+----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | The Olympia Times issue g2-50 | | January 27, 1998 | | | | turn 50 267 players http://www.pbm.com/ | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+Questions, comments, to play: info@pbm.com
Olympia PBEM
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Player-contributed press
At least one PLATO war criminal will meet his maker this turn. PLATO nobles remaining active on Provinia are subject to arrest and execution.
PLATO military forces remain active on Provinia. Neutral factions are advised to use caution when traveling in the areas surrounding Yellowleaf.
For the New Empire
-- Banquo's Ghost [ah7]
TIBs would like to thank the players that have taken the time to contact us ref Ormos. We have come to agreements with all parties.
If I'm forgetting somebody, and you have contacted me and you feel we have not reached a conclusion, please send me an email. I show all current negotiations ref Ormos as complete.
If you are on Ormos and have not yet contacted us, I implore you to do so quickly. One week from today, on turn 51, we will consider all negotiations ref the continent of Ormos to be done.
We thank you in advance for your time and effort. email at: Seehawk42@aol.com web site: http://members.aol.com/Seehawk42/tibs.htm
-- Lords of Hammerhill [gz2]
The map of Provinia, and hopefully Camaris by the time you read this, are online at:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/4545/
I'm still seeking essays, articles, tip & strategy guides, etc. for the site. Please send any and all such items to:
stahl_und_stein@hotmail.com or bswain@nyx.net
Thanks to the many people who have contributed, and make it possible for our knowledge of Olympian geography to continually grow.
-- Stahl & Stein [rm4]
The secert to man's existance is not to simply live, but to have something to live for. ----"Guiding Philosphy"
Although My Faction Did Not Have A Long Life I Did Learn A Few Lessons; And Far Be It For A Lowly Newbie Peon To Dictate To The High And Mighty, But I Do Have A Little Advice For Plato:
Flys Don't Enter A Closed Mouth. Think About It
-- Order of the Orange Sheild [xx6]
I'm Alive. I have returned from a depths of a mail crash and thank all those who missed me. Please resend all that bounced e-mail asap...Lord Foul...
-- ROYAL LINES [yg9]
Something I feel must be corrected :
More and more news grows around our alliance. Yet somehow a wrong name is being used. We are probably ourself responsible for this happening, so we feel we should also correct it.
Our alliance is (was) named: The Lords of the Crown. What we described as the Council of Lords is more a body inside the Lords' organization. Something like a parliament if you will. This way we also differ a bit more from the House of Lords. The order of the Crown, is only one faction in our alliance, in case you were wondering where that one came from. We hope this corrects things in a clear way.
Something I feel can not be left without a word :
It seems my beloved wife, Lady Eowyn, received somehow the 'Fox'-award for speaking in the GCA. Perhaps we should clarify again that Lady Eowyn no longer speaks for herself but for all the Lords. As such her words were actually mine, consequentially if anyone should be given such award it would be me, and not our Lady of the Crown. We thank you for your future concern.
There is one more thing :
Repeatedly people have tried to mail some of the Lords individually, to learn their opinion. Pointless, each and every message made by either Sir Codric or Lady Eowyn was approved by the majority of the Lords. When we agree to such message, we know the consequences and will face them, together. If you want to reach one of the Lords, you sent your letter to one of the open Lords :
Lady Eowyn at badewi@glo.be Sir Codric at sircodric@hotmail.com
Thanking you and speaking for the Lords of the Crown :
-- Sir Codric [3910]
The Current Situation in the Yellowleaf Area
Let me first be clear on one thing: In this case I speak for myself and my own faction, not for PLATO as a whole. PLATO may produce a statement on this current situation that reflects the views of our entire alliance, but this is not it. This statement reflects only the views of the New World Order.
I have had personal dealings with The Illustrated Man, Jheremai the Scarlet, Banquo's Ghost, and Sir Codric. I have found the first two to be honorable men, and worthy of my trust and friendship. I have found Banquo's Ghost to be honorable, but unfortunately obsessed with controlling something that he simply will never control again. He should move on, because until he does his stated goal of peaceful landholding will never occur. I have found Sir Codric to be venal, pompous, dishonest, and incompetent. Anyone who is a friend of his is no friend of mine. Lady Eowyn should be more careful in choosing her friends, if she has allied with this cretin and the misguided Banquo's Ghost.
I, personally, will not tolerate these people to be in control of Yellowleaf, Azrain/Sydney, or indeed any coastal province within one sailing month of my nearest controlled port. (Without giving anything specific away, this essentially means all of southeast Provinia.) If the discussions currently taking place lead to that situation as an outcome then I will intervene. If the discussions currently taking place lead to conflict I will come down, hard, on the side of the Illustrated Man. I cannot speak at this point for my allies, but I would not be surprised if they feel the same way.
So, Lady Eowyn, take this into account in your diplomatic efforts. Any settlement that leads to New Empire nobles or Lords of the Crown nobles in control of any coastal province in southeast Provinia will lead to my military entry into the situation. And trust me, although I'm only one faction, you don't want that.
I recommend to you Lady that you publicly renounce your support of the New Empire's ill-fated attempt to regain control of the Yellowleaf region, that you break off your alliance with Sir Codric, and that you content yourself with control of Toppe and environs. I recommend that you reach a peaceful settlement with the Illustrated Man, allowing him his rightful claim.
This is not subject to discussion. Again, these statements only reflect the views of the New World Order. In no way do these statements obligate any other members of the PLATO alliance.
Have a nice day,
-- Ming the Merciless [2900]
FROM THE ILLUSTRATED MAN Most of you have seen this already, but we wish to make sure it is available to all. We do not wish to be accused of dishonorable tactics.
We take the Lords' message as a statement of intent to invade our sovereign land, and as tantamount to a declaration of war. Once again, for purposes of the announcements below, the words "our territory" refer to the area which includes everything east of column 80, and everything east of column 77 and north of row df. 1) Any attack on any of our garrisons will be considered an act of war against the Inner Circle, and we will immediately mobilize our full forces in retaliation against the aggressor. 2) Any stack containing five or more men-at-arms which enters our territory will be considered an invader, and will be hunted down. To protect the innocent, this policy will be announced on the public list-serve and in the Turn 50 times, and will go into effect on turn 51. 3) For security reasons, all nobles in our territory will be asked to contact us and let us know of any alliance affiliations, and any nobles who belong to the Council of Lords or New Empire will be asked to leave. If they refuse, they will be considered spies and will be dealt with as above. To protect the innocent, this policy will be announced on the public list-serve and in the Turn 50 times, and will go into effect on turn 51. 4) We call upon both the Council of Lords and the New Empire to retract the above letter and formally recognize our right to all lands we currently claim by February 1st. If they have not done so by that time, we will consider them to have officially declared war against us, and will react accordingly. 5) If our dispute cannot be resolved diplomatically, then in deference to new players, we ask that the five provinces proposed by us as a safe zone around Yellowleaf, be kept clear of troops of all kinds from both sides. These include df77-dg78, as well as the war-ravaged city of Azrain. We pledge not to move combat stacks into this area as long as you do not.
(At this point the Illustrated Man takes off his wig, and once more looks normal, or as normal as a large mustached fellow covered head-to-foot in tattoos can look.)
PS. Weapons are no longer being sold again. Sigh.
-- The Illustrated Man [1010]
Rumors
The Illustrated Man Lies! Ray Bradbury has told me so!
Micturating Earth-Grabbing Olympians (MEGO) Say there, friend: has it been too long since the world at large has had to pay attention to you? Do you feel a need for recognition, but worry that nothing about your middle-class faction or collection of uninspired allies merits notice? Worry no more! Drop your old-fashioned standards or relevance or wit and join MEGO! Now, every month you can fill the Times with three or four inches of reiterated chest-thumping, proclaiming that such and such group have laid claim to such and such area, and warning that [visiting/resource gathering in/looking crosseyed at] such territory will be treated as an act of war! At MEGO, our philosophy is that a loud bluff is better than not wasting anyone's time. Even if you can't back up any threat, you can still capitalize on your own press by being merciful or willing to compromise. Best yet, should a small, non-threatening force arrive within your claimed lands, you can wipe them out to the last pot or basket- and point to your post as justification. Sure, no one bothers to keep track of puffed-up claims in distant lands, but, just the same, an early word means absolute righteousness. How many of us paid attention when PLATO appointed itself the world's policeman, or when the Shadow Alliance accepted nomination as Olympia's KGB? No one! But the fact remains that there they are. Sure, you could and probably will deal individually with each incursion on any territory that you eventually end up controlling, but you might as well fill up the Times with blather that no one enjoys reading. Make it more obscure, too, to increase the likelihood that someone will eventually step on your toes. Rather than claiming Northwest Ossicus, put in a notice that the land comprising a heptagon from XXnn through YYee of three provinces on a side is claimed, and that all forests within a two-week yak drag from the cities therein are off-limits to lumber gathering. Hey, why the hell not? Remember, if they're reading the _Times_, they have nothing better to do. A public service of MEGO: we're everyone.
Yvengi is a louse!
Ned used to own a house and some farmland. Then Pat came, broke down the door, threw Ned out in the street, and said he now owned the house. Pat then gave some of the farmland to his brother, Ike. A little while later, Ned snuck back into the house while Pat was sleeping, and threw Pat out. Pat returned the next day and burned the house down.
Does Ike really own the land that Pat gave him?
Or does it still rightfully belong to Ned?
The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions.
They know who you are They know your plans They know your past They create your future They are your friends They are your enemies They are your brothers They are your sisters They know your deepest secrets They are your deepest secret
They are your biggest threat They are your only hope
They are The Shadow Alliance
We've survived 50 turns, and so far the only real trouble has been the PLATO New Empire conflict. Without meaning to offend the parties concerned, if that's the worst that will happen, we'll all be fine.
I have been thinking away, and have designed the ultimate Leader of any alliance.
He should have Banqou's Ghost's ability to point out the obvious in times of need : "There's a war going on"
Also, the Shadow Alliance leader's sense of suspense : "The clock is ticking"
I think that Oleg's aggressive streak should come in useful, but only if he keeps his mouth shut.
Sir Codric could be handy for taking peoples mind of important matters and directing them onto drivel instead.
Ash from the Evil Dead series, for his down to earth handling of potentially dangerous situations:
Some King Arthur type Monarch: Are all men from the future loud mouth braggards?
Ash: Just me baby, just me.
I think that the TIBs could play a good part in being the 'nice friendly side of the alliance', showing people just how rose-smelling things are.
The Rimmon musketeers for their all for one and one for all attitude. Commendable.
Michael Biehn's (in The Rock) ability to stare death in the face and like it: "I cannot give that order!"
James Bond's cold streak: Sean Bean: For England James? Bond: No, for me (drops Bean from 100ft radar dish)
There are of course many other useful traits that would make up a good alliance leader, but unfortuantly pressing business must prevail.
Some of you may be interested to know that I have tracked down the leader of the Shadow Alliance. I am on the verge of knowing his RW name and faction number. It is all relativly simple, I did not use spies or trickery, I used my head.
We all know how much the Olympia computer likes punctuation, so I've devised a new game - Spot the quotation marks. It's fun, try it! More later.
The Thinker
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