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altipueri

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Posts posted by altipueri

  1. I once used the analogy of learning to drive stick shift. The first couple attempts you think "This is no fun at all!" You're convinced that something must be terribly wrong with the car for you to be having such troubles. But after a little practice you're upshifting with the best of them, the auto's handling like a race car and you never want to go back to an boring old automatic transmission again. :)

    I love automatic transmissions. I don't understand why anybody wants a manual one. And I have the fastest campervan in the west.

  2. I think fields with only one entrance is exactly what there was in many parts of Normandy. Partly as a result of historical hereditary rules farms got split up between sons. The result was that a farmer has a couple of fields over here, a couple over there and some near the next village. A lot of inefficient traipsing between fields.

    Devon and Cornwall in England have country most like the bocage in places with high hedges and sunken roads. It's really annoying as I often go there and instead of enjoying the view I'm thinking about whether I could drive a tank through the hedge. This game has ruined my enjoyment of the countryside. Let alone peering across fields trying to work out if I could spot anybody about to shoot me. It's all very stressful.

  3. JonS 's guide was good, but showed me I don't have the patience or application to do a scenario.

    The CM club is becoming more exclusive which is better if you are in but the barrier to entry discourages others.

    It's about 10.30 pm UK time, I've just come back from my squash/racketball club where a few weeks ago I tried to encourage a few people I knew from bar conversations had an interest in history/war to actually try a wargame for adults - CM or AGEOD or Paradox by giving them copies I had bought. Sadly they all loaded them, saw the size of the manual and gave up.

  4. Well for me as opening page excerpts:

    "He commanded the armies of Europe against France for ten campaigns. He fought four great battles and many important actions. It is a common boast of his champions that he never fought a battle that he did not win, nor beseiged a fortress that he did not take. Amid all the chances and baffling accidents of war he produced victory with almost mechanical certainty."

    Beats

    "Gared did not rise to the bait. He was an old man, past fifty"

    So Marlborough gets my attention, aided by the discovery he was born about five miles from where I'm reading this - so he's a local lad what done good.

    Shocked to discover Game of Thrones was published in 1996 - so much for me thinking it was the new thing.

  5. Some years ago I knew Mark Bailey, grandson of the inventor/designer. In family tradition he had joined the Royal Engineers.

    On one army river crossing exercise he duly placed the eponymous bridge; but too close to the river bank edges which promptly collapsed leaving the bridge on the river bed. So he roared off to the quartermaster; deviously requisitioned another bridge; dumped it on top of the first; and thus got his men across to complete the exercise. One happy young officer. One really pissed off quartermaster.

  6. Possible anti-tank gun crew scenario - best done with a Birmingham accent if you are British.

    Hey. Brian. There's a tank coming down the road.

    What sort of tank?

    I don't know. A big one.

    They're all big. Quick. Look it up in the book.

    I haven't got the book. I gave it to you.

    No you didn't.

    Yes I did.

    No you didn't.

    I distinctly remember giving it to you straight after you finished your cup of tea this morning. So there.

    It's getting closer.

    What should I do?

    Shoot it.

    What do you mean shoot it? It's not a bloody dog you know.

    What if we don't kill it. It'll be really annoyed then.

    Well, the book says - if you can't kill it with solid shot, fire HE. That should at least give him a headache.

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