well in that Great Arena in the Sky. -- Gengelbach (kneeling and repeating "mea culpa") The Userous Merchant, stick to your day job. -- Miller Veteran Merc, et tu, brute? -- Hodes Won't Attack, you shoulda. -- Spencer Hard To Run, shucks! Assur, apparently your ripping scum are better than HH's parrying scum. Assur deserves a Crapmaster trophy! -- Hagedorn Donner, thanks. Don't let those surprise rollup sheets throw you! -- High Hopes Health. Humility. Honor. -- HH I've been complacent in writing ads recently. My apologies. Life just gets busy and sometimes things fall out of sync! -- Assur Training Suggestions: If you aren't sure what to train, train skills. It is never wrong to train skills. Even with a 21 will, training any single stat 3 times gets hard. Trying for a 4th train can take a LONG, LONG time and is not recommended. I recommend at most 1-2 trains (and 'most' of my warriors only do 1-2 stat trains for their time in the basic arena. -- Assur LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS ALEMBIC was bested by GENGELBACH in a 1 minute Bloodfeud fight. HODES was bested by VENEMOUS CONCUBINE in a exciting 1 minute Title duel. FELDSPAR viciously subdued WOEFUL BASES in a popular 1 minute gruesome match. MILLER was devastated by HARD TO RUN in a slow 5 minute brutal one-sided contest. MINSTREL devastated BAD ATTACK in a 1 minute uneven brawl. SPENCER was defeated by WORST DEF IN GAME in a 1 minute struggle. HAGEDORN outlasted WON'T ATTACK in a unpopular 16 minute gory brawl. LONGSTER handily defeated CONVICTED THIEF in a 1 minute uneven melee. M. ALLEN won victory over PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a crowd boring 6 minute novice's duel. STABLER lost to MORDANT DESERTER in a exciting 1 minute novice's fight. LOTT R was viciously subdued by DEIDRE in a exciting 3 minute brutal novice's bout. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |PARRY-RIPOSTE 4 TOTAL PARRY 18 - 8 - 0 69 | |BASHING ATTACK 3 WALL OF STEEL 6 - 3 - 1 67 | |TOTAL PARRY 3 BASHING ATTACK 20 - 10 - 2 67 | |AIMED BLOW 3 AIMED BLOW 19 - 17 - 3 53 | |LUNGING ATTACK 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE 21 - 21 - 2 50 | |STRIKING ATTACK 1 SLASHING ATTACK 3 - 3 - 0 50 | |PARRY-LUNGE 1 PARRY-LUNGE 4 - 5 - 0 44 | |PARRY-STRIKE 1 LUNGING ATTACK 10 - 16 - 0 38 | |SLASHING ATTACK 0 STRIKING ATTACK 4 - 7 - 0 36 | |WALL OF STEEL 0 PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 6 - 0 14 | Turn 449 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are: STRIKING ATTACK 1 - 0 AIMED BLOW 1 - 2 3 PARRY-RIPOSTE BASHING ATTACK 2 - 1 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 1 3 BASHING ATTACK TOTAL PARRY 2 - 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 1 2 AIMED BLOW PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 - 2 SLASHING ATTACK 0 - 0 2 TOTAL PARRY LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 1 WALL OF STEEL 0 - 0 1 LUNGING ATTACK TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME PARRY-RIPOSTE HARD TO RUN 9890 5 3 1 47 BASH BROS RIPPER (1696) LUNGING ATTACK FELDSPAR 9873 5 2 0 44 FIGHTING IRISH (1693) AIMED BLOW MINSTREL 9877 5 2 0 38 FIGHTING IRISH (1693) BASHING ATTACK GENGELBACH 9883 6 2 1 37 FAMILY NAMES (1695) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is GENGELBACH 9883. The most popular warrior this turn was DEIDRE 9904. The ten other most popular fighters were FELDSPAR 9873, MINSTREL 9877, WORST DEF IN GAME 9891, ALEMBIC 9874, GENGELBACH 9883, HODES 9884, SPENCER 9886, LONGSTER 9856, STABLER 9854, and WOEFUL BASES 9888. The least popular fighter this week was HAGEDORN 9885. The other ten least popular fighters were WON'T ATTACK 9889, MILLER 9887, M. ALLEN 9855, LOTT R 9852, BAD ATTACK 9892, HARD TO RUN 9890, WOEFUL BASES 9888, STABLER 9854, LONGSTER 9856, and SPENCER 9886. 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. NAME CHANGE-O-RAMA The crowd was surprisingly orderly, but it was still a crowd, and the Commission clerk, Algernon, looked at it uneasily. Whenever this many people came together to petition for something, it meant trouble. For him, anyway. Records to be altered. Altering records was Bad. It made Extra Work. His assistant clerk leaned close and whispered, "If it weren't for gladiators, we wouldn't have jobs. Smile at them and ask what they want." Algernon closed his eyes briefly. Looking at this crowd made him dizzy. They were all wearing black and white stripes. Like a herd of zebras, except that zebras didn't carry swords. Then he took a deep breath and managed a smile. "What... ah, what can I do for you?" "We want new names," the first gladiator said. There was a number on the front of his shirt: 0381. He thumped the number with his thumb. "This here isn't a name--" "We want REAL names!" That voice came from farther back in the crowd. "Yeah! We've paid our dues," another shouted, "and we've EARNED real names!" One from the very back yelled, "I want to be called Tom." All the others turned to look at him. Algernon couldn't see him, but apparently those looks were accusing. Well, he could understand that, "Tom" was such a... common name. "My mom called me Tom," the voice in the back protested. "It's a good name." "It isn't the name you put on the petition," 0381 said. "We talked about this. We got our manager's agreement. You get the name on the petition." "But--!" Algernon didn't really want to keep staring at all these stripes while they argued. He picked up the petition. "These names are the ones you want?" 0381 turned back. "Yes." "It's a lot of trouble, and when other people see that YOU are getting name changes, THEY are going to want them--" Seeing the gladiators beginning to frown... and finger their weapons, he went on quickly, "So I figure we might as well make it a complete deal. A Name-Change-O-Rama. Everyone who wants a name change can petition for it. Get it all over with at once." He glanced at the petition, shuddered slightly, and passed it to his clerk. "We'll announce it, proclaim it, even, and you will get the names on this petition. And others will get the names THEY think they should have had, too." He paused. "And I think I'll get a new name, I'm tired of being an Algernon...." * * * * * Warrior and team name changes will be accepted during the month of March. If you have names you want to change, please contact Customer Service. -- RSI 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