DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 02/12/2021    Duedate: 02/25/2021

NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA

DM 93    TURN 576

This Week's Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

PETS
BASH BROS QUARANTINE (1808)
(93-10579) [4-1-0,60]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

POSITION IS EMPTY              PETS
                               BASH BROS QUARANTINE (1808)
                               (93-10579) [4-1-0,60]

Popularity Leader              This Week's Favorite

MAZIKEEN                       THE BLIGHT
PRAE DELORE SINCERAM (1800)    PRAE DELORE SINCERAM (1800)
(93-10525) [5-4-0,54]          (93-10522) [4-5-1,18]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

DISTINCT COLORS (1807)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. 5 CARD DRAW (1809)            40 
2. THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679)          39    DARK TOADS II (725)
3. DISTINCT COLORS (1807)        32    Unchartered Team
4. PRAE DELORE SINCERAM (1800)   20 
5. MEAL TEAM 6 (1810)            14    DISTINCT COLORS (1807)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 3*DISTINCT COLORS (1807)    13   7  0 65.0   1/ 4*DISTINCT COLORS (1807)   10  5 0
 2/ 2*BASH BROS QUARANTI (1808) 15  10  1 60.0   2/ 2*BASH BROS QUARANTI (1808) 9  6 1
 3/ 4*5 CARD DRAW (1809)         6   4  0 60.0   3/ 1*PRAE DELORE SINCER (1800) 9  6 0
 4/ 5*PRAE DELORE SINCER (1800) 25  20  2 55.6   4/ 3*THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679)      8  7 0
 5/ 6*THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679)      15  18  0 45.5   5/ 6*5 CARD DRAW (1809)        6  4 0
 6/ 1*RIPPERS R US (1805)        4   5  1 44.4   6/ 5*RIPPERS R US (1805)       4  5 1
 7/ 0*THE REFORMERS (1801)       3   9  0 25.0   7/ 0*THE REFORMERS (1801)      1  1 0
 8/ 7*MEAL TEAM 6 (1810)         1  11  1  8.3   8/ 7*MEAL TEAM 6 (1810)        1 11 1
 9- 8*SLAUGHTERFEST (1803)       0   2  0  0.0   9- 8*SLAUGHTERFEST (1803)      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

     I'm not going to write about designing roll-ups and strategies, those areas are 
being covered more competently than I could by Assur and the Consortium, and Hammer.
     What I can talk about is the whole business of race, as indicated at the top of 
each fight.  The list of races, and their descriptions and distinctions were assembled 
too hastily, and there was no after-review; I know, I was there.  It was intended to 
be a purely visual category, for helping people write stories about their warriors.  
But we put in too much detail, and people have grappled with it.  There is a tendency 
to see some of the "race" names as political or cultural or even religious (Karnhorn 
is a religious distinction).  This was not our intent.  I have known new players to 
choose unlikely races and then stipulate inappropriate appearances.  And some were put 
in as jokes, which I don't find funny.  The first time I objected to a six-foot 
warrior being described as a "dwarf" I was told that Pratchett's Discworld had a six-
foot dwarf.  My protest that they only had ONE fell on deaf ears.  I've got dozens, 
and it annoys me.  Many things do.
     There are many fewer meaningful distinctions that people realize. An elf is an 
elf, whether Kyan, Shagornan, Araoi, or other.  The Araoi and Shagornan tend to be 
tallest.  The Araoi are blond, the Shagornan darker-skinned.  Fortunately we didn't 
distinguish between "races" or origins of dwarves, they're all short and hairy and 
happier underground. Orcs may be of any size, but they are not green; they tend to be 
overwhelmingly physical, bulging muscles and bulging secondary attributes, but they do 
have tusks, more noticeable in the males.
     It's the humans who are a tangled mess--of course!  We would be. Alastari has 
three or four basic physical types (Lirith Kai is a different matter).  In northern 
Alastari, especially the Andorian region, there are Convincians, Raltumans, Harkeny, 
Fratsfans, and the were-folk.  The distinctions are historical and very minor as 
regards coloring.  The Convincians are your basic Caucasians, the Raltumans are a bit 
darker in skin and hair, and the Harkeny tend to be very fair-skinned and red headed.  
Fratsfan are the human counterpart to Araoi elves: tall and blond.
     Southern Alastari has the "Karnhorns"--Ferencians from the east, basically 
Mediterranean types of humans, rather dark skinned, with narrow features.  Rirorni, 
the descendants of nomads from the plains well to the south, picture them as Mongols, 
bronze skin, black hair and eyes, rather broad faces.  The Kannar are the result of 
the crossing of these two groups, dark of skin and hair.  Classic Delarquans.  Keep a 
grip on these basic types and you've got the humans of Alasatri.
     Werecats and werewolves are not visually distinct until they change shape, which 
does not happen instantly and is not a pure blessing.  When un-changed they tend to be 
a little darker of skin than most humans; and not all who are listed as Aruaki or 
Werewolves can do the shape-shift.
     If this is useful to you, and you want to know more, a question in the newsletter 
will summon an answer.

                                          -- Jorja, Third Highway

                                      SPY REPORT

     Welcome NOBLISH ISLAND.  I, Olaf Modeen remember this place well.  Many the 
fights have I fought here.  The celebrations, the disappointments...  Woof!  PRAE 
DELORE SINCERAM were a bunch of dogs after DISTINCT COLORS got through with 'em!  3rd 
ain't so sweet as 1st!  Ya gotta be quick on yer feet!  Keep your elbow off the 
table!  Thrust!  Block out the pain!  DISTINCT COLORS is now ranked 1st with a 4-1-0 
turn.  THIRD HIWAY 2 showed NOBLISH ISLAND what they were made of as they fought with 
a vengeance to walk off with 4-1-0.  What's with WILD CARD JOKER?  He actually beat 
NOBLISH ISLAND's EMBEZZLING SCRIBE, and walked away with 20 more points from the 
fight.  Laughs were big at THIRD HIWAY 2 while they watched BENNY STREETER clobber 
MORNING STAR.  He lost 13 points and got bruised from objects thrown from the stands. 
Our Duelmaster has lost, folks, lost to VETERAN MERCENARY, BUT PETS is still the 
Duelmaster because he has the most recognition points!  Advice to fighters with a 1 
will--give up fighting!   
     No matter the time or place, men will always duel.  How well I know the feeling 
of being in the most avoided team!  Don't fall out of practive, DISTINCT COLORS!  The 
bums at BASH BROS QUARANTINE couldn't face the challenges from DISTINCT COLORS!  No 
excuse for that!  What do people see in INDOORS?  His 2-3-0?  BASH BROS QUARANTINE 
ain't talkin', but he's got 9 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.   
     Well, I'm pretty much through.  You guys need to get back practicing.  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                  
 PETS 10579                    4   1  0  60         BASH BROS QUARANTIN (1808)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 MAZIKEEN 10525                5   4  0  54         PRAE DELORE SINCERA (1800)
 PYKE 10523                    6   3  0  51         PRAE DELORE SINCERA (1800)
 BENNY STREETER 9790           5   2  0  43         THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679)      

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 MORNING STAR 10524            5   4  1  33         PRAE DELORE SINCERA (1800)
 ORANGE 10573                  3   1  0  30         DISTINCT COLORS (1807)    
 DELIVERIES 10580              4   1  1  27         BASH BROS QUARANTIN (1808)
 FAMILY 10581                  4   1  0  27         BASH BROS QUARANTIN (1808)
 ONE EYED JACK 10586           2   0  0  27         5 CARD DRAW (1809)        
 ERIC 10521                    5   4  0  26         PRAE DELORE SINCERA (1800)
 AQUA 10576                    3   1  0  25         DISTINCT COLORS (1807)    

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 LAVENDER 10575                3   1  0  23         DISTINCT COLORS (1807)    
 DORA LANE 9792                3   3  0  21         THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679)      
 CHARLENE WAYE 9791            2   5  0  21         THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679)      
 WILD CARD JOKER 10584         1   1  0  21         5 CARD DRAW (1809)        
 QUEEN OF HEARTS 10587         2   0  0  20         5 CARD DRAW (1809)        
 THE BLIGHT 10522              4   5  1  18         PRAE DELORE SINCERA (1800)
 YELLOW 10574                  3   1  0  18         DISTINCT COLORS (1807)    
 ED ALLEY 9793                 3   3  0  15         THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679)      
 ANDREA RHODES 9789            2   5  0  11         THIRD HIWAY 2 (1679)      
 INDOORS 10578                 2   3  0   9         BASH BROS QUARANTIN (1808)
 JOHN HOOPER 10559             1   0  0   9         THE REFORMERS (1801)      
 AMBER CLAD 10561              1   1  0   9         RIPPERS R US (1805)       
 DAR CINDER 10562              1   1  0   8         RIPPERS R US (1805)       
 FRIENDS 10577                 1   4  0   7         BASH BROS QUARANTIN (1808)
 BURGANDY 10572                1   3  0   6         DISTINCT COLORS (1807)    
 GRUNTER 10563                 1   1  1   5         RIPPERS R US (1805)       
 QUEEN OF CLUBS 10585          1   1  0   4         5 CARD DRAW (1809)        
 FEAR MONGER 10564             1   1  0   4         RIPPERS R US (1805)       
 JACK OF DIAMONDS 10583        0   2  0   2         5 CARD DRAW (1809)        
-BRUGAR 10542                  0   2  0   2         SLAUGHTERFEST (1803)      
 WILLIAM FOSTER 10582          0   1  0   1         THE REFORMERS (1801)      

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

THE DEAD                W  L K TEAM NAME            SLAIN BY              TURN Revenge?
CHEKITOUT! 10588        0  3 0 MEAL TEAM 6 1810     SHEWISH GIANT         576  NONE
HAVYSCEEN 10591         0  1 0 MEAL TEAM 6 1810     GRUNTER 10563         574   
MRGRAVYSEAL2U 10598     0  1 0 MEAL TEAM 6 1810     DELIVERIES 10580      576   
TTRAINE 10590           1  2 1 MEAL TEAM 6 1810     MOUNTAIN TROLL        576  NONE
STELLA 10560            0  1 0 RIPPERS R US 1805    TTRAINE 10590         574   

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Mazikeen -- Like a cat, you landed on your feet. -- Andrea Rhodes

Eric -- I hate that business where we look for better positions.  The best position is 
to be somewhere ELSE.  Good try, though. -- Benny Streeter

Orange -- It's people like you: neuter golems, who are destroying the social fabric of 
Alasatri. -- Charlene Waye
P.S.  And not teaching well enough.

Lavender -- You're not a distinct color.  Not red, or purple, or even pink. -- Dora 
Lane

Indoors -- I WOULD avoid you if I thought it would do any good.  Social distancing, 
you know? -- Ed Alley

Hammer, what a fine, fine "Niche" spotlight that was! I enjoyed reading it and feeling 
the excitement, the nostalgia, and the wordsmanship. Salute. -- The Consortium
P.S. Both Sweetie-Pie and Snuffy thank you for the "plug".

What? really? Bash Bros Quarantine is avoiding Distinct Colors? Avoiding them heavily? 
Tsk, tsk. Assur must run a bunch of scaredy-cats. -- Whitey, Distinct Colors (laughing 
all the way to the bank)

I refuse to mention one single word about that Duelmaster Assur has. No way. Not me. 
-- Whitey

Queen Of Hearts, you are such a tart! And you left me dazed on the arena floor. I feel 
better that you at least weren't yelling, "Off with his head!" -- Burgandy, Distinct 
Colors

Jorja, Third Hiway 2 is YOU? I am always quite amazed at how little I know. -- Whitey 
(wondering if those senior moments have already started)

Wild-Card Joker, I like playing games with wild cards -- jokers, deuces, one-eyed 
jacks, king-with-the axe, whatever. -- Aqua (thinking he likes winning even better)

Friends, I just wanna be friends. Bwahahaha. I wanna be the standing friend with you 
the flattened friend. Wasn't that fun? -- Yellow (egged on by Whitey to razz Assur's 
warriors)

Charlene Waye, I hope we are still friends. -- Orange, Distinct Colors

Dora Lane, I guess I could say 'it's my way or the highway"? -- Lavender, Distinct 
Colors

Jorja, that was a very good point about mentioning that assigned favorite weapons can 
be "unfit", but still the favorite. I must consider that point in future spots. Yes, 
indeed. -- Whitey, Distinct Colors (Consortium Affiliated)

Health. Humility. Honor. Colors, colors everywhere; so pretty. -- Whitey

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

CHEKITOUT! was dealt death by SHEWISH GIANT in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
TTRAINE was killed by MOUNTAIN TROLL in a exciting 1 minute gory Dark Arena melee.
ORANGE vanquished ANDREA RHODES in a 1 minute mismatched Challenge brawl.
QUEEN OF CLUBS was overpowered by DORA LANE in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge fight.
ONE EYED JACK devastated INDOORS in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge duel.
PETS was overpowered by VETERAN MERCENARY in a 1 minute mismatched Title brawl.
PYKE handily defeated FRATSFA SLAVE in a 1 minute uneven melee.
MAZIKEEN vanquished DANGEROUS CRIMINAL in a action packed 1 minute one-sided duel.
MORNING STAR was defeated by BENNY STREETER in a 2 minute fight.
ED ALLEY beat GRUNTER in a 3 minute gory melee.
ERIC overpowered FEAR MONGER in a 1 minute one-sided match.
THE BLIGHT was outwaited by YELLOW in a crowd pleasing 8 minute brutal conflict.
CHARLENE WAYE demolished DAR CINDER in a crowd pleasing 1 minute one-sided brawl.
BURGANDY was unbelievably bested by JOHN HOOPER in a 2 minute gory beginner's fight.
AMBER CLAD was bested by QUEEN OF HEARTS in a 2 minute beginner's duel.
LAVENDER overpowered WILLIAM FOSTER in a 1 minute mismatched brawl.
AQUA devastated FRIENDS in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
DELIVERIES murdered MRGRAVYSEAL2U in a 1 minute one-sided bout.
FAMILY overpowered JACK OF DIAMONDS in a 1 minute mismatched fight.
WILD CARD JOKER devastated EMBEZZLING SCRIBE in a 1 minute one-sided contest.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|AIMED BLOW                       6         LUNGING ATTACK    28 -  19 -  4      60  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  6         TOTAL PARRY       13 -   9 -  0      59  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   6         AIMED BLOW        35 -  25 -  5      58  |
|LUNGING ATTACK                   5         SLASHING ATTACK   22 -  16 -  1      58  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  4         STRIKING ATTACK   26 -  22 -  2      54  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      3         WALL OF STEEL      6 -   6 -  1      50  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    2         BASHING ATTACK    25 -  31 -  2      45  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    2         PARRY-RIPOSTE      6 -   9 -  0      40  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      0         PARRY-STRIKE       0 -   5 -  0       0  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     0         PARRY-LUNGE        0 -   2 -  0       0  |

Turn 576 was great if you     Not so great if you used      The fighting styles of the
used the fighting styles:     the fighting styles:          top eleven warriors are:

TOTAL PARRY        2 -  1     BASHING ATTACK     2 -  4         5  AIMED BLOW     
LUNGING ATTACK     3 -  2     PARRY-LUNGE        0 -  0         3  LUNGING ATTACK 
AIMED BLOW         3 -  3     PARRY-STRIKE       0 -  0         1  SLASHING ATTACK
PARRY-RIPOSTE      1 -  1                                       1  BASHING ATTACK 
SLASHING ATTACK    2 -  2                                       1  STRIKING ATTACK
STRIKING ATTACK    3 -  3     
WALL OF STEEL      1 -  1     

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
AIMED BLOW       PETS 10579                  4   1  0   60 BASH BROS QUARANTINE (1808)
SLASHING ATTACK  MAZIKEEN 10525              5   4  0   54 PRAE DELORE SINCERAM (1800)
LUNGING ATTACK   PYKE 10523                  6   3  0   51 PRAE DELORE SINCERAM (1800)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is MAZIKEEN 10525.  The most popular warrior this turn 
was THE BLIGHT 10522.  The ten other most popular fighters were BURGANDY 10572, DORA 
LANE 9792, MAZIKEEN 10525, ED ALLEY 9793, CHEKITOUT! 10588, ONE EYED JACK 10586, 
MORNING STAR 10524, BENNY STREETER 9790, GRUNTER 10563, and ERIC 10521.

The least popular fighter this week was YELLOW 10574.  The other ten least popular 
fighters were JACK OF DIAMONDS 10583, MRGRAVYSEAL2U 10598, FRIENDS 10577, WILLIAM 
FOSTER 10582, AMBER CLAD 10561, FEAR MONGER 10564, DELIVERIES 10580, DAR CINDER 
10562, PETS 10579, and INDOORS 10578.