DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER Date : 05/26/2017 Duedate: 06/08/2017 NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA DM-93 TURN-479 This Weeks Top Honors THE DUELMASTER IS THUNDER WONDER DARK CLOUDS (1719) (93-10029) [8-1-0,95] Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader POSITION IS EMPTY THUNDER WONDER DARK CLOUDS (1719) (93-10029) [8-1-0,95] Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite HASAMI NOT ENOUGH DRIFTY DREAMS (1717) BASH BROS PEPPER (1721) (93-10016) [3-6-0,15] (93-10038) [3-5-1,23] THE CURRENT TOP TEAM DARK CLOUDS (1719) TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team 1. FAMOUS PIRATES (1720) 39 2. ODD SQUAD (1712) 34 THE MUPPETS (132) 3. DARK CLOUDS (1719) 21 Unchartered Team 4. LINKS OF TERROR (1718) 19 5. LEGIONS OF FATE (1724) 13 DARK CLOUDS (1719) The Top Teams Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K 1/ 1*DARK CLOUDS (1719) 30 14 0 68.2 1/ 1*DARK CLOUDS (1719) 12 3 0 2/ 2*FAMOUS PIRATES (1720) 25 15 2 62.5 2/ 2*DRIFTY DREAMS (1717) 10 5 0 3/ 5*ODD SQUAD (1712) 13 11 0 54.2 3/ 3*FAMOUS PIRATES (1720) 10 5 0 4/ 4*DRIFTY DREAMS (1717) 22 22 0 50.0 4/ 5*ODD SQUAD (1712) 8 2 0 5/ 6*LEGIONS OF FATE (1724) 10 10 1 50.0 5/ 6*LEGIONS OF FATE (1724) 8 7 1 6/ 3*LINKS OF TERROR (1718) 21 23 1 47.7 6/ 4*BASH BROS PEPPER (1721) 7 8 2 7/ 7*BASH BROS PEPPER (1721) 17 23 2 42.5 7/ 7*LINKS OF TERROR (1718) 6 9 0 8/ 9*MISFIT KINGS (1722) 12 18 0 40.0 8/ 8*MISFIT KINGS (1722) 5 10 0 9/ 8*LIZARD DEN (1723) 3 9 0 25.0 9- 9*KILL UNIT (1725) 1 7 0 10/ 0*HI NO UMI (1715) 1 4 0 20.0 10/10*LIZARD DEN (1723) 0 7 0 11-10*KILL UNIT (1725) 1 7 0 12.5 11/ 0*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 WHAT THEY DIDN'T TEACH YOU IN SCHOOL BUT YOU JUST MIGHT LEARN IT ON NOBLISH ISLAND Any warrior that loses a fight can die. Dead. Gone. One can die by being killed by the opponent, and every loser has a small chance (estimated odds 1 in 50) of dying in the infirmary. Note: There is NO chance of dying if one wins! Any warrior can use any weapon. Not a problem. However, there are undefined penalties for using marginal, unsuited, inadequate wit, inadequate size, inadequate strength, and inadequate deftness weapons. One can certainly win with an improperly suited weapon, but, is it worth the chance? Usually not, I say. Warriors are born with certain skills which are dependent on the base 70 point stat sheet and the style selected. The 14 points of added stats also add skills to those base skills. You really need to know which skills come from what stat. (So check out that C.I.C.) RSI seldom makes input errors. I said seldom. The best thing a manager can do to help avoid input errors is to fill out the strategy sheet accurately and legibly with good penmanship. Yes, we have doctors in the warrior management ranks (Slugbait and Grimm come to mind) and they probably regret their yucky penmanship. These are considered the three best ways to acquire info, knowledge and "secrets" about D2: * Terrablood.com * Noblish Island (DM93) newsletters * Reality.com There is more to strategy than filling out the warrior's initial armor and weapon selection and offensive effort and activity level and kill desire and tactic selection. Challenges and avoids are an important way to attempt to give your warrior an advantage. Challenge warriors (warrior ID) that your warrior is likely to defeat and learn a lot from, and avoid teams (team ID) with warriors whom are likely to defeat you. Indeed, your warrior can be provided with an alternate strategy for challenging or when being challenged or both. A warrior does not have to ever challenge, bloodfeud, or avoid, but it is probably in his best interest to do so. Ask dumb questions! Often managers, especially new managers, have a doubt or a question, but they feel "asking for help/advice" is a sign of weakness or lack of intelligence or knowledge about D2. Do not let this be you! Ask! We dumb veteran managers ask each other dumb questions all the time. One man's dumb is another man's smart. (You heard it here first!) What are the best ways to ask? * On the Reality.com site * On the D2 Chatzy blog site * In personal ads in the arenas (especially Noblish Island) * By diplo to another manager in D2 (Certain managers will almost always respond; some may not) No matter what any veteran, friend or expert tells you about design or strategy or concept, it is not necessarily the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It may be good or great or common advice, but it is not necessarily the only good (or bad) advice. Some advice is best learned first-hand. D2 is a normally a friendly atmosphere. While managers are very competitive, most of the vets know each other, see each other at Face_T0-Face Tournaments, chat with each other on line, and even help each other out with advice and ideas. The fount of knowledge available now, about D2, was acquired by a collective "working together" and sharing info. Be advised that an overly mean, overbearing, threatening, haughty, unfriendly character/manager is likely to be colluded against and ostracized by D2 regulars. Smack talk is desirable and a part of the game. Personal threats, harsh meanness, or overbearingness is not at all welcomed. You are forewarned! Noblish Island is a great learning atmosphere. What comes after Noblish? Choose wisely an arena in which to participate. * Fast (two week turnaround) or slow (four weeks) * Large (15+ teams participating), medium (8-14ish), small (7 or less) * Friendly (usually Andorian arenas are up for role-playing and up for helping newbies, and down on down-challenging or taking advantage of newbies), or Cutthroat (Darkholm arenas tend to be win-at-all-cost). You can participate in as many arenas as you want. You can also participate in separate tournaments, held quarterly, which allow warriors from all arenas to compete with each other for acclaim and prizes. There are many other things they apparently didn't teach you, you say? Well send a personal ad or diplo to Assur, or The Consortium rep in DM93 Noblish Isle and give them a shot at answering in the newsletter. -- Interpreted for publishing from Old Pegleg (Consortium affiliated) ***---------*---------*---------*---------**---------*---------*---------*---------*** The Importance of Damage One thing that some articles allude to, but few spell out, is how important your damage rating is on your warrior. When your warrior is created, he will randomly be assigned a damage rating based on his strength and size. This damage rating can make or break a warrior. Realize that this article focuses entirely on your warrior's basic career (before he graduates to the Advanced arenas). First, I will talk about the possible damage ratings your warrior can have. Little Damage -- For the most part, this is crippling to a warrior in basic. A few types of warriors can run successfully with little damage, but for the most part, this rating will kill a basic career. Doesn't mean it can't be fun, though. Normal Damage -- The very least that most managers should consider to be successful. Still, it is not as much as I'd like most of the time, but I can work with Normal. But you'll still see often that normal damage warriors have difficulty finishing off their opponents. Good Damage -- Here is where we start to see the sweet spot! Good damage is just fine for most warriors. More is better, but Good works! Great Damage -- Great Damage can be the difference between fantastic performance and average performance. Highly recommended. Tremendous Damage -- Tremendous Damage is nice, but once you have great damage, the increases in doing damage don't matter as much. More is better, but Tremendous is the last rating of damage that you'll see dramatic difference in performance with. Awesome Damage -- Awesome Damage is fun and is the last damage rating where you won't cripple the rest of your abilities in basic. It is possible to get Awesome Damage with 21 strength and 11 size, which still leaves a reasonable amount of points for other more important stats. Devastating Damage -- In basic, I do not recommend spending the points required to get Devastating or Super Human. It is a complete waste of points. Unless you're doing it to have the novelty and have fun with it. Super Human Damage -- This is the highest possible rating a new warrior can get. It requires 21 strength and 20 or 21 size (basically half your points). But what rating does my particular warrior need? Now I will try to give recommondations for how to identify the needs of your warrior in particular. First Pure Defensive warriors don't care all that much about how much damage they do. If you aren't planning to win by damage, there is no need to do damage. So Little is fine in this situation. If you have access to high damage weapons (SC (most common), BS, BA, GS), damage also isn't as important. I still recommend normal or better, but these weapons do superior damage and can help overcome a smaller damage rating. Next, AB's, owing largely to their high attack and low endurance burn, are the most well suited offensive/hybrid warrior to be able to overcome the curse of little damage. Finally, if you have enough endurance, you can simply keep swinging and swinging until you finally take down a warrior. Most of the time, though, your opponent will try and swing back, which usually makes this strategy less effective. On the opposite side of the spectrum, certain types of warriors are MUCH better with higher damage ratings. Parry Ripostes are the first style I will mention. Rippers have a notorious habit of letting their opponents swing. Because of this, they need to make their own swings count. I do not intend to ever run another Parry Riposte with less than Good damage. It is simply too hard to get them to finish fights otherwise. All offensive warriors, but especially Bashers, also would much prefer Good damage or better. I single out bashers because their weapons tend to not do as much damage as other types of warriors have available. Finally, Lungers need a good combination of endurance and damage. They want to run with very hot rhythms, so they aren't going to win a lot of longer fights. Normal damage lungers are fine if you have good or better endurance, but if you have normal endurance, you almost certainly want good or better damage. My main intention for writing this article is to help newer managers understand that damage rating (which is one of the most variable attributes on a new warrior) often goes hand in hand with success. I cannot stress enough how much little damage will hurt the vast majority of warriors out there (and how much good or better damage will tend to help a warrior). The only caveat is that with damage, more is not necessarily better if it means you're sacrificing in other areas! And I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that there are exceptions to nearly every rule. There will always be warriors that break the guidelines I've set out here. It doesn't mean my guidelines are wrong or bad. It simply means that some warriors outperform what you would expect (and others don't live up to your expectations). SPY REPORT Greetings, warriors of NOBLISH ISLAND! Once again I've been called out of retirement for my abilities and insights into Spyreporting. Some people say I ramble too much, I don't say anything relevant. I repeat myself. I ramble. Well FAMOUS PIRATES moved up 0, to 3rd. What's with ANNE BONNY? She actually beat DRIFTY DREAMS' JINGLE BELL, and walked away with 17 more points from the fight. Major screwup at DRIFTY DREAMS. JINGLE BELL lost 12 points to ANNE BONNY. Some new strategies, perhaps? Maybe JINGLE BELL will provide more easy wins... VETERAN MERCENARY was reminded on the sands why THUNDER WONDER is Duelmaster. I suppose you want to hear some rumors and dirty gossip about your fellow fighters? Tough! Speaking of cowardly avoiders and unfair challenges... The most avoided team was DARK CLOUDS. Management must be dealin', as the boys at FAMOUS PIRATES ain't reelin'! DARK CLOUDS' mad! How well I know the feeling of being the most challenged warrior, RAIN STORM! Don't make idle boasts, they may come back to haunt you. RAN OUT didn't quite know what to make of a challenge he received from CHAMAELEONTIDAE of LIZARD DEN, who is 20 points below him. CHAMAELEONTIDAE perhaps got hers just desserts, seeing as she was overcame by RAN OUT and ended up with 4 recognition points. There have been some calls to lengthen the time limit. Do you want the fighters to walk away, or not? Here's some advice: study your opponent, master many skills, fight dirty. Who knows what the future holds for a warrior. More fights, there's no doubt. NOBLISH ISLAND is a nice place to live, but I don't like to live in nice places. Time for my medication, so I'll leave now. Practice, practice, practice!-- Olaf Modeen DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME THUNDER WONDER 10029 8 1 0 95 DARK CLOUDS (1719) CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME ANNE BONNY 10030 6 2 1 64 FAMOUS PIRATES (1720) ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME CAPTAIN KIDD 10034 6 2 1 44 FAMOUS PIRATES (1720) JINGLE BELL 10015 7 2 0 40 DRIFTY DREAMS (1717) BLACKBEARD 10031 6 2 0 40 FAMOUS PIRATES (1720) BONGO 10027 5 4 0 39 DARK CLOUDS (1719) CANDY CANE 10019 4 5 0 38 DRIFTY DREAMS (1717) RAN OUT 10035 4 4 0 36 BASH BROS PEPPER (1721) KIRENN 10020 6 2 1 34 LINKS OF TERROR (1718) DAKUROZU 10026 3 5 0 34 DARK CLOUDS (1719) CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME OLIVE 10061 2 1 0 31 ODD SQUAD (1712) LONG JOHN SILVER 10063 4 1 0 29 FAMOUS PIRATES (1720) RAIN STORM 10028 8 1 0 28 DARK CLOUDS (1719) JINXEE 9988 5 1 0 28 ODD SQUAD (1712) AZNA 10067 3 1 0 27 LINKS OF TERROR (1718) ELYTRA 10025 6 3 0 25 DARK CLOUDS (1719) BEOWULFISH 10043 3 3 0 25 MISFIT KINGS (1722) ODDO 10060 3 0 0 25 ODD SQUAD (1712) FILL THE SHAKER 10036 4 4 1 24 BASH BROS PEPPER (1721) DUNCAN 10058 3 1 1 24 LEGIONS OF FATE (1724) LUTHIEN 10059 3 1 0 24 LEGIONS OF FATE (1724) CHEESE 10074 3 0 0 24 DRIFTY DREAMS (1717) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME NOT ENOUGH 10038 3 5 1 23 BASH BROS PEPPER (1721) ONIHANA 10017 3 5 0 21 DRIFTY DREAMS (1717) LADYHAWKEYE 10044 3 3 0 19 MISFIT KINGS (1722) GOING WITHOUT 10037 5 3 0 18 BASH BROS PEPPER (1721) JOPAR 10023 4 5 0 17 LINKS OF TERROR (1718) HASAMI 10016 3 6 0 15 DRIFTY DREAMS (1717) TONARION 10024 3 6 0 15 LINKS OF TERROR (1718) MOLOCH 10052 1 1 0 15 LIZARD DEN (1723) SIR TALON 10046 3 3 0 13 MISFIT KINGS (1722) -AUTUMNBE 9643 3 2 0 12 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657) HENRY MORGAN 10032 2 6 0 12 FAMOUS PIRATES (1720) SYMGARA 10056 2 2 0 11 LEGIONS OF FATE (1724) MS. O 10073 1 1 0 11 ODD SQUAD (1712) NOTHING 10039 1 7 0 10 BASH BROS PEPPER (1721) -OTOKO 10008 1 0 0 10 HI NO UMI (1715) OAK 10062 2 1 0 9 ODD SQUAD (1712) CZAR URLIK 10075 1 1 0 9 MISFIT KINGS (1722) -DRAXXUS 9644 1 4 0 7 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657) SCOTCH MARY 10066 1 3 0 6 MISFIT KINGS (1722) KOMODOENSIS 10048 1 2 0 5 LIZARD DEN (1723) -BORON 10072 1 1 0 5 KILL UNIT (1725) KORLAN 10077 1 0 0 5 LEGIONS OF FATE (1724) CHAMAELEONTIDAE 10050 1 1 0 4 LIZARD DEN (1723) -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) -LORD OF WAR 10068 0 2 0 2 KILL UNIT (1725) DRACO AGAMIDAE 10051 0 2 0 2 LIZARD DEN (1723) -KIM 10069 0 2 0 2 KILL UNIT (1725) -SANCHOO 10006 0 1 0 1 HI NO UMI (1715) -YOSHI 10007 0 1 0 1 HI NO UMI (1715) -ONNA NO KO 10009 0 1 0 1 HI NO UMI (1715) NIKODEMUS 10076 0 1 0 1 LEGIONS OF FATE (1724) INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME -ZENITH 10070 0 1 0 1 KILL UNIT (1725) KIMIKO 10005 0 1 0 1 HI NO UMI (1715) -CARVER 10071 0 1 0 1 KILL UNIT (1725) '-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn. THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge? BALTHAZAR 10057 1 2 0 LEGIONS OF FATE 1724 NOT ENOUGH 10038 478 BLIEW IZE 10055 0 3 0 LEGIONS OF FATE 1724 FILL THE SHAKER 10036 478 FRENAR 10022 4 5 0 LINKS OF TERROR 1718 WURM KIN 479 NONE BASILISCUS 10049 0 3 0 LIZARD DEN 1723 DUNCAN 10058 479 PERSONAL ADS Har, har. Blow me down! Thunder Wonder agin champeen! Aye. -- Old Pegleg Jingle Bell, ye bilge-suckin' scalliwag! -- Blackbeard Going Without, well, I sure didn't. Ho ho. -- Captain Kidd Dakarozu, blimey, mate, ye be yon goods. -- Long John Silver Kirenn, gotcha! Gotcha finally, wench! -- Anne Bonny Bongo, I do believe I dislike dark clouds sincerely. Aye. -- Henry Morgan Old Pegleg's quotes of the day: What makes pirates excellent fishermen? They know how to hook the big ones. How'd the pirate get his ship so cheaply? 'Cause it was on sail. What's a pirate's favorite punch? Left hook. Ahoy, Mateys! Be seein' ye next time. -- Old Pegleg The death of a brother at arms must be avenged! -- Bliew (Legions of Fate) Legions of Fate -- Welcome to the game and welcome to what sometimes can be a very frustrating time. Know that my warriors not only have specific instructions to not kill warriors, that is also how I fill out their strategies. Regardless, I do apologize for the kills. -- Assur Also, I've found that the higher your KD in your desperation strategy, the more likely your warrior is going to continue fighting in that desperation strategy. That includes if your warrior is on the receiving end of the fight. I very often use 1 Kill Desire in desperation, especially on warriors I'd rather see live than die. -- Assur Old Pegleg -- I'm going to be struggling to even hit 50%, this time. I guess that is what happens when I give my best two warriors a couple of unsuited styles! What is the word for that?!? Forcing, I believe! -- Assur LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS FRENAR was butchered by WURM KIN in a 2 minute bloody Dark Arena fight. SYMGARA lost to FILL THE SHAKER in a 2 minute Bloodfeud battle. ANNE BONNY handily defeated JINGLE BELL in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge match. CAPTAIN KIDD bested DAKUROZU in a 1 minute Challenge contest. BLACKBEARD overpowered LADYHAWKEYE in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge fight. CHAMAELEONTIDAE was devastated by RAN OUT in a 1 minute uneven Challenge brawl. MOLOCH was savagely defeated by AZNA in a 3 minute novice's Challenge struggle. LONG JOHN SILVER luckily beat NOT ENOUGH in a action packed 7 minute Challenge melee. OAK was outwaited by RAIN STORM in a slow 22 minute Challenge duel. DRACO AGAMIDAE lost to SIR TALON in a popular 1 minute Challenge duel. BASILISCUS was savagely slain by DUNCAN in a 2 minute gory beginner's Challenge match. THUNDER WONDER savagely defeated VETERAN MERCENARY in a 2 minute brutal Title match. KIRENN devastated HASAMI in a 1 minute mismatched conflict. CANDY CANE demolished JOPAR in a 1 minute mismatched match. BONGO savagely defeated CAPTURED ORC in a crowd pleasing 3 minute gory conflict. ELYTRA vanquished CONVICTED THIEF in a 1 minute mismatched bout. TONARION was viciously subdued by ONIHANA in a 2 minute brutal fray. HENRY MORGAN was devastated by ODDO in a popular 1 minute mismatched brawl. GOING WITHOUT was overpowered by BEOWULFISH in a 1 minute one-sided match. NOTHING was overpowered by JINXEE in a 1 minute one-sided match. KOMODOENSIS was handily defeated by OLIVE in a 1 minute gory mismatched competition. CZAR URLIK was defeated by CHEESE in a 1 minute novice's duel. LUTHIEN overpowered SCOTCH MARY in a 1 minute uneven fray. MS. O handily defeated NIKODEMUS in a 1 minute one-sided contest. KIMIKO was narrowly defeated by KORLAN in a 4 minute novice's fight. BATTLE REPORT MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS |FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT| |AIMED BLOW 8 WALL OF STEEL 6 - 1 - 0 86 | |BASHING ATTACK 8 LUNGING ATTACK 26 - 11 - 0 70 | |STRIKING ATTACK 6 AIMED BLOW 32 - 24 - 1 57 | |LUNGING ATTACK 5 TOTAL PARRY 27 - 21 - 1 56 | |TOTAL PARRY 5 STRIKING ATTACK 31 - 25 - 1 55 | |SLASHING ATTACK 5 BASHING ATTACK 34 - 39 - 1 47 | |PARRY-RIPOSTE 4 SLASHING ATTACK 13 - 20 - 1 39 | |WALL OF STEEL 3 PARRY-STRIKE 5 - 11 - 1 31 | |PARRY-STRIKE 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE 12 - 28 - 0 30 | |PARRY-LUNGE 0 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 4 - 0 0 | Turn 479 was great if you Not so great if you used The fighting styles of the used the fighting styles: the fighting styles: top eleven warriors are: WALL OF STEEL 2 - 1 SLASHING ATTACK 1 - 4 4 STRIKING ATTACK AIMED BLOW 5 - 3 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 4 BASHING ATTACK BASHING ATTACK 5 - 3 PARRY-STRIKE 0 - 2 3 AIMED BLOW LUNGING ATTACK 3 - 2 TOTAL PARRY 3 - 2 PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 - 2 STRIKING ATTACK 3 - 3 TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME STRIKING ATTACK THUNDER WONDER 10029 8 1 0 95 DARK CLOUDS (1719) BASHING ATTACK CAPTAIN KIDD 10034 6 2 1 44 FAMOUS PIRATES (1720) AIMED BLOW BLACKBEARD 10031 6 2 0 40 FAMOUS PIRATES (1720) Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above. The overall popularity leader is HASAMI 10016. The most popular warrior this turn was NOT ENOUGH 10038. The ten other most popular fighters were AZNA 10067, MOLOCH 10052, THUNDER WONDER 10029, BONGO 10027, ONIHANA 10017, HENRY MORGAN 10032, ANNE BONNY 10030, CAPTAIN KIDD 10034, RAN OUT 10035, and SIR TALON 10046. The least popular fighter this week was OAK 10062. The other ten least popular fighters were RAIN STORM 10028, KORLAN 10077, KIMIKO 10005, SCOTCH MARY 10066, CZAR URLIK 10075, KOMODOENSIS 10048, NOTHING 10039, GOING WITHOUT 10037, TONARION 10024, and JOPAR 10023. AVERAGE I was trying to design a warrior that would have no weaknesses, when my mind wandered (It does this a lot!) to what would be the average stat for this game called Duelmasters. Almost at once I came upon the number nine. Why, you may ask? Okay, I'll tell you, after all that's the point of this article. There are nineteen levels for each stat, half this is 9.5, since RSI randomly assigns attributes between 3-21. In this manner, even if they assign an attribute below average, the player can bring it up to at least average by adding 6 points when he modifies the rollup. I checked this assumption with some rolls I have received, and it appears to run true with some interesting results. A 9 SZ seems to allow use of any weapon without being too small. 9 ST seems to allow you to use most weapons without the comment "does not have ST to use weapon well." 9 SP with a 9 DF will give the normal speed/coordination to offensive warriors and to PS, PL and PR. (Does anyone think WS, TP, AB are normal?) 9 WT with a 9 WL will give no negative wit/will statement (no positive one either). A 9 in all attributes leaves 21 points to modify the key stats for a warrior's style. I have been trying for a while to design warriors with a minimum of 9 in all attributes, or to at least be able to train to a 9 in a couple of raises. I am still trying with mixed results to date. I lost track to the point or purpose of this article, but maybe it will provoke some thought, yes, no, maybe? Suggestion and comments will come. Jeff Hannah, c/o Star Signs, DM 13 EARTHWORM FLAMBE A LA THAIGYN Arena gourmets, try this tasty tidbit, before, during and after your next training session: Ingredients - 3 qts. processed camel spit 1 pint fingernail larva 6K cups giant earthworm droppings (imported) 3 cups sweet'n'sour orc sweat 1 slice head cheese 1 bavarian mint (imported) 1 tsp. toe jam (I would suggest your own) Directions - 1. Pre-heat oven to 6200C. 2. Grease 1 22x22 Turtle shell. 3. Pour camel spit & orc sweat into shell, mix with high octane gasoline (unleaded for those on diet), place in oven, and heat for 3 - 4 hours. 4. Place all other ingredients into osterizer at *whip* setting until thick. 5. Bake for 7 days or until you get that distinctive scorched aroma. 6. Take out of oven, get a match, and light that sucker up. 7. Now scarf it down. Yum, yum. *It's perfect for those Dark Arena picnics.* For a first hand experience come over to Thaigyn's Scarf'N'Barf, right next to the Welcome Wench, or go to D. Tramp's Tune-Up Garage & Salad Bar, 1 block east of Saugum's Outhouse Inn.. *** Coming to an arena near you, the Steel Breez Chop'N'Slop, (formerly known as the Eradicator's International House of Toe Jam*** To all, enjoy, Thaigyn of Petrys Acoplys D. Tramp, Lord Petrys & Ennexa Mephobasheth of Steel Breez. DEATH INTENT STATEMENT EXPLAINED In order to keep this brief, I'm going to avoid a long rambling opening and get right to the meat of the issue. The `death intent statement' (`fights with a deadly bloodlust in his eyes,' `is going for the kill,' `is eagerly seeking the death blow,' etc.) can ONLY be gained in normal combat (non-Dark Arena, non-Bloodgames) AFTER striking an opponent in a vital location (some region of the HE, CH, or AB, pelvis included.) Once the death intent statement is printed, the struck warrior makes a roll to survive the fight. If this roll is failed, he is dead, and the rest of the fight is simply a matter of running down the dead fighter's hit points by normal, non- critical attacks. Now, the moral offshoot of this is that, knowing this, any fighter sent out by his manager attacking a vital location is purposefully increasing his chance of killing his opponent. The logic is this: if you attack vitals you are more likely to hit a vital location. In striking a vital, you may get the death intent statement, and that's then one dice roll to end the fighter. By attacking non-vitals you are decreasing your chances of striking a vital (by increasing your chances of striking non-vitals.) Note that this is not flawless, as the percentage of actually HITTING your attack location is perhaps only 67% on high-deftness fighters, but by not attacking vitals you are doing the best you can, which is all anyone can ask. Here's the bottom line. A fighter can run 10-10-10 L-N and NEVER kill (excepting infirmary deaths, which is an entirely separate case) if he hits only arms or legs. Thus, while KD is a large factor in determining kills (a head shot by a 10-10-1 fighter is far less likely to get the statement than a head shot by a 10-10-10 fighter,) it is less important than attack location. Gary Triplett, a.k.a. Miles/Sir Boyd diplo Crimson Pegasi (arena 105) for advice, questions, comments, wit statement charts or other charts, etc. P.S. Apologies to those I said I'd diplo this to. I just decided to make this a general article. If you're one of the managers in the wave that received only the tan wit statement chart and the lavender activity statement chart, please re-contact me if you'd like the explanation sheet, which includes details on all the statements printed on the fighter overview. REBUTTAL TO "THE LITTLE BASHER" So many times I've seen one of these "helpful hints" that I disagreed with, but never have I been so disgusted that I'd write a rebuttal. Well, this time I could not sit aside and watch someone slaughter a style that I love. I am referring to Belegrath's article, entitled, "The Little Basher." Now, even though I have yet to have a warrior achieve the title of "Lord Protector," I have been at this game for a couple of years now. I've run bashers more than any other style, and my record with them is over .500. Therefore, I think I have enough experience and knowledge to say that Belegrath's basher sucks!!! The main purpose I write this is not to undermine Belegrath's managerial abilities, but to warn any new people who might read his article. I don't think anyone should waste their money on Belegrath's basher theory. Or even worse, to have someone quit the game after getting the crap beat out of them having warriors modeled after Belegrath's. First, I'll tell you what is wrong with "The Little Basher" (to refresh your memory: 20-6-3-13-7-20-15). 1) The best he can get, regardless of his strength, is good damage because of his 3 SZ. 2) He'll fall over from exhaustion before the first minute is up, unless you run a real low activity level. He'll be very frail and have very little endurance. 3) A 3 SZ?!? And what if the war hammer or mace aren't his favorite weapons? You lost the QS, a very reputable bashing weapon, and the GS, which I've recently found to be a great bashing weapon. 4) He probably won't pick up too many skills with a 13 WT. Good luck maxing out in the next decade!! 5) With a 7 WL, he has only a 35% chance to raise a stat ONCE, then the chances for that same category are halved every time thereafter. Therefore, he'll always be very frail with poor endurance. 6) 20 SP, what a waste! Bashers, in my opinion, have no need for speed. And even if you wanted to waste points on speed, you don't need to raise it to such an extreme. One stat raise here, and you lose app. four skills. 7) 15 DF. This is pretty much the only point I agree with. I know, I know, bashers don't need deftness. But just imagine a basher with an AB's accuracy! I had a ST once who looked similar to Belegrath's basher. He looked like this: 19-4-13-16-3-19-10. What happened to him, you ask? He was killed by a maul-wielding scum basher on his third fight. In his first two fights he hacked the crap out of two TP's, and then fell over from exhaustion. No broken shields, no broken bones. Get the point, yet? Now, a better basher, not the best, mind you, would look like this: 13 ST Achieve good damage (possibly great) and be able to use all bashing weapons (except HL). 10 CN This isn't important, but at least he'll be able to take a couple of blows. 9 SZ Fulfills requirement for all bashing weapons. 17 WT A nice number. 19 isn't good, and 21 means that it should be something else. 15 WL Gives at least normal endurance, and increases chances of raising stats. 5 SP SP is unimportant, absolutely no need! Although, it will take a few more skills to get a rating in Decise. 15 DF Wonderful to have DF. Keeps them from swinging at the flies (Most of the time). Well, there you have it. I hope I cleared things up a little. I doubt if anyone else agrees with me, but that's what makes this game so fun! LUVUALLWAYS, Vanion Drunken Stupor (11) The Dawn-Men (67) The Dark (26) Othrsydosanity (74) THE UN-SCUM The type of TP I make will often win fights without ever getting hit! The fights are exciting to read, full of dodges and ripostes, and if you've never seen a TP outjump a Basher, make an offensive TP. ST: 7-13 All you really need is normal damage! 11 is perfect, for carrying capacity and weapon selection. Good damage is nice to have, but if it looks like your rollup will get good or great, he's probably better off as a WS, LU or BA. CN: 9-16 Again, all you need is normal. We're making a finesse substyle, and the points are badly needed on WT, WL and DF. Just make sure he can take a hit or two. Don't add any points here on the rollup, but go ahead and raise it later if you think he needs it. Endurance is not a priority. SZ: 3-9 A single digit is important for dodging and activity levels. I will go as high as 10, but any bigger and you can't dodge well enough. Small size also helps parry and defense, as well as getting a good activity and elusive statement on the overview. Plus, you need the points below. WT: 15, 17 or 21 only! This is the biggie, he'll learn like crazy! I know what you're saying, "my 11 WT SCUM learns 3 skills a fight!" Yeah, but your SCUM's skill base will be so low, when he's maxxed out in skills, my off. TP will be at the same level of expertise by his 10th fight! For any style, 90% of the skills are in WT, WL and DF, and that's where the 14 points must go. WL: 13-21 As with any fighter, more is better. However, you can get by with normal endurance, believe it or not! This TP will wear moderate armor, and can run active for 6-7 minutes with normal endurance. That's long enough for all but a few opponents. Raise WL on the rollup to 17 or 21 if you can, but if 13 or 15 is all he can have, he'll be okay. SP: 5-9 This is a touchy area, and can make or break your TP. I like to use 7, 8 or 9. If you use 5 or 6, he'd better be small, and have a 17 or 21 WT. OR, a CN that will allow him to take a lot of damage. If he's too big, dumb and slow then he'll get "slow and inactive" on the overview, and that is too scummy for my TP. You MUST have normal or better activity. SP also helps with your riposte, crucial to the off. TP. DF: 11-17 Second in importance, behind WT. Parry, Riposte, Defense and Attack are your mainstays, and they're all enhanced by a high DF. Try to get normal coordination (SP+DF=21) if possible. Here are some examples of good off. TPs, all are real fighters; 11 10 8 11 7 11 10 14 12 15 9 15 13 12 7 4 7 6 8 7 10 17 15 15 17 21 17 17 17 21 17 21 13 17 13 5 7 9 9 7 8 8 13 15 13 11 13 11 13 Now, how to fight them, you ask? Every one of them seems to like to run differently, I've seen some tee off at 2-7-5, some do better at 4-4-5, some 2-3-2, even those who go 3-3-5 first min, then go ballistic in the second (10-10-6). Also, some run 7-7-7! You just have to play around with the numbers, 'til you find what works best. Here's a general strategy I usually start with: 4 5 6 7 4 3 10 Armor: I use ARM/H most of the time, 7 6 5 4 4 2 10 but guys like examples #1 and 2 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 would be better off in ACM/F. If facing a LU or SL, you can wear RA ------------------------> HE APA/F (yes, even with normal endur- AM ------------------------> HE ance!), 'cause the LU or SL is going - - - - - - - to drop in min. 2, more than likely. S S - - - - D Weapons: Any sword and shield you're suited to, as well as the Quarterstaff and the Longspear. Vs. heavy armor, use a BS two-handed. Tactics: Parry, dodge, and especially vs. strikers, responsiveness! Resp. will drive other managers nuts, prompting them to say, "How'd you do that?" My favorite tactic for the Un-Scum. Matchups: Every striker in the arena should be on your hit-list. Other good challenges are PS, WS, PR, BA. Avoid lungers and ABs like the plague! So, there you have it. If you'd rather have a TP who's as elusive as a La-Z-Boy than one who sidesteps more blows than he parries, then don't follow my advice. But, if you're ready to have fun fights with TPs, and watch their popularity rise (except vs. scum) every match, then that's what I offer you. Brought to you by Buri of the G.A.P.P.D.A., MGR. Aesier (3, 104), Swords of Sergio (4, 104), S.O.S. (59), and way too many others. Fell free to diplo me, for praise, ridicule, or just for the halibut. Duelmasters for Dummies There are handbooks around that will guide you in becoming the hottest player Duelmasters has ever seen... if you're prepared to work at it. But what if you don't want to be hot, but only pleasantly warm, have a good time, and not fret and stew over maximizing the potential of every roll-up you receive? What if spending months in the Dark Arena searching for the perfect roll-up sounds boring? What if the "Perfect Warrior" is not for you, and you have no intention of dominating Gateway? What if such handbooks as the Enchiridion represent "more than you ever wanted to know" about the inner workings and minute tunings of the game? This article is for you.... You have a new roll-up sheet in front of you; it doesn't matter whether it's a new team or only one replacement. How do you design the warrior(s) for best present enjoyment? First, don't send anyone straight to the Dark Arena. Okay, do if you like to read Dark Arena fights, but not otherwise. Give every roll-up, regardless of "Perfect Warrior" potential or lack thereof, your best design efforts and a chance to show his stuff. Some supposed duds will surprise you. A few simple rules for basic warrior design and strategy: 1) Aim at achieving an odd number in your key stats, 15 is good, 17 is better, except in unusual cases (DF for aimed blows), 21 is too much of a good thing. 2) Wit and Will are the key stats for any warrior except a freak experiment. Deftness and Strength are second, Speed and Constitution are third. 3) Offensive styles (Basher, Lunger, Slasher, Striker) and Total Parries are easier to run and easier to win with than the finesse styles (Aimed Blows, Parry- anythings, Walls of Steel). Yes, the finesse styles can be fun and devastating, but don't START there. Start with the easier styles and work up to finesse. Watch out for stereotypes. Big, dumb, clumsy bashers do not generally do well. Fast, brainy lungers with low CN and WL burn out early in the first minute and also tend to die easily. A medium good roll-up will do well at any of the offensive styles. 4) Pick your arena with some care, as different arenas favor and reward different styles of play and different tones in the personals. Generally speaking, arenas of the Andorian and Lirith Kai regions will frown on down-challenges and deliberate killing, and hostile "trash-talking" personals will not be appreciated. On the whole, these Andorian and Adantri arenas are the more sociable arenas and will tend to have more personals and more role-playing. (There are, of course, exceptions.) Players in the Andorian and Lirith Kai arenas will tend to be helpful to a newcomer. Arenas of the Delarquan region will accept more aggressive styles in play and in personals, more down-challenging, and more killing... BUT you can expect to draw a quick and hard response in kind. Generally these arenas are not as friendly as the Andorians, and they are much less likely to help out a newcomer. The arenas of the Free Blades region vary more among themselves than those of the other regions but generally tend to fall in between the Andorian and Delarquan extremes. 5) When arming your warrior, check the Weapon/Style/Stat Suitability chart below, probably THE most useful chart for a beginner. It sorts the weapons by style, listing only those that are favored by each style, and gives the minimum stats (in ST, SZ, WT, and DF) to use any particular weapon. Note which weapons your warrior is physically able to use. Arm him with something he can use and that is favored by his style, and GIVE HIM A BACK-UP WEAPON, even if it's only a dagger. Do not be misled by real-world logic, by the way: bashers are not well-suited to using the fists as weapons! (If you are going to use the same weapon against all armor weights, it isn't necessary to make three categories on your strategy sheet, and it annoys the inputter.) In fact, you might want to consult the chart below before picking a style for your new warrior. It is not a good idea to make a warrior into, say, a basher, if he is unable to use well any of the basher's weapons of choice. (I've done this by not paying attention, and I have ALWAYS regretted it afterward.) For example, I just got a replacement who is 8-10-20-9-12-4-7. If I make it 9-10-20-15-17-4-9, then I should NOT make it a Basher, because the poor goop couldn't use any bashing weapon well. If I go with this set of numbers, he should probably be a Lunger using a short spear, or a Striker using a hatchet. But if I drop WT to 13 and raise ST to 11, he could use a broadsword and might make a Slasher; equally, if I drop WT to 13 and raise DF to 11, instead, he could use a scimitar and make a Slasher.... Choices, choices.... 6) Put armor on the warrior before sending him out to fight. Armor saves lives. Total Parries can take the heaviest armors, as they generally don't move around a lot. Offensives can run faster with no armor or leather armor, but that doesn't give them much protection. If you're worried about their survival, put them in mid-weight armor; I favor ringmail for this, but scalemail and chainmail are also options. Always put something on their heads! A blow to the head can be especially deadly, so give them protection there--at least a steel cap, a helm for choice, a full helm if the warrior is a Total Parry. 7) Train skills, unless/until you're sure this is going to be a throw-away, short-term warrior. 8) Challenge warriors above your warrior, and/or those with more fights, for the best chance to learn skills. Challenge warriors below your warrior to improve your chances of winning and to provoke maximum hostility from other managers. Repeated challenges to the same warrior, when there are other targets available, will also provoke hostility. 9) Avoid teams with high kill percentages and teams that regularly down- challenge or repeat-challenge. 10) Don't run a warrior 10-10-10 unless you like to see him go berserk and then collapse half way through the first minute. Yes, the pure offensives should run fast, but drop either Activity Level or Kill Desire or both by a few points if your warrior doesn't have a good or better endurance. If endurance is not mentioned on the warrior's overview, then it is "normal" or "average," and 10-10-10 will probably burn him out early in the fight. If endurance is poor, don't even think of it. (Yes, I can hear all you number crunchers out there rising up to point out that there are exceptions. I admit the exceptions, but these are general guidelines for the average beginner. Exceptions belong in a different article.} Generally speaking, Total Parries should run slowly. 11) Be wary of using tactics. Sometimes they help, sometimes they hinder, and they're tricky. Even when a tactic gives some clear benefit, remember that it comes with a built-in danger in that it commits the warrior to that attitude during the minute it is used. A defensive tactic will tend to hinder offense, offensive tactics will reduce the warrior's defense. Do not use both an offensive and a defensive tactic in the same minute. 12) Fill out your strategy sheet clearly and completely to avoid antagonizing the inputter! Don't make her guess what you want your warrior to do. 13) Write personal ads to take part in the player-player interaction. This is a significant part of the fun of the game. If you want other managers to help you learn, write =friendly= personals! Surprising how some people miss this obvious point, but the obnoxious managers are likely to have a hard time getting help. 14) Fill out the front part of the Warrior Census Form. Picking a warrior's race can make him a more clearly realized character and one that it is more fun to write personals for. Filling out the warrior sayings can make reading the fights more amusing. Fill out the back of the form only if you feel like it, as NOTHING on the back, not even the character stats, has any effect on the fights. The back of the form is all role-playing information and, at this time, will only be used if/when your warrior appears in a spotlight written by a staff writer. When/if the extension of the Duelmasters system for which the back of the form was originally intended is completed, you will have another chance to fill out this stuff. Weapons, Styles, Minimum Stats required for use The weapons best-suited to each style are listed under that style. If a weapon is not listed under that style, then it is not well-suited to use by that style. Regardless of style, however, the stats required to use a weapon are the same. This chart was composed with information found in the Enchiridion, and I thank Pagan for making it readily available. Aimed Blow nine weapons Slasher eight weapons Dagger ST - SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 FiST - presumably any Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Hatchet ST 5 SZ - WT 3 DF 7 Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Striker Note that the strikers can Basher eleven weapons use every weapon plus the small shield Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11 effectively. This is the only style that Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 has so broad a selection. Twenty-one Halberd ST 17 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 weapons. Large shield ST 11 SZ 7 WT 5 DF 5 Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Mace ST 13 SZ - WT 3 DF 5 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 Maul ST 15 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 7 Dagger ST - SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Medium shield ST 9 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Morningstar ST 13 SZ - WT 7 DF 13 FiST - presumably any Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11 Warflail ST 11 SZ - WT 7 DF 5 Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 Warhammer ST 13 SZ - WT 5 DF 7 Halberd ST 17 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Hatchet ST 5 SZ - WT 3 DF 7 Lunger five weapons Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Mace ST 13 SZ - WT 3 DF 5 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Maul ST 15 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 7 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Morningstar ST 13 SZ - WT 7 DF 13 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Parry-Lunger six weapons Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Small shield ST 5 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Warflail ST 11 SZ - WT 7 DF 5 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Warhammer ST 13 SZ - WT 5 DF 7 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Total Parry twelve weapons Parry-Riposte six weapons Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Large shield ST 11 SZ 7 WT 5 DF 5 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Longspear ST 11 SZ 9 WT 5 DF 9 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Medium shield ST 9 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Parry-Striker eleven weapons Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Epee ST 7 SZ - WT 15 DF 15 Small shield ST 5 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 Longsword ST 11 SZ - WT 13 DF 11 Wall of Steel eight weapons Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Battleaxe ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 9 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Broadsword ST 11 SZ - WT 9 DF 7 Shortspear ST 9 SZ - WT 7 DF 7 Greataxe ST 13 SZ 5 WT 9 DF 11 Shortsword ST 5 SZ - WT 11 DF 3 Greatsword ST 15 SZ 9 WT 9 DF 11 Small shield ST 5 SZ - WT 5 DF 5 Morningstar ST 13 SZ - WT 7 DF 13 Warhammer ST 13 SZ - WT 5 DF 7 Quarterstaff ST 11 SZ 9 WT 11 DF 11 Scimitar ST 9 SZ - WT 11 DF 11 Warflail ST 11 SZ - WT 7 DF 5 Jorja The Middle Way DM 93 and elsewhere