Re-introducing the Forum and Game Veterans

[Snowstorm]

Desert Dave, Xwormwood, Kuniworth, Sea Monkey, and all other veteran forum users,

I know all of you have been here for some time, but for the benefit of all us newcomers unfamilar with yourselves, how about using this thread to re-introduce yourselves to the rest of us here? :cool:

I'm sure all of us newbies would appreciate your experiences and background, as well as some game advice and where you think this new game should go.

Starting with myself, I'm a former meteorologist, certified electrician, economist and currently work in inventory control for a large pharmaceutical distribution corporation (gee, did I leave anything out? ), as well as a rabid WW II enthusiast and wargamer.

Everyone should feel welcome to sound off.

[xwormwood]

Snowstorm, i am far away from being a forum user you can truly call a veteran, at least not when mentioned in one line with Desert Dave, Kuniworth and Sea Monkey (and many other great guys), but thanks anyway.

But because it was so nice from you to ask about my background, i am glad to answer anyway:

I live in Germany, in Bremen, and am working in Hamburg, for a company which primary activities consist of rail tank cars operating leasing, where i purchase spare parts, coordinate the shipment of spareparts and, yes, am in control of inventories.

My computer wargame history began more or less with SSIs "Storm accross europe", followed by all the better ones of SSIs titles (Gary Grigsbys, Clash of Steel, the 5-star General series) and some of SSGs games ("The Complete Carriers at War", just as an example). Some years after SSI went down i discovered Huberts first master piece: Strategic Command (1). And since then i visit this forum more or less constantly.

I will go slow with any more suggestions to improve the game, as i would like to play the new Global game first (and hopefully soon, come on guys, sell it to us!), where plenty of good improvements will already be included.

I hope of course that we will

a) somwhere down the road will get a decent WW1 game

which offers a global map as well

c) where you are allowed to stack units

d) on a hex map

e) or better: Ted Raicers "The Great War in Europe" as a computer game (with the additional "The Great War in the Near East" enhancement), as this is the best board war game i have ever played

;)

[Desert Dave]

Desert Dave, Xwormwood, Kuniworth, Sea Monkey, and all other veteran forum users,

I know all of you have been here for some time, but for the benefit of all us newcomers unfamilar with yourselves, how about using this thread to re-introduce yourselves to the rest of us here? :cool:

I'm sure all of us newbies would appreciate your experiences and background, as well as some game advice and where you think this new game should go.

Starting with myself, I'm a former meteorologist, certified electrician, economist and currently work in inventory control for a large pharmaceutical distribution corporation (gee, did I leave anything out? ), as well as a rabid WW II enthusiast and wargamer.

Everyone should feel welcome to sound off.

Well, you know Snowstorm, good luck with this. You have missed a whole huge passel of SC cats, and I'll bet that as time goes on you'll see more and more of them re-arriving and re-opining.

At least, you SHOULD -> given that this Global game promises to be - perhaps, the BEST of the series. In that there are so many more new and game-enhancing features that will make game-play that much more fun! We'll see who and what, I guess.

However, I suspect a lot of folks like the anonymous aspect of ANY forum and prefer to preserve a certain air of... ummm, mystery.

Then again, may be I'm wrong -- yep, I often am, WRT to just about anything.

Those of us who've been around awhile pretty much know all these BIO kinds of things about each other, but, OTOH, it is fair, I think, to request SOME info.

As for me, I don't mind.

-------------------------

Been a "blue-collar" sort of guy for, oh about 2/3 of my life, and thus yet have a strong and abiding concern for the plight of the everyday average Worker. Disappearing bunch, too bad for USA.

Auto mechanic for 10 years, worked in a lumber camp up in Taos, a silver-mine in Death Valley, and then drove a truck all over the SW until my lower back put the kibosh on that fast riding of the high hard seat.

So, had to return to school and got degrees in Psychology, which I parlayed into becoming a substance abuse counselor. Worked at the VA hospital (... served in US Army from '66 to 68, but I never say anything beyond that, ever) for ~ 4 years.

Now, I am semi-retired and now & again help-out my son a little @ his Engineering Firm. They make hard & soft-ware for the Movie Industry, world-wide.

Played baseball through High School and used to purely love that game until! It all got so awful mercenary, and now you have this ridiculous disparity between the large & small markets, and so, I don't pay much attention anymore.

Love to read mysteries and histories, watch good film-noir, and not least! Tend my ever-expanding garden. Much to be learned, IMHO, by again & again immersing the hands in the life-giving soil.

There you go.

Now!

Time for Bill (... AKA: pzgndr - who, incidentally, signed up on the same day I did - April 22, 2002, which is why I single him out... even tho his date shows 2008 or some such) to get in here. Now there's a guy, among very very many here, who has an interesting and accomplished life-story!

[Snowstorm]

Desert Dave, XWormwood, thanks for the feedback, as well as some very interesting background about yourselves, I enjoyed it. :cool: I was hoping this game would make it out in time for Christmas, but I guess I'll have to look ahead to it coming out in time for my birthday on Valentine's Day (oops, now I'm REALLY going to get slammed).

Xwormwood, I've had the Panzer General series, East Front/West Front by Talonsoft, and Steel Panthers before the SC series came along. This one seems to combine alot of the best of all of them to some degree, and yes, it would be interesting to see a WW I version of this game come along some time (hear that Hubert?).

Desert Dave, your many changes in careers seem to mirror my own (although I never was in the armed forces). I'm 45 years old, but I feel like I've lived the lives of about 3 or 4 by now. My back is still working, but almost half of our receiving dept. is out on disability from overworking their backs trying to exceeed production quotas.

As far as the rest of you, keep it coming, don't be shy!

[John DiFool the 2nd]

As far as wargames go, 1st ones were Crusade in Europe & Decision in the Desert for the Commodore 64 (actually I played the original game in the series first, NATO Commander). This was back in the mid-80's; in retrospect what Grigsby did with the crude graphics and tiny memory and processor in question was miraculous. Have spent a lot of my subsequent time in sims (the original Air Warrior, various other flight sims-racing sims too-and sub sims as well).

Where is Terik nowadays? He get a bad case of burnout or what?

[Snowstorm]

John DiFool,

I was playin' around with my Apple II Plus when you were on your Commodore 64. Now THAT is a dinosaur! Remember Wizardry?

[pzgndr]

First of all, it's not DesertDave but Immer Etwas! A rose by any other name...

I've been around and playtesting for Hubert since SC1. I've also been a playtester for Schwerpunkt for Russo-German War, Anglo-German War and now the upcoming Middle East game. And I'm playtesting some for Ouflank with the Empires in Arms game. I spent a few years writing for Wargamer.com but don't have the time for that now.

A little of my background. I spent 11 years on active duty in the infantry with a secondary in nuclear weapons. Got out, worked at a nuclear plant for 6 years, and then worked at the NRC for 7 years. Since summer 2008 I've been back in the Army as a civilian on HQDA staff. Like I said, I've been busy and don't have as much time for gaming like I used to 5 years ago. Hooah.

[Kuniworth]

Well I am Kuniworth.

I guess others have to describe what I've been doing here since 2002. But mainly I'm monitoring trolls and troublemakers and report them to Battlefront for further investigations. Donnie Brasco kind of stuff.

[SeaMonkey]

Well that's a load of crap Puniworth, why don't you fess up...you "lucky" fellow! Kuni is a Swedish WW2 historian with emphasis on the Eastern theater mainly the struggle of the Motherland against the Nazi invasion. He's a big player of GG's WiR, or used to be. Bet your looking forward to the new one, WiE over at Matrix, eh Kuni?:cool:

Anyway, I give you fair warning my SC brethren, stay away from this guy unless you want trouble. Him and JJR have the record on banishments.

[Kuniworth]

Anyway, I give you fair warning my SC brethren, stay away from this guy unless you want trouble. Him and JJR have the record on banishments.

All the banishments are just cover ups to make me appear like a vicious spammer. I would have been impossible to gain the trust of Gaylord Focker and Lucky Zebra unless I could show some records.

[Snowstorm]

Kuniworth and Sea Monkey,

You're both funny, you make laugh, I kill you last. (LOL)

I was waiting to see if there were a few "sparkplugs" in this group, it adds "character".

I have a few younger brothers like you two.

Still, I think I'll have to look into Kuniworth a bit more. Sometimes the "investigator" needs to be investigated from time to time. :eek::cool:

[Desert Dave]

Well I am Kuniworth.

I guess others have to describe what I've been doing here since 2002. But mainly I'm monitoring trolls and troublemakers and report them to Battlefront for further investigations. Donnie Brasco kind of stuff.

No! Skando Mondo Redux!

Upon arising, I hear tell you are actually... a sparkplug? Whoa! That's news!

Though, which kind? Champion! Or (Heironymous) Bosch?

(... well probably not the American made... "Champion" -- I think that brand's probably been outsourced to the workers who were once upon a time -> in the Red Brigade!)

OK, now we need merely locate the steering wheel and the clutch and some other accessories besides those, and we can get this SC Jalopy - REALLY rock rolling!

Well, grief & woe, what in dickens has this place come to?

You, Skand0 M0nd0! Are now making -> common cause? With the ever-expanding and truly infernal... Survelliance State? Have traded in yer old faded Che beret -> for a some smart Martinet's head-set?

Franz Kafka writing @ 'is finest, MIGHT understand this strange turn of events.

Well, as it's said... 'deep in the heart of each youthful Rebel, lies the aging... Reactionary.' LOL!

[Kuniworth]

Tell me something Dave, why did you change from Immer? Is it because of the usual blue collar bad self esteem?

Let me tell you something friend. Listen carefully to the song of John Lennon, a working class hero is something to be. To resist the sterotypic role of the worker, no matter if you fight injustices like me or write poems like you is in fact the best heritage we ever leave to the next generation. Be proud.

[Snowstorm]

Desert Dave,

As an economist (as well as wearing several other hats), I can certainly agree with your sentiments about all the outsourcing, its one of the great causes leading to the great economic mess we here in the USA are facing (and our so-called fearless leaders here have failed to do much about). Too bad we don't just "outsource" all of congress and the executive branch right outta here as well.

Speaking of outsourcing, did the rest of you forum vets out there outsource yourselves out of this forum? Come on in here, join the fun! Enlighten all us newbies with your infinite SC knowledge, wisdom, and experiences.

[Kuniworth]

Desert Dave,

As an economist (as well as wearing several other hats), I can certainly agree with your sentiments about all the outsourcing, its one of the great causes leading to the great economic mess we here in the USA are facing (and our so-called fearless leaders here have failed to do much about). Too bad we don't just "outsource" all of congress and the executive branch right outta here as well.

Speaking of outsourcing, did the rest of you forum vets out there outsource yourselves out of this forum? Come on in here, join the fun! Enlighten all us newbies with your infinite SC knowledge, wisdom, and experiences.

Are you one of those wall street dudes? In that case get the hell out of here before something crashes! If not, are you out for some autographes?

Anyhow, it's been hell beeing around for 7 years. I have fought so many trolls and freaks I ca´'t remember them all. It all started in 2002 with the christmas riot and after that it went bananas when competitive multiplayer gaming came in. When the smoked cleared in 2005 many of the old guard left.

[JerseyJohn]

http://content9.flixster.com/user/37/00/33/37003315_pro.jpg

I was minding my own business when a huge bird came and grabbed my head with both talons. Experience has taught me that when this happens it's best to find out what the thing wants of me. Got dropped off over here so I guess it wants me to say something.

First I'll say hello to my old friends at SC. Always good to see you guys.

Second I'll stand by my old friend Kapitain Kuni, as misunderstood and martyred a person as I've ever met. :eek:

Third a brief SC explanation. I was fairly active during the original SC days, really loved the game, made a few scenarios that caught on for a time but mainly I liked posting about history -- some of it I later realized wasn't accurate, no big deal, anyone who cared that much had the chance to do their own reading on the subject. Participated in a lot of AARs, a couple when SC2 came out in game testing scenarios put up by others. The most promising was with Kuni for his Barbarossa scenario, but we had to stop the game due to unresolved mechanical problems.

I've kind of wandered away because, while I like tiles in Civ type games, I prefer hexes in war games. And also because most of my time was taken up with fiction writing, which has since become my main activity.

Background: 60, widower, moved to Florida from NJ in Feb 09, bought a house and am still trying to figure out where the furniture should go. :confused: Main interests are music and writing, history, and science in general.

Guess that about wraps it up except to say I'll always love the way this place was four or five years ago, when we had people like disorder and the late Jim Boggs in addition to my fine old friends who have already posted in this thread.

-- Toying with the idea of getting back into war games. What I'd really love to see is something that reliably recreates historical situations that led up to WWII, with starting the war as an Axis option; other options to follow would allow peace to be made with enemies and then continuing the game, etc & etc.. I think it would be interesting to simulate what might have happened if Churchill hadn't succeeded Chamberlain and Britain took Hitler up on his peace offer. Where would the Third Reich have wound up? And the British Empire, would it still have unravelled? Anyhow, my main interest in any sort of historical based game is to explore possibilities. I'm turned off by games where I feel funnelled into following what happened historically.

[Snowstorm]

Really glad to see more of you entering the picture here, keep it coming!

Anyway, Kuniworth, I'm not the Wall Street type. In fact, I'm one of those from the Austrian school of Economics (like Peter Schiff for instance) who thinks throwing many trillions of paper money at the problem isn't going to solve any of this mess we're in here in the USA (those in the govt. don't seem to have a clue that people just plain can't afford anything anymore and credit is becoming non-existent. The only way out of this is paying off debt, not creating trillions more of it. Autographs? Hahaha, nobody wants to listen to people like me who tell the truth about the mess we're in, they want people who tell them what they want to hear, and that is the one thing you can count on our govt. to do for us to the bitter end. Anyway, I've been the misunderstood type all my life as well, so I can sympathize with you. Christmas riot? What was that about? Tell me more.

Jersey John, that's a great idea about a future game (think about that, Hubert). An open-ended game with no set time frame that allows the player to make peace with enemies and to make new ones as a what-if sounds like alot of fun. Why not? I'm sure its within the realm of the SC development team's abilities to do. :cool:

[jon_j_rambo]

Legend here. I represent all the things that are good in SC & more importantly, The United States of America. You can't get any freer in spirit than joining Camp Rambo. Looks like I've been around for 7 years, means my itch needs scratch. SC brought 3R to the computer age. Do I need to toot my own horn? Man, I loved R.A.C.K. strategy, it defeated every opponent on the planet. (RACK = Rambo Axis Carrier Cracker). R.R.I. (Rambo Rome Invasion) was an instant houserule quicker than Kuni could get banned. Speaking of bannishments, I've had a half dozen of them. What didn't kill me, made me stronger.

SC-2 was good, but didn't have the drug addict addiction of SC-1. SC-Pacific's Vypuermal World Campaign entertained me for 6-months.

Over censorship has made me very gunshy on posting. I can be found at Buntaland off/on, it's an open forum, long as you don't talk about Anime cartoon dolls.

-Legend

[Snowstorm]

JJR,

Tell me more about R.A.C.K., I'm a big user of Axis carriers, so enlighten me.

Sounds intriguing. :cool:

[Desert Dave]

Tell me something Dave, why did you change from Immer? Is it because of the usual blue collar bad self esteem?

Let me tell you something friend. Listen carefully to the song of John Lennon, a working class hero is something to be. To resist the sterotypic role of the worker, no matter if you fight injustices like me or write poems like you is in fact the best heritage we ever leave to the next generation. Be proud.

Kuni, please.

I do believe we each know when the other is writing ironical, true?

As for Immer... have you already forgotten the prior story?

He is my fraternal twin brother and yet languishes in that gaol up on the butte overlooking the Rio Grande Valley. It is not called "Fort Inferno" for nothing.

However, he still has that Bluebird Radio which he inherited from his grand-father -- very same grandfather who was so uncermoniously and unustly evicted from his homestead farm back in Ohio, oh back during the midst of the Great Depression. Kicked to the side of the hobo road by... bankers. Bankers never change, they've been doing their usury thing since cave days, I'd reckon.

Since the Bluebird Rad-io is invisible to guards, and operates on a celestial continuum that is even beyond what is now known as the ether-net, I am in constant contact with him.

This morning he sent me the following quote from Eugene Debs, which I suspect will appease you somewhat?

-----------------------------------------------------------

Intelligent discourse is the mainspring of Civilization. Progress is born of agitation. It is agitation or stagnation.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Now, I will offer another Debs' quote that I happen to like:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Those who produce should have, but we know that those who produce the most - that is, those who work hardest, and at the most difficult and menial tasks, have the least.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

There you go, Imp of the Universe Perverse!

**************

JJ! Great to have one of the most compelling teller of tales and histories that I've ever had the pleasure to read or know -> back again!

I humbly submit smoke signs to all the gods who are, or ever were... that you will remain active and continue to intrigue.

**************

JJR: Funny thing. I sent in application on several occasions - for one a' them there Camp Rambo T-shirts, but each time my earnest request was returned with the following stamped in HUGE RED LETTERS:

"Reality is a liberal bias, and you sir, are therefore not eligible for one of these magnificent Tees."

A crying shame, but, I'll man up and accept your rejection.

[JerseyJohn]

Thank you, Dave, and likewise; I've always enjoyed your posts and your insights. And here's hoping your twin brother, whose posts I've also enjoyed, gets released from doctors' care. Or, failing release, let's hope Immer's condition improves so he can at least receive visitors. Or, failing improvement, that they at least find a name for his condition.

Snowstorm Glad you like that idea, here's hoping Hubert can put it into a game at some point.

As for the January Madness Kuni mentioned, he was an innnocent bystander. That's the story we've always used, and it's the story we're determined to stick with. And when two friends of his were banned through an administrative error, it wasn't as though my Swedish friend howled and danced on my :eek: ,uh, his friend's grave or anything.

[jon_j_rambo]

JJR,

Tell me more about R.A.C.K., I'm a big user of Axis carriers, so enlighten me.

Sounds intriguing. :cool:

RACK is for SC-1. Germans buy 3 carriers & use them to wear down Lennigrad & any targets in that area. Germans also buy 2+ carriers in the MedFront. Build experience with those carriers early in the game at Maltar or Gibralter. Once the carriers get to like 3-star experience, they are badass.

[Snowstorm]

JJR,

I quite agree. I've used that type of strategy many times, in many places.

I think many other players don't utilize the carrier nearly enough.

[JerseyJohn]

That's because they're expensive and most of what the Axis does takes place on land. In SC1 I as the Axis I always tried to see it as the dictators did so I'd have two spheres, the Mediteranean was entirely Italian (starting with Yugoslavia) and the rest was German. This may not have been the best game strategy but, as I said, I'm always more interested in looking at things historically. Unfortunately in SC1 (by Hubert's own admission) the AI never sent troops to Egypt as the Allies, so the only way to have a North African campaign was to do it through a game editor scenario.

[Hyazinth von Strachwitz]

German living in Germany.. 36, Securities Trader, married. Play wargames since the C64. Prefer turn based. Tried to help Hubert a bit with the german localisation. I used to be more active in this forum years ago, but I cannot access it from the office because the firewall doesn`t like it... some people will be happy about it :-)