Date   : 05/31/2003    Duedate: 06/13/2003


DM-93    TURN-143

This Weeks Top Honors


(93-7156) [6-1-2,84]

Chartered Recognition Leader   Unchartered Recognition Leader

                               THE DARK TIDES (1234)
                               (93-7156) [6-1-2,84]

Popularity Leader              This Weeks Favorite

WEDNESDAY                      GHENGIS KAHN
THE DARK TIDES (1234)          THE DARK TIDES (1234)
(93-7156) [6-1-2,84]           (93-7534) [1-1-0,15]



Team Name                  Point Gain  Chartered Team
1. X-MEN (1236)                36
2. RIFF RAFF (1305)            32      AVENGERS (287)
3. THE DARK TIDES (1234)       31      Unchartered Team
4. MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300)         23
5. DRUNKEN CLONES (1144)       14      TYCRON'S MERCS (1298)

The Top Teams

 1/ 1*TYCRON'S MERCS (1298)      9   5  0 64.3   1/ 1*THE DARK TIDES (1234)    10  5 1
 2/ 2*X-MEN (1236)              15  10  1 60.0   2/ 2*MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300)       9  6 0
 3/ 4*MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300)       14  11  0 56.0   3/ 5*X-MEN (1236)              6  4 0
 4/ 5*THE DARK TIDES (1234)     18  17  3 51.4   4/ 4*DRUNKEN CLONES (1144)     6  9 1
 5- 6*THE BLACK GUARD (1299)     1   1  1 50.0   5/ 3*TYCRON'S MERCS (1298)     5  4 0
 6/ 7*DRUNKEN CLONES (1144)     12  16  1 42.9   6/ 0*RIFF RAFF (1305)          2  3 1
 7/ 0*RIFF RAFF (1305)           2   3  1 40.0   7/ 8*NO HOPE (1303)            2  8 0
 8/ 8*NO HOPE (1303)             2   8  0 20.0   8- 7*THE BLACK GUARD (1299)    1  1 1


                                    TEAM SPOTLIGHT


     Everyone talks about how some stats are more important than others but their
reasons are not always clear.  So what I have done was assigned each stat a power
rating and will explain the reason for the rating.  Now it is true that the
importance of each stat is a little varied for each style but what each stat affects
never changes.  Now to the good stuff.

     Will -- Rating 8 -- Your will affects the starting skills for attack, parry,
defense and decisiveness.  In ADM when you can raise your stats above 21 you can also
gain Initaivie skills.  Your will grants you a modifier to your HP's which is
extremely useful.  Will is the key stat for your character's endurance.  Will is also
the stat that affects your stat raises.
Break Points: 15, 17 and 21
Downside:  You gain the same starting skills at 14 that you gain at 9.

     Wit -- Rating 7 -- Wit is the main stat of skill learning.  Wit effects the 
starting skills of initiative, riposte, attack, defense, and decisiveness.  All
weapons have a minimum with requirement to use effectively.
Break Points:  13, 15, 17 and 21
Downside:  Wit's downside is its upside.  Your wit basically only affects your
skills.  It is a stand alone stat only relying on itself so high wit is almost a
necessity for any long term character that you want to hold his own weight.

     Deftness -- Rating 7 -- Deftness and wit are so close to each other in
importance that it is hard not to give them the same rating.  Deftness affects your
starting skills of Initiative, riposte, attack, parry, and defense.  Deftness gains
more starting skills at the same stat level as wt, (ex. Def -- 13 gives you 26
starting skills and wit -- 13 gives you only 24.)  Deftness works with speed to get
your coordination.  And all of the weapons have a minimum Deftness requirement to use
Break Points:  11, 13, 15, 17, and 21
Downside:  Deftness doesn't affect your Decisiveness.  Its weapon requirements cause
you to have to put ponts here.

     Size -- rating 6 -- your size affects your defense, parry, and initiative.  Size
also gives you a bonus to your hit points.  Your damage is highly affected by your
size.  The bigger you are the more damage you are likely to do.  Some weapons also
have a size requirement.
Break Points:  Sizes 3 and 5 have a bonus to Defense and Parry.  Sizes 15, 17 and 21
have a bonus to initiative.
Downside:  You cannot add points to size during creation or train size up later on
causing you to hope for a rollup with a good size for the weapons and style you want
to run.  If they would allow you to adjust your size at creation then size would be
an even bigger factor.

     Strength -- rating 6 -- Strength affects your starting attack and parry skills.
Encumbrance is also greatly affected by how large your strength is.  With this stat
is also where you can have some control over your damage capablity.  Encurance is
also affected by strength.  All weapons also have a minimum requirements to use
effectively.  You can also train strength from 7 to 14 without burning any skills.
Break Points:  7, 15, 17, 21
Downside:  Strength relies on the heolp of poor stats mainly constitution and size.
And your encumbrance relies on this stat being larger than constitution.

     Speed -- rating 5 -- Speed affects your starting initative, riposte, defense and
decisiveness.  The most important of these is the Decisiveness.  you can usually get
the riposte, defense and initiative you need from other stats.  Speed also helps with
your coordination.
Break Points:  Just try to hit an odd number.
Downside:  Pretty much all of the other stats do what speed does and most of the time
they do it better.  Make sure you hit a solid number in Deftness before you add to

     Constitution -- rating 3 -- The lowest rated stat, but the lowest rated is often
turned into the most neglected.  Constitution affects three of the most important
areas in my opinion.  Encumbrance is affected by your constitution.  Your con has to
be equal to or lower than your strength when figuring encumbrance or else con will be
reduced to the same as Strength.  Endurance is also affected by your con making it
the third stat to affect Endurance.  Now for constitution's greatest ability, hit
points.  Con is the main stat for your HP and if it is too neglected then you have a
higher chance of losing and even worse dying.
Break Points:  None
Downside:  You gain absolutely no skills from Constitution which causes people to
ignore it causing low HP characters that die if they don't win fast.  There is a
silver lining to the downside though.  Seeing that you don't gain skills you can
train con without worry of burning your skills.

     Well I hope that this helps someone with understanding how the different stats
work by themselves and with the others.  If someone feels that I have something wrong
or would like to add something, please diplo me.  So may we share the blood that
stains the sands in the heat of battle.  But let yours be more than mine.

                    The Dark Tides (1234)
                    DM 93

            >)]H[(< + -----:----- + >)] *IHI* [(< + -----:----- + >)]H[(<
                                 Profile of a Style

     When you read about the parry-riposte style in the rulebook, it looks like it
might be a lot of fun to run, and it is.  But it's also really tricky.  The plain
offensives: basher, lunger, slasher, striker, and the total parry, are easier.  I
don't think I've ever heard a manager say that he really understands the parry-
riposte style, I certainly don't myself.  But I've run a lot of them, and some have
survived, and they ARE fun.
     So just for a basic introduction to warriors of the parry-riposte style, known
to one and all as rippers, here's what I know.

     Design:  This is tough.  The ripper needs it all!  Especially important, though,
are endurance from constitution (CN) and will (WL), plus skill from wit (WT) and
deftness (DF), and it doesn't hurt to have enough strength (ST) to do a decent amount
of damage... and what does that leave that you can go short on?  Size (SZ), okay, a
ripper can be--usually is--small.  Speed (SP), well, I just don't know.  It wouldn't
hurt them to have speed, but where are all the points going to come from?
     I have made a lot of rippers over the years, some of them from roll-ups that
were spectacularly unsuited to the style.  These are ones who lived to graduation:
     Santee    13- 7-14-17-15- 8-10  LO  mod/mod   slash
     Toryn      9-12- 7-13-15-11-17  EP  vlo/mod
     Scovellie  9-13- 8-17-17- 5-15  SH  low/mod
     Chia      10-13- 5-17-17- 5-17  SS  low/high
     Saba       5-17- 9-15-17- 4-17  EP  mod/low
     Bali       9- 6-14-15-17- 8-15  LO  vlo/mod
     Jane       9-10- 9-17-17- 5-17  SS  mod/mod   lunge/riposte
     Cedar     15- 6- 7-15-17- 9-15  LS  mod/mod
     Azureen    9-12- 8-17-10-11-17  SC  high/mod  riposte
     Similde    6- 6- 5-17-17-16-17  LO  low/mod
     Tailida    9-13- 5-15-17- 8-17  SH  low/mod
     Korlo      9- 8-12-17-15- 8-15  LS  vlo/mod
     Tilona     9- 9- 7-15-17-10-17  SH  low/mod   lunge
You'll see my biases at work here.
  Strength is usually at least nine; in the cases where it started lower, the
warriors were cursed with little damage, and I trained it up as soon as I could.
(The numbers shown here are all original, before stat trains.)
  Constitution generally moderate.  Most of these warriors could take a hit or two
and survive.
  Size mostly small, but not always.  I did try a couple six-footers, and they didn't
do as badly as one might expect.
  Wit is 15 or 17, except in one case.  I always look for brains in a gladiator, and
this style needs it.
  Will is, except in one case, 15 or 17.  High will improves endurance, an important
factor for a parry-style, and makes it easier to train stats when the time comes.
  Speed may be anything.  I generally did not add any points to speed during the
design phase.
  Deftness is 15 or 17 again, except in one case.  Deftness, and the skills that go
with it, are important to a finesse style like the ripper.  Plus, where strength may
be a problem, accuracy helps.

     Weapon selection:  There are six weapons well suited to the parry-riposte style,
listed below with the minimum stats required for their best use.
                      Epee           ST  7  SZ  -  WT 15  DF 15
                      Longspear      ST 11  SZ  9  WT  5  DF  9
                      Longsword      ST 11  SZ  -  WT 13  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
Only weapons well suited to the style will show up as favorite weapons when a warrior
graduates.  Yes, you CAN put other weapons in their hands, but you aren't likely to
get the best results that way.  (You may note that some of my graduated rippers
listed above were initially unable to use their favorite weapon to best advantage.
This is one of the sneaky things the Gladiatorial Commission does to keep you on your
toes.)  I STRONGLY advise that when you design a ripper, consult the weapon chart and
make sure that your warrior will have the stats to use at least one of the weapons
listed to its best advantage.

     Armor selection:  This depends on how you plan to run the warrior.  If he's
going to be fast, and/or he can take a few hits (takes normal damage, for instance,
signified by no comment on the overview) but maybe has low endurance, put him in
light armor.  If you plan to run him slow, or he can take little damage but maybe has
high endurance, put him in medium to heavy armor.

     Strategy:  This is always a tricky thing to advise people on, which is why I've
listed the favorite rhythms on the warriors above.  Very low (vlo) is 1 or 2, low is
3 or 4, moderate (mod) is 5 or 6, high is 7 or 8, and very high (vhi) is 9 or 10.
Offensive effort is listed first, then activity level.  You can see that most rippers
in this sample prefer to run at middling speeds, usually with the activity level
higher than the offensive effort.  Not all of them, but a majority.  You can ignore
that--I sometimes do--and run them fast and hard, as though they were simple
offensive warriors.  Some take to this treatment, others burn out.  The medium speeds
are safe, and a place to start from.
     You'll note I haven't mentioned kill desire here.  There is no such thing as a
warrior or style having a favorite kill desire.  Your kill desire can have a profound
effect on how the warrior fights, but it is strictly a personal decision.  However, I
can say that my own experience has been that if a warrior has a high KD in
desperation, he will tend to go berserk, and if he has a low KD in desperation, he
will surrender.  Warriors who surrender lose fights, but generally they survive to
fight again.  I can't say the same of warriors who go berserk in desperation.

     Tactics:  I don't use tactics much, myself, but that's just me.  You'll note
that out of the thirteen warriors listed above, two have favorite offensive tactics
(slash and lunge) and one has a favorite defensive tactic (riposte) and one has both
an offensive and a defensive tactic (lunge/riposte).  All this tells us for sure is
that slash, lunge, and riposte are tactics that rippers can use well (or they
wouldn't appear as favorites).  Experiment with them, but don't try to use an
offensive AND a defensive tactic in the same minute; it confuses the warrior.

And to go from the general to the specific--

                                 Profile of a Warrior
                                   Tailida Dawnrain

Tailida is one of the rippers listed above.
She's left-handed
She's intelligent
     Makes the most of her enemy's mistakes
     Has an unusual fighting style that confuses many opponents
     Rarely makes mistakes
     Is always thinking ahead
     She plans out every move that she makes, seldom wasting any effort
She is very quick  (the DF more than the SP, I think)
She cannot carry a lot of weight in armor and weapons
     (more a question of her SZ than her ST)
She is incredibly quick and elusive on her feet
     Making even dangerous opponents look harmless
She does little damage with each blow
     (curses!  I had hoped that the ST of 9 would offset her small SZ.  It didn't.)

ST   9  CN  13  SZ   5  WT  15  WL  17  SP   8  DF  17
     If I decide to run her on the Isle, I will train up her ST until I get normal
damage.  (Note, no skills will be burned between ST 9 and ST 14, skill-wise, this is
a barren stretch.  But it WILL increase the amount of damage a warrior can do.)

She graduates with a master in riposte, an expert in attack, a master in parry, and
an advanced expert in defense.

She is naturally adept with the shortsword, which I don't think she tried
She favors a fighting rhythm of low offensive effort and moderate activity level
And she tends to learn parry skills most easily.

She received her graduation notice when her record was 21-9-2,96 in Tricorus (dm 51).

     On the same turn as her graduation notice arrived, she was challenged by a total
parry in plate armor and a full helm, carrying a broadsword and a medium shield.
     Tailida herself was in leather armor and a helm, carrying a scimitar (and a
     Tailida was running 7-7-x, faster than she would have liked, but that's how
she's being running straight along, and it kept her alive and with a winning record,
so I don't want to hear her complain.
     Tailida got the jump and hit her opponent twice in the first minute, several
other blows being parried, hit once each in the second and third minutes, with other
blows being parried, was parried completely in the fourth minute, was showing signs
of weariness in the fifth minute but still managed to land a few blows in the fifth,
sixth, and seventh minutes.  Then she collapsed with exhaustion at the end of the
seventh minute and lost the fight without being hit once.  This is why you find 
managers speaking harshly of "scum": we all hate to see our warrior work hard, do all
the right things, and lose because the opponent wasn't doing anything but standing
there in heavy armor.

The Middle Way

           +<]H[>+-----+<]H[+ Question of the Week #7 +]H[>+-----+<]H[>+

From turn 414:

All -- In case last cycle's personals don't make it:  What are the advantages and
disadvantages of using one or two weapons.  I'm particularly interested in Riposte
effects. -- Q.O.W. Hanibal

Q.O.W. -- Two Weapons.  That's a good subject.
     Disadvantages: Few if any, but it has been suggested that some weapons give
bonuses to attack if you use them in two hands instead of one, such as SC.  An
obvious one is you can't use two handed weapons.  If you don't have the attribute
requirements (which are more stringent for off-hand weapons), then you may suffer
penalties when using certain combinations.  Last, you may swing with an off-hand more
than you want, say if you are using a shield.  It's usually prefered to have a real
weapon in your off-hand.
     Advantages:  You have a second weapon already in hand if one breaks.  If you are
ambidextrous, this is the biggest advantage, because they will swing with that off-
hand weapon almost as if it were their on-hand.  My ambi-warriors will win fights
with off-hand weapons.  An off-hand weapon is not bound to a warrior's style
suitability, so a LU could use a SC in their off-hand without penalty if they have
the attribute requirements.  Another advantage is suggested in that it assists in
parrying.  I tend to think highly coordinated warriors are better at parrying with
their second weapon than those who aren't.  I rarely use shields, so I can't comment
extensively on their benefits over a real weapon, especially in AD, but in basic,
shields seem to make it easier to parry attacks.
     Riposte and 2-Weapons:  I have not noticed any specific variance in the ability
of a warrior to riposte if they are using two weapons.  Once in AD, riposting is more
often than not following a dodge.  I don't think there is much correlation here, but
it is definitely something to look into. -- Adie

to see that it reaches Aruak.
     If you have questions that you would like answered by the experienced managers
of the game, don't hesitate to ask--we can't answer if you don't ask.  Questions can
be posed in the personals here, or by email to me (jputney@zianet.com) or Pagan
(pagan@gte.net), or by diplo to Jorja/The Middle Way 4 here in DM 93.

Question from turn 415 of Aruak City:

All -- Do you think you get negative modifiers when you go desperate?  What about "is
dangerously stunned" or "is bleeding badly" or "is on the verge of shock"? -- Hanibal

Answers from turn 416:

Hanibal -- That's a good question!  I honestly don't have much of an opinion on that.
In the old days, warriors could get permanent wounds that would affect their fighting
in later matches (but not anymore), and it's been suggested that getting hit in
certain locations affects what your character can do during a match (obvious cases
are losing the use of an arm or being knocked down), but the sorely wounded comments?
It probably just has to do with giving a hint as to how close that warrior is to
going down if it gets hit in that badly wounded spot again. -- Adie

QOW -- After 'bleeding badly', 'dangerously stunned', 'sorely wounded', 'verge of
shock', etc., a warrior's ability to defend themselves is penalized.  Desperation by
itself may not represent an ability penalty as much as a time to check for surrender
and a switch to the desperation strategy.  Often, with a drastic strategy switch in
desperation, a warrior's performance can improve. -- Carmen

QOW -- I've noticed that by the time I get somebody to that point they're finished.
But I've also noticed that some of my more defensive comrades will give their
opponent a moment to recover and they're still able to.  Despite this I would say
that by the time the comments you listed come into play the warrior who's getting
beat is in really bad shape.  Whereas statements like "fights with the cunning of
desperation" or "eyes flare with renewed determination" still leave plenty of room
for the warrior to make a comeback.  Therefore I would say that the earlier
desperation statements don't carry any significant penalties. -- Maxwell Honorblade

     >)]H[(< + -----:----- + >)] The Free Cities #61 [(< + -----:----- + >)]H[(<

Ibizond, Korga, and in between:

     Aghtamar and Zilla had argued with Fist of Kjarran, but not for long.  After
all, someone to play bait WAS needed, and he WAS a Lord Protector and therefore had
guaranteed resurrection....  The Murskan, Cadal, suggested that they all get a good
night's sleep here in Ibizond, look over the area where they wanted to set their trap
tomorrow by daylight, and then run the bait tomorrow night.  This seemed such a
sensible suggestion that Aghtamar hesitated to accept it; there was sure to be an
unpleasant catch in it somewhere.  But Zilla was for it, and even Fist, not one to
wallow in luxuries, agreed, so she shrugged and nodded.
     They stayed at the inn where they'd eaten, the Red Cow, and it seemed to
Aghtamar that the night was endless.  She dozed and woke and dozed and woke and it
was still dark.  Maybe the sun had forgotten to rise.  Maybe she was caught in some
magical time loop.  Maybe she was worrying too much.  Maybe she had insomnia.  She
rolled over and thumped her pillow and tried to go to sleep again.  Really asleep
this time.  But there were so many things that could go wrong....
     By the time morning came--reluctantly, with lots of clouds and a cold, damp
wind--Aghtamar was a rag.  Squinting at the imperfect mirror in the small bedroom,
she amended that to a depressed, grumpy rag.  Or hag.  The kind of rag or hag that no
right-thinking gladiator would want as a companion on an adventure.  She was going to
be as second-rate at adventuring as she had been in the arena.  She was just working
up a really good depression when Zilla pounded on the door.
     "Come on," Zilla urged, bouncing on her toes once the door was opened.  "The
guys are waiting."
     "Maybe it would be better if I didn't--"
     "They're WAITING for us, Aghtamar.  Come ON."  Zilla grabbed her arm and dragged
her out into the inn's tiny hallway.  "I kind of LIKE having a couple of men waiting
for us," she confided.  "Even though Cadal is OLD, he must be forty or even FIFTY,
he's a very HOT-looking old man...."
     At that, Aghtamar laughed.  "I didn't know you had a thing for older men,
     "Well, he's a Lord Protector, so he won't get any older than he IS, after all,
and I bet he knows lots of INTERESTING things."  She glanced sideways at her friend.
"I bet he knows some men he could introduce to you."
     "Uh...Zilla, I'm not really looking for--"
     "You should be.  It's great exercise!"
     "Jack told me to watch out for you," Zilla said.  "He likes you.  I like you.
Lots of people like you.  He was, we were all worried you might get depressed again.
You take things too seriously, Aghty."
     "What kind of nickname would YOU suggest I make out of Aghtamar?  Why you ever
let your folks--or Jack if it was him--saddle you with such a mouthful of a name...."
Zilla squinted at her thoughtfully.  "Maybe I'll call you 'Sunshine'.  Would that be
     By this time, they had arrived at the ground floor, where Fist of Kjarran and
Cadal were, indeed, waiting.  "I've got horses for us all," Cadal said the moment
they appeared, "and lunches packed.  Let's go, we're burning daylight here."
     Basically, the part of the Traders' Road that ran between Ibizond and Korga was
just like the parts between Korgan and Malcorn and between Ibizond and Murska.
Unpaved, rutted, hilly, muddy in the low spots, with trees crowding close on both
sides most of the way.  Many of the steepest hills had been cut down to make the
grade easier, with the road passing through dirt-walled notches--great places for an
ambush, as Fist of Kjarran observed cheerfully.
     Cadal nodded, but he looked gloomy.  "Great places," he agreed, "but our killer
doesn't use 'em, mostly.  Out of the dozen we think are victims of the same killer,
only two were attacked at a road cut like this."  He looked up at the steep, muddy
banks with their shaggy topping of brush and sighed.  "One in six isn't significant.
That would be too easy.  Our killer doesn't seem to need ambuscades."
     "But we do," Zilla said.  "So, which ones do you favor, and how do you expect us
to get the killer to attack Fist where we're watching?"
     "There is no way," Aghtamar muttered.
     "Sure there is.  Fist sets out in a group--say four people--from Ibizond about
sunset.  As he approaches the spot we've picked as best for our purposes, the other
three turn back, leaving him to enter the target zone alone.  So far, the killer has
never attacked a group as big as four, and besides, we can probably get enough out-
of-work gladiators from Murska, gods know there are plenty of them, to do the escort.
But my figuring is that he won't be attacked till he's alone.  And if he gets beyond
the optimum area without an attack, he turns and comes back, and if he gets all the
way back through it without being attacked, we join him and call it a night and go
back to Ibizond."
     "I wouldn't like to go back to the inn and leave a job undone," Fist of Kjarran
     "But doing the job needs the cooperation of our killer, so we're not totally in
control of that," Zilla pointed out.  "This sounds like a decent bet.  Let's do it."



 DM   9 ZUKAL (turn 466): TREMERE of DARK TOADS (TigToad, mgr.)
 DM  12 RIZTAB (turn 464): TONY THE TIGER of ARENA FELINES II (Garfield, mgr.)
 DM  15 MALCORN (turn 460): DIRT KNAP of UNKNOWNS XX (Dark Spirit, mgr.)
 DM  16 WILLAF (turn 460): BUBU of GEN KHAN (Technogeek, mgr.)
 DM  19 ZUWAYZA (turn 457): NUTT BRITTLE of CARNIVAL (Carny, mgr.)
 DM  28 MORYA (turn 228): NIGHTSHADE of CRYPT KNIGHTS (?, mgr.)
 DM  29 LAPUR (turn 449): MR. YUCK of THE TAKEN (Stillgard, mgr.)
 DM  32 ARVAT (turn 446): LIGHTNING of HARBINGERS (High Lord Bosk, mgr.)
 DM  33 ANASAZI (turn 444): RYANATOR of OBSIDIAN HALL (Dameon Darkheart, mgr.)
 DM  35 MURSKA (turn 437): KING BEAR of THE BEARS (Papa Bear, mgr.)
 DM  43 VEASTIAN (turn 400): FLYING MARMOSET of KORGAN CRUSADE (Jack Wolfspider)
 DM  45 STORMCROWE (turn 203): DEBBIE DAHMER of MORDRED'S MADMEN (Abraxis, mgr.)
 DM  47 NORTH FORK (turn 198): RING D'BELL of CARNIVAL (Carny, mgr.)
 DM  56 ROCANIS (turn 325): NESSUS of ACT OF MALICE (Carnage, mgr.)
 DM  61 JURINE (turn 305): VLADIMIR TALTOS of BLACK PEARL (Dr. Guts, mgr.)
 DM  73 ERINIKA (turn 133): PUNCH DRUNK of WAY TO GO! II (Spawn, mgr.)
                                (Rillion, mgr.)

                                      Top Teams
 DM   9 ZUKAL (turn 466): BLUE MOON (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  12 RIZTAB (turn 464): ARENA FELINES II (Garfield, mgr.)
 DM  15 MALCORN (turn 460): UNKNOWNS XX (Dark Spirit, mgr.)
 DM  16 WILLAF (turn 460): SILK AND STEEL (?, mgr.)
 DM  17 ALJAFIR (turn 458): SPECIAL ED (PTFT, mgr.)
 DM  19 ZUWAYZA (turn 457): CARNIVAL (Carny, mgr.)
 DM  28 MORYA (turn 228): FLOWER HAMMERZ (Hammer, mgr.)
 DM  29 LAPUR (turn 449): EQUESTORS (Spartacus, mgr.)
 DM  31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 226): THE STORMBRINGERS (High Lord Bosk, mgr.)
 DM  32 ARVAT (turn 446): FISHERMAN'S WHARF (Jorja, mgr.)
 DM  33 ANASAZI (turn 444): PATH OF THE BLADE (Vhagar, mgr.)
 DM  35 MURSKA (turn 437): THE BEARS (Papa Bear, mgr.)
 DM  43 VEASTIAN (turn 400): THE FAMILY (Don John, mgr.)
 DM  45 STORMCROWE (turn 203): MORDRED'S MADMEN (Abraxis, mgr.)
 DM  47 NORTH FORK (turn 198): SPOONERTIKS (Spawn, mgr.)
 DM  50 SNOWBOUND (turn 185): OPEN SESAME (Crip, mgr.)
 DM  56 ROCANIS (turn 325): REDHORSE (Mila, mgr.)
 DM  61 JURINE (turn 305): FAVORITE GUYS (Obscure Source, mgr.)
 DM  73 ERINIKA (turn 133): DRAKE'S TELEVISION (Drake, mgr.)
ADM 103 FREE BLADES (turn 350): MEOW MIX, etc. (Ultraist, mgr.)

                                   Recent Graduates
               (turn 463): MIDNIGHT DANCER of SWEET MAGIC (Jorja, mgr.)
                           HU MI of GEN KHAN (Technogeek, mgr.)
                            10-11-8-15-17-14-9ST of KINDRED OF KAOS (PTFT, mgr.)
                (turn 457): LAWN DART GOALIE of SPECIAL ED (PTFT, mgr.)
              (turn 227): WIMPY WIND of THE PENTARCHY (The Pentalque, mgr.)
 DM  31 CHIMLEVTAL (turn 225): DROSS of SOLIPSISM II (Abdiel, acting mgr.)
                               VE of LORDS OF VALHALLA (High Lord Bosk, mgr.)
 DM  35 MURSKA (turn 436): JELIAH BIGABO of PHILANTHROPISTS 3 (Aragorn, mgr.)
 DM  47 NORTH FORK (turn 197): INSOLENT IDIOT of MYSTIC ORC FEAST (Slugbait, mgr.)
                               ESPRESSO of COFFEE RULES! (Mr. Coffee, mgr.)
                (turn 132): UU DOEWANAKNO of DRAKE'S LODGE (Drake, mgr.)
                            LACONIC LEMON of GARDEN GUMBIES (Firehawk, mgr.)

                                 DUELMASTER'S COLUMN
                             Notes from the arena champ.

     Well another easy victory.  Too bad that it was a standby.  You know what?  It's
kind of lonely at the top.  Venomous Concubine?  I always thought concubines were
female.   Guess Half-Elfs are a little bang.  Oh well, to each their own.  Who am I
to judge.  Look at my profession.  Gladiator for fun...Dominatrix by trade.  Now, I
can't figure out where this rumor that I am shunning my team is coming from.  Let me
find out who it is and I will meet them on the sands.  Besides all the original team
is dead except for me.  I haven't had time to shun this new one.
     Middle Way 8, I told you not to enjoy your stay at top.  What did you think of
The Wretched?  I remember a familiar fight between Les Nayle and Marcus where the
shoe was on the other boot.
     It is a nice change to have more teams in the arena.  Three teams just wasn't
cutting it.  It was a bit pathetic that I went from an Initiate to The Duelmaster on
my third fight.  It was huge on my popularity though.  And a bit of advice for newer
managers than me, stick in there.  Your manager abilities will get better with time.
Diaretic is by far no expert manager but he took a team that was going 2-3-0 and made
a team that just went 5-0-1.  People talk about Scimitars, Longswords, Battleaxes and
War Hammers for a reason.  They are good, use them.  Well it's time to go until next
week because NO ONE in this arena can beat me but my own team.  So may we share the
blood that stains the sands in the heat of battle.  But let yours be more than mine.

                         of The Dark Tides

                                      SPY REPORT

Modeen.  I return to NOBLISH ISLAND once again!  NOBLISH ISLAND's got someone new to 
push around.  C'mon everyone, challenge RIFF RAFF.  Let's see how long they last.  
What's with TOAD?  He actually beat MIDDLE WAY 8's RENDOR QUIL, and walked away with 
16 more points from the fight.  Major screwup at TYCRON'S MERCS.  KESSEL lost 11 
points to FURIOUS IMP.  Some new strategies, perhaps?  Maybe KESSEL will provide more 
easy wins...  VENEMOUS CONCUBINE was reminded on the sands why WEDNESDAY is 
Duelmaster.  Wouldn't it be nice to have live subjects to practice on?  I hear some 
team is looking into the uses of convicted prisoners.   
     If at first you don't succeed, avoid.  That'll get you in the Spyreports.  How 
well I know the feeling of being in the most avoided team!  Don't fall out of 
practive, DRUNKEN CLONES!  In my day, no team with a 11-12-1 would scare me off!  
What's the problem, THE DARK TIDES?  What do people see in KESSEL?  His 2-1-0?  
TYCRON'S MERCS ain't talkin', but he's got 7 points.  MORPH didn't quite know what to 
make of a challenge he received from WARTS B. GONE of NO HOPE, who is 24 points below 
him.  WARTS B. GONE perhaps got his just desserts, seeing as he was subdued by MORPH 
and ended up with 3 recognition points.   
to walk away, or not?  Many a warrior has met his fate in a hungover stupor.  You 
young rapscallions, take note!   
     Many other cities have retirement homes for aged warriors.  Any plans here?  Are 
good luck.  Until next time,-- Olaf Modeen  

DUELMASTER                     W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 WEDNESDAY 7156                6   1  2    84       THE DARK TIDES (1234)

ADEPTS                         W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 LITTLE HORN 7526              3   0  0    38       THE DARK TIDES (1234)

CHALLENGER INITIATES           W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 KATRINA THE RED 7504          3   0  0    31       TYCRON'S MERCS (1298)
 MORPH 7528                    2   0  0    27       X-MEN (1236)
 FURIOUS IMP 7536              2   0  0    26       THE DARK TIDES (1234)
 WOLVERINE 7163                3   2  0    25       X-MEN (1236)
 STRIDEN 6650                  4   2  1    24       DRUNKEN CLONES (1144)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 BEAST 7165                    3   2  0    23       X-MEN (1236)
 TEALIN SALI 7514              3   2  0    22       MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300)
 GAMBIT 7166                   3   2  0    20       X-MEN (1236)
 NEFAN MURH 7511               3   2  0    20       MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300)
 TOAD 7527                     1   1  0    17       X-MEN (1236)
 POO FLINGER 7529              1   1  0    16       NO HOPE (1303)
 GHENGIS KAHN 7534             1   1  0    15       THE DARK TIDES (1234)
 JINX 7546                     1   0  1    14       RIFF RAFF (1305)
 RAVAGER OF DOOM 7503          2   1  0    13       TYCRON'S MERCS (1298)
 LENA KORIL 7510               3   2  0    11       MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300)
 RENDOR QUIL 7513              3   2  0    11       MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300)
-ZULOK THE SHADOW 7508         1   0  1    10       THE BLACK GUARD (1299)
 POL OLVAN 7512                2   3  0     9       MIDDLE WAY 8 (1300)

INITIATES                      W   L  K POINTS      TEAM NAME                  
 XARION 7108                   2   2  0     8       DRUNKEN CLONES (1144)
 STICKY 7530                   1   1  0     8       NO HOPE (1303)
 PORK CHOP 7542                1   0  0     8       RIFF RAFF (1305)
 KESSEL 7501                   2   1  0     7       TYCRON'S MERCS (1298)
 THE WRETCHED 7535             1   1  0     7       THE DARK TIDES (1234)
 THE ROOKIE 7502               1   2  0     5       TYCRON'S MERCS (1298)
 WARTS B. GONE 7533            0   2  0     3       NO HOPE (1303)
 PANSY BEDWETTER 7531          0   2  0     2       NO HOPE (1303)
 RED BABOONBUTT 7532           0   2  0     2       NO HOPE (1303)
-AMASTASIA 7506                0   1  0     1       THE BLACK GUARD (1299)
 GUTTERSNIPE 7545              0   1  0     1       RIFF RAFF (1305)


THE DEAD               W  L K TEAM NAME             SLAIN BY             TURN Revenge?
CONVICTED THIEF 1      0  1 0   1                   JINX 7546             143 NONE    
DELCIEVA 7153          2  3 0 THE DARK TIDES 1234   STRIDEN 6650          141 REVENGED
CHAOS 6648             2  4 0 DRUNKEN CLONES 1144   SPYMASTER 22          143 NONE    
CALDUIL 6651           2  4 0 DRUNKEN CLONES 1144   BANDIT PRINCE 25      143 NONE    
ZEDDICUS 7525          1  2 0 DRUNKEN CLONES 1144   BLACK ORC 20          143 NONE    
MO RON 7544            0  1 0 RIFF RAFF 1305        SHEWISH GIANT 21      143 NONE    
ZERO 7543              0  1 0 RIFF RAFF 1305        BLACK ORC 20          143 NONE    
MELOFARLASKI 7500      1  1 0 TYCRON'S MERCS 1298   ZULOK THE SHADOW 7508 142         

                                     PERSONAL ADS

Diaretic -- Howdy!  My name is Sensei Jan and I run several teams.  I noticed you
were asking Jorja about some aggressive leaning arenas; and as a former Noblish
Island alumni I would like to tell you about two that I think would suit your style
of play.  Both are Delarquan, which promotes the aggressive play, so about anything
goes.  Sunset(21) is called the Arena of Death.  It is tough, but not the toughest.
The personals are active and it is a growing arena.  Jorja also has a team there.
Valamantis(62) is my favorite arena I've ever played in.  It is a good mix of new
managers and some veterans.  It is very active and has a decent mixture of styles.
My teams in those arenas are Sunset--Yakuza and Valamantis--Samurai Kids II.
Whatever arena you choose, make sure you look into that arena before you place your
team there, as otherwise if you don't like the arena after you've begun playing there
it is a long process through a transfer arena to move.  Good luck! -- Sensei Jan

Tycron -- Tough fight, yes.  Fair fight, there is no such thing.  There is just me
winning and you losing.  But good luck anyway. -- Diaretic

All -- Of all the luck.  Where is Crazy Man when I get my team tuned up?  Nowhere to
be found. -- Diaretic
P.S.  I told you I would figure it out.  5-0-1.

Jorja -- There's the Lighthouse.  Whenever you start at it regularly feel free to use
some of my team.  They are always there anyway. :) -- Diaretic
P.S.  Getting Wednesday drunk and passing out is the only way we can control her.
Even aiming at the legs she killed.  AH IT'S USELESS!

Striden -- Don't think the fun's over yet. -- Little Horn

Katrina the Red -- Don't get cocky with the attention you're getting; it won't last
long. -- The Wretched

Wolverine -- I'm surprised you could move.  You shouldn't've had to "pause to regain
your strength," in the second minute. -- Pol Olvan
P.S.  Yeah, yeah, I know, I lost.  But that's because I'm a rotten warrior, not
because I'm dumb.

Warts B Gone -- I think you may be running a tad too fast for your skills, my friend.

-- Tealin Sali
P.S.  Also, you're too short.  I wouldn't have hit you in the throat if your throat
was higher up, because I wasn't AIMING for it, you know.

Sticky McPants -- Looking good there!  But what is the deal with the houseplant
stuff?  Of course I could kill a houseplant, but it has nothing to do with fighting.
-- Lena Koril

The Wretched -- Damn.  Classic style match. -- Nefan Murh

Morph -- How'd you get past the drug testing?  You weren't supposed to be wired
enough to jump me, given our styles and all.  Oh, it WORKS, but it isn't ORTHODOX.  I
like things to be regular, you know? -- Rendor Quil
P.S.  Good fight.

Diaretic -- "Popping in and out"?  Well, everyone gets ten turns here and then has to
leave for good.  This is just to give new managers a chance to play a few turns
before they run into the heavy competition in the regular arenas.  In those other
arenas, there will be managers popping in and out as they prep warriors for tourneys,
yes, but each arena has a stable core of teams that are there come rain or come
     As too a good, aggressive regular arena, hmm.  Do you want large, medium, or
small?  Andorian (they prefer to see no down-challenges or deliberate kills, and
expect you to write half-way friendly personals), Delarquan (the win is all), Free
Blades (tone of the arena varies a lot from one to the next), or Lirith Kai (similar
in tone to the Andorian arenas)?  Fast (two-week turnaround) or slow (four weeks)?
Oops, you said not a slow arena--well, I'm going to list the hot slow arenas anyway,
in case someone wants to know.  Besides, you could also consider getting TWO teams in
slow arenas instead of one in a fast one.  (39 and either 31 or 28 make a good pair,
as they run as near to opposite each other as it gets, you'd still get turns every
two weeks.)
     For Andorian fast arenas, I'd recommend Aruak City (dm 11) and Aradi (dm 60);
for slow Arkers (dm 8).
     For Delarquan fast arenas, the toughest is Talcama (dm 18), and Bonsur (dm 7),
Kolact (dm 10), and Sunset (dm 21) are good; for slow arenas, Xochithlan (dm 39) is
the best.
     Free Blades fast arenas seem to be in flux right now, but I would suggest Riztab
(dm 12) and Willaf (dm 16), maybe Lapur (dm 29).  In the area of slow arenas, Free
Blades is hot: Morya (dm 28) is just starting a contest, Chimlevtal (dm 31) is always
jumping, as are Stormcrowe (dm 45) and North Fork (dm 47).
     In Lirith Kai, Daiyla Kiv (dm 74) is in the middle of a contest, which means
lots of players, and Jade Mountain (dm 75) is the friendliest.
     Hope this helps, but ask for more specific information and I will answer. --
P.S.  I'm always here in Noblish, but I'm a special case--I've been playing a good
long while now, and I'm here to give advice and opinions, answer questions if I can
or find someone who will answer them, etc.

Comments on the articles:

Tricks of the Trade, by Roku.  I don't think Roku is active right now, and even if he
is, how will you contact him?  Not that his points need much discussion.  But I will
point out that if your warrior is not intended to go on into Advanced Duelmasters,
it's okay to "burn skills" by raising stats as needed.  I have never encountered a
warrior who maxed his skills in Basic.

Warrior Handedness, Jessie Jest.  Jessie is inactive everywhere.  And as to his
article, so?  Some are right handed, fewer are left handed, and fewest are
ambidextrous.  You can't do a thing to change that.

The Arcane Slasher, by the Arcane Kid.  This manager is active, right where he says
he'll be:  in Osksi.  This is a sound article if you want to build a great slasher.
But you can get perfectly decent winning slashers with a more relaxed set of numbers.

The Basher, by Uncle Charlie.  I think he may be active now in DM 36, but under a
different manager name.  I have no doubt that these work well for him, but what can I
say?  I wouldn't do 'em that way.  I'd lower the WT a little to get a higher DF; I
like them to hit their opponent some, maybe even hit their targeted location.

The Anti-Thesis Slasher, by Talon Volksie.  He is usually active somewhere, but I'm
not sure where right now.  Try ADM 105, team Car and Driver.  This is a sound article
by a manager who knows what he's talking about.

10 May 2003

15 May 2003
Assurnasirbanipal invites all to use his computerized warrior management tool.  The
web at: http://www.geocities.com/assurnasir

27 May 2003
keeper of lists

30 May 2003
summer.  Please direct any Snailmail to:
     Devon Hagy
     Open Skies Ministries
     Att: Hammer
     1515 E 7th St
     Okmulgee, OK 74447
See you on the sands!
-- Daryl P Holloman aka Hammer
Flower Hammerz DM 28
Casino Hammerz DM 33
Fish Hammerz DM 54

                                  LAST WEEK'S FIGHTS

CHAOS was butchered by SPYMASTER in a 1 minute bloody Dark Arena fight.
CALDUIL was slaughtered by BANDIT PRINCE in a 1 minute gruesome Dark Arena battle.
ZEDDICUS was narrowly killed by BLACK ORC in a 2 minute gruesome Dark Arena fight.
MO RON was butchered by SHEWISH GIANT in a 2 minute gory Dark Arena contest.
ZERO was assassinated by BLACK ORC in a 2 minute bloody Dark Arena match.
GHENGIS KAHN was bested by STRIDEN in a popular 3 minute Bloodfeud duel.
LITTLE HORN bested WOLVERINE in a 1 minute Challenge match.
FURIOUS IMP devastated KESSEL in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge competition.
THE WRETCHED was handily defeated by KATRINA THE RED in a 1 minute Challenge melee.
TOAD vanquished RENDOR QUIL in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge duel.
POO FLINGER vanquished XARION in a 1 minute one-sided Challenge duel.
WARTS B. GONE was defeated by MORPH in a 1 minute beginner's Challenge match.
RED BABOONBUTT was overpowered by TEALIN SALI in a 3 minute one-sided Challenge fight.
WEDNESDAY demolished VENEMOUS CONCUBINE in a 1 minute mismatched Title competition.
GAMBIT bested LENA KORIL in a 2 minute battle.
POL OLVAN subdued GUTTERSNIPE in a 4 minute novice's brawl.
NEFAN MURH overcame STICKY in a 1 minute novice's conflict.
RAVAGER OF DOOM vanquished PANSY BEDWETTER in a 1 minute mismatched bout.
THE ROOKIE was vanquished by BEAST in a 2 minute one-sided fray.
PORK CHOP bested MORDANT DESERTER in a 4 minute amateur's brawl.
JINX assassinated CONVICTED THIEF in a 1 minute one-sided bout.

                                    BATTLE REPORT

             MOST POPULAR                        RECORD DURING THE LAST 10 TURNS     
|LUNGING ATTACK                   5         SLASHING ATTACK   11 -   5 -  2      69  |
|WALL OF STEEL                    5         LUNGING ATTACK    13 -   6 -  0      68  |
|AIMED BLOW                       4         PARRY-LUNGE        4 -   2 -  1      67  |
|STRIKING ATTACK                  4         WALL OF STEEL     14 -  12 -  1      54  |
|PARRY-RIPOSTE                    3         AIMED BLOW         9 -   8 -  0      53  |
|PARRY-STRIKE                     3         PARRY-RIPOSTE     14 -  14 -  1      50  |
|SLASHING ATTACK                  3         BASHING ATTACK    15 -  15 -  1      50  |
|BASHING ATTACK                   3         PARRY-STRIKE       9 -  10 -  1      47  |
|PARRY-LUNGE                      2         TOTAL PARRY        4 -   5 -  0      44  |
|TOTAL PARRY                      2         STRIKING ATTACK   13 -  17 -  1      43  |

Turn 143 was great if you     Not so great if you used      The fighting styles of the

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

                               TOP WARRIOR OF EACH STYLE

FIGHTING STYLE   WARRIOR                     W   L  K PNTS TEAM NAME                  
SLASHING ATTACK  WEDNESDAY 7156              6   1  2   84 THE DARK TIDES (1234)
LUNGING ATTACK   LITTLE HORN 7526            3   0  0   38 THE DARK TIDES (1234)

The overall popularity leader is WEDNESDAY 7156.  The most popular warrior this turn 
was GHENGIS KAHN 7534.  The ten other most popular fighters were GAMBIT 7166, 
ZEDDICUS 7525, STRIDEN 6650, MORPH 7528, WEDNESDAY 7156, NEFAN MURH 7511, BEAST 7165, 

The least popular fighter this week was GUTTERSNIPE 7545.  The other ten least 
popular fighters were PORK CHOP 7542, PANSY BEDWETTER 7531, STICKY 7530, POL OLVAN 
WRETCHED 7535, and KESSEL 7501.

                                 Article for Newbies


                         KEY FOR ODDS OF WINNING:

              1 - ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE     6 - BETTER THAN EVEN
              2 - HARDLY LIKELY         7 - GOOD CHANCE
              3 - NOT MUCH              8 - HIGHLY PROBABLE
              4 - SLIGHT CHANCE         9 - MOST DEFINATELY
              5 - 50/50                10 - ALMOST GUARANTEED

                   Reminder:  Left Row vs Top Column

          BA    ST    LU    SL    AB    TP    PS    PL    PR    WS  
    BA     5     2     6     6     8     9     7     6     5     6
    ST     8     5     8     9     9     6     7     5     6     4
    LU     4     4     5     6    10     5     7     7     9     6
    SL     4     1     5     5     8     6     8     7     8     9
    AB     2     2     2     4     5    10     6     6     6     7
    TP     3     4     6     4     1     5     7     8     6     5
    PS     3     3     3     4     5     4     5     4     5     4
    PL     5     4     3     3     6     2     7     5     7     6
    PR     7     5     2     2     4     5     6     3     5     4
    WS     5     8     6     2     4     6     7     5     6     5

roundtable and without whose effort little projects like this would prove quite 

                              David Gottwald - Magic Man

                              The Crew - Monuntial (34)
                           Rocky's Heroes - North Fork (47)
                       Tragedy Strikes - Andor (57) (inactive)
                              Natural Born - Illis (59)
                               Slow & Easy - Aradi (60)
                           Omega Squadron - Dragonhead (72)

                          MAKING YOUR CHALLENGES GO THROUGH

     2.  Is your handwriting clear?
experienced warriors so they will learn.)
the last two turns, then they can't challenge.

There are several things that will help:
still might get your second challenge.
increases your chance of getting your own challenge through.
that they won't be fighting this turn.
issues of the newsletter to find out who the TVs are.
get challenged a lot.
includes any warrior your team fought within the last two turns.
currently at war with anyone.
     I hope this will be of some help to you.

                                                  The Rogue She-Puppy


following procedures.
the excitement.
accidentally uncover an unexpected replacement rollup.  This is a traumatic experience 
go exactly as planned.
to leave a loaded musket nearby.
it is nice to choose an exceptionally violent alternate selection for those 
hockey gear.
consecutive war hammer shots to the head...
Isn't Duelmasters great?

                                      DM-10 (Kolact) Beermacht
                                      DM-22 (Solven) Steel Warriors
                                      DM-24 (Zorpunt) No Escape

                           Winning With the Average Warrior

Primus TVs.
the arena!

M.A., a proud member of GAPPDA

                                     TWELVE TIPS

I missed.
try the jerk routine!)
can be hurt both striking and defending.)
real "rush!"
was a long, long time ago.)

                              THE CONSORTIUM
                              DM 8  Smithsonian (Curator)
                              DM 11 Bulldogs (Kennelworth)
                              DM 20 Animal Farm (Mino)
                              DM 46 Fandils (Fandil the Wise)
                              (and many, many more)