DUEL 2 NEWSLETTER

Date   : 03/24/2023    Duedate: 04/06/2023

NOBLISH ISLAND ARENA

DM 93    TURN 631

This Week's Top Honors

THE DUELMASTER IS

WW II
SILENT GENERATION (1861)
(93-10906) [6-2-0,80]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

POSITION IS EMPTY              WW II
                               SILENT GENERATION (1861)
                               (93-10906) [6-2-0,80]

Popularity Leader              This Week's Favorite

PLAYER                         GREAT DEPRESSION
BB BACHELOR (1860)             SILENT GENERATION (1861)
(93-10896) [7-2-0,43]          (93-10904) [5-3-0,21]

THE CURRENT TOP TEAM

SILENT GENERATION (1861)

          TEAMS ON THE MOVE            TOP CAREER HONORS
Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. MOUSE HOUSE (1881)            88 
2. SAY WHAT (1880)               85    THE MUPPETS (132)
3. HUNGER GAMES (1882)           78    Unchartered Team
4. FIVE DAYS (1887)              55 
5. SILENT GENERATION (1861)      40    MOUSE HOUSE (1881)

The Top Teams

Career Win-Loss Record           W   L  K    %  Win-Loss Record Last 3 Turns    W  L K
 1/ 0*MOUSE HOUSE (1881)         4   1  0 80.0   1/ 1*SILENT GENERATION (1861) 13  2 0
 2/ 1*SILENT GENERATION (1861)  29  11  1 72.5   2/ 0*MOUSE HOUSE (1881)        4  1 0
 3/ 0*SAY WHAT (1880)            3   2  0 60.0   3/ 2*BB BACHELOR (1860)        4  6 0
 4/ 2*BB BACHELOR (1860)        26  18  1 59.1   4/ 0*SAY WHAT (1880)           3  2 0
 5/ 0*HUNGER GAMES (1882)        2   2  2 50.0   5/ 0*HUNGER GAMES (1882)       2  2 2
 6/ 0*BANKER'S PARADISE (1895)   1   4  0 20.0   6/ 0*BANKER'S PARADISE (1895)  1  4 0
 7/ 0*FIVE DAYS (1887)           0   3  0  0.0   7/ 0*FIVE DAYS (1887)          0  3 0

    '*'   Unchartered team                       '-'  Team did not fight this turn
   (###)  Avoid teams by their Team Id          ##/## This turn's/Last turn's rank

                                    TEAM SPOTLIGHT

                                 BASHERS are WINNERS

     Are Bashers misunderstood? Well, The Consortium Family certainly thinks so; 
therefore, let's examine some facts and a few opinions. (Note: so does Hammer, so you 
may wish to go back to Noblish Isle DM93 newsletter, turn 581: "Another Look At 
Bashers", and reread his comments.)
     First, what, typically, is said about bashers? Sadly, I have heard these 
statements all within the past month. "Don't make bashers." "Bashers are the worst 
style." "Bashers are a no no, since they have a lousy weapon selection," "Anyone who 
makes a basher ought to be shot!" "Bashers are worthless; they can't TC." "Bashers 
don't win much." Enough of those discriminatory words, I say! Let's get to some facts.
     Can bashers TC? Well, certainly; and they do. Bashers have TC'd 26 times. (Yes, 
26 and not zero as some imply.)

          Once in the 1980's.
          Fourteen times in the 1990's.
          Four times in the 2000's.
          Six times in the 2010's.
          Once already in the 2020's.

Only two bashers (Piledriver and Baffle) have TC'd twice, hence twenty-four different 
bashers have TC'd. Six of those TC's were as immortal warriors (One in Primus) and 
twenty were as mortals in classes Rookie through Champions.
     The Consortium knows first-hand that bashers can TC, as:

          Daniel Webster -- October 1998 Mailer
          Skulk -- October 2003 Mailer
          Bismuth Bender --  July 2011 Face-To-Face (Milwaukee)

have all done it. The Consortium is believed to be the first and only three-time 
basher TCer. What did those three particular Consortium warriors have in common? None 
were significantly blessed; all were godlingish designs; all had 17 Will (WT/WL = 
21/17, 17/17, 21/17); and all were run by The Consortium Conglomerate.
     Well, then, sure, those three TCs were sort-of godlings, but "normal" bashers 
cannot win, can they?. Do they? Listen to this! The Consortium is running 22 non-
sandbagger bashers in current arenas and their overall arena record is 121-57-8, w/l = 
.680. (They also have an overall tournament record of 46-33-1 = .582, with 3 
TVs.)
     Let's randomly select half of those and examine the facts. (Note: data as of June 
1, 2021.) The roll of the die selected the following 11, which had a total arena 
record of 56-23-6 = .709. These are the designs:

          13-5-15-15-15-14-7
          21-6-14-5-9-12-7
          17-8-11-15-9-9-11
          13-10-14-15-17-4-11
          13-8-12-7-21-16-7
          12-10-11-15-17-12-7
          13-4-11-21-15-9-11
          15-5-13-11-21-12-7
          15-4-9-15-21-9-11
          18-4-9-17-17-12-7
          14-4-11-13-21-8-13

     What do these arena warriors have in common? All have high ST. (12+) Most have 
high WL (although 9 works). None are small (all 9+ SZ). Most have low CN (ranging 
from 4 to 10). The "average" of these warriors would make an approximate 14-6-12-15-
17-11-9 fighter. So, bashers CAN fight and bashers CAN win!
     A lot is said about "lousy basher weapon selection". And, in a way, that might be 
so. One reason for that feeling may be that bashers are not suited for the scimitar 
(SC), the weapon many (or most) consider the best weapon in the game. After all, 
bashers don't slice and dice, they whack! And bashers are suited for the two weapons 
most feel are the worst in the game -- the war flail (WF), commonly called the 
"whiffle", and the morning star (MS). Here are the basher weapons: GA, GS, HL, MA, ML, 
MS, QS, WF, WH, and the 3 shields. Some are hard to "qualify" for, as they require 15+ 
ST. (GS, HL, ML) But when they hit, they hit hard! That strength need can be a 
disadvantage for many designs, taking away points more desirable elsewhere in design. 
Two, as mentioned above, are considered the worst in the game. (WF, MS) That leaves 
few to choose from, and all but one "require" 13 ST to use suitably. But, The 
Consortium is a big user of the quarterstaff (QS), war hammer (WH), and great axe 
(GA), and not at all adverse to the mace (MA). He has also been known to often use, 
and win with, those three regularly on styles other than bashers:
     
          QS on strikers (ST)
          WH on strikers (ST), total parries (TP), and pikers (PS)
          GA on walls-of-steel (WS) and slashers (SL)

So, maybe those weapons are not quite so bad as some managers think.
     Which brings us back to the title of this spotlight "Bashing Bashers". Bashers do 
get bashed and discriminated against. And perhaps, as was outlined above, that is one 
large pile of bashed cow patties. 
     Enjoy bashers -- they get it done.

                    -- FDR a Consortium affiliated Manager (March 2023)

                                 DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
                             Notes from the arena champ.

     Ah, yes. I have retained the title. I am the mighty Duelmaster of Noblish Island. 
Can I three-peat? I look below me and not only are those dastardly BB Bachelors 
gunning for me, but there are some highly competent looking (Man, look at those 
records!) newbies probably wanting a piece of me. Can I hold on?
     Challenge me if you wish, especially BB Bachelors. I really enjoy beating those 
guys. You know?

                                          -- WWII, DMII

                                      SPY REPORT

     You elder fighters surely remember me.  The younger ones may call me Olaf 
Modeen.  I return to NOBLISH ISLAND once again!  MOUSE HOUSE's walking tall now that 
they went 4-1-0 their first time out.  But we know what awaits them soon...  What's 
with TEXAS TWINKIE?  He actually beat FIVE DAYS' THIRSTY THURSDAY, and walked away 
with 22 more points from the fight.  Major screwup at BB BACHELOR.  PLAYER lost 9 
points to SPAM.  Some new strategies, perhaps?  Maybe PLAYER will provide more easy 
wins...  PARTY was reminded on the sands why WW II is Duelmaster.  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, BB BACHELOR!  The 
bums at SILENT GENERATION couldn't face the challenges from BB BACHELOR!  No excuse 
for that!   
     There have been some calls to lengthen the time limit.  Do you want the fighters 
to walk away, or not?  Many a warrior has met his fate in a hungover stupor.  You 
young rapscallions, take note!   
     Well, I'm pretty much through.  You guys need to get back practicing.  All work 
and no play makes Olaf a dull fighter.  Work and play no fighter dull Olaf.  
Olaffighterwork and no play.  Remember--a good fighter needs both good skills and 
good luck.  Until next time,-- Olaf Modeen  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 WW II 10906                   6   2  0  80         SILENT GENERATION (1861)  

CHALLENGER CHAMPIONS           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-STEVE 10964                  12   3  1 100         I10 (1871)                

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-PIERCE 10962                 12   3  0  89         I10 (1871)                
-KHARMA 10981                  8   5  0  75         I5 (1875)                 

CHAMPIONS                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 PARTY 10899                   6   3  0  69         BB BACHELOR (1860)        

CHALLENGER ADEPTS              W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-TUESDAY 10959                 9   9  5  60         I14 (1870)                
-BRISKET 10948                11   7  0  58         I9 (1869)                 
 MCCARTHY 10902                6   2  0  57         SILENT GENERATION (1861)  

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-THIRSTY THURSDAY 10954       10   7  0  56         I14 (1870)                
 SPAM 10903                    6   2  0  56         SILENT GENERATION (1861)  
-CARMELLA 10985                7   6  0  50         I5 (1875)                 
 SILENT MAJORITY 10905         6   2  1  49         SILENT GENERATION (1861)  
-SALMON 10943                  7   8  0  48         I9 (1869)                 
-LILY HEMSWOLF 10979           7   7  0  48         I7 (1874)                 
-MLOEREGAN 10970               7   9  0  47         I11 (1872)                
-SIR RUNT 10999                4   0  0  45         I2 (1878)                 
-WALLY 10965                   9   6  1  43         I10 (1871)                
 PLAYER 10896                  7   2  0  43         BB BACHELOR (1860)        
-GROG 10960                    9   6  2  40         I10 (1871)                
-FRIDAY 10956                  9   9  0  37         I14 (1870)                
-BLAH 10966                    8   8  0  36         I11 (1872)                
-GABRIELLA 10982               8   5  0  35         I5 (1875)                 
-UNORIGINAL 10968              9   7  0  34         I11 (1872)                

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
-AWA UFUOMA 10977              4  10  0  33         I7 (1874)                 
-EMBER 10984                   4   9  0  33         I5 (1875)                 
-ALDANI 10974                  3  11  0  32         I12 (1873)                
 ONE NIGHT STAND 10895         4   4  0  30         BB BACHELOR (1860)        
-TEXAS TWINKIE 10945           5  13  1  29         I9 (1869)                 
-BORING 10967                  6  10  0  28         I11 (1872)                
-GATTICA 10989                 3   3  0  28         I4 (1876)                 
-PORK BUTT 10944               6   9  0  27         I9 (1869)                 
 UNCLEAN 10898                 5   4  0  26         BB BACHELOR (1860)        
-MEI JIN 10969                 5  11  0  26         I11 (1872)                
-JAVA BEAN 10976               4  10  1  24         I7 (1874)                 
-SPARTACUS 10988               3   3  0  24         I4 (1876)                 
-SOTH 10975                    2  13  0  24         I12 (1873)                

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 NO CARES 10897                4   5  1  23         BB BACHELOR (1860)        
-SIR EDMUND 10996              2   2  0  23         I2 (1878)                 
 TEXAS TWINKIE 11024           1   0  1  22         HUNGER GAMES (1882)       
 GREAT DEPRESSION 10904        5   3  0  21         SILENT GENERATION (1861)  
-SCOTTY 10986                  3   3  0  21         I4 (1876)                 
-SIR CORRIANDER 10998          3   1  0  21         I2 (1878)                 
 MICKEY MOUSE 11019            1   0  0  21         MOUSE HOUSE (1881)        
 NO 11011                      1   0  0  21         SAY WHAT (1880)           
 RE-HOUSED MOUSE 11016         1   0  0  21         MOUSE HOUSE (1881)        
 GET OUT 11006                 1   0  0  21         SAY WHAT (1880)           
 PORK BUTT 11023               1   0  1  20         HUNGER GAMES (1882)       
 FRIDAY 11055                  0   1  0  19         FIVE DAYS (1887)          
 TUESDAY 11058                 0   1  0  19         FIVE DAYS (1887)          
 MAISEY MOUSE 11020            0   1  0  19         MOUSE HOUSE (1881)        
 BRISKET 11027                 0   1  0  19         HUNGER GAMES (1882)       
-SIR AGRO'S ALOT 10980         2  12  0  18         I7 (1874)                 
 MINI MOUSE 11015              1   0  0  17         MOUSE HOUSE (1881)        
 HOFFA!!! 11008                1   0  0  17         SAY WHAT (1880)           
 SALMON 11022                  0   1  0  17         HUNGER GAMES (1882)       
-SIR FENNEL 10997              3   1  0  12         I2 (1878)                 
-DENGA 10987                   2   4  0  10         I4 (1876)                 
 MIGHTY MOUSE 11014            1   0  0  10         MOUSE HOUSE (1881)        
 WHAT? 11007                   0   1  0   9         SAY WHAT (1880)           

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 CET1 11095                    1   0  0   5         BANKER'S PARADISE (1895)  
 DAISY 11099                   0   1  0   1         BANKER'S PARADISE (1895)  

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

THE DEAD                W  L K TEAM NAME            SLAIN BY              TURN Revenge?
LRCN 11097              0  1 0 BANKER'S PARADI 1895 SHEWISH GIANT         631  NONE
NVCC 11098              0  1 0 BANKER'S PARADI 1895 BANDIT PRINCE         631  NONE
TIER2 11096             0  1 0 BANKER'S PARADI 1895 BLACK ORC             631  NONE
THIRSTY THURSDA 11053   0  1 0 FIVE DAYS 1887       TEXAS TWINKIE 11024   631   
NO! REALLY! 11009       0  1 0 SAY WHAT 1880        PORK BUTT 11023       631   

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Hey, Assur; glad to see you again. Love that PLUNGER spotlight you shared last round. 
And you have a quite nice plunger running on your BB Bachelor team. You 60% w/l 
sandbagger, you! -- FDR

ORCONners, welcome! We are quite pleased to see you here on Noblish Isle. -- FDR, Mgr 
Silent Generation (Copnsortium affiliated)

Look at some of those new warriors and their achievements! Wow!
     Steve 12-3-1 from T10 (interesting team name)
     Pierce 12-3-1 from T10
     Tuesday 9-9-5 from T14 (Not sure I'd want to mess with that killer!)
     and many more .......
   -- FDR

Hey, Assur, my Spam, McCarthy and Silent Majority all enjoyed that round. Phbbbbt to 
your plunger! -- FDR

Unclean, I always get a kick out of putting it to you Reds. -- McCarthy

Newcomers, we are here to help and educate and explain nuances on this wonderful game. 
Ask us questions. We will respond. -- FDR
P.S. Us means me and my good friend and competitor Assur We are both oldtimers at 
this.

The incursion of chaos creatures into northern Alastari has been stopped.  However, 
the gate they came through is open, and there are people from Alastari trapped on the 
other side.  They need to be rescued, and the gate needs to be closed.  If you have a 
Lord Protector whom you would like to send on this mission, please send a message to 
the Gladiatorial Commmission (email csr@reality.com or via diplo).  We will need to 
know their physical description, personality, and method of fighting.  We will select 
no more than a dozen volunteers.  Thank you! 
 

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

LRCN was dealt death by SHEWISH GIANT in a 1 minute bloody Dark Arena fight.
TIER2 was barely slain by BLACK ORC in a 2 minute gruesome Dark Arena battle.
NVCC was murdered by BANDIT PRINCE in a 1 minute Dark Arena fight.
WW II won victory over PARTY in a 3 minute Title brawl.
SILENT MAJORITY devastated CAPTURED ORC in a 1 minute one-sided fight.
SPAM subdued PLAYER in a 2 minute competition.
MCCARTHY devastated UNCLEAN in a 1 minute one-sided duel.
GREAT DEPRESSION was bested by ONE NIGHT STAND in a crowd pleasing 4 minute match.
NO CARES overcame CULT MEMBER in a 1 minute fight.
NO! REALLY! was barely slain by PORK BUTT in a 1 minute gruesome melee.
NO vanquished MAISEY MOUSE in a 1 minute one-sided duel.
MIGHTY MOUSE vanquished BRISKET in a 1 minute one-sided duel.
MINI MOUSE overpowered DAISY in a 1 minute uneven match.
RE-HOUSED MOUSE beat SALMON in a 2 minute fight.
MICKEY MOUSE subdued PERSISTANT BEGGAR in a 3 minute match.
TEXAS TWINKIE barely slew THIRSTY THURSDAY in a 1 minute conflict.
FRIDAY was bested by HOFFA!!! in a 2 minute battle.
TUESDAY was demolished by GET OUT in a 1 minute one-sided brawl.
WHAT? was overcome by CET1 in a 2 minute novice's conflict.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|FIGHTING STYLE               FIGHTS        FIGHTING STYLE     W -   L -  K   PERCENT|
|LUNGING ATTACK                   6         PARRY-LUNGE        7 -   2 -  0      78  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  5         PARRY-STRIKE       7 -   3 -  0      70  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  5         STRIKING ATTACK   16 -   7 -  1      70  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   5         AIMED BLOW        12 -   7 -  0      63  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      4         TOTAL PARRY       17 -  10 -  0      63  |
|AIMED BLOW                       3         BASHING ATTACK     9 -   8 -  1      53  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    2         LUNGING ATTACK     3 -   3 -  0      50  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      1         SLASHING ATTACK    6 -   7 -  1      46  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     1         WALL OF STEEL      1 -   2 -  1      33  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    0         PARRY-RIPOSTE      1 -   3 -  0      25  |

Turn 631 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        4 -  0     STRIKING ATTACK    2 -  3         3  STRIKING ATTACK
SLASHING ATTACK    3 -  2     BASHING ATTACK     2 -  3         2  AIMED BLOW     
LUNGING ATTACK     3 -  3     AIMED BLOW         1 -  2         2  SLASHING ATTACK
WALL OF STEEL      1 -  1     PARRY-LUNGE        0 -  1         1  TOTAL PARRY    
                              PARRY-STRIKE       0 -  1         1  PARRY-STRIKE   
                              PARRY-RIPOSTE      0 -  0         1  BASHING ATTACK 
                                                                1  LUNGING ATTACK 

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
TOTAL PARRY      WW II 10906                 6   2  0   80 SILENT GENERATION (1861)
PARRY-STRIKE     PARTY 10899                 6   3  0   69 BB BACHELOR (1860)
STRIKING ATTACK  MCCARTHY 10902              6   2  0   57 SILENT GENERATION (1861)
AIMED BLOW       SPAM 10903                  6   2  0   56 SILENT GENERATION (1861)
PARRY-LUNGE      PLAYER 10896                7   2  0   43 BB BACHELOR (1860)
Note: Warriors have a winning record and are an Adept or Above.

The overall popularity leader is PLAYER 10896.  The most popular warrior this turn 
was GREAT DEPRESSION 10904.  The ten other most popular fighters were MICKEY MOUSE 
11019, PARTY 10899, SILENT MAJORITY 10905, SPAM 10903, FRIDAY 11055, WHAT? 11007, 
TIER2 11096, PLAYER 10896, NO CARES 10897, and NO! REALLY! 11009.

The least popular fighter this week was TUESDAY 11058.  The other ten least popular 
fighters were DAISY 11099, BRISKET 11027, MAISEY MOUSE 11020, ONE NIGHT STAND 10895, 
UNCLEAN 10898, CET1 11095, GET OUT 11006, HOFFA!!! 11008, TEXAS TWINKIE 11024, and 
SALMON 11022.