Initiative -- The benefits of having and utilizing a superior Initiative are being able to press the attack and continue swinging, forcing your opponent to react to you and thus putting them on the defensive. This prevents your opponent from being offensive, thus not being able to swing back. You know the saying, "The best defense is a good offense." The downside to Initiative is you must be decisive enough to swing first or steal the initiative through riposte or another way. Also, all that swinging is a lot of endurance burn. You can have all the Initiative in the world but it amounts to nothing but tired arms if you can't hit what you're aiming for.
Decisiveness -- A superior Decise skill (allowing modifiers of weight and strategy) will allow you to get in the first shot, hopefully, before your opponent can put up a proper defense. It's particularly useful in getting in to strike when an opportunity arises. This coincides closely with Init in many ways. Without the proper Initiative skill, though, Decise allows you to take the shot even though your opponent may continue with Initiative. The great failings of Decise are: Your fighter may instinctively take an opening without hesitation, possibly lowering defense to do so, taking a hit to do so, or falling for a tricky ploy the enemy may have set up. With any luck, though, you can catch them off guard.
Attack -- This is your fighter's ability to hit what he is aiming for, arm, head, or at least their opponent. A high attack can skillfully penetrate an attempted parry or catch an elusive opponent, mid-dodge. As for weaknesses and drawbacks, everyone wants attack skills, but without being able to get an opening or gaining a combat advantage, attack skills are useless. It does you no good if you can't get a swing in. This is where the strategy and intricacies of the game come into play. A balance must be made or in the very least, a proper matchup to pit your fighter's strengths against another's weakness or in a position where he can use his strengths. This is how you as a manager aid your stable with the Challenge and Avoid features.
Parry -- This is the art of impeding your opponent's attack by placing something in the way (other than your tender hide). Parry is a clever and deft maneuver using your weapons in more than a stopping force. The object is to deflect their weapon so it not only does no damage but swings off course enough to disrupt your opponent's balance, attack, and with luck, create an opening. The drawback is being in a defensive posture and so foregoing attack in order to protect yourself and predict your opponent. This is also risky because if your fighter lacks the skill, he may be in big trouble, considering the only thing stopping your opponent's weapon is your parry and then only cushioning armor.
Defense -- Dodging is preferable to parry for the ability to completely avoid a blow and so keeping your weapon free for an attack. Keep in mind, dodge may also burn much more endurance than parry (especially with heavy armor).
Riposte -- is an instantaneous strike in response to your opponent lowering their guard to attack. It is not a precision strike, but with a high skill, you can get under your opponent's guard, sometimes several times before they recover. The down side is, yep you guessed it, you have to be attacked first! Some good Rippers know they may have to take a hit to give a few. Thus, it's good to have a moderate con. Rippers have a turnover rate reputed second only to Aimed Blows, so I understand.
You should begin to see how each of these skills relate to each other. It's impossible to win on just one skill alone. Each style has favored skills, both shown by priority learns and mode skills. There are many "perfect" this and that. I argue (though still experimenting) that a style can be developed in several ways beyond what is commonly known. I believe these are labeled "sub-styles." There are many combinations possible. Obviously, some will be ineffective but some may surprise you!
Remember, good management will win more fights than "perfect" stats (granted you have stats that aren't utterly ludicrous). Try to peg your fighter's rhythm. Find out how fast he likes to fight, "Offensive Effort," and his pace "Activity Level." Try different weapons to see what works best for you. Try not to use weapons that your warrior is not well-suited to. Heavy armor burns endurance quicker, especially if you lack in the strength department. If your Con is low, put some armor on until your fighter had learned enough skills to keep them alive and always remember to use the Challenge/Avoid feature! This way you can control who you will be going up against and adjust properly. Everything comes with experience and observation.
For further discussions, guessing, or if you're just in the mood to chat, drop me a diplo. Until then, see you on the sands!
Gavin Rule, mgr. Faux Tides (1482)