Re: Duelmasters

From: 900667c@ace.acadiau.ca (GERALD RICHARD CAMERON)

Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1991 23:50:41 +0000

In article <15503@aggie.ucdavis.edu> ccs012@mr-ranger.ucdavis.edu (Dennis Cleary) writes:

>I remember my first AD warrior well.  Point Blank, who
>was "quite successful" at 23-9-0, and had been Duelmaster for about 6
>turns.  I thought 15-11-9-13++-15+-12+-13 was "it" when it came to lunger
>design.  I've since learned that ADM is a whole different ballgame...

Yeah, well, we've all been young and naive at some point in our careers.

>>Now, this slasher happens to be quite successful (as the fact that
>>she ought to get her inveite in twenty fights shows).  Her current record is
>>15-3-1, and she went 6-3 at the FTF Adepts.  The weird thing is, her stats
>>are utterly pud-like!  When I designed her, she was meant to be a "Dixie
>>slasher who would last about five fights, and then get DAed.  The funny
>>thing was, after her second fight, where she faced a massive experience
>>mismatch against a pretty good WS, she just kept winning.

>Shit happens.

Too true.

>>This kind of success for slashers is virtually unheard of as far as
>>I am aware of.  My slasher's record is a combination of luck, good matchups,
>>picking up experts at just the right times, and some timely experimenting on
>>my part.

>On the regular DM level, such success is not unknown.  Heck, if you want
>to take a small enough sample size, anything can be proven.  I've got
>a 4-0 slasher who just beat a pretty good TP.  That's unheard of.  I've
>got a basher design that's 18-4-6.  That's unheard of.

Hey, now.  Just because I'm no mega-manager, that's no reason to get sarcy
on me.  What I meant is that if you were to design a warrior to challenge
the record for most consecutive wins, I don't think it would be a SL.
>A lot of the success in regular DM can be attributed to luck.  Wait
>until your slasher makes it to the big boys before you start thinking that
>this is a design that will work.

Actually, that was sort of my point here.  I don't expect her to do well at
all.  In fact I never did, and if I got the same roll-up today I'd likely
DA it in spite of this warrior's success.

>I don't want to burst your bubble, but regular AD is a _cakewalk_ compared
>to Advanced Duelmasters.  I sincerely hope you do well, but you'll see a lot
>of characters go to AD at 14-10, and do very well there, while others will
>make it at 18-3, and flail abysmally.

Don't worry.  I know this already.  Unless somebody at RSI is really intent
on playing a joke, this warrior should be one of the latter.

>>As such, I think I could probably run a well designed slasher to
>>at least a repectable record given half the luck this one had, but I
>>haven't done so because I never see a design that screams slasher to me.
>>For the recored, here are the stat ranges I would reccomend for slashers.

>I know a thing or two about slashers.  Let's see what we've got here.

>>ST:11-15   SL weapons tend to be on the heavy side, and
>>            damage helps against defensives.

>Seems reasonable.  I don't really go in for the BA (the GA) is plenty, so
>I'd say anything over a 13 is superfluous, but sometimes it just can't be
>helped.

>>CN:7-13    SL also need to be able to take a hit or two so
>>            that they don't crumple from a lucky riposte.

>Whoa Nelly!  Are you planning on getting hit?  All points on CN would be
>much better put into DF or WT, allowing _you_ to riposte their riposte.
>I'd much rather give than receive!

No, I don't plan on getting hit, but it happens.  Slashers, as I'm sure you
know, specialize in beating up defensives early in their career, and
defensives have this nasty tendency to riposte.  While Sslashers have
decent defense, I don't think many start with enough to avoid everything
that comes at them.  If you think that a particular slasher will start
only three or four skills shy of expert defense, then I might agree.
>>SZ:3-13    Small SL use the points to better effect
>>           elsewhere, but the big fellas get better damage
>>           and init.

>Nothing you can do about this.  I generally make the small guys finesse
>warriors, but I have seen some really effective big guys too.

>>WT:15-21   I've seen succes by SL who started with 10 and 12
>>           WT from other managers.

>I say 13, 17, or 21.  15 sucks, it's not one of the "MAGIC" numbers,
>doesn't get you to learn any better than a 13 WT (sometimes worse), and
>who cares if you can use the epee anyway?

I don't know about that.  I had a 15 WT basher who learned at a pretty
decent clip.

>>WL:17-21   Doesn't help init., but it does help everything
>>           else that's important to these guys, including
>>           endurance.

>This is pretty much where you have to decide if you want a speedy slasher
>or an attack slasher.  Speedy slashers are meat in AD, so I'd say put the
>points into WL.  Of course, with this set-up, I'd go BA or LU (this roll-up
>is just _screaming_ lunger)

>>SP:11-15   Help Dec. and Def., one is important early on,
>>           the other later in their career.

>Actually, slashers only need about a 7-9 SP.  Anything over 13 is wasted
>points.

Care to explain that a bit further?

>>DF:13-17   Maybe the most important.  Mine doesn't cut the
>>           mustard here, but it helps attack big time, as
>>           well as Def. and I think Init.

>An 11 DF is plenty (it's beautiful, really it is!) but the more DF you got,
>the better he'll be.  I'm looking at a PR now, if the DF is good enough.
>Trust me, finesse warriors are much better, since they're so much more
>well-rounded (except for lungers, maybe...).

Actually, as offensives go, slashers are kind of finesse warriors.  Not in
the same class as AB and defensives, but you have to think more than you
do with ST and BA.  Still, I can't really argue with you.

>>As you can see, the mins add up to about 75, which doesn't give you
>>much leeway.  also, these sats could also make a good LU, ST, or even
>>BA, not to mention an AB from hell.  So, finally, I ask, when and why do
>>you make a slasher?

>Why do you make a slasher?  I made mine 'cuz I had nothing else to do with
>the roll-up.  They're quick, do a ton of damage, and are absolutely murder
>(no pun intended) on your kill ratio.  Of course, I'd rather run a finesse
>warrior.  I mean, how many times do you get a roll-up like this, anyway?

>Just trying to start an exchange of ideas,

That's what I was looking for, too.  No flames intended in any of this.

>Donald Trump, CEO Trump Gladiatorial Enterprises
>       Xochithlan(39) - Elite Cadre
>       Stormcrowe(45) - Max's Miracle
>       Andor (57) - Stragety, Dammit!
>       Free Blades (103) - Riff-Raff Crew

Hey, you run Stragety, Dammit!  I love that name.  I've got a team of puds
in Andor who will never fight, but I may bring in a decent team sometime.  I
also know Milo and Ivy from Fratsfa, and Livewire and Lady Hawke (how good a
manager is she, anyways?) from Rodeki.
Take 'Er Easy.

Demon.
							(who needs to do up
                                                        a signature sometime
                                                        soon!)

References

Duelmasters
ccs012@mr-ranger.ucdavis.edu (Dennis Cleary)
Mon, 18 Nov 1991 23:20:01 +0000

Referenced By

Duelmasters
ccs012@mr-ranger.ucdavis.edu (Dennis Cleary)
Mon, 18 Nov 1991 23:20:01 +0000