I'm not going to go comparing what's changed in the various versions I have.. but here they are for your own amusement.
DUEL OF SWORDS! 09/27/94
Sword fighting requires a great deal of strength, dexterity, and skill to be successful. But basically, when both opponents are equally matched the fight becomes a process of who can out guess who first!
*****MANEUVERS*****
There are ten basic maneuvers in Duel of Swords:
Thrust
High Cut
Slash
Low Cut
Disengage
Lateral Parry
Sidestep
Circular Parry
Duck
Stop Hit
Each maneuver, when matched against an opponent's will result in a HIT, a MISS, or an ADVANTAGE. A HIT is scored with 1 point, a MISS with 0, and an ADVANTAGE with 1/2 point.
There are two ways to play 'Duel of Swords' (DoS), Live play, or EMail play. The rules are slightly different for each version.
*****LIVE PLAY*****
Both players and the game official meet in the People Connection room "RDI Duel of Swords". The match will be played one round at a time. The players send their moves to the game official by IM only one move per IM and one IM per round. The official will determine and type the results to screen.
WIN: A win occurs when a player reaches FIVE POINTS and is a FULL POINT ahead of his opponent. OR, at the end of Fifteen rounds, the player with AT LEAST a full point lead is declared a winnner!
TIES: A tie occurs when there is LESS than a full point lead at the end of 15 rounds.
FOREITURE: If a player voluntarily leaves during a duel, that player forfeits the match.
PUNTS: If a player is punted and unable to return, the RDI, with the input of the remaining player, will decide if the match is to be ruled a tie or a loss. If both are punted and unable to return then the score, as it stands at the last full round, will determine the winner and the RDI will EMail the results to the participants.
*****EMAIL PLAY*****
The rules for EMail play are the same as for Live play, except for in how they are scored, which is in the following manner:
In EMail play both players pick fifteen actions and EMAIL them to a game official in the order that they are to be carried out. The game official will compare the two sets of actions and determine the results. The game official will compare one action at a time. The winner will be the player that scores the most hits after all 15 manuvers. If after all fifteen actions have been compared the score is equal, or within 1/2 point, the match ends in a tie.
*****RANKING*****
Duelists rise in rank, according to their success with the sword. Ranks are assigned according to the number of wins over losses.
Rank Needed number of wins over losses
------------------- ----------------------------------------------
Commoner Less than TWO more wins than losses
Swordsman TWO wins more than losses
Master-at-Arms FIVE more wins than losses
Grand Master TEN more wins than losses
Warlord FIFTEEN more wins than losses
Overlord By challenge from a Warlord
***** WARLORD CHALLENGE *****
In an endeavor to increase the level of competition and rivalry amongst the rank of Warlord, and to make the sport more challenging for the players and entertaining for the spectators a system for ranking those of the Warlord level has been implemented.
When a player first attains the standing of Warlord, they are added to the bottom of the Warlord Ranks. In order to attain a higher rank, a player must challenge the player immediately ranked above them. The challenger MUST inform the calling RDI that the duel is a "Duel for Rank". If the challenger wins, they move up one rank, and the loser moves down one rank. If the challenger loses, there is no change in rank.
A "Duel for Rank" challenge must be met within two weeks, or the match will be considered a forfeit.
If a Warlord loses, then regains their Warlord status, they are put at the bottom of the Warlord Ranks like any other new Warlord. They do not regain their previous Warlord Ranking.
Once every two cycles a Warlord Tournament will be held. The Overlord will not be allowed to participate in this tournament. The winner of the tournament will attain the rank of Warlord, 1st Rank. All other players will be adjusted downward accordingly. Warlords of the 1st Rank will be allowed one challenge for the Overlord with no risk of losing rank, and if they lose, will be allowed a second challenge without having to make five peer challenges. (See below rules for details on Overlord Challenges)
WARLORD RANKINGS AND THE OVERLORD
A Warlord may challenge the Overlord for his title by issuing a formal challenge. The overlord must accept the challenge, or be disgraced and lose rank.
Any Warlord is free to challenge the Overlord at any time, excepting cases of retirement (See section below). If the Overlord loses the challenge, they step down and take up the rank of Warlord, 1st Rank. All other players are then adjusted down one rank accordingly.
If the challenging Warlord loses, they fall to the bottom of the Warlord Ranks, and must defeat five of his peers before issuing another challenge to the Overlord. A Warlord may only challenge the Overlord once per cycle.
*****SEMI or FULL RETIREMENT*****
*** Semi-Retirement ***
A Warlord that knows they are going to be away for an extended period of time must make an announcement to the RDI DoS staff and to all other Warlords stating their Semi-Retirement. No challenges may be issued to that Warlord during their Semi-Retirement. Other Warlords wishing to advance in rank would challenge the next higher ranked Warlord if the Warlord above them is semi-retired.
When coming out of Semi-Retirement, the Warlord must make a public announcement, and must defeat at least five of his peers before making a challenge against the Overlord.
If a Warlords absence is going to be longer than one cycle, the Warlord must go into full retirement.
*** Full-Retirement ***
A public announcement of retirement must be made to all Warlords, and the RDI DoS Staff. The Warlord is then moved from the list of Warlord Ranks to the list of Honorably Retired Warlords. When a Retired Warlord duels, the duels do not affect standings, and a Retired Warlord may not duel more than five duels in a cycle. A Retired Warlord may not challenge the Overlord.
When a Fully Retired Warlord comes out of retirement, they must make a public announcement of their return. The returning Warlord will start at the bottom of the Warlord ranks, and must defeat at least 5 of their peers before making a challenge against the Overlord.
*****FANCY MANEUVERS*****
To reflect the player's ability to handle the sword with greater dexterity and cunning after the experience of many duels, the player will be able to execute Fancy maneuvers. Fancy Manuevers will be awarded according to rank as such.
Rank Number of Fancy Manuevers
------------------- --------------------------------------
Commoner 0 Fancy Manuever
Swordsman 1 Fancy Manuever
Master-at-Arms 2 Fancy Manuevers
Grandmaster 3 Fancy Manuevers
Warlord 4 Fancy Manuevers
Overlord 5 Fancy Manuevers
A Fancy Maneuver may be played anytime at the whim of the player during the duel, using any of the standard ten maneuvers. When sending orders to the game official, the player indicates that the manuever is Fancy by simply adding the word Fancy to the order. example: Fancy Lateral Parry.
Fancy Maneuver Advantages:
If the standard result was a MISS, it stays a MISS. If the result was an ADVANTAGE, it becomes a HIT. If the result was a HIT, no change.
Fancy Maneuver Restrictions:
The number of fancy maneuvers that may be used by the Overlord is restricted to 1 (one) fancy over that of the number of fancies of his opponent's. I.E. When in combat against a Commoner, The Overlord is restricted to 1 fancy. Against a Swordsman he is limited to 2 fancies, Fighting a Master-at-Arms the Overlord may only use 3 fancies. Against a Grand Master the Overlord may use 4 fancies and when in combat againt a Warlord the Overlord may use all 5 of his fancies. There are no such restrictions on the use of fancy manuevers by any other Rank.
*****PLAY RESTRAINTS*****
1. No maneuver, except DISENGAGE, may be played twice in a row.
2. If an invalid maneuver is made, or an incomplete set of maneuvers were sent, the Disengage maneuver will be substitued.
3. This is NOT a fight to the death. Both player are fully protected from permanent injury.
4. After two players battle each other they must both battle at least one other opponent before they may again fight one another.
*****STANDINGS*****
Standings will be posted approximately every week. All ranks and fancy maneuvers are retained untill new standings are posted.
*****CYCLES******
DoS will run in cycles of approximately two months. Cycles will begin on the first full weekend of even numbered months (FEB, APR, JUN, AUG, OCT, DEC), and end the last weekend of the following month. For each new cycle, players records will be adjusted as such: Losses will be subtracted from wins, losses and ties will be reduced to zero. This will allow players to keep enough wins over losses to retain their current ranking. In example: A player with a record of 15-7-1 at the end of one cycle would start the next with a record of 8-0-0; 15 - 7 = 8, ties and losses thrown out.
DUEL OF SWORDS! 09/27/94
Sword fighting requires a great deal of strength, dexterity, and skill to be successful. But basically, when both opponents are equally matched the fight becomes a process of who can out guess who first!
*****MANEUVERS*****
There are ten basic maneuvers in Duel of Swords:
Thrust
High Cut
Slash
Low Cut
Disengage
Lateral Parry
Sidestep
Circular Parry
Duck
Stop Hit
Each maneuver, when matched against an opponent's will result in a HIT, a MISS, or an ADVANTAGE. A HIT is scored with 1 point, a MISS with 0, and an ADVANTAGE with 1/2 point.
There are two ways to play 'Duel of Swords' (DoS), Live play, or EMail play. The rules are slightly different for each version.
*****LIVE PLAY*****
Both players and the game official meet in the People Connection room "RDI Duel of Swords". The match will be played one round at a time. The players send their moves to the game official by IM only one move per IM and one IM per round. The official will determine and type the results to screen.
WIN: A win occurs when a player reaches FIVE POINTS and is a FULL POINT ahead of his opponent. OR, at the end of Fifteen rounds, the player with AT LEAST a full point lead is declared a winnner!
TIES: A tie occurs when there is LESS than a full point lead at the end of 15 rounds.
FOREITURE: If a player voluntarily leaves during a duel, that player forfeits the match.
PUNTS: If a player is punted and unable to return, the RDI, with the input of the remaining player, will decide if the match is to be ruled a tie or a loss. If both are punted and unable to return then the score, as it stands at the last full round, will determine the winner and the RDI will EMail the results to the participants.
*****EMAIL PLAY*****
The rules for EMail play are the same as for Live play, except for in how they are scored, which is in the following manner:
In EMail play both players pick fifteen actions and EMAIL them to a game official in the order that they are to be carried out. The game official will compare the two sets of actions and determine the results. The game official will compare one action at a time. The winner will be the player that scores the most hits after all 15 manuvers. If after all fifteen actions have been compared the score is equal, or within 1/2 point, the match ends in a tie.
*****RANKING*****
Duelists rise in rank, according to their success with the sword. Ranks are assigned according to the number of wins over losses.
Rank Needed number of wins over losses
------------------- ----------------------------------------------
Commoner Less than TWO more wins than losses
Swordsman TWO wins more than losses
Master-at-Arms FIVE more wins than losses
Grand Master TEN more wins than losses
Warlord FIFTEEN more wins than losses
Overlord By challenge from a Warlord
***** WARLORD CHALLENGE *****
In an endeavor to increase the level of competition and rivalry amongst the rank of Warlord, and to make the sport more challenging for the players and entertaining for the spectators a system for ranking those of the Warlord level has been implemented.
When a player first attains the standing of Warlord, they are added to the bottom of the Warlord Ranks. In order to attain a higher rank, a player must challenge the player immediately ranked above them. The challenger MUST inform the calling RDI that the duel is a "Duel for Rank". If the challenger wins, they move up one rank, and the loser moves down one rank. If the challenger loses, there is no change in rank.
A "Duel for Rank" challenge must be met within two weeks, or the match will be considered a forfeit.
If a Warlord loses, then regains their Warlord status, they are put at the bottom of the Warlord Ranks like any other new Warlord. They do not regain their previous Warlord Ranking.
Once every two cycles a Warlord Tournament will be held. The Overlord will not be allowed to participate in this tournament. The winner of the tournament will attain the rank of Warlord, 1st Rank. All other players will be adjusted downward accordingly. Warlords of the 1st Rank will be allowed one challenge for the Overlord with no risk of losing rank, and if they lose, will be allowed a second challenge without having to make five peer challenges. (See below rules for details on Overlord Challenges)
WARLORD RANKINGS AND THE OVERLORD
A Warlord may challenge the Overlord for his title by issuing a formal challenge. The overlord must accept the challenge, or be disgraced and lose rank.
Any Warlord is free to challenge the Overlord at any time, excepting cases of retirement (See section below). If the Overlord loses the challenge, they step down and take up the rank of Warlord, 1st Rank. All other players are then adjusted down one rank accordingly.
If the challenging Warlord loses, they fall to the bottom of the Warlord Ranks, and must defeat five of his peers before issuing another challenge to the Overlord. A Warlord may only challenge the Overlord once per cycle.
*****SEMI or FULL RETIREMENT*****
*** Semi-Retirement ***
A Warlord that knows they are going to be away for an extended period of time must make an announcement to the RDI DoS staff and to all other Warlords stating their Semi-Retirement. No challenges may be issued to that Warlord during their Semi-Retirement. Other Warlords wishing to advance in rank would challenge the next higher ranked Warlord if the Warlord above them is semi-retired.
When coming out of Semi-Retirement, the Warlord must make a public announcement, and must defeat at least five of his peers before making a challenge against the Overlord.
If a Warlords absence is going to be longer than one cycle, the Warlord must go into full retirement.
*** Full-Retirement ***
A public announcement of retirement must be made to all Warlords, and the RDI DoS Staff. The Warlord is then moved from the list of Warlord Ranks to the list of Honorably Retired Warlords. When a Retired Warlord duels, the duels do not affect standings, and a Retired Warlord may not duel more than five duels in a cycle. A Retired Warlord may not challenge the Overlord.
When a Fully Retired Warlord comes out of retirement, they must make a public announcement of their return. The returning Warlord will start at the bottom of the Warlord ranks, and must defeat at least 5 of their peers before making a challenge against the Overlord.
*****FANCY MANEUVERS*****
To reflect the player's ability to handle the sword with greater dexterity and cunning after the experience of many duels, the player will be able to execute Fancy maneuvers. Fancy Manuevers will be awarded according to rank as such.
Rank Number of Fancy Manuevers
------------------- --------------------------------------
Commoner 0 Fancy Manuever
Swordsman 1 Fancy Manuever
Master-at-Arms 2 Fancy Manuevers
Grandmaster 3 Fancy Manuevers
Warlord 4 Fancy Manuevers
Overlord 5 Fancy Manuevers
A Fancy Maneuver may be played anytime at the whim of the player during the duel, using any of the standard ten maneuvers. When sending orders to the game official, the player indicates that the manuever is Fancy by simply adding the word Fancy to the order. example: Fancy Lateral Parry.
Fancy Maneuver Advantages:
If the standard result was a MISS, it stays a MISS. If the result was an ADVANTAGE, it becomes a HIT. If the result was a HIT, no change.
Fancy Maneuver Restrictions:
The number of fancy maneuvers that may be used by the Overlord is restricted to 1 (one) fancy over that of the number of fancies of his opponent's. I.E. When in combat against a Commoner, The Overlord is restricted to 1 fancy. Against a Swordsman he is limited to 2 fancies, Fighting a Master-at-Arms the Overlord may only use 3 fancies. Against a Grand Master the Overlord may use 4 fancies and when in combat againt a Warlord the Overlord may use all 5 of his fancies. There are no such restrictions on the use of fancy manuevers by any other Rank.
*****PLAY RESTRAINTS*****
1. No maneuver, except DISENGAGE, may be played twice in a row.
2. If an invalid maneuver is made, or an incomplete set of maneuvers were sent, the Disengage maneuver will be substitued.
3. This is NOT a fight to the death. Both player are fully protected from permanent injury.
4. After two players battle each other they must both battle at least one other opponent before they may again fight one another.
*****STANDINGS*****
Standings will be posted approximately every week. All ranks and fancy maneuvers are retained untill new standings are posted.
*****CYCLES******
DoS will run in cycles of approximately two months. Cycles will begin on the first full weekend of even numbered months (FEB, APR, JUN, AUG, OCT, DEC), and end the last weekend of the following month. For each new cycle, players records will be adjusted as such: Losses will be subtracted from wins, losses and ties will be reduced to zero. This will allow players to keep enough wins over losses to retain their current ranking. In example: A player with a record of 15-7-1 at the end of one cycle would start the next with a record of 8-0-0; 15 - 7 = 8, ties and losses thrown out.