More troops, more troops. Whatd do you mean the commanders are off sunning themselves with the DS agent squads? Right then we’ll lure them back with offers of a cruise. Whatd do you mean our ships haven’t returned either? Ok build somemore. What do you mean the timber was sold to buy new armies? Ok break out the armbands they can swim across!(exerpt from NG high command strategy briefing)
Swim the Great River with arm floaties?
This reminds me of the memoirs of a Soviet officer during WW II. He was, then, an infantry company commander and his unit was composed of Central Asians. Men who had never seen a river until they were drafted into the army. They certainly did not know how to swim.
At one point dueing the war a large river separated the Soviets from the Nazis. As part of an offensive, his unit was to make a diversion by crossing the river and causing the Nazis to prematurely commit their local reserves. The Soviet officer asked about boats or pontoons and was told he had his orders and an officer of competence would caRRY them oet. The implication being that there was room in the gulags for incompetents.
The Soviet officer had two sergeants bring his troops, one by one, to the riverbank and at pistol point ordered them to swim to the other side. The men drowned, of course. When he had killed about one-fifth of his troops he radioed that his crossing had failed and that he was suffering heavy casulaties, but the Nazis seem to be reinforcing the position. He was congradulated and ordered to cease the attack.
Yes btu Im not planning on letting anyone come back. Swim or die suckers. We’re lighting the banks and having another Bbecue. Damn conscripts anyone would think thy were expected to draw more than one months pay.
A true Darksider! Let us negotiate an alliance.
Aren’t you supposed to negotiate with neutrals?
Then again…I’d want to get some replacements for your “neutrals” if I were you too. (And no…you can’t swap us for the Duns and Corsairs… 
)
After this thing is over, I would LOVE to swap turn sheets with some of the DS.
I’m not at liberty to say what nation I’m playing at this time (unless Brad changes his mind on this).
I would be curious to hear a short write-up of things your team did well and mistakes that were made due to strategy, coordination etc. Certainly, our team has made no mistakes 
and certainly not myself but I would be happy to comment on those too if any were to occur in the future.
Darrell, perhaps the two of us can jointly write the game report. Now why would Brad object to your brags when you make a good move?
Brad doesn’t want you guys knowing who is playing what nations…and even if you knew who I was playing I wouldn’t want to say too much about the ongoing game and tip my hand.
I think I’ve made some good moves…and have also made some mistakes…but not too many (I hope)
Are you the team captain for the DS? If so, aren’t you playing Rhudaur and the WK?
You have me confused with someone else. Brad knows which nations I play.
No Ed isn’t the team captain and isn’t playing Rhudaur and WiK.
I am the team captain and as Ed says Brad knows where he and I are on the map.
In my opinion there have been many mistakes all over the map so far. There always are because to get this right you have to know what the other side are going to do, which just isn’t possible.
Ed suggests writing a joint report with him at the end of the game. This I think would be a good idea. I would be happy to swap most information at the end of the game and also ask questions myself. For example I’m amazed that cardy has shown up in Harad. Ed will send him packing I’m sure but why is he here? Still surprise is always a good weapon. So at the end of the game lets share most secrets and both sides can learn the errors they made. We have all the PDF’s so can answer any factual question. Things like “Why did you do that” will require a little memory work.
So far thugh thanks for the game. It is going well and is balanced at present. Still the longer it continues the more it favours the DS.
Cheers
John S
Egads…I’ve tried to respond 3 or 4 times now…this website must hate me.
Anyway, I’d be happy to do a joint write-up post-game. I am keeping a list of interesting things to ask about or I’d probably forget if the game goes long enough.
What I was meaning by “mistakes” wouldn’t be caused so much by the actions of your opponent as they aren’t supposed to make it easy on you. The mistakes I was talking about would be things like incorrect movement, having a team-member sell a product while you are trying to buy it out, not recruiting correctly etc etc. Some of these “mistakes” may actually turn out to have little or no consequence and can possibly work out to be a benefit.
The mistake that I made involved the use of a split army command to TRY to transfer troops to a guy that army had troops. Frankly, it might have worked out for us BETTER with this error but otherwise I have played a flawless game. (lol sarcasm)
Congrats on the steel buy-out this turn…I suspect that some of your team-mates are to the point where they are digging through the couch looking for spare change to keep the orcs in slop. 
Sorry I mis understood your point about mistakes because I’m perfect and never move East when I mean West etc. (I wish this was true :-))
As for loose change, yes you just aren’t doing your job right. You aren’t killing them quickly enough, and the Mordor chairs have been around for a while and therefore are full of loose change.
Can’t wait for Thursday
Cheers
John S
Turns in. Haven’t looked yet though.
Gee whiz, Guys, give me a break. You have killed enough of my characters.
Stop your whinging Ed think how fast you can now write your orders you should thank Mythadventurer for simplifying your game processing;-)
Brad
ME News Network – “Orc numbers dwindling in Northern
ranges, biologists say”
The Middle Earth Environmental Protection Agency
(MEEPA) announced today the results of a recent study
indicating that Orc numbers, over a variety of
geographies, have declined drastically. So much so in
the case of one increasingly rarified variety, the
Northern Speckled Orc, that MEEPA is placing them on
the list of endangered species. “We just don’t see
many any more”, said Angmar Dept of Parks and
Recreation ranger Jarls Argonson. “There was a time
when you would see massive herds of them marching here
and sacking there but now we can only identify one
such herd over a single thousand”. What is the reason
for such a population freefall? “Causation is typical
as with many endangered species”, said Argonson,
“human encroachment on habitat and outright predation
by humans”. The MEEPA study shows that in Angmar
human settlements have indeed popped up in what was
previously an Orc haven and the alarming increase in
mass poaching from adjacent towns and cities has been
devastating. Out on patrol with Argonson we point out
a figure moving in the distance and asked it’s a
Northern Speckled Orc. “Yes”, he says, and proceeded
to pull out his bow and shoot the shambling creature.
He can tell by our expressions that we are somewhat
taken aback. “Well”, he shrugs, “I am, after all, a
ranger”.
(Reprinted courtesy of Arthedain news corporation).
Yo, Allred, when did Brad recruit you? Since you come from the other Birmingham, do you know an Olde Tymer named Phil Barker?
I played alongside Brad in my first game (85) last year. Got recruited after that game finished.
Sorry don’t know Phil, is he still playing ME? This is only my third game so there is a good chance that we haven’t been in the same games.
Was all going quite nicely for me until this turn…poor old Tharudan. I had a feeling Gothmog was still lurking, but decided to take a gamble. It appears not to have worked 
At least my cities are safe
Doh!
Now what does 215 mean said Tharudan?
Now where are our agent artifacts said Brad?
Oops said FP team?
Gift horse mouth look at never a in the (please rearrange) said DS team!
Risk worth taking? Notttttttt!!!
Now John, nobody likes a gloater;-) Hell we’re used to getting murdered here and there, it is the thing that quickens the pulse. Thanks Din for not whacking Leofigild this turn by the way. We should have anticipated that tactic as we used it on our last opponents as well, but there were so many tasks and not enough orders to go around. I feel my green recruits are shaping up into a pretty good team under the tempering that you guys are giving them. The key thing is that they seem to be excited about the game and having fun and that was the objective. True the longer this goes the harder it will be for us; but you guys aren’t getting off scot free either. The game has a long way to go. This will be an attrition game I think and not like what I feel is an unfortunate trend of games being cut short because one side quits rather than trying to make a comeback. We’re in it for the long haul as I am sure you guys are as well. Greetings to you guys Miguel, Kev, Peter, and all that haven’t posted hope you guys are having a good time too.
Regards
Brad