Aphrodite's Knights

[DarthMath]

every discussion forum that we'd checked into was filled with idiots, vulgar simpletons, or worse.

Did someone just call me?

No, Dooya. You're just a "naughty forumite", remember !!

[Chaplain Lovejoy]

Sorry, I am American and all we have are Presidents and First Ladies.

Uh...aren't you forgetting Queen Latifa?

[MarkShot]

That's just a stage name thing.

Havely is the real deal. She was born a Southern Belle and she could charm her way into the highest office in the land.

[Jim-NC]

Your majesty, I have a question from the masses. Now that I am an officer, I have to remove the NCO medal, and replace it with the officer medal? Is this correct?

[Aphrodite Mae]

Your majesty, I have a question from the masses. Now that I am an officer, I have to remove the NCO medal, and replace it with the officer medal? Is this correct?

No, sir! You earned that medal, and so it is awarded in perpetuity! The Enlisted Duty medals are a different series than the Officer Duty medals, soooo... you get to wear both, ya hero, you!

Now, this means that you need to add another medal to your rack, and that brings up an idea that I've been meaning to talk about.

Getting medals is great, and Dixicrat has offered to build racks for anyone who would like a little help. He can do it really fast... but I'm kinda thinking that most of you cannot. I hate to admit it, but I know that it's kinda a hassle, having to change your rack and your signature every time that you get a new medal.

So:
If someone out there who's a programmer can create a little program for rack making, then I'll award you a service commendation medal! If you're interested in participating, then send me a PM and we'll discuss the particulars, OK?

[Doomwalker]

Getting medals is great, and Dixicrat has offered to build racks for anyone who would like a little help.

Now that we have Dixicrats order chart. I can also help with this if someone needs it.

[Jim-NC]

But Doom,
Where's your rack?

[Doomwalker]

But Doom,
Where's your rack?

There you go Jim. Think I may tweak the size though.

OK, that is better.

[Aphrodite Mae]

I was reading this thread just a little while ago, when I noticed the conversation between Doomwalker and Jim-NC, discussing Doomwalker's rack. And while I was admiring the way that Doomwalker had added the "Warrant Officer Candidate" medal to his rack, it occurred to me that there was something wrong about his display. Kinda like, there was a medal missing.

It didn't take me long to figure out which medal was missing, of course. It was the Service medal, for all of his fine work producing graphics for this thread. I mean, that "Iron Tiger" pin that he did was just exquisite! And of course, the "Bronze Oak Leaves" which you've seen have been made by Doomwalker, too. Not to mention the fact that he was among the first to volunteer his services, waaaaaaay back with the Gallantry medal, and the bronze numerals that he created for that. And needless to say, I am delightedly wearing the "honorary Queen" medal, which he secretly designed.

And so, I was kinda wondering why he wasn't wearing his Service medal! At least, until I realized that the reason he isn't wearing one is because nobody has nominated him for one!

That's right! The guy who's done more than anybody else to try and help me make the medals as good for you as they can be... well, I've somehow forgotten to give him a medal. That's just shameful.

It's time to fix this oversight.

I hereby award Doomwalker the Service Medal for his groundbreaking graphics work with the Gallantry and Iron Tiger awards.

Furthermore, I hereby award this Knight of the OAK a bronze Oak Leaf, for designing and creating the Bronze Oak Leaf citation for all medals.

Here's your medal, sir!



Congratulations, Doomwalker! You're a great artist, and a loyal friend. Thanks for your hard work.

[Jim-NC]

Congratulations Doom on your new medal

[Doomwalker]

Thank you my gracious Queen. I never expected this reward, I was just happy that the work was appreciated the way you did.

Thank you also Jim-NC.

BTW Havely, you got something started with this thread.
[SIZE="1"][color="Pink"]Operation "Elephant Inspection" is under way as we speak.[/color][/size]

[Jim-NC]

What Doom, you wanna be a hero or something?

[Doomwalker]

What Doom, you wanna be a hero or something?

Maybe not a hero, just not a zero. I am going to endevour to complete the operation now that it is underway. I am just kinda jumpy now that it has started.

[Aphrodite Mae]

Our esteemed tournament director, Daxil, has announced a new AACW PBEM tournament!

Just as an added incentive there are rumors that we may be able to reward the winner of the next tournament with AGEod's newest game, or perhaps a game of their choosing.

I'm delighted to announce that the rumors are over. The winner of the tournament will be allowed to choose one of AGEod's games, as their prize! ompom:

Maybe the winner will choose [color="Blue"]Rise of Prussia[/color], a game that I personally know is going to be great! Or maybe the winner will choose [color="Blue"]Vainglory of Nations[/color], another amazing game which is being developed by AGEod! Who knows, for sure?

We can't know that, but I do know this: both the tournament and the prizes are going to be great!

"Wait," you're probably saying. "Prizes...?"
Yep: prizes!

If you win the first bracket, you'll receive a Commendation medal! Win the second bracket, and you'll receive a Command medal. Those who make it to the finals will be awarded a Medal of Valor. And the winner of the tournament will either join the ranks of the Iron Tigers, or add the "Tiger" pin to his Iron Tiger medal!

Naturally, each game that you play in the tournament will add to your "Combat Command" tally. And of course, there will be plenty of opportunities to host games, too!

Of course, with such a cornucopia of rewards and opportunity, we can't have just anybody signing up for the tournament.
Nope!

"How to narrow the field...?" I asked myself. And then, it came to me: Perception!

To have any hope of winning the tournament, you're going to have to be perceptive. You're going to have to be able to evaluate the situation, and see the hidden nuances.

That's why I've decided to screen potential participants, with another "[font="Times New Roman"]Queen's Challenge[/font]"!

We'll call this one, "Find the Queen"! Carefully study the picture that I'm going to present to you. If your keen discerning eye is able to find me, somewhere in the midst of my knights...

...then you're in! You qualify to play in the tournament! YAAAY! ompom:

I trust your honor, fellow Knights of the OAK, so there's no need to notify me if you succeed. Simply proceed to [color="Blue"]Daxil's preregistration thread[/color]!

Good luck!

[CENTER][/CENTER]

[Jim-NC]

I love the picture, and you are completely correct, much easier than finding waldo.

[Aphrodite Mae]

Have I got some good news for you!

It's starting to look like there's at least a chance that we can have a great big tournament!
Like, with 32 players!

Maybe.

It all depends on you! (But don't feel pressured, OK? This is all about having fun!)

Here's the way it is.

Daxil has told me that he's setting a deadline for entry to the tournament: next Friday night, at midnight, Eastern Standard Time. (That's GMT -4.) Between now and then, you have time to decide whether you want to play in the tournament.

Now, if a whole bunch of people sign up so that we can have 32 players, there will be a kind of "preliminary" round, to cut the field in half. That first preliminary round is going to be a short scenario. (I'll tell you what it is, as soon as Daxil lets me know for sure.)

What that means is that there's no big commitment, to start with! Eight or ten turns, and the preliminary round is done!

So: if you don't think that you're a very strong player, but you do think that it would be fun to play in the tournament and learn about PBEM... well, go ahead and sign up! Now's your chance!

Since we're looking at sticking an extra round onto the tournament, you might be wondering about medals. Well, for the preliminary round, I'm afraid that you won't be winning a new medal if you win the round. But you know what? I think you deserve something, so I've come up with a new idea!

Henceforth, participating in a PBEM tournament is awarded with a bronze Oak Leaf, for your Enlisted Duty medal.
Furthermore, for every round that you win, you receive another bronze Oak Leaf!

I'm going to make this retroactive for everybody that played in our first tournament. So, to those people I say: congratulations, friends!

Now, here's the way I understand things: after the "short" scenario is played in the preliminary round, the same scenarios will be played in the "first" and subsequent rounds as were played, in the first tournament. So, that means it'll start with the "Far West" scenario, then progress to the "West", and so on.

OK, so maybe you're thinking, "Yeah, I can maybe victimize someone in the preliminary round... but after that? ...I'm not so sure..."

Well, I'd like to point out something that you might not have thought of yet. There are tournament AARs, already, for each scenario! So of course, that means that you can look them over, and see what worked. And what didn't.

While you're looking those AARs over, you might keep an eye out for cool moves and surprising results, and stuff like that. I'm thinking that there are a bunch of medals, just waiting to be awarded for stuff that I didn't notice, or missed! Personally, I think it would be great if you guys discovered some stuff, and made a nomination or two.

Anyway, what all of this comes down to, is that we have a great opportunity to have a really cool tournament! All that we're needing is a few more players. So... what do you say?

Glory and Honor await you on the tournament battlefield, fellow Knights!

[Aphrodite Mae]

On Monday, I'm going to be making an announcement about the new PBEM tournament. And you know what? My Queenly prescience is telling me that on Monday, you're going to be surprised, bigtime!

You see, PhilThib told me something today. Something about the tournament. Something that absolutely delighted and astonished me! Apparently, providing us with a free game just wasn't enough. As it turns out, PhilThib is going to make another, very unexpected sort of contribution to the tournament!

Gentlemen, friends... Knights of the OAK... something is going to happen during this tournament which has never happened on these forums, before!
Something that I personally never would have thought could happen, prescient or not.

On Monday, I'm going to reveal this wonderful secret. But between now and then, you might want to consider this friendly recommendation of mine:
If you're only going to play in one AGEOD tournament, ever, this one might be the one to choose.

All I'm going to say for now is that you're going to have a chance to do something very rare, and very special.
...and now that I think about it, maybe just a little bit dangerous, too!

So: I'm guessing that once I reveal this delightful development, everybody is going to want to sign up! But you know what? Space is limited. Don't say I didn't warn you!

[Jim-NC]

Your majesty,
Some members thrive on danger

And some of us are more like Sir Robin the brave who was known to soil his armor from time to time.
[SIZE="1"][color="Wheat"]Too many fit into the 2nd category methinks.[/color][/size]
We shall await your prescience pronouncements pronounced practically perfectly on Monday.

[REBELCAT]

Your majesty:

I just say one thing ... fun and good times with friends, that's it

AND FRIENDS

[Aphrodite Mae]

Remember, back in the day, when you'd buy a new wargame...?

If you were like me and my husband, it was like opening a treasure chest, when you first opened the box! Sheets of unpunched unit counters. A satisfyingly fat instruction booklet. And that wonderful "new gameboard smell" that you got, when you unfolded it for the first time! Of course, the best part was the anticipation of knowing that you were going to have fun, just as soon as you knew enough of the rules to begin playing!

Maybe you were like Dixicrat and me: after your teen-aged eyes had read every word in the manual, you finally had time to take in the details. Things like reading the fine print on the front and back cover: where the gameboard had been printed. Who'd playtested the game. The name of the man who'd designed the game. Stuff like that.

And maybe you were like Dixicrat and me, in that the increasing wisdom of years made you kinda take note of the important fine print. Like, the name of the company that had made the game that you enjoyed so much. And the name of the man who'd designed your new game.

So, if you were like us, you eventually learned that the company that had made so many of your favorite games could probably be counted on to produce something else, sooner or later, that you were really going to enjoy. And maybe, like us, you eventually learned that the designer's name is a really important part of all of that. Maybe the most important part, of all.

Back in the day, "the designer" was a name that was printed on one of the covers of a satisfyingly fat instruction book. You knew you'd never meet him; but as you saw his name printed again and again in the various manuals of your favorite games, maybe your respect for him grew. Sometimes, you had a chance to glimpse his thinking, when you read the "Designer's Notes".

That was "back in the day". Today, we are privileged to be able to actually read the evolving thoughts of the Designer, about his game, by reading the (often) daily posts of the man who conceived, researched, and designed many of the games we love. What an unexpected privilege, to be able to do so! When I was a teen, I never would have guessed that such a thing would ever be possible! But the technology which has made this possible has also enabled another, even more mind-blowing opportunity. Think about this: what would it be like, to actually play a game you love, against its designer?

Gentlemen, it is my privilege and pleasure to make an historic announcement.

The designer of "AGEod's American Civil War" has agreed to participate in our AACW tournament!

Some of us are going to be matching wits against PhilThib, on the virtual battlefields of AACW! The man who conceived, designed, and researched our favorite ACW wargame has agreed to do something that he has never done before, on these boards: play a game that he designed, against a proven, worthy challenger!

Gentlemen of the Order of the Knights of Aphrodite: ...IMQO, you would be wise to prepare yourselves!

And for you, Monsieur Thibaut: merci beaucoup!

[arsan]

Give him hell boys!! Kick him out on the first round!!
Remember: we don't want him having fun and playing PBEM games!
We want him designing new games and adding goodies to the current ones
.
.
.

(Good luck Philippe! :innocent

[DarthMath]

Je ne veux plus y aller !! Je ne veux plus y aller !!
Laissez-moi partir !!

[vonRocko]

Now that is really cool!

GO PHILIPPE!


(I really need to learn how to pbem someday)

[Jim-NC]

EWW, the competition just moved up a notch.

[REBELCAT]

is fantastic disciples against teacher

[Dixicrat]

Wow, PhilThib... thanks! What an honor, for all of us!
...Except now, I'm too scared to play in the tournament.

Your participation has really made my wife overjoyed!
She's laughing and singing and just bubbling over with cheerfulness! So... thanks for your role in that.

To commemorate her Majesty's delight, I've written some prose.


[CENTER] Hark! What laughter peals, from beyond yon yonder thingy?
Methinks it is a woman, laughing with the gilded voice of an angel!
Her mirth is so compelling... shall I hasten yonder, to join her in her sweet delight,
with my bad hair, and exquisitely cool medieval pointy-toed shoes?
Nay... better that I stand here, transfixed, delighted with my Queen's delight.[/CENTER]

...Yeah, I know, but look: have you ever tried to "hasten yonder" while you were wearing cool medieval pointy-toed shoes...?
I didn't think so. If you've never done it, don't start, and that's all that I care to say about the matter.





...Except to add that I've concluded that those "pointy-toed shoe" people probably never hastened, anywhere. For good reasons.

I'll present my analysis in another post.

Dixicrat

[size=84]PS Good luck in the tournament, everyone! May the most cold-blooded, ruthless so-and-so win! [/size]

[CENTER] Long Live the Queen![/CENTER]
[CENTER] [/CENTER]

[Doomwalker]

PhilThib in the tourney. I do not believe, that I have ever seen the likes of such. I just fell that much more in love with AGE. You guys are truly Top-Notch. I only wished more designers would follow in your footsteps. Once again, I give you guys at AGE .

[Doomwalker]

Je ne veux plus y aller !! Je ne veux plus y aller !!
Laissez-moi partir !!

Hey Darth, would you give us the translation please. I have to say that I am very limited on my languages. My native dialect is Southern, and I am barely proficient in "American" and know enough Spanish to get myself in trouble.

[DarthMath]

Hey Darth, would you give us the translation please. I have to say that I am very limited on my languages. My native dialect is Southern, and I am barely proficient in "American" and know enough Spanish to get myself in trouble.

No problems Doomwalker. So it is :


I don't want to go anymore !! I don't want to go anymore !!
Please, let me leave !!

[Doomwalker]

No problems Doomwalker. So it is :


I don't want to go anymore !! I don't want to go anymore !!
Please, let me leave !!

Thank you for the translation Darthman.

I am now better armed with a online translator that our gracious Queen, kindly provided me with. Now I am off to translate your and Vegitus's AAR.