AMW Big Discussion Thread

[Chrinthania]

TAx havens, you say? What are you talking about? I've never even heard of tax havens before. Fearing that Beddgelert thinks I'm trying to "blockade" Walmington, I think it best to leave the idea of a joint base in the air. Something planned but never really being built.

As far as the far off places in the midst of the Pacific, I had thought of them more as fun for me and typhoon research/destructing than anything else. To be perfectly honest, if you think I put enough thought into it as to potentially blockade the Americas, then you've got me figured out entirely wrong. We have always been at peace with Walmington, we are at peace with Walmington, and we will always be at peace with Walmington. We want war with Walmington no more than Walmington wants war with us. The Pacific Ocean (from the Portuguese Mar Pacifico), and the Americas (named after Amerigo Vespucci) are not for conquering by the Romans.

Though, with my keen interest in Meteorology, I'm surprised no one would've guessed that gives me the ability to do typhoons in the Pacific, hurricanes in the Atlantic, and cyclones in the Indian Ocean and ravage my people all I wish.

[United Kongo]

Yeah I guess I'm gonna agree with the idea of the map, simply because although making a state with basically no real location in mind is somewhat easy for places such as Africa, which are usually vacant in all rp groups anyway, in regions such as Europe it's generally a lot harder.

Also could anyone if they get the chance perhaps post what they had put down for their nation summary, just curious to see how people go about before I write my own. And yeah I agree with Chrin's claims for the islands, where would the Romans send all those Slaves?, Plantations in Seychelles?

[Beddgelert]

Uhm, Chrin, that's not quite what I was saying, in as much as it's the absolute furthest thing from it that I can imagine =P

How would you having one tiny, isolated outpost situated, as I said, between two major Walmingtonian territories enable your historically and currently weaker navy to blockade distant Canada? I was saying that, historically, Walmington would have been bound to look at Bermuda as a potentially useful acquisition, the addition of which could help with their repeated attempts at a naval blockade of their long-term enemy, America. They have bases in Newfoundland to the north, Puerto Rico to the south, and not really a point between to close the net, so whoever took Bermuda was probably going to have to deal with it being coveted by possibly the world's premier naval force, at least before the Anglo-American Détente. Thus my core point that, I'd imagine, such Roman outposts would have had to keep their lawns tidy and music down low for fear of giving the Royal Navy next door an excuse to come knocking.

That's all I'm saying. As I see it, you can have the colonies, and it's no skin off my nose, I just think there'd be limits to how much could have been done with them historically without WoS 'liberating' them from the no-doubt suspiciously-regarded Pope-hosters of Rome, or indeed without America or Valendia seizing them to prevent exactly that, and wanted to have made that note. Largely the case with Bermuda and perhaps the Caymans, I'd think, with the Pacific territories for most of history being probably beyond the reach of any major power besides the Walmies.

[Nova Gaul]

Goodness gracious! I'm with Cass on this one: busy for three days and megatons come down!

I have no problem with a map on any 'recruitment' thread whatsoever. Basically ATM I am strapped just keeping track of developments with Emesa and RPing with Kongo (and Chrin) as France--so unfortunately I won't be able to contribute substantively to any general history (as, well, I haven't even fully fleshed out the history of France with Valendia - and Amerique - yet).

I have no problems with any expansion by Chrin. He's stable and reliable. I would say though my friend if you add things on keep them and incorporate them into history. That said, circa 1600-1800 in the era of big ships with sails, the French would be happy to help Rome in any ventures.

My own $.02 for this expansionism as proposed is simple: be careful what you wish for. AMW has, for good or ill, been chugging along steadily for well over a decade now at a slow (maybe by the lights of some, too slow) but managable pace. Our small but intelligent community is therefore able to reach remarkable conseses (word?) after AMW's fairly chaotic birth pangs. If we open the flood gates and get 3, 4, 5+ new and active nations the dynamic or the world will change, for good or ill.

In other words Chrin if you want to trick out the old girl on the street corners of NS by all means put her to work. After all, we're all looking for a good time aren't we?

[Acadzia]

Chrin, would you be ok with an Atlantean king marrying the daughter whoever was the Roman emperor in the ~970? And what shall we name her? I need an excuse to get a king to become Catholic, and to bring Latin Catholicism specifically, to Atlantis.

[Chrinthania]

Acadzia, yeah, I'm cool with that. For some reason, a name escapes me. Erm, just call her Julia until we can come up with something a tad more original....

NG: Yeah, but the dynamics changing isn't always a bad thing, as you said. We'll see how it goes.

I am, for want of a better term, up crap's creek without a paddle. As I stated on the offsite, my laptop's hard drive crashed like the Hindenburg yesterday. Certainly that would be problematic at best, eh? Well, after taking it in to have it looked at, Best Buy has to send it off to be fixed. I will have a brand new hard drive when it returns and all of my files will be lost. There were more than a few pages of half-made factbook posts for both Icarie and the Western Roman Empire. Now I know the value of Google Docs, though. There were a few that were on there, which I can get back. Most, however, are gone.

Anyway, the hope is that they move faster than expected and I can get the laptop back faster than two weeks. This old dinosaur of a computer that I am using as a back-up sucks big donkey balls. Though, at least I am able to pop online and prevent people from thinking I died because I disappeared for two weeks. Or worse, have the police calling Max asking for my whereabouts.

Anyway, yeah. That's it.

[Chrinthania]

I hate double posts, but this is really another topic altogether, so I guess it is better this way. In spite of my recent little computer incident, the ideas put forth earlier in this thread are being planned out. We'll give a trial run for a link to our map in the applications thread OP. This trial run has to last long enough to generate enough results to learn one way or the other. So, I'll be taking care of that in just a little bit.

As far as putting up an actually recruitment thread (vs a formal applications thread) in Gameplay, I will be working on an op for that as well. I just want to read through Gameplay and get a gist of what does and what doesn't seem to work in that forum. I also want to gauge the audience there to see before I post it and all. I'd hate to post it in there only to find that it wasn't worth the effort in the first place.

As far as letting new people know they've been accepted, we're pretty intelligent people here and know when enough "yea's" and "nay's" have been voiced to figure it out one way or another. So, I think the big thing here is one of us finally just saying something to the point of, "enough people agree, you're in" kind of thing.

And that's all for now.

[Iansisle]

Well, hello again, everyone. I'm trying to get back into AMW (at long last) but I am experiencing a bit of writer's block. Obviously, the Revolution must march ever onwards. I'd just like to schedule a quick OOC conference with the parties most involved and make sure that we're all on the same page. In particular, I'm interested in hearing from my neighbors (BG, WoS, Cass, Dep, LRR, J&H) and those with a direct interest in the Revolution (such as our wonderful allies in Arabia). I'm outlining my ideas below about what is/has been happening in certain theaters and how we might proceed from there.

So, this isn't really an 'interactive area' per se, but as I was writing the sections below, I kept having to refer back to the state of affairs within the Republic itself. Basically, the Moderate government headed by Bradsworth survived its first trial by storm but remains on shaky ground. May 18 2013 was the first annual election (as opposed to the General Election of 18 May 2012), where there were only two major issues on the ballot -- the re-election of Justice Hanslaw to the High Court and the defeat of a governmental recall initiative. The recall is mandated to occur every year and requires a two-thirds majority to be triggered. Officially, the radical revolutionaries led by Lawrence Madders are a part of the government and did not encourage the recall; unofficially, most radical papers did endorse it with the implicit support of their political sympathizers. The vote came in at 43% with about a third the turnout of the first general election – well short of triggering a recall, but much higher than pre-election predictions and enough to rattle the government.

Meanwhile, there is a good deal of mistrust flying around in the military, partially because of the attempted penetration by Gandvian secret services in Operation: Granary and partially because of the rift between Captain Clayburgh's Military Intelligence Office and Captain Johnson's Logisitical Corps. There is a great deal of buzz flying around the Republic about spies and inflitrators. The fact that the majority of the royal family vanished before they could be captured in Thortraia has not helped this perception. The SubDirectoral Commission on the Common Welfare (CCW) and the Commission's Office of Enforcement (COE) were formed shortly after the elections of 2012 and tasked with rooting out foreign spies and domestic traitors.

Despite the suspicion and political turmoil, the economy continues to chug along resiliently, buoyed by massive foreign investment and expertise, cheap Arabian oil, and the immense amount of infrastructure that needs to be updated. Nearly every city on the Shield is covered in the construction of new roads, sanitation facilities, power plants, bridges, cell towers, and the updating of the aging reservoir and canal system. Shieldian factories are also recovering handsomely from the Revolution, particularly in relatively stable Shadoran, as cheap labor entices more and more companies from developed nations to outsource.

I know that Cass and LRR were getting ready to negotiate with me over the Republic's semi-unilateral reoccupation of southern and western Thortraia and the deposing of the royal government (which, secretly, had already been overthrown in a court coup). Being that negotiation roleplays can often become bogged down in minutae and side-conversations, would we want to scope out the meat and potatoes of an agreement (if, indeed, such can be reached) out-of-character?

I know that Riga's primary goal is to get the Republic to withdraw, which is unlikely to happen. Politically, there is a great deal of pressure on the government to inegrate Thortraia (and Editraequan) quickly into the Republic – in fact, just such a situation was imagined by the drafters of the constitution, and many are arguing that those clauses should be invoked now, Riga's reaction be damned.

Bradsworth is willing to proceed slowly, hoping that Gandvik's resolution will falter in prolonged negotiations with their forces staring down the barrel of Nibelung tanks. He would prefer to avoid another referendum, but does not necessarily fear one. Public support for joining the Republic is high (if perhaps not overwhelming) across Thortraia, and particularly in the urban areas around Thesia. He is not willing to negotiate a withdrawal of Shieldian forces under any circumstances and will not be threatened by Gandvik, though persistent Nibelung pressure might force him to come around.

Here, I'm mostly ceding authority to Depkazia, who I think has a better idea of what Gallaga's past and future should look like than I do. The Republic has no real interest in the area beyond perhaps some squabbles over the exact border. It also does not wish to quarrel with Chingiz – there are some in the foreign office who hope that his friendly relationship with Gandvik can be changed, or at least kept from mutating into an anti-Shieldian alliance.

So, this is where things really get difficult. I really enjoyed the posts in The Greater Love, but I'm wracking my brain right now with where to go next. So the situation, from what I gather, is this:

1) Sectarian violence.
2) Ineffective local government, supported for now by Gandvik
3) Heavy penetration by the Republic's secret services, who are in large part encouraging the aforementioned sectarian violence.
4) A search by Gandvian agents for a force that could be used to replace Andrews' unfavorable government without

What sort of force would Gandvik be looking for? I should imagine that they would not be all that welcomed by the local Catholic militias, given their association with Andrews' militias. Actually, as I type this, I seem to remember a plan I had. Hmm.

Anyway, the Republic's official position is currently that the instability of Editraequan is a direct result of the failures of the Kingsmount system and evidence of the necessity to wash their hands completely of the treaty obligations. They argue that Editraequan should be brought into the fold, where it would be able to experience the boons seen by the rest of the Shield. Exactly how far their involvement in CAUSING the troubles in Editraequan is known, of course, is a matter for your own secret services – remembering, of course, that the MIO is keeping the rest of the government in the dark about its operations there in any case.

….this is starting to make less and less sense and my hand is cramping. Until tomorrow, gentlemen!

[The Amyclae]

Also, I'm poking some of the relevant parties (Amerique, Walmy, Chrin) for perhaps a solid 'Yay' or 'Nay' on whether it would work if filibusters came down from their respective nation(s).

I'm guessing the silence was a polite 'Nay,' but on the off chance you didn't understand my ramblings (*gasp!*)... Um, yeah.

[Chrinthania]

I already to you that I was cool with that in IRC.

[The Amyclae]

I already to you that I was cool with that in IRC.

Oops! I must not have been paying attention.

[Chrinthania]

You must not have. You asked me, I said, "I'm cool with that," and then you said, "Ok," and then you left IRC

[The Crooked Beat]

I know that Cass and LRR were getting ready to negotiate with me over the Republic's semi-unilateral reoccupation of southern and western Thortraia and the deposing of the royal government (which, secretly, had already been overthrown in a court coup). Being that negotiation roleplays can often become bogged down in minutae and side-conversations, would we want to scope out the meat and potatoes of an agreement (if, indeed, such can be reached) out-of-character?

I know that Riga's primary goal is to get the Republic to withdraw, which is unlikely to happen. Politically, there is a great deal of pressure on the government to inegrate Thortraia (and Editraequan) quickly into the Republic – in fact, just such a situation was imagined by the drafters of the constitution, and many are arguing that those clauses should be invoked now, Riga's reaction be damned.

Bradsworth is willing to proceed slowly, hoping that Gandvik's resolution will falter in prolonged negotiations with their forces staring down the barrel of Nibelung tanks. He would prefer to avoid another referendum, but does not necessarily fear one. Public support for joining the Republic is high (if perhaps not overwhelming) across Thortraia, and particularly in the urban areas around Thesia. He is not willing to negotiate a withdrawal of Shieldian forces under any circumstances and will not be threatened by Gandvik, though persistent Nibelung pressure might force him to come around.

I'm perfectly happy to hash-out Thortraia out-of-character. Basically, as you've probably all gathered by now, Gandvik doesn't want a showdown with Nibelunc, which most Royal Army commanders think would get the better of the Principality in any all-out war, and is probably Riga's most important trading partner to boot, but it also doesn't want to let the GFR simply have its way, partly for prestige reasons and partly as a way to try and uphold what little credibility the Kingsmount agreement (if it could even be given such a lofty title) has left. Riga is still smarting from its diplomatic embarrassment in Weshield and wants so show Europe at large that it is a nation of consequence, ignored at one's peril, and that sort of thing, but the big question is whether capabilities match the bluster.

At any rate, Riga's insistence on a referendum is meant as a way to let everyone claim some measure of success. Gandvik gets to say that it cowed the GFR and forced Ianapalis to abide by its Kingsmount obligations (again, maybe a strong word), the Gull Flaggers, almost certain to win any such ballot, get a legal rubber stamp on their annexation of Thortraia, and Munstra gets to play the grown-up in all of this. Riga is absolutely set against a unilateral withdrawal, and is prepared to keep troops in Thortraia, albeit a very small section of it, until the GFR pulls out its own forces or some diplomatic agreement is reached, but has announced its willingness to give neutral monitors free access to the tiny strip of territory still under Gandvian control, which must not account for very much of the region's population anyway.

Failing an agreement, Riga plans to try and maintain a token presence in Thortraia indefinitely, betting on Nibelung and Shieldian unwillingness to risk a wider war over it, although if those assumptions prove incorrect the Gandvian leadership at least, seeing itself backed into a corner and unable to climb-down much further without appearing coerced, is prepared to fight.

So, this is where things really get difficult. I really enjoyed the posts in The Greater Love, but I'm wracking my brain right now with where to go next. So the situation, from what I gather, is this:

1) Sectarian violence.
2) Ineffective local government, supported for now by Gandvik
3) Heavy penetration by the Republic's secret services, who are in large part encouraging the aforementioned sectarian violence.
4) A search by Gandvian agents for a force that could be used to replace Andrews' unfavorable government without

What sort of force would Gandvik be looking for? I should imagine that they would not be all that welcomed by the local Catholic militias, given their association with Andrews' militias. Actually, as I type this, I seem to remember a plan I had. Hmm.

Anyway, the Republic's official position is currently that the instability of Editraequan is a direct result of the failures of the Kingsmount system and evidence of the necessity to wash their hands completely of the treaty obligations. They argue that Editraequan should be brought into the fold, where it would be able to experience the boons seen by the rest of the Shield. Exactly how far their involvement in CAUSING the troubles in Editraequan is known, of course, is a matter for your own secret services – remembering, of course, that the MIO is keeping the rest of the government in the dark about its operations there in any case.[/spoiler]

….this is starting to make less and less sense and my hand is cramping. Until tomorrow, gentlemen!

Important questions to ask!

Editraequan, as probably the last remaining pillar of Riga's "keep the Shield divided" policy, is an important country in Gandvian figuring but also a source of embarrassment, and the idea is to replace Andrews' regime, responsive as it is to a tiny and increasingly besieged minority, with something more stable and broad-based. Namely, Gandvians are looking for a Catholic-conservative sort of third force, something that wants to overthrow the movers but maintain Editraequan's independence. Long-term, there are hopes that, under such leadership, Editraequan might become a refuge for anti-revolutionary elements, a place that Riga can point to and say something along the lines of, "Hey, look! Guess the GFR isn't the Shield's only legitimate government after all."

In order to achieve this, Gandvik is trying to set up covert negotiations with existing conservatively-oriented Catholic militias with a view to making some sort of deal, where Riga gives up on Andrews and helps Catholic elements to take power. Gandvians would also be looking for any moderate or anti-Andrews Movers as well, though most of those are probably republic-leaning individuals rather than monarchists. The viability of that strategy will of course depend on whether or not there exist the sorts of groups that Riga would consider itself able to work with, and which would in turn want anything to do with Gandvik. Whether or not the anti-Andrews militancy is the work of a united movement or a myriad of different groups factors heavily as well, since Gandvian intelligence would try its utmost to exploit internal rivalries and antagonisms in order to position one group or coalition more favorably. Also, I'm thinking that the STO might want to use Hugo Ostling as a scapegoat for the agency's involvement with Mover militias and secret police groups, sacrificing him to improve the STO's credibility in Catholic eyes. In the meantime, Gandvian intelligence might be looking for an exiled noble or two (or, actually, as many as it can get hold of) that might, at the head of a secret army, launch a coup against Andrews, Bay of Pigs-style, with Gandvian paratroopers to support them.

As things currently stand, though, Riga's plans haven't really gotten underway, and there's every chance that this kind of third-force thinking might just be a load of foolishness (or downright idiocy). It's definitely a high-risk approach, and I'd say that, right now, RP-wise, Gandvian intelligence services are starting to test the waters. They definitely don't have to find what they're looking for, may well end-up disappointed, and these efforts could even be spun into a hugely embarrassing incident for the Gandvians if Andrews gets wise to their efforts. No doubt someone within the upper reaches of Gandvik's governing machinery has started to get carried-away with their thoughts of a restored Shieldian monarchy in Editraequan, and perhaps the STO, doubtful or not, has decided to hop on board for the sake of funding and influence on policy.

In terms of bilateral relations, Riga will definitely have been trying to indicate that it considers Editraequan within its own sphere of influence, and depending on how Thortraia goes, Gandvik may become even more sensitive in that respect. If all else fails, I suppose the plan may just be to grab some nobleman as a puppet ruler and send in the paratroops.

So as for where to go next, maybe some STO agent could be sent out to try and meet with a Catholic militia group, or something like that? Or some old Grand Empire noble arriving at a secret Gandvian military base, or being recruited for Gandvian efforts to begin with? I'm sure you can come up with some much better ideas than my own fragmentary notions, and I'm open to just about anything.

Speaking of which, I've recently been trying to map-out, in my own mind at least, Gandvik's likely political trajectory, and while I think a full-blown revolution might be a little farfetched, given the political realities at hand, some sort of a palace coup or military takeover could be very much in order, and Editraequan and/or Thortraia, depending on how they turn out, might be just the thing to push matters over a certain threshold. That's a separate discussion, though.

[Iansisle]

I'm perfectly happy to hash-out Thortraia out-of-character. Basically, as you've probably all gathered by now, Gandvik doesn't want a showdown with Nibelunc, which most Royal Army commanders think would get the better of the Principality in any all-out war, and is probably Riga's most important trading partner to boot, but it also doesn't want to let the GFR simply have its way, partly for prestige reasons and partly as a way to try and uphold what little credibility the Kingsmount agreement (if it could even be given such a lofty title) has left. Riga is still smarting from its diplomatic embarrassment in Weshield and wants so show Europe at large that it is a nation of consequence, ignored at one's peril, and that sort of thing, but the big question is whether capabilities match the bluster.

At any rate, Riga's insistence on a referendum is meant as a way to let everyone claim some measure of success. Gandvik gets to say that it cowed the GFR and forced Ianapalis to abide by its Kingsmount obligations (again, maybe a strong word), the Gull Flaggers, almost certain to win any such ballot, get a legal rubber stamp on their annexation of Thortraia, and Munstra gets to play the grown-up in all of this. Riga is absolutely set against a unilateral withdrawal, and is prepared to keep troops in Thortraia, albeit a very small section of it, until the GFR pulls out its own forces or some diplomatic agreement is reached, but has announced its willingness to give neutral monitors free access to the tiny strip of territory still under Gandvian control, which must not account for very much of the region's population anyway.

Failing an agreement, Riga plans to try and maintain a token presence in Thortraia indefinitely, betting on Nibelung and Shieldian unwillingness to risk a wider war over it, although if those assumptions prove incorrect the Gandvian leadership at least, seeing itself backed into a corner and unable to climb-down much further without appearing coerced, is prepared to fight.

Funny how even well-meaning governments can find themselves backed into a corner over issues of prestige! The general feeling on the streets of Ianapalis is that Thortraia (and Editraequan, for that matter) should have always been integral parts of the Republic and that Gandvik has been poking its nose in where it doesn't belong. Certainly the Radicals, unafraid of a war with Gandvik, have been hitting that message hard.

The Republic's line on Kingsmount has changed to something approxamating "they had the right idea, but a lack of oversight on the referenda led to them being unrepresentative of the majority view." As such, it is almost certain that they would accept a Gandvian proposal for a second referendum in Thortraia (and indeed might propose one for Editraequan as well -- although that will doubtlessly be killed at the negotiating table) but it is equally certain that they will not withdraw their military or police forces from the areas currently occupied. Given the limited nature of territory occupied by Gandvik, they are not too troubled by whether or not Gandvik withdraws immediately -- but will certainly insist that Thortraia's fate be decided as an entire polity, not piecemeal. It is also likely the Republic will try to insist on a yes-no vote: Join the Republic, or Maintain the Status Quo.

Editraequan tomorrow...

EDIT: Never mind. I think I have an in-character solution for the Editraequan mess.

[The Shambles]

[/pokes head around forum]

[The Amyclae]

Why hello!

[Chrinthania]

Heya, Shambles! Hope you're doing well!

[The Amyclae]

Somebody give me some book recommendations... Everyone give me some book protips. I want to read some good shit this summer. Don't be afraid about being too pretentious, or too whatever-the-opposite-of-pretentious-is-so-that-I-can-complete-this-sentence's-parallel-structure.

[Beddgelert]

Mikhail Sholokhov, Tikhi Don.

Any Voltaire you haven't already read.

Any Vonnegut you haven't already read.

Tom Robbins, Jitterbug Perfume.

Twitter... seek the Socialists... naw, further left than that... keep going... the 'Full Communism Now!' intersectional-feminist accounts. Read some of them.

Emile Zola, specific text dependent on whether you'd rather be beaten into submission by detailed descriptions of pre-mechanical farming, coal-mining, or marching about aimlessly.

[The Amyclae]

Check, check, check... Except for the feminist intersectionalists... And Zola could be a little dense. Maybe too dense for this hopelessly compromised bourgeoisie mindset.

[Acadzia]

You need some Maistre to cleanse your pallet after all that, and bring you back to equilibrium.

Lately, I've been reading Pirenne's "Muhammed And Charlemagne."

[The Crooked Beat]

Hmm, I don't know how you feel about Thomas Pynchon, some people I've talked to have had some very strong negative reactions, but I certainly enjoyed V, and Gravity's Rainbow was pretty good, if immensely confusing, rambling, and at times downright disgusting. Joseph Roth's Radetzky March might be worth looking into as well.

And of course you can't go too badly wrong with John le Carre or Graham Greene.

Patrick O'Brian paints a pretty amazing picture of the Napoleonic seagoing world, in my view, and you can sail (haw haw) right through those books in a day or two if you're determined and have free time to spare.

As for non-fiction, The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk was a mightily exciting story. I'd also recommend Robert K. Massie's Dreadnought and following Castles of Steel. Douglas Porch wrote a pretty comprehensive account of the French Foreign Legion that I liked a lot, and in that same vein Street Without Joy by Bernard B. Fall.

Not suggesting you ought to buy any of these books, necessarily. [/anti-commercialism disclaimer]

But maybe at your local library, or if you can find them cheap, I don't think you'd be disappointed.

Oh, and what I think should be required reading for AMW, Project Cancelled by Derek Wood.

[Chrinthania]

For a fun read, why not get Drama: An Actor's Life by John Lithgow. A splendid autobiography, if I do say so.

And may I suggest getting any book by Max Barry? Y'know, the guy who created NS? A few dollars in his pocket helps keep NS up and running...... [/shameless plug]

[The Amyclae]

Muhammed and Charlemagne seems interesting! Added.

I've stumbled through both Gravity Rainbow and V. In both cases I put down the books and then struggled to remember something about them. All I have from them is a general feeling of contemplation and happiness--from the plots themselves or from managing to get through them I don't know. Hah. Our interests dovetail neatly with Hopkirk, Massie and Porch. Funny how the world works out like that. Though I'll do my best to snag Project Cancelled and perhaps something by this Graham Greene.

I've managed to grab quite a few of Max Barry's books over the year. I've bought Jennifer Government three times, now, or twice--I can't quite remember and sadly all my copies are living in (happier?) different places. I've also snagged Company and Syrup but now... Looking around, I can't seem to find them either. Weird how life works out like that. I was thinking about picking up Lexicon but I was waiting to hear more about it.

[United Kongo]

So I would like to tentatively put forward an expansion to my claim to include the Provinces of Luanda Norte, Luanda Sul and Malanje in Angola. This primarily for historical reasons concerning Ethnic groups and Geography. It would add an additional 1,875,000 people to the Congo, but I don't see this being as too much an advantage to the Congo given the Economic and technological handicaps of the state, so it most likely mean more hungry mouths to feed and rebels to suppress. The same can be said for the natural resources.

Plus I don't think it's likely to be claimed by a potential new member anyway