Poor Old Spike

Hey COS mate-Firstly,there's no such thing as good or bad players,only experienced and inexperienced,so lighten up! One of the things I like doing at Rugged Defence is helping inexperienced players get the best out of the game and the best out of themselves,and I'm regarded as something of a father figure grog in there because of my advanced age (50-plus) and my years of wargaming experience! In the 7 weeks since joining RD I've finished 45 pbems and currently have 23 going because people KNOW I'll be offering constant advice right from the buy screen through the final turn,together with a running feedback commentary during play itself, that's why people keep wanting to play me over and over! I was hoping to help novice BoB's too.. (Incidentally,I also run a well-known wargame Battle Academy under another handle..) COS,you or anybody wanting to come to RD can e-mail the boss Edwin at cyberfox@rugged-defense.nl :cool: (Edit to add--alternatively just e-mail me for a non-ladder Battle Academy training pbem!) [ March 30, 2003, 12:16 AM: Message edited by: Poor Old Spike ]

Sure thing THumpre,come into the RD Ladder cauldron to rub shoulders with the hard men and we'll kick one off. (Sorry I don't play soft non-ladder fun games anymore) :cool:

Fionn-Well,I've had time to check out your params and I'm afraid there's some serious negotiation to be done in order to hammer out a set of mutually-acceptable parameters:- 1- 30 turns max (variable)is the max length I can entertain. 2-And 2000pts is the max size.(You may choose whether you want a small,med or large map) 3- I don't like this business of having a third party choose our forces for us,as part of the fun is choosing my own.I therefore suggest a compromise--I'll choose my own,and he can choose yours! 4- I'm far from happy that you insist on being the Defender. It was you who slapped me across the face with your gauntlet in issuing the challenge,so surely I am entitled to at least choose whether I want to defend? Yes,I would indeed prefer to defend! Of course,as a reciprocally balancing concession,I would be quite prepared allow you to choose which nationality you wish to be. As a further concession to you,this needn't be a ladder game if being in the ladder would make you feel uncomfortable.You say "ladders bring out the worst in people",so I wouldn't want to subject you to that savage place unnecessarily,even though it often brings out the very best in people too! I'm sure there's more you'll want to discuss after digesting my suggestions above and I look forward to hearing from you! :cool: "In peace,there's nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility.But when the blast of war blows in our ears,then imitate the action of the tiger.." (Shakesp's Henry V) (PS-A note to spectators-I can promise you a full AAR if this contest ever gets off the ground,I already gladly and habitually provide one for all my appreciative pbem opponents to analyse after each game.)

Mate,as I keep saying throughout the forum to my critics-Talk til you're blue in the face but that won't change the facts one iota, namely I AM the Rugged Defence Cmbb Ladder Leader! Live with it! PS critics-Take care or I might publicly challenge YOU ! :cool: (Edit to add-As regards statistics,I only lose 1 game in 4 and thats good enough for me!) [ March 29, 2003, 07:11 PM: Message edited by: Poor Old Spike ]

Have got 4 pbem files to attend to but just popped in to say:- 1-To Moneymaxx who hints I might "chicken out" against Fionns challenge,that jibe cuts both ways as I you could say the same about Fionns refusal to play to MY parameters! However,I may yet play him. And Mmaxx-be careful or I might just challenge YOU! 2-Fionn says that my params create "almost identical games each time",and that I've "worked out a winning tactic." Yet Lou says my tactic works the first time,but is easy to defend against "once you're used to it" Which of you is correct? The truth is,the random maps are refreshingly different each time,requiring totally different tactics every game,as hills and contours etc have such a profound effect if not properly taken into account.(Edit to include SPIKES LAW-Positioning is EVERYTHING!) ( And I hope you hotshots are saving these Laws!) 3-Fionn said "I bags defender" in our proposed game.This seems a bit undemocratic to me,if not downright bullying? I never say things like that in MY challenges! 4-Fionn says to me-"If you're really as good as you say..", to which I humbly refer him yet again to my credentials which PROVE I'm as good as I say:-I'm the Rugged Defense Cmbb Ladder Leader :cool: (I really gotta go for now to handle 4 pbem files from Rockdawg,Apostol,Copper,Moosehead..) [ March 29, 2003, 02:30 PM: Message edited by: Poor Old Spike ]

To all tactical theorists and debaters I say this:- SPIKES LAW-Stop yakking and PULL THAT TRIGGER! In other words all the tactics talk and debate in the world is no substitite for actually PLAYING the game and learning in that school of hard knocks! For example Lou,in our game a while back,you handled your panzershreck teams with such stealth and skill that they were able to dish out a severe mauling to my T-34s,and I won't forget that lesson in a hurry! (PS-I'm still analysing Fionns parameters) :cool:

To my detractors I say beware,I might just challenge you to a game,then post your refusal in the forum so people can see how you duck it! SPIKES LAW-Stop yer yakking and PULL THAT TRIGGER!

Lou mate-I notice you and a few others seem to hold Fionn in awe as if he's some kind of patriarchal guru. No disrespect to Fionn,but who is he? To look up to someone as if he's a diety is bad medicine,as it means you subconsciously regard yourself as inferior,and it'll show on the battlefield. (SPIKES LAW-Look up to no-one.Let THEM look up to YOU!)

And there'll always be those who know my messiah act is just a ruse to get peoples goat and make 'em rise to the bait! Gotcha! HEY NEWBIES-Here's a basic guide to the Cmbb community:- First there are the so-called "forum bums" who hardly ever play the game,just spending their time hanging round the forum.Thats fine. Then there are those who only play against the AI,and thats fine too. Then come those who play against humans,and thats also okay. Then there are those who play in the soft "fun" ladders,which is good too. Finally there are the elite hard core like myself who play in the savage jungle of the "hard" ladders where theres both "fun" players and serious players. And as I'm the Rugged Defense Ladder Leader I'm the toughest jungle fighter around ! :cool:

Yes it MUST be patched! In the meantime select "no" when the "Fire main gun?" option comes up,and your tank will spray the gun with mg fire only, because I think it seems to reach a hull-down gun when the main gun can't.

Of course,there will always be a minority who never dare take me on.. :cool:

As regards allegations that I have a "Messiah complex",its definitely not true,just ask any of my multitude of disciples in RD. I'm only sorry that BoB will miss out on being able to marvel at my awesome tactical powers which would have rubbed off on them,as it is written:-"Use your God-given gifts to serve others." (1 Peter 4:10) (Edit to include STOP PRESS NEWS-Mumpfelpfrumf has just slaughtered me in RD ladder!Serves me right for saying to him at the start "Sure,take Tigers if you want,I'll take just T-34/76's"!) [ March 29, 2003, 09:14 AM: Message edited by: Poor Old Spike ]

My popularity in Rugged Defense amazes even me sometimes,as people are clamouring to play me all the time,as proven by my finishing 44 pbems in the 7 weeks since joining the club,and I currently have 23 going! People appreciate not only my fair balanced parameters which give fast exciting battles,but they know I'll also help them with advice not only at the buy screen,but actually during play itself! For example I'm currently playing Durango and have taught him how to use his panzers in "hunting packs" and am now seeing my T-34s get picked off one by one as a result,boy am I weird! "Thanks for showing me how to do it,and I'm now doing it to others" he says! Win or lose,people know they're going to come out of a game against me as stronger players and I like to help them achieve it! After all if you play against the Ladder Leader,some of his awesome tactical power is bound to rub off on you! :cool: (Edited to include STOP PRESS NEWS!-Mumpfelpfrumf has just slaughtered me in RD ladder! Serves me right for saying to him before the start "Sure,take Tigers if you want,I'll take just T-34/76's"!) [ March 29, 2003, 09:18 AM: Message edited by: Poor Old Spike ]

Since joining Rugged Defense 7 weeks ago I've finished 44 ladder pbems and have 23 going because most people ENJOY playing me because not only are my setups fair and balanced,but because I also offer advice and suggestions (especially to newbies) on buying units,and follow this up with tactical advice throughout the game itself.For example I'm currently playing Durango and have taught him how to use his panzers in "hunting packs" and am now seeing my T-34s getting picked off one by one. "Thanks for showing me how to do it" he says! Boy am I weird! Hey Knaust, don't forget we're playing now!You want advice during our game? No problem mate!

I'm the Rugged Defense Cmbb Ladder Leader and recently asked Kilroy the boss of BoB if I could join his club as well,and although he said yes at first,he soon changed his mind when I asked about the BoB ladder scoring system,and told me I seemed too obsessed with winning,and suggested I remain at RD. So to all the players in BoB I regret we won't meet on the field of battle because of your bosses wish to protect you from me! :cool:

SPIKES LAW-Don't be bullied into playing a game you don't like the look of! In my early cmbb days I used to play other peoples setups because I didn't want to hurt their feelings,and even when I won I was secretly glad it was over because it sucked and bored the socks off me! Nowadays,if a setup looks boring I won't go near it,and that's how your setup looks Fionn,(no disrespect) so don't hold out any hope of us ever playing it mate,I'm sorry. I didn't spend 600 quid on a PC,Stormovik,Civilisation 3,F/A-18,Red Baron 3D,Sega Rally,Steel Beasts,Comanche 4 and Cmbb to spend hours yawning my way through long boring pbems! I like short snappy highly-mobile battles,and so do most of my opponents,I've finished 43 ladder QBs since joining Rugged Defense 7 weeks ago,mostly to my params,so obviously,people LURV 'em! You CANNOT just dump a setup on somebody and say "play this or you're yellow" for heavens sake,I never do it and I don't let others to do it to me!(Edit to include clarification-I certainly have nothing against Att/Defends if the params are not too wild,and am currently engaged in 4 against Macnab,Engelbrekt,Hodo and Copper,and have just Drawn a 5th) As regards anyone with the gall to try arguing tactics with me,the notion is pythonesque,and I prefer to let my impeccable credentials speak for me,which are:-Rugged Defense Cmbb Ladder Leader :cool: [ March 28, 2003, 11:48 PM: Message edited by: Poor Old Spike ]

Fionn-As I said in my long chatty e-m to you yesterday,changing just one parameter in a setup can have a powerful knock-on "butterfly's wing effect",and you've just dropped a whole truckload of wings on me that I'll have to carefully sift and evaluate for those knock-on effects,so give me a few days please as I've currently got about 23 ladder pbems going,mostly under my own popular exciting fast-moving QB Meeting params which most people want to play again and again!(I admire their sheer guts in daring to have a crack at me so they can boast to their grandkids how they once beat the legendary P.O.S.! Alas,for many it will remain merely a pipedream..!) Re 60 turns,my style of play is fast,brutal and decisive,featuring high ammo expenditure (SPIKES LAW-Don't lean on the door,KICK IT IN!)and I'd therefore be left ammo-less after taking all the victory flags by turn 20 or so because of Bfronts omission of re-supply in the game,so where's the fun in that? I have other comments but they can wait for now,as I have to study your params first like I said. Oh-One last thing,you say you prefer non-ladder games. I don't! They add an exciting adrenalin edge that I like,which soft "fun" games don't have,because the savage law of the jungle holds sway in the ladders and sorts the men from the boys! :cool:

Hey Fionn!-Thanks for e-mailing me the basic parameters in your challenge,but they don't go anywhere deep enough in spelling out every single tiny setup detail. I showed how to issue proper challenges in that challenge example form I sent you,so can you fill in everything for me please,just as I do myself when challenging people,and send it again.That way I can study the suggested params in detail. (SPIKES LAW-Never go into a game blind!) BTW-How do I paste stuff like my form into this topic reply box so everybody can see? Why won't cut and paste work here?

Hey Lou mate,if you're the Loughborough Lou,me 'n you played a coupla fun cmbb pbems a while back,can't remember who won though..and I can't remember what my handle was then... (Edited to add:-As regards me walking the walk,I've already done a bit o' walking,clear to the top o' the ladder..! Shall check out Fionns params though, but no way do I ever play 60-turn games,as I find 25+ is more than ample to do the job..!) [ March 28, 2003, 03:40 PM: Message edited by: Poor Old Spike ]

Hey Milhaus,your e-mails calling me a "dumbass with a Messiah complex" are funny but untrue,and are therefore blasphemous! I'm a very popular guy in RD,just ask my multitude of disciples! A tip mate-I hear you've got a name as a slow player,averaging only one file per fortnight,and have only finished 8 games in the last 6 months.Try not to micromanage so much! I've finished 43 games in 7 weeks ! The more games anybody plays,the more experience he gains and becomes a better player! You can argue and bluster til you're blue in the face mate,but that won't change the fact that I'm the Rugged Defence Cmbb Ladder Leader ! Accept it ! :cool:

Hi Geoman welcome to cmbb,I know zilch about tech stuff but do know a little bit about tactics and actually playing the game,so if there's anything specific you need to know along those lines drop me an e-mail and I'll try to help.I'm the Rugged Defense Cmbb Ladder Leader :cool:

Gentlemen!-It came to me in a divine flash of light that I have been sent onto this earth as a prophet to pass on my awesome tactical powers to all of you,so I shall be writing tactical scriptures all over the forums and gamesites and newsletters etc to lift you out of the abyss of tactical darkness into the wondrous light of knowledge so that you too can join me at the very pinnacle of that Ladder to the Stars! :cool: (Edited to add-In fact I'm the latest in a long line of prophets before me who have graced this hallowed forum:-Veteran Gamer,Scatterbrain Kid,Licensed Fool,Headshot,Gutshot..) [ March 27, 2003, 09:16 PM: Message edited by: Poor Old Spike ]

Thanks Dave H,it was in the fun games with you and others that I learnt the trade and picked up a few pointers on the way,like the time you gave me a humiliating object lesson on how my Stugs were useless in close-in city-fighting, no doubt you carted all the wrecks back to publicly display as trophies in Red Square.

Yeah sure mate,any forum bum can become a Ladder Leader,no problem! Meanwhile,I'm the Top Gun around here! :cool: (Shh..don't tell anybody,but Apostol has just whupped me in the RD ladder and he was only ranked 61st!)

And you're not going to stop until absolutely everyone knows it eh? *chuckle* Of course I'm only ranked 87th on the CMBO ladder so what do I know? </font>