Gamesplorer

Those massage chairs in the mall ...

2010-06-14T10:31:00.000-04:00

Those massage chairs in the mall are really great for recovering from those long sessions on the computer mousing around with your favorite computer game. After bringing the Byzantine Empire past 1496 AD, the shoulder joint on my mouse hand had become so stiff I couldn't raise my hand more than 45 degrees from being perpendicular to the floor (Sieg Heil!). For a buck a pop, it's physical therapy that can't be beat!

The Bloody Pageant of History Page.

2010-05-14T08:04:00.076-04:00

To give it more elbow room, the Bloody Pageant of History Page has now become the Bloody Pageant of History Blog. Enjoy.

A Primative Star Trek Holodeck in the Making.

2010-04-30T07:59:00.004-04:00

BoingBoing has a post about an omni-directional treadmill that some geniuses have come up with for Virtual Reality applications. Imagine playing one of the Battlefields with this thing! It may actually bring recreational exercise to video games. Eat your heart out Wii! Science marches on!

A theoretical basis for an Ephermis Machine

2010-04-26T21:00:00.003-04:00

A theoretical basis for an Ephermis Machine.

Announcing - the end of the polygon era in computer graphics.

2010-04-24T10:00:00.004-04:00

Popsci is reporting a major graphic breakthrough by a company called Unlimited Detail. The nutshell is that Unlimited Detail has come up with a way of dispensing with polygons and the ever increasing need for more and more of them to render life like graphics. What Unlimited Detail has done instead is switch to a system of using points of color, much like paintings from the pointillist school of modern art. With points of color, instead of a plane of color, rendered objects look more naturally rounded then when using a high number of polygons. This idea has been around for a long time, but it never made any headway before because it took a prohibitive amount of processing power per frame to render objects as points instead of planes. The break through that Unlimited Detail has made is to render only the points that are actually in view in a given frame. That approach dramatically cut the amount of processing power per frame.

And here's the real kicker: the method uses software and not hardware.

At a stroke, Unlimited Detail (catchy name) has forever ended the polygon count "arms race" between the major graphics card companies.

And what computer graphics dreams may come now? The detail will be, er, unlimited?

Here are some youtubes by Unlimited Detail. Commence salivating.

The iPad might be the perfect board game platform.

2010-04-09T10:12:00.005-04:00

Bumming around on the internet today, I came across an old Wil ("one L will do") Wheaton post.

http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2010/03/in-which-the-case-for-buying-an-ipad-is-almost-made.html

Ah ha! Like Wil - and no doubt many others - I had not been able to think of a single use for the iPad for which I would be willing to pay the asking price for it. And now I see Wil's very good suggestion (Are you listening, Steve?): playing old fashioned board games on it. And not just chess, Go, or Sorry either. Think Settlers of Catan, Risk, and Axis and Allies.

In fact, imagine being able to play Monopoly with others while having the iPad be the banker who doesn't cheat or get tired of keeping the records. The ipad would also be the referee who makes sure no one cheats and makes sure all the rules are followed. It would also be the guy who spends the time setting up the board and the pieces, as well as the guy who puts them all way when you're done. And as Wil points out, the pieces would not fly all over the place if something knocked your table over.

The iPad is the perfect platform for this kind of application. It might even give a new lease on life to computer gaming in general. I can even see the old hexagon favorites like Avalon's Hill's D-Day making a come back. Great old boardgames like these never really succeeded well on the PC because the computer itself was always stood in the way of the players.

Which brings me to another consideration. There is also the sociability factor. With a iPad flat on a table between you and another player, computer gaming would become a social activity in a way it has not been since people started looking at cathode ray tubes. The difference between the iPad and the PC is like the difference between having a conversation with someone versus watching TV with them. Its a difference that will make a difference. The iPad might even be a tool for helping extreme computer game addicts get re-integrated back into human society.

And lets not forget what it can do for children!

Iraqi elections - The miracle of mosawama.

2010-03-08T10:57:00.003-05:00

Inside the latest Newsweek (Netizen News Brief has the cover) is an article on the emerging democracy in Iraq.

Inside it is the following quote:

What outsiders tend to miss as they focus on the old rivalries among Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds is that sectarianism is giving way to other priorities. "The word 'compromise' in Arabic—mosawama—is a dirty word," says Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, who served for many years as Iraq's national--security adviser and is running for Parliament. "You don't compromise on your concept, your ideology, your religion—or if you do," he flicked his hand dismissively, "then you're a traitor." Rubaie leans in close to make his point. "But we learned this trick of compromise. So the Kurds are with the Shia on one piece of legislation. The Shia are with the Sunnis on another piece of legislation, and the Sunnis are with the Kurds on still another."

On Ken Burns PBS documentary on the American Civil War, I remember historian Shelby Foote saying that while American's like to think of themselves has being an uncompromising people, the reality is that Americans have a genius for compromise. The Civil War was many times postponed by series of political comppromises like the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850.

We had our civil war because we finally found a thing for which there could be no compromise - slavery.

"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved - I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other." Abraham Lincoln. 1858.

The Iraqi's have now had a taste of the miracle of mosawama. They may not like it, but its apparent they like what it does: allowing peace to reign where it can reign. May God bless it and continue it in their hands.

The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally — not a 20 percent traitor. Ronald Reagan.

Avatar - On "going native."

2010-02-16T09:25:00.004-05:00

There's been a lot of talk about how much Avatar is like Dances with Wolves. So much so that you would think Avatar's depiction of the phenomenon of "going native" was some how inauthentic. That could be incorrect.

The expression "going native" dates back to the British Empire in the 19th century when Britain had colonies all over the world ("The empire on which the sun never sets.") It was used to describe Britons in the colonies who had become so identified with the natives that they had virtually ceased to be Britons. The phenomenon apparently happened often enough for it to become an expression. I remember seeing British actor John Hurt in a movie in which he portrayed a Britisher who had "gone native" in a British colony in Africa. I can't recall the title of the movie just now, but I vividly remember the portrayal.

So however derivative Avatar itself may be, the phenomenon itself is quite real.

5 and 12 reasons you still need a gaming PC.

2010-02-12T11:24:00.004-05:00

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/5-reasons-you-still-need-a-gaming-pc/5-reasons-you-still-need-a-gaming-pc/1389019

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/12-reasons-pc-gaming-is-better-than-consoles-485178

Recently, I've been lamenting the fact that the PC sections of all my local game stores (mostly GameStops) have gotten smaller and smaller or discontinued altogether.

I thoroughly despise game consoles. To me, they always seem to work counter-intuitively, doing the exact opposite of what I intended to do. To me, the keyboard, the mouse, and the joystick are the only proper interfaces for a seriously meant game.

And lets not forget that all games, no matter how thoroughly they've been tested, ship out broken or unbalanced in some way which only a mod or a trainer can fix.

And don't get me started about games that came out first on consoles and were then implemented on the PC. That has been one great body blow to PC gaming because it is causing the games that end up on PC to be considerably dumbed-down because of the console limitations of their original platform Exhibit A is Mercenaries 2.

No,no, give me a PC everytime. PCs forever! Death to consoles!

U.S. To Be Hit By Massive Cyber Attack On Feb. 16. Asterisk.

2010-02-11T10:00:00.003-05:00

That's the title of this Atlantic Month article.

The asterisk means that it will be a simulated attack that's part of a cyber wargame planned for that day. I don't know about you, but I kinda think that would make the day the perfect time for a real massive cyber attack to take place. Think of the confusion. "Is it real, or is it memorex?" But in the mean time, the article title is sowing some confusion.

The 16 Cardinal Rules of Snow Shoveling

2010-02-10T07:07:00.002-05:00

Computer Wargaming in War.

2010-02-08T07:33:00.005-05:00

Strategy Page has an article about Connections 2010. Its a convention of military and commercial wargame designers and developers. The convention began in 1993 when the ending of the Cold War coincided with a major jump in PC and game console graphics. Something that was not lost on the Pentagon.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htcbtsp/articles/20100207.aspx

This year's theme is enhancing wargaming ability to help anticipate the future of warfare.

I supposed the developers of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 will be there. (Or not.)

It doesn't seem to have a web presence yet, I don't see it on the first page of a Google search.

The Ghost of Admiral Mahan

2010-01-26T17:30:00.003-05:00

I've blogged previously on how playing Empire Total War helped me see the truth of Admiral Mahan's dictum that naval power is the key to world power.

It now turns out that this observation has become topical. The Chinese are now busy building a navy.

http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/china/articles/20100124.aspx

All this economic activity has increased Chinese dependence on the sea. This is unique in Chinese history, for in the past, China was self-sufficient and ignored naval matters. No more. The admirals are pointing out that, without control of long sea routes to Africa, Australia and South America, the Chinese economy would choke. Forget about exports, it's the raw materials China needs, and only a stronger fleet can guarantee access.

How to pick a novel to read that you won't lose interest in.

2010-01-24T09:37:00.002-05:00

I used to have a problem with not finishing novels that I had started to read. Midway through, they would become a chore and I'd lose interest. This was irritating because of the time and money being wasted.

Then I discovered that the secret of enjoying a novel was not following recommendations, however glowing. I found that novels are only interesting to me when they help me to decode some aspect of my inner life in some way. For example, I believe that a lot of readers find military fiction interesting because a military career is an interesting metaphor for the idea of careers in general. While you are reading the larger than life vicissitudes of Captain Aubrey and Mr. Maturin in Patrick O'Brien's novels, there a place in the back of your mind where you are processing what's going on in your more life-sized career and sorting things out a little better. There was a time when I got transferred to a new assignment that required me to change my daily thirty minute commute to a two hour one, and I certainly found that to be "a hard service."

So what you do to pick a novel that will hold your interest is to read the jacket cover and some reviews - not to get recommendations - but to find out enough of what the novel is about to be able to ask yourself "what is in this novel that rings a bell with me?" If you listen to the little voice inside your head that goes "ah ha!" then you will get better at picking novels that will hold your interest.

Reading a novel is a personal experience. Personal experiences are notoriously hard to share or transmit. They certainly cannot be "recommended." And who wants to be a clone anyway?

Avatar - a New Form of Computer Addiction.

2010-01-12T09:18:00.005-05:00

Avatar is an immersive 3D world created on a computer. And its having strange effects on some viewers of the movie. And its not just the motion sickness that some have reported.

"I wasn't depressed myself. In fact the movie made me happy ," Baghdassarian said. "But I can understand why it made people depressed. The movie was so beautiful and it showed something we don't have here on Earth. I think people saw we could be living in a completely different world and that caused them to be depressed.

"I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and the everything is the same as in 'Avatar.'

This quote, I think, has the meat of it:

"When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed ... gray. It was like my whole life, everything I've done and worked for, lost its meaning," Hill wrote on the forum. "It just seems so ... meaningless. I still don't really see any reason to keep ... doing things at all. I live in a dying world." Reached via e-mail in Sweden where he is studying game design, Hill, 17, explained that his feelings of despair made him desperately want to escape reality.

We become virtual world addicts because modern life around us is so drained of real experience that virtual experience seems to be the only thing that can fill the hunger. I have no doubt more immersive virtual environments will come into being. There's a ton of addict's money "in them thar hills."

Which also reminds me that the bright side of this is that we do indeed have a latent population of people who are already ready to colonize other planets. The astronomers are discovering new extra-solar planets every day. Eventually, an earth-like one may turn up. Then its only a matter of time before something like a "warp drive" is invented. And then AWAY WE GO!

http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avatar.movie.blues/index.html

Regress: 186 pounds. Cheese is not your friend.

2010-01-10T11:53:00.004-05:00

I was called upon to do some baby-sitting which required me to move around a bit. (Taking a pre-school niece and nephew to the public library and then two nieces to gymnastics). So I ended up partaking of two Starbucks meals, both with fruits that had cheese. It didn't look particularly unhealthy. It was the cheese that did it to me. No matter what you do to cheese (short of cheese-flavoring tofu), its still very fattening. Dr. Fuhrman is down on cheese. He says "low fat" cheese is a game the food industry plays and doesn't really exist. He's also not very happy with coffee, or the overprocessed flour that might be in that bagel. And peanut butter - foggedaboutit! (He doesn't mind the butter of raw cashews or almonds).

So I must now take up my mallet and wack myself on the forehead seven times while repeating "Cheese is not your friend. Cheese is not your friend. Cheese is not your friend."

Meanwhile, here's the file on CENT's Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna.

Legends - Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna

2010-01-10T10:21:00.004-05:00

To give equal time to CENT, here is the file on one of their heroes, straight from the archives in the Hall of Honor on Necropolis. (What is this? Click here.)

How many character files do I have? At the current time I have about 1,118 character files.

This file is noteworthy for the female participation. In the early days of the Space Time Mercenary Services, there was more female participation because the earliest recruits were drawn from far future societies. But as the number of ephermi went up, more recruiting was done from lower-tech societies and the attitudes of the rank and file began to harden against female participation in the more brutal forms of warfare. The law of unintended consequences.

The file is also noteworthy for showing how SPHERE tends to act as a third wheel between CIRC and CENT and can cause them to temporarily ally against it.

Noteworthy too, is how the file shadows the early career of one Sonja Van Beek, who eventually became a Field Marshall of CENT's marine corps. McKenna has been one of Van Beek's subordinates.

The file is also noteworthy for showing how the STMS tend to impose their own military traditions on contracts for alien cultures, in this case the Eldar. And its noteworthy for showing how the STMS have a short way with officers who fail and with defectors.

------------------------------------------------------------
CENT - MARINES: Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna

Win/Loss: 21/4

Decorations:
Battle Star (0),Order of Strategy (0), Order of Tactics (0),
Medal of Honor (1) /Cluster(1)
Medal of Valor (1)/Cluster(1)
War Cross (3)/Cluster(8)
Purple Heart (0)/Cluster(0)
Mission Medal (0)/Cluster(0)

Special Decorations:

Titles:

Actions:

[]Ephermis/Worldline/40,000AD/EmpireOfMan/Davinnus/CodeName: RitesOfWar

CENT has a contract with the Eldar to recover their planet of Davinnus from the Empire of Man.

Bxx: Davinnus - 2nd Webportal

Major Certain is given the task of taking another Web portal. She is given the services of Mime recon sqd leader 2nd Lt.Al Cliver.

2nd Eldar Battalion - Maj. Laura Certain,cmding
(Special Weaspons Officcer, Eldar Warlock).

..Swooping Hawk recon sqd - 2nd Lt.Sarah McKenna
..Recon Harlequin Sqd - 2nd Lt.Al Cliver.
..Infantry AT Platoon -Capt. Arnold “Cassius” Steinhardt
(4 scorpions, 2 fire dragon)
..Mobile Artillery Platoon - Capt. Micky “Metellus” Pileggi
(2 scatter lazers, 2 bright lances, )

Rxx: Victory! Major Certain was able to seize the objective without single casualty. PINNACLE is thrilled that Certain has finally learned how terrain works. The Eldar are pleased. A warcrosses for all. Certain actually thinks its the addition of a 2nd fire dragon to the mix.

Bxx. Industrial Base.

Now Eldar command wants Certain’s 2nd Battalion to take a crack at the industrial base. Here’s her chance to show up Lt. Col. Mordden. She’s given up Warlockery in favor of a fast viper with reinforced defences.

Rxx: Crushing victory! Maj. Certain does it! She keep her battalion whole, and picked apart each enemy position with good terrrain and good tactics. The Eldar now consider her her a battlemaster! PINNACLE sends down a Medal of Honor. She allowed to award a war cross to all. and to promote 2nd Lt. MacKenna.

2nd Eldar Battalion - Maj. Laura Certain, cmding

..Hawk recon sqd - Lt.Sarah McKenna
..Recon Mime Sqd - Lt.Al Cliver.
..Infantry AT Platoon -Capt. Arnold “Cassius” Steinhardt
(2 Exarch Scorps, 2 scorpions, 3 guardians, 1 dire avenger, 1 Banshee, 1 ..Wraithguard )
..Mobile Support - Capt. Micky “Metellus” Pileggi
(1 Wraithguard, 1 viper, 1 Falcon ).

Everything is selected for minimum speed of 4.

Bxx. Shooting Gallery

Rxx: Defeat! Too late did Maj. Certain realize what the terrain was telling her. She waltzed into a artillery/devastator shooting gallery. So she retreated before all was lost. But she’s informed Eldar command that she’d seen the way in, and the man is still there. They reinforce her and send her back for more.

Bxx. Shooting Gallery II.

Rxx: Crushing defeat! She got it wrong! She got led into a bigger trap, which got her whole battalion wiped out by artillery fire. Major Certain eventually managed to sneak out of the valley, and a very ragged and dejected looking vagabond she was too. CENT grabbed her and send her home pronto. Lt. McKenna made it out with the last hawk in her sqd. Lt. Cliver. Capt also made it out. Arnold “Cassius” Steinhardt made it out, and even Capt. Micky “Metellus” Pileggi. There is something just not quite right when a major formation like a battalion gets wiped out, and all the key officers manage to escape. Bad for moral. But Certain was recovered so many months later that its better to just shove her prison for a while.

Bxx. Seige of the Tyrannid Stronghold.

CENTs Col. Emmet Mordden is commanded to take the 1st Eldar Battalion against a Tyrannid stronghold. With him is 2nd Lt. Elana Duncan of CIRC’s Sisters of Battle sqd. (He’s glad he doesn’t have to deal with CIRC Marines yet, with Wynham’s killings so fresh).

He lays out his T/O and plans:

1st Eldar Battalion - Col. Emmet Mordden, cmding
..Mime Recon Sqd - 2nd Lt. Fiatal Juyadin
..Hawk Assault Company - Capt. Sonja Van Beek (3 sqds of hawks, w 1 exarch)
..Infantry Assault Companay -Capt.Rob Balloch (AA 2nd Lt. Elana Duncan 2nd)
(1 scorpexarchs, 1 scorp,1 wraithguard , 1 Sisters, 2 reapers, )
..Mobile artillery Support - Capt. Al Cliver
(2 scatter lazers, 1 Falcon tank, 1 Vibro caonnon)

Rxx: Systematic Victory! Before her sqd was cut to pieces, and herself WIA in the furious last firefight for the Imperial Lake-fortress tower, 2nd Lt Elana Duncan (CIRC Army) got to see just how well organized Col Mordden as gotten these Eldar weirdos. Until the finally battle for the tower, no unit was lost as genestealer after genstealer was killed dead by a fully organized defensive line of coordinated fire. Interlocking tactics too. Small wonder this Mordden is a Colonel. Lt. McKenna exhibited exceptional bravery under fire by stepping in front of her CO., Capt Van Beek. Medal of Valor

Bxx. Crystal Grove Artifact Site.

Maj. Sonya Van Beek recieves her first orders as commander of the 1st Eldar Battalion. Col Mordden directs her to retrieve the Ultramarine’s Imperial planetary HQ from the Tyrannid by making her way to the Crystal Grove Eldar artifact site. She is not to fail in this. She reorganizes her battalion as follows:

1st Eldar Battalion - Maj. Sonja Van Beek, cmding
..Mime Recon Sqd - Lt. Fiatal Juyadin
..Hawk Assault Company - Lt.Sarah McKenna (3 sqds of hawks, w 1 exarch)
..Infantry Assault Companay -Capt.Rob Balloch )
(2 scorpexarchs, 1 scorps,2 Banshees, 3 dark reapers, )
..Mobile artillery Support - Capt. Al Cliver
(2 scatter lazers, 1 Falcon tank, 1 Vibro caonnon)

Rxx: Crushing Victory! Maj. Van Beek aquited herself well in her first independent command. Yes, she went forward. And yes, they kept throwing everything they had against her. Genestealers, tanks, missile carriers, gargoyles. And she kept her line together, dismantled the attacks with combined arms tactics, and moved forward each time. Few casualties. Much victory! Much glory! Medal of Valor for Van. Beek. Warcross for everyone else. Major Van Beek is able to obtain a promotion to Capt. for Sarah McKenna.

Bxx. Seige breaking op.

Maj. Van Beek is directed by Col. Mordden to assault the enemy currently occupying an Eldar Spire. She’s also to rescue a downed air transport. She’s warned to take all due precautions against Tyrannid bonzai charges. Van Beek finds the Banshees to be unreliable. She reorganizes as follows.

1st Eldar Battalion - Maj. Sonja Van Beek, cmding
..Mime Recon Sqd - Lt. Fiatal Juyadin
..Hawk Assault Company - Capt.Sarah McKenna (3 sqds of hawks, w 1 exarch)
..Infantry Assault Companay -Capt.Rob Balloch
(2 scorpexarchs, 2 scorps, 3 dark reapers, )
..Mobile artillery Support - Capt. Al Cliver
(2 scatter lazers, 1 Falcon tank, 1 Vibro caonnon)

Rxx: Crushing Victory! Maj. Van Beek was nonplused to learn that he SPHERE commander she faced was none other than Maj.Gen. Arda MacMillan. In yet another disaster for SPHERE, MacMillan throws everything she has against Van Beek’s invasion beach head. But Van Beek overcomes it all in the narrow pass her force landed in. MacMillan’s attacks were too piecemeal. Upon breaking out, Van Beek was able to take apart every formation send against her until she broke into MacMillian’s HQ, wounding her and taking her captive. Unfortunately, along the way Lt Juyadin’s Mimes were scragged again, and this time Juyadin was KIA. Buried with full military honors. It was then a cakewalk rescuing the downed transport. PINNACLE and Eldar Command, agree that Maj. Van Beek deserves a Order of Strategy. She’s just dismantled SPHERE’s command and control system again. Warcrosses for all.

Bxx. Farseer Escort.

Maj. Van Beek receives a new assignment from Col Mordden. In seems her 1st Battalion is to escort a farseer (the poor Capt. Johnston Craig ) to an especially valuable Eldar site and reclaim it for Eldar kind. She reorganizes as follows:

1st Eldar Battalion - Maj. Sonja Van Beek, cmding
..Harlequin Recon Sqd - 2nd Lt. Lyle Wheeler
..Hawk Assault Company - Capt.Sarah McKenna (3 sqds of hawks, w 1 exarch)
..Infantry Assault Companay -Capt.Rob Balloch
(1 scorpexarchs, 3 scorps, 1 wraithguard, 3 dark reapers, )
..Mobile artillery Support - Capt. Al Cliver
(2 scatter lazers, 1 Falcon tank, 1 Vibro caonnon)
..Farseer - Capt. Johnston Craig.

Col. Mordden has informed Maj. Van Beek that she can now call on one strike of orbital artillery bombardment. Something she’s been wanting all along.

Rxx: Crushing Victory! Initially, Maj Van Beek was in a tight spot, being attacked from the west and east at her landing zone. Orbital artillery support did come in handy. Eventually the attacks were beaten back with few casualties, and then the advance began. And then there was a climatic battle for the objective sight where a Mage and a hypnotic creature were making a last stand with a Tyrannid warrior. A combined assault brought them all down, and completed the mission just before the time was going to run out. Honors to the recon and hawks for dealing with the peek a boo artillery. The Mage turned out to be SPHERE’s Maj.Gen. Boyd Arkon. Another feather in Van Beek’s cap. She’s messed with SPHERE’s mind now! Intelligence came in later with intercepts describing SPHERE’s Fleet Admiral Kelson stamping his feet and cursing Van Beek’s name. She is proud of her work today. The Eldar insist that PINNACLE give her a Battlestar. They agree. now there’s talk about her being a future general.

Bxx. Traitor Reclaimation.

Maj. Van Beek receives sealed orders from Col Mordden. It appears that SPHERE’s Capt David Cody (ex - CENT) is reorganizing the Tyrannid defenses and has a Tyrannid Zoanthrop for a bodyguard. Van Beek is to move against Cody’s position, take out his bodyguard, and bring him in for a proper firing squad. Col. Mordden has assembled a mixed bag of Eldars to form up a rump 2nd Battalion, has manuvered it against the position first, weakening it for Van Beek. She’s to do it quick or not a all.

Rxx: Failure! Van Beeks command was tied down near the beachhead by genestealers, canifex’s, and venom and biovore artillery, and gargoyle air power. The most her force could do was to finally spot the ex- CENT leader and call down the orbital artillery, which greatly weakened him. Van Beek agonizingly missed it by one moment! She is ordered to regroup and continue harrying that enemy force.

Rxx 2: Victory! Van Beek forgot to request orbital artillery support. But she was able to take Capt. Cody captive by continuously pressing forward, and having the harlequin and vibral cannon pick off tacticals coming in from the rear. 2nd Lt. Lyle Wheeler’s Harlequin’s gave their lives storming a mountain top artillery position. Tragically, Wheeler himself survived his command unscratched. Capt.Rob Balloch’s infantry held the line well, taking down carnifexes, Lichtors, and genestealers in good formation. War honors for all. Colonel Mordden then gave Maj. Van Beek the dubious honor of commanding the firing squad that executed the traitorous Capt. David Cody. She was queasy. But she did her duty.

Bxx. Taking the war machines.

Col. Mordden gives Van Beek an order to root the Tyrannid out of a former Imperial industrial city that manufactured war machines. The Tyrannid must not learn how to make these machines.

In a solemn ceremony, Maj. Sonja Van Beek is invested with the garb and powers of an Eldar Farseer. Furious may she might now be! May she slay many enemy!
Capt. Johnston Craig is transfered to the 2nd Eldar Battalion.

The new Farseer reorganizes her command as follows

1st Eldar Battalion - Maj. Sonja Van Beek, Eldar Farseer, cmding
Harlequin Recon Sqd - 2nd Lt. Lawrence Tucketts
Hawk Assault Company - Capt.Sarah McKenna (3 sqds of hawks, w 1 exarch)
Infantry Assault Companay - Lt. Lyle Wheeler
(1 scorpexarchs, 2 scorps, 2 wraithguard, 3 dark reapers, )
Mobile artillery Support - Capt. Al Cliver
(2 scatter lazers, 1 Falcon tank, 1 Vibro caonnon)

Rxx: Defeat! Van Beek misunderstood her orders, and failed to get an airborne force to the land cruiser site before it could be converted by the Tyrannids. She’s got to redeem herself now and take the next site quickly. Looks like a job for MacKenna’s air force.

Rxx 2: Victory! At some cost: the harlequins, 1 Hawk sdq, and 1 wraithguard sqd.
It was quite a battle. Van Beeks battalion landed ashore in three locations. She had to do t fighting withdrawals to gather the force around the main defensive structures, and then withstand fiece assaults. And then it was moving forward steadily to victory. 2nd Lt. Lawrence Tucketts was WIA, and it awared a purple heart, war honors, and a promotion to 1st Lt. War honors for all. Oh - and vindication for Van Beek. Her original orders were incorrect.

Bxx. Divided command.

Maj. Van Beek is struck dumb at these new orders from Col. Mordden. “He’s gone off his rocker” she thinks. She’s to divide her battalion into two battlegroups and complete two objectives simultaneously: seizing a web way portal, and relieving a fortress containing some embattled CIRC Imperials. And she must do it in 16 hours. She has reorganized, and refitted, looting her very large treasury dry to create a mobile force. CIRC helps by lending unit of Seraphim lead by CIRC Army 2nd Lt. Dorothy Spencer.

1st Eldar Battalion - Maj. Sonja Van Beek, cmding

..Hawk Assault Company - Capt.Sarah McKenna (3 sqds of hawks, w 1 exarch)

..Battle Group 1 - Lt. Lyle Wheeler
(1 Fire Prism tank, 1 scatter lazer, 1 scorpexarchs, 1 scorps, 1 hawk exarch , 2 hawks, 1 wraithguard, 1 banshee)

..Battle Group 2 - Support - Capt. Al Cliver
(1 Fire Prism tank, 1 scatter lazer, 2 scorps, 1 hawk exarch , 2 hawks, 1 wraithguard, 1 seraphim )

Van Beek will go with Lt Wheeler in his Prism.

Rxx: Incredible Victory! Van Beek’s command seized the web portal just at the stroke of the last hour. Van Beek was pleasantly surprised to find the Ultramarines could hold their own in a seige. Their surviving commander, CIRC Marine 2nd Lt. Mike Devereux,conducted a heroic last stand. It turned out that the enemy dithered between hammering the Ultramarines and trying to stop Van Beek. And it turned out both jobs didn’t get done. Van Beek had to keep her command together long enough to take a town in the fork where her command would split after regrouping. This allowed her to keep pressure on the enemy, distracting them from the Ultramarines. Finally the enemy’s position broke and went to pieces. Van Beek sent a token force with Lt Wheeler to help the Marines mop up. Aware of the time, she immediately had McKenna and Spencer rush out ahead to the web portal to mess up the guarding units, while the rest of her force tried to get there in time. While going over a river, the Prism squad she and Capt. Cliver were with got shot to peices.
Cliver was KIA. Van Beek was WIA. And the land units bogged down in terrain.
But meanwhile, McKenna and Spencer conducted a pitched battle for the portal,
and were finallly able to seize it just at the deadline came up. Van Beek, and McKenna, will never forget this one. Van Beek is awared a Battlestar. McKenna is awarded a Medal of Honor, as is Spencer, Devereux (by CIRC). Except for Cliver being KIA, its a satisfying victory for Sonja.

Bxx. The final assault.

Lt.Col. Sonja Van Beek receives word from her Col. Mordden that she is leading the final assault on the Tyrannid army. She’s to assault and capture the old Imperial capital city, now in possession of the Tyrannid. She’s to show no mercy. She puts on her Farseer battledress and reorganizes her battalion:

1st Eldar Battalion - Lt. Col. Sonja Van Beek, Eldar Farseer, cmding
..Harlequin recon sqd - 2nd Lt. Marck Silk
..Hawk Assault Company - Capt.Sarah McKenna (3 sqds of hawks, w 1 exarch)
..Infantry Assault Company -Capt. Lyle Wheeler
(1 scorpexarchs, 3 scorps, 2 Wriathguards, 3 dark reapers, )
..Mobile artillery Support - Lt. Lawrence Tucketts
(2 scatter lazers, 1 Prism tank tank, 1 Vibro caonnon)

R: Crushing Victory! Lt.Col. Van Beek moved her force in in a coordinated combined arms formation, and systematically took the capital away from the Tyrannid Tyrant there. Only a squad of wraithguards and hawks were lost. But Van Beek is dismayed to find out that there is yet another battle to fight. She is awarded a medal of valor consequent upon her personal risk to life and limb. War honors for all. Promotion to Capt. for Tucketts.

Bxx. The Hives.

Lt.Col. Van Beek, in position, opens her sealed orders from Col Mordden. She’s to attack the central hives of the Tyrannid and destroy them, putting an end to their menance. She sighs, puts on her Farseer battledress, and assembles her team:

1st Eldar Battalion - Lt. Col. Sonja Van Beek, Eldar Farseer, cmding
..Harlequin recon sqd - 2nd Lt. Marck Silk
..Hawk Assault Company - Capt.Sarah McKenna (3 sqds of hawks, w 1 exarch)
..Infantry Assault Company -Capt. Lyle Wheeler
(1 scorpexarchs, 4 scorps, 1 wriathlord, 1 Wriathguards, 3 dark reapers, )
..Mobile artillery Support - Capt.. Lawrence Tucketts
(2 scatter lazers, 1 Prism tank tank, 1 Vibro caonnon)

She can call on one unit of orbit artillery bombardment.

Rxx: Crushing Victory. It was close for a while though. Van Beek took one attack. Thought that was it, and advanced. But another enemy force came over a river on her flank, as another attack was launched from her front. Clearly, the enemy was gambling on a pincer movement. Van Beek fell back on the Battalion HQ site, and regrouped, and took the attack, now channelled into her front. It was withering. But eventually, Van Beek got the upperhand. Very perilous indeed. The advance was made, and the enemy repulsed it. So Van Beek fell back again, snagging two over-confident artillery sqds. Then a final charge was made, with orbital bombardment called in. And Van Beek herself had a duel with the Tyrannid Tyrant. The harlequin recon sqd was destroyed, but 2nd Lt. Marck Silk survived intact. Van Beek is awared a medal of valor. War honors for all. Silk gets a promotion to 1st Lt.

Bxx: Search and Destroy

Lt.Col. Van Beek receives her latest orders by hand from a Maj. Othad Burgard and finds to her surprise that Mordden is now a Brig. Gen., and commander of something called the Eldar Brigade. She reads further and finds that she is now commander of the 1st Eldar Regiment. Her Hawks are being upgraded to battalion strength for a search and destroy mission in a swamp. Oh well, no good without bad. Now she can give McKenna her oak leaves. And the worthy Maj. Othad Burgard is given to her to make up the inexperience of her ground Captains. Van Beek gives her Farseer Battlegarb to Maj. Burgard, as she is, in solumn ceremony, converted into an Eldar Avatar of Khaine.

1st Eldar Regiment - Lt. Col. Sonja Van Beek, Eldar Avatar, cmding
..Harlequin recon sqd - Lt. Marck Silk
..Air Assault Battalion - Maj.Sarah McKenna (5 sqds of hawks, w 1 exarch)
2nd Lt.Holly Andrews (Air Recon officer)
..Ground Assault Battalion - Maj. Othad Burgard, Eldar Farseer.
..Infantry Assault Company -Capt. Lyle Wheeler
(2 scorpexarchs, 2 scorps, 2 wriathlord, 2 dark reapersexarchs, 1 dark reaper )
..Mobile artillery Support - Capt.. Lawrence Tucketts
(2 scatter lazers, 1 Prism tank tank, 1 Vibro caonnon)

Rxx: Narrowly won victory! First the enemy threw a hormagaunt company at Van Beek’s line. Van Beek broke this force and killed it. But the enemy also knew early on that taking out Van Beek’s airforce was the key to their survival. Maj. McKenna therefore lost 3/4’s of her command to gargoyle squadrons in the opening hours of the engagement. A shock for her. But Van Beek pressed on boldly, swaggering and slaying like a new Avatar of War. She moved deeply into the enemy center, shocking the enemy into piece-meal attacks, which she killed as they came up. Soon she had the Tyrannid GHQ on her front, and a reminant force back aways in her rear. Van Beek then reversed her lines, and forced marched to those reminants, destroying them. Then she sent Lt Silk’s recon sqd (just recovering from being nearly destroyed by an uncovered Lictor) on an independent journey to make sure no other enemy formations existed. Meanwhile, she send Major McKenna to the GHQ to take out Tyrannid Tyrant there. As the deadline was approaching, Major McKenna, called down the orbital bombard on the Tyrant, while 2nd Lt Andrews dropped down and landed the death blow that killed him, giving the victory.

2nd Lt Andrews is given a Medal of Honor. Lt Silk is given a Medal of Valor.
War honors for all.
Later, Brig.Gen. Mordden shows up on the battlefield and personally gives Van Beek the fourth pips of a full colonel in CENT.

Bxx. Hold and Recover.

Col. Van Beek informed by Brig. Gen. Mordden that her force is going to be dropped into the center of a Eldar site that the Tyrannid are closing in on. She is to hold it at all costs, and also wrest from them three pieces of an Eldar device that they are trying to takeaway, which are located in three different areas away from her drop zone. By now Van Beek is used to contradictory orders. She reinforces her command and heads out.

Rxx: Brutal victory! Van Beek’s force was quickly surrounded on all sides and attacked by everything. Half of Maj. McKenna’s command was wiped out again. Col. Van Beek only just hung on, until the final attack wave was killed off. Then she split her force sending one north, the other south Each force destroyed the guarding troops there and captured its piece of the artifact. Then the two forces join at the third site, where a Tyrannid Tyrant was holding out. Van Beek called down orbital bombardment and then closed in, getting the victory. Van Beek really thought her number was up this time.
Medal of Valor for Van Beek, and Lt. Silk. War honors for all. Promotion for 2nd Lt. Andrews, who survived.

Bxx. The Signal Tyrant.

Brig. Gen. Mordden informs Col. Van Beek that an especially big Tyrannid Tyrant is on a top a mountain, making ready to signal SPHERE’s Fleet Adm Kelson for reinforcements. Col. Van Beek is ordered to take him out. Fast!

Van Beek reinforces her Hawk Battalion, and then grounds it commander, Maj. McKenna.
Van Beek, the Avatar), in solemn ceremony with Maj. Burgard (Farseer) , invests Maj. McKenna with the battlegear of an Eldar Farseer. And she sets out.

R: Shocking, but not crushing, defeat! Col. Van Beek was overmastered in this one. But she lost only one Hawk sqd. The enemy just kept attacking in force, keeping her on the other side of a river that had a clear path for Reaper artillery to march up with the main force to the stronghold of the Tyrant. She got the majority of her force across, but too late, and she left her rear area too lightly protected. The enemy then smashed her rear, forcing GHQ to order her to retreat in disgrace. Fortunately, Brig. Gen. Mordden informs her that signal jamming had been successful, and that she had another window of opporturnity to take the Tyrant. Obviously, she is going to have tosplit her command again.

Rxx2: Crushing, but empty victory! After being kept busy with big frontal attacks, Van Beek finally able to split her command (Maj. Othad Burgard commanding her rear detachment) , cross the river, and go after the Tyrant. She personally exposed herself to great danger trying to take the position. But it was to no avail. The Tyrant had already slipped away. She receives The Brown Frown, from Brig.Gen. Mordden. NO honors!

Bxx. The End in Sight.

Col. Van Beek receives orders from Brig.Gen. Mordden. The Tyrant has been trapped in a volcanic area. She’s to take her regiment after him, and herself personally take him down, to ensure he does not signal Kelson’s fleet. But she is also to defend her drop zone. From this she sees she must split her command again. She’s glad she’s allowed a unit of orbital bombardment.

Rxx: Failure! The enemy threw everthing they had into Van Beek’s line, pining her into to the valley. When she finally broke the enemy’s line, and began the assent, she was bogged down in the terrain and enemy rear-guards. The Tyranid Tyrant managed to get his signal out. Forntunately, the enemy Admiral Kelson needs another signal in order to triangulate.
Brig. Gen. Mordden confinds Col. Van Beek to quarters as he decides what to do next.
(He feels she has gotten to used to not taking heavy casualties.)

Bxx: End In Sight II.

Brig.Gen. Mordden receives word that the Tyranid Tryrant’s new position is less well defended than his previous position was. Van Beek apparently took a big enoough bite out of him that last time. He sends her in again.

Rxx: Defeat! Making a bold charge up the hill to gain time, Col Van Beek was severely WIA and was taken from the field by her command, causing the attack to collasp. Brig. Gen. Mordden awards her a Purple heart. Mordden also receives orders to roll up the Flags. PINNACLE says the contract is finished. The Eldar can lose good people mopping up stragglers. CENT’s got new contracts for Mordden’s officers.

[] Ephermis\Worldline\Earth\France1940\alt\CodeName: PanzerGeneral3D..

Bxx. Taking Sedan.

Newly promoted Brig. Gen. Emmet Mordden enters the Ephermis to receive a Brevet promotion to Maj.Gen. and command of the 1st Panzer Corp which is about to blitzkrieg France. CENT only cares that Germany affirms the principal of centralization. This is one instance where CENT will hold its nose when affirming an exemplar of a CENT principle, as CIRC did working for the Order of the New Dawn on Krieg 7B. The saving grace, however, is that in this Worldline Germany has no Nazi party, only a nastily aristocratic Kaiser.

Brv. Maj.Gen. Mordden’s first problem is the capture of Sedan, Me’ziers, and Liart with only one under strength panzer division (the 6th). Mordden restores the disfavored Brig. Gen. Vidor Lancosky to the combat officers list and gives him command of the 6th Panzer Divsion (Mordden considers that Lancosky might be bad only in independent strategic command.). Mordden also brevets the familiar Othad Burgard and Sarah McKenna as Lt. Cols.

The T/O for this battle is:

1st Panzer Corp - Brv. Maj.Gen. Emmet Mordden
6th Panzer Division - Brig. Gen. Vidor Lancosky
7th Panzer Regiment - Col. Sonja Van Beek
Artillery Support Battalions - Brev. Lt. Col. Othad Burgard
10th Engineer regiment - Col. Arnold “Cassius” Steinhardt
24th Luftwaff. Air Group - Brev. Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna

R1: Victory! (through minor). Yes, Brig.Gen. Lancosky proves to be good under a firm hand. It also helped that he had industrious subordinates. Lancosky’s resources were stretched thin for the objectives to be taken. Mordden considers that Sarah McKenna’s LW bombers helped the most. Mordden is able to get her confirmed in the rank of Lt.Col.

Bxx. Soisions

Brv Maj.Gen. Mordden is given nis next objectives: Laon, LaFere, Peronne, Compienge, Soisions. OKW wants to trap the French in the Maginot line. Cool. The job is given to Brig.Gen. Lancosky’s 6th Panzer Division.

R1: Defeat! Lancosky and Mordden did not count on the Maginot men wanting to get free. Lancosky took La Fere and Laon (with its airbase), but where prevented from taking Soissons by fiece counterattacks generating from the south east, which threatened Laon. The tank vs tank duels on the badlands between Laon and Soissons derailed the time table.

Bxx: Bxx. Soisions II.

Mordden’s not put out. He’s been through this before. He rounds up the flags of the 7th Panzer division, gives them to the startled Sonja Van Beek along with a brevet promotion to Brig.Gen. Then Lancosky’s unit are transfered to Van Beek, and Mordden tells OKW that the attack is still proceeding, abet behind schedule. Of such things are CENT contract officers made.

1st Panzer Corp - Brv. Maj.Gen. Emmet Mordden
7th Panzer Division - Brv Brig. Gen. Sonja Van Beek
7th Panzer Regiment - Sonja Van Beek, cmding.
Artillery Support Battalions - Brev. Lt. Col. Othad Burgard
10th Engineer regiment - Col. Arnold “Cassius” Steinhardt
24th Luftwaff. Air Group - Brev. Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna

Rxx: Victory! And two additional objectives are taken! For this, Brv Maj.Gen. Mordden is able to confirm Sonja Van Beek in the rank of Brig. Gen. She knows how to command a Panzer division! And she’s figured out the tactics: move the center of mass right into where the enemy reinforcement are coming in, everything else falls out from this.

[]Ephermis/Worldline/EmpireOfMan/40,000AD/UldlakeSystem/CodeName:DawnOfWar-SoulStorm

After suitable neuronanonic surgeries a former Swooping Hamk alumus, Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna, returns to the rank and powers of an Eldar Farseer for this mission. The Eldar have detected a Necron awakening on the Imperial world of Uldlake III in the Uldlake System. They do not have the resources in hand to deal with this awakening, so the job has been been contracted to CENT. With her is Harlequin 2nd Lt. Raythal of Ulthwe and Bonesinger Prime 2nd Lt. Lucrezia Black.

B1: Keru Badlands.

Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna REPORTS: “Our first assault. I am ambivalent. I know the Necrons can be killed. But I also know that we have a long build time before effective anti-vehicle and anti-building units can be fielded.This Eldar business of calling for war and then having a council to decide on annihilating the enemy is too time consuming. They say I am an impatient human. But I would say the Eldar’s deliberation in war is what is causing their population decline.”

R1: Victory. Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna REPORTS: “We have victory. Our Guardians and Bongsingers virtually surrounded the Necrons and trapped them in their lair. I was then able to assemble a good force of Banshee’s Dire Avengers, Fire Dragons, and Warp Spiders, supported by a Falcon tank and a Viper. Through the webway gates we went to the Necron monolith site. And there we destroyed them and their monolith. I should have had more faith.”

CENT awards Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna a Warcross.

B2: The Caehath Springs.

Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna REPORTS: “We face a slightly larger Necron force here. But I expect no trouble.”

R2: Victory! Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna REPORTS: “We did what we came to do. No trouble. The Necron lord did not mobilize fast enough. I fear what will happen if we attack one who does. But I must put my feelings aside. The Necron stronghold of Canth Merolac awaits.

CENT awards a Warcross to Farseer Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna,
Harlequin 2nd Lt. Raythal of Ulthwe.
Bonesinger Prime 2nd Lt. Lucrezia Black.

B3: Canth Merolac. Necron stronghold.

Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna REPORTS: “Canth Merolac. The acid test of our abilities. We must pass it or die.”

R3: Heroic Victory! Harlequin 2nd Lt. Raythal of Ulthwe REPORTS: “We have achieved an incredable victory. Five Necron Monoliths have been destroyed. But this has been at the cost of the life of our Farseer, Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna. Two of the Monoliths became active and came up to our base. Our destruction was imminent. The Farseer returned through the webway gates with her army and fought them both. She perished. But so did the attacking Monoliths. I hope I never see a sight like that again. Our mission here is now complete.”

CENT awards Lt.Col. Sarah McKenna a posthumous Medal of Honor and Medal of Valor and a solumn processional to the Hall of Honor in Necropolis.

Harlequin 2nd Lt. Raythal of Ulthwe is awarded a Medal of Valor, a Purple Heart, and promotion to 1st Lt.

Bonesinger Prime 2nd Lt. Lucrezia Black is awarded a Meritorious Service Medal.

183.4 pounds.

2010-01-04T16:14:00.002-05:00

Yes, I now tilt the scale at 183.4 pounds. And this after allowing myself a small binge over New Year's eve and New Year's day. As I said before, hunger stops being a factor with the Eat to Live diet, so it possible to intelligently cheatwithout it becoming An Episode. In this case my binge consisted of some jerky (yes, "Jerky for the turkey" I'm sure Dr. Fuhrman would say), two bottles of Sparkling Cider, two sample-sized boxes of Whitman chocolates, and two cups of Starbucks. I resisted going out for fries by resorting to chopping up a microwaved baked potato. Hmmm, that was good! But now its back in the harness and downward and onwards!

The computer game was Command & Conquer Renegade. A oldie to be sure, but still a goodie. A great long while ago I bought The Command & Conquer Collection when the price had dropped to $19.00. But except for Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge I kept putting off playing the oeuvre because the game technology seemed a little creaky compared to the newer games that are out now. But now with my graphics card out on my HP Pavilion a1610n, I've swiveled to my right and started playing my more ancient games on my HP Pavilion 8575C. (If you think that's excessive, consider that I do my game world record keeping by swiveing to my left and word processing on my IBM Aptiva 2161. Yes, I have a room that looks like a CIA ops center. I expect a visit from Matt Damon any day now.)

The Command & Conquer Collection is going for $50 on Amazon? I had no idea I was sitting on some appreciating assets. I may just end up funding some college educations when the little ingrates pry them out of my cold, dead hands.

Legends of the Space Time Mercenary Services- Brig. Gen. “Martinius” Andre

2010-01-02T14:33:00.008-05:00

After having gone through all the bother of explaining how I play games, its time now for me to present you with one of my character files. So, from the the archives of the Valhalla section of the cemetery world of Arlington is this file on one Brig. Gen. Miles “Martinius” Andre. And an eventful life it was that he had, while he had it.

This character is notable for illustrating how a career can have its steep rises and abysmal falls and purgative redemptions. I have a suspicion that one of the reasons civilians find military fiction so fascinating is that a military career can sometimes not only be adventurous and full of human interest, but also a metaphor for careers - and life - in general. I think the fascination of Patrick O'Brian's Napoleonic naval officer, Captain Jack Aubrey, has less to do with our interest in the intricacies of sailing a three-masted wooden warship then with what Aubrey frequently says about his membership in the Royal Navy: "Tis' a hard service." So is life in general, and very many people's careers in particular. Its the ups and downs that make life interesting.

Also note worthy in this file is the appearance of the pleasure world called "Aruba-Nicely," which has become a Warhammer 40K battlefield for rampaging orks. This dates to the time of my personal anger over the mis-handled investigation of the murder of Natalie Holloway by the authorities in Aruba. I had made up and played a series of Final Liberation scenarios involving a science-fictional "pleasure world" set in the Warhammer 40K universe and used some of the city names of Aruba as battlefields for the game. I don't know about you, but I find war games to be a nifty, harmless way to blow off steam.

Another item to note is the reference to CIRC having an army as well as a marine corp. This dates to before the time CIRC's army was absorbed into its marine corps.

Please note that the file only contains references to Andre himself. If he was not in a battle himself, the report of the battle is elsewhere in the archives. If you have any interest in any of these narratives, please post a comment.

And so now: Brig. Gen. “Martinius” Andre, late of CIRC's marine corps.

----------------------------------------------
CIRC - MARINES: Brig. Gen. Miles “Martinius” Andre

Win/Loss: 18/0

Decorations:
Battle Star (0)
Medal of Honor ( 1) /Cluster(2)
Medal of Valor (1)/Cluster(2)
Medal of Victory(1)/Cluster(0)
War Cross (2)/Cluster(4)
Purple Heart (1)/Cluster(1)
Mission Medal (3)/Cluster(7)

Special Decorations:
CruxTerminitus(1),MarksmansHonor(1)

Titles:
Imperial Commissar.
Deputy Lord Commander Militant, Volistad.
Lord Commander Militant, Aruba Nicely,
Warhammer Chapter Chaplain (Imperial Regain),
Space Marine Hero.

Actions:

[]Ephermis/Worldline/40,000AD/EmpireOfMan/CodeName: ChaosGate.

This experienced Warhammer ranker is awarded a field commission as a 1st Lt of marines with the client rank of Brother Sergeant of Space Marines, Ultramarines chapter, by CIRC’s Warhammer Command.

B01: The Jungle world Taygeta (before Kreinaath of the Tzeentch Sorcerers)

Because of Linderman’s losses, the Ultramarines were thrown back to Arioth by Zymran’s forces. Warhammer Command then authorizes Linderman to raid the armory and super reinforce his devastator sdq with FIVE hvy bolters. He’s to hit Taygeta, and seize its supply dump. He needs the krak missiles. He needs the ammo.

I Terminator Sqd -Lt. Peter “Drusus” Moreland
VII Assault Sqd-Lt. Simon “Volcanu” Vass
VIII Special Devastator Sqd-Lt. Miles “Martinius” Andre
Librarian -Capt.. Flavius Linderman, commanding.
Apothecary -2nd Lt. Feaver “Britainicus” Taplin

R01: Astonishingly bitter victory! Capt Lindermn set up his SDQ behind a fallen log. At first the effect was terrific when combined with Terminator support. Lots of enemy dropped right away, especially Korne Berserkers. But then, unexpectedly, the enemy moved in a sqd of Chaos Terminators armed with hvy flamers, who flamed both Linderman and his SDQ. It was a calculated counter to our tactics. And very effective. Three SDQ men KIA. And Capt. Linderman. And to top off the blow, the weapons cache did not turn up any krak missiles or items of genuine need. It was all for nothing.

Lt. Volcanu Vass took command, and lead the mission to its conclusion. He is recommended for promotion to Capt.

Lt Martinius Andre is awarded a purple heart and a war cross for so aweful a mission.

[]]Ephermis/Worldine/Earth/1999AD/Arulco/CodeName: JaggedAlliance2

After Col Cullen lost a full company of mercs and officers in Meduna to a fierce counter attack by Deidranna, CIRC Command turned to the one effective officer in theater, Capt. Primestar. They order him to assume command and finish the contract. Primestar is dismayed, but also pleased. If he succedes, he will reap every reward that Col. Cullen has labored for. CIRC Command will be so overjoyed, they’ll overpromote him.Primestar is sure of this. He makes his plans, and takes the field again with the call sign, “Wolf”.

R1: Capt. Primestar recons by chopper as he come down into Meduna with reinforcements,and finds that, to his amazement, the force that captured the SAM site has left it to take the prisoners to Deiranna. Primestar moves his entire command into the SAM site and lauches an attack to kill the invading force as it leaves. He may just get the prisoners back. With Capt. Primestar are his newly arrived Warhammer cronies, Lt. James “Calidus” Featherstone, callsign ICE. and Lt. Miles “Martinius” Andre, callsign “BLOOD”.

R2: The enemy plays with Capt. Primestar’s head. Primestars finds that after he has abandoned the SAM site and consentrated on the withdrawn force, the “withdrawn force” only consists of three men. Capt. Primestar then turns around and finds the same site re-taken. To prevent his career in CIRC from ending pre-maturely, he asaults the SAMsite. Lt. Featherstone is severly WIA in this assault, which collaspes into demoralization when Capt. Primestar is KIA by a dirty rocket rifle sniper. The whole contract is now in disorder.

R3: CIRC Command decided that the Army should be given a chance. The Marines are told to pack up and git.

[] Ephermis/worldline/2235/TheReachCampaign/CodeName: ReachForTheStars.

In this Ephermis, the United Nations is part of a free and democratic Earth. Rear Admiral Florice Prideux takes command as CinC United Nations Armed Forces (UNAF), and commander of the Space Fleet of 40 scout craft. The scientists are saying their might be hostiles “out there”.

R:
commanded assault on Deneb. prom to Capt.
Pherkad 2 is taken and colonized. prom to Maj.
Rr. Adm. Trout orders Ephermis evac. Hive won.

[] Ephermis/worldline/40000AD/EmpireOfMan/Volistad/CodeName: Final Liberation

It is bad news for the Empire, good news for CIRC. A new Ork Waaagh has gotten through the fleet defenses around Volistad. Again, the one location still not under Ork control is a space port which is ready for a drop of Imperial Space Marines to open the way from other Imperial forces.

Brig. Gen. Titinius DeCamp, the first appointed Lord Commander Militant, failed to take the spaceport, even if he did inflict enough casaulties on the Orks to keep them from completely occupying it. Now the Empire (and CIRC) turns to Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci. He’s appointed Lord Commander Militant.

B01: The Space Port.

Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre is given command of a Space Marine chapter, supported by a predator tank company, whilwind company, and a Thunderhawk detactment, and told to take the Space Port and that time is of the essence.

R01: Costly victory. Maj. Andre lost two predator tank detachments. from the company he was given. The thunderhawk detachment was also lost, but to good use. And one Space Marine detachment was lost to its chapter. But the Space Port is taken and Volistad lies open to us. WarCross cluster for Maj. Andre.

B03: Kotslev.

Looks like it might be better to give the aggressive Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre at crack at Kotslev. He is designated an Imperial Commisar and given command. of the Holt Battalion The farther the Orks are pushed away from the Space Port, the better.

Holt battalion - Commisar Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre
. 1st Company
.. Imperial Guard Commisar Platoon
.. Mordian Command Platoon
.. Bombard Battery
.. Chimera APC Squadron
. 2nd Company
.. Moridian Hvy Inf Platoon
.. Chimera APC Squadron
.. Imperial Thud Gun Battery

R03: Costly Victory! The position was taken, but it cost all the APC’s including Andre’s own rhino command APC. The battle ended as an old fashion 1914 style infantry charge. It is fortunate that Andre killed the enemy off before conducting that charge. But he gets a medal of valor. It was swanky work, even if Andre did have the benefit of the Orks being weakened.

B07: Krasnov Depression.

Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre is being given command of Lefebvre battalion. There are still not enough resources to signifigantly fill out the two Imperial Battalions here. Andre is given the order to do a another round robin smashup that Lefebvre had done, widening the distance between the Orks and the Spaceport beachead. He given enough resoures to replace the Tallern Hvy infantry, but he is also ordered to command the Mordian Tactical when he goes into battle. It is typically used to guard the artillery, so that should keep him out of harm’s way.

R07: Crushing victory at 725 to 9. Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre did exactly the right thing. He took his secondary objective, which drew the Orks out of their factory fortress and allowed the artillery to lay down good fire on them. Then he had his armor/infantry force press on their exposed position from the secondary objective. The battalion sustained no losses while murdering most of the Orks.

Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre is awarded a mission medal and WarCross cluster.

B08: Saratov.

Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci gives Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre the order to continue “Operation Round Robin II” He promises Andre a new company after this assault.

R8: Crushing stalemate! Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre’s force was trapped in a box and had to fight its way out. But the Orks also took a great deal of punishment. But eventually the Lefebvre battalion disgraced its name by breaking and running. Andre held his Mordian tactical platoon together, but not much else. Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci orders Andre to gather his battalion back together and await a reinforcement company.

B09: Saratov II.

The Lefebvre battalion has been regrouped and reinforced with a detachment of Demolisher Tanks and ordered to try again at Saratov.

R09: lopsided 1945 to 9 victory! The Orks expected the same attack as before. They were waiting at the box for the Lefebvre battalion to come back into their shooting gallery. Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre did not take that bait. He came up north of the box and headed straight for the northernmost objective. The Demolishers really demoralized the Orks. And the Leman Russ tanks, supported by Chimera-borne Tallarn hvy infantry really did a nice panzerblitz, knocking away every peice of resistance that came up.

Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre is awarded a mission medal cluster and a warcross cluster.

B10: Valisov Island.

There is word that some regiments are holding out in the capital of Borodni. But Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci thinks it would be unwise to try and take the capital just yet. He orders Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre to continue “Operation Round Robin II,” and take Valisov Island. Those isolated defenders will just have to wait. The Lefebvre battalion is given another platoon of Chimera APC’s. That makes the outfit totally mechanized now.

R10: Costly victory 790 to 9. The Orks tricked Andre this time. He sent in his Demolisher Tanks to seize the first objective ahead of the main force. This had worked well last time. But this time the Orks had Dragsters armed with force shields and an number of warbikes. They destroyed the Demolishers. The expense! But once the Dragsters were taken out by artillery fire, the battle was won.

Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre receives a mission medal cluster.

B11: Vlasov Island - counter attack.

We are seeing the first results of Orks Space Hulk’s second drop of Orcs. They counter attacked at Vlasov.

R11: Crushing victory. It was a strickly infantry wave assault, which Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre cut up pretty quickly, thought the men became very demoralized. Andre is awarded a medal of valor cluster. This is quite an overall morale builder, even if the Lefebvre battalion needs a visit from an Imperial Commissar because Andre isn’t doing that job.

B12: Tollcharin.

There is no time for another good tank unit to be added to the Lefebvre battalion. A detachment of Hellhound flamerthrower tanks will have to do. The Astropath monastery is on the path of Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre’s round robin. Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci bids him all success.

R12: crushing victory! 815 to 0. A perfectly executed attack except for the lost of one Hellhound squad to an unwise close infantry combat. The Hellhounds are basically good for scaring the enemy infantry and drawing fire to itself while leading infantry in an attack.
A battalion of Imperial Space Marines was holding out at the astropath monastery. They have now come over to us. This allows us more operational flexiblilty. They can be sent to Borodni, while Major Andre completes his round robin.

Maj. Miles “Martinius” Andre is awarded a medal of honor and prmotion to Lt. Col.

B15: Kirponos.

It looks like Lt. Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre is ready to take the the Lefebvre battalion against Kirponos and complete “Operation Round Robin II.”

R15: crushing victory at 1039 to 0. It appears Lt. Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre has prefected the art of killing Orks, and especially in the style of panzerblitz. He went directly after the objective the enemy could not do without, anniliated what the enemy had there, and then dug in and let the Orks come to him, where he slaughtered them in the open.
A prefectly executed military op in which no losses were sustained.

Lt. Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre stands to receive a warcross cluster and the mission medal cluster.

B17: Ork Basin.

Even through Maj. Soture ”Flaminius” Richardson’s Space Marine Battalion has taken some hits securing Pechora, and Maj. Steve Dunnings’ Pechincka Battalion does not have armor and is guarding Borodni from a moving band of Orcs, Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci ordered Lt. Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre to blitzkrieg the Ork Basin. “It is imperative that the Orks be kept off guard.” Lt.Col. Andre cannot disagree.

R17: Crushing 1075 to 0 victory! Lt. Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre’s Lefebvre battalion wins this one by the simple expedient of killing ALL of the enemy units. Something Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci has no problem with.

Lt. Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre stands to receive his second war cross and a mission medal cluster.

B20: Ryti arms depot.

Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci believes it’s time for another gamble. Ryti has a arms depot that may yield some help in reburbishing the offensive. Richardson’s Space Marine battalion has just been badly mauled and rendered defensive as is the Pechinka battalion. Lt. Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre’s Lefebvre battalion is the only one that retains its offensive strength. Ranucci issues Andre the order to attack Ryti.

R20: crushing victory without losses! Lt. Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre took a termendous risk is rushing his armored infantry force across a choke-hold type bridge. It could have turned out badly. The Orks did have a energy weapon AFV, but it was vulnerable to artillery fire. This was classic armored-infantry action, with fire and manuver, and an infantry charge by APC. There was even a tank to tank duel that the Orks lost. It will go into the text books. The reporters started talking about “the invincible Lefebvre battalion.” Andre had that talk stopped right away.

This action did indeed yield up supplies, but also reinforcements. So much so that a new battalion has been raised.

By popular acclaim, and amid much P/R, Lt. Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre stands to receive his medal of Honor cluster, and mission medal, along with a promotion to full colonel. Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci named him Deputy Lord Commander Militant.

The addition of artillery reinforcements reorganizes the Lefebvre battalion into a regiment as follows:

Lefebvre Regiment - Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre, cmding.
. 1st battalion
.. 1st Company
... Leman Russ Squadron
... Basilisk artillery battery
... Chimera APC squadron
... Tallarn hvy infant platoon
.. 2nd Company
... Mordian Iron Guard Hvy Inf Platoon.
... Mordian Iron Guard tact Inf platoon.
... Bombard Mobile Mortar battery
... Chimera APC squadron
. 2nd battalion.
.. 3rd Company
... Thud gun battery
... Imperial Guard tact Inf platoon.
... imperial command Platoon (battalion HQ)
... Demolisher Tank squadron.
.. 4th Company
... Imperial Guard tact infantry platoon
... Basilisk artillery battery
... Bombard Mobile Mortar battery
... Death strike mobile rocket laucher battery.

Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre commands the most powerful Imperial force on Volistad.

B21: Gorbatov.

Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci orders Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre to attack Gorbatov as a way of covering the retreat of reinforcements meant for the Pechinka battalion.

R21: Crushing, grinding victory at 1165 to 0! Few casualties. Andre was concerned about being channeled into two choke points. In the end, that worked to his advantage. He rammed the bulk of his armored/infantry force through one choke point to get at one objective, while his APC-less imperial guards and Mordian Iron Guards conducted a classical infantry charge through the second choke point going towards the second objective. The Mordian Iron Guard tactical platoon got the worst of it but came through. The main armored infantry charge had a long hard slog, knocking out all the opposition in its path. The day was won mainly by killing every Ork there was. One Leman Russ unit was loss to its squadron. Demolisher hvy tanks are very good for surprising main battle tanks at close range. A Chimera APC was lost to its squadron (a surprise tank took it out.)

Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre stands to receive the medal of valor cluster and the mission medal cluster.

B22: Vorkata Reaches.

Maj. Steve Dunnings’ Pechinka battalion and Maj. Soture ”Flaminius” Richardson’s Space Marine battalion are still too weak for an attack. Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci therefore orders Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre’s Lefebvre Regiment to attack the Vorkata Reaches and stop the Orks from using the Mechanicus installation for making Gargants.

R22: Grinding hair-line victory of 585 to 0. Andre now has extreme respect for Gargants. He lost most of his armor taking to take just one down. Artillery can kill it, but not very effectively. The thing to do is to surround it and hit it with tank and anti-tank fire. But its big gun is enough to knock out a tank on the first shot. Well, live and learn.

The recovery of the Mechanicus facility has freed up a War Titan. Imperial drop ships leave a new Space Marine force to reinforce this Titan, and this makes up a another independent battalion that will share resources with Col. Andre’s regiment. This will be the Jinx Battalion under Brev. Major Erica “JINX” Carlson, a noted CIRC MechWarror.

Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre receives the Victory medal and a mission medal cluster.

B23: Molotakaz.

Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre cannot believe the order he has just been given by Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci. Ranucci is ordering him to detach two of his best companies and give them to this MechWarrior, brev Maj. Erica “JINX” Carlson. The “Jinx Battalion” is to attack Molotakaz. Andre is philosophical. Ranucci is obviously worried about his stealing the show.

R23: Crushing victory at 1195 to 0, but with losses. Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre does not like what brev Maj. Erica “JINX” Carlson did with his companies, but cannot deny she did exactly the right things to win this battle. She lost a Predator squadron of her own, and another Predator tank. But she returns to him the Mordian Iron Guard Tact Platoon with most of its men killed and and two of its Chimera APC’s gone. She explained that the Orks flanked her artillery and the Mordians bravely gave this lives intercepting the armored/infantry flank. It saved the artillery. Andre’s artillery.

brevet Major Erica “JINX” Carlson stands to receive her medal of victory and confirmation in the rank of Major. Not bad for a Titan pilot!

B29: Ivanovich.

Major Erica “JINX” Carlson receives a communicade from Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci. The air support for Maj. Steve Dunnings’ Pechinka battalion is still not available. Ranucci therefore orders her to take a single AA bty with her and attack Ivanovich. The pressure must be kept on the Orks until the Pechinka’s can try again.

R29: Crushing victory at 1820 to 0! No manifestation of Ork airpower yet. Major Erica “JINX” Carlson adroitly caught the Orks by seizing the first objective with unmounted infantry and Thud guns, and shielding that force with her Titan mech and her armored/infatry force. Everything the Orks sent at her died quickly.

Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci offers to release Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre, his Deputy Lord Commander Militant to Warhammer Command for reassignment to the Aruba-Nicely incursion, saying Andre would make an excellent Lord Commander Militant for that engagement. And thus Ranucci’s rid of a potential rival to the glory he will reap here.

Maj. Gen. Richard Ranucci then awards Major Erica “JINX” Carlson the medal of victory and promotion to Lt.Col.

[]Ephermis\Worldline\40000AD\EmpireOfMan\SegmentumSolar\
ArubaNicelyPleasureworld\CodeName: Final Liberation.

Brig. Gen. Chikamitsu Shibata has politely and respectfully submitted a new proposition to his superior, CENT Marine Corp Commindant Field Marshall Sonja Van Beek. He suggests that CENT might find Ork contracts successful if the Ork “fighting spirit” (which he admires) were combined with human “common sense.” Common sense in the sense of fighting Imperial forces at better than 1-1 force ratios. Shibata suggests that this would overcome their disadvantages in workable equipment and artillery. Indeed, Field Marshall Van Beek can see another angle than even that: CENT can take contracts to help the Orks conquer, but CENT need not stay to defend the Orks against the inevitble Imperial counter attacks. Another weakness of the Orks. Shibata presses his suit with Van Beek. There is a wealthy Pleasureworld, Aruba-Nicely, which is not that well guarded, which can be taken and looted quickly. Van Beek authorizes this project, but lets Shibata know he’s responsible for it. The contract is signed. Shibiat is named Warboss. And he’s authorized to draw on CENT officers as needed for this contract.

B05: St. Nicholas.

Brig. Gen. Chikamitsu Shibata thinks its best to continue the press with Dagelev’s column. to bring it parallel with Feldsher’s column. The assault on St. Nicholas is on at 2200 to 1100 RPs.

battalion Dagelev - Lt. Col. Valdimir Dagelev
. 1st company
.. 2 x bikeBoyz squadron
.. Stormboyz infantry platoon
.. FightaBomberz Squadron
. 2nd company
.. Stormboyz platoon
.. Bikeboyz Squadron
.. GoffNobz inf platoon (Lt. Adam Goldberg)
. 3rd company
.. Mobile battalion HQ
.. 2x Gutrippa AFV squadrons
.. fightabomberz squadron.

R05: Hard grinding hairline victory at 450 to 0. The position was defended by one megaTank, one Titan Mech, and some detachments of Space Marines with Tallarn hvy infantry. The Fighta-bomberz took out the megaTank and had a difficult time with the Mech because it’s shields kept regenerating. Air power’s job was mainly knocking the shields down every turn so that Ork AFV’s could get a hit in. But two fighta’s were shot down by the mech. The Fighta’s ended up killing most of the infantry and that left the mech holding up the defense. Ended up with an infantry/warbike rush to the objective. The Mech, have gone, finally surrendered. It’s pilot turned out to be CIRC’s 2nd Lt. Jeffery “GHOST” Uluns. The loss of Oranjastad and St. Nicolas forces the recently arrived Imperial Lord Commander Militant, CIRC’s Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre, to sue for terms of surrender, which were granted to him. Aruba Nicely belongs to the Orks now.

[]Ephermis/Worldline/40,000AD/Douglas Quadrant/
CodeName:ChaosGate.Alt

B01: Nemo Jungle.

Nemo is not clean. There is word of a level 8 chaos force here. Possibly lead by a Chaos Lord. Capt. Palmer is to find this force and destroy it. He is given three Predator tanks to accomplish the mission with.

He goes in with Command, Terminators, Assault, and Devastator squads.

R01: Crushing victory with 1 KIA. The Smoke Death company finds that they have stumbled onto the loading of a Chaos Dreadnought class warship, which is powering up from a power station located here. The Company goes into defensive formation to receive the attack. Its bad. Capt. Palmer is WIA and blown off his feet. One Laser Cannon man was taken out by a Chaos laser cannon man. Chaos terminators almost break the line, but were cut down by the company’s autocannon terminator. The Chaplain did well, taking out a Chaos terminator with two grenade throws.

But the assault is knocked down, with Chaos Lord Zealathor killed early on. The company advances with the Predator tanks in the lead. They pound the power station, destroying it. With no escape by dreadnought, the Chaos reminants flee.

On taking the dreadnought, Capt. Palmer finds three CIRC POWs on it. They were being transported outsystem, but now they are back with CIRC. They are:

2nd Lt. Virgil “Lucullus” Brown, Warhammer Chaplain
Lt. Giles Infernicus
Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre

2nd Lt. Virgil “Lucullus” Brown tells his horrific story of the honorable defeat and destruction of the The XIV Aeternus Promoveo Essedari. Brown is awarded a purple heart and sent to a rear area hospital.

Lt. Giles Infernicus, after receiving medical treatment, was delivered to CIRCUIT where he was court-martialed and convicted of gross incompetence for getting caught by the enemy. He was stripped of rank and sentenced to the Durance Pile for a term of hard labor.

Col. Miles “Martinius” Andre was court-martialed for the surrender of Aruba Nicely, but aquited of wrong-doing. He is allowed to retire with his current rank of full colonel.

Capt Palmer is awarded the Purple Heart, the medal of victory and POW rescue medal, and another imperial marksmen’s honor.

Chapter Chaplain 2nd Lt. George “ Lucullus” Dicken is awarded a medal of Valor.

[]Ephermis/Worldline/40,000AD/Hawking Sector/Saab Quadrant/
CodeName: ChaosGate.Alt.

B01: TCSC0725 VIII Ice world..

It ill-befits a champion of the emperor to speak out of turn, but Capt. Richard “Popilius” Webb did just that and now finds himself in charge of a librarian training unit, the Iron Minds. Oh well. Capt. Webb is a war fighter and not a palace courtier.

He looks over his command squad:

Chaplain Col. “Martinius” Andre (ret) , a degraced former Lord Commander Militant. A man wrongly degraced. There is a possibility of redemption here.

The usual young librarian scuts.
2nd Lt. Brian Enger, WHLIB1
2nd Lt. Harold Spencer,WHLIB1
2nd Lt. Ryan “Trebonius” Littlefield,WHLIB1
2nd Lt. Julian “Julius” Hoddy, WHLIB1
2nd Lt. Jason “Asmodius” Wayne,WHAPO
2nd Lt. Karl “Sempronius” Young,WHAPO
2nd Lt. Scott “Scarus” Vail,WHTECH
2nd Lt. Frank “Lucius” Nitzer,WHTECT
2nd Lt. Sean “Sejanus” Seaby,WHMECH.

All 2nd Lt.s. Some experienced. Some not.

Capt. Webb opens his orders. This ice world has a small Chaos contingent on it. It must be found and destroyed. Capt.Webb goes down with II and III tact, VIII dev,
2nd Lt. Jason “Asmodius” Wayne,WHAPO, and 2nd Lt. Brian Enger, WHLIB1 (who has learned “purge psycher.”)

A Rhino, a landspeeder and a mech (2nd Lt. Sean “Sejanus” Seaby) accompany.

R01: Victory without casualty. In fact, not much of a fight. The mech and the hvy boltermen took em all out. Good terminator ammo recovered. 2nd Lt. Sean “Sejanus” Seaby,WHMECH. is awarded a mission medal.

Review of the Chaos materials by 2nd Lt. Brian Enger, WHLIB1, shows that these troops are from a larger force on Priest V.

B02: Priest V Lava world.

Further decrypts show that a Chaos chaplain is operating here. Capt. Webb. takes down II and III Tact, VIII Dev, and 2nd Lt. Harold Spencer,WHLIB1 who has learned “Scourge”

2nd Lt. Scott “Scarus” Vail,WHTECH is along for scouting.
2nd Lt. Jason “Asmodius” Wayne,WHAPO is along as medic.

Two Rhino APC’s and a landspeed are available from the Machine cult.

R02: Victory. 1 tact KIA. Hmmm. Small Chaos terminator squad and Chaos cult squad led by a Chaos chaplain, who died in battle. 2nd Lt. Harold Spencer,WHLIB1, decrypts the creature’s communications. Chaos Lord Zygoldzemides! A long time wanted one. A prime target of the Emperor. This could be the ticket back into major command.

B03: Brunet III Shacklev Hive.

The decrypts show Chaos Lord Zygoldzemides has a infiltration team here. WarHammer Command has authorized its immediate destruction. Capt. Webb is giving the honor to
VII Assault and VIII Dev. Chaplain Col. “Martinius” Andre (ret), is given the honor of directing this assault from the gunship.

R03: Victory. No KIAs. A swarm of chaos cultists. All low level. The Assaulters handily crushed them with HTH fighting. Wounds though. Good supplies recovered. Chaplain Col. “Martinius” Andre (ret) is awarded a mission medal.

B04: Brunet III Kosgoget Jungle.

The librarians are agreed that the Shacklev deviants came from the Kosgoget jungle. We go there and probe it. I Tact, VIII Dev. Chaplain Col. “Martinius” Andre (ret) commands from the gun ship again.

R04: victory. no KIAs. Bingo! Korne Berzerkers. One squad. They came in before the two cultist squads came up. The Dev’s pounded them, and the hvy bolterman finished them off. heat weapon ammo recovered. I Tact and VIII Dev are getting tough. Mission medal cluster for Chaplain Col. “Martinius” Andre (ret).

B05: Brunet III Dashanti swamp.

No rest for I Tact and Dev VIII yet. The librarians have picked up clues to a chaos hold in the Dashanti swamp. Chaplain Col. “Martinius” Andre (ret) commands from the gunship.

R05: Victory. No KIAs. An excellent little op. Two cultist squads protecting a Chaos heat artillery squad, which was protecting a cache of weapon ammo. They all died from Chaplain Col. “Martinius” Andre’s skill. He is awarded a Crux Terminitus with mission medal. And this clears Brunet III of Chaos. This company is getting better.

B05: Barnes IV Grebni Forrest.

The librarians say a high level Chaos chaplain lies in this forrest on ths world. WarHammer Command authorizes a search and destroy mission against him.

Capt. Richard “Popilius” Webb assumes command. With him go:
2nd Lt. Ryan “Trebonius” Littlefield,WHLIB1 (aura a fortitude)
2nd Lt. Jason “Asmodius” Wayne,WHAPO
2nd Lt. Scott “Scarus” Vail,WHTECH

The machine cult makes available a Rhino and two Predator APCs.

R06: Victory. No KIAs. The Rhino broke down. As it was being repaired at a local machine cult, the enemy came to Capt. Webb’s command. Chaos cultists at first. Then two horrors. After they were cut down, the Chaos fort they came out of was invested, supported by the two Predator tanks. The tanks really made the job easier (the main reason there were no KIAs), taking out the dug-in Khorne Berzerkers. Capt Webb took direct part in entering the fort with his men. There the Chaos Chaplain was discovered and assassinated by the hvy bolterman.

Capt. Richard “Popilius” Webb is awarded the War Cross with mission medal.

B10: Waldrip III Dysinski swamp area.

The latest decrypts show that Chaos has amassed weapons here. We will take them from them.

Capt. Richard “Popilius” Webb goes down with
2nd Lt. Brian Enger, WHLIB1
2nd Lt. Scott “Scarus” Vail,WHTECH
2nd Lt. Jason “Asmodius” Wayne,WHAPO

The machine cult has made available a landspeeder, a Rhino, and a Predator tank.

R10: Victory. 2nd Lt. Brian Enger, WHLIB1, KIA in a duel with a Chaos Sorcerer. Buried with full military honors. Chaplain Col. “Martinius” Andre (ret) conducted the service.
Posthumous medal of valor. Bitter victory, but we do have signifigant supplies now (though still low on krak missiles). Capt. Webb is awarded a warcross.

Bxx. Waldrip III Holomorph Hive.

The machine cult has informed Capt. Webb that Chaos is operating a broadcasting facility here that is pumping Chaos subversion into the airwaves. In become incumbent on him to destroy this facility.

Chaplain Col. “Martinius” Andre (ret) is given command of I Tact, VII Assault and VIII Dev. With him go,
2nd Lt. Harold Spencer,WHLIB1
2nd Lt. Karl “Sempronius” Young,WHAPO
2nd Lt. Frank “Lucius” Nitzer,WHTECT

The machine cult makes available two predator tanks and a Rhino APC.

Rxx: Strategic Defeat! After fighting through to the broadcasting station, it is found that the station is actually a diversion for a massive Chaos re-invasion of Barnes IV. It falls to Chaos. An inquistion is held in which Capt. Richard “Popilius” Webb is convicted of imprudence, stripped of rank, and sentenced to an indeterminate term in the Durance Pile.

The Irons Minds company is extinguished in dishonor.

Chaplain Col. “Martinius” Andre (ret) is retained as chaplain for the counter-example he presents.

Junior officers are transfered to WarHammer Command for reassignment.
Fail not the emperor!

[]Ephermis/Worldine/40,000AD/Sol I (Mercury)/Terra Quandrant/ Sol Sector/
CodeName: ChaosGate.Alt.

Capt. Mark Gordon, a Warhammer space marine with the client rank of Brother Captain, finds himself summoned to the heart of the empire for a interview with the Grand Inquistor. He had been expecting his promotion to the substantive rank of major. And so he sweats.

But the result is good. Fabulous in fact. But with very serious implications.
He’s been picked to captain a brand new company of Ultramarines. The Imperial Regain. “Regains” are usually provincial ethnic designations, where the constituents are from home worlds lost to Chaos. Why an IMPERIAL Regain? The Grand Inquistor revealed that he has uncovered Chaos at work within the heart of the Empire, Sol Sector itself. Capt. Gordon’s new commission is to work for the Grand Inquistor himself. He’s to take raw Space Marine recruits of proven heritage, and form them into the Imperial Regain, and smash such forces within the Sol Sector as the Inquistor names.

The only experienced hands Capt. Gordon may count on is his chaplain,
Chaplain ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre, a former Lord Commander Militant, who has a whiff suspicion about him, and some of the Librarians who’ve seen action before becoming librarians.

His command squad is:
2nd Lt. Patrick “Arcadius” Saneman,WHLIB1
2nd Lt. Aaron “Ligarius” Rigby,WHLIB1
2nd Lt. Christopher “Arrius” Madgwick,WHLIB1
2nd Lt. Charles Kinloch,WHLIB1
2nd Lt. Karl “Sempronius” Young,WHAPO
2nd Lt. Philbert “Canidus” Kirchner,WHAPO
Lt. Frank “Lucius” Nitzer,WHTECT
2nd Lt. Thaddeus “Theophilus” Sanders,WHTECT

B01: Mercury.

The first mission is to Mercury. The Grand Inquistor has found evidence of a chaos cult there. 2nd Lt. Aaron “Ligarius” Rigby,WHLIB1, is given II Tact and ordered to investigate.

R01: Shocklingly bitter victory! 2nd Lt. Aaron “Ligarius” Rigby,WHLIB1 was KIA leading his detail into a nest of grenade throwing cultists. Two other Tacts KIA as well. This bodes not well. There is an air of ambush about this. Internal traitors not yet uncovered?

B02: Sol III (Earth) Terra the Black Forrest, Germany.

The librarians have decoded communications from the chaos base on Mercury and it points to a Chaos enclave incredibably older the any other, reaching back to pre-history. It is here, in the Black Forrest of Terra’s early legends.

Capt. Mark Gordon, and 2nd Lt. Christopher “Arrius” Madgwick,WHLIB1, are taking in Tact II and Dev VIII for a quick suprise assault.

R02: Crushing victory w/o cost!

Capt. Mark Gordon slowly absorbs the implications of what he has just seen. A Chaos temple, in the middle of a hideous human sacrafice. A TEMPLE. Not a clearing, or a cave, or a closet. A TEMPLE. On Sol. In the heart of the Empire of Man. This speaks of treason ancient and on-going. The Grand Inquistor is pretty grand indeed, thinks Capt. Gordon. Indeed, the Inquistor finally brings Capt. Gordon as fully into the picture as his Chaplain, ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre has apparently already been brought in. The Imperial Regain is a specOp of the Inquistor. And its target is a Chaos group of ancient origins called, Shadow of the Emperor. A nest of traitors right in proximity to the Emperor himself. The Inquistor’s job to root them out. And the Imperial Regain is his weapon.

2nd Lt. Christopher “Arrius” Madgwick,WHLIB1, showed just extra ordinary courage and vim under fire, that he is promoted to librarian level 2, and awarded his 1st Lt.’s bars. A medal of valor comes with that as well.

Capt. Mark Gordon is awarded a warcross for this action.

B10: Sirus IV New New Jersey industrial wasteland

The reads outs from the rubbed-out show that New Detroit was not the main Chaos supply depot. It’s here. New Jersey. Hmmm.

Capt. Mark Gordon decides to take personal command here. With him goes
2nd Lt. Patrick “Arcadius” Saneman,WHLIB1, who has learned “purge psycher”
IV Tact, VII Assault, and VIII Dev go with him.
2nd Lt. Karl “Sempronius” Young,WHAPO attends also.

R10: Violent vicious victory. 1 Assaulter KIA.
They were on Capt. Gordon’s command in an instant. Korne Berzerkers backed up by a squad of cultists and a rocketman. Furious counterattack, with grenades and assaulters, saved the command. The heroes were many. As were the wounded.

Capt. Mark Gordon is awarded the medal of valor, and the mission medal.

But his suspicions continue to fester. As he discusses the apparent accuracy of the enemies attack with Chaplain ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre, he senses agreement that possibly, just possibly, The Shadow has a source in the Grand Inquistor’s office.

B11: Sirus IV Arctic north pole.

New orders from the Grand Inquistor. The Inquistors sources say there is a chaos power generator here. Chaplain ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre is ordered to take it out. I TERM is officially released for this mission. Assault and Dev support is also authorized.
Chaplain Andre chooses Lt. Charles Kinloch,WHLIB1 and
2nd Lt. Philbert “Canidus” Kirchner,WHAPO.
The local machine cult provides a landspeeder for scouting.

R11: Victory. 1 Dev KIA. A righteous action, done well. But Chaos had terminators of their own there. It was a terminator attack supported by hvy bolters. Only Chaplain (ret.) Col. “Martinius” Andre’s skill crushed it before it could crush him. More food for thought.

Chaplain (ret.) Col. “Martinius” Andre stand to receive the Warcross and mission medal.

B12: Weslyn III Sokodak Jungle

Capt. Mark Gordon receives intel from his wily Chaplain, ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre. The Chaplain was able to trace a Chaos worthly leaving the previous battlefield just after the Chaos power stations were taken. A sorcerer of particular reown. There is a fix on where this one went. Here. Weslyn. Capt. Gordon, on his own initive, had followed the sorcerer here to take him.

Capt. Gordon takes down the I Term, VII Assault, and VIII Dev squads.
He choses Lt. Charles Kinloch,WHLIB1, and
2nd Lt. Karl “Sempronius” Young,WHAPO

The local machine cult has authorized a predator tank and a landspeeder.

R13: Hard victory! two assaulters KIA. The Assaulters saved Gordon’s bacon. His Terms were way behind his Devs’ and Assaulters when the Korn Berzerker assault came. Good thing the tank was there. And the Landspeeder, immobile as it became. Nasty attack! And so close! 2nd Lt. Karl “Sempronius” Young,WHAPO (medal of valor for him), did the office of Dr. Death on two Khorne Berzerkers. But the Chaos sorcerer of interest was taken down and his person searched. And the truth is now in hand: the Grand Inquistor himself has been turned to Chaos! Chaplain ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre theorizes that the Grand Inquistor has been destroying Chaos assets that have served their purposes in order to hide other elements which remain operational. Perfect cover for conducting deep operations against the Empire. But how is a Grand Inquistor to be taken down without being mistaken for the enemy? The Chaplain suggests following the Inquistors leads until he tips his hand.

B14: Weslyn III Machina Hive

The Grand Inquistor has been anticipated. His newest orders are for the Imperial Regain to come here and take out the Chaos sorcerer who has just been taken out. Anticipated,or anticipating. The librarians have sensed a Chaos force being gathered. But they also sense the source of the signals gathering these forces. “There’s the chance,” says Chaplain ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre. “The comm facility, if we take it, may give us concrete proof of the Grand Inquistor’s defection.

Lt. Christopher “Arrius” Madgwick,WHLIB2 is given command of I Term, VII Assault, and VIII Dev, and told to knock out that com facility and retrieve its databanks.

R14: victory! 1 Assaulter KIA. fast furious and victorius. The Assaulters won the field at cost. The remains of the comm facility do indeed yeild the evidence of the Grand Inquistor’s treason. The next thing is to survive these next battles and get through to the Emperor himself. But the forces that the Inquistor has gathered against the Regain must be defeated first.

B17: Mastif II Therogat Hive.

The Grand Inquistor is using s broadcasting facility here to blair out an excommunication of the Imperial Regain. Capt. Mark Gordon’s people must shut down this facility before the message had been repreat “loud enough and long enough” to be believed.

T/O:

TERMs, DEV, ASSAULT squds.
Two landspeeders, one mech.

The command squad is:
Capt. Mark Gordon
Chaplain ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre
2nd Lt. Philbert “Canidus” Kirchner,WHAPO
2nd Lt. Thaddeus “Theophilus” Sanders,WHTECT
Lt. Christopher “Arrius” Madgwick,WHLIB2

R17: Victory! It was the day for the land speeders. They clung to the ground and set up meltamelta cross fires that liquidated the bonzai attacks, and they picked off cannoneers.
Lt. Christopher “Arrius” Madgwick distinguished himself by going head to head with a Chaos marine, inflicting scourging on him. Madgwick had to be rescued by the assaulters, though. Scouring was not enough to make a kill, even with a bolter pistol backing it up.
2nd Lt. Thaddeus “Theophilus” Sanders,WHTECT, shut the broadcasting down.

Lt. Christopher “Arrius” Madgwick,WHLIB2, is awarded the warcross and purity seal.
2nd Lt. Thaddeus “Theophilus” Sanders,WHTECT, is awarded a mission medal.

B22: Mastif IID moon D, south pole. volcanic conditions.

The items left behind by the abandoned cultists indicate that a Chaos Lord Zylataratat (formerly the excretable and incompetent Adeptus Administratum bureaucrat Lilia Nazarov) had been assembling an army here for an eventaul assault on Terra itself. The very boldness! If this is true, then part of that army and Z himself is here. We have power signatures that suggest an HQ here. So we strike here.

Capt. Mark Gordon,cmding.
Chaplain ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre
Lt. Patrick “Arcadius” Saneman,WHLIB2
Lt. Karl “Sempronius” Young,WHAPO
2nd Lt. Thaddeus “Theophilus” Sanders,WHTECT
machine cult: a Predator tank, one Rhino APC, one landspeeder.

R22: Victory at cost. 1 assaulter KIA. Capt. Mark Gordon’s REPORT: “A good drop with a good defense. We dropped near two structures, which allowed our assaulters to man a forward one, while our Term and Dev squads occuppied the one farther back, with the Terms below and the Devs above. The Rhino APC covered one street, while the Predator covered another street. We were well ready when the bonzai charge began. Chaos Terminators, word bearers, Korne bezerkers, a flesh hound, three pink horrors, three Chaos chaplains. They almost-but-not-quite broke our line. Chaplain ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre was out on point and was WIA with his armor shot away. Chaos Lord Zylataratat was dealt her end by our autocannon terminator. I regret to report that our land speeder was destroyed by friendly fire from our autocannon terminators. There after it was a matter of the Predator and the Rhino moving forward to find the enemy. From long distance, our Devs took out their laser cannoneer. Then it was a matter of having the Terms move in on the enemy’s left while having the assaulters move on the enemy’s right with dev support. A fire fight developed between the assaulters and a Chaos terminator. One assaulter was killed, even through our dev rocketeer crippled the CT. The rest of the assault squad then dropped onto that CT and dispatched him. Then we had to dig the hard cases out of their supply laden lair. This is were a trap against our autocannon terminator was revealed. There were TWO CT’s with lazer cannons waiting for him. He was nearly destroyed, but managed to dispatch one of them, while his support dealt with the other. A signifigance supply of plasma clips were recovered.

Capt. Mark Gordon is awarded the Purity Seal.

Chaplain ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre is awarded a purple heart.

Lt. Patrick “Arcadius” Saneman,WHLIB2 is awarded the Purity Seal.

B26: Celeste II Tochville Forrest Temples.

Read outs from the rubble of the cultist temple show that a Chaos Chaplain and two pink horrors are operating here. We don’t know if the Grand Inquistor is here not, but we must make the extra effort to purge this place.

Capt. Mark Gordon,cmding.
Chaplain ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre
TERM I, ASSAULT VII, DEV VIII.
Lt. Christopher “Arrius” Madgwick,WHLIB3
Lt. Karl “Sempronius” Young,WHAPO
Lt. Thaddeus “Theophilus” Sanders,WHTECT
Two Predator tanks
One mech.

R27: Crushing victory! Capt. Mark Gordon’s REPORT: ”The machines are fabulous. Especially with a canoneer terminator. And the Devs. They cleared the area. (There were actually THREE Pink Horrors guarding the Chaos Chaplain.) The battle then became a push into the ruins of an imperial cathedral. A Dev rocketeer took out the Chaos chaplain as he moved to give orders. The mech and predators and devs provided a barrage that supported a jump by the assault troopers to the front of the ruins, where one Chaos marine was taken out in hand-to-hand, and another shot down by plasma pistol. A second jump into the ruins took out the last hold out in hand-to-hand combat. Multimelta cartridges were recovered and a power axe. But no Grand Inquisitor.”

Capt. Mark Gordon is acclaimed “Space Marine Hero”

Lt. Frank “Lucius” Nitzer,WHTECT, is awarded a Purity Seal.

B28: Celeste II Socovi industrial hive.

The trail now leads here. Imperial offices. The Grand Inquistor’s hide out?

Capt. Mark Gordon,cmding.
Chaplain ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre
TERM I, ASSAULT VII, DEV VIII.
Lt. Christopher “Arrius” Madgwick,WHLIB3
Lt. Karl “Sempronius” Young,WHAPO
Lt. Thaddeus “Theophilus” Sanders,WHTECT
One Predator tank
One Rhino APC.
One mech.

R28: Grinding hard victory at cost. 3 assaulters KIA. Capt. Mark Gordon’s REPORT: “Scans indicated the entire city has been liquidated in some fashion. We came up through the sewer line under the Arbites HQ to meet the machines as they came in through a side hive gate. The machines were immediately immobilized by tank traps and barbedwire, etc, but the mech and Predator were able to render service while the enemy was in range. And that was very well needed. The enemy was expecting us to come through the Aribites HQ and had set up a trap. We were immediately bombarded with Krak grenades and hvy bolter fire. There was a minimal bonzai charge, but that apparently was only to cover a charge by the entities. Bloodthirsters, fleshhounds, fire drakes. One fire drake got near enough to flood the Arbites HQ with fire. On counterfiring it, we discovered that another firedrake had taken a position on the roof of a building southwest of us. The Assaulters launched to take it out and on landing were immediately cutdown by hvy bolter fire from the roof of the Inquistion HQ northwest of us. A prefectly calculated ploy to take down our assaulters. Eventually the trapped assaulters took out the drake with the help of our rocketeers who managed to find a clear shot. But now the assaulters were pinned down by the hvy bolter man. It was time to storm the Inquistion HQ. The terminators led the charge, taking out the two sinper boxes on either side of the front door with the help of the autocannon terminator. Our flamer terminator broke in the window of the front door and hosed the occcupants. Their leader, a Chaos chaplain, was thereby put down. The auto cannnon terminator and our two rocket man then circled round the left of the building while the librarian and two scout dev circled the right. More targets of opportunity fell as shots went in through the windows. Once the fires in the building died down, a new wonder revealed itself: the door to the Inquistion HQ was sealed shut. Librarian Madgwick then circled around to the front door and invoked The Gate. The terminators led by the flamer term then bounded into the building and headed for the roof. Meanwhile, the autocannon term and the two rocketeers had ascended a scaffording north west of the building and were able to overlook the roof and see what looked like a weak force on the roof. A guarding Chaos hvy bolterman who had snuffed our assaulters. A surviving assaulterman, without orders, jumped next to this varmint to take him out, but found himself surrounded by a whole squad of Chaos marines, which killed him. It was then that the terminators burst onto the roof and starting nailing the varmints in hand to hand combat with powerfists and power saws, and hvy flamer. It was a vicious mess that concluded the battle. We had not met with this level of sophistication before. The Grand Inquistor was not here, but its apparent he has just sacraficed one of his able leaders A cache of mutimelta cartridges and hvy bolter supplies was recovered. “ END-REPORT.

Lt. Christopher “Arrius” Madgwick,WHLIB3 is awarded a medal of victory and mission medal for providing a way for the mission to complete in victory.

Lt. Karl “Sempronius” Young,WHAPO is awarded a mission medal for extensive healing work on this mission.

Capt. Mark Gordon is awarded a warcross and mission medal.

B29: Celeste II Socovi industrial wastland sector.

Capt. Mark Gordon finds that the Grand Inquistor had been in the Inquistion HQ only hours earlier, and that there are waste conduits to a wasteland sector nearby. He reassembles his forces:

Capt. Mark Gordon,cmding.
Chaplain (ret.) Col. “Martinius” Andre
TERM I, ASSAULT VII, DEV VIII.
Lt. Christopher “Arrius” Madgwick,WHLIB3
Lt. Karl “Sempronius” Young,WHAPO
Lt. Frank “Lucius” Nitzer,WHTECT
One landspeeder
Two Rhino APCs.

R29: Costly victory. 2 KIA. Landspeeder lost. Capt. Mark Gordon’s REPORT: “Indeed a most grevious victory. Brother Sgt. Volcano of the Terminators was KIA by a Chaos terminator bearing a hvy laser cannon. Chaplain ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre
was also KIA, but by multiple bolter wounds. He fell stablizing the terminators as the most grevious attack we have received so far took place. In our haste to arrive at the scene and deal with the traitorous Grand Inquistor, our dev squad was in our extreme rear. This wastleland turns out to be the old colony city of the system. Lots of buildings intervened between the devs and their targets, and their was confusion with their getting into place. The enemy took advantage of this to send in two Chaos terminators squads supported by hvy lasers and entities (pink honors, firedrakes, and at least three flesh hounds, one of which was sent around our right and rear to further prevent the devs from getting into place, the other sent around our left to attack and hold our Assaulters in place). Our Autocannon terminator did all he could to cut down the Chaos terminators, and he had good support from the landspeeder until it was accidently destroyed by friendly fire. Eventually the Devs did turn up, and enough Chaos terminators killed to allow the autocannon terminator to make himself felt. Lt. Christopher “Arrius” Madgwick,WHLIB3, cast “Scourging” FOUR times, stopping an advance by word bearers.
A Chaos Lord was taken down, and he turns out not to be the Grand Inquistor, but another effective substitute. I am going to personally string up the Grand Inquistor when I get him.” END-REPORT.”

Lt. Christopher “Arrius” Madgwick,WHLIB3 is awarded a medal of valor.

Capt. Mark Gordon is awarded a Marksman’s Honor, and the medal of honor.

Chaplain ret. Col. “Martinius” Andre is posthumously restored to active duty with a posthumous promotion to Brig. Gen. and awarded of a medal of honor. He has fully purged his surrender of Aruba Nicely. He buried with full military honors in the Valhalla section of planet Arlington.

New Year's Resolution - the Game Addict Diet.

2009-12-31T11:05:00.012-05:00

Now that the holidays (and eating fests) are over for a good block of time, its time for me to get serious about my diet. I had my first heart attack two years ago and the cardiologist gave me just one command: drop the tonnage.

Fortunately, my younger (and much healthier) brother had already been following a scientifically based diet by Dr. Joel Fuhrman called the "Eat to Live" diet. Catchy name. Its the title of his book.

The essence of the diet is the formula H = N/C, where H is Health, N is Nutrients, and C = Calories. All food consists of two things, nutrients and calories. Nutrients are the building blocks your body uses to rebuild itself as it decays due to wear and tear. Calories are the energy your body requires to perform that rebuilding.

For years, most diets have focused on the calorie component of foods. Calorie counting has been the order of the day for a long time, and it has not worked out well for most people because they always seem to run out of allocated food before they run out of hunger. And then there was also the problem of taste cravings.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman introduced a paradigm-shift by focusing on the nutrient side of the equation. Dr. Fuhrman asked what would happen if we sorted our available foods by nutrient density and ate only those foods which were high in nutrients in comparison to their volume. When he did such a sort, he came up with his own food pyramid. You can have unlimited amounts of vegetables, fruits, and legumes/beans. A daily limit of whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Other items are more restricted. With the vegetables, you particularly focus on the leafy green vegetables which are called high-cruciferous vegetables. And you utterly avoid over-processed, nutrient-drained foods that come out of a factory. Fast food is verboten.

Now, what did Dr. Fuhrman discover when he came up with his food pyramid? He discovered that if you habitually eat nutrient dense foods your hunger and craving for food goes away and you end up eating less food over all without noticing it. Our problems with hunger and cravings have been, all along, due to the fact that we eat foods that are low in nutrients. This has been compounded by our modern food delivery systems that actually strip foods of their natural nutrients while adding calories and chemicals we really can do without. We tend to eat foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients. So we eat more and more and yet get hungrier and hungrier. This is probably why our food delivery systems do what they do: consumption is automatically increased, which increases sales. There is economic incentive for our foods to do us in.

I have been unoffically on Dr. Fuhrman's diet for a year or so. "Unofficially" in the sense that I switched my food content but did not follow his diet exactly where it was not convenient. Then about a couple of months or so, I visited him in his practice in Flemmington, New Jersey and officially got on his diet.

What did I discover? I discovered that starting on the diet initially required me to "walk by faith and not by sight." Louie Anderson once quipped that a fat person will not eat a salad unless it has on it a crouton the size of a small child. Croutons, I should not have to point out, are a low-nutrient, high calorie item.

The first thing you have to get over is the re-education of your taste buds. Our food delivery systems gives us food that is overloaded with either sugar or salt. Both of these substances contribute to cravings, and they do a lot to dull the natural flavor of vegetables and fruits. They make fruits and vegetables seem boring and tasteless in comparison to the kinds of foods we are used to eating. But after you have been on Fuhrman's diet for awhile, a subtle change takes place in your taste buds and you begin to find out that you like vegetables more than you thought you did, and you find fruits to be very tasty after all. In fact, when I first started, I found I could tolerate only certain kinds of vegetables, but then much later I discovered that I liked vegetables I had never liked before. This was a revelation.

Another revelation was when I again had a meat dish after being on Fuhrman's diet for a good long while. The meat tasted like a salt lick! There I had it! My own personal proof that our "normal" diet is abnormally high in salt.

The next thing I had to get used to was giving up the convenience of our poisonous food delivery system. No more TV dinners. No more canned goods (they are notoriously high in salt content), no more boxes and packages of over-processed, nutrient-starved goodies. I am still in process of learning to cook, bake, chop and steam. (Fortunately, I can still microwave.) Make no mistake, if you are going to escape the ravages of our all-too-convenient-but-deadly food delivery system, you are going to have to manfully face your kitchen every day.

But after awhile you find out its actually kind of fun!

But what has all this to do with being a computer game addict? And what is the Game Addict Diet? Well, Blaise Pascal once said "All human evil comes from a single cause, man's inability to sit still in a room." All my dietary evil now comes from not being able to avoid visiting the mall on the weekends. The smell of Nathan's Famous cheese fries. The fragrance of Aunt Anne's Pretzel Dogs. The free sample of a cheese steak offered up by the cunning cheese steak vendor. These are The Last Temptations of Gamesplorer, which will truly be my last if I continue to fall before them.

The only thing I've found that truly takes me away from the temptation to visit the malls on the weekends is getting involved in a good, engrossing computer game. So now that the holidays are over, I have a clear space to stay on Dr. Fuhrman's diet as strictly as I can with the help of Supreme Commander, Dawn of War II, and Call of Duty World at War.

As of the last holiday binge, I tilt the scale at 186 poounds. (About a year before I was 210). My ideal weight, based on sex and height, is 154 pounds. So, away I go! Downwards and on wards! I'll keep you posted.

911 Call Over Video Game Obsession.

2009-12-22T13:38:00.004-05:00

The Boston Herald by way of Drudge Report.

It’s game over for a 14-year-old Roxbury boy, whose overwhelmed mother was so exasperated with his incessant video game playing that she called the cops on him.

Grand Thief Auto of course. Having been stopped in the middle of Mercenaries 2, I sympathise with the kid.

“Clearly, it’s a very, very rare situation for someone to call the cops. That she went to the extreme of calling the police tells me more about her level of frustration than anything else,” Kutner said.

Un huh. Uh huh. Uh huh.

“Sometimes I want to run away, too,” Mejia said, breaking down in tears in her immaculate apartment. “I have support from my church, but I’m alone. I want to help my son, but I can’t find a way.”

immaculate apartment And you've got a 14-year old boy in it? No wonder the kid wants to retreat into The Matrix.

Addendum:

I'm a little late to this party, but David Walsh's National Institute on Media and the Family is closing its doors, victim of the on-going recession. And kind of parallel with the dropping revenues of the game companies. "Thou wilt perish, 'ere I perish."

The National Institute on Media and the Family, if you are not aware, was one of the forces behind the gaming industry adopting rating systems similiar to the movie rating system. But I can't help calling it David Walsh's National Institute on Media and the Family, because the story contains this little fact:

Walsh, the group’s founder and president, is packing his books as his staff of eight full-time employees prepares to shut down Dec. 23.

That's it? Nine people and a website? And its called The National Institute on Media and the Family? As if it were The National Institute of Mental Health?

Maybe me and a few of my friends can get together and create The National Institute for Buying Any Dog Gone Thing You Want To, Anytime You Want To. Then we can put up a website and sway nations and make kings.

What can you say about something like this except?

My GeForce 8800 GT graphics card is out of action.

2009-12-17T08:17:00.003-05:00

Yes, besides the busy Christmas season, my less-than-year-old Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT graphics card just blew on an overheat condition, according to my trusty local Staples tech guy. I'm in the process of submitting my Return Merchandize Authorization.

Before I submitted my PC to Staples, I tried to figure out what was wrong and came across the gizmodo story about the controversy between the Inquirer and Nvidia over how extensive its GeForce problems are.

I was hoping I would not become a member of Nvidia's Army of the Nightmare, but it now looks like I'm going in with the first wave.

But then again, maybe not. Could be just a stupid coincidence.

But now I'm curious about how many GeForce failures have occurred now that a year has nearly gone by.

In the mean time, its a little Fighting Steel, a dash of Tiberian Sun Firestorm, and good helping of Chaos Gate on my old Pavilion. But it doesn't feel quite as Christmasy as Dawn of War II.

Dis-announcing: EasyierCamp mod for Soulstorm - An Embarrassment.

2009-12-06T02:33:00.003-05:00

If you've been waiting and waiting on this mod (which I think is unlikely given my Sitemeter stats) then I am sorry to announce that I can't post it anywhere. Right after my announcement I discovered it had a random tendency to screw up its graphics and crash to desktop. I've since played around with it some more and it keeps happening. It seems to happen in the long, drawn out stronghold maps, but not always where my mod has made changes. So its Not Quite Ready For Prime Time. This is one of the embarrassing hazards of being a maintenance programmer that I remember so well from my previous life. I am not skilled enough in the language the game is based on, so I cannot do what is necessary to debug this. But if enough of you still want this mod, make a post and tell me and I'll look into some way to get it to you for your own private use. I still enjoy it even when I have to do checkpoint saves on the stronghold maps.

Carbohydrate withdrawal.

2009-12-04T06:46:00.002-05:00

That was some turkey I ate (and ate and ate). Not to mention stuffing, chips, dips, egg nog, Christmas candy, etc., etc., and quite literally ad nauseum.

Mean time, boingboing reports on a man who completed, yes, completed World of Warcraft. I didn't think that was even possible to do. "that's 14.62 quests per day." The man played WoW like I ate at Thanksgiving. Some people just have too much time on their hands.

A course change for this blog.

2009-11-27T20:35:00.003-05:00

After some due consideration and soul searching I have decided that game reviews will not be a major part of this blog's business. I have decided this for the following reasons:

1.) They not a major part of this blog now, which means I have no inclination or patience for writing them. I have to go with what my inclinations tell me.

2.) I cannot afford to keep up with the technology treadmill required to keep up with the hardware upgrades each new game requires.

3.) Game reviews and criticism right now are a very ephemeral form of writing because game technology has never plateaued.

Games are not interoperable across technological platforms the way films are. Most people can still appreciate and enjoy the film criticism of 1942's Casablanca even with Blu-ray DVD technology because that new technology does not preclude being able to enjoy the film. And it looks like that will continue on even with the technology to come. The general interest in film criticism seems to drop off with the silent movies.

By comparison, I recently tried to play the original StarCraft and found the old graphics and RTS formulas it used were too creakingly old for me after I'd been playing the thoroughly graphic and immersive Company of Heroes and the even more thoroughly graphic and immersive Supreme Commander.

Games are not yet at the point where their content is interoperable across technological platforms, and therefore of more long term benefit as an art form. With games, technological upgrades like the move from silents to talkies seem to occur every 18 months. There are a lot of old games that might just as well had never existed as far as popular culture goes.

4.) And, therefore, the only value a review has is its timeliness. By the time I've thoroughly played a game, its already been out for a month or two, and in the meantime, several other new games have come out.

5.) There are already enough websites that provide reviews of current games. There are so many now that there are now sites like gamerankings and metacritic that summarize the reviews of all these websites. There is no reason for me to "me too" that effort.

But that does not mean I will not write about games anymore.

What I'm going to do is switch to writing about games I already know about in order to highlight what I believe are the principles of good and bad game design. I am still bothered by the number of new games coming out every month that are what I call "if-only games." Games that almost-but-not-quite work that require a third party trainer or mod or even a cheat code in order to be at all enjoyable.

My goal in writing such posts will be to eventually come out with a book of principals of good and bad game design that will be from the perspective of a game user and not a game hacker. A book about how to make games that will be truly enjoyable to game players. I think such a book would go a long ways towards preventing the constant reinvention of some very bad wheels.

A while back ago there was a book out by Vincent Flanders and Michael Willis called Web Pages That Suck: Learn Good Design by Looking at Bad Design I'd like to write something like that for computer games, only it will include games that don't suck as well as those that do.

Here's to that, and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.