- Any warrior that loses a fight can die. Dead. Gone. One can die by being mercilessly killed by the opponent, and, sadly, every loser has a small chance (estimated odds 1 in 50) of dying in the infirmary. Note: There is NO chance of dying if one wins! So WIN!
-Any warrior can use any weapon. Not a problem. However, there are undefined penalties for using marginal, unsuited, inadequate wit, inadequate size, inadequate strength, and inadequate deftness weapons. One can certainly win with an improperly suited weapon, but, is it worth the chance? Usually not, I say. (I said usually!)
-Warriors are born with certain skills which are dependent on the base 70 point stat sheet and the style selected. The 14 points of added stats also add skills to those base skills. You really need to know which skills come from what stat. (So check out that C.I.C.)
-RSI seldom makes input errors. I said seldom. The best thing a manager can do to help avoid input errors is to fill out the strategy sheet accurately and legibly with good penmanship. Yes, we have doctors in the warrior management ranks (Slugbait and Grimm come to mind) and they probably regret their yucky penmanship.
-These are considered the best ways to acquire info, knowledge and "secrets" about D2:
-There is more to strategy than filling out the warrior's initial armor and weapon selection and offensive effort and activity level and kill desire and tactic selection. Challenges and avoids are an important way to attempt to give your warrior an advantage. Challenge warriors (warrior ID) that your warrior is likely to defeat and learn a lot from, and avoid teams (team ID) with warriors whom are likely to defeat you. (Remember, if you lose, you could die!) Indeed, your warrior can be provided with an alternate strategy for challenging or when being challenged or both. A warrior does not have to ever challenge, bloodfeud, or avoid, but it is almost certainly in his best interest to do so.
-Ask dumb questions! Often managers, especially new managers, have a doubt or a question, but they feel "asking for help/advice" is a sign of weakness or lack of intelligence or knowledge about D2. Do not let this be you! Ask! We dumb veteran managers ask each other dumb questions all the time. One man's dumb is another man's smart. (You heard it here first!)
-What are the best ways to ask?
- No matter what any veteran, friend or expert tells you about design or strategy or concept, it is not necessarily the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It may be good or great or common advice, but it is not necessarily the only good (or bad) advice. Some advice is best learned first-hand.
-D2 is normally a friendly atmosphere. While managers are very competitive, most of the vets know each other, see each other at FTF Tournaments, chat with each other on line, and even help each other out with advice and ideas. The fount of knowledge available now, about D2, was acquired by a collective "working together" and sharing info. Be advised that an overly mean, overbearing, threatening, haughty, unfriendly character/manager is likely to be colluded against and ostracized by D2 regulars. Smack talk is desirable and a part of the game. Personal threats, harsh meanness, or overbearingness is not at all welcomed. You are forewarned!
-Noblish Island is a great learning atmosphere. What comes after Noblish? Choose wisely an arena (or two!) in which to participate.
You can participate in as many arenas as you want. You can also participate in separate tournaments, held quarterly, which allow warriors from all arenas to compete with each other for acclaim and prizes.
There are many other things they apparently didn't teach you, you say? Well send a personal ad or diplo to Assur, or Hammer, or Jorja, or The Consortium rep in DM93 Noblish Isle and give them a shot at answering in the newsletter.
-- Agent Smith (Consortium affiliated)