DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 02/03/2017 Duedate: 02/16/2017
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-471
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
DEMON DEACON
COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
(93-9967) [6-4-1,60]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
DEMON DEACON POSITION IS EMPTY
COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
(93-9967) [6-4-1,60]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
FEELGOOD KILLER JINGLE BELL
BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708) DRIFTY DREAMS (1717)
(93-9965) [4-6-0,18] (93-10015) [1-0-0,8]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. DARK CLOUDS (1719) 33
2. LINKS OF TERROR (1718) 28 COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
3. COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709) 19 Unchartered Team
4. DRIFTY DREAMS (1717) 16
5. BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708) 4 (-1)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1/ 1 COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709) 32 18 4 64.0 1/ 1 BASH BROS MATCHUP (1708) 9 5 0
2/ 0*DARK CLOUDS (1719) 3 2 0 60.0 2/ 2 COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709) 8 7 0
3/ 0*LINKS OF TERROR (1718) 3 2 0 60.0 3/ 3*THE EXILED (1716) 4 5 0
4/ 2 BASH BROS MATCHUP (1708) 28 20 0 58.3 4/ 0*LINKS OF TERROR (1718) 3 2 0
5- 4*ODD SQUAD (1712) 2 2 0 50.0 5/ 0*DARK CLOUDS (1719) 3 2 0
6/ 3*THE EXILED (1716) 4 5 0 44.4 6- 5*ODD SQUAD (1712) 2 2 0
7/ 0*DRIFTY DREAMS (1717) 2 3 0 40.0 7/ 0*DRIFTY DREAMS (1717) 2 3 0
8/ 5*GREYSKULL (1710) 8 13 0 38.1 8/ 4*GREYSKULL (1710) 2 4 0
9- 6*REZ DOGS (1713) 1 5 0 16.7 9- 6*REZ DOGS (1713) 1 4 0
10- 7*HI NO UMI (1715) 0 1 0 0.0 10- 7*HI NO UMI (1715) 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
An FTF Tournament Scenario
or
Billiken Of College Mascots
Gives The Big Time A Try
The purpose of this spotlight is to give newcomers to D2 a sense or feeling or
information about tournaments, in this case a Face-To-Face tournament, held in Tempe
near the RSI offices. Hence, Billiken of College Mascots was selected as the guinea-
pig. Rah, rah, Billiken!
So, a tournament. Four times a year RSI holds tournaments. Winter and Summer
are Face-To-Face Tournaments where managers from all arenas compete on-site against
each other face-to-face and can change strategies each and every fight if they wish.
The winter Face Site has always been in Tempe, AZ (the RSI Home Site), while the
summer event in held in varying cities east of the Mississippi. (The last one was in
New Orleans, LA, and summer of 2017 will probably be in Kansas City, MO.) The Mail-In
Tournaments are done completely via mail and managers submit predetermined strategies
for their entered warriors. (Each warrior is allowed a primary strategy and also a
secondary strategy which will be employed against selected styles.) Both events cost
$7.00 per warrior and are great fun. Warriors compete in classes, thereby allowing
similarly experienced warriors from all arenas to be fairly matched with each other.
In tournaments, a warrior's chance to learn skills or earn stat increases is half that
in normal arenas. Supposedly, the chances of dying are also halved.
Why might I want to do this? I had three real reasons. (1) Tournaments are fun;
a real rush, as the warrior and manager gets lots of fights in a very short period--
minimum three fights (2) Seeing one's warrior compete against warriors from many other
arenas is fun and a good judge of the skill and status of one's own warrior. (3) The
warrior acquires fights plus skills and/or stat raises that are "hidden", meaning that
those fights and resultant learnings cannot be seen in the arena status listing of the
warrior. For example, Billiken was 3-0-1 on the Noblish Island newsletter prior to
the tournament, and despite fighting several fights in the tournament, will be listed
at 3-0-1 after the tournament.
I entered Billiken from Noblish Island in The 2017 Winter FTF. Prior to fighting
him in The FTF, I wanted to give him the best possibility to succeed. I prepared to
fight him in the Apprentices class. Classes are segregated by FE (Fight Equivalents).
What is a fight equivalent? Each arena fight counts as one fight and any tournament
fights count as a half fight. The Apprentices Class is for warriors with 1-4 FE.
Having no tournament fights prior, I wanted to try to "max" Billiken for Apprentices.
By "max" I wanted him to fight with the maximum FE possible in that class. By doing
so, I would optimize his chances to succeed. Alas, I was unable to do so, only
getting Billiken three fights prior to the Face; hence, he was one fight "light", but
that wasn't too bad.
Pre-Tournament, Biliken looked like this:
11-13-5-15-21-8-11, a Lunger who was right-handed, intelligent,
incredibly quick and elusive, did normal damage, had good endurance, and had
an expert in attack on the roll. He earned expert defense after one learn in
the arena, so I also knew he was +2 to 4 attack skills and +4 defense. Nice,
but not a godling.
Billiken did o.k. in the tournament, finishing 3-3 (1 a grudge match) against the
best Apprentices in the land, even though he was only 75% maxed. He also learned/
trained well, earning 1 stat (CN, moving endurance to great) and 7 skills (mostly
initiative). Perhaps a general fight-by-fight summary would prove of value?
First, let me list for you the one strategy I chose:
8 9 9 7 7 4 4 ASM/S
10 9 6 3 3 1 10 0-13 = SS & N
6 6 6 7 7 10 4 14+ = LO & N
N L N N N L N b/u = DA
D N N N N N D
Strategies, armor, weapons, backups, tactics, training, etc, etc are all variable, and
explaining MY choices or normal Consortium choices would require a much, much longer
spotlight. Perhaps another day.
As to Billikens's tournament action:
Fight one against a sz13 scum TP -- Billiken swung 26 times with the LO, 1 crit,
but with his only normal damage could not take the scum down and lost in six rounds,
earning an init and attack skill.
Fight two, a sz8 aimer (ale/l sc/-) with a lot of dodging and back and forthing,
the aimer was a winner; Blliken was 0/10/0 with the SS earning a riposte and init
skill.
Fight three, which Billiken has to win or he is out! (3 losses and done) another
aimer, also sz8, who was ale/l and using fist. The fight was nearly identical to the
previous fight except Billiken won, going 0/9/0 with the SS and earning one init
skill.
Fight four, a striker at sz11, naked, and with a scimitar. Billiken dodged his
advances in the first round, traded strokes with him in the second, finally getting
his best crit of the tourney, knocking him down, and finishing the win in three
rounds. He was 1/10/0 with the SS. (one init skill)
Fight five, another scum, sz8, and Billiken did not know he was fighting a scum.
(APM/F SH/ME) Had he known, in the FTF, he could and would have changed his strategy
to slow down and hopefully take out the scum. But instead, although Billiken
performed well with the LO, going 4/20/0, he lost in 4 rounds. He finished at 2-3,
earning another init. BUT....
A final special grudge match is allowed at FTFs, so Billiken brokered a match up
with a basher. A sz 11, naked, HL wielding basher. Scarey! For the grudge Billiken
wanted to test a strategy. Since he was pretty defensive skilled and not so much of a
damaging hitter, 6-6-2 dodge, with ale/l sh/- (low armor, and LO high armor). He
learned the basher was going 10-10-7 decise in the first round. Amazingly, Billiken
dodged the first two swings of the massive halbard, then jabbed him twice for the win
and a decent 3-3 record. He was training for a CON stat and got it, not only adding
to hit points, but giving him great endurance.
Billiken says he was glad to get out of the FTF alive! Such is Billiken's Face-
To-Face tournament saga. He was an OK 3-3. He earned 7 skills, and a stat increase
which enhanced his hit points and endurance.
Key things you learned from this article:
1. 4 tournaments held plus their type and timing
2. FE = Fight Equivalents
3. Tournament Prep
4. Some basic Consortium lunger strategies
5. The value of tournaments to your warriors (and you)
6. Stat raising and burning skills
Written by: Cheerleader of College Mascots, Consortium affiliated.
***---------*---------*---------*---------**---------*---------*---------*---------***
Assur's Guide to High Skill Hybrids
The last of the Hybrid types is perhaps the most unclear of the warrior types in
terms of getting them to win. High Skill Hybrids don't really have a clear path to
victory, but expect to win by virtue of the fact that they have more skills than their
opponents.
Assur is far from an expert in this type of warrior, but it has been shown many
times that pure skills CAN win. Sometimes, they are called skill whores, because they
sacrifice everything for more skills.
1) Design
As Hybrids, they want a bit of everything, but their focus is on high skills with
some balance of physicals (often meaning as long as you don't have little damage or
little endurance, you're good to go). But you especially want to make sure you hit
major skill breakpoints and always want a decent wit to ensure they keep learning
skills as fast as their peers around them.
Most commonly these Hybrids start with 8-11 Strength, but higher strength
versions are definitely possible, but since strength is not a main skill stat, 8-11 is
most common. You almost always want more constitution on this type of hybrid, but
because you're focusing on skills, you almost never add points here. Size and Speed
are usually very low, but there are plenty of high speed versions (usually made into
Lungers).
High wit and deftness are the norm; 17 or 21 wit is highly recommended. High
Will is also nice. I recommend not trying this type of hybrid with less than 11 wit
or less than 11 deftness (both major skill breakpoints). Will of 9 (or even 7) is
just fine for endurance conserving styles.
The most 'extreme' examples of this type of hybrid look something like:
9-7-7-21-17-6-17, 12-3-9-21-17-5-17, and 11-4-5-21-17-9-17
More realistic versions (i.e. the chance of getting a set of stats that can make the
extreme versions is very small, you'll see these types of stats more often)
15-8-6-17-17-6-15, 12-3-13-17-17-5-17, 8-9-7-17-17-11-13, and 11-9-13-17-9-4-21
2) Style Choice
With 21 wit, pretty much any style can attempt to win with skills. Otherwise,
the following styles are recommended.
Lungers: The highest skill style, the highest base attack and defense, and the
highest favorite fighting rhythms all make for a very strong style. When you're
looking for a high skill style, Lungers should always be in the running. The downside
is that they require lots of endurance to run.
Wall of Steels: Wall of Steels start with the same initial skill total as a
Lunger, though the distribution is dramatically different. They also run well with
lower fighting rhythms, so do not need as much endurance as their lunger counterparts.
Still, it is a good idea to have high endurance for Wall of Steels.
Parry Lungers: This style falls just short of Lungers and Wall of Steels in the
traditional power rankings. But they are definitely on the higher side of of the
skill totals and built correctly can be powerful opponents.
For both Wall of Steels and Parry Lungers, their reluctance to learn riposte
skills suggests that hybrids of this style either start with some riposte, have a bit
more defensive oomph (parry, carry, and hit points), or are augmented in strategy with
the Riposte Tactic.
Aimed Blows: (With High Deftness, usually 17 or 21). Aimed Blows round out the
styles that naturally perform well as high skill hybrids. Aimed Blows are unique in
that they can do very well with extremely low strength (even 3) or will (7+) and still
have lots of skills. The do not need the endurance that the other high skill styles
need. The downside of hybrid AB's is that they can be extremely vulnerable to death
given the way they are typically designed.
And with 21 wit (or even 17), any of the ten fighting styles can learn fast
enough to outpace opponents in the skill race. Realize that wit is a high commodity
stat, and many of your opponents may also have 17 or 21 wit, especially teams run by
managers that focus on the tournament game.
3) Weapon Selection
Weapon selection for high skill hybrids varies by manager and design. The first
choice will normally be one of the top weapons in the game (SC, BA, BS, LO), but there
are other situations where your warrior may be better with another weapon. Maybe your
warrior likes to run fast (QS, HA, SS). Maybe your warrior wants a better riposting
weapon (EP). Maybe you want to strive for Knockdowns (LS). Perhaps you want to look
for your favorite weapon and get bonus skills that way!
Almost every weapon has its uses. I will warn once again that weapons that only
deal crushing damage tend to be underpowered. They do quite well against Scale Mail,
but otherwise are clearly outclassed by other weapons in the game. This is built into
the game mechanics.
4) Armor
You are a hybrid. You'll want to wear armor. How much needs to be a balance of
your endurance, carry ability, and your specific warrior's strengths. More defensive
and you might wear a bit extra armor. A faster hybrid (like the Lunger) will often
wear a bit less armor. A super low strength hybrid will wear very little.
Most importantly, unless you're expecting a certain type of fight, DO NOT
OVERENCUMBER YOUR HYBRID! This is the easiest way to make a hybrid perform poorly as
the overall encumbrance penalties are harsh.
5) Strategy and Tactics
Option #1: Look for your favorite rhythm. Warrior naturally fight better when
they are running at or near their favorite rhythm. You don't know what your favorite
rhythm is initially, but each style has rhythms that are common to the style and each
style as limits on what is possible to get. It is amazing what some warriors do when
running on their faves.
Option #2: Run hot (or semi-hot). Having your warrior going out hot is not a bad
strategy. There may be better strategies for your hybrid, but at least you'll know
he's going out with the intention to attack. Bad idea for most hybrids against pure
defensive warriors.
Option #3: Run defensive minute 1. This is especially effective for Wall of
Steels, but can be used by any of the style mentioned above. It also conserve
endurance better than option #2.
Option #4: Run a riposting strategy. This is highly dependent on your warrior,
but you don't need a lot of riposte to get the counterstrike. Generally this is a
moderate type strategy (too low and most warriors won't try to attack, unless those
low numbers happen to be their faves and then all bets are off)
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
Hey, I deserve this Title. After all, I have beaten those Bash Bros Matchups 4-1 and
killed 2. I have beaten a Number and a Greyskull, and 2 NPCs (computer stand ins).
And I am a wonderful example of a ungodling, burned warrior. I know you all are just
chomping at the bits to see my stats. So read 'em and weep! 13(+1)-6-9-6(+1)-21-
18(+2)-16(+1) good damage and normal endurance. Nope, I have not trained at all for
skills. What the heck; at my wit, I won't earn many! So I am a stat raiser all the
way, Baby! One more fight and I am gone. We all (College Mascots) will be gone. It
was fun -- especially killing those Bash Bros Matchup warriors! Bwahahahahahahaha.
-- Ramblin' Wreck, Duelmaster
SPY REPORT
Like the magnificent Sun, rising upon the Dawn and exiling the Night for a Day,
I, Novgorodny Vir, return once again! He who laughs last didn't get the joke.
Speaking of laughing at jokes, observe GREYSKULL. Last week they got 1-0-0 to drop
by 4! Practice pays for THUNDER WONDER, who pummelled KRUPHIX, to pocket 20 points.
KRUPHIX certainly had a baffled expression on his face, after losing to THUNDER
WONDER and losing 11 points in the process! Out with the old, in with the new.
Enter KUNG-FU MASTER, handily defeating RAMBLIN' WRECK. With 60 points, DEMON DEACON
of COLLEGE MASCOTS takes the position of NOBLISH ISLAND's Duelmaster. Word has it
one team in NOBLISH ISLAND is taking speech lessons to try to bore their opponent to
death. I'll bet it works.
And how sociable are NOBLISH ISLAND's warriors? Come, let us see. Like a horde
of jackals fleeing from the lion, so did the "warriors" in NOBLISH ISLAND avoid BASH
BROS MATCHUPS. As a woman of good breeding scorns the "warriors" of COLLEGE MASCOTS,
so did that sorry team shy from BASH BROS MATCHUPS Everyone is famous for fifteen
minutes, and CRIP'S STRIKER ARMY is it right now. Most challenged warrior. Isn't
BASH BROS MATCHUPS proud!
Like the wind whispering among the pines, do hearest I many disquieting rumors.
Ask not for whom the sword slashes; it slashes for thee.
All good things must come to an end. More important duties call me. NOBLISH
ISLAND, I leave you now. The Duelmaster has agreed to foot my bill at The Swinging
Aardvark. 'Til next time-- Novgorodny Vir
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
DEMON DEACON 9967 6 4 1 60 COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
RAMBLIN' WRECK 9969 8 2 2 55 COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
CRIP'S STRIKER ARMY 9962 7 3 0 46 BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708)
BILLIKEN 9991 5 0 1 44 COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
RAINBOW WARRIOR 9968 7 3 0 34 COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
TDO TOURNEY STRIKER 9997 5 0 0 29 BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
PIZZA TOPPINGS 9979 4 4 0 23 BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708)
VIOLET 10004 3 0 0 22 GREYSKULL (1710)
AVACYN 10012 2 0 0 22 THE EXILED (1716)
THUNDER WONDER 10029 1 0 0 20 DARK CLOUDS (1719)
-JINXEE 9988 2 0 0 19 ODD SQUAD (1712)
FEELGOOD KILLER 9965 4 6 0 18 BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708)
DM BLOODFEUD 10003 2 0 0 17 BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708)
SHOCKER 9970 3 7 0 16 COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
-AUTUMNBE 9643 3 2 0 12 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
-KAR'RYN 9974 1 3 0 12 GREYSKULL (1710)
JOPAR 10023 1 0 0 11 LINKS OF TERROR (1718)
KIRENN 10020 1 0 0 10 LINKS OF TERROR (1718)
JINGLE BELL 10015 1 0 0 8 DRIFTY DREAMS (1717)
-DOGG 9996 1 2 0 8 REZ DOGS (1713)
-DRAXXUS 9644 1 4 0 7 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
BONGO 10027 1 0 0 6 DARK CLOUDS (1719)
SELYSNA 10014 1 1 0 5 THE EXILED (1716)
CLOUDSPICE 10018 1 0 0 5 DRIFTY DREAMS (1717)
RAIN STORM 10028 1 0 0 5 DARK CLOUDS (1719)
FRENAR 10022 1 0 0 5 LINKS OF TERROR (1718)
KRUPHIX 10010 1 1 0 4 THE EXILED (1716)
-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)
IONA 10011 0 2 0 2 THE EXILED (1716)
-BIXIE 9989 0 2 0 2 ODD SQUAD (1712)
-PEARL 9995 0 2 0 2 REZ DOGS (1713)
CANDY CANE 10019 0 1 0 1 DRIFTY DREAMS (1717)
ZENZA 10021 0 1 0 1 LINKS OF TERROR (1718)
HASAMI 10016 0 1 0 1 DRIFTY DREAMS (1717)
-YOSHI 10007 0 1 0 1 HI NO UMI (1715)
ELYTRA 10025 0 1 0 1 DARK CLOUDS (1719)
-TROKAR 10013 0 1 0 1 THE EXILED (1716)
DAKUROZU 10026 0 1 0 1 DARK CLOUDS (1719)
-MOON FACE 9993 0 1 0 1 REZ DOGS (1713)
ONIHANA 10017 0 1 0 1 DRIFTY DREAMS (1717)
TONARION 10024 0 1 0 1 LINKS OF TERROR (1718)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
TMM PRIZE FREAK 9964 4 2 0 BASH BROS MATCH 1708 DEMON DEACON 9967 467 NOT REVENGED
QUELL 9977 1 1 0 GREYSKULL 1710 BILLIKEN 9991 467 NOT REVENGED
PERSONAL ADS
Bo -- Questions in the personal ads are a great start. Hopefully you've already
gotten the 'CIC' from the Commission. And information is only one part of the puzzle.
You need experience. But we can definitely help you towards a good path. -- Assur
P.S. Welcome.
Shihainin -- Welcome! The articles and ads here are a great place to start. Some of
the articles at the bottom of the newsletter are 'dated,' but most of them aren't too
far off. At the top are the Consortium and my best attempts to give current
information. But asking questions will get you even more specific information. --
Assur
A few tips to get you started:
- High wit and/or High will is a great positive. I recommend no less than 25 between
the two stats (with 28-32 a much better start)
- Not all styles are created equal. TP's and ST's are the easiest two styles to
succeed with. PL's and PS's are the hardest two.
- Little damage is crippling for more styles (TP's and AB's being the only true
exceptions). Good damage is a much better starting place.
- Certain styles have high desire for certain things.
LU's want lots of endurance (Will especially, but also Strength & Constitution)
AB's want high deftness (recommend 17 or 21)
Traditional TP's don't have any wit.
ST's love high wit and 11 deftness
- 11 deftness is almost magical (and the high attack styles tend to be better with
lower deftness (LU, SL, BA, WS, PL)
- Almost all styles want 9 or more strength
- I really like to think of my warriors as Offensive, Defensive, or a Hybrid of the
two.
Styles that lean towards offense: ST, SL, BA
Styles that lean towards hybrids: PR, LU
Styles that lean towards defense: TP
Hybrid or Defense: WS, PL
Can be anything: PS, AB
- There is a single strategy that works for Offensives (10-10-x, no armor)
- There is a single strategy that works for Total Parry Scum (1-1-x, heavy armor,
parry tactic)
- Weapons are also not equal. The 'big 4' weapons are SC, LO, BA, and BS.
- Bashing weapons are generally not as good as slashing (or lunging).
Good luck! -- Assur
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
DEMON DEACON bested CRIP'S STRIKER ARMY in a 1 minute Challenge Title fight.
SHOCKER was viciously subdued by TDO TOURNEY STRIKER in a 2 minute Challenge battle.
AVACYN defeated FEELGOOD KILLER in a 3 minute Challenge duel.
SELYSNA was bested by VIOLET in a popular 1 minute brutal novice's Challenge contest.
RAMBLIN' WRECK was bested by KUNG-FU MASTER in a action packed 1 minute brawl.
BILLIKEN defeated FRATSFA SLAVE in a 2 minute brutal struggle.
RAINBOW WARRIOR bested PIZZA TOPPINGS in a 6 minute competition.
DM BLOODFEUD overpowered DAKUROZU in a 1 minute uneven melee.
KRUPHIX was vanquished by THUNDER WONDER in a 1 minute uneven duel.
IONA was luckily beaten by BONGO in a 2 minute gory beginner's duel.
JINGLE BELL savagely defeated TONARION in a popular 8 minute gory beginner's match.
HASAMI was subdued by FRENAR in a 3 minute amateur's match.
ONIHANA was handily defeated by KIRENN in a 1 minute one-sided contest.
CLOUDSPICE luckily beat ZENZA in a 3 minute novice's brawl.
CANDY CANE was overcome by RAIN STORM in a 2 minute novice's conflict.
JOPAR vanquished ELYTRA in a action packed 1 minute gruesome mismatched bout.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|LUNGING ATTACK 6 LUNGING ATTACK 21 - 9 - 1 70 |
|TOTAL PARRY 5 STRIKING ATTACK 21 - 11 - 1 66 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 5 TOTAL PARRY 16 - 9 - 0 64 |
|BASHING ATTACK 5 PARRY-STRIKE 10 - 6 - 0 63 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 4 SLASHING ATTACK 15 - 15 - 2 50 |
|AIMED BLOW 2 AIMED BLOW 17 - 18 - 1 49 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 BASHING ATTACK 25 - 29 - 3 46 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 1 PARRY-LUNGE 5 - 8 - 0 38 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 14 - 0 7 |
|WALL OF STEEL 0 WALL OF STEEL 0 - 2 - 0 0 |
Turn 471 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 SLASHING ATTACK 2 - 3 2 BASHING ATTACK
TOTAL PARRY 5 - 0 BASHING ATTACK 2 - 3 2 STRIKING ATTACK
AIMED BLOW 1 - 1 LUNGING ATTACK 2 - 4 2 LUNGING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK 2 - 2 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 2 TOTAL PARRY
PARRY-RIPOSTE 0 - 2 1 SLASHING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL 0 - 0 1 PARRY-STRIKE
1 AIMED BLOW
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
SLASHING ATTACK DEMON DEACON 9967 6 4 1 60 COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
BASHING ATTACK RAMBLIN' WRECK 9969 8 2 2 55 COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
STRIKING ATTACK CRIP'S STRIKER ARMY 9962 7 3 0 46 BASH BROS MATCHUPS (1708)
LUNGING ATTACK BILLIKEN 9991 5 0 1 44 COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
TOTAL PARRY RAINBOW WARRIOR 9968 7 3 0 34 COLLEGE MASCOTS (1709)
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 JINGLE BELL 10015. The ten other most popular fighters were TDO TOURNEY
STRIKER 9997, HASAMI 10016, ZENZA 10021, CANDY CANE 10019, SHOCKER 9970, FEELGOOD
KILLER 9965, IONA 10011, DEMON DEACON 9967, VIOLET 10004, and BILLIKEN 9991.
The least popular fighter this week was TONARION 10024. The other ten least popular
fighters were RAINBOW WARRIOR 9968, ONIHANA 10017, KRUPHIX 10010, DAKUROZU 10026,
ELYTRA 10025, RAIN STORM 10028, FRENAR 10022, DM BLOODFEUD 10003, RAMBLIN' WRECK
9969, and SELYSNA 10014.
FACE-TO-FACE TOURNEY LVIII
APPRENTICES TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME
BILLIKEN 9991 (3-0-1) 3 3 0 COLLEGE MASCOTS
ROOKIES TOURNEY W L K TEAM NAME
DM BLOODFEUD 10003 (0-0-0) 1 3 0 BASH BROS MATCHUPS
The Effects of Coordination
Coordination has long been ruled as having no effect on a warrior. I have
noticed a few things that may be the cause of certain coordination levels. So I
decided to write this article to give the general DM populace something to ponder.
Below is the coordination table:
Coordination = SP + DF
06 - 16 = Clumsy
17 - 20 = Slightly Uncoordinated
21 - 27 = Normal
28 - 31 = Highly Coordinated
32 - 39 = Very Highly Coordinated
40 - 42 = Marvel of Fighting Coordination
Since I run a lot of bashers that have a clumsy rating most of the time, I
noticed a few things that happen to them and not the high coordination warriors I
have. Most people don't have clumsy warriors, save some bashers and TPs, so it may
not be paid that much attention to.
The first thing I have noticed is that a clumsy warrior seems to drop his weapon
more often than a higher coordination warrior. So I think that maybe he has a higher
chance to do this than normally coordinated warriors.
Second, I noticed that clumsy warriors have harder time trying to quick draw
their back-up weapon, causing them to fumble around trying to get it.
Third is that the clumsy warrior also is slower to get up after he has been
knocked down. It may also influence the roll on whether you get knocked down or not,
along with other factors.
These things aren't as noticeable the higher the coordination becomes. That's
probably why a lot of people don't place any value on coordination. At the higher
levels of the game there aren't any clumsy warriors, so coordination isn't noticed.
You can still get knocked down, lose your weapon, and draw your back-up quickly, but
the odds are more in your favor with a higher coordination in my opinion.
Well, may joy and happiness be with you. If you would like to chat , I can be
reached at 103260.3347@compuserve.com
You may diplo me at LORDS OF THE ABYSS, in DM 11, or any of the JOKER'S WILDS
scattered about.
Ta-Ta,
Sir Jessie Jest
(He who always gets the last laugh......)
The Basic Ripper
Why isn't one of basic's most entertaining styles, a style capable of beating all
others, a common sight upon the sands? The myth that rippers are difficult to run and
inherently prone to dying is widely accepted. True, the graveyard is full of rippers
that began their careers running little numbers and the parry tactic. This is no
mystery given that very few rippers start with great defenses and the parry tactic
destroys a young ripper's offense. In their efforts to make better punching bags,
many managers have turned to big constitutions and heavy armor. A dose of sanity is
long overdue. If you would like to run some rippers who will survive and win, read
on.
DESIGN: My approach is somewhat unorthodox. I maintain an evolving list of
physical requirements for each style, i.e., endurance, punishment, damage, and carry
capacity. If you don't have the means to accurately forecast these ratings, ask
around. If at all possible, I first max out a new rollup's WL at a value of 15, 17,
or 21 and then compare the rollup's physical potential with each style's physical
requirements. Generally, the style that matches up best and requires me to add the
least number of points to ST and CN is the one I want. It isn't absolutely necessary
for a fighter to be physically fit at the beginning of his career. Plan ahead. Will
a few preselected attribute trains make him so? Must points be added to the rollup's
ST or CN so that he can make the grade with no more than two trains per attribute?
Which weapons will he use? With these questions answered, it's simply a matter of
taking WT to the highest odd value possible (avoid 19) and then doing the same with
DF. Godlings are not born as a results of how many points you can pump into WT, WL,
and DF; that's luck's job.
Young rippers need to be able to go fast for two minutes without tiring. If your
ripper isn't physically fit, he will slow down. If he slows down, you are gambling
with his life. The more frail the warrior, the greater the gamble. That said, if
your ripper can quickly meet the following criteria and learn reasonably well, you
will get your money's worth.
Endurance: Something in the neighborhood of 350 (that's {ST+CN}WL)
Punishment: Anywhere from the high end of very frail to midrange normal
Damage: Normal
Capacity: Cannot carry a lot (minimum ST/CN combos: 9/8, 10/7, 11/6, 12/5)
ST: 9 + Midgets need an 11 or better.
CN: See Endurance, punishment, and capacity requirements
SZ: Small (3-8) to medium (9-14)
WT: 15+ If your ripper doesn't learn, he's toast.
WL: 15+ See endurance and punishment requirements.
SP: Though frequently unimportant, it helps to have points here if you're stuck
with a few 15's in WT, WL, and DF.
DF: 15+ 13 will do if you're fortunate to have a big WT and/or WL.
Strats: X 8 9 5 5 5 8
X 8 5 3 3 3 10
X 6 7 7 7 7 5
ARM ------------------------- >
HE -------------------------- >
N --------------------------- >
N ------------------------ > R
Why the missing numbers in the first minute? You'll want to find what works for
your new ripper and possibly change his numbers as he develops. 8-8-6 is probably the
best opening minute for a young ripper. If your youngster has a high speed, try 10-
10-6. 6-8-6 is a bit slow for my taste. Nevertheless, this might be the way to go
even if your ripper doesn't need to build up his endurance. Something I call "the
change" occurs when your ripper approaches his master in riposte, his AD Ex in parry,
and Experts in attack, defense and initiative. This is a moment of decision. If your
ripper takes normal punishment, this is when you can opt to slow him down. I don't do
this, but I have seen 5-7-5 and 5-5-5 parry work rather well. It's probably wise for
a slow-running ripper to run fast in desperation. If your ripper continues to run
fast after "the change," a first minute strat of 8-10-4 often works well.
WEAPONS: A scimitar or longsword belongs in your ripper's hand. After he starts
critting, check to see if the epee is his favorite. I don't believe in heavy backups
for youngsters; a dagger will do. Most youngsters will benefit from an offhand dagger
(preferred), hatchet, or shortsword. After "the change," rippers who don't slow down
can improve the quality of their attacks by getting rid of their off hand weapons.
These guys will need a backup scimitar, longsword, or epee. Rippers who do slow down
should keep their offhand weapons.
ARMOR: Very frail rippers should debut in ASM/H. After ten fights or so, it's
probably best to go with APL/H. Guys who cannot take a lot of punishment belong in
ARM/H for their entire basic careers. Put them in ALE/H if you're feeling gutsy.
Rippers who take normal punishment can debut in APL/H, ARM/H, or ASM/H. After ten
fights or so, it's definitely time for APL/H. If you decide to slow one of these guys
down, you'd better put him back in ARM/H or ASM/H.
CHALLENGES: Scummers deserve numbers like 4-1-6; keep that big desperation,
though. If you know that an opponent is out to kick you when you're down, go with 5-
8-5 or 5-5-5 while he's playing dead and 8-8-5 and 9-5-7 when he's active. Good aimed
blows are a pain. Still, like every other style, they can be beaten with standard
strats.
Many people have contributed indirectly to the content of this article. Foremost
in my mind are The Lunatic, Scrag, Voo-Doo, U-Star, Shark, Moriarty, and Wormtongue.
Thanks. If you have a bone to pick or a story to tell, you know where to find me.
Cadmus
Wild Oats (479)
Solven, DM 22
Stimpy's Thoughts on Total Parries
part II
Well, when we last spoke I gave you a rundown on I feel TPs should be designed.
Now I will give you my ideas on how to run them.
First, you need to consider what type of warrior you now have. A total parry is
what its name suggests. Total defense. The idea around a TP is to concentrate on
defense first and utmost. Only when the situation arises will the TP decide to
attack. With this in mind NEVER run a TP with an offensive effort (OE) above 5. In
doing so you have just told your TP to do what they weren't designed to do. Go
offensive. If you want to run your TP above 5, you should have made an offensive
styled warrior, NOT a TP. By using a high OE, you cause your TP to ignore defense and
go offense. This results in numerous "flailing" and "wild" attacks. So don't do it.
While running your TP, you may find that he tends to really turn on the offense
often. That is typical, typical of a warrior who favors initiative skills. This does
not mean that you should boost your OE. What is happening is that one of your
warrior's favorite learns is initiative. So he/she will be naturally adept in
initiative. And remember that initiative is the skill that allows you to continuously
make attacks on your opponent. Since your TP decided to attack, your opponent should
be relatively worn down. So it will be hard for your opponent to steal that
initiative back from you. Hence the reason that your TP looks like an offensive
killer. But that's good. It means that you have a very dangerous warrior on your
hands. High endurance burning styles, look out!
I know, I know!!! There are managers out there still that believe in the
offensive TP and suggest using higher OE. That's all fine and dandy. Let those
managers do just that. I personally guarantee that if you run your TP with a low OE
like the style was designed to do, you'll win fights. Experiment with unorthodox
strategies when you get a better hang of the game.
Activity level (AL) is the variable in TP strategies. I would definitely begin
running a TP with a moderate/low AL. Try a 3 at first. After a few fights you'll see
if your TP likes to dodge more or parry more. It should be quite obvious; your TP
will learn more skills in his "favorite" area. Chances are, though, if your TP has
received the statement: "avoiding rather than trading blows," or "relying on his speed
to stay out of danger," your TP would rather dodge than parry. And that's just fine.
Boost your AL to about a 4 or 5. If you choose to use the dodge tactic in defense,
use AL up to 7. Beyond that tends to hurt your warrior more than it helps.
So why not go with an AL of 7 all the time if your TP likes to dodge more than
parry, you might ask? That's simple; your TP may like to dodge more, BUT HE STILL
PARRIES. So you'll need to be less active to allow your TP that choice. With an AL
of 4-5, your warrior will dodge when it is more advantageous, parry when it isn't.
Kill desire varies greatly from warrior to warrior. To be on the safe side, I
always go low KD with my TPs, until they gain expert in attack. After that point, I
may begin to experiment, seeing how my warrior reacts to various KDs. Generally, if
your warrior learns attack skills relatively well, then a higher KD won't inhibit them
at all. If this is the case, I believe that your warrior is not looking for landing
several blows to win the match (favoring initiative skills), but is instead looking to
land a few good blows (favoring attack skills). In the latter case, a moderate to
high KD may help. Keep in mind though that your TP is still defensively oriented. An
extremely high KD will cause any warrior to behave like a berserker, and may cause
your TP to make lots of bad attacks. With this in mind, stay below 7.
Now to place it all together...
Minute 1 2 3 4 5 6on Desp
OE 2 ------------------------ > varies
AL 2 ------------------------ > "
KD 2 ------------------------ > "
or
Minute 1 2 3 4 5 6on Desp
OE 2 ------------------------ > varies
AL 4 ------------------------ > "
KD 2 ------------------------ > "
These show my general strategies for parry and dodging oriented warriors,
respectively. Seldom do I use any tactics, unless I am making a challenge and wish my
warrior to behave differently to that challenge (i.e., using the dodge tactic against
a lunger). At that point I would refer to the paragraphs in the beginning to
customize that particular minute to fit the tactic.
Attack and protect locations are totally up to you. I like to protect the head
and body, while attacking the head, arms, and legs. This protects my vitals, yet can
allow my warrior to land blows on parts of the body that can cause a warrior to lose a
fight with the minimum number of hits.
Desperation is my opposite area. If I was relying on a low AL in the regular
minutes, I will boost it in desperation. While going vice versa if I had a high AL in
regular minutes.
Now the one tactic I haven't touched on is the riposte tactic. Occasionally your
TP will favor this tactic. When he does, I like to raise my OE to 3, sometimes 4, and
the AL to 4. If I use the riposte tactic, I will use 4-5 OE and a 3-5 AL. When these
numbers are any lower, your TP may refrain from attacking in a riposte situation in
favor of more defense.
I have found that these strategies work well whether your warrior fights as a
SCUM or skilled TP. If you remember from my last article, the difference between the
schools of thought are the amount of damage the warrior is willing/able to take.
Well, I hope that this has been informative for the newer players, and the older
ones, too. Good luck and see you on the sands.
Stimpy
MORE ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS
Many essays dwell on style specifics. This piece describes a playing philosophy.
When you just want to WIN, create scum TPs and size 17 monsters with impunity. Don't
worry about getting these warriors into ADM! YOU'RE concerned with winning those "Top
Team" and "Team on the Move" awards.
By comparison, managers with an excellent setup shouldn't be too concerned with
the team win/loss record. Their character must develop, gain every skill possible, in
order to blossom into a deadly duelist. THEIR goal is to advance this fighter into
ADM, and eternal life.
Here are some broad parameters for assessing a warrior's value, and a few
representative samples:
Primus Bound:
- WT, WL and DF total 49+.
- 4 or more wit statements.
- Start with Expert rating or gain it in one or two skills.
- [13-5-5-21-13-10-17, 6-6-9-17-21-9-17, 11-7-9-17-17-6-17, etc.]
Basic/ADM Only:
- WT, WL and DF total to 35+.
- At least 3 wit statements.
- Gain Expert rating in no more than five skills.
- [17-9-10-17-9-9-13, 13-11-11-17-13-8-11, 9-13-10-15-21-5-11, etc.]
Dark Arena: [Any two of these qualify the character as "expendable"]
- WT less than 13.
- Less than 3 wit statements.
- Is clumsy.
- Has very little endurance.
- [15-15-16-11-13-5-9, 7-18-13-17-5-13-11, 13-15-13-13-17-6-7, etc.]
The Primus Bound setups are rare; they are coddled, protected and sometimes
sandbagged for a year or so in order to build up a few Ad Experts to help them survive
in the arena.
The Basic/ADM Only fighters have mediocre to decent stats, and are going to be
very dependent on their overview for that elusive "luck factor." This class of
warrior should be highly competitive. Most of the fighters seen in the arena are in
this category.
Finally, the Dark Arena fighters: conceived from pitiful setups with little
chance of being competitive. However, these rollups might prove useful. Don't fight
the system; learn to use it to your advantage! Many managers send fighters to the
D.A. who might have provided them with a successful (if brief) career in Basic.
Give BIG numskulls lots of ST and SP; these are your killer LUs and STs. More WL
= LU; Higher DF = ST. (I don't advise making Bashers unless you have a 17+ wit and 15+
points in WL.) Give LITTLE morons a boost to WL, ST and CN; these are your TP scum.
If they have absolutely no WT or WL, escort them to the Dark Arena.
Of course, some fighters have good stats and decent overviews yet still lose most
of their fights in the beginning of their career. The "old" method of dealing with
this phenomenon was to bump all stats by two or more. Now, it's generally agreed that
this increases performance at the cost of future skill learns. This takes away from a
duelist's competitive abilities in the higher levels of play. Competitive fighters
should be making as few stat raises as possible until they have "maxed out" in at
least three of four skill areas. (Some managers advocate waiting until a character is
completely "maxed out" before raising stats; this will take a long time for most
warriors.)
Some warriors (particularly the finesse styles: AB, PR, PL, PS) take a little
longer to develop. If they DON'T have the stats or the overview to raise visions of a
Primus inductee, take a HARD look at their potential. Will stat raises help? Well
they come easily? Is the rest of the team strong? How much money are you willing to
invest in this character?
ANYONE can create an awe-inspiring fighter by adding a couple of points to key
stats. It means the fighter may lose some of its long-term potential, but so what?
Duelmaster, Most Popular Fighter, Best Win/Loss Record, etc. all equate into free
fights and recognition. If you don't have that Godling in your stable, what other
goal might you have but to excel in your arena?!!
I urge new managers to run EVERY setup at least once in the arena. Look on
rollups as a challenge; try to make the best killer or scum possible out of Dark Arena
material. There's a tremendous amount of experience to be gained by this.
See what effect a high ST or DF has on specific styles; compare overviews to find
what works and what doesn't; gain new insights on character design. You will enjoy
playing far more than you do now! You might even come up with a better way of
designing a character for a specific style, and write an article to share your views.
The point is, DON'T wait around for the "right" rollup, or waste time and money
(or sentiment) on characters who aren't doing anything for you. Play the percentages.
If a promising warrior is losing repeatedly, be patient. Once a few AdExperts are
gained he will probably turn things around. If you Dark Arena Mutant loses a lot and
his scumminess or killer-design aren't working, either bump a couple of stats or DA
him. If your scum/killer goes out there and wins a few, start paying attention to
challenges/avoids (which you SHOULD be doing anyway). Send that scum against a LU or
ST; send that monster ST against a midget Parry-whatever. Style vs. style matchups
are crucial in the early careers of EVERY fighter.
Generally, even lousy STs, LUs, BAs and TPs do well starting out. Later the
finesse styles--PL, PS, PR, AB--usually take over. Summary: Recognize the difference
between playing "to win" and playing "longterm." Start noticing which teams have high
win/loss percentages: what kind of warriors are they running? Start sending diplos;
don't be bashful. You can bring that win/loss to a respectable level with careful
play, short-term Mutant killers and scum, and the occasional stat-bump for those
mediocre fighters whom you plan on retiring later. Try it and see. It gives the game
more spice, you win more often, and you have more FUN! And just remember... I told
you so!
Diplo me with comments, questions, rebuke:
-- The Arcane Kid, of Astral Kin in Osksi (DM-3)
"Favorite Weapons"
One of the best ways to improve a warrior's record in basic is to find his
favorite weapon. The effect of using a favorite weapon is that a warrior's attack
ability will improve. A warrior will throw more critical attacks, improve the odds to
inflict critical damage, and make attacks that are more difficult to dodge and parry.
There are two methods used to find a favorite weapon. The first is, "Don't worry
about it. They tell you when you get to ADM anyway." While some managers have the
patience to wait that long, I would rather have my favorite in hand in fight one!
The second method is called, "Charting." The way I chart weapons is I break
down, statistically, my warrior's attacks with a particular weapon. (No, it's not
difficult to do!) I chart 4 categories, (1) Total number of attacks, (2) Total number
of crit attacks, (3) Total number of crit damages, (4) Total number of knockdowns.
(1) Total number of attacks (#ATT) -- Record the total number of attacks with the
weapon in question, including hits, crits, misses, parried attacks, dodged attacks,
and wild swings.
(2) Total number of crit attacks (C ATT) -- Record the total number of critical
attacks with the weapon in question. Do not get good attacks confused with critical
attacks. A good attack is a statement that is more descriptive than, "strikes with
dagger," but is not as spectacular as a critical. An example of a good attack is,
"Bats outward with her quarterstaff," or, "Makes a lunging attack wielding a short
spear." These are more descriptive but are not outstanding. A critical attack is
exemplified by spectacular statements such as; "Catapults forward, longsword stabbing
cruelly at his foe," "Punches with piston-like horsefelling power," or "Hatchet
flashes with snake-like speed and accuracy." As you can see, crit attacks are very
obvious.
(3) Total number of crit damages (C DAM) -- A crit damage statement will signify
a significant amount of additional damage and is typified by a statement such as;
"Spectators cringe as the horrific power of the blow strikes home" or "It was a
devastating attack."
(4) Total number of knockdowns (# KD) -- Record every time an opponent is knocked
off his feet with the weapon in question.
The next step is to convert this data into a usable format. To do this I divide
the last three categories by the first. This gives a "batting average" of sorts.
EXAMPLE: Dark One fights his first three fights with a scimitar. In those three
fights Dark One made 16 attacks, 2 crit attacks, 4 crit damage, and 1 knockdown. This
breaks down as such:
C ATT = .125
C DAM = .25
# KD = .06
Remember, the more fights with the weapon, the more accurate your chart will be.
Looking at Dark One's performance with the scimitar we can conclude that it is
not his favorite weapon. I determine this by looking at the three categories in order
of precedence.
First I look at C ATT:
.00-.25 Doubtful
.25-.35 Slight possibility
.35-.50 Very possible
.50 + BINGO!
If your warrior is critting 50% of the time, stick with that weapon. Favorite or
not, it is VERY effective.
Next is crit damage. This is trickier to look at, as the primary chance to do
critical damage is primarily based on strength.
Does little 0%
Normal 1-5% (style dependent)
Good 10%
Great 25%
Tremendous 50%
Awesome 75%
Look for increases in the expected average crit rate. These numbers may be a
little off as I don't have a large enough sample of warriors with high damage ratings.
In the example, Dark One rated at 25%, and with his great damage rating it appears he
is not doing any additional crits.
Finally, knockdowns. I don't have a fast and easy rule for this, but anything
over 15% or 20% if attacking the legs, could bear investigating. It's best to look at
all three and infer a weapon's performance.
Dark One switches to a short spear and after 4 fights has 15 attacks, 7 crit
attacks, 6 crit damages and 2 knockdowns.
C ATT = .466
C DAM = .40
# KD = .13
This weapon suits him much better. His crit percentage is up for all categories.
This weapon has a very good chance to be his favorite weapon. In this example it
wasn't, but his W/L record improved with 6 straight wins. (By the way, the names and
weapons have been changed but the numbers are from one of my ADM warriors.)
Okay, I've figured out that the weapon I'm using is not my favorite. What now?
There are some indicators to help you. Look at how your warrior uses his current
weapon. If he likes to slash a lot, stay with a slashing weapon. Also, look at good
attacks. If a warrior makes quite a few good attacks with the weapon, try a weapon
that is used in a similar fashion. I.E. epee is used in similar fashion to a long
sword. Dark One loved to lunge with his scimitar at a 3:1 ratio. Try weapons that
fit your stats at first but don't be afraid to try a weapon that is out of your stat
parameters. Should you find your favorite and you don't have the strength, size and
deftness to use it, who cares. The fact that it's your favorite will nullify or
minimize all those penalties.
I know that this is a question on the mind of new managers, as it was for me when
I was new to the game. I hope someone can get some good use out of this article and
expand upon the charting method in their own way. If you have any questions,
comments, additions, or criticism please feel free to Diplo.
-- Abe
Ango (DM 64, 103)
Imploding Ducks (DM 19, 103)