Out of character thread XIX

[econ21]

The issue is not that Warluster does not want to patch his game but that he does not have the means to do so in the near future, meaning he is prevented from doing so.
That and he needs 1.3, meaning double the size of 1.2.

I know - I am not unsympathetic. If von Salza's life (or Ruppel's) depended on it, I would compromise. I don't want any player to lose their avatar because of OOC technical problems, still less becase of a disputed ruling by me. But we are not in a life or death situation here (yet). Bear in mind we are not talking about Warluster being unable to patch in the near future - we are apparently talking about not patching until June.

Subbing was considered for situations where people were away for long periods of time. Not patching your game is not being away. Kotr switched to 1.3 a long time ago and having a properly patched version of the game should be a requirement of full participation in the PBM.

By the same token, I am not going to allow Roadkill to use a sub if he is still without M2TW. When Roadkill was new to the PBM, we allowed that to cut him a break but it does not seem a proper long term solution. Now he has a new avatar, and given the current Swabian case, he should be considered to be on reserve duty unless he confirms he has a fully patched and kotorfixed game installed.

At the time of posting, there are no players with arrangements for proxying in place. If a player's avatar is involved in a battle, they or another player whose avatar is in the same battle, has to fight it within 48 hours or it will be autocalced. This has quite serious implications for the game - not just for Swabia, but also for the Magdeburg three (who might all be killed if an autocalced siege assault leads to their defeat) and also the Kaiser's army (which seems now to have no commander who can fight Monday to Thursday). Personally, I think the constraints introduced by the risk of autocalc go some way to offsetting the weak AI and add some needed tension to our game.

[AussieGiant]

Just to be sure, I'll repeat my post from before.

Can everyone please update the Duty Roster to reflect their status.

Warluster if you could please select something more appropriate for your current and final status for the time being? That would be good.

Franconia is also clearly not accurate given the last few turns of three avatars in Magdeburg.

EF is on active duty, Dutch_guy is technically back therefore I assumed on Active Duty and Flydude is not even on the list.

Roadkill will also have commit or find another option.

Given the tightening of the rules in this regard, if things don't start becoming more accurate I'll have to reorganise the overall commands to avoid my Chancellorship being a little to "auto-calcy" for my liking.

For example Austria...I've got three active commanders and I'll use them to the exclusion of the others unless proven otherwise.

[FactionHeir]

I know - I am not unsympathetic. If von Salza's life (or Ruppel's) depended on it, I would compromise. I don't want any player to lose their avatar because of OOC technical problems, still less becase of a disputed ruling by me. But we are not in a life or death situation here (yet). Bear in mind we are not talking about Warluster being unable to patch in the near future - we are apparently talking about not patching until June.

Subbing was considered for situations where people were away for long periods of time. Not patching your game is not being away. Kotr switched to 1.3 a long time ago and having a properly patched version of the game should be a requirement of full participation in the PBM.

Fully understand your views and without sounding overly stubborn, I would still like to say that Warluster is not intentionally not patching to allow others to play his battles but that he was able to play up until recently until a virus messed up his install. He wants to patch but he is not able to do so due to limited availability of internet. He certainly is trying to get back quickly, but it may take a while and I think its reasonable to allow for some subbing...

[econ21]

I understand Factionheir. However, as far as I can make out, Warluster has not manually fought a KotR battle in last six months since he resigned as Kaiser. I am wondering now if he has been unable even to consult savegames for quite a while; if so, it does change somethings - he may need other players to act as his "eyes" so to speak.

AussieGiant will be autocalcing the battle when he gets back to the game. I know there will be fraught military and perhaps political implications of what is likely to be a defeat, but it would be good if we try to discuss them in character rather than OOC. The Diet/House threads need a shot in the arm and debating strategy in character is one way to keep things lively.

[FactionHeir]

He has not been able to check the savegame since then I believe as so far I have always given him updates of the game via PM.

That also explains why he wrote "Huge Stone Wall" for Staufen for instance

[Ferret]

Franconia is also clearly not accurate given the last few turns of three avatars in Magdeburg.

EF is on active duty, Dutch_guy is technically back therefore I assumed on Active Duty and Flydude is not even on the list.

sorry my internet went down after my last post so I've only just found out it is under siege again, is it too late to sally? Do I have to sally, I'd rather just defend an assault again?

[Ramses II CP]

I think Madgeburg just has a Polish army sitting outside the walls, not holding it under siege, but there's another stack and a half of Polish troops within striking distance. No idea if any of them have artillery.

[Ignoramus]

I'm sorry guys, but I'll have to drop out of the PBM. My brother's moving to Adelaide and taking his computer with him, so I won't be able to play MTWII. I might participate in the next game though.

It's been great being part of this PBM and I've had lots of fun.

[Ramses II CP]

It's been good playing with you Igno. Hummel's first PvP battle was one of the main reasons I joined, it looked like such a blast.

[econ21]

I'm sorry to see you leave, Ignoramus. You need to lobby your folks to get you a computer like your brother's. They are educational, you know...

[GeneralHankerchief]

Sad to see you go, Ignoramus. Your talents at creating drama will certainly be missed.

[Zim]

Bad luck, Ignoramus. Serving under Hummel was so exciting when I made my new character I had to go to Outremer to get my fix of impossible odds!

Will you still be with us in the Victonia game?

[gibsonsg91921]

Aww.. bye Iggy. Both Ulrich and Wolfgang are legendary characters. Too bad Hapsburg didn't get a chance to develop much, that name just means too much. Sad to see ya go. I'm probably the youngest in the PBM now, after Mini Econ.

[deguerra]

Yeh sorry to see you go Ignoramus, I have only you to thank for getting me started up and playing such an interesting character! Hope to see you back sometimes.

I'm probably the youngest in the PBM now, after Mini Econ.

ok, now im interested. how old is everybody? I'm 20 myself

[gibsonsg91921]

16, like the Green Day song.

[Zim]

An ancient 24 here.

ok, now im interested. how old is everybody? I'm 20 myself

[Ramses II CP]

Pfft, I'm so old I have to ask my wife how old I am, you bunch of kids.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

31

Okay, maybe not so old I should forget, but after a certain age it just doesn't matter as much anymore.

[Northnovas]

Another Austrian loss. Sorry to see you go but these things called computers can be educational.
You definietly brought some drama to the game.

Okay, maybe not so old I should forget, but after a certain age it just doesn't matter as much anymore.

Nicely said after a certain number it doesn't matter.

[OverKnight]

What is this the Children's Crusade? Gah!

We're going to be ruled by teenagers for the next two generations!

Get off my lawn! Where's my free money!? I'm cold and there are wolves after me.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

32

Edit: Sad to see you go Ignoramus, I was waiting for the day when you rebelled again, attempting to unify Austria, Flanders and Spain under the Hapsburg banner.

[AussieGiant]

Igno!!!

You can't go man!! I was waiting for that Hapsburg guy to go on a tear and create history!!

When you came over to Austria I had a huge smile on my face and said; "oh dear, the neighbourhood just got a little more interesting!!"

Your first set of PM's to me about your plans made me fall out of my chair

Lobby the parent's like mad

double standards (brother has one)
learning tool
comprehension and reading device
entertainment
show mum how to online shop
hell show dad too
get the groceries delivered to your door

it's a crime not to have a pc as a young man growing up

as for age...then lets not got there.

Above 34 and lower that 36

[_Tristan_]

You're all a bunch of kids...

I'm 36 ... and still kicking...

[AussieGiant]

You're all a bunch of kids...

I'm 36 ... and still kicking...

Yes the French age well Tristan just like their wine

[_Tristan_]

Yes the French age well Tristan just like their wine

so true, so true...

[econ21]

...Ignoramus, I was waiting for the day when you rebelled again, attempting to unify Austria, Flanders and Spain under the Hapsburg banner.

Good grief - I did not see that coming. And to think I was going to give him Antwerp to get started.

[Ignoramus]

To the inspiring Duke of Austria, Arnold Salian, greetings.

Mein lord,

We are an illustrious family, but sad to say, we have no connections with the Imperial family, and thus our prominence is but at best a shadow of what it is.

However, I have some serious news to bear to you.

As Duke of Austria, you have the ability to raise an Austrian to the Imperial throne itself!

You may think I am mad. Indeed, at first, even mein father thought I was mad. But nein, if things fall out properly, the Imperial Diet of 1380 will be headed by one of Austrian lineage.

As it stands, Kaiser Elberhard has no sons. At such a time as we are now facing, it is madness to think of lifting a woman to throne(never mind the fact that such an act is not permitted in the Imperial succession). Because of this, the Kaiser has appointed Peter von Kastilien, a Lutheran, a former rebel, and what's worse, a Franconian, as his heir.

However, the ageing Kaiser has taken mein suit of his eldest daughter, Eue, kindly. He has indicated that should I prove myself worthy, he will likely bestow her hand to me in marriage. As her dowry, Princess Eue would bring the Netherlands into Austria' fold.

The result of this marriage, however, has implications far greater than you can imagine. Should Peter von Kastilien perish before the Kaiser, he would be free to transfer the succession to myself, and thus Austria would have her first Kaiser.

As Chancellor, you can accomplish this feat.

Your new subject,
Maximillian von Hapsburg.

That's the first message I sent AussieGiant. My plot was to get Hapsburg married to Eue and then get Arnold to kill off Peter before Elberhard died, thus making Hapsburg Prinz. When Elberhard died, I would become Kaiser, and thus automatically assume the Chancellorship after Arnold had finished his term. I was then going to transfer the Imperial capital to Vienna, assign all Imperial lands to Austria, and attempt to reduce the other Duchies to vassalage. A shame that didn't happen...

[OverKnight]

Whoa, I was just guessing because of the name and your playing history, but that's ambitious even for you.

[Ignoramus]

I know, but rebels get all the fun. Sigismund der Stolze was very enjoyable to play, in fact he's basically the only character to be universally admired. That's mainly because he was so loyal and unassuming that he wasn't a threat to anyone. Assassination was a fitting(but infuriating) end for him.

Is there any non-MTW2 role I could have?

[AussieGiant]

That's the first message I sent AussieGiant. My plot was to get Hapsburg married to Eue and then get Arnold to kill off Peter before Elberhard died, thus making Hapsburg Prinz. When Elberhard died, I would become Kaiser, and thus automatically assume the Chancellorship after Arnold had finished his term. I was then going to transfer the Imperial capital to Vienna, assign all Imperial lands to Austria, and attempt to reduce the other Duchies to vassalage. A shame that didn't happen...

As you can see gentlemen it was a hell of a start to his relationship to Arnold.

Things were discussed from then on IC and Arnold was starting to go down a path of no return on the matter...

...at some point I pulled out of the Dark Emperor spiral and said to Igno;

"Listen you crazy nutter, before I go and turn this whole thing on it's head, why don't you go get yourself hitch to Eue...then we'll talk further."

I then sat in real life looking at the map for a long long time.......the thing was doable as chancellor given Igno succeeded in getting married.

I then thought in horror what would happen if he somehow did get married to her and then came back and said; "ok lets get this thing started."

[GeneralHankerchief]

Oh God... imagine the possibilities if Elberhard had stayed alive for one more turn.

[Ferret]

ha! I'm only 15! But the reason I came on was to say my internet is going on and off like a yo yo at the moment so I'm going on reserve duty unfortunately and may not be able to post as much as I should. As for Franconia uhhhh Dieter is suffering from the plague so Fritz can be Steward for now.