DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER
Date : 11/10/2017 Duedate: 11/23/2017
NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA
DM-93 TURN-491
This Weeks Top Honors
THE DUELMASTER IS
KOKOMO, IN
HOME SWEET HOME (1728)
(93-10093) [9-1-0,84]
Chartered Recognition Leader Unchartered Recognition Leader
KOKOMO, IN SISTER SURIEL
HOME SWEET HOME (1728) CHURCH OF UYPHY (1729)
(93-10093) [9-1-0,84] (93-10118) [4-1-0,31]
Popularity Leader This Weeks Favorite
MILFORD, MA KOKOMO, IN
HOME SWEET HOME (1728) HOME SWEET HOME (1728)
(93-10090) [6-4-0,31] (93-10093) [9-1-0,84]
THE CURRENT TOP TEAM
HOME SWEET HOME (1728)
TEAMS ON THE MOVE TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name Point Gain Chartered Team
1. CHURCH OF UYPHY (1729) 37
2. HOME SWEET HOME (1728) 36 HOME SWEET HOME (1728)
3. BLACKTHORN INC. (1735) 18 Unchartered Team
4. RED AVENGERS (1736) 18
5. THE SLAPPYS (187) 0 CHURCH OF UYPHY (1729)
The Top Teams
Career Win-Loss Record W L K % Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns W L K
1- 1*THE SLAPPYS (187) 1 0 0 100 1/ 3 HOME SWEET HOME (1728) 10 5 1
2/ 2 HOME SWEET HOME (1728) 34 16 1 68.0 2/ 2*CHURCH OF UYPHY (1729) 10 5 0
3/ 3*CHURCH OF UYPHY (1729) 18 12 0 60.0 3/ 1 BASH BROS APPLES (1727) 7 8 0
4/ 5 BASH BROS APPLES (1727) 25 25 0 50.0 4/ 4*BLACKTHORN INC. (1735) 5 9 0
5/ 4*BLACKTHORN INC. (1735) 5 9 0 35.7 5/ 5*RED AVENGERS (1736) 4 9 0
6/ 7*RED AVENGERS (1736) 4 9 0 30.8 6- 6*THE SLAPPYS (187) 1 0 0
'*' Unchartered team '-' Team did not fight this turn
(###) Avoid teams by their Team Id ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
NEW WARRIOR & NEW TEAM DESIGN
HOW A DUELMASTER VET DOES IT
The purpose of this spotlight is to provide newer/inexperienced D2 managers with
warrior and team design concepts and to assist new managers by observing the details
of a real-time team who will be competing against them in their Noblish Island arena.
I will discuss the following:
1. An experienced manager's general design principles (over 100,000 warriors
designed)
2. Some thoughts on team balance
3. The real five-warrior design (original team roll-up) just starting to compete
with you on Noblish Island
4. Summary and comments relevant to those designs
First you might ask, "Who is writing this? And I answer that I am Johnny
Appleseed, manager of FOLKLORE, a member of The Consortium, who is a long, long time
(30+ year) paying competitor in Duelmasters/D2. I will be overseeing this new team
and will be offering you advice each round on Noblish Island too. (Free advice!)
Please feel free to ask me questions in the personal ads. You will get answers, often
very interesting answers.
There is no one-and-only perfect design for any warrior. You will often find
that when asking for experienced design advice, varying opinions and concepts are
offered. However, there are some guidelines that each manager uses. The Consortium
general design principles are as follows:
1. Design to strengths/excesses, generally making high roll numbers higher
2. WT is the first factor examined, followed by WL, which then determines the
design and style direction.
3. Offensive oriented warriors need higher WT to last. Design to 11 (min), need
15, 17, 21 for skill breaks
4. 21 WT, 21DF, and 21 WL are coveted. The 21DF makes an aimed-blow almost
inevitable. Most managers automatically think Aimed-Blow when they can get
21 deftness. Not always, but usually. If not an aimer, then 11 DF is really
all most designs need.
5. All warriors except AB must have normal damage and really need good. Make
certain that ST/SZ allow that, and have high enough WL to bump stats if not.
6. 9 WL is the reasonable min for offensives. MUST have some WL. Some warriors
might do ok with 7 or 8. Barely.
7. Do not add to CN for pure offensives.
8. Defensive style warriors need big WL and CN. And, then, ST, too.
9. Physicals never hurt any warrior. Warriors can win early on with lesser
skill, but good physicals.
10. If all else fails, make the design a TP. They can win under almost any
circumstance. However, they need a higher combination (total) of CN, WL, and
ST (especially WL and CN).
11. If the warrior is to be long-term (meaning a godling or really, really nice
roll), do not design a burner. (A burner is one where the manager intends to
raise stats and physicals as an intended strategy to enhanced winning).
Burners require very high WL as stat raises are dependent on WL.
12. However, there is not a thing wrong with making a burner.
13. Have variation in styles in arenas. This allows for better challenging,
avoiding, and matchups. (Adding also fun and learning through variety.)
14. Design to the numbers, then choose style, rather than predetermine style,
then design.
15. PRIMARY PRINCIPLE: Design each warrior with the idea of winning 60%+ of its
fights. Period.
Pretty simple, it would seem. Well, we will see how I applied these principals to the
FOLKLORE Team. But first some comments on team design.
A variety of styles is important. Why?
(a) The more differing styles you experiment with, the more you learn.
(b) It is more fun to run differing types.
(c) Certain styles are susceptible to other styles and having a variety allows
you to take advantage (or avoid) some of those susceptibilities.
(d) Testing multiple styles allows you to more quickly find the style/s that you
enjoy most or are best with.
I believe a manager, especially a new manager, should have at least these two
warriors on his team: an especially fast/quick, decent damage offensive (striker,
basher, or maybe slasher) and a scummy warrior with lots of physicals and who wins by
wearing down foes while parrying or sucking up hit points (total parry or maybe wall-
of-steel or parry strike). It is important to learn how to win with both types, and
the ST (striker) and TP (total parry) are excellent designs to do both: teach and
win. This combination is invaluable because each tends to challenge and avoid
different styles, and most importantly, they are both easy to work with. The other
warriors on the team can/should be different, but I least recommend these more
difficult styles for rookie managers: AB (aimed blow="aimer"), PR (parry
riposte="ripper"), PS (parry strike="piker"), PL (parry lunge="plunger"), and maybe WS
(wall of steel="waste").
Now on to a real life example. Below are listed the starting statistics (from
the roll-up sheet) and the design statistics (filled out and sent in by me, Johnny
Appleseed) of this FOLKLORE team just started on Noblish Island.
An initial comment on roll up sheets, in general. It can be hardest to design
with radical numbers. Unusually low ST or WL or super big SZ usually requires the
most design manipulation and variance from the design principles above. Very high WT
and WL and/or sometimes DF, plus very small SZ are treasured! With that in mind,
let's get on to my designs.
9-9-13-13-5-11-10 to 11-9-13-17-9-14-11 ST (striker). Design to strengths
(concept #1), which means I add four to WT and three to SP. Clearly this will be an
offensive (very low WL and good WT) so I almost have to add four to WL taking it to
that self-imposed minimum 9. DF gets one to reach that good 11 spot. (Read concept 4
above.) And the final two are needed to make ST 11. Note the adherence to concepts 5
and 6 also. This offensive type warrior is really well fit to be a striker.
4-13-11-13-10-4-15 to 8-13-11-17-10-4-21 AB (aimer). Looking at the rollup, I
see WT and DF are the highest stats (along with CN). Concept #1 leads to adding four
to WT to 17, and six to DF to 21. Read concept #4, and I see an aimed-blow in my
future. I add the last four points to ST, because I do need some ST for a warrior.
(Yes, it is true that I do not recommend the AB style for newcomers, but this rollup
fits it so nicely and, sadly, I am not a rookie anymore...)
10-14-10-10-16-4-6 to 13-14-10-15-21-4-7 BA (basher). If I employ concept #1
completely, I would add to WL, CN and probably ST and have a really nice TP scum at
13-20-10-10-21-4-6; and a part of me wishes I had done so. But the 10 WT, which can
be bumped to 15 (concept #3), will lead to a fun offensive warrior allowing me to
employ concepts #1 and #4 to the WL, adding five to 21. Of the final four points, 1
goes to DF, bringing it to a break point on skills, and to a minimum for some weapons
like the WH and BS and MA. The other three go to ST, upping it to 13 and making it
fitting for the weapons it can use with no penalty. Because of the 15 WT, it was
going to become an offensive, and because of weapon usage limitations it becomes a
basher. (And a design that I truly like.)
10-12-7-11-10-10-10 to 11-13-7-17-15-10-11 LU (lunger). I take concept #1 with a
grain of salt, concentrating first on enhancing the 2nd highest stat -- WT, taking it
to 17 (see concepts #3 and #2). Continuing, I add five to WL. I bump ST and DF to
11's, for weapons and the great skill point for 11DF. I place the last point on CN
(back to concept #1 and ignoring concept #7), because I can see this offensive as
somewhat "defensive" in nature; hence it becomes a lunger as that style can be
defensive, at times. (I also considered making the design a PL, parry lunger, aka
"plunger", heeding my own advice to run the easier styles.)
8-11-14-13-8-9-7 to 11-11-14-17-9-11-11 ST (striker). Concept #1, first raise
that WT to 17 (also concept #3). Then I up WL by one to 9 (check out concept #6). I
do not raise the CN (concept # 7). So I add the others to make ST and DF 11's (three
to ST and four to DF). I add the last two to SP, although I seriously think about ST,
but I like the extra skills provided by 10 and 11 SP, while 12 and 13 ST would have
provided none. Another offensive, and I make it a striker as it looks most like a
striker. I wanted more variety (5 styles), but am satisfied.
Good luck competing against FOLKLORE warriors. I suspect this team will have
little difficulty meeting the 60% objective and each warrior will do its part. They
will be a competitive team and they will both challenge and avoid.
Now let's take a look at the overall design tendencies for this team in this
situation. We had 70 points to add to the designs. Totaled, they look like this:
ST = 13 (Looks OK. Strength is almost always added, as 11 ST is so
important, and one warrior rolled a very low 4 ST.))
CN = 1 (Note how principle was applied as all the warriors, are offensive
types.)
SZ = 0 (Cannot add to size.)
WT = 23 (1 of 2 most valuable stats. Adding lots of points here is a good
sign.)
WL = 15 (1 of 2 most important stats.)
SP = 5 (SP and CN are usually least added stats.)
DF = 13 (DF additions are often quite variable and this amount looks good
for this group, which has one aimer.)
The tendencies look solid to me, as WT and WL are prime stats, ST and DF are
probably next, and CN/SP are usually least added. (Well, except for SZ!)
So there you have it: a new team; insight to warrior and team design; useful
tidbits from an long-time veteran. May your stay in D2 be long and prosperous, and,
most of all, fun. (As mine has been.)
-- Johnny Appleseed, FOLKLORE
Consortium affiliated
DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
Notes from the arena champ.
Yes, I am Duelmaster again. (4 times) Maybe even one more time. But by the time
you read this I, and my teammates shall be gone. So bye-bye.
I thought maybe you would all like to know just how learned each of my teammates
has been through 9 turns. It is rather dismal, and I suspect most warriors learn
more/faster than this.
Kokomo (17 wit) 11 skills/ 7 tries = 1.59 skill learn rate
Racine 11 wit) 10 skills/ 9 tries = 1.11
Lenexa (17 wit) 10 skills/ 9 tries = 1.11
Milford (11 wit) 7 skills/ 9 tries = 0,78
Easley (17 wit) 17 skills/ 9 tries = 1.89
TOTAL 45 skills/43 tries = 1.04 ugly!!!!!!!
Surely, and most likely, your warriors are doing much better than this.
Meanwhile, adios, and may the force be with you.
-- Kokomo, IN, DMIV
SPY REPORT
Greetings warriors! It is I, Zontani Sharp Eyes, here to bring report of the
clash and bustle of the weekly NOBLISH ISLAND games. Former top team BASH BROS
APPLES was unseated this week as HOME SWEET HOME moved up from 3rd ranking to take
the top spot with a 4-1-1 record for the round. Did only my eyes note the 4-1-0
record which CHURCH OF UYPHY managed to post this round? I don't doubt that such a
record will draw challengers! RACINE, WI caught the eye of many in the gladiatorial
commission as he skillfully bested PESTICIDES and was awarded 21 points in
recognition. In one of the week's more notable duels, RACINE, WI put down
PESTICIDES, causing him to lose 19 points of recognition in the process. Although
KUNG-FU MASTER made a valiant effort, it did not suffice to topple the reign of
victorious KOKOMO, IN. Would you believe that over half of the old women in NOBLISH
ISLAND seem to feel that they could fight better than you gladiators?
I have been in deep conclave with my spies who watched all that has recently
transpired. Indeed there is much I would report. I saw one fighter that warriors
avoided when this week's challenge seeking began. THE SLAPPYS is feared. This much
I can say. Apparently the stalwarts of HOME SWEET HOME are catching the bulk of
jests down at the challenging board for their large share of the avoids. Loose talk
at the arena has reached my ears and it but confirms the knowledge that many fighters
are after UNRIPE. Watch your back! A match that raised a few eyebrows at the games
this week, it seems that SNEAKY PETE posted a challenge against the more highly
recognized MONK SABAOTH. The results, you ask? Well, the firebrand SNEAKY PETE was
bested by MONK SABAOTH. Remember warriors, this is the discipline of steel.
Vendettas. Bloodied blades and broken spears. Indeed the city has seen more
than its fair share of red in recent times. Dark alleys may hide both secrets and
assassins. In the arena there is only the brightness of steel. Keep vigil always!
If it were not for my skills as a spy I would have been mugged three times
already in NOBLISH ISLAND. Nice atmosphere you have here! More than a sharp eye
must I keep, indeed a stout pair of legs must I keep as well! The endless paths of
Alastari await me! Till we meet again, remember: a turtle walks slow, hides head in
a shell, and harms no one; a lion runs to slay its prey.-- Zontani Sharp Eyes
DUELMASTER W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
KOKOMO, IN 10093 9 1 0 84 HOME SWEET HOME (1728)
CHALLENGER ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
RACINE, WI 10089 7 3 0 66 HOME SWEET HOME (1728)
ADEPTS W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
UNRIPE 10086 5 5 0 54 BASH BROS APPLES (1727)
LENEXA, KS 10092 5 5 1 46 HOME SWEET HOME (1728)
PESTICIDES 10087 8 2 0 45 BASH BROS APPLES (1727)
EASLEY, SC 10091 7 3 0 37 HOME SWEET HOME (1728)
-SANTIE 1034 1 0 0 37 THE SLAPPYS (187)
CHALLENGER INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
MILFORD, MA 10090 6 4 0 31 HOME SWEET HOME (1728)
SISTER SURIEL 10118 4 1 0 31 CHURCH OF UYPHY (1729)
PRIESTESS IRIN 10099 4 2 0 30 CHURCH OF UYPHY (1729)
MONK SABAOTH 10101 4 2 0 27 CHURCH OF UYPHY (1729)
INITIATES W L K POINTS TEAM NAME
AZAZEL 10097 3 3 0 22 CHURCH OF UYPHY (1729)
SOUR 10088 5 5 0 20 BASH BROS APPLES (1727)
DEE THE BLADE 10137 2 1 0 18 RED AVENGERS (1736)
JOE JIGGA 10139 2 1 0 15 RED AVENGERS (1736)
SHOFTIEL 10100 3 3 0 14 CHURCH OF UYPHY (1729)
ROTTEN 10084 2 8 0 14 BASH BROS APPLES (1727)
-AUTUMNBE 9643 3 2 0 12 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
GARGAMEL 10131 2 1 0 9 BLACKTHORN INC. (1735)
BRIOSES 10129 2 3 0 9 BASH BROS APPLES (1727)
-DRAXXUS 9644 1 4 0 7 CAVEAT EMPTOR (1657)
-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)
SNEAKY PETE 10136 0 3 0 3 RED AVENGERS (1736)
'-' denotes a warrior who did not fight this turn.
THE DEAD W L K TEAM NAME SLAIN BY TURN Revenge?
FRATSFA SLAVE 0 0 0 LENEXA, KS 10092 491 NONE
I'MA DU-YU-TU 10157 0 1 0 BLACKTHORN INC. 1735 BANDIT PRINCE 491 NONE
MO KA$H-MONIE 10158 0 1 0 BLACKTHORN INC. 1735 SHEWISH GIANT 491 NONE
STRYCHNINE 10134 0 2 0 BLACKTHORN INC. 1735 MASTER SEN GANAM 491 NONE
URKL 10130 1 2 0 BLACKTHORN INC. 1735 DARK CHAMPION 491 NONE
PERSONAL ADS
Mu Kokomo done it agin, sumhow. Yup. -- hobo
Apples bea tryin' I say. -- Hobo
P.S. (We give them credit for their 2-1. We do.)
Gonna bea goin'. No more Home Sweetner here. Bye. -- Hobo
In advance, we ask you all to welcome the newest Folklore team to Noblish Island. Led
and managed by the quite famous Johnny Appleseed, will be Swamp Fox, Pecos Bill, Molly
Pitcher, Lone Ranger, and Geronimo. You will see them next turn. -- The Consortium
Elders
P.S. Hobo and his Home Sweet Home team "graduate" and, allegedly, Assur will be so
happy...
All, remember, both The Consortium rep and Assur are here to aid, help, assist you all
to becoming D2 legends. Ask us questions; we will answer. -- The Consortium
Knowledge people of The Consortium -- Thanks for all of the info! I don't know what
the CIC is, but I'll be sure to request it. And I rolled my warrior with the same
stats you suggested, but had made her a Striker. Probably should have gone with AB,
but I was worried about the low will. Oh well, she's still a good striker! -- Uyphy
Welcome newbies! -- Slightly less newbies (Uyphy)
Congratulations to the Church Of Uyphy! A Runner-Up in the Fall Mailer Tournament!
Well done.! I guess we will all have to "watch out" for Sister Suriel who is clearly
an extraordinary warrior. All Noblish Island is proud. -- The Consortium
LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS
URKL was butchered by DARK CHAMPION in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
STRYCHNINE was butchered by MASTER SEN GANAMIR in a exciting 1 minute Dark Arena duel.
MO KA$H-MONIE was murdered by SHEWISH GIANT in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
I'MA DU-YU-TU was slaughtered by BANDIT PRINCE in a 1 minute Dark Arena brawl.
RACINE, WI devastated PESTICIDES in a exciting 1 minute one-sided Challenge fight.
MILFORD, MA was devastated by UNRIPE in a 1 minute uneven Challenge brawl.
SNEAKY PETE was overpowered by MONK SABAOTH in a 1 minute Challenge struggle.
KOKOMO, IN viciously subdued KUNG-FU MASTER in a 2 minute gory Title competition.
LENEXA, KS easily killed FRATSFA SLAVE in a 1 minute uneven melee.
SOUR was vanquished by PRIESTESS IRIN in a 2 minute one-sided duel.
EASLEY, SC vanquished SHOFTIEL in a 1 minute one-sided duel.
ROTTEN was overpowered by SISTER SURIEL in a 1 minute uneven match.
AZAZEL beat GARGAMEL in a 3 minute fight.
BRIOSES was subdued by DEE THE BLADE in a 3 minute amateur's match.
JOE JIGGA overcame CONVICTED THIEF in a 4 minute novice's contest.
BATTLE REPORT
MOST POPULAR RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS
|FIGHTING STYLE FIGHTS FIGHTING STYLE W - L - K PERCENT|
|BASHING ATTACK 7 PARRY-STRIKE 4 - 2 - 0 67 |
|STRIKING ATTACK 5 TOTAL PARRY 7 - 4 - 0 64 |
|SLASHING ATTACK 3 BASHING ATTACK 39 - 26 - 1 60 |
|PARRY-STRIKE 2 LUNGING ATTACK 9 - 6 - 0 60 |
|AIMED BLOW 2 SLASHING ATTACK 18 - 15 - 0 55 |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE 2 STRIKING ATTACK 19 - 18 - 1 51 |
|LUNGING ATTACK 1 PARRY-RIPOSTE 5 - 6 - 0 45 |
|WALL OF STEEL 1 WALL OF STEEL 9 - 14 - 0 39 |
|PARRY-LUNGE 0 AIMED BLOW 8 - 15 - 0 35 |
|TOTAL PARRY 0 PARRY-LUNGE 1 - 6 - 0 14 |
Turn 491 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 2 - 0 BASHING ATTACK 3 - 4 4 BASHING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK 2 - 1 STRIKING ATTACK 2 - 3 3 STRIKING ATTACK
AIMED BLOW 1 - 1 PARRY-LUNGE 0 - 0 2 SLASHING ATTACK
PARRY-RIPOSTE 1 - 1 LUNGING ATTACK 0 - 1 1 AIMED BLOW
TOTAL PARRY 0 - 0 1 LUNGING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL 0 - 1
TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE
FIGHTING STYLE WARRIOR W L K PNTS TEAM NAME
SLASHING ATTACK KOKOMO, IN 10093 9 1 0 84 HOME SWEET HOME (1728)
BASHING ATTACK RACINE, WI 10089 7 3 0 66 HOME SWEET HOME (1728)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.
The overall popularity leader is MILFORD, MA 10090. The most popular warrior this
turn was KOKOMO, IN 10093. The ten other most popular fighters were PRIESTESS IRIN
10099, AZAZEL 10097, RACINE, WI 10089, UNRIPE 10086, SISTER SURIEL 10118, MONK
SABAOTH 10101, LENEXA, KS 10092, EASLEY, SC 10091, STRYCHNINE 10134, and PESTICIDES
10087.
The least popular fighter this week was JOE JIGGA 10139. The other ten least popular
fighters were BRIOSES 10129, ROTTEN 10084, SHOFTIEL 10100, SOUR 10088, SNEAKY PETE
10136, MILFORD, MA 10090, I'MA DU-YU-TU 10157, MO KA$H-MONIE 10158, URKL 10130, and
DEE THE BLADE 10137.
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)