+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
   | The Olympia Times                                       issue g2-166 |
   | April 18, 2000                                                       |
   |                                                                      |
   | turn 166  244 players                            http://www.pbm.com/ |
   +----------------------------------------------------------------------+

               Questions, comments, to play:  info@pbm.com

                             Olympia PBEM

                                *  *  *

                                *  *  *




                        Player-contributed press



Leadership of the Southwest Tollus Company is hereby transferred
to Count Tajacu [6246], still residing in Redwine.  The original STC
is going to join the others in the afterlife.  All treaty arrangements
continue through the office of Tajacu.

Filip Mignon
Founder, STC

                      -- SouthWest Tollus Company [bg8]



  Hello Fellow Olymipians,

 This is Cudgel, the gruff but lovable Minister for Interior
Security for Crimson Dragon.  I'm skipping my usual post this week
to comment a bit on the state of world affairs.  The war has sort of
shaken itself out into two camps revolving around the PLATO and RM
alliances on one hand and the CD and LOTC on the other hand.  There
are a lot of more or less neutral alliances out there, mostly content
to let us beat each other over the head.  I'm pretty comfortable that
I know which way a given alliance would jump if push comes to shove,
but this war is too big already.  The last thing it needs is more
factions wasting their time on it.  (I've ommitted various lesser
alliances who are or have been involved with the major ones.  At this
point, I don't think anybody remembers them all.)

 The last couple of turns have seen a series of battles around one
of the RM's remaining castles.  While the last word isn't said quite
yet, looks like the Lords won this round.  Both sides managed to snatch
defeat from the jaws of victory a couple of times, and burned up
thousands of noble days of troops and such in doing so, but in the end
the Lords seem to hold the upper hand, although with a _much_ smaller
army than either side started with.

 The amount of gold, material, troops, aura, and Noble days wasted on
this war is staggering, as we knew it would be.  Our reasons for joining
in can be found in the back issues of the Times, and on the discussion
lists.  They still seem valid to me.  The general result for the CD is
an increase in our lands and resources as we capture PLATO territory and
take territory that PLATO had seized from us and others by acts of both
bad faith and war.  Be advised that we place no stock in any grant made
by anyone but us on Camaris.  You can review my regular posting for the
contact information on that.  It is your responsibilty to get any claim
validated, and your risk if you do not.  Given that PLATO remains a
credible military threat, it is also your risk if you do.  It's not safe
here.

 Will this war ever end?  Well, Oleg has indicated it will not, and on
this point alone I believe him.  I think we will continue to reduce the
oppositions scope and assets while increasing ours.  I do not think we
will win more, rather we will continue to lose less.  In the end we will
be dominant, but there will always be dangers from this war.  Camaris
will always, to some extent, be a war zone.

 -Speaking mainly for my moderately influential self,


                                       -- Cudgel [9129]



                                 Rumors



Who Me? Okay.