DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 12/23/2016    Duedate: 01/05/2017

NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA

DM-93    TURN-468

This Weeks Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

DEMON DEACON
COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
(93-9967) [5-2-1,56]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

POSITION IS EMPTY              DEMON DEACON
                               COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
                               (93-9967) [5-2-1,56]

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

FEELGOOD KILLER                FEELGOOD KILLER
BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708)      BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708)
(93-9965) [3-4-0,15]           (93-9965) [3-4-0,15]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)      45
2. GREYSKULL (1710)            12      BANE'S CHILDREN (235)
3. REZ DOGS (1713)              1      Unchartered Team
4. NUMBER KILLER (1711)         0
5. CRUEL LORDS (1707)           0      COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 2*COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)    24  11  4 68.6   1/ 2*COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)   10  5 3
 2/ 3*BASH BROS MATCHUP (1708)  19  15  0 55.9   2/ 3*BASH BROS MATCHUP (1708)  8  6 0
 3- 4*NUMBER KILLER (1711)       5   5  1 50.0   3/ 6*GREYSKULL (1710)          4  6 0
 4- 5*THE GALLOWGLASS (1703)    17  25  0 40.5   4- 4*THE GALLOWGLASS (1703)    2  3 0
 5/ 6*GREYSKULL (1710)           6   9  0 40.0   5- 5*NUMBER KILLER (1711)      2  3 0
 6- 0*CRUEL LORDS (1707)         9  20  1 31.0   6- 0*CRUEL LORDS (1707)        1  4 0
 7/ 0*REZ DOGS (1713)            0   1  0  0.0   7/ 0*REZ DOGS (1713)           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

                          NOBLISH ISLE GRADUATION FINAL EXAM

                               25 True/False Questions
                                 90% = Passing Grade
                        Special Assist = All answers Are FALSE

1.  D2 is all work and no play.
2.  You may bloodfeud only twice.
3.  Female warriors are better than male or neutral warriors.
4.  Scum warriors are not allowed.
5.  Assur and The Consortium rep are allied.
6.  One must challenge warriors by name only on the strategy sheet.
7.  D2 is only for kids.
8.  The WF (war flail aka whiffle) is probably the best weapon available.
9.  A warrior must be deemed godling to enter into tournaments.
10.  All warriors are born with the same amount of stats and skills.
11.  One cannot use a weapon unsuited to the warrior's style.
12.  A manager may have only one team in D2.
13.  Parry riposte (rippers), parry lungers (plungers) and parry strikers (pikers) are 
     the easiest styles to run.
14.  Endurance plays no factor in D2.
15.  A warrior's hit points are only determined by CON.
16.  There are seven skill and seven stat types.
17.  When a warrior dies, your team is reduced by one.
18.  One secret strategy works best for each style of warrior.
19.  All Face-To-Face Tournaments are held at the office headquarters in Tempe, AZ.
20.  The arena Duelmaster may challenge any other warrior in the arena.
21.  A warrior must wear armor.
22.  In general old-time managers in the game hate each other and never communicate.
23.  There are no luck factors in the game.
24.  The RSI Customer Service people are mean and uncaring people.
25.  The designer of this test has patent rights.
NOTE: Certain of these questions are discussed thoroughly in Noblish Island 
Newsletters. So tune in!

Brought to you by Cheerleader of College Mascots (A Consortium representative)

***---------*---------*---------*---------**---------*---------*---------*---------***

                          Assur's Guide to Riposting Hybrids

     The following describes Assur's vision of a hybrid warrior that relies on riposte 
to win.  Hybrids are the hardest warriors to master, but great hybrids are tough to 
beat.  From here on out, when I say hybrids, I am specifically talking about Hybrids 
designed to win with riposte.
     Riposte messages in the fight are the message you often see right after a warrior 
parries or dodges that reads something like: Hybrid steps back, and then rushes 
forward in a counterstrike!  There are a number of such messages that all mean you are 
using your riposte skill.
     Riposte Skills are given (when creating warriors) at:

          WIT:  5,7,15,17,21(x2)
          SPD:  5,7,9,13(x3),15,17,19,21
          DFT:  4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20

1) Design
     Hybrids need a balance of physicals and skills.  More is always better, but your 
hybrid cannot start with 21's in all stats, so...
     Encumbrance is one of the most important attributes.  You do not want to over-
encumber your hybrid for most all fights.  Your armor will be chosen according to your 
ability to carry weight.  A guideline: APL -- 9 Str/Con.  ASM -- 11 Str/Con.  APA 14 
Str/Con Realize that with those minimum str/con values, you need to be careful with 
helms and weapons or you will be over-encumbered.  Sometimes it is fine to carry too 
much, but if you aren't sure who you are fighting, stay under your limit!
     Hit Points are wonderful.  Hybrids love hit points.  The more the better because 
there are nasty pure offensives that will try to take you down and they are good at 
it.
     Damage and Endurance are not as important, but you want some.  Little damage is 
tough to work with.  Endurance depends on your style (Suggested Minimums: Poor for 
PR/AB, Good for L)
     The most important skills are your parry/defense and attack skills.  You'll want 
some riposte skills and initiative skills don't hurt.  Decise is almost useless for 
Hybrids.
     I would recommend at least one of your encumbrance, hit points, or defensive 
skills to be on the high side, preferably two of them.
     With all that in mind, here is what your stats should look like:

          Str: 9+  Con: medium+  Siz: any  Wit: 11+  Will: 7-21  Spd: 3-9  Dft: 11+

     *** 13 speed is a big breakpoint for riposte skills.  10-12 is a bad starting 
         place
     *** While an 11 wit PR can learn enough skills to compete as a hybrid, that same 
         11 wit total parry or lunger might have more difficulty as they learn too 
         many of their primary skills and not enough of their secondary skills.

2) Style Choice
     Only two styles naturally learn riposte.  However, because initiative is 
underpowered, you can live with a non-riposte learning style.
     Parry Ripostes are the king of this type of hybrid.  The naturally learn 
att/par/rip, though they often learn too much riposte and not enough of the other two.  
They learn init and decise last.
     Aimed Blows learn attack and riposte naturally, but do not learn their defensive 
skills as fast.  Still, they can make excellent hybrids, but when you put 21 points on 
deftness, it is difficult to find a balance with the rest of your stats.
     Lungers are the king of all the hybrids (as you'll see in my follow ups the next 
couple of turns).  They have high attack and defense bases.  They have the highest 
total skills of all styles (tied with WOS's).  They learn defense and init skills 
first, but attack and riposte are their secondary skills, so they will learn some 
riposte.  They burn endurance fast, so it is recommended to start with high will.
     Total Parries can be run very similar to Parry Ripostes.  They have better 
natural defenses, but worse attack and riposte.  As mentioned before, they learn 
defense and parry first, but attack and riposte are their secondary learns, so they 
can still make good hybrids, especially with high wit.
     Wall of Steels, Parry Lungers, do not learn riposte much at all.  It can be their 
favorite learn, but usually it is not.  That said, because of their 
attack/init/defenses, these styles can be run as a riposting hybrid.  Riposte is one 
of the easiest skills to 'fake.'  Again, these are high skill/high endurance burn 
styles, so make sure they have more endurance than I suggest as minimum.

3) Weapon Selection
     I am not a fan of shields on Riposting Hybrids.  You are trying to attack and 
nothing is worse than attacking with a shield (which tends to do no damage).  It is 
recommended to use the best weapons in the game that you qualify for.  I tend to use 
off-hand daggers for PR's and PL's and a single weapon with the other styles.
     For main hand, I usually pick (style dependent) in order of preference:  BA, SC 
(poor against scale), BS, LO (poor against plate)
     Feel free to experiment with other weapons.  Most of the time, weapon selection 
will not be the deciding factor in the fight.  Different weapons have different 
strengths and weaknesses.  Until you start to learn those strengths, the safe choice 
are the top overall weapons in the game.

4) Strategy and tactics
     This is where things get difficult.  You really need to experiment to find where 
your hybrid wants to fight.  Different warriors like different rhythms and typically 
your favorite rhythms are a good place to start for most of these hybrids.  For AB's, 
I tend to ignore their favorite activity level and run 7-10 in early minutes.  What 
works on one hybrid may not work on another.  When your hybrid starts to act like a 
monster at a certain set of numbers, you may be hitting his favorites.  For reference, 
the 'most common' set of favorites for the styles mentioned in this article:

          PR: 5-6 AL/3-4 OE              TP: 3-4 AL/1-2 OE
          AB: 3-4 AL/3-4 OE              PL: 5-6 AL/5-6 OE
          L: 7-8 AL/7-8 OE              WOS: 3-4 AL/5-6 OE

     Once again, this is only a place to start.  These numbers may work well or not at 
all for your warrior.  But, it is not a bad place to start.  And if you're going to 
err, I'd recommend erring on the higher side.  But one of my favorite hybrids was a 
Total Parry that went crazy running 2 OE.  He always wanted to attack.
     If you refuse to attack after a riposte messages, consider lowering armor or 
raising your activity level and offensive effort AND drop any tactics you are using.
     As I mentioned, riposte is easy to fake.  The Riposte tactic is a wonderful tool 
for warriors that need help in the riposte department.  Very rarely will AB's or PR's 
need to use this tactic (and I almost never use it for those two styles).  The hardest 
styles to riposte are typically Slashers and Lungers (and sometimes Wall of Steels and 
Parry Lungers, depending how they are running).  These two styles tend to be running 
fast and have lots of initiative and though it is underpowered, if you have enough, it 
is tough to riposte you.
     Parry and Dodge are also useful when you need to augment your defenses.
     
5) Armor
     I talked a lot about armor in the design section.  Wear some, but watch your 
weight.

                                      SPY REPORT

     Well, what are you looking at, NOBLISH ISLAND?  Ain't you never seen Snide 
Clemens before?  Ah, shaddup and listen to my news.  Later days, NUMBER, since 
COLLEGE MASCOTS took top team from you this turn, you guys are old news.  GREYSKULL 
turned their 2-3-0 turn into a 3rd place rank in the listings this turn.  Any better 
than this, and you get put on hit lists.  Now let's all watch COLLEGE MASCOTS' heads 
swell from their 4-1-0 this turn.  Haa ha ha ha!  Big shots, big talk, big deal.  Of 
course, we're all terribly impressed to see KAR'RYN win a fight and gain 16 points, 
terribly.  Tsk, tsk, KAR'RYN beat PIZZA TOPPINGS and PIZZA TOPPINGS lost 9 points.  
You're breakin' my heart.  And it's out with the old, in with the new, as DEMON 
DEACON takes the Title and last week's bar tab from the old Duelmaster.  Heh, heh.  
Kickbacks and bribes, kickbacks and bribes, how else do you think some of these guys 
win their fights?  Skill?  Ha!   
     My mother always told me, 'If you don't have anything nice to say, start 
talking.' I loved that woman.  What's the big D?  THE GALLOWGLASS was the most 
avoided team?  Bunch of lily livered... grumble... mumble... curse...  And it looks 
like COLLEGE MASCOTS avoided them the most this turn.  What a pack of would be 
losers, if you ask me.  Hmph.  Ooh, I'm frightfully impressed, DEMON DEACON was this 
turn's most challenged warrior.  Watch that ego swell, sports fans.   
     Some people like volunteer work in the hospitals.  I volunteer for NOBLISH 
ISLAND's morgue.  More variety.  Titanium shields and bamboo daggers, guess what 
brave team is developing these kinds of weapons?   
     I was about to buy a new quill pen the other day, but some fighter took it for 
an epee.  Forgive me for writing with a dagger.  Just wait 'till next time I show up 
here, I won't be so nice!  So nyaaah!  I see the crowds are getting restless, I must 
leave now-- Snide Clemens  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 DEMON DEACON 9967             5   2  1    56       COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 RAMBLIN' WRECK 9969           6   1  2    41       COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
 CRIP'S STRIKER ARMY 9962      5   2  0    38       BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 RAINBOW WARRIOR 9968          6   1  0    31       COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-SOCK 9933                     5   4  0    27       THE GALLOWGLASS (1703)
 BILLIKEN 9991                 2   0  1    26       COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
-LORD PAIN 9957                3   3  0    25       CRUEL LORDS (1707)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-SYTHINI 9949                  3   3  0    22       THE GALLOWGLASS (1703)
-KRATH 9932                    3   6  0    18       THE GALLOWGLASS (1703)
-DARK MOON 9981                2   0  0    18       NUMBER KILLER (1711)
-DARK SIDE 9980                2   0  0    18       NUMBER KILLER (1711)
 KAR'RYN 9974                  1   2  0    18       GREYSKULL (1710)
 RASPUTIN 9975                 2   1  0    17       GREYSKULL (1710)
 FEELGOOD KILLER 9965          3   4  0    15       BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708)
 TDO TOURNEY STRIKER 9997      2   0  0    15       BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708)
-TAKKARI 9934                  2   7  0    13       THE GALLOWGLASS (1703)
-AUTUMNBE 9643                 3   2  0    12       CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
 PIZZA TOPPINGS 9979           3   2  0    11       BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708)
-MORFAUS 9956                  3   2  0    11       THE GALLOWGLASS (1703)
 SHOCKER 9970                  2   5  0    11       COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
-LORD BRYON 9961               1   5  1    11       CRUEL LORDS (1707)
-LORD RICE-LANDS 9960          2   4  0    10       CRUEL LORDS (1707)
 VIOLET 10004                  1   0  0    10       GREYSKULL (1710)
-LORD HAMMER 9959              1   4  0     7       CRUEL LORDS (1707)
-DRAXXUS 9644                  1   4  0     7       CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
-CRUEL HAMMER 9978             1   3  0     7       CRUEL LORDS (1707)
 VLADOSHIAN 9976               1   2  0     6       GREYSKULL (1710)
-NUMBER 4 KILLER 9983          1   1  1     5       NUMBER KILLER (1711)
-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)
 SLOTH 9973                    0   3  0     3       GREYSKULL (1710)
-BLACK MOON 9982               0   2  0     2       NUMBER KILLER (1711)
-HELL-KNIGHT 9984              0   2  0     2       NUMBER KILLER (1711)
 DOGG 9996                     0   1  0     1       REZ DOGS (1713)

'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.

THE DEAD                W  L K TEAM NAME            SLAIN BY              TURN Revenge?
CONSORTIUM SCUM 9966    1  3 0 BASH BROS MATCH 1708 NUMBER 4 KILLER 9983  465   
DEN'S DCER 9985         0  1 0 BASH BROS MATCH 1708 RAMBLIN' WRECK 9969   466   
TMM PRIZE FREAK 9964    4  2 0 BASH BROS MATCH 1708 DEMON DEACON 9967     467   
QUELL 9977              1  1 0 GREYSKULL 1710       BILLIKEN 9991         467   

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Numbers are graduated ad gone. (sigh)  Does that mean we will have to put up with a 
Bash Bros Matchup for Duelmaster?  Nooooooooooooooooooo!  Boo. Boo. -- Cheerleader, 
College Mascots

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  Thanks for competing with us in D2 on Noblish 
Isle.  Yay for Christmas.  Yay for Noblish managers. -- Cheerleader

Black Moon, nice challenge -- for me.  I know you tried hard. -- Rainbow Warrior

Dark Side, well done!  It took you long enough to beat an old loser like me.  But a 
win is a win is a win. -- Shocker

Two bits, four bits, six bits a dollar.  All for Dark Side stand up and holler! -- 
Cheerleader

TMM Prize Freak, and Assur, I am so, so sorry. (wink)  I would like to see both 
Assurites and Consortiumites do that in Tempe at the FTF! -- Demon Deacon

By the way, Assur, are you running a Crapmaster event in Tempe? -- Cheerleader, 
cheerer of Crapmasters everywhere

Five, I must known something, huh? -- Ramblin' Wreck

Quell and Greyskulls, I am truly sorry for the death of Quell.  It was not 
intentional.  May he fight well in That Great Arena In The Sky. -- Billiken

Who wants to know something?  Ask some questions y'all!  Really. -- Cheerleader

All, Assur's spotlight about defensives was/is a thing of beauty.  Well done, Big Guy. 
-- Cheerleader (admiringly)

Health. Humility. Honor. -- Cheerleader

Note: Christmas will find The Consortium in nice, warmish Charleston, SC, this year.  
Enjoy. -- Cheerleader

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Wonderful New Year to you all! -- RSI

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

CRIP'S STRIKER ARMY was devastated by DEMON DEACON in a 1 minute Bloodfeud fight.
VLADOSHIAN was vanquished by BILLIKEN in a 1 minute brutal uneven Bloodfeud battle.
RAINBOW WARRIOR outlasted OSKSI NOBLE in a unpopular 7 minute duel.
RAMBLIN' WRECK devastated RASPUTIN in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
FEELGOOD KILLER savagely defeated SLOTH in a 3 minute bloody competition.
SHOCKER was viciously subdued by TDO TOURNEY STRIKER in a 2 minute bloody fight.
KAR'RYN savagely defeated PIZZA TOPPINGS in a 5 minute gory amateur's brawl.
DOGG was handily defeated by VIOLET in a 1 minute uneven melee.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|BASHING ATTACK                   5         LUNGING ATTACK    18 -   6 -  1      75  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   3         TOTAL PARRY       12 -   8 -  0      60  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  2         SLASHING ATTACK   14 -  10 -  3      58  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  2         STRIKING ATTACK   21 -  16 -  2      57  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     1         PARRY-STRIKE       9 -   8 -  0      53  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    1         BASHING ATTACK    30 -  27 -  3      53  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      1         AIMED BLOW        21 -  19 -  1      53  |
|AIMED BLOW                       0         PARRY-LUNGE        6 -  12 -  1      33  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      0         WALL OF STEEL      3 -   7 -  0      30  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    0         PARRY-RIPOSTE      2 -   8 -  1      20  |

Turn 468 was great if you     Not so great if you used      The fighting styles of the
used the fighting styles:     the fighting styles:          top eleven warriors are:

PARRY-STRIKE       1 -  0     BASHING ATTACK     1 -  4         2  SLASHING ATTACK
PARRY-RIPOSTE      1 -  0     AIMED BLOW         0 -  0         2  STRIKING ATTACK
LUNGING ATTACK     3 -  0     PARRY-LUNGE        0 -  0         2  LUNGING ATTACK 
TOTAL PARRY        1 -  0     STRIKING ATTACK    0 -  2         1  BASHING ATTACK 
SLASHING ATTACK    1 -  1     WALL OF STEEL      0 -  0         1  TOTAL PARRY    
                                                                1  PARRY-STRIKE   
                                                                1  AIMED BLOW     
                                                                1  PARRY-LUNGE    

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
SLASHING ATTACK  DEMON DEACON 9967           5   2  1   56 COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
BASHING ATTACK   RAMBLIN' WRECK 9969         6   1  2   41 COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
STRIKING ATTACK  CRIP'S STRIKER ARMY 9962    5   2  0   38 BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is FEELGOOD KILLER 9965.  The most popular warrior this 
turn was FEELGOOD KILLER 9965.  The ten other most popular fighters were TDO TOURNEY 
STRIKER 9997, BILLIKEN 9991, KAR'RYN 9974, RAMBLIN' WRECK 9969, PIZZA TOPPINGS 9979, 
VIOLET 10004, DEMON DEACON 9967, SHOCKER 9970, CRIP'S STRIKER ARMY 9962, and 
VLADOSHIAN 9976.

The least popular fighter this week was RAINBOW WARRIOR 9968.  The other ten least 
popular fighters were SLOTH 9973, DOGG 9996, RASPUTIN 9975, VLADOSHIAN 9976, CRIP'S 
STRIKER ARMY 9962, SHOCKER 9970, DEMON DEACON 9967, VIOLET 10004, PIZZA TOPPINGS 
9979, and RAMBLIN' WRECK 9969.

                                The Defensive Lunger

  Perfect   Minimums     Actual Characters
ST   13        11             11   13
CN    7         3              3   11
SZ    4         4             10    6
WT   21        17             17   17
WL   17        13             17   19
SP    5         5              9    5
DF   17        13             17   13

     The lunger, in my opinion, makes a much better defensive fighter than offensive 
fighter.  Fighting defensively will compensate for the speed at which lungers burn 
endurance.  They will still attack whenever possible but their defensive ability will 
allow them to dodge most attacks.  The most important part is their initiative.  When 
they do dodge, they'll usually steal the initiative and attack.  I haven't been 
fighting lungers defensively for long but my record is 14-5-0.  Don't fight 
defensively against other lungers as they will usually win.

     The strategy I use is:
Min  1    2    3    4    5    6   Desp
Off  4 ------------------------->  9         Weapon:  Any lunging
Act  6    4 -------------------->  9         No armor if low con
KD   4 ------------------------->  9         APL/H if average con
O.T. --------------------------->  L
D.T. -------------------------------->

     You can attack any location you wish but I suggest protecting the body.  The 
third character listed started with experts in attack, defense and initiative.  The 
last character had an expert in attack.

The Wild Boar, manager of Things (5) and many inactive teams.

                      Top 10 Things to Do to Have a Better FTF!

10.  Have at least one meal that doesn't involve either McDonalds or Domino's Pizza.  
Bonus points if that meal includes the use of utensils.  (Double bonus points if you 
already knew how to use utensils)

 9.  Recycle all those cover sheets and unwanted roll-ups into ammunition for the next 
great paper ball fight!  (And don't assume that because you don't have any ammo, 
you're not in the game.  When these things break out, ANYONE is a potential target!  
Don't assume that I'm going to throw AROUND you to get to my target, if you're sitting 
there in the middle of things trying to read your fights as the paper balls fly in all 
direction, you're not only likely to get hit by a misfired projectile, but I will be 
aiming for you!)

 8.  Showering at least once a day is not an option.  REPEAT:  Showering at least once 
a day, is NOT AN OPTION!!!

 7.  Much like a watched pot never boils, asking if your overviews or reprints are 
there yet every three minutes will only make the person sitting behind the desk 
irritable (or even more so than usual).  They'll be there when they get there.

 6.  Yes, the printer will break down, the hard drive will crash, and RSI will undergo 
some sort of catastrophe.  This is normal.  Be prepared for long delays.  Some people 
like to play Magic while waiting, some of us prefer heavy drinking.  

 5.  For you first timers, it is customary to do a triumphant little war dance each 
and every time you win a fight, complete with whoop-whoops.  That's what the raised 
platform is for, so the rest of us can see you.  If you don't do the dance, RSI will 
take away your TVs and you will forever get 3 WT roll-ups.  Would I lie to you?  

 4.  Converse with your fellow managers.  Take the time to chat, and introduce 
yourself to at least one complete stranger.  "Have you seen this warrior?" is not a 
good way to introduce yourself.  "Hi, my name is _______ and I run _______; nice to 
meet you!" is a much better way to introduce yourself.

 3.  When the run off fights are being read, I want to hear a lot of noise!  Cheer 
every time a brilliant parry is made, shudder at the impact of a horrific blow, laugh 
derisively when a warrior falls down.  Cheer those who read a good fight, and heckle 
those who can't.  Get crazy.  MAKE SOME NOISE GOLDURNIT!!!

 2.  Conversely, if you insist on reading your fights out loud and you don't have an 
audience, go back to your room until the urge passes.

 1.  Buy your good ol' buddy Forge a beer!

  As always, your own tips and comments are appreciated.  *LOL!*  Hope to see you all 
there!

                                                                      -- Forge

                                  WARRIOR ENDURANCE

     Greetings, joy and happiness to everyone!  I hope you have had pleasant dueling.  
This article is about endurance and some things to think about when you're designing 
your warriors.  Below is a chart showing the different endurance levels a warrior may 
have.  This chart may be a little off of due to the fact it isn't possible to have all 
the variables as a manager, but it does give you idea of the amount of endurance a 
warrior should have.

The formula for endurance is: E = (ST+CN)WL

With the result of that number use the chart below.

000-180 = Very Poor
181-240 = Poor
235-390 = Normal
391-509 = Good
510-639 = Great
640-699 = Tremendous
770+    = Awesome

Here are some examples of warriors with their Endurance ratings:

1) Slasher      ST  5  CN  7  WL 15     (5+7)15   = 180	 Poor
2) Striker	ST  7  CN 13  WL  9	(7+13)9   = 180	 Poor
3) Parry-Rip	ST  7  CN 10  WL 11	(7+10)11  = 187	 Poor
4) Basher	ST 13  CN  9  WL  9	(13+9)9   = 198	 Very Poor
5) Striker	ST 13  CN  9  WL  9	(13+9)9   = 198	 Poor
6) Aimed-Blow	ST  9  CN 15  WL  9	(9+15)9   = 216	 Normal
7) Striker	ST 10  CN  5  WL 15	(10+5)15  = 225	 Normal
8) Slasher	ST 13  CN 10  WL 10     (13+10)10 = 230	 Normal
9) Wall/Steel	ST 13  CN 12  WL 17     (13+12)17 = 425	 Great

     There are several factors such as warrior style, RSI random factor, and there is 
some evidence that SIZE has some effect on a warrior's endurance.  In any case the RSI 
LUCK factor can be around 7 to 8% in your favor or 2-3% worse than average.  These are 
just estimates, but are still factors nevertheless.
     Some styles that are HIGH BURN endurance, like lungers, slashers and walls of 
steel, are more likely to be UNLUCKY with the endurance rating.
     Every action your warrior does consumes endurance.  Attacking seems to use more 
endurance than any other action.  Once a warrior's endurance is used up, he will make 
an endurance check against his WILL. If he fails the roll, he will either stop to rest 
or collapse to the sand, depending on how badly he failed the roll.  When a warrior 
stops to rest, he gets back some endurance.  When he gets enough endurance back, he 
will start attacking again.  This is just a theory that I have developed from 
observations.  It maybe completely off, but it gives one something to ponder.
     That's it for now lords and ladies, I must go entertain elsewhere.  If you would 
like to chat about DM or other things, you can EMAIL me at 103260.3347@compuserve.com 
or visit my DM website at 
http://ourworld.compuserve.com./homepages/jessisjest/homepage.htm 
     You can also diplo me at DM 11 "The Lords Of the Abyss (319)" or any of the 
Joker's Wilds scattered about.

                                                       Cheerio,
                                                       Sir Jessie Jest
                                                       Member of the Ivory League

                     Presenting, by Popular Demand (from 1989)...

                            THE NUMEROLOGY OF DUELMASTERS
                                by The Ghost of Eldrid

                                 Character Generation

     Hello, I am the Ghost of Eldrid, and I have an important message that directly 
effects how well your team may do in the future.  Some managers will not take this 
important article seriously (some people don't believe in ghosts, either), and their 
records will suffer for it.  I have played Duelmasters for four years and searched 
through all of my old turns and painstakingly researched every important fact in this 
article, and I have discussed my conclusions with about ten different managers (named 
managers such as Phido, Doctor LeGrand, Silk, Russ, and Biff Frothingslosh) who all 
agree on the validity of my arguments.  The results of my research are both startling 
and magnificent.  THERE IS NUMEROLOGY IN DUELMASTERS!!!  Whether it was programmed in 
or it exists on a higher plane, it matters not.  IT EXISTS!!!  And I plan to share 
some of its amazing secrets with you, starting with character creation.
     Remember in the realm of character generation the powers favor odd number stats.  
NEVER, EVER have an even number on stats, except, of course, for size, which, 
obviously should be even since everyone can tell what size your character is by his 
description in the fight.  Do you want people thinking your warrior is odd?  I should 
hope not!!  But in case you decide to keep your odd warrior, DO NOT MAKE ANY OTHER 
STATS EVEN!!  Write a letter to the commission stating that you forgo the rights to 
the last point and you want it to be sacrificed to the benefit of Alastari.
     Always start adding points to wit and will first.  Either make them 13, 17, or 
21.  Why?  Under 12 wit is worthless, as any good manager will tell you.  A 13 
understandably gives your opponent bad luck, a 17 has the ever-lucky "7" in it, and 21 
is BLACKJACK, and you get twice the number of winnings you would normally get.  Why 
not 15 or 19?   Is it not obvious to everyone that 15 is unlucky?  The only President 
of the United States not married was the 15th, James Buchanan (who?).  Lincoln was 
shot on April 15th, and the clincher... my brother was born on the 15th of May.  If 
these "coincidences" don't prove to you that 15 is unlucky, I don't know what will.  
19 is an evil number.  It tries to deceive you into thinking it is better than 17, but 
actually, it is an "11" with a small zero placed on the second pole, and we all know 
that a zero is nothing.  So what do we get for our extra eight points?  In effect, 
something smaller than nothing.
     Next, make every other stat odd.  Add the other points to make the style you 
want.  Deftness is the key to character generation.
     Deftness (min)
          5 to make a basher (ST 13+)
          7 for a lunger
          9 for a striker
          11 for a wall of steel (ST 11+, WL 17+)
          13 for a parry lunge (ST 11+), slasher (SP 11+), parry-strike, and total 
                    parries (these styles depend on the opponent's bad luck.
          17 for a parry-riposte (WT 17+)
          21 for an aimed blow (this style needs the double winnings)

     The last thing to remember is that luck is a big factor in this game and I don't 
know if you noticed, but when warriors have even ID numbers they are luckier than odd 
ID characters.  Look at the best warriors in Primus: Wallbanger, Donatello, Epitaph, 
Chaos Knight, Villiage Idiot, Silverflash, Khorga Khan, Jake the Snake, Sly, Max, 
Stormbringer, Teetotaler, Raphael, Selleque, Kiri, Constance, Hangover, Eve, and Sam 
Spade.  All have even-numbered IDs.  Now you say, "But Yoda and Necron-99 both have 
odd IDs, and they are the best aimed blows of the game!"  Yes, but they are AIMED 
BLOWS and they are members of an odd style, so of course they do better with odd 
numbers.  So remember if you want your warriors to be best in all Alastari someday, 
Dark Arena all your odd-numbered characters, unless of course they are aimed blows.  
Good luck, and may the numbers fall your way.

                                        -- The Ghost of Eldrid,
                                             retired

                           PARRY-STRIKE, ANOTHER FUN STYLE

     There have been several articles about fighting styles, some say theirs is the 
best, or ultimate, one said theirs is the most fun style.  Well, I feel that parry-
strikers are just as much fun to play as any other style.
     First, let's start with the run down of what they say in the "RED BOOK".  The 
book says that parry-strikers are defensive, using small quick movements in their 
actions (sounds like you could say that about some other styles as well.)  The book 
says that some managers swear that a high wit is critical to the style (only those who 
have no brains would disagree with that.)
     Let's get to business.  First and foremost this style is deceptively aggressive, 
making them a very good offensive type of fighter, or deadly type of defensive 
fighter.  Offensively they tend to get the jump on their opponent.  I had a parry-
striker that was only jumped 3 out of 11 fights, before he died.  To prepare and run a 
parry-striker can be quite confusing, so I will try to help make it as simple as 
possible.  Here are my feelings on roll-ups for the parry-strike style:

     ST:  11-15, I'll explain later.
     CN:  who cares.
     SZ:  10-14, don't go over 14.
     WT:  13-17, 17 is the best.
     WL:  13-17, to get good endurance.
     SP:  not important.
     DF:  11-15, I'll explain later.

     Here are some good roll-ups for a parry-striker:  11,7,10,17,17,7,15; 
15,7,11,17,16,7,11; 11,7,14,17,13,7,15; 15,7,14,17,13,7,11.  Now, if you have a decent 
wit, the way you run this fighting style will depend on strength and deftness.  For 
example: if your fighter has a high DF and a low ST it would be to his/her advantage 
to be defensive, since the speed would benefit the ability to move in reaction to 
their opponent.  If the ST is high, and DF low, it would be better to fight 
offensively like a striker, trying to get the first, and only blow in.  If they don't 
have a decent wit, you're on your own.  I can't help you on that.  Remember this style 
of fighting is the same as a striker except for added knowledge of parrying, as well 
as bein a little more aggressive.  I would not suggest a low ST and DF, it will take 
away from your WT & WL, and you don't want to do that, but if you do, good luck.  You 
don't need much CN if you have a good WL, which gives you your endurance.  SZ; you 
don't want it to be above 14, it would hurt your fighting style more than your 
attributes.  WT; it is the same as it is with strikers, the higher the WT the faster 
and deadlier they become.  Raise WT to 17 if you don't have it at the start, then 
don't worry about it again until ADM.  WL; this is where you get your endurance.  13 
is fine to start out, but I would suggest 15, then bump it up to 17 in basic.  SP; it 
is what you need to riposte, but PSers have this "one strike one kill" attitude.  
Meaning that there isn't much time to riposte with a killing attitude, so do whatever.  
DF; what is there to say, it helps, but is not crucial to be a great PSer.  Now to 
running a PSer.  If he is an offensive fighter 10-10-10 Dec. all the way through the 
fight, even in desperation.  If Defensive, 1st 10-10-10 Resp., 2nd 10-7-10 Dec., 3rd 
10-10-10, 4th 10-10-10 Dec., 5th 10-10-10 Dec., 6th 10-10-10, Desp. 10-10-10 Resp.  
Remember, first you want to assure your defense, and to do that, you should go 
defensive the first minute.  By the second minute you will be secure enough to go on 
the offensive, but experiment.  6th minute on, leave blank, for by that time he/she 
will know what to do (if their WT is high that is.)  The best thing you could do for 
your fighter is watch the fights, if you are getting more defensive skills than 
offensive, run the def., or change weapons.  That is the best advice I can give you 
about PSers.  About armor, I like to use ringmail or nothing, but experiment.  I know 
that there is someone that will disagree with me, but I feel that I have given you 
some ideas about this fighting style that can be used, even though I am a new manager, 
playing for just over a year.  No matter who writes a style article, it is just 
advice, not the bible.  Just use the articles as a point of reference, not as sworn 
law.
     This is a very fun fighting style, try it out.  I have written this in answer to 
Foreign Legion Arena 31, and The Spartans Arena 8.  I challenge any Primus Manager to 
correct my writing of PSers.  It is not my favorite style, but it is as fun as any 
other that I have used, including my favorite one (Which is a STRIKER!!)  If there are 
any comments, please Diplo The Priest, the manager of The Heroes of XIAN DM-10, or The 
Crucifiers DM-46.

                          'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE TOURNEY...

'Twas the night before Tourney, And all through the place
Many managers were drinking, Getting smashed at the Face;
The staff were all busy, The computers were humming,
Rollups were bought, for the deadline was coming;
 
Soon managers were nestled, all smug at their tables,
With visions of TC's coming from their stables;
And NAIMT doing massages, while A-Sop caused trouble,
An hour before deadline, the workload just doubled,
 
When by the computers, there arose such a clatter,
All eyes turned to them, to see what was the matter.
Sue glaring at the screen, Lee's fingers just flew,
Oh, the computer was down, so what else was new?
 
The lights in the room were too bright, someone said,
Nah, it's just the reflection from off Hoffa's head,
Then, what to our wondering eyes should appear,
But Soultaker and Sentinel, once again here this year, 

Yes, we heard "No more Faces!", We hear this each time,
But we know it's a farce, like this parody's rhyme.
More rollups are bought, more warriors are made,
Names are thought up, and carefully weighed;

"How 'bout FREE WILLY? Or RODMAN? Or PUSSY? Or KNOCKERS? 
Or SHEIK T'WEEZEL? Or BALLSY? Or TAKE OFF THEM DOCKERS!?
Not a chance say the censors! Nice try, bub, but no!
Now it's HAPPY, and BARNEY, and WE LOVE YOU SO! 

The managers groan, but undaunted keep trying,
The censors all laugh, and just are not buying,
The RUGS altars are burning, offerings are gifted,
With hopes that the rollup curses soon will be lifted.

And then, in a twinkling, we hear down the hall,
A Lunat!k roar and Fusion chased with a maul.
You see, he'd heard about Fusion's campaign for the Prez,
Now it's "Off with his Head!", so Lunat!k says. 

At the Dark Circle table, 6'7" down in height,
With their arrogant statures, their great show of might.
Yet amidst all the notebooks, are nerf toys and giraffe,
Such silliness there, NAIMT can't help but laugh. 

At Aradi's table -- how they giggle, at the cartoons and stories 
Of the FONZ done by Nuln, in his infinite glories!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a ring,
And Barb drew his beard as straggly as string; 

The new guys at Duelmasters, some call them a rookie,
Making names for themselves like Jessie and Bookie;
The regulars are here, The Boss, PUG, and TUM
Carapace, Sensei, and lots more to come
 
Doc Steele and his legends, even now in the making,
If there weren't many witnesses, I'd think he was faking.
The paperball fight, and the chaos ensues,
Clean it up, says Lee, or your heads you will lose!

The independents and alliances, speaking more than a word,
NAIMT's resounding giggles can also be heard;
But the hour before deadline is soon at a close, 
And giving a nod, on a chair Sandy rose; 

Okay guys, she says, no more inputs to be made,
And away goes some managers for a Bourbon Street raid.
But ere I end this bad poem, I just want to say,
"GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD DAY!"

****Hey, what do you expect for a quickie?... <grin>

                            THE ARMOR PIERCING PARRY-LUNGE

     When you think "attack" what style comes to mind?  Bashing?  Definitely lunging?  
Of course.  Parry-Lunging?  Excuse me?  Yes, the parry-lunger!  Few people realize the 
fact that parry-lungers are attack gods waiting to be born.  All it takes is the right 
warrior and lots of guts.  This warrior is not for the weak of heart.  We'll begin 
with stats.

     Range               Perfect
     ST  9-11                  11
     CN  5-9                    5
     SZ  6-11                   8
     WT 17or21                 21
     WL 17or21                 17
     SP  5-8                    5
     DF 15-17                  17

     Why?
     ST(11):  This is your optimum PL strength.  It puts your warrior in the normal to 
good damage range.  Also, you have the best PL weapon at your disposal--the LO!
     CN(5):  Yes, his life expectancy is low.  What'd I tell you?  Guts, right?  He 
gets his endurance from WL.  If you want to make trains, make them here.
     SZ(8):  Our most flexible stat.  A high SZ (i.e.11) allows you to skimp a bit on 
Str (9).
     WT(21):  If it's not a 21 you're not going to get the attack this fellow counts 
on.  His learns will be awesome and a 21 WT will make him a better warrior out of the 
chocks.
     WL(17):  End/Att are dependent on this one being high.  Keeps you on your feet 
when you should drop from exhaustion.
     SP(5):  Not a big requirement.  Init and Parry will come from elsewhere (WT/DF).  
This is not a lunger mimic.
     DF(17):  Combine this DF with a 21 WT and you will have a massive attack.  
Pinpoint accuracy is the byword.  Parry, init, def and riposte will all benefit 
immeasurably.  At 15 you have access to the EP, a fine lunging weapon this style can 
put to devastating use.

     Strategy (General, but effective in most cases)
          2    9    9    7    6    5    10
          6    9    9    7    6    5    10
          2    7    7    7    5    5    10
          HE ---------------------------->
          HE   BD ----------------------->
          -    -    -    -    -    -    -
          P    -    -    -    -    -    -

     Minute 1:  This fellow won't get the jump on offensives, so we'll just go 
defensive and render their "mad minute" fruitless.  This PL's counterattack will be 
amazing at even 2-6-2 P due to the high AL.  Keep the parry tactic until Adv Expert 
parry is gained.
     Minutes 2 and 3:  These two will end most of his fights.  When he starts landing 
precision blows in his opponent's face it will usually be over quickly.  Keep the kill 
desire relatively low as to avoid sloppy attacking.
     Minutes 4 through 6:  If you haven't won by now you've got to depend on your WL 
to carry you until you finish the job.  He'll probably top out at the five min. mark.  
But we want to keep the attacks coming so we do so at his endurance's expense.
     Desp:  If your opponent is an offensive he's probably blasted through your min. 1 
defense.  Your best bet is to go spastic and hope to take him out in one shot or so.  
If he's some super-defensive (scum) this PL is probably exhausted and you're hoping 
the super-offense will put him over the edge.  After all, it's better to burn out than 
fade away.
     Always aim for the head to maximize the impact of your blows.  If it tickles your 
fancy, aim for your opponent's weapon arm and beat him senseless when he's unarmed.  
Protecting the head in min. 1 is strictly odds playing on my part.  My offensives aim 
head so I assume everyone else's do too.  After min. 1, we forget defense.
     Weapons and armor are simple.  APL/H or ARM/H (if you're challenging a real 
heavy-hitter).  I prefer swords for armament.  My combos are usually LO/SM, LO/SH, 
SC/DA etc.  Against heavy armor go with LO/SH.  Always aim for the head.
     Philosophy:  This guy clings to life by luck, early on, and will never be free of 
the spectre of death.  In his first few fights stay away from lungers and bashers.  
Both have high attacks and usually do substantial damage.  Prey on strikers, PS, PR 
and slashers.  As he progresses, his attack, parry and defense will equip him with the 
tools to handle most everybody but always remain cautious of those bashers and 
lungers.
     A PL of this calibre should begin with around a 90 att, 70 par/init and 60-70 
def.  Decise and riposte will be slightly lower.  Riposte 50 and decise anywhere from 
35-50 depending on how lucky you get.  Train skills exclusively from fight one and on.  
Use tourneys if you must raise anything at all (including con).
     Don't be discouraged if he's around .500 early on.  By ten fights he'll be 
sporting three Adv Experts at least (att, par and init) and will begin to dismantle 
those scum/finesse styles that managed to beat him.  Feel free to write or diplo me 
with comments/criticisms/or questions.

                                             Fight the Good Fight,
     or:                                          Agath
          CPL Michael Dockus                      Lunatic Fringe (23)
          H Co BLT 2/8                            Circle of Five (51)
          24 MEU (Det F)                          Slaves of Power (52)
          FPO NY NY 09502-8531