WineCape

Of course!

OK, the majority [6/8] has voted that we will piggyback onto RoW II's 5 secret scenario's. Robert, We still await Rugged Defence's nomination. Could you inform your top players to look so long at this thread (and the RoW II thread) so as to make themselves ready to be available if/when they are so nominated as one of the TITANS. Treeburst, We have 7 TITANS and need another 1 player. I think that you should go ahead and match up the 6 even players so long, the last pair to be matched up within 18-24 hours as soon as we hear from rugged Defence. MAJOR TAKTIK, We need a confirmation (match) email from you for this TITANS clash ASAP. Please send it to Treeburst at mikeman@cablelynx.com. [ June 05, 2002, 08:14 AM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

I have the following TITANS: 1. Rugged Defence: Awaiting official nomination (Broken!) 2. Tournament House: SWAMP 3. Bands of Brothers: SURLYBEN 4. Blitzkrieg: MAJOR TAKTIK 5. WarefareHQ: DEATHDEALER (Welcome!) 6: FIONN KELLY 7: WRECK 8: GHOST Robert Hall, We need your officil top Rugged Defence nomination to fill up to 8. It seems that Broken! will play anyway, as we will, with RD's nomination, have at least one representative from each tourney house. Wreck, What you've said in your last post above! Can I use you as my Chiefs of Staff? Going 5 RoW's scenario's (the full quota) and negotiated QB's thereafter seems the best. Fionn and Wreck votes (a) above. They seem to like the Rumblings of War set-up and have faith in SuperTed's Boots & Tracks 5 scenarios created to spice things up. I NEED YOUR VOTES Gentleman. Surlyben, Swamp, Deathdealer (a warm welcome!), Rugged Defence? If not forthcoming within 36 hours I'll make my "dictorial" decision based on this thread. [ June 05, 2002, 09:52 AM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

OK, I'm trying to made a quick admin decision if we want to piggyback onto RoW II's scenario's, due to kick off very soon. TITANS should be a maximum of 6-8 players. Full stop. No more, no less. These 6-8 players will play the RoW II scenario's, scored via Nabla. The top 2 or 4 players should have further play-offs (or all TITANS concerned if everybody wants to get an ME in) via their own force selections in QB's. This is the only way I see that you will have a mix of scenario's and ME's for the TITANS and still piggybacking onto RoW II. Gentlemen, we need a decision on whether TITANS want to: Fionn, Swamp, Ghost, Surlyben, Broken (for the time being representing RD), Major TakTik, Wreck (you will slot in as an independant), we need a VOTE on the above within the next 48 hours. If (a) is VOTED, then we have a VERY reliable arbiter at least by the name of Treeburst who will handle the RoW II part only. He will then get one of the prizes for his trouble. Robert, No offence intended by accepting the nomination of Broken by a RD member. We’ll wait Ed Vos’ official nomination from Rugged Defence ASAP. Meanwhile Broken will not be necessarily discarded as a possible participant. In the absence of a nomination from Rugged Defence he will take the reigns for your tourney house. Scipio, We need your very best house player to report here ASAP! [ June 05, 2002, 07:21 AM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

OK, we tend to move to the following play format/suggestions/ideas:  CMBO will be the battlefield of choice – so it will be!  Player force selection should be worked into some games, if possible; this will give the experienced TITANS some exposure to own force buying that most of them play anyway. Match negotiations should be left to them entirely what is proper or not in this regard.  QB ME should (maybe) also form part of some battles; they might be not completely realistic, but they are considered to be better balanced than attack/assault battles.  Human designed maps with own force selection or forces given to commanders (i.e. RoW II format) will vary the stale QB ME’s;  Participants seems to be in agreement that mirroring of battle maps (i.e. completely balanced designed by humans for ME’s) is too difficult to achieve;  The use of the Nabla scoring for inherently unbalanced maps/scenarios, as used in Rumblings of War, seems to be OK with all;  Do we go with RoW II, the TITANS playing the same scenarios? This entails:- (a) Amount of player’s should be increased to 6 – I have no problem with this; ( Wreck has indicated he will play TITANS instead of RoW II; © No force buying and ME’s for the duration of RoW II; (d) TITANS have to wait for RoW II to finish to effectively score with the Nabla; The 24 bottles wine prize will go to the SuperTed's Boots & Tracks Team for their RoW II scenario's. They deserve this for their tireless effort! My proposal: Why don't the TITANS fall in with RoW II scenario battles with the Nabla scoring, but as soon as they are finished they play QB’s (ME’s) against one another in addition to the RoW II scenario’s? This will give them their force selection experience etc. that they are most used to. By the time they have finished with this extra round, the RoW II tourney will also be finished. This will entail 5 games (RoW II scenario’s) and another 5 games minimum for TITANS in the “second round”, with an arbiter deciding who plays Allied or Axis. Correct me if I’m wrong, but we have, according to me, the following main representatives from the tourney houses for TITANS: 1. Rugged Defence: Awaiting official nomination (if not, Broken!) 2. Tournament House: Swamp 3. Bands of Brothers: SurlyBen 4. Blitzkrieg: Major TakTik 5. WarefareHQ: DeathDealer 6: Fionn Kelley 7: Wreck 8: Ghost I have stated that players in TITANS will represent themselves, and not their tourney houses. We need 6 players IF we go with a combination of RoW II and ME’s. However, I could increase TITANS to 12 players (i.e. 2 sections in RoW II, as we need multiples of 6’s there), but then TITANS will play 16 matches total if players want to include their beloved negotiated, own force selection QB’s as per a “second round.” It seems that 6 players only are just too small a field in TITANS... Comments? Charl Theron [ June 05, 2002, 05:26 PM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

It seems that Treeburst has e-mailed the match details to the participants. GOOD LUCK GENTLEMEN! You'll certainly need it in RoW II. Sincerely, Charl Theron

Can I take it that you have put your name in the hat Titan? Swamp, The reason I mentioned CMBB as the game platform is that it seems nobody is willing to host/administrate this tourney now or before CMBB's release, apart from redwolf so far. As I don't want to rush things, it just seemed obvious that CMBB would be the game of choice. Nothing set in stone though. Of course you can approach TH to host the TITANS clash with CMBO, if they are willing to do that. Let me know if they are interested. If they are able, then by all means we will use CMBO as the battlefield. Just remember that players, thought they come from different tourney houses, will ultimatlely represent themselves in TITANS. If TH host TITANS, then a kind request is that the AAR's should be made public on this very forum for the battlefront members for their perusal, and not only at TH. [ June 03, 2002, 08:15 AM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

Windstarz, I would like to keep the amount of players as close to 5 as possible, as each will play a double match against the same opponent. This will keep the total amount of matches for each player down to reasonable proportions. I'd rather see a player play about 8-10 matches total than a drawn out 14+ matches for the combatants. Duration of this TITANS tourney should be relatively short and intense. I don't want to go as per the current Invitational. Therefor, we NEED the best of the best combatants participating given the small amount of berths available, not just "merely the very good players" Anyways, it seems more that this TITANS will be held after Rumblings of War III, the CMBB tourney, with the same game. I'm interested in the best tactician with a relatively less known game. I stress again, this will be a PBEM tourney only, no TCP/IP, even if the players both decide to go via the latter route in their match-ups. I'll volunteer to play the broker part and keep track of all non-player bettings. That is, if the board members/players-to-be here trust me.

Well, The wine prizes as such will stand. It will be up to the players to decide if they want to, in addition (a) pay an entrance fee, winnner takes all ( wager money on their own game outcomes © both above (d) 10% of the total non-player bets going to the winner The last suggested by Fionn below, which I think is an excellent idea. Surlyben, Thanks for showing the interest from BoB's! Treeburst touches on the excellent "Nabla" scoring system that we use for unbalanced scenario's, which excels in the Rumblings of War Tourneys when there is predesigned scenario's and forces given to the commanders. [ June 03, 2002, 03:25 AM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

I have edited my 1st post. Note that this will be a mandatory PBEM tourney. No TCP/IP. NightGaunt, I have edited my 1st post regarding maps. Thanks for tendering! We would like at least 4 design houses (ideally) to get involved, each contributing a couple or more of their best maps - by design or already available - depending on the format/amount of players. Agua, Could you refer WarfareHQ's and TheBlitzKrieg to this thread so that they can foward their nominees? Please note again that players will represent themselves, not their tourney houses. Pillar, Refer Jason Cawley here. If we have more than the amount of combatants needed, those on the fringes can alway be voted into the TITANS by public vote to take the last place. Jarmo, AAR's is a must, as well as the representing thereof graphically by 1/2 of the admin gents I want to co-op to do/host this. Madmatt? [ June 01, 2002, 07:18 AM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

Wreck, Could you get in touch with Swamp and draw his attention to this post? Players-to-be will in essence represent THEMSELVES, not their respective ladders. Therefor, I'm open to player suggestions of non-ladders too. Redwolf/wwb/spoon, Thanks for the offered help! Redwolf, you are noted as a possible arbiter/manager/broker no. 1 - Thanks! Could you inform contacts in RD/BoB to this post that might be interested? Appreciated.I'm thinking of co-opting 3 arbiters/managers anyway, I do not see any problems, especially if you do not play arbiter to the match-up that your house member participates in. [ May 31, 2002, 04:55 PM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

Gentlemen, May I kindly refer administrators-to-be, possible players to the "TITANS" post? http://www.battlefront.com/cgi-bin/bbs/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=024983 It will be the biggest (in wine prizes) and last CM event that I will sponsor on this bulletin board. Looking for posts to fill there. Kind regards, Charl Theron [ June 01, 2002, 07:17 AM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

Gentlemen, I propose the following. I'm trying to assess the interest of a -- still in embrio stage -- "TITANS" clash. This will be the very last - and biggest in wine prizes - CM tourney that I will sponsor on this bulletin board. We are looking for:- 1) Combatants. Fionn Kelley has shown some prelimanary interest as one of participating players. If I misread his intention in a previous post, I'm throwing down the (Invitational favour) gauntlet to him. Then we need the current enfant terrible of the known tourney houses, i.e. Tournament House [TH], Band of Brothers [boB], Rugged Defence [RD], BlitzKrieg and WarfareHQ to grace us with their presence in the colosseum. (names as Wreck, Ghost358, Swamp should ring the bell as invitees) All players will be sponsored, the winner just getting a bigger wine prize. Ideally not more than 8 players will be allowed in TITANS. We might need more. We need the MEAN players, those that have been chalking up 70 to 100+ winning streaks. The real demons of CM. Vote them here forum members, get/persuade/cajole them here via your vote. The Battlefront Forum crowd wants a bloodbath!! The following players (they will represent themselves in TITANS, not their tourney houses) so far seems to be interested: 1. Rugged Defence: Broken! if not receiving RD's official nomination on 6 June 2002. 2. Tournament House: Swamp 3. Bands of Brothers: SurlyBen 4. Blitzkrieg: Major TakTik 5. WarefareHQ: DeathDealer 6: Fion Kelley 7: Wreck 8: Ghost 2) Tourney Managers/Broker/Hosting. Whom (it might be more than 1 person) will run/manage/administer TITANS for public view here on this bulletin board? (Redwolf, Stryker, Frost, jwxspoon, von Schalburg? etc.) We need someone to possible host the match PBEM movies battle files - or the crucial ones at least - for public view. Any administrator that has good tourney experience should apply. They should have some HTML experience, as 1 or more will be possibly tasked to spruce up and host the AAR's for public consumption (photo's, plans of attack of players etc.) I'm looking for at least 3 co-managers/co-arbiters or more. Each manager will receive 6 bottles of wine for their effort. Ideas welcome to make the PBEM matches a viewing spectacle! AAR's will be mandatory; we are looking for an administrator to grahically enhance/display it on the forum for public consumption. 3) PBEM Format only. The tourney should not be more than 4/5 players total, consisting of (maybe) a double round that each player play against the same opponent, i.e. as Axis and Allies. Players could play 1 matchup double blind, 1 match on pre-designed maps from one of the scenario depots, but with own force selection, or whatever suggestion they see fit. The most crucial part. 4) Timeframe. Again, left to the participants/managers when they want to start/finish. No need to rush, as TITANS will decide once and for all who is the de facto master of Combat Mission. Note I said CM. The game might well be CMBB! If so, TITANS will start at the end of this year. Now that might be a surprise wouldn't it? The really good tacticians will come to light in a relatively unfamiliar CM game... 5) Bet pool. BB members could take bets on their favourites TITAN in some sort of "public informal bet pool" here on the bulletin board against one another. This should be logged by one of the Tournament Managers, which will double as a broker. 6) Map designers I'm also willing to sponsor 24 bottles to the team/group of people that might create possible scenario battles for us! Ideally I want to involve max. 4 design houses/teams. Each will get 6 bottles for their trouble. A fitting way to find out, once and for all, who is the King of the CM? Comments, applications, names forwarded by the different tourney houses as to their best-of-the-best, discussions on the match format etc. will now be entertained... Kind regards, Charl Theron Stellenbosch Wine Export Centre, South Africa WineCape@global.co.za [ June 05, 2002, 05:20 PM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

There remains one simply logistic problem to effect this exercise: What/where is BTS' Headquarters address? If BTS can oblige, we will all have a toasting party here on the Bulletin Board once the goodies are in their hands. Charl Theron [ May 31, 2002, 01:41 PM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

Well, if ever possible, can I call the favour in from your (understandable) withdrawal from the infamous Invitational? I'm only toying with ideas... [ May 31, 2002, 01:33 PM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

Fionn, I'm happy to sponsor a double round match in the near future (playing Axis and Allies against the same opponent on different maps) to settle THE CHAMPION once and for all. It will be at most a 4/5 man tourney, consisting of the Champions of other tournament websites [Wreck, Ghost, Swamp etc.] If interested, let me know. Sincerely, Charl Theron [ May 31, 2002, 01:26 PM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

I like it, BUT the colours should be a little less dark, especially the 2-colour difference to mark alternate posts. As it is, there is just too much contrast.

Gentlemen, Thank you all for your gracious financial assistance in either the willingness to sponsor the bottles or the freight thereof. Much obliged. But I must decline graciously in turn. I didn't post originally to solicit financial help on the forum for the sending of the wine, but should’ve foreseen this as an obvious and natural consequence on this bulletin board anyway! However, I you all here on the forum DO want to help/support me, just drop me “BTS support/thank you” e-mail at WineCape@global.co.za]WineCape@global.co.za and I’ll promise to print out all those emails thus received, stick it in the 12-bottle wine box and send it of to the Magnificent Bastards. They then owe us at least that as stated by Dirtweasle, so that WE CAN ALL TOAST THEM HERE ON THE FORUM AT ROUGHLY THE SAME GMT/EST TIME. Holien, You sir, are ascribing a cunningness to me that is beyond my most imaginative mind. Our dearest friends in Pengville might be upset if I upstage them in this cunningness of mind. I do have a secret aspiration to become an honory member of Pengville, able to wade into the cesspool without, I repeat WITHOUT, as per orders from the old ones themselves, anybody hurling abuse/taint this delicate soul. Slapdragon, Your fingerslip as to “WindCape” did not go unnoticed, but I do suspect that you are under severe stress due to your trial (still pending?), so you are excused for any transgression of the mind Sig, Your dealings with Steve echo my experience with this small company called BTS. Bloody Magnificent Bastards!

That my friend, your are very able to do in the most pleasurable methods of battle creations. PS: Have no fear combatants, this is NOT the RoW II prize I'm giving away, hehe Ozzy, We have, by the same gentleman - Thierry and Guy that is - a South African Fat Bastard Chardonnay from the Roberston wine making area. I think there is also a Australian Shiraz by the very same wine negociant. Call me patriotic, but the South African version will go to Matt. Rommel22, You can send wines via postage as a "GIFT", depending naturally on the different state laws. Some is just more restrictive - Texas for one being a completely a no-no, being a felony to send wines there to unlicensed individuals. Sorry TexasToast, but your nearest neighbour state (Louisiana) allows a more enlightened 60 bottles per year per person! Dave H/Treeburst, My thoughts exactly. Apart from thee dollar in BTS' pocket as a method of support, we need to voice support now and then as a counter for the "w(h)iners" - hence this Magnificent Bastards* post. Croda, "No comment"

John, You're "reserved vote" counted and tallied up.

Mmmm, we do have Castle Lager as well as Lion Lager, but at R3-50 per 340ml can, that seems to be a waste of bottle-freight-space. We do know that Steve uses red wine - Paul Masson or something - to clean his engine parts. Sorry Steve, I had to divulge this!

So, in essence my dear sir, your vote an Aye to send it? Much appreciated for the lesson in legality, but I'm aware of the federal/state wine issues, unless you own an importer's license, in which case I just might use your offered help

Allow me an intro quote to explain, as said by Michael Dorosh... I've been on this board a very long time. Opinions as to certain features that should be included by BTS, suggestions as to improvement is to be found in a gazillionth form here on this BB. Those that differ should express their opinions, but as a matter of common decency this should not be put forward in a disrespectful way. - Pengville being a different case altogether... Anyways, having read certain threads, I am of the opinion that those Magnificent Bastards*, that is Charles, Steve and later Matt, Martin, Dan and the rest of the gang, should be properly honoured for their work in the field of tactical wargaming. Thus, I propose, with the vote of forum members here in this thread, to send 12 bottles of wine (heck, what else!) to BTS' headquarters as appreciation for their work in this field of gaming. All in favour, vote here, show some support by posting here and, if possible, tell us why you appreciate these MAGNIFICENT BASTARDS* Regards, Charl Theron * Term originally coined by Michael Dorosh, further defined by moi as "Magnificent" => for us; "Bastards" => wife's/girlfriend's opinion [ May 28, 2002, 04:15 PM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

As posted by MD: Brilliantly put. THAT is my 2 South African cents input, which comes to 0.0020 US cents with today’s exchange rate. May I venture that this gentleman has drunk some bad, bad wine when he posted originally? Charles, Steve, Martin, Matt, Dan, Deanco, you are all magnificent (to this customer) bastards (according to my wife). Cheers! Charl Theron *Bolding mine. Oh yes, this Chardonnay should be sent to the magnificent bastards for their work... Er, that yellow spot on the label on the left of the hippo is not what you think Steve Packed into this wine carry box... -------------------History Note------------------ On 22 December 1944 General Heinrich von Lüttwitz, commander of the German XLVII Armoured Corps, sent a message to General McAuliffe, commander of 101st Airborne Division* demanding he surrender the surrounded town of Bastogne. McAuliffe’s reply, “NUTS!” is probably unequalled in the annals of military history, both for its brevity and the amount of confusion it caused in the German camp before it was deciphered. *The 101st Airborne Division held out in Bastogne from 19-26 December 1944. The 4th American Armoured Division, under Patton’s Third Army, relieved the “Battered Bastards of Bastogne” during the German Ardennes offensive. --------------------- Edited: ['Cause it was just plain sacrilege to leave out KwazyDog in the equation] [ May 28, 2002, 08:34 AM: Message edited by: WineCape ]

Dear participants-to-be, A WARM WELCOME TO RoW II!! Please be reminded again, as indicated by TB155, that RoW II will have extreme Fog of War. Extreme. No discussions of scenarios, don’t post scores here, do not describe any tactics used against your opponent. To the new participants: Again, be reminded that we use the “Nabla” scoring system to assess your match-ups in this tourney. The “Nabla” does not need balanced scenario’s to score your results. It compares your game results with game results of other combatants in the same scenario. So my advice is: Don’t surrender your troops! Rather pull back your forces if all is lost. You might lose a scenario in a big way, but not as big as your buddies playing the same scenario from the same side. The “Nabla” system rewards you as long as you score above the “losing” median scores of the other combatants. True also for the converse. Now enjoy the Boots and Track battles! Regards from the co-sponsor, Charl Theron -------------------------------- “There is plenty of time to win this game, and to thrash the Spaniards too.” Francis Drake (1540 - 1596), British navigator/admiral, referring to the sighting of the Armada during a game of bowls, 20 July 1588.