Stewie,
Finally, at least the 'S’inda seem to be showing some life - of course torching my camp in the mountains doesn’t help your fight.
But Rohan still shows some spunk - however short lived it will be as his forward armies will evaporate this turn. It is nice as the DS to have our armies gaining morale and training as they repel your sporadic attacks - I thought the Freep were supposed to do that 
Hoarm
2, Count 'em, 2! 2 Victories in Mirkwood! That whole “hire an army” thing just isn’t working out at Galadbrynd, is it, Mr. Silvan? Maybe I’ll try hiring an army there after next turn and see if it works better for me.
-Russ for Khamul
Coming Out of the Trenches
Geez guys- sounds like you’re going to end things before I find the bloody ring! Don’t make me declare “other” and come after ALL of you…
Neuts can bluster too, no?
Sounds like a lot of ds on this board… where’s all the freeps?
Macman Da Wiz
Dying. Ask Lindal…
Well, I WAS a Freep, but they voted me off the team. The DS group invite hasn’t arrived yet either…hmmm, maybe there’s something I’m not doing right…?
Stewie
Send us your PDF/XML files and we’ll talk.
Screw the ds and the freep- join MY team… neut rocks!
Macman
Find that ring yet? No? Get back to us when you have something important to report like FP troops movements and population centers.
227 all over again.
I may even try to remain awake through the next fornight.
Ren the Sleepy
Originally posted by Macman
Screw the ds and the freep- join MY team… neut rocks!
Let the Fourth Age Begin!
I hereby denounce all claims to Freepdom. I shall henceforth be a Neutral, a beacon of Mankind ushering in the New Middle Earth Order. Along side my Mankind-ish allies Ugluk, Bugrug, Lugdush and Mauhir, we shall defeat the Elven Conspiracy and those trite pagan followers of the Cult of the Flaming Eye. Arise Man!
Stewie
ps - go on back to sleep Ren. Sssssshhhhh Sleeeeeeeepppppppp…
Sleepy Ren,
I’m going to make sure you’re not on my team next game. The enemy seems to have a bad habit of being annihilated when you’re on my side!!
Stewie, did SG ever get that turn report out? I see he’s busy recapturing lost pop centers now. You should tell him that in a war of attrition, recapturing is what you DON’T want to be doing. It means he’s losing. I don’t blame you for forming your own team. Maybe we can work together and help Saruman find the Ring? Hey, a Dragon’s gotta have hobbies and defending Mirkwood is not much of a hobby.
-Russ for Khamul
The Snore you hear in Mirkwood is the Sleeping, Bored Dragon
No ring as of yet- haven’t scehduled a LAT for it until this round though so finding it earlier would have been kinda weird to say the least… not to worry though- when I find it- you’ll hear about it!
Macman
Hey Russ- perhaps your bored boys should join my Grand Neutral Alliance? The GNA is always happy to welcome newcomers to the board room table, and while an allegiance change won’t ensure that you get to fight anybody, I can gaurantee that when we DO find the ring, things will get very intense, very quickly!
Macman
Assuming the game doesn’t end before you find it. Otherwise you’ll be carrying a very big bullseye on you.
Im not too worried. If the game ends, I’ll see if somebody on the winning team is willing to wait it out with me. The others players can sod off and I’ll share the info gleaned with the cooperative few. I can’t factor in the bloodthirsty bunch with the bullseye stencils. It’s irrational- and I can’t play with it hanging over my head ya know? Nobody (willing to share the info)has the answers to these questions yet- and most people are curious.
I’ll count on the facts that:
(a) most people really do want to know what the truths of the ring are.
(b) the winners will be winning- which means they won’t be pressuring me to join them. If they are winning, the dont need me right?
© the losers are losing- so they WILL want me on thier side, but since they are loosing, they are unlikely to be in a position to actually waste rescources on attacking me.
I didn’t request the WW position to win the game. I’ve won before. The pin is cute, the badge is nice and the lack of any material gain for all the money spent is spiritually uplifting I suppose… but I am interested in attacking in new and unorthodox styles, in pushing things around in ways I’ve never done before and in learning things about the game that haven’t been in the ‘common knowledge’ category for years… The one ring is a mystery surrounded by years of guesses, myths, and misinformation. I have the most powerful natural mage in the game, and some artis to boost him a little further. I will find the ring, and I will experiment with fetching it. I will test theories out, put myths to the test and share my data with those players that supported me, or at the very least left me alone. Those that interfere will gain nothing. Those that help will gain insights that will help them to win games in the future.
Here’s the simple question- if there are players out there that can’t resist the urge to attack me in the future- despite the benefits of my being left alone to do this task- then I BEG them to tell me now. I am not willing to waste the money on this little project if I am going to be stopped a few turns short of the end of it. This game is too expensive (It has cost 61 dollars so far- that’s roughly 85 Cdn, which is enough to have a really decent night out on the town!)and I know I can find another group of people who, eventually, will be willing to wait it out.
Speak up now- or keep your swords in thier sheaths until I have the answers. Then you can kill me- with my blessings! Just let me know now. There’s still time for a new player with an inclination towards declaring and fighting to come in and join.
Let me know- soon! Within the week if at all possible. If I have to leave this game, I’d rather do it while you guys are all still here- that way Im less likely to run into the irrational bunch, and more likely to play with a more reasonable group.
Macman Da Wiz
We’ve always intended to leave you alone, if that’s what you’re worried about.
Macman,
So, if we are winning, and you find the ring, we are to let you
finish this grand science experiment and toss it into Mt Doom and turn victory into defeat ?
This does not make sense to me - I have been paying the same amount of money per turn as you, as have my mates.
Hoarm
No no no… He’ll swing to the winning side to use the One Ring properly… Right?
No- Ill be the one to test the theories like:
(1) Is it true that powerful characters that try to hold the ring are “corrupted” and taken out of the game
(2) can weak characters take the ring safely from ‘a’ to ‘b’.
(3) is it easier to locate the ring by finding it’s courier rather than finding the ring itself
etc…
If an answer is determined, then I would hand it off to one of your teammates to do with it as you see fit. Or steal it. Can ther one ring ber stolen like any other artifact? Bear in mind the holder must be at mount doom, and issue (2) 990 orders in the same round- no refusing allowed. For security you could always have a curse squad hover around the place and a good challenger on hand to insure that I dont ‘snatch victory’ away from you.
I would like to confirm the end game message of course, but if we have gone that far, then I am sure you’ll share that bit as well.
If you prefer, I can let you send Murazor or some other high powered mage type guy to go and risk ‘corruption’. Im good with that. Im also good with you having your small guys try to fetch it. You can carry it back to Mt Doom as best you can, and drop it in. The consequences of such a thing are part of the info gathering process so knock yourself out. I just want the info. Im willing to sacrifice Saruman to see what happens. Ill also sacrifice a dozen other characters to get there. My nation is geared to this. 10 turns in the making! Are you willing to loose your best character(s)in this hunt?
I was under the assumption that you were keen on winning the game and doing well on the points thing. I can allow you to do this, and you get to keep all your nice characters. It’s your call. I can also drop out. You don’t need me to be here to play, and Im sure you can have fun with my replacement. I know a few guys that are war gamers that would love to provide you with a challenge. I’ll find another opportunity Im sure- I just need to know if both sides can handle the thought of a neutral playing a neutral long enough to get the answers to some of the biggest questions that exist in the game. If not, say so, and Ill leave you guys alone. You don’t even need me to do this serach- you just need to re-task a bunch of your assets. The DS have the mages, the artis and 10 times the characters that I have… you just have to let up on the freeps long enough to do all this… Another benefit I guess of me doing this- you spend nothing and get everything.
It’s your call. I have been playing for a while now. I can dredge up character witnesses I think that will attest to my reputation- I keep my word. I have given it already. I am looking for the ring- and to hell with the game. I won’t be trying to pull it out from under anybody else. Im in this for the info, for the rep that comes with being the one that actually did it and the satisfaction of doing something different with a nation that inevitably falls into the same old kind of game that it always does. I’m tired of the ‘same old game’. How many times can you win (or loose) before getting bored by it all? I got bored before- dropped out for almost 2 years as a result. Now Im in it for fun. I am not here to ruin your game of course. If you goal is to sack Isengaurd- fine. Loan me a capital and Ill let you take the place. If you want Saruman dead- cool. Take him after Ive found the answers. He’s yours too. Just let me in on the secrets of the ring and Im outta there the next turn! Someone on your team already suggested that they could probably do the job, and faster too… haven’t done it of course… I guess you’re busy with other things?
Let me know, this turn if you can, what you think thew odds are of my being left alone to do this. If they are good, the great. If they are bad, then great. I can have somebody take over this position and be ready to declare in no time flat. You’ll be happy, Ill be happier (elsewhere) and I won’t begrduge you stringing me along for the last 9-10 turns. After all, you probably figured I was just saying all this to buy some time right? Now you know it’s for real- what are your REAL thoughts? Will you abide by the ‘truce’ or not?
WW
We’re leaving you alone because you asked, and you’ve given us no indication of threatening our side. We’re winning without having to resort to the One Ring, and we’ll keep at it. No worries on our side, Chris.
As for the whole points thing, I think you know my take on that.