Desert Dave

Yes Les! And everyone! else Was ever here, Gone a sconce, But, nonetheless, Ne'er! forgotten, Come back, Come back! Where e'er you are! :cool: To the hottest, coolest spot... HOTEL SC! Yeah boy, We got bats ahoy in the rafters, And squeaking things! Squeaking about Heironymous Bosch! and the Rome And Riga and LC gambits, And, not only that! But... there's a stick-like coat-rack Cowering in the corner, Where you can hang your Tri-color grognard-hat, And a creaky old desk In the cob-web lobby (... manned by a gent name of... Scabby Baby Bobby) Where you can check IN But, alas, Never ever... OUT, Your one last set Of... skeleton keys... Hotel SC! Come see! You won't be only... no-body, Or even very sorry! [ July 14, 2003, 12:50 PM: Message edited by: Immer Etwas ]

LOL! Ah, rambo, you are... a Con. Nothing wrong with that, as the World would not be quite complete without... Gypsies and thieves, Trismegistus and spirit mediums And Mages and Picasso-collages And dainty tea-cups Brimming with! roiled-around leaves. Well, a couple of things. 1) Watch your scansion. Rather, listen for how the sounds kind of... flow together in your head. One good way to practice: stroll to and fro and thither and yon in this our borrowed world and constantly talk to yourself, using mostly nonsense words. Scat is what it is. So, "scat scansion" is one of many, many ways to go. As is evident, the Provencal Troubadours (... and indeed all poets from cave-days through Homer) knew that the easiest way to REMEMBER oral stories would be... rhyme scheming. Since the printing press was not invented until oh, the 16th century or thereabouts, there was no other way to pass along myths and history and tales of love and war and woe. Nowadays, and for a century or so, the Moderne Elitist has denigrated rhyming poetry as... declasse and unbefitting a sophisticated poet. This is nonsense, plain and simple. Merely listen to the American tin-pan alley composers of the 30s & 40s and you will realize how pleasing and instrumental an elegant rhyme-scheme can be. Or, ask Bob Dylan... or Van Morrison, or any of the other rock-poets of my generation. 2) Try to acquire arete. This is a Greek word meaning... excellence, or the nobility of the blood (... one of many reasons why Nietzsche admired the Classic Age, the "philosophical" Greeks) which can lead to Virtue, and the awe-full majesty of soul-full apprehension. Being a poet is... a way of Life, and not simple rip-rap flippancy hurled at largely indifferent audiences, true? It is ever... Truth, Beauty and Wisdom that will enlighten our day... or so the Sages of all the Ages would say. And it helps immensely if you... go barefoot, although... you may have once worn clod-kickers or combat boots. I am not ashamed to say that I have done all 3 of those and more. And, it helps also to strive for... atopos. Meaning: strange, extravagant, absurd, disturbing. :eek: And allow your daimon, or inner conscience, to instruct you whenever the World is odd or exciting or for just one crystal clear moment, limned with grace. Finally, there is an old Chinese proverb: it is best not to attempt poetry until you are... 50 years old. Well, I started when I was 40. Being 10 years premature probably accounts for my own errant scansion. You have started... what? In your 20s? OK, Rimbaud began writing poetry when he was 13 and quit for good BEFORE he was 20. No hard & fast rule. Arete? Well, that requires... a lifetime. Nothing else can matter, not fame or money or pomp & praise. It is merely to easily exist and let others do the same... ... even if perceived by a few... as meek or "weak"... like a lamb lolling in clover, or... a flower browsing butterfly. [ July 11, 2003, 11:42 AM: Message edited by: Immer Etwas ]

Typical of life in... a Democracy... maybe? You know how it's supposed to go, where the "weak" get to have some say... in the despoilation of the land? And get to make donations to the political parties so that everyone has... an EQUAL say? No matter if it's a blue-collar clerk sticking ONE dollar in the pot, or Enron-type Execs putting in... millions? Like that? So that rich and powerful people don't run the country... into the ground? LOL! Anyway, I say -- come one, come all! Let's hear it! Let's have it! ALL SC ideas... great and small!

Un-needed? You mean, Like knobs on a broomstick, or Turn-signals on a skate-board? Actually, All that's needed in Life Is H2O, food and water and sometimes, Shelter from the Storm (... and, maybe a free & easy help-meet, exquisite and discreet, for those like Shaka who'd rather not... ah... so... do without) No other way to prepare an OOB and keep Italy right on schedule... they should have a "normal" array of combat units by July of '40. As situated, it seems closer to being the Sitzkreig of History than not, since no-one has much immediate striking power. Also, you do not want Foreign Legion in Syria or Algeria to go roaming around the Med, true? Even if you cash them in (... since no penalty for doing so) you wouldn't get much. And, this gives the Player an opportunity to determine Italian, and to a degree, French forces for themselves. ***One thing I may add: Activate Denmark as has been bandied about of late on this forum. Rationale being... as is, it would be fairly difficult for an Allied Player to convince themselves that it is WISE to attack the Low Countries. The Germans have sufficient forces in the area, and without a NEED to attack Denmark on turn 2, they could do with a smaller force in Poland (... after all, it doesn't matter how SOON Warsaw falls) and still get the LC BEFORE the Allies can muster sufficient strength... given that the available forces are somewhat... depleted, as you say. Now, I am fair thee well convinced that this scenario is balanced, but one other thing might be done for those who want the game... EXACTLY honed, and that is, Simply boost the War Entry of Russia slightly, as has also been discussed of late. Well, upshot is: there are very few ways to curtail the Rome & LC gambits in the standard '39 campaign... assuming you would even want to. With this scenario, I am yet suggesting that those two strategems are... very nearly impossible to achieve... and perhaps SOMEBODY will find a way through the thicket, but I doubt it. Anyway, Night, thanks for the feedback. :cool: [ June 25, 2003, 10:36 AM: Message edited by: Immer Etwas ]

Ah... a true Romantic gracing the boards... like Miss little-town America strolling along the sea shore at Atlantic City... in the 1950s, when that white-froth ocean, sure enough... it was something to see... then! :cool: And as any Romantic would insist, there is not always the need for ULTIMATE rationales & reasons for things. For instance, I bought and used a rocket unit for the Germans in my last game. One chit... total cost, ~ 525 MPPs (... removed the chit after I reached a potent enough level). Now, I coulda bought an AF, or a couple more armies, but who's to say that would have turned the tide anyway? Sure, I banged around with it in Russia, and skewered some pesky Allied ships messing around the west coast of France, and all in all! Had a grand old time firing off them firework Rockets! Was it... WORTH it? Well, let's use Mr Bill's metaphor, and let's say that you knew this beautifully spirited and extremely elegant woman... you go out to dinner once in awhile and sometimes you take in a ballyhoo'd hollywood picture show, or even, one of those sub-titled foreign ones where you have to follow along closely. You talk and laugh and have a great and lasting good time... each and every time you go out! But, you never, ever... hey! Do you always NEED to? You can often... WIN... without totalling up any scores, true? :cool: And as for rockets being mis-construed as artillery... that's what IMAGINATION is for... of course! they can't go 200 miles! if they are perceived as... artillery shells... but, I myself think of them as MOBILE ARTILLERY such as the Wespe ... and I manuever them in & out of the brutal contest as I please, which, come to think about it, is the REAL reason/rationale for even playing this game... any game... to have... FUN! Rockets? What are they GOOD for? Bring them little devils... on!

Way to go! Mr Bill! :cool: For anyone who hasn't tried to make, constantly update and FINALLY be personally satisfied... with a detailed text-document such as this, well, I can tell you, this is a VERY VERY daunting task. And more than sufficient proof that the man takes his SC gaming VERY VERY seriously indeed. A noteworthy accomplishment.

Finally, it's here!... Ottos' game site The new Italian Pre-War Mobilization '39 campaign scenario. The premise is simple: Italy has somehow been convinced, or Il Duce convinced his greater Italian Self... to enter the war in September 1939. However, there's not a lot they can do, other than provide some small threat to the south of France. But, that's why there is a French Alpine Corps in the southern mountains. The Italian OOB and MPPs have been reduced to levels appropriate to early entry. France OOB altered slightly as well, to include an armor unit. The Germans and Brits also get some new units. Anyway, I would encourage all to read the text document that has been included for the complete rationale and all the details. Please feel free to e-mail me with any comments or suggestions. If enough people do so, then I will make slight changes to the scenario. Thanks to Bill Macon and JerseyJohn for their help in the making of this scenario. :cool: Enjoy! [ June 23, 2003, 11:26 AM: Message edited by: Immer Etwas ]

Well gee, it was hidden in plain sight For all to see... Yet, no-one solved the secret contest, The time has expired, So therefore No-one! wins... the all expense paid! trip To Robinson Jeffers stone home By the Big Sur, California Sea! There you would have been able to commune With the shells & the stones. And as added benefit, Would have been serenaded! By a water-nymph sasahaying from shore To where you sitzen... cooly meditating! :cool: Too Bad. I figured JJ would get it, but no, (... and as we know, going by his comments of late, he sure could have used this West Coast trip!) ***And to insure that anyone would have a chance I even reminded, towards the end... WHAT the deuce you say? :eek: See, Bobby RICHARDSON was stuck in the line-up... TWICE! So, unless he's got a twin brother name of Efram... It should be... Clete Boyer at 3B for them 1960 Bronx Bombers! And don't give me that... who cares! about Baseball routine, since, as we know, it is MORE than America's past-time, it is... devotional Myth. Or, anyway, it used to be. And so, no-body wins, hooray! I ain't gotta pay!

But... why! What did the little innocent sea creature do wrong? Gum up the works for the Shell Petrol Co, Inc? Actually, if you have pulled this off twice in row, then you, Senor, are a serious gunslinger! And, as added benefit, once yer Rep gets all around Town, then EVERYONE will be looking for it, this cross channel invasion (... in river barges and little sailboats) tactic... and so then of course you would let them continue to wonder... will he do it again! :eek: and go maraud in the Med, yes? :cool:

Then, Come to New Mexico, modestly Termed... The Land of Enchantment ... Where the mountains and the desert Shake hands, A fateful agreement that amazes! The whole known world! ... green chile from Mesilla Valley, Rousing college basketball In the world-famous PIT, Roadrunners and soaring Eagles All over the place and Sunsets that are simply incredible! To behold! And not only all of the above!... but There is plenty! Of elbow-room... and Side-saddle riding Caballeros too! (... and one of those could be... you! ... :eek: ) Come on JJ, gather up the reluctant kin And come to... simply, the greatest state In the American landscape! :cool: -------------------------- When I am playing seriously, I rarely buy any rocket detachments ... just not worth the expense, which is too bad because they could be great to play around with! [ June 16, 2003, 10:27 AM: Message edited by: Immer Etwas ]

Just home on a lunch break from my part-time job of land-scaping, and... what do I realize... Holy Smokes, MoJo Man! :eek: What a formidable!! Line-up, arrayed against me! It's as if I were a kid pitcher name of Rex Becker who was just summoned up at the tag end of the 1960 season, yep, 'e was... by the beloved! :cool: Cleveland Indians, and... what a heroic ordeal! The best!! team that money could buy, now, OR then, the Bronx Bombers themselves! :eek: -------------------------- Richardson 2B Berra LF Maris RF Mantle CF Moose Skowron 1B Kubek SS Howard C Richardson 2B Whitey Ford P ----------------------------- Now, in this our actual reality, there is this imposing line-up: Macon and Shaka of Big LA, and Heuristic and maybe JJ. (... although who is the outrageous raking-stick?... The Mick!) ALL! Opposing that dimple-cheeked teen PHENOM, Rex the Wonder Boy Becker ... NOW! pitching for the Cleveland club in the bottom of the 9th and holding... TRYING HIS youthful HEART OUT... to hold a fragile one run lead... O Joltin' Joe, and like I say, Against one hell of a bash-'em-up lineup! -------------------------- Ah... so, I shall persist... one Recon Detachment... Mr Game Designer, if you please! Or, in another way.... STRIKE THREE! ***BTW, I am quite sure some other fantasy Managers here on the forum would re-align that pinstripers line-up card, but, I myself prefer it as is.

Nope. See any of my posts, above. This new! Recon unit is NOT a tactical unit. It is, IMHO, a Grand Strategic unit... obviously we have a different approach to what SC2 COULD be... given the simple fact that the game designer makes... all the final calls. That's cool. I'd hate to be stuck anyplace where everybody! has the SAME slant and opinion on... anything at all.

Well, no I'm not. I am talking about a DETACHMENT of... armored cars, Pz IIIs (or equivalent) and half-tracks loaded with engineers and otherwise specially trained troops such as forward observers and commandos. Not to mention the security and support personnel and small scout planes that make up this... special detachment. Like any detachment, which depends on the controlling country's doctrine... it can be larger than a brigade, and smaller than a corps. In this case, the recon is a separate, stand alone unit. It is not part of any other unit. See, the thing is... WHY NOT? Why not have another unit, or two or four? The more CHOICES a player has to make in order to set up and deploy his tactical forces, then! there are many more DIFFERENT KINDS of encounters that are possible. The more CHOICES involved, the greater the permutations and... this means... the greater the VARIABILITY of the game. In chess you are limited to what? 6 different pieces? Well, that can get to be pretty predictable, yes? There are limited kinds of ways that these pieces can be deployed or employed. I am surely inclined to add MORE units in order to provide MORE... flat-out fun!! :cool:

And so can... NOTHING at all, in which case the interest and the Forum may well dwindle to... a precious few. :eek: I think we are OK with understanding that Hubert is a one-man gaming shop, and that there is NO DEFINITE date set. That is very clear and easy to live with. After all, ANTICIPATION is far better than thinking, thinking, there won't be ANY future WW2 GS game to look forward to. **Some would insist that if you ONLY had dreams and imagination, well, that would keep you in a partially heightened state... which could give you Zen control... which could teach patience and fine mind magnificence, etc. Very apparently no-one else out there can accomplish what Hubert ALREADY has... or they would have. And so... Hip Hip Hooray! SC2 is on the way!... eventually... good enough! :cool:

Well, this is no equivocation. This is not maybe this, or possibly that. This... IS... pretty darned definitive. I don't have to keep saying... a potential new SC2. Hip hip... hooray! :cool: Now we can re-visit a lot of old topics... nothing wrong with that, since there are always new folks coming on board. And besides, there is always a new way... to look at something old. And now we can SPECULATE to our hearts content... anyway, as much as an old Grognard can have a contented heart, what with all the muttering and grumbling, etc. Hip Hip... HOORAY I say! ***And, we PROMISE to be very very ... patient.

A recon unit doesn't fit? Sure it does Mr Bill! I certainly appreciate the scale of SC... 50 miles across a hex, corner to corner, BUT... the recon unit would be only one of our smaller sized units... such as Airborne. The idea being that this unit would be composed of MORE than merely a few armored cars and a couple of old and obsolete tanks and the like. There are clerks and cooks and a rudimentary HQ and supply and security garrison and intel, etc. There are even! some intrepid WWI fighter aces hanging about ogling the young ladies and ready to resume! The Flying Circus in their old bailing wired bi-planes! And so, this would be a stand alone unit that would help to push back the veil of UNKNOWING... since we agree that there might be a lower spotting ability for all units, then the NEW! Recon Detachment (... as with tank detachments, or rocket detachments, not all units are FULL sized Corps) would serve the purpose of being fairly inexpensive, and highly effective at its assigned mission... find out what the Devil is going on ! out there in no man's land! :eek: Stacking would NOT be a problem, because these new Recon Detachments would have a higher movement allowance, and could absorb a first attack... no strength losses remember, ONLY to readiness. Thus, you could lurk them behind the lines - dash out! to survey the lay of the land, and even take a hit or two before returning triumphant! to report to HQ. This could work I'm telling you and am VERY much in favor of seeing the Recon unit in our potential new SC2! :cool:

Ach du liebe, I didn't realize... thanks for the heads up JJ! (... and for the kind words) I guess I should have checked into these matters BEFORE I made the rash promise of providing the new scenario this week... sorry everyone. So, sometime in the near future I will make the appropriate announcement.

Update #3: Haven't yet heard back from Otto... these things happen, so ain't worried... not yet. **Meanwhile, a review that appeared recently in The Santa Fe Sol-- a rag, hank & bone slop shoppe up 'ere in 'at... "City Different"... or so they self-stylize. It's by Cyrus Muswhissel the 3rd , and he is, oh, rather the pinky-extended in extremis! type... well, no matter, each with their particular pedigree: -------------------------------- "Took a moment from my tres busy time to review this scant scenario. If I didn't owe a favor going all the back to high school... well, that Big Bully wouldn't have actually slain me, anyway... where was I? Oh yes. The Italian Pre-War Mobilization scenario, how could I forget. The guns go off, the tiny icons expode with a virtual vermillion vigor! The Italians scurry to re-load. Apparently the French haven't any... ancien Elan and are in every danger of being... peine forte et dure by those nasty Axis ground and air forces. :eek: ...Oh my!... here's... why, it's Julia Roberts! just stopped by to say Hi and... you want to do some lunch? I am at your beck and command, O smiling wide Lady who lives in the tres grateful! vicinity! As for the new scenario... well, get it I guess, it ain't bad, and... it's more fun, than not. Wait up Julie... Baby! I'll get my Nikon! :cool:

I agree with Panzer39... it is indeed as good as it gets. Looking forward to version 1.3... Hi Ho, Go! JMB! :cool:

UPDATE! (... number 2, from member #8295, on 6-11-03, concerning probes & postulations possible in Galaxy #4412... etc) Anyway, The whole dang shebang has been sent to Otto's excellent web site... for ALL things SC, and I DO mean just about anything! worth your time. **Trouble being, I am damned :eek: near computer illiterate (... my son, for example could do MORE than I can do now when he was age 7) and SO... perhaps I will have to re-do my files or apologize all over for mucking up the web works, or some such... we'll see? WHEN! he let's me know that all is in order, I shall come right out and say so, and anyone interested can indeed try out this new! Italian Pre-War Mobilization scenario. It ain't bad... more fun than not.

It surely would, and it is an idea that would greatly enhance the game. Leopard has many interesting variations of this to consider, and should be congratulated for introducing this topic. In general, I would agree with the notion that it is better to have LESS spotting ability in both land and sea areas, since this would make the so called "standard attacks" VERY problematical. No longer could you safely sit back and... somehow just KNOW all the Hated Foes military dispositions. Given our game scale, this seems rather implausible, and makes for somewhat PREDICTABLE tactics. ***Now, I would propose adding our long cherished (... well, by me anyway) RECON unit, which would in actuality be a combination of... armored cars, smaller and obsolete tanks, and various other recon assets, such as small planes and commando type raiders. This New! Recon Unit would be very vulnerable, since it would have to probe into treacherous areas, and so I would not only give it a VERY low profile (... like a sub will have with the new "run silent" feature), but would allow it to completely absorb a first attack (... no damage, other than to readiness), either by land or air. :cool:

UPDATE!!! In plain English, or, In sane verse, For better, or for worse, Won't be long now... Before YOU! can play the challenging And exciting Italian Pre-War Mobilization scenario! **Coming to an SC gaming theater - near you! :cool:

Thank you disorder ... I am trying mightily to get The House... in order! Everything is progressing nicely... had some VERY interesting test games... head-to-head, hotseat, AND against the AI (... which is nobody's princeling Fool when figuring out these sorts of things!). Should be ready late tomorrow or early Wednesday, as already stated. See, the thing is, it's surely within the bounds of reality to suppose: 1) That Hitler and his henchmen CONVINCED the pliable Duce ... that early entry would benefit the Pax Romana schemes dancing around in Duce's overly swollen head! :eek: 2) That Italy would need some time to get their black-shirted and mighteous! forces into a fighting trim!... and that the Allies wouldn't have much (... enough?... will... YOU?) available to IMMEDIATELY commence a quick Dempsey-like knock-out! **As part of the new Italo-Deutsche agreement, secretly compacted in a Bavarian redoubt, Hitler eagerly agreed to send a couple of crack! commando type divisions to Italy, in order, ONLY... it's insisted, to insure that an odd folly is NOT committed by the newly composed, but rashly inclined French Alpine unit! Soon, anyone interested, such as CorsairBlue ... WILL have THEIR chance to change History! Or, re-order (... within limits) the OOBs of Britain, Germany, AND... Italy! :cool: [ June 09, 2003, 12:54 PM: Message edited by: Immer Etwas ]

(... another great Stage name... we seem to have a lot of those on this forum!) I am yet finishing up some detail work, so... I would estimate you will have this scenario, ready for download, oh, by the middle of next week (June 11-12). I will post in this thread, where and when. Thanks for the interest, it should be a very interesting experience (... different anyway) and so far, it doesn't seem to change things all that much, other than SEVERELY restricting a player's ability to invade and conquer Italy... ... ah, BEFORE It's time is due, AND assuming that Otto Skorzeny will not command the Jagdverbande... hard trained at Friedenthal, and liberate Duce from forced retirement at Hotel Campo Imperatore... anytime before HIS particular time is due) Also, with this scenario it is appreciably more difficult to succeed with a Low Countries gambit by the Allies. ***Keep in mind, I have also changed the OOB of the major participants a bit, reflecting some other concerns that I have. For instance, BEF is better modeled, and the French will have some armor, and German Air, Armor (and experience) will get a slight boost, as reflecting their early superiority. These sorts of small changes are the result of the fine work done on other scenarios, and of course, my own impressions. But, the over-all balance will be maintained. All in all, I am satisfied, as a 40 year war game player and amateur game maker (as are we all!), that this scenario WILL make for a fairly accurate portrayal of Italy's pre-war mobilization, WITHOUT otherwise altering important historical aspects of the Blitzkreig period from Sep '39 to Aug of 1940.

Long time no see... good to have you back. :cool: In regard to the above, my experience has been very much different. MOST people (... and here I am assuming you mean the males, and that "most" would mean more than half of those) WILL defend... THEMSELVES, whereas they very well might get lost in a "group failure" of purpose, or nerve. As has been said, the Human is capable... of damn near ANYTHING... especially when Annihilation stares them stupid in the face. What was it JFK said? Victory has a thousand fathers, and Defeat is an orphan. Take for example, Iraq. Many, many folks are claiming virtual victory (... and, many, many of those... NEVER volunteed when their generation needed them... ready & willing, by their side)... AS A GROUP. Individually, there are only some hundred thousand or so who actually had to put themselves on the line, yes? And so it was in France in 1940. That was a Political and an Institutional defeat. As individuals, the French soldiers were tough enough I'm quite sure, though probably not trained quite so rigorously, or bolstered by the same kind of Martial Tradition, as the Germans. I have wandered many strange alley-ways, and IMHO... EVEN the lowliest, most abject-seeming person WILL arise and fight when the situation is desperate. Not to say that their aren't cowards and craven people... that's true, but surely... the percentage is far, far smaller than... MOST PEOPLE, yes?