:: a photo of Siera Red and MidnyteBlue exchanging high and low cuts respectively.  Blood spurts
from calf and forehead and the dueler's have a sharp-edged look in their eyes--a duel begun.  Over
this, reads DOS TODAY::

*    *    *

DoS TODAY,  Volume 1, Issue 7

Contents:

Letters to the Editor                   page 2
Advert for VegaDragon's Armory          page 3
Editorial                     page 4
Advert for SlothShamn's leaves          page 5
Newsflashes                        page 6
Advert for Alkron's Dueling School      page 7
Advert for Dark Axe's Cologne      page 8
Duel of Fists report                    page 9
Advert for Gloin's Weapon O-rama        page 11
Advert for Arelia's Trinkets            page 11
Photo spread                       page 12
Advert for Gaijin's HSN            page 14
Report of the Red and Blue fight part 2 page 15
Advert for Chanson's Musical Day Care   page 16
Advert for Dark Axe's lessons      page 17
Dos Today Poll                page 18


Staff:  Oscar Madison, Editor in chief
          Broadway Dan, Associate Editor (photos by Dan so stated by a BD)
          Hedda Hat, Columnist

*    *    *
page 2

Letters to the editor

Dear Mr. Madison:

Thank you for your kind personal letter notifying me that my issue of DoS Today will not be
forthcoming this week.  This level of service is unusual in the journalism business and I am most
impressed with the quality of service it represents.

I look forward to receiving my issues and hope that you will continue my subscription.  Kindest
regards to Ms. Hat and Mr. Dan.

May the blessings of the Land be upon you and those under your protection.  Until we meet
again, I remain,

Mamusia

The editors would like to thank Mamusia for her lovely letter and kind words in this generally
thankless world.  ~Ed.

*    *    *
page 3

::an ad opens before you, showing VegaDragon in his new store::

Weapons for sale!  New or used!  Plain or Magical!  Armor for the masses!  Come on down to
Vega's Armory and check out the merchandise!  All methods of payment accepted.  You cannot
be turned down for credit!  Come on down today!

*    *    *
page 4

Editorial:

Record?  What record?

  There has been a disturbing trend in the dueling world these days.  The scoring.  Now as this is a
touchy subject, I would like to begin by pointing out that this is not a personal attack.  However,
the standings list for the past several months has been appalling at best, and this newest slip-up
just makes matters worse.  On the 20th of this month, I received a letter that was sent to all the
RDIs involved in dueling and myself, that stated that the overlord Vixxenish was stripped of her
title because she had not maintained the wins over losses ratio required of a warlord.  Standings
keeper Xenograg then stated that he had placed her as a grandmaster and the Overlord spot
would remain vacant until such time as a challenge could be organized.  That same day, Vixxenish
sent out her record along with the official standings as posted in the Duel of Swords folder.  It
appeared his calculations were not correct as according to her letter, she had something closer to
20 wins over losses rather than what he had reported.  Honest mistake?  No doubt, but since that
time no word has been heard from Xenograg on the matter.  He did not take the time to apologize
as far as I know, and he certainly did not retract the earlier statement.  And while this is a rather
moot point, as the esteemed dwarf Gloin has now taken over Xenograg's duties, I bring it to your
attention, fellow duelers, to stress the importance to you the dueler of keeping track of your
duels, and to you the RDI that we are people out here without whom you would not have a job,
and that courtesy cannot be over-stressed.
But of course that's just my opinion..... ~Ed.

*    *    *
page 5
::A bright green photo of the jungle appears on this page and down on the floor of this rain-
forested scene is the loin-clothed Warsloth, SlothShamn, standing at a small booth.  A sign in
front of the booth reads::
Leaves for sale.  Improve your dueling while you heal your wounds with SlothShamn's wondrous
magical leaves.  (Sloth also recommends chewing a leaf or two before dueling him, although this
magazine cannot be held responsible for the outcome of the duel.)

Leaves, they're not just for shade anymore.

Contact SlothShamn for your leaves today.

*    *    *
page 6
Newsflashes...

  New to the calling world!  The well known Dark elf himself, Feadur, has taken over the calling
for retired caller and all around monster, Gidra.  I went down to the basement myself this past
Friday night and was quite impressed with the quickness and accuracy of the new caller.  His
renaming of the rings also brings a little Greek classicism to the venerable sport and I am sure that
we will all be glad to have him for the days to come.

  Speaking of the rings, several of the more memorable rings are out of service this week for
monthly maintenance.  Ring 5 for example could not bear the famous duel between SwordofDeth
and Bobby561032, and will have to be completely renovated.  Similarly, DarkElf's GAMMA ring
was reported to be rather overcome by radiation, and the proper protocols are being taken to see
that it is safe once again.
  
  Several new faces have appeared in the Weenie ranks (also known as warlords).  SlothShamn,
well known slow mover, creeped his way up into the upper ranks recently; as has FetherStaff, also
known as Fetherstick, Fetherstave, and FetherJavelin (for those Olympians in the RDI... and no I
don't mean Zeus and Hera); CatShakira with her vicious claw action has moved up the ladder of
success; and dear, beloved by all, Dare Ltan who presumably moved up to take his friend
Shadowrun's place in the ranks of the weenies (The Bishop, having indeed made his goal of 100
wins over losses has indeed retired himself from the ranks).  Roustam in a burst of winning slipped
out of the dwindling pool of Grand Masters to join the weenies; and old-time dueler, Fantasy RC
has announced his return to active dueling which should make the upper ranks shiver in their
boots.

  The Overlord challenge was to take place this past Thursday, but was cancelled as the Overlady
Vixxenish was feeling ill.  There was some talk of her second, venerable old weenie Gray Max
taking the duel on in her behalf, but Lord Valmion insisted that it would only be fair and
honorable to wait until the lady herself was ready to duel.  So the duel will be rescheduled.  This
editor applauds all the parties involved for a mature reaction to the situation.

*    *    *
page 7

**ATTENTION DUELISTS!!**

Down on your luck with the sword?

Need proper attention in order to rise to your potential?

Well, now it's available!

But only if you join Dojo Alkron!

Taught by Warlord Alkron, the dojo also has 4 Warlord guest teachers...

1st and 2nd Ranked Amaltea and Siera Red!
AND,
Warlords Feadur and Qn Luthien!

All four of which are very successful Warlords!

For more information, email "GldenSword."

*    *    *
page 8

::this page opens onto a full page black and white photo of Dark Axe laying on his back in the
DoS room, an arm propping his head up.  His upper body bare, glistened with water droplets,
covering the entire page, bronze skin gleaming with the reflection of the light.. on the top, in large
bold letters "Duel of Sword's Armor.... a refreshing new fragrance.".. at the bottom of the page is
a flap that when opened reveals a strong whiff of cologne, and a long yellow tab, with instructions
to rub a wrist on the tab and pick up the refreshing fragrance of Armor::

*    *    *
page 9

An interview with Black Panther, originator of the Duel of Fists...

  This editor caught up with Panther one evening before the duels began and asked him about the
sport.

DoSToday:  Tell me about the duel of fists, Mr. Panther.
Black Panther:  I thank you for your interest in the Duel of Fists game, Oscar.  Duel of Fists is
coming up on it's first year anniversary, it premiered in late November of last year.  It was Kira
Kayne and myself who first developed the game. We had been in a duel on the swords arena, and
though I don't recall the outcome of the match, afterwards we got to talking about how we both
prefer to fight weaponless.  We then got together to flesh out the concepts of a hand to hand
combat game.  In the beginning, we took the exact structure of the successful Duel of Swords and
came up with a list of allowed moves for use in the fights.  To keep things in the same 10 move
restraints of Duel of Swords, we allowed for some very generic maneuvers.. we allowed a bit
more latitude with the kicks, because they could be targeted at more varied parts of the body then
most punches could.  There were some defensive moves as well.  

  In it's early testing the game was rather successful in it's own right... but something just wasn't
right.   The concept for the two games (DoS and DoF) was basically the same, but the mechanics
of DoSwords were different enough that I felt they put some inherent restrictions on DoFists.  I
guess I had taken DoF and tried to put into the scope of DoS instead of using DoS as merely the
base for DoF.  That's when I expanded the scope of allowed moves, and allowed the fighters to
feint a move.

  These new "rules" came into effect in March of this year.  The game has prospered under these
rules, and it was only the changes in DoS that prompted me to put some further changes into
effect just this last month.

  I'm sure you are aware of the change in the way a fancy is scored in DoS... the only way to score
a fancy is to use it when you gain an advantage to turn that advantage into a hit. This got me to
thinking how similar things would work in DoFists.

  What I came up with was basically the same, tho not quite as restrictive..  I felt there should be a
slight change in just how an advantage is defined. (I went back to the original DoS rules from
QLink for the definition of two consecutive advantages being equal to a hit).

  When I decided upon the change to the advantage, I also slight altered the fancy restrictions to
state that if you take a "hit",  the effects of your fancy are nullified.  I felt that if you are scored
upon, then you should not be able to gain any sort of advantage from your "fancifulness", because
for all your experience, you still got hit.

  As far as the game being difficult.. I think once you play the game, you'll see the concept is not
that difficult.  Take our the modifiers (feint/fancy), and the basics are the same as in DoS. As you
gain the experience that comes with many fights, and earn the use of a modifier, you also gain the
understanding of what they are.  I did start out to try and make DoFists a step up in
difficulty/challenge from what I felt DoSwords was at the time.  This was to try and differentiate
it from DoS... so people wouldn't see it as "same game, different moves"

DT:  Do you have any tips for the newcomer?
BP:  Tips?  I'm afraid I'm the wrong person to ask.. even though the game is of my design.. I'm
not much of a structured fighter.. as my own personal record of 2:3:1 should attest. You may
wish to talk to a couple of the Emerald Ranked fighters.. currently there are four.  Dare Ltan1,
Dark Axe, PrinceFyre, and Siera Red.  In fact.. maybe talk to a few of them for their opinions of
the game, I'm sure they could give you much better views in that regard than I could.

DT:  What's in store for the future?
BP:  The Future of Duel of Fists?  I look forward to it becoming an integral part of the RDI
realm...I hope the recent changes will prove to be for the betterment of the game.

DT:  I thank you very much, sir, for your time.
BP:  You're welcome, Oscar.  ::the man rose from the couch as the evening's duelers began to
arrive::

*    *    *
page 11

::a small ad appears on the next page::
Gloin's Weapon-O-rama
 Servicing the greater RhyDIn area for over 146 years
       Sharpening and Cleaning Service
       New and Used Weapons Sales
       Consignments Negotiable
       No job too small
       Specializing in Swords and Axes
       Ask about our exclusive "Tempered Mithril" coating process  

"Shop conveniently located 3 doors south of the Red Dragon Inn"

=======================================================

::A photo of the shop front is surrounded by white roses with red spots with the caption, "Arelia's
Trinkets.... for all your dueling needs."::

Arelia's is located next door to the Red Dragon Inn, and can be found in the message boards in
the "From the Dragon's Mouth" folder.

*    *    *

page 12

::Grey Max, blurred sword impacting squarely with Dark Axe's blade. Lightning blue sparks fly
up.::
Caption: Max fancily parries low as Ulath, from his dwarven height, does a high cut that would be
considered a low cut on a tall person.  BD

::Dare Ltan walking around the Red and Blue duel selling bowls of "Cream of Leaf"::
Caption:  Dare Ltan moving into a new line of work?

::Rantom holds his sword horizontally over his head, with the point slightly tilted downward. Qn
Luthien is in the air, bringing her sword downward from above her head.::
Caption: Rantom bends low and parries high, just in time for Luthien's high cut to deflect off his
blade!   BD

::Siera Red fancy ducking MidnyteBlue's high cut::
Caption:  Red retains her challenged rank with cunning skill.

Extra-bloody Picture: ::Dark Axe, eyes bugging out, goes tripping over Grey Max's blade. Blood
trips from the cut to his middle, and if you squint, you can see exposed intestines. Yum! :D::
Caption: Ulath goes down in flames as Max sidesteps his wild slash, and leaves his blade sticking
out of Ulath's middle.   BD

3 photo group...
::Tahasara thrusts into Luthien as she high cuts, blood spurting in every direction.::
::Luthien slumps onto the ground as Tahasara looks extremely amused in the background::
::Tahasara kicking the downed woman as he steps out of the ring::
Caption:  Evil doer duels dishonorably.

*    *    *
page 14

::a hologram of Gaijin herself, back to the view, wearing a Duel of Swords puntmonster
leather jacket, and matching Duel of Swords Practice sweatsuit in her trademark purple and
gold::

::to her left, Talldeer, looking very much put-upon, wearing a Duel of Swords baseball cap::
::to her right, Dolby,  (Gaijin's NPC - See the Rhy Din Shopping Network Folder) grinning
vapidly, wearing an oversized T-Shirt reading "I (heart) Vixxenish, The Overlady"::
::To Talldeer's left, Kyle (see Dolby, above) brandishing a plastic sports bottle bearing the
words "Can't you see I'm practicing for the Duel of Swords?" in the background, Spyke23,
and OIC Blank, giving rabbit ears to Dolby and Talldeer with their fingers::

::in the background are swordsheathes, and a plethora of other dueling memorabilia and
supplies:: 

::underneath the holo, the caption, in glowing letters: "The RhyDin Shopping Network: For
All Your Duel of Swords Needs!"::

*    *    *
page 15

::a photo of Blue and Red dueling, Red sidestepping as Blue charges past with a thrust::

Red Retains Rank

  This past Thursday Siera Red successfully defended herself against a challenge by MidnyteBlue
for her newly gained seat.  The match which was to have taken place after the Overlord challenge
became the centerpiece of the evening and a good time was had by all.  Duck and leaves were
served with Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and a special bottle of Dom Perignon that demon
Skirn wanted to waste at bird shooting with the cork to the disgust of the Braxin Lord, Harkur,
and Warsloth SlothShamn.
  The duel went seven rounds and all but two of the rounds were bloodless.  A mighty show of
defensive skill was shown by both duelists, making no one doubt the reason each of them are
ranked so high.
  Red made mention of her desire to continue to rise in the ranks, but also her wish to remain
friends with the Warlord next in line.  Whatever her plans for the future, this editor wishes her
well.

::photo of Blue stepping to the side as Red thrusts past::
::photo of Red parrying Blue's low cut away from her knees::
::photo of Red and Blue toasting each other over tea and ale::

*    *    *
page 16

::the page opens to a full page photo of a large, relaxed-looking crowd in a nightclub, watching a
band onstage perform.::

  "Music is Magic Nightclub, where music is a way of life.  Whether you simply want a night out
on the town, or whether you need to unwind (or celebrate) after an evening of dueling, stop by,
meet our friendly staff, and see performers that are world-famous both in RhyDin and back on
Earth.

  Also announcing a Saturday afternoon special -- Children's afternoon. Got a tough duel lined up
for Saturday night?  Need a little peace from the children, or just some practice time.  Bring your
child to the Music is Magic Children's Afternoon, where your child(ren) will be able not only to
listen to their favorites, but also perform them.  Refreshments to be provided. Donations go
towards a RhyDin halfway house for orphans, runaways, and those in trouble.

  The Music is Magic Nightclub is located in the From the Dragons Mouth message board."

*    *    *
page 17

:: the page opens to a full length photo of Dark Axe, posed in a dueling stance, wearing a light
leather dueling vest, leather trousers, his long tawny hair held in the back by a single silver clasp. 
A large sign is seen in the background, it reads 'Come today! Join Ulath's dueling lessons Inc.! 
Drop a note to Ulath for details!' ::

*    *    *
page 18

DOS TODAY POLL:

"After a month of dueling what do you think of the new fancy rule?

Mark 'a' for 'I like it!'
Mark 'b' for 'It's okie!"
Mark 'c' for 'Huh?'
Mark 'd' for 'I sorta liked it better back in the olden days!'
Mark 'e' for 'I hate the rule! I'm a warlord an' it's taking away all my fancies!'

(Send your answer to BrdwayDan! Results will appear next week!)

*    *    *
page 19


We're looking for a few good writers.

You'll qualify, though.

DoS Today will accept freelance writers! Send an article DoSEditor and join the ranks of the
published!

Fine print: all articles are the property of DoS Today, DoSEditor, and Bill Gates 'cause he owns
everything. We have the right to refuse to print anything, and we don't even have to send it back.
Nah nah!  (yeah just like the big boys.)



Disclaimer:

DoS Today is an independently produced magazine in no way affiliated with the official DOS
game, the Free Form Gaming Forum, or AOL.  The information herein should not be considered
the views of AOL or its staff.
Thank you.


Happy Dueling  :)