DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 08/19/2016 Duedate: 09/01/2016 NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA DM-93 TURN-459 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 TROY IDIOTS RIVER RATS (1699) BB TALK RADIO (1700) (93-9911) [7-1-1,66] (93-9917) [4-4-0,17] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM RIVER RATS (1699) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. NUMBER (1705) 36 2. RIVER RATS (1699) 33 DARK TOADS II (725) 3. COYOTES (1701) 24 Unchartered Team 4. THE MANTICORES (1704) 7 5. ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) 0 RIVER RATS (1699) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 1*RIVER RATS (1699) 29 11 1 72.5 1/ 1*RIVER RATS (1699) 12 3 1 2/ 3*NUMBER (1705) 7 3 1 70.0 2/ 3*COYOTES (1701) 8 6 0 3/ 2*BB TALK RADIO (1700) 23 17 1 57.5 3/ 4*NUMBER (1705) 7 3 1 4- 4*ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) 8 6 1 57.1 4/ 2*BB TALK RADIO (1700) 6 9 0 5/ 5*COYOTES (1701) 17 17 1 50.0 5/ 6*THE MANTICORES (1704) 3 2 2 6/ 7*THE MANTICORES (1704) 3 4 2 42.9 6/ 5*THE GALLOWGLASS (1703) 3 11 0 7/ 6*THE GALLOWGLASS (1703) 3 11 0 21.4 7- 7*ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) 1 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 A SYNOPSIS OF FOUR RECENT SUCCESSFUL CURRENT ACTIVELY RUNNING D2 TEAMS The Consortium runs many full arena teams. Perhaps the discussion of those four random long-running teams will provide knowledge or clues for the New D2 manager. The twenty warriors have been intermingled so that the four arena teams remain unknown. The warriors are divided by style. BASHER 14-11-14-15-9-10-11 (5-3-0) 15-3-13-21-17-8-7 (5-1-0 and 2-3-0 in tournament) 11-5-13-15-17-12-11 (14-4-0) Bashers are: 24-8, .750, no kills, also 2-3 in tourney SLASHER 11-8-14-17-17-6-11 (3-2-0) 9-9-13-14-16-9-14 (4-4-1) 17-9-5-15-17-10-11 (1-1-0) 12-4-13-17-17-10-11 (1-2-0) Slashers are: 9-9, .500, one kill STRIKER 8-5-18-14-16-13-10 (9-0-2, 10-6-0 in tournaments) 10-3-18-14-18-11-10 (2-2-0) 14-8-13-17-9-12-11 (3-2-0) 11-9-17-17-9-14-7 (11-5-1) 15-10-14-15-9-10-11 (13-1-0) 11-9-15-15-9-14-11 (2-2-1) Strikers are: 40-12, .769, four kills, also 10-6 in tourney WASTE 16-15-6-16-16-5-10 (9-6-0) 11-15-11-15-17-4-11 (17-8-0) Wastes are: 25-14, .641, no kills TOTAL PARRY 14-19-8-7-15-9-12 (31-10-1) 17-20-11-4-16-11-5 (16-17-0) 16-15-13-4-20-4-12 (11-3-0) 11-16-13-9-18-7-10 (1-0-0) 14-19-16-4-19-3-9 (12-11-0) Total Parries are: 71-42, .628 one kill The twenty warriors are: 169-85-6, 0.665. Let's look at this scenario a little closer to comment and question. Q1- Are these such great rollups/warriors? No. They are pretty typical and average, with it looking like the more ugly rollups were made into TPs. In arenas, The Consortium does not DA in search of "better" rollups. A1- It looks like it does not, at all, take wonderfully designed warriors to win well (60%+). Indeed, mediocre warriors often do better than godlings in arenas -- especially early on. Look at striker #4 above and you will see a very mediocre design that is doing superbly. Q2- Why only five styles? Where are the AB, LU, PL, PR, PS? A2- Remember from "Newby 101" that The Consortium recommends running the easier designs, such as offensives and total parries? The above summary points out that such advice might even be good for running normal arenas. There are some LU and AB and PL in other Consortium arenas, and all ten designs are definitely on Consortium tournament teams. However, to make those five missing designs run well and win often, it often takes godling or near-godling designs. Godling rollups can be very, very hard to find. Q3- Do strikers kill more than others? A3- Well, not really. If you observe closely above, the killing strikers are large sizes. This might indicate that size or damage-doing have more to do with it than style. Another reason that the striker kill ratio is highest in this group is the hefty W/L record of the strikers. If one does not lose, one cannot die. And sort of conversely, the more one wins, the more chances they have to kill. C1- TP's, if scums (as all five of these are) can take a long time to graduate to ADM (see TPs #1 and #2). Why? They are typically "stupidish" and have a very low skill learn rate. Also, time/fights are also used to train stats rather than skills. The physicals are far more important than the skills for a scum. Typical graduation qualifications require 14 wins and 20 fights, which is often very easy for scum, but skill ratings are also required, and they are hard to achieve if one is learning few skills. C2- Taking off on Q2 above, some warriors are designed to burn (train stats and acquire skills through some of the stat trains). All the TPs above were as such. And, take a look at slasher #2, strikers #1 and 2, and wall-of-steel #1 above. They, too, were designed to burn. In non-scum, how does one determine a warrior is designed to burn? The Consortium definition: many stats are set just below prime skill-learning stats (like 10 DF to 11, and 14 WT to 15, and 16 WL to 17, or 14ST to 15) AND the warrior has sufficient WL to allow probable stat raises (e.g., 14+WL; 14 WL = 70% chance to earn the 1st stat of a type). C3- While only five styles were used on these four teams, the mix of offensives and defensives is solid, allowing for better optimization of challenges and avoids. This probably adds to the nice overall W/L record. Hopefully this team synopsis has helped your understanding of many concepts of the game. You can find more detail on the concepts inferred in this article by reading the spotlights in the Noblish Island (DM93). Feel free to ask me questions about this spotlight or the Consortium concepts. I will answer. -- Commodore Perry -- Consortium affiliated ***---------*---------*---------*---------**---------*---------*---------*---------*** How to Make a Loser Win One of the most common problems new (and even old) managers face is what to do when their young promising warrior keeps losing. Understanding how to turn a warrior around is a skill that once acquired, will be invaluable. One of the first things to understand is that warriors improve their abilities by learning skills and training stats. This means your opponents are improving, too. A warrior with lower wit is at an inherent disadvantage. Once you leave Noblish Island, 21 wit is a lot more common than you'd care to think about. That said, not every warrior has 21 wit, but the way things have progressed, most managers are highly focused on tourney success and in basic, that usually means 21 wit. So if you are a lower wit warrior (say 13 or less), your opponent likely has been learning faster than you have. But wit and skills are not the only thing that you need to win. Plenty of warriors with low wit are very successful. Even offensives can do very well with 11 wit (maybe even lower, but I don't recommend it). Use your challenges and use your avoids. That alone will do much to improve your record. Looking at how you have won and lost will give you clear clues. Especially how you've won. These are the fights you want to replicate and avoid. Your warrior's strengths and weaknesses determine who you want to challenge and avoid. Next, what you've been doing isn't working. Start to change things up. Even some offensives fight better when you start to lower the numbers. And hybrids and defensives can dramatically change their careers by altering the numbers just slightly, especially offensive effort. As to whether you want to increase or decrease numbers, there is no hard and fast rule. I will say that very low activity level is usually the first thing you want to remove on most warriors. Those super low activity levels aren't the best unless you are a scum or are facing a scum (scum being a total parry that tries only to wear you out). I've had numerous warrior magically start to fight better when I run on certain numbers, though. Weapon selection is another key item. Weapons have different attributes. Changing weapons can help your warrior. Almost every weapon has circumstances where I'll use it. The only weapon I'll never use is the MS (but the bashing weapons in general are worse than the slashing and lunging weapons). Learn what weapons are good for what circumstances. The last thing I'll mention in this article is optimizing a warrior. This is key for your losers. I started this article by hinting that all warriors are not equal. This is the only way you can make a truly inferior warrior win. Optimize him for a single way to win. Ignore all other fights and hope he faces someone that he can beat in his way to win. There will always be someone who can beat you, but if you try to make a loser win all his fights, you won't succeed. We publish many articles on what makes a good 'this type of warrior articles in these newsletters. Choose the type that best matches your warriors' strengths and optimize your strategy for that -- then look for warriors that can lose to your strategy. And if all else fails, look for other losers to beat up! This article assumes that you actually WANT to try and make your loser win. There is another, perfectly acceptable solution. The Dark Arena is your friend! SPY REPORT It's me, The Unknown Spymaster here with my bag to give you the news on last week's fights. Advancing in the rankings was NUMBER who went from last turn's 3-2-1, to this week's record of 7-3-1. Hey everybody, watch out for COURSER, who flew up 17 points in the rankings after mashing TELL CITY like a melon. Keep your eye on this guy. And falling like a basher in the top ten was TELL CITY, who dropped 15 points after a disappointing (to say the least) bout with COURSER. Our last turn's Duelmaster has lost, folks, lost to KHALHUMS DWARF, and TOBINSPORT has made the way for a new Duelmaster! An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but an onion a day keeps T.P.s at bay. But enough of that bunch, let's get on to the wimps who like to avoid battle! Here's a song for you: Who's afraid of the big, bad BB TALK RADIO? Big bad BB TALK RADIO. Big bad BB TALK RADIO. NOBLISH ISLAND's afraid of the big bad BB TALK RADIO. Tra la la la la! Okay, so I may not be funny, but catch RIVER RATS' act in the arena. Those acrobats seem to be fairly deft at running from BB TALK RADIO. And who is this REPETITIVE you ask, with 41 points and a 5-3-1 record. Ooh, the tales I could tell! In a touching display by a 'touched' warrior, TROY went after REPETITIVE, who was higher by 23 points. Well, when the dust settled, TROY slew REPETITIVE. Remember that an arena is not always a safe place to be, but it is one of the most interesting, though! Well, just when you thought it was safe to put a new warrior in the arena. No no! REPETITIVE, a mere boy, was slain by TROY this turn. Solution for urban overcrowding: TROY put to death REPETITIVE. Ask not the elves for counsel, for they will say both yes and no. Silly buggers, eh? Well, there's the manager of the NOBLISH ISLAND giving me the 'cut' sign (or is that 'They're going to strangle you in the alley?). C'mon, Leadfoot, let's make some tracks. And remember, you can pick your friends and you can pick your--(loud boos), oh, you've heard that one already!-- The Unknown Spymaster CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME TROY 9911 7 1 1 66 RIVER RATS (1699) TOBINSPORT 9914 6 2 0 66 RIVER RATS (1699) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME ROME 9912 6 2 0 49 RIVER RATS (1699) COURSER 9937 3 3 0 42 COYOTES (1701) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME BORING HOST 9919 5 3 0 33 BB TALK RADIO (1700) CANNELTON 9913 5 3 0 29 RIVER RATS (1699) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME DUMB TOPICS 9918 6 2 0 27 BB TALK RADIO (1700) FOUR 9947 2 0 1 27 NUMBER (1705) ONE 9944 2 0 0 27 NUMBER (1705) IMMURE 9936 4 2 0 24 COYOTES (1701) FIVE 9948 2 0 0 24 NUMBER (1705) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME DOGMEAT 9924 4 3 0 21 COYOTES (1701) RAZURE 9923 3 3 0 21 COYOTES (1701) TELL CITY 9915 5 3 0 20 RIVER RATS (1699) CRESHENDO 9922 3 4 1 18 COYOTES (1701) COMMERCIALS 9920 3 5 0 18 BB TALK RADIO (1700) IDIOTS 9917 4 4 0 17 BB TALK RADIO (1700) -M. ALLEN 9855 3 1 0 17 ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) -LONGSTER 9856 1 1 0 13 ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) -AUTUMNBE 9643 3 2 0 12 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657) -MONGOOSE 9940 1 0 0 12 THE MANTICORES (1704) -LOTT R 9852 2 1 1 9 ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) -STABLER 9854 2 1 0 8 ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) TWO 9945 1 1 0 8 NUMBER (1705) SOCK 9933 2 1 0 7 THE GALLOWGLASS (1703) SAPHIRE 9943 1 0 1 7 THE MANTICORES (1704) -DRAXXUS 9644 1 4 0 7 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657) -GOBLIN BREATH 9939 1 1 1 6 THE MANTICORES (1704) -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) KRATH 9932 0 3 0 3 THE GALLOWGLASS (1703) TAKKARI 9934 0 3 0 3 THE GALLOWGLASS (1703) -LIGHTNING 9941 0 2 0 2 THE MANTICORES (1704) -OX 9942 0 1 0 2 THE MANTICORES (1704) THREE 9946 0 2 0 2 NUMBER (1705) SYTHINI 9949 0 1 0 1 THE GALLOWGLASS (1703) -ALZADER 9894 0 1 0 1 ROSS' RAIDERS (1689) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? REPETITIVE 9916 5 3 1 BB TALK RADIO 1700 TROY 9911 459 NALFFAR 9931 0 1 0 THE GALLOWGLASS 1703 GOBLIN BREATH 9939 457 VENDISS 9935 1 2 0 THE GALLOWGLASS 1703 SAPHIRE 9943 459 PERSONAL ADS Assur, the navy has struck! -- Commodore Perry Dumb Topics, you WERE a worthy Duelmaster, but I got tired of hearing the same old worthless Talk Radio dribble. -- Tobinsport Idiots, aren't we all, but today I was the winning idiot. Bwahahaha. -- Rome Boring Host, you could have at least served crumpets and tea as I was boringly teeing off on your crumpet. -- Troy Razure, I can offer no real reason as to why I got the jump. I do believe the hatchet may be a quicker, more decisive, weapon than the shortsword. I also was "naked". I may be quicker at SZ7/10SP. Also, most likely, I got the better "luck roll". Good luck to you. -- Tell City Creshendo, it was my day. I was set to dodge and I can take tremendous damage. It seemed you did all you could. -- Cannelton P.S. The SH is not a favored weapon of The Consortium. We prefer the DA or, if suited, the HA to it. Welcome all you new managers to Noblish Isle. We are so glad you are here. You have questions? Both Assur and I are here to do our best to help you. -- Commodore Perry Commodore Perry -- That turn hurt! Inside and all around. -- Assur Remember the basics: Offensive Warrior (Typically low con, Striker/Basher/Slasher, fast, higher wit with damage): Take a fast or high damage weapon and start with the tried and tested strategy 10-10. Light or no armor. Defensive Warrior (Typically high carry ability, hit points, and some parry or defense): Armor is your friend (unless you're a dodge defensive -- which is more rare). You need enough of those three things to outlast your opponents, or you need to become a hybrid. Hybrid Warrior (Some combination of the above): Typically do not over encumber your warrior (ST+Lesser of ST/CN-6 is a nice easy to remember formula for how much weight you can carry). Use the 'best' weapons out there (SC/BS/BA/LO/GS is not a bad list). Lots of ways to make and run a hybrid (too much for this brief comment) Tobinsport -- The DM Throne, Column, and most importantly those nasty NPC's are all yours. -- Repetitive P.S. You can have them. P.P.S. BYE! LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS TROY butchered REPETITIVE in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge fight. TOBINSPORT lost to KHALHUMS DWARF in a 3 minute battle. TELL CITY was handily defeated by COURSER in a 1 minute one-sided match. DUMB TOPICS was vanquished by ROME in a 1 minute mismatched brawl. DOGMEAT was overpowered by BORING HOST in a 1 minute one-sided fight. CANNELTON slimly won victory over CRESHENDO in a 2 minute brawl. RAZURE vanquished THREE in a 1 minute brutal mismatched fight. IDIOTS was unbelievably bested by FIVE in a popular 4 minute competition. IMMURE handily defeated TAKKARI in a 3 minute uneven melee. COMMERCIALS won victory over OSKSI NOBLE in a slow 3 minute duel. KRATH lost to TWO in a 2 minute novice's duel. SOCK was overpowered by ONE in a 1 minute uneven match. VENDISS was savagely slain by SAPHIRE in a 4 minute brutal novice's fight. FOUR devastated SYTHINI in a exciting 1 minute mismatched conflict. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |BASHING ATTACK 6 TOTAL PARRY 5 - 1 - 0 83 | |STRIKING ATTACK 5 BASHING ATTACK 33 - 17 - 0 66 | |AIMED BLOW 3 WALL OF STEEL 13 - 7 - 1 65 | |WALL OF STEEL 3 STRIKING ATTACK 17 - 12 - 4 59 | |SLASHING ATTACK 3 SLASHING ATTACK 11 - 11 - 1 50 | |PARRY-LUNGE 2 LUNGING ATTACK 9 - 10 - 0 47 | |LUNGING ATTACK 2 AIMED BLOW 12 - 14 - 0 46 | |TOTAL PARRY 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 3 - 8 - 0 27 | |PARRY-STRIKE 1 PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 5 - 1 17 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 PARRY-STRIKE 1 - 8 - 0 11 | Turn 459 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: TOTAL PARRY 1 - 0 STRIKING ATTACK 2 - 3 4 BASHING ATTACK AIMED BLOW 2 - 1 SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 2 2 STRIKING ATTACK WALL OF STEEL 2 - 1 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 1 2 WALL OF STEEL PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 0 1 AIMED BLOW LUNGING ATTACK 1 - 1 1 LUNGING ATTACK BASHING ATTACK 3 - 3 1 TOTAL PARRY TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME STRIKING ATTACK TROY 9911 7 1 1 66 RIVER RATS (1699) BASHING ATTACK TOBINSPORT 9914 6 2 0 66 RIVER RATS (1699) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is TROY 9911. The most popular warrior this turn was IDIOTS 9917. The ten other most popular fighters were CANNELTON 9913, TWO 9945, FOUR 9947, TOBINSPORT 9914, TROY 9911, COURSER 9937, BORING HOST 9919, CRESHENDO 9922, RAZURE 9923, and ONE 9944. The least popular fighter this week was SAPHIRE 9943. The other ten least popular fighters were TAKKARI 9934, SYTHINI 9949, VENDISS 9935, SOCK 9933, KRATH 9932, COMMERCIALS 9920, THREE 9946, DOGMEAT 9924, DUMB TOPICS 9918, and REPETITIVE 9916. AVERAGE I was trying to design a warrior that would have no weaknesses, when my mind wandered (It does this a lot!) to what would be the average stat for this game called Duelmasters. Almost at once I came upon the number nine. Why, you may ask? Okay, I'll tell you, after all that's the point of this article. There are nineteen levels for each stat, half this is 9.5, since RSI randomly assigns attributes between 3-21. In this manner, even if they assign an attribute below average, the player can bring it up to at least average by adding 6 points when he modifies the rollup. I checked this assumption with some rolls I have received, and it appears to run true with some interesting results. A 9 SZ seems to allow use of any weapon without being too small. 9 ST seems to allow you to use most weapons without the comment "does not have ST to use weapon well." 9 SP with a 9 DF will give the normal speed/coordination to offensive warriors and to PS, PL and PR. (Does anyone think WS, TP, AB are normal?) 9 WT with a 9 WL will give no negative wit/will statement (no positive one either). A 9 in all attributes leaves 21 points to modify the key stats for a warrior's style. I have been trying for a while to design warriors with a minimum of 9 in all attributes, or to at least be able to train to a 9 in a couple of raises. I am still trying with mixed results to date. I lost track to the point or purpose of this article, but maybe it will provoke some thought, yes, no, maybe? Suggestion and comments will come. Jeff Hannah, c/o Star Signs, DM 13 EARTHWORM FLAMBE A LA THAIGYN Arena gourmets, try this tasty tidbit, before, during and after your next training session: Ingredients - 3 qts. processed camel spit 1 pint fingernail larva 6K cups giant earthworm droppings (imported) 3 cups sweet'n'sour orc sweat 1 slice head cheese 1 bavarian mint (imported) 1 tsp. toe jam (I would suggest your own) Directions - 1. Pre-heat oven to 6200C. 2. Grease 1 22x22 Turtle shell. 3. Pour camel spit & orc sweat into shell, mix with high octane gasoline (unleaded for those on diet), place in oven, and heat for 3 - 4 hours. 4. Place all other ingredients into osterizer at *whip* setting until thick. 5. Bake for 7 days or until you get that distinctive scorched aroma. 6. Take out of oven, get a match, and light that sucker up. 7. Now scarf it down. Yum, yum. *It's perfect for those Dark Arena picnics.* For a first hand experience come over to Thaigyn's Scarf'N'Barf, right next to the Welcome Wench, or go to D. Tramp's Tune-Up Garage & Salad Bar, 1 block east of Saugum's Outhouse Inn.. *** Coming to an arena near you, the Steel Breez Chop'N'Slop, (formerly known as the Eradicator's International House of Toe Jam*** To all, enjoy, Thaigyn of Petrys Acoplys D. Tramp, Lord Petrys & Ennexa Mephobasheth of Steel Breez. DEATH INTENT STATEMENT EXPLAINED In order to keep this brief, I'm going to avoid a long rambling opening and get right to the meat of the issue. The `death intent statement' (`fights with a deadly bloodlust in his eyes,' `is going for the kill,' `is eagerly seeking the death blow,' etc.) can ONLY be gained in normal combat (non-Dark Arena, non-Bloodgames) AFTER striking an opponent in a vital location (some region of the HE, CH, or AB, pelvis included.) Once the death intent statement is printed, the struck warrior makes a roll to survive the fight. If this roll is failed, he is dead, and the rest of the fight is simply a matter of running down the dead fighter's hit points by normal, non- critical attacks. Now, the moral offshoot of this is that, knowing this, any fighter sent out by his manager attacking a vital location is purposefully increasing his chance of killing his opponent. The logic is this: if you attack vitals you are more likely to hit a vital location. In striking a vital, you may get the death intent statement, and that's then one dice roll to end the fighter. By attacking non-vitals you are decreasing your chances of striking a vital (by increasing your chances of striking non-vitals.) Note that this is not flawless, as the percentage of actually HITTING your attack location is perhaps only 67% on high-deftness fighters, but by not attacking vitals you are doing the best you can, which is all anyone can ask. Here's the bottom line. A fighter can run 10-10-10 L-N and NEVER kill (excepting infirmary deaths, which is an entirely separate case) if he hits only arms or legs. Thus, while KD is a large factor in determining kills (a head shot by a 10-10-1 fighter is far less likely to get the statement than a head shot by a 10-10-10 fighter,) it is less important than attack location. Gary Triplett, a.k.a. Miles/Sir Boyd diplo Crimson Pegasi (arena 105) for advice, questions, comments, wit statement charts or other charts, etc. P.S. Apologies to those I said I'd diplo this to. I just decided to make this a general article. If you're one of the managers in the wave that received only the tan wit statement chart and the lavender activity statement chart, please re-contact me if you'd like the explanation sheet, which includes details on all the statements printed on the fighter overview. REBUTTAL TO "THE LITTLE BASHER" So many times I've seen one of these "helpful hints" that I disagreed with, but never have I been so disgusted that I'd write a rebuttal. Well, this time I could not sit aside and watch someone slaughter a style that I love. I am referring to Belegrath's article, entitled, "The Little Basher." Now, even though I have yet to have a warrior achieve the title of "Lord Protector," I have been at this game for a couple of years now. I've run bashers more than any other style, and my record with them is over .500. Therefore, I think I have enough experience and knowledge to say that Belegrath's basher sucks!!! The main purpose I write this is not to undermine Belegrath's managerial abilities, but to warn any new people who might read his article. I don't think anyone should waste their money on Belegrath's basher theory. Or even worse, to have someone quit the game after getting the crap beat out of them having warriors modeled after Belegrath's. First, I'll tell you what is wrong with "The Little Basher" (to refresh your memory: 20-6-3-13-7-20-15). 1) The best he can get, regardless of his strength, is good damage because of his 3 SZ. 2) He'll fall over from exhaustion before the first minute is up, unless you run a real low activity level. He'll be very frail and have very little endurance. 3) A 3 SZ?!? And what if the war hammer or mace aren't his favorite weapons? You lost the QS, a very reputable bashing weapon, and the GS, which I've recently found to be a great bashing weapon. 4) He probably won't pick up too many skills with a 13 WT. Good luck maxing out in the next decade!! 5) With a 7 WL, he has only a 35% chance to raise a stat ONCE, then the chances for that same category are halved every time thereafter. Therefore, he'll always be very frail with poor endurance. 6) 20 SP, what a waste! Bashers, in my opinion, have no need for speed. And even if you wanted to waste points on speed, you don't need to raise it to such an extreme. One stat raise here, and you lose app. four skills. 7) 15 DF. This is pretty much the only point I agree with. I know, I know, bashers don't need deftness. But just imagine a basher with an AB's accuracy! I had a ST once who looked similar to Belegrath's basher. He looked like this: 19-4-13-16-3-19-10. What happened to him, you ask? He was killed by a maul-wielding scum basher on his third fight. In his first two fights he hacked the crap out of two TP's, and then fell over from exhaustion. No broken shields, no broken bones. Get the point, yet? Now, a better basher, not the best, mind you, would look like this: 13 ST Achieve good damage (possibly great) and be able to use all bashing weapons (except HL). 10 CN This isn't important, but at least he'll be able to take a couple of blows. 9 SZ Fulfills requirement for all bashing weapons. 17 WT A nice number. 19 isn't good, and 21 means that it should be something else. 15 WL Gives at least normal endurance, and increases chances of raising stats. 5 SP SP is unimportant, absolutely no need! Although, it will take a few more skills to get a rating in Decise. 15 DF Wonderful to have DF. Keeps them from swinging at the flies (Most of the time). Well, there you have it. I hope I cleared things up a little. I doubt if anyone else agrees with me, but that's what makes this game so fun! LUVUALLWAYS, Vanion Drunken Stupor (11) The Dawn-Men (67) The Dark (26) Othrsydosanity (74) THE UN-SCUM The type of TP I make will often win fights without ever getting hit! The fights are exciting to read, full of dodges and ripostes, and if you've never seen a TP outjump a Basher, make an offensive TP. ST: 7-13 All you really need is normal damage! 11 is perfect, for carrying capacity and weapon selection. Good damage is nice to have, but if it looks like your rollup will get good or great, he's probably better off as a WS, LU or BA. CN: 9-16 Again, all you need is normal. We're making a finesse substyle, and the points are badly needed on WT, WL and DF. Just make sure he can take a hit or two. Don't add any points here on the rollup, but go ahead and raise it later if you think he needs it. Endurance is not a priority. SZ: 3-9 A single digit is important for dodging and activity levels. I will go as high as 10, but any bigger and you can't dodge well enough. Small size also helps parry and defense, as well as getting a good activity and elusive statement on the overview. Plus, you need the points below. WT: 15, 17 or 21 only! This is the biggie, he'll learn like crazy! I know what you're saying, "my 11 WT SCUM learns 3 skills a fight!" Yeah, but your SCUM's skill base will be so low, when he's maxxed out in skills, my off. TP will be at the same level of expertise by his 10th fight! For any style, 90% of the skills are in WT, WL and DF, and that's where the 14 points must go. WL: 13-21 As with any fighter, more is better. However, you can get by with normal endurance, believe it or not! This TP will wear moderate armor, and can run active for 6-7 minutes with normal endurance. That's long enough for all but a few opponents. Raise WL on the rollup to 17 or 21 if you can, but if 13 or 15 is all he can have, he'll be okay. SP: 5-9 This is a touchy area, and can make or break your TP. I like to use 7, 8 or 9. If you use 5 or 6, he'd better be small, and have a 17 or 21 WT. OR, a CN that will allow him to take a lot of damage. If he's too big, dumb and slow then he'll get "slow and inactive" on the overview, and that is too scummy for my TP. You MUST have normal or better activity. SP also helps with your riposte, crucial to the off. TP. DF: 11-17 Second in importance, behind WT. Parry, Riposte, Defense and Attack are your mainstays, and they're all enhanced by a high DF. Try to get normal coordination (SP+DF=21) if possible. Here are some examples of good off. TPs, all are real fighters; 11 10 8 11 7 11 10 14 12 15 9 15 13 12 7 4 7 6 8 7 10 17 15 15 17 21 17 17 17 21 17 21 13 17 13 5 7 9 9 7 8 8 13 15 13 11 13 11 13 Now, how to fight them, you ask? Every one of them seems to like to run differently, I've seen some tee off at 2-7-5, some do better at 4-4-5, some 2-3-2, even those who go 3-3-5 first min, then go ballistic in the second (10-10-6). Also, some run 7-7-7! You just have to play around with the numbers, 'til you find what works best. Here's a general strategy I usually start with: 4 5 6 7 4 3 10 Armor: I use ARM/H most of the time, 7 6 5 4 4 2 10 but guys like examples #1 and 2 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 would be better off in ACM/F. If facing a LU or SL, you can wear RA ------------------------> HE APA/F (yes, even with normal endur- AM ------------------------> HE ance!), 'cause the LU or SL is going - - - - - - - to drop in min. 2, more than likely. S S - - - - D Weapons: Any sword and shield you're suited to, as well as the Quarterstaff and the Longspear. Vs. heavy armor, use a BS two-handed. Tactics: Parry, dodge, and especially vs. strikers, responsiveness! Resp. will drive other managers nuts, prompting them to say, "How'd you do that?" My favorite tactic for the Un-Scum. Matchups: Every striker in the arena should be on your hit-list. Other good challenges are PS, WS, PR, BA. Avoid lungers and ABs like the plague! So, there you have it. If you'd rather have a TP who's as elusive as a La-Z-Boy than one who sidesteps more blows than he parries, then don't follow my advice. But, if you're ready to have fun fights with TPs, and watch their popularity rise (except vs. scum) every match, then that's what I offer you. Brought to you by Buri of the G.A.P.P.D.A., MGR. Aesier (3, 104), Swords of Sergio (4, 104), S.O.S. (59), and way too many others. Fell free to diplo me, for praise, ridicule, or just for the halibut. Duelmasters for Dummies There are handbooks around that will guide you in becoming the hottest player Duelmasters has ever seen... if you're prepared to work at it. But what if you don't want to be hot, but only pleasantly warm, have a good time, and not fret and stew over maximizing the potential of every roll-up you receive? What if spending months in the Dark Arena searching for the perfect roll-up sounds boring? What if the "Perfect Warrior" is not for you, and you have no intention of dominating Gateway? What if such handbooks as the Enchiridion represent "more than you ever wanted to know" about the inner workings and minute tunings of the game? This article is for you.... You have a new roll-up sheet in front of you; it doesn't matter whether it's a new team or only one replacement. How do you design the warrior(s) for best present enjoyment? First, don't send anyone straight to the Dark Arena. Okay, do if you like to read Dark Arena fights, but not otherwise. Give every roll-up, regardless of "Perfect Warrior" potential or lack thereof, your best design efforts and a chance to show his stuff. Some supposed duds will surprise you. A few simple rules for basic warrior design and strategy: 1) Aim at achieving an odd number in your key stats, 15 is good, 17 is better, except in unusual cases (DF for aimed blows), 21 is too much of a good thing. 2) Wit and Will are the key stats for any warrior except a freak experiment. Deftness and Strength are second, Speed and Constitution are third. 3) Offensive styles (Basher, Lunger, Slasher, Striker) and Total Parries are easier to run and easier to win with than the finesse styles (Aimed Blows, Parry- anythings, Walls of Steel). Yes, the finesse styles can be fun and devastating, but don't START there. Start with the easier styles and work up to finesse. Watch out for stereotypes. Big, dumb, clumsy bashers do not generally do well. Fast, brainy lungers with low CN and WL burn out early in the first minute and also tend to die easily. A medium good roll-up will do well at any of the offensive styles. 4) Pick your arena with some care, as different arenas favor and reward different styles of play and different tones in the personals. Generally speaking, arenas of the Andorian and Lirith Kai regions will frown on down-challenges and deliberate killing, and hostile "trash-talking" personals will not be appreciated. On the whole, these Andorian and Adantri arenas are the more sociable arenas and will tend to have more personals and more role-playing. (There are, of course, exceptions.) Players in the Andorian and Lirith Kai arenas will tend to be helpful to a newcomer. Arenas of the Delarquan region will accept more aggressive styles in play and in personals, more down-challenging, and more killing... BUT you can expect to draw a quick and hard response in kind. Generally these arenas are not as friendly as the Andorians, and they are much less likely to help out a newcomer. The arenas of the Free Blades region vary more among themselves than those of the other regions but generally tend to fall in between the Andorian and Delarquan extremes. 5) When arming your warrior, check the Weapon/Style/Stat Suitability chart below, probably THE most useful chart for a beginner. It sorts the weapons by style, listing only those that are favored by each style, and gives the minimum stats (in ST, SZ, WT, and DF) to use any particular weapon. Note which weapons your warrior is physically able to use. Arm him with something he can use and that is favored by his style, and GIVE HIM A BACK-UP WEAPON, even if it's only a dagger. Do not be misled by real-world logic, by the way: bashers are not well-suited to using the fists as weapons! (If you are going to use the same weapon against all armor weights, it isn't necessary to make three categories on your strategy sheet, and it annoys the inputter.) In fact, you might want to consult the chart below before picking a style for your new warrior. It is not a good idea to make a warrior into, say, a basher, if he is unable to use well any of the basher's weapons of choice. (I've done this by not paying attention, and I have ALWAYS regretted it afterward.) For example, I just got a replacement who is 8-10-20-9-12-4-7. If I make it 9-10-20-15-17-4-9, then I should NOT make it a Basher, because the poor goop couldn't use any bashing weapon well. If I go with this set of numbers, he should probably be a Lunger using a short spear, or a Striker using a hatchet. But if I drop WT to 13 and raise ST to 11, he could use a broadsword and might make a Slasher; equally, if I drop WT to 13 and raise DF to 11, instead, he could use a scimitar and make a Slasher.... Choices, choices.... 6) Put armor on the warrior before sending him out to fight. Armor saves lives. Total Parries can take the heaviest armors, as they generally don't move around a lot. Offensives can run faster with no armor or leather armor, but that doesn't give them much protection. If you're worried about their survival, put them in mid-weight armor; I favor ringmail for this, but scalemail and chainmail are also options. Always put something on their heads! A blow to the head can be especially deadly, so give them protection there--at least a steel cap, a helm for choice, a full helm if the warrior is a Total Parry. 7) Train skills, unless/until you're sure this is going to be a throw-away, short-term warrior. 8) Challenge warriors above your warrior, and/or those with more fights, for the best chance to learn skills. Challenge warriors below your warrior to improve your chances of winning and to provoke maximum hostility from other managers. Repeated challenges to the same warrior, when there are other targets available, will also provoke hostility. 9) Avoid teams with high kill percentages and teams that regularly down- challenge or repeat-challenge. 10) Don't run a warrior 10-10-10 unless you like to see him go berserk and then collapse half way through the first minute. Yes, the pure offensives should run fast, but drop either Activity Level or Kill Desire or both by a few points if your warrior doesn't have a good or better endurance. If endurance is not mentioned on the warrior's overview, then it is "normal" or "average," and 10-10-10 will probably burn him out early in the fight. If endurance is poor, don't even think of it. (Yes, I can hear all you number crunchers out there rising up to point out that there are exceptions. I admit the exceptions, but these are general guidelines for the average beginner. Exceptions belong in a different article.} Generally speaking, Total Parries should run slowly. 11) Be wary of using tactics. Sometimes they help, sometimes they hinder, and they're tricky. Even when a tactic gives some clear benefit, remember that it comes with a built-in danger in that it commits the warrior to that attitude during the minute it is used. A defensive tactic will tend to hinder offense, offensive tactics will reduce the warrior's defense. Do not use both an offensive and a defensive tactic in the same minute. 12) Fill out your strategy sheet clearly and completely to avoid antagonizing the inputter! Don't make her guess what you want your warrior to do. 13) Write personal ads to take part in the player-player interaction. This is a significant part of the fun of the game. If you want other managers to help you learn, write =friendly= personals! Surprising how some people miss this obvious point, but the obnoxious managers are likely to have a hard time getting help. 14) Fill out the front part of the Warrior Census Form. Picking a warrior's race can make him a more clearly realized character and one that it is more fun to write personals for. Filling out the warrior sayings can make reading the fights more amusing. Fill out the back of the form only if you feel like it, as NOTHING on the back, not even the character stats, has any effect on the fights. The back of the form is all role-playing information and, at this time, will only be used if/when your warrior appears in a spotlight written by a staff writer. When/if the extension of the Duelmasters system for which the back of the form was originally intended is completed, you will have another chance to fill out this stuff. Weapons, Styles, Minimum Stats required for use The weapons best-suited to each style are listed under that style. If a weapon is not listed under that style, then it is not well-suited to use by that style. Regardless of style, however, the stats required to use a weapon are the same. This chart was composed with information found in the Enchiridion, and I thank Pagan for making it readily available. Aimed Blow nine weapons Slasher eight weapons Dagger ST - SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 FiST - presumably any Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Hatchet ST 5 SZ - WT 3 DF 7 Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Striker Note that the strikers can Basher eleven weapons use every weapon plus the small shield Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11 effectively. This is the only style that Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 has so broad a selection. Twenty-one Halberd ST 17 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 weapons. Large shield ST 11 SZ 7 WT 5 DF 5 Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Mace ST 13 SZ - WT 3 DF 5 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 Maul ST 15 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 7 Dagger ST - SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Medium shield ST 9 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Morningstar ST 13 SZ - WT 7 DF 13 FiST - presumably any Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11 Warflail ST 11 SZ - WT 7 DF 5 Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 Warhammer ST 13 SZ - WT 5 DF 7 Halberd ST 17 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Hatchet ST 5 SZ - WT 3 DF 7 Lunger five weapons Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Mace ST 13 SZ - WT 3 DF 5 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Maul ST 15 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 7 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Morningstar ST 13 SZ - WT 7 DF 13 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Parry-Lunger six weapons Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Small shield ST 5 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Warflail ST 11 SZ - WT 7 DF 5 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Warhammer ST 13 SZ - WT 5 DF 7 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Total Parry twelve weapons Parry-Riposte six weapons Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Large shield ST 11 SZ 7 WT 5 DF 5 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Medium shield ST 9 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Parry-Striker eleven weapons Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Small shield ST 5 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Wall of Steel eight weapons Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 Small shield ST 5 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Morningstar ST 13 SZ - WT 7 DF 13 Warhammer ST 13 SZ - WT 5 DF 7 Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Warflail ST 11 SZ - WT 7 DF 5 Jorja The Middle Way DM 93 and elsewhere