Let's be blunt: This kind of dueling is not for everyone. Hell, it's not even for "most" people! See, this is not a 'casual game' or a game for those who view complex rules and game analysis as torturous. (We're just trying to save you some time, in case you somehow arrived here looking for an idle click-fest or yet another game where you can dominate with fast reflexes or a good aim bot.)

Still here? Awesome! Maybe you're friend material after all. We hope so!

Success in MartianDuel™ involves both quick decisions based on shifting probabilities and crafting a Duelist via strategically savvy choices over time. Strong play comes through study of one's opponents, anticipation of their tactics, and clever skill path and outfitting choices. As you learn the game and develop your Duelists, you'll find the way you and your friends duel is a reflection of your personality. The better you know someone the more fun your duels become, the more satisfying your wins are, and the better your Duelists' long-term win-loss records will be.

You may be thinking, "Sounds complicated. That must make finding new players tough." Boy howdy, does it ever! But when we do find good, cunning players to join our community, it's worth it for all of us!

To either save you time (or pique your interest!), here's how new-player impressions of this game commonly progress:

1. "The pre-draw stage is just rock-paper-scissors..." (typical misconception by casual gamers who won't have read this far and won't bother with the tutorial. They can be relied upon to rotate out, often without completing or winning a duel).
2. "Wait a minute... this is far deeper than R-P-S..." (some gamers' second impression as they begin to understand how the duels play out, but before any real investigation).
3. "OH, shit -- MartianDuel is much more involved than I first thought!" (strategy gamers who poke around and begin seeing possibilities for winning tactics others may not have seen.
4. Finally, a few grognards get to that delightful, "OMG! So many possibilities!" moment. Those are the gamers we built this game for -- people like us who enjoy a smart challenge and like the idea of successes that only come through evaluation and analysis ...and who like the idea of joining a community where people explore tactical and strategic options together, help shape the game's evolution, and have fun bouncing ideas off each other (we call this 'theory-crafting' and we totally geek out on these conversations).

MartianDuel offers both PvE play (against the computer), and PvP play (against your friends). To check out the basic play, we offer a bare-bones QuickDuel, where you can challenge the most basic of our many AI opponents in a very simplified game experience (like, we've done all we could to dumb it down for those interested in a simple play test). The QuickDuel link can be found under the video tutorial.

Play of the game -- what to expect:

This game is played in rounds. The game engine processes rounds within a few seconds of submission. Once you submit your action, your action buttons will gray out for a second or three, then become available again. At that point the previous round's results are displayed, the duel has advanced to the next round, and it's your turn to submit your next action.

Tutorial:

This first tutorial gives an overview of the most basic form of the game. This tutorial shows a Wild West context, circa the 1880's, but the play mechanics for MartianDuel are the same. In this QuickDuel, you have no special gear and there are no weather effects, just basic play and counter-play in turns without a time limit.

Quick Game Overview.

Beginning Duelists start with 11 basic skills. You begin gaining advanced skills at level 10, which comes quickly. There are over 100 different skills, divided along 9 unique proficiency paths.

While skilled play is the most important determinant of success over time, there are over 800 different articles of clothing and accessories your duelist can equip. Each conveys different benefits, allowing great flexibility in how one equips their Duelist to complement their skills, dueling style and tactics.

Choose from over 40 different revolvers. Some of the pistols are legendary; others can enhance or complement your chosen skill path as you progress.

Duels are divided into two phases: Pre-draw and Post-draw.

• Picture the pre-draw phase as reflecting that time in classic western movies when the gunfighters are in the middle of the street, staring each other down, psyching each other out.
• The post-draw phase begins when one or both Duelists have drawn their weapon and begun using shots, skills, and actions to hit the other person while avoiding being hit themselves.

Here are the key concepts:

During pre-draw, you're trying to get your Accuracy (your steadiness, your nerves) high, while keeping your energy high enough that you retain movement and action options after drawing, shooting, and perhaps moving. If you run low on energy, you'll have to spend rounds resting instead of doing something more useful.

Your "Accuracy" stat is like your base chance to hit when you shoot, although your actual chances can be modified by actions you or your opponent take, gear you're wearing, or even premium bullets.

1. "Focus" actions (like "Staredown") build your Accuracy and your Energy a little.
2. "Motion" actions (like "Gesture") increase your Accuracy quite a bit, but cost you Energy to make. A Motion will negate the opponent's Focus action, wasting their turn.
3. "Voice" actions (like "Taunt") increase your Energy quite a bit. They also negate your opponent if the oppo tries a Motion action.
4. If you string together successive Focus actions without getting negated, you get increasing Accuracy benefits.

Drawing your weapon sets your "Draw mark." Certain actions or events (like shooting, or being hit with a shot!) will knock your Accuracy down. Getting your Accuracy back up is faster when your current Accuracy is below your draw mark.

When you feel your Accuracy is high enough, draw your weapon. Some advanced skill branches let you draw and shoot (a "quickdraw!") in one action!

Your post-draw actions include Aim, Recover, Shoot, Reload, Evade, Rest, and Stand. During the post-draw phase, you're goal is to knock the opponent's Resolve to 0 before he does that to you. Simple!