I must admit, I'm a bit confused why we couldn't just play the game myself. Gen. Lee asked me if I had an issue with Cachimbo playing, since Cachimbo told Gen. Lee that Cachimbo didn't know if I had an issue playing Cachimbo. I told Gen. Lee that I have no issue playing Cachimbo, as long as sly didn't also join the game with Cachimbo. I was addressing this all in private PMs in a diplomatic fashion, answering honestly.

Gen. Lee then made a joke in this thread that I would not play Cachimbo and sly together.

Then Cachimbo posted his first long message about Cachimbo and sly, admitting he was making assumptions about my thoughts, yet there he went and made assumptions anyway... It was my intention to not get into any of this, and I assumed Cach would also have no interest in getting into this stuff from the past, but I was clearly wrong, and here we are... Cach, would you just take back that first message, and then we can take back all previous messages, and pretend none of this thread happened?! ;-)

(this is all said with a very honest smile on my face... no games)

I'm not sure why you'd want me to retract the following:

"I'm assuming he does, given that he still has the kind of reaction he had here. And I mean to be super clear: it's a warranted feeling. The reality causing this feeling might not be what MM thinks it to be, but I totally understand how it may look that way.
All that to say: I don't think that there will be any issues between the players. "

If my assumption is wrong, if you completely forgot about all this and/or it doesn't matter to you anymore, my conclusion still stands: the game will go down just fine without anyone bickering and re-opening old (and hopefully healed) wounds.

If my assumption is right, then I stand by what I said and I still get to see my conclusion be right!

As the admin said: let's leave all this behind and get mentally and physically ready for an exciting game!

Oh my goodness. Save some of this fire for next week when the game actually starts. :D

I honestly didn't know what kind of can of worms I have inadvertently opened, I'm sorry for the comment, it was a joke made in complete ignorance of the situation. Now each of you get back to your corners! I don't need your energy drained before the bell rings, there are folks making bets on this game! ;)

Sit down, shut up, and get out of the way Gen. Lee, this doesn't concern you. (yes, I'm actually laughing outloud at this line, I think I'm funny!)

Cachimibo. You falsely associate my "reaction" to our past game. As I said, that past game was filled with Babak taking issue with sly's playing style before the game, the fact that Jacob has hunted me from day one of every game he and I have played (I have a serious issue with playing Jacob), Babak getting furious with me for refusing to answer one way or another if I as Italy would DMZ Piedmont with him as France in spring 1901 or not, Draugnar had his meltdown, there was a whole lot of drama flying every which way and it seriously just snowballed into the shit storm it was. Truly impressive, especially with some hindsight, and the whole sly/Cach issue was relatively insignificant in the context of that game as it didn't really matter which players were not named Babak, Draugnar, Jacob and MadMarx in that game, the three stooges could have three-way drawn that game (lol, insult/joke intended! :-P)

Anyway, we chatted quite candidly in another thread about my thoughts on the games you and sly have shared, and my quick skim through your shared games took place after the Deadzone game, so the things are not related. Long story short, I'm not interested in playing a game with you and sly together, so I made that statement to Gen. Lee, and I stand by it.

Suppose I'll end my story there, but somehow I get the feeling I will be spending a bit more time discussing the topic before this damn game begins... Damn you ghug, just join the game, you're killing me, lol!! :-)

I say... See you Sunday!

Shoot, one question for Cach, as you seem to be standing behind two different story lines:

1. "the game will go down just fine without anyone bickering and re-opening old (and hopefully healed) wounds."

2. You believe every game has context and past experience with players will and should be taken into account by you when playing a new game.

Those two concepts appear to be diametrically opposed to me, either you forget the past and play a game as much on its own merits as possible, or you never forget any word ever uttered to you by another and use that info to influence a new game. Am I wrong, or am I just talking extremes again and it's all really just somewhere in the middle in a wonderfully swirled up grey area?! :-)

@MM- For the record, just in case you are worried about it, anything in our past is completely forgotten by me and I am going in with a blank slate.

1. The game will go on without a hitch, on that front at least, because as far as I'm concerned there is no resentment. In other words, I don't see any particular story between you and me that should affect the game.

2. Every game has context, we all come in with some info or assumptions, or feelings, or reads about the people we play, about ourselves, about our expectations. The fact that I've played you before lets me know what I can expect to see or hear from you, something i didn't have the first time I played you. Context is not easily reducible to objective realities. It's more of a loose concept, the sum of what we bring into a situation we engage ourselves in. If you want more on that, I've got a few books, articles and the likes I can forward you!

For those of you who have never played either MM or Cachimbo before, this is what it's like. They go on and on, even when they are agreeing with each other. There is always something to be said and said and said. I swear there's so much press that after a certain point, you just go "Ok, I have no idea of what to make of what you just said, but I think you want me to move XYZ and if I agree to do that, I won't get any more confusing presses." :P

To be fair, MM and I spent two or three full days discussing what we look for in an ally, and even though we basically said the same thing to each other, there was a mountain of press.

Is there a variant where there's an 8th player in the game who doesn't control any country but can communicate with everyone and just wants mayhem in the game?

MM, just so you know, you stabbed me once, so I'll be hellbent on your destruction without any concern for my own well-being.

@Zultar: Cachimbo is a philosopher. I think that sums it up? ;)

LMAO uclabb, thanks buddy, right back at ya! :-)

(Gen. Lee, for the love of God, please don't ask, even jokingly, about the past that uclabb and I have shared!!)

ghug, I thought I explained to you that I did that for your benefit, at least in the long run, so you would one day fine tune your craft and boast of a top 30 GR ranking. YOU'RE WELCOME!!!!

Cach, I would love the books, articles and such, I'm fascinated by that stuff, especially since it often eludes me (obviously) and thanks!! :-)

I'm pretty sure I was top 30 the last time you stabbed me. Then again, it was a pretty terrible stab.

As the one guy that has never played anyone in the field, my strategy is to get ya'll rowdy before hand and sneak out a solo while the hatfields and mccoys suicide into each other.

Alright. Everyone cool with killing Gen. Lee first?

Seems like the only reasonable option at this point.

Fastest 1,111 I ever spent. :)

ghug, please PM me a link to the game of which you speak, I forget what grudges I need to carry against you at the start of this game.

"Aww, cute. The MOD/Admin think they're better than us."

Lets see, your all time GR ghug, 87. Tom Bombadil, 73. jmo1121109, 34. Zultar, 15. Bring it on =P

@MM, So that last game you referenced, "Deadzone in the Amazon", was hilarious. At the time I was annoyed beyond belief at Draugnar's decision to get himself banned and the drama that ensued over it. I also do agree that you and Jacob should avoid each other, but overall I think the game was diplomacy at it's best. The entire game was everyone trying to control the flow of the conversations, because that is how you win games. I am surprised that you didn't mention me since I was the one who actually played you and Jacob off each other =P. I cannot wait to see this game start next week. Most of you all have similar press styles which is going to turn this into a huge diplomacy mess :)

@everyone playing. Just an errant thought, you should turn this into a teaching game and allow someone to compile your press after the game is over. It would show all those gunboat players just how key diplomacy actually is to the game.

Check WTA, full-press, Jmo, and tell zultar to play actual competition. I'll gladly kick all of your asses.

I'd be willing to release my press if the rest of you are.

Wait a minute.
I was staying above the fray, and now in two posts, jmo and ghug have pulled me into this puddle of muddy water. Leave me alone, would ya? Or would you like a damn badge for thumping your chest? :)

You're just scared of me.

MM, you convinced someone about to give me an easy solo to make a meaningless a attempt to throw to you instead. We never even really fought.

@ghug, Tom has you beat in WTA, and I have you beat in everything else :).

@zultar, MAN UP

Funny you mention that jmo. I was just reading through the Full Disclosure game a few nights ago. I have no issue releasing my press, but i won't volunteer to compile it - that looked hard. :)

You couldn't pay me enough to read through the chapters of BS they'll be sending each other. A stronger man may be able to stomach it but I doubt I have the constitution for it. ; )

Tom's also the only one I've played with. Ask him how that went. Twice.