HOW'S THIS D2 THING ACTUALLY WORK? D2, the game of Duelmasters, is just plain fun. It is so good that there has even been a published book written about it! It must be great, then! Do you want to have the fun and pleasures that hundreds of other managers before you have experienced? Can't blame you! I have been enjoying Duelmasters-to-D2 for nearly 30 years. Perhaps this article will assist or simplify your introduction to this game and speed up your enjoyment process. It goes something like this....
ACQUIRE A D2 ROLL UPS sheet from RSI. (Reality Simulations Inc., P.O. Box 22400, Tempe AZ 85285-2400, 480-967-7979) The first sheet/team is free. Subsequent teams cost $5. Later, after your introductory 10 turns in the Noblish Island (DM93) arena, you can transfer your starting team to another arena, or you may find you even want to start up a new team/s in other arenas, or both. Actually, you can start new teams any time, even while going through your learning process in DM93; but you may want to "learn the ropes" first.
FILL OUT THE ROLL UPS and send the sheet to RSI. Other than the normal personal information, the most important things to decide are: Team name, Manager Name, and 5 individual warrior designs. Let's discuss each of those briefly. Team name and manager name can be anything you like that fits you. (RSI will edit inappropriate naming.) They can be gladiator driven, silly ideas, great play on words, or whatever. The warrior names can be closely tied to the team name, or not. My very first team was: Bulldogs, manager Kennelworth, and names like--Tiger Lily, Sir Smythe, Wild Wayne, and Flash. Etc. A team I admire in the game is Azure Clouds, manager Slugbait, warrior names like--Black Bile, Violent Orange, Blue Note....
We could spend hours and hours on warrior designs, (Where to place the 14 points on the fixed 70 points and what style to choose?) and there are many articles available examining design, so I will offer only a few basic comments:
Read newsletters and other RSI info, especially DM93 for design reviews
You have received your 5 warrior profiles. Time to fill out DUEL II STRATEGY FORMS and send them in to RSI. "Goodness!" you say; "I wish I had a lot more information about weapons and strategies and what the warrior profile means, and...." Here are a list of places and methods for getting additional info:
"Phone a friend." Diplo, e mail, call, write, etc., beg from other players, especially experienced players in the game.
"Put on your newbie outfit." Ask RSI, or better yet, diplo the teachers/coaches in Noblish Island (DM93) the "starter's arena" and ask for information provided there. If you are already in Noblish Island, ask Jorja or anyone there to make sure you get the CIC or "fact sheets."
"Go electronic." The best information in the game is available at reality.com/dm, or terrablood.com, or even try chatzy.com/42003746228981 as Dmers chat there from appx 9AM to 2AM EST. and they seem to welcome inexperienced questions.
So back to the strategy sheets. One for each warrior you plan to fight. Write legibly! You would be very disappointed to have a code inputted improperly because your scribbles were not so discernible. The basic stuff like warrior name and ID, or game # and account # don't need discussion [But don't leave them out!]. But weapon selection, strategy, armor and challenging do.
Weapon choice is your chance to select a best weapon against the opponent's probable armor. Bigger weapons are probably needed against heavy armor. Some weapons do especially well against certain armor types. (Hmmm; that information mentioned earlier would help.) The most common weapon arrangements are a single primary weapon and a small backup primary for offensive types, and a primary//secondary (secondary could be a shield) and zero to two backups for defensives//finesse warriors.
Strategy is more difficult to decide. Offensives usually start "hot and heavy" and then slow down, as they will wear down/tire due to weight being carried and a high activity level. Defensives tend to run moderately, but current arena defensive warriors can be found fighting anywhere from "hot and heavy" to very slow. The desperation strategy is important, because if your warrior is nearing defeat of exhaustion, you may want to do something different in a last-ditch effort to pull out the win.
Armor is really a matter of preference, but like every other choice in the game, there are trade-offs. Heavy armor, while providing more protection, can slow down and wear down warriors. Naked or light armor may be less restricting and faster but offers little protection. It is easy to think, "I need lots of armor." but over- encumbering a warrior greatly impacts his fighting ability.
Training is simple. The most common training is "skills," but stats can be and are trained also. In general the amount of skills learned is based on your WT (the higher the better), but it is also impacted by the knowledge of the warriors you fight. (And other things) Stat training is very highly dependent on WL, as the odds of getting a first stat train of a stat type are 5% times the WL. (E.g. a WL of 15 = 5%x15 or 75% chance.) There can be a luck roll impact also in almost everything that occurs in Duel 2. Attempting to get a 2nd stat raise in a certain stat is halved. (E.g. a WL of 15 = 5%x15x 0.5 = 37.5%)
Challenging and avoiding are very strategic components of the game. There are quite a few managers who do not challenge or avoid or both. You can use that to your best advantage. Challenge warriors (the warrior ID number) and avoid teams (the team ID number). Several points about challenging/avoiding):
You have the option to use an alternate "special strategy" either (or both) when you challenge someone, or when someone challenges you. You can use this alternate to prepare a specific strategy for that challenge you just made, or surprising an opponent who will likely challenge or blood feud you. To use these alternatives, "x" the proper box or boxes and fill out the strategy info on the back of the strategy form. This alternative strategy will not be used unless the conditions you selected occur.
That was easy, wasn't it!? After sending in your strategy sheets, (in plenty of time for the due date--or last minute via fax; no internet submittals allowed) the computer utilizes everyone's inputs and the fights proceed. A few days after the arena run date, the actual fights and arena newsletter will arrive in your mailbox. Before submitting the new warrior strategies for the next round of fights, there is much a manager can/should examine and review. Here are generic things that this old-time manager evaluates:
Then it is time to turn in those strategy sheets again!
Namedropper of D2 Names to Know, Consortium Affiliated.