Duelmasters: Basic Approaches to the game. From: crip@eebbs.isis.org (Garth Werner) Date: Sat, 23 May 1992 01:51:29 +0000 First off, I'd like to know if any of the interested readership here has been in Primus for over a year now. I think there may be a couple, but I'm not sure. I figure about a year ago, I wrote an article for the Primus newsletter which, though intending to aim a dart of humour at a few managers, basically detailed the way managers seem to approach the game. Back then, I saw 6 (I think) basic ways which players approached the game. STYLE 1: Lost and Confused ... Goes 2-13 or something cause' he's a new player and hasn't got a clue what's going on. Either drops out of the game, or gets some helpin a real hurry, and progresses to the next style. STYLE 2: Get thatTeam W/L record as high as possible. These players will do whatever possible to win. Runs a few styles really well, but not much else, and doesn't really want to figure the rest out. When he gets to AD, his guys start to lose, he gets frustrated, then goes back to his arena where he wins and enjoys himself! STYLE 3: Search for Primus God. This player will settle for nothing less than the second coming as a replacement character. Is dedicated to producing that one warrior that will dominate the top end of the game (Sorry guys, Donatello is already out there). Does not care about Win/Loss records, just wants to dominate Primus. Treats the Dark Arena as if it was his personal slave. Wouldn't think of having a home guard warrior. STYLE 4: Lets learn the game. Wants to try everything. Doesn't really go to the outside world for help, and will run just about anything because he wants to be able to at least try to win with every single character. While this manager may suffer from a poor w/l %, in the long run, he will learn more about the game than 99% of other players. (Exhibit A, Doc Legrand) Eventually, through his personal discoveries of the game, he will uncover a few primus pearls in an oyster bed otherwise filled with grains of sand. STYLE 5: The Role-player. Really isn't too concerned about his w/l %'s, but enjoys his characters, is mondo active in the personals, and will contribute with spotlights. No one ever seems to have anything bad to say against these guys. (Exhibit B, Victor Melucci, runs Carnival) STYLE 6: Well sorry guys, I can't remember, but if someone read the article, perhaps they could refresh my memory. The point of all of this, is that everyone has their own reasons for playing this game we like. No one fits perfectly into all of the styles, but rather a unique blend of them all. Problem is, you have to realize that not everyone is looking at the game from the same perspective. Never go around criticizing someone saying they are useless or haven't got a clue. I'm part of the sponsor program, but before I help most people out, I ask them about there goals in the game, and the degree to which I help them out is determinned by what style of manager the seem to want to fit into the most. If someone comes up and asks what to do with a 4 Wit, 3 Will, character, don't laugh him in the face. A manager, who now has guys up to primus, wrote me a letter when he was starting out. His big concern was not how to get these guys to win, but how to keep them out of trouble. (He had a 4WT,3WL lunger and a 5 WIT,6WL Striker) His problem was the opposite, the lunger was 4-0-4 and in the challenger adepts, and the sker was at 4-1-3 and ONLY in the adepts. He was not even worried about fighting other adepts, but was more concerned by the fact that both his guys had killed characters on teh Duelmaster's team, and he wanted to avoid the bloodfeud at any cost. Now I could have told him not to worry, that his guys were useless, but that would just be like a slap in the face to him. Instead I explained the BF, challenge avoid system, told him the option of sitting out 4 turns would keep the DM from bloodfeuidng him, and answered the questions that he wanted to hear. Sure eventually he got around to the design to win, or primus approaches, but I think he learned a lot more from the process. So if soemone (Thogek) asks you for suggestions on how to run his guys, please do that. If he has a character with 60+ fights under his belt, I'm sure he knows taht guy won't win regularly, but rather he enjoys the satisfaction of actually managing to pull out a win with the guy. Just because you wouldn't run him, don't tell the guy that he should DA or retire him, unless he asks you, because he most likely doesn't have the same goals in the game as you do. Anyway, I've babbled incessantly here. For those of you who are interested in statistics.... Here's some for you. 25% of my primus induuctees have a will<13 50% of my primus eligibles have will <17 75% of my primus eligible have wit <17 40% of my Home Guard warriors have a starting Wit+WL >= 34 Therefore I conclude WIT+WILL <> Primus warrior I admit it helps, but it's no guarantee, It's just not required. I appreciate hearing anyone else's thoughts on this or anyother matter Garth Werner aka Crip Active in 28,45,47,59 Pretty regular in 102,103,105, and less so in 101 May eventually go back to running my teams in: 11,25,26,31,34,39,44,46 Given up on teams in: 30,49,52. Considering starting in 50. Sorry for taking so long...... Referenced By Up