Aphrodite's Knights

[Major Tom]

Congratulations to all of you. True gentlemen, every one.

And to Aphrodite for having this brilliant and fun idea ...

Also...I can't tell if you're still waiting for a second and third vote for Dixicrat's commendation. If so, I will gladly provide +1.

[Yellowhammer]

I accept the honor of investiture into the Most Noble Order of Aphrodite's Knights, and bind myself to your protection.

I accept the Commendation Medal with the admonition that having stoutly vanquished my enemies, I may not only receive the praise of this transient combat, but be crowned with the palm of eternal victory.

I accept the Medal of Valor to the increase of my honor that I may be bold, not only strong to fight, but to offer myself to shed my blood for the just and necessary defense of them that are oppressed and needy.

BTW, I nicked the above from the Order of the Garter rituals.

Seriously, Wow.

AM - thank you for the tremendous honor you have bestowed on your humble servant. Your knowledge of the art and science of heraldry imparts great meaning into the medals you created. The citations provide context, motivation, and a recognition of accomplishment.

I trust that I placed your creations in the correct Order of Precedence on my avatar.

Congratulations to Manstein, Jabberwock, Coffee Sergeant, Dixicrat, Soundoff, and Banks. Dixicrat - you are well and truly blessed.

[soundoff]

A nice bit of fun and a good way of cementing community relationships.

Mind you I've always treated awards with a certain cynical eye (my usual style). Its the 'unsung heroes' that truely deserve them.



Edit
Just thought that I'd add that if you are really looking to 'honour' folks on this forum then in this players very humble opinion two that should be very close to, if not at, the top of the Christmas Tree are Gray and Clovis. Without the continuing dedication and commitment they bring to the game I sincerely doubt whether AACW would be half as decent as it has become. That's even more amazing when you add into the pot that neither are AGeod employees.

[REBELCAT]

Also...I can't tell if you're still waiting for a second and third vote for Dixicrat's commendation. If so, I will gladly provide +1.

+1 for DIXIECRAT´S COMMENDATION

Edit
Just thought that I'd add that if you are really looking to 'honour' folks on this forum then in this players very humble opinion two that should be very close to, if not at, the top of the Christmas Tree are Gray and Clovis. Without the continuing dedication and commitment they bring to the game I sincerely doubt whether AACW would be half as decent as it has become. That's even more amazing when you add into the pot that neither are AGeod employees.

+1 GALLANTRY SOUNDDOFF

[Comtedemeighan]

A nice bit of fun and a good way of cementing community relationships.

Mind you I've always treated awards with a certain cynical eye (my usual style). Its the 'unsung heroes' that truely deserve them.



Edit
Just thought that I'd add that if you are really looking to 'honour' folks on this forum then in this players very humble opinion two that should be very close to, if not at, the top of the Christmas Tree are Gray and Clovis. Without the continuing dedication and commitment they bring to the game I sincerely doubt whether AACW would be half as decent as it has become. That's even more amazing when you add into the pot that neither are AGeod employees.

+1 for Gray and +1 for Dixiecrat

[Big Ideas]

I would like to second Gray and Clovis for the highest awards that they clearly deserve for their continued work and endless positive answers and info. I didn't mention them earlier as I was waiting for their special medals to be announced.

BI

[oldspec4]

How about a medal for all of us grunts that have been playing the game since the beginning (kinda like the National Defense medal we all got after completing army basic training) . BTW, I completely agree w/ the nominations to date .

[dooya]

Dear Lady Mae,
did you know that there is a award hack for vBulletin available? It allows to display medals in the user profile. We use it at si-games.com/forums...

[Dixicrat]

First, to all of those who seconded my nomination: thank you! I'm honored to be among such fine company.

And now, for a word about Her Majesty.

OK, let's talk about the medals! There are two kinds of medals: one kind recognizes service to the AACW community, and the other kind is earned on the virtual battlefields of AACW.

My wife has designed a lot of medals for you, gentlemen!
I have an advantage that you gentlemen don't: I already know what all of the medals look like! At least, most of them. I also know who she intends to award them to. She's been working on this project for months.

The medals that she has created are grouped into different awards categories. By virtue of her wisdom, Her Majesty has decided to award all medals in a category before moving to the next awards category.

The first category is the "Battlefield" medals, and award your accomplishments during posted AARs. So, the first catagory is all about stuff that's in AARs, rather than the service contributions of Knights such as Gray and Clovis.

The second catagory is that of "Service", which covers most of the stuff related to making the game what it is. I don't want to ruin any of her sweet surprises for you, so I can't talk much about the Service medals yet. At least, not until she starts handing them out.

She wants me to leak th-...
...That is to say, I can neither confirm nor deny that highly deserving people like Gray and Clovis and many others who have contributed so much to our game will be recognized. So, who knows? I can't say.

OK... actually, I do know, and I could say, but I would lose my Knighthood. What I can say is this: she has all the bases covered. Don't worry, fellow Knights! Our Queen has worked diligently for many months to bring you her labor of admiration and affection, and has put a great deal of thought into most of the awards. As I've often heard her say, "stay tuned"! There is much more to come.

[Aphrodite Mae]

Dear Aphrodite,
Are you going to design ribbons for different campaigns (East, West, New Orleans, Vicksburg, Peninsula, etc...) as well ?
And something like the "Purple Heart" ?
That will be cool too

I actually have already spent many, many hours creating campaign ribbons for the tournament. However, I encountered a bit of a problem involving aesthetics, and so I've set that part of the project aside for now. I'll resume that part soon, though! I'll talk more about Campaign Medals later.

Now, as for the idea of a "Purple Heart"... I hadn't thought of that! But I like the idea very much, and your suggestion has inspired me to create a very special sort of medal! I'm giggling while I'm writing this, just thinking of how I'm going to pull this one off. I'm kinda guessing that when I reveal what I have in mind, you'll be chuckling, too. Stay tuned!

Thanks for the inspiring suggestion, DarthMath!

[Aphrodite Mae]

I want to thank Rebelcat for the lovely graphic he made, honoring those who have been awarded medals! Aside from its elegance, there is another reason that I especially like it. Let me explain.

This thread is hot right now, and that makes me very happy. But there will come a time when I have no more medals to award, and most of the nominations for classic AARs and Service posts will already have been made by the members of the forum. At that point, this thread will sink into obscurity.

This thought kinda troubled me, because I think that it is good for all present and future AACW forumites to never forget what the wonderful men who have received medals have done to be awarded those medals, in the first place. Aside from the coolness factor, there's the more important consideration that most of the stuff that's rewarded with a medal is instructive to people! We can learn from what's been done, and maybe become better better players.

So anyway, the solution that I came up was this: after revealing all of the medals and awards and so on, I was planning to use the "social group" tools of the forum to create an "Aphrodite's Knights" group. I was planning on creating a "photo album" for the medals, with a page for each one; and to list all of the people who’ve been awarded the medal, in the comments beneath the picture. By using the social group that way, all of the important stuff will be in an easily accessible place, without having to search for this thread.

I think that Rebelcat's plaque is a wonderful idea, and a big step in that direction. I haven’t talked to him yet, but I’m sure that he’ll be happy to work with me to create something that will suit, quite nicely. But the very first thing we’re going to need to do is to make room for a lot more medals, and people!

[Aphrodite Mae]

Congratulations to ... Aphrodite for having this brilliant and fun idea ...

Also...I can't tell if you're still waiting for a second and third vote for Dixicrat's commendation. If so, I will gladly provide +1.

Thank you, Major Tom! If I didn't already know that you're such a gentleman, I might have guessed that you had set your sights on a Gallantry Medal! It makes me very, very happy that this idea has been so well received, and I'm flattered that everyone has been so gracious with their praise. Thank you, gentlemen!

Incidentally, I'm glad that you mentioned Dixicrat's nomination. As the bearer of the ceremonial "pompom of queenification", I receive three votes for nominations and approval and so on. But because the award was to my husband, my votes were nullified for "conflict of interest". So... thanks everybody, for confirming Dixicrat's award. It's now official! ompom:

I accept the honor of investiture into the Most Noble Order of Aphrodite's Knights, and bind myself to your protection...

I accept the Commendation Medal with the admonition that having stoutly vanquished my enemies, I may not only receive the praise of this transient combat, but be crowned with the palm of eternal victory.

I accept the Medal of Valor to the increase of my honor that I may be bold, not only strong to fight, but to offer myself to shed my blood for the just and necessary defense of them that are oppressed and needy.

BTW, I nicked the above from the Order of the Garter rituals.

Wow! The Order of the Garter sounds like its members are everything a Knight should be! Thanks for adding some wonderfully august dignity to to the proceedings, Yellowhammer!

I also should add that you made my jaw drop, when I started reading your post. I was thinking, "Wow! What prose! Why, this guy is one of the most articulate, erudite people I've ever encountered!" (I'd never read the Order of the Garter rituals.)

Seriously, Wow.

AM - thank you for the tremendous honor you have bestowed on your humble servant. Your knowledge of the art and science of heraldry imparts great meaning into the medals you created. The citations provide context, motivation, and a recognition of accomplishment.

I trust that I placed your creations in the correct Order of Precedence on my avatar.

Well done, noble Knight! And I appreciate your kind words, more than you know.

You're correct in the order of precedence. Each medal that I've presented has a greater "dignity" than the one preceding it. The only reason for this is because each subsequent medal tends to build upon the symbolic stuff of the previous medals.

Excellent post!

How about a medal for all of us grunts that have been playing the game since the beginning (kinda like the National Defense medal we all got after completing army basic training) . BTW, I completely agree w/ the nominations to date .

Thanks for your "real world" military service, oldSpec4! As for your medal idea, I think it's a good one! I'll give some thought to it, and try to create something that's appropriate, and that you and other forum grognards will be proud to wear, OK?

I would like to second Gray and Clovis for the highest awards that they clearly deserve for their continued work and endless positive answers and info. I didn't mention them earlier as I was waiting for their special medals to be announced.

It seems pretty clear to me that there is a consensus among the men of the OAK that Gray and Clovis be awarded some of the highest Service awards, when those medals are eventually announced. Although nominations for service medals are kinda premature right now, it's a good thing that nominations are coming in for the higher awards, since some of them are beyond even my power to award, outright!

[Gray_Lensman]

deleted

[Aphrodite Mae]

The next (and highest) battlefield award is the "Iron Tiger"!

Have you ever played against someone who seemed both indestructible, and terrifyingly ferocious?
...Ergo: you've played an "Iron Tiger"!

Let's face it: everybody on this forum is smart. And so, when you guys play your PBEM games, you reasonably expect to have a chance of actually winning, right? You've practiced the scenario, had cool insights, and devised some sort of cool plan. A foolproof plan!

But then you start playing against an "Iron Tiger", and you start wondering what kind of fool would ever have thought that your plan was actually foolproof. You start discovering weaknesses that you never suspected you had. Horrible things happen that you just didn't see coming. And that's when you suddenly understand that you have either tragically overestimated yourself, or possibly not quite realized the enormous playing strength of the person that you're playing against!

Gentlemen, this award can be used to recognize genius. Let's all agree: when a person has been awarded this medal three times, then everybody will know that the guy who's wearing it is just super smart, OK? So: the first award says that we all think you're scary when we play you, and the second award means that we think that you're really scary, and the third time means that you're probably going to have a really hard time finding willing opponents, from now on.

The world champion receives this medal, automatically, whenever he (or she! :mdr wins the deciding game.

For most of the other medals, subsequent citations are shown by the award of an oak leaf to be affixed onto the medal. But with this medal, you have a choice: you may either chose the oak leaf for your second citation, or you can choose the coveted "Iron Tiger in sunglasses" pin! I don't yet have the graphic to show you the pin, but it will feature a tiny snarling tiger wearing sunglasses! Is that just too cool, or what?!

This medal is serious business, let me tell ya. How serious? It's so significant that even I cannot award it outright! There must be at least one supporting additional vote from the men of the OAK, to award the medal to any of my nominees! That's because this award requires a nomination, two supporting citations, and a "+1".

Here is the medal!



I have five nominees for your consideration.

My nominees are Banks, Soundoff, Jabberwock, Runyan99, and Manstein.

I cite these gentlemen for this award because it is they whose names I have heard mentioned over and over again as being players of great strength. Their AARs consistently demonstrate superb tactical ability, and are instructive to us all!

Congratulations on your nomination, gentlemen. I hope that I will soon be congratulating you for being awarded the medal!

The symbolism of the stuff on this medal brings together everything that I've talked about, with earlier medals. There are the four elements of command, but this time, each pillar is a color that reflects one of the earlier awards. There is the blue of valor; the blue-green of command; the yellow of bold decisive action and inspiration; and the red of gallantry. In the middle, there is the red of sacrifice, risk, and courage. Notice that the "white" of "self" is gone. Instead, the field is flanked by two pure white lines which represent "truth" and "duty". The small braided gold rope represents the honor that you have brought upon yourself in being chosen for this award. Also notice the way that everything is balanced, indicating the way that all elements of command and action must be properly balanced, for the most effective results. Finally, notice that the medal is asymmetrical. (The colors are different on each side.) This symbolizes the fact that you cannot achieve greatness by rote planning and operations. You can't always "go by the book". In fact, the winner of the "Iron Tiger" should probably write one!

EDIT I forgot to mention that the background color of the medal is black, to symbolize the dark despair and confusion which you inevitably drive your opponents to feel!

[Doomwalker]

Hey folks,

I have been working with Aphrodite Mae on some graphics requests, and I believe I have surprised her with a few gems that she and hopefully all of you will enjoy. This request was for a tiger with shades on. Without further adue, I would like to reveal the Iron Tiger medal with the Tiger pin attached.




[color="Red"]Here is the new medal with pin.[/color]

[Aphrodite Mae]

Absolutely exquisite! Now, everybody will want one!

So, Gentlemen... now you know what you'll receive for your second award of the "Iron Tiger".

Thanks so much, Doomwalker!

EDIT: Gentlemen... Doomwalker's revised "Tiger" pin is exactly what I had in mind, when I first approached him about the idea!

It looks like a metallic pin, and it's even wearing the "cool shades", just like I imagined. Thanks, Doomwalker, for bringing my idea to life!

[REBELCAT]

I think that Rebelcat's plaque is a wonderful idea, and a big step in that direction. I haven’t talked to him yet, but I’m sure that he’ll be happy to work with me to create something that will suit, quite nicely. But the very first thing we’re going to need to do is to make room for a lot more medals, and people!

Of course

[Aphrodite Mae]

I could have done this better.

With the battlefield medals, I presented them one by one, because I wanted each one to be special. But unfortunately, I didn't foresee that people would be eager to nominate highly deserving people for medals, right away! And why not? Nobody could have known that maybe the next medal that I presented would be a better choice for their nominee.

OK! I've learned from my mistakes, and I've come up with a better plan! This time, I'm going to present all of the "Service" medals, simultaneously. I'm sorry if it makes for a lot of reading. You can always leave, and come back where you left off, OK? But the good part is that you'll know who deserves what, and so medals won't have to be rescinded to be replaced by higher awards, later.

So, let's get started!

[Aphrodite Mae]

The "Service" medal is awarded to those persons who have contributed to either the game or the AACW forums with either a bright idea, or exemplary service.

The basic design of the first medal is by Rebelcat. With his permission, I have modified his design to make it consistant with the design parameters I've already established.
Here's what the medal looks like!



I've already been awarded this medal for the "bright idea" of starting this thread, so thanks, guys! I'll wear it proudly!

There are other nominees, too.
All persons who have reliably served as hosts for the tournament games are hereby awarded this medal!

Congratulations, gentlemen: your selfless service has set an example for us all!

Here is the symbolism of the medal.
The color of "Service" is gray, to symbolize how "those who serve" don't tend to call attention to themselves, and how service is often thankless. This medal doesn't call attention to itself, which is in keeping with what the medal is all about!

In all but one of the battlefield medals, white was used to represent purity of motive, and the "self". In the service medals, it's different. Now, black is used to represent the self... or rather, its lack. That's because service is, by its nature, selfless.

The pillars on either side of the medal represent the two pillars of service in our community: service to the game, and service to the forums/community.

On the service medals, blue represents dedication and perseverance, and silver represents "truth". In this case, the "truth" of this medal is that a job well done is its own reward. When you put all of this together, each pillar can be "read" as saying that dedicated selfless service is its own reward.

For the "Service Medal", the medal's symbolic stuff isn't so much about what the person has done, as what he or she is called to do, if willing. That is the nature of service.

[Aphrodite Mae]

The "Service Commendation" medal is awarded to those persons who have made a notable contribution to our knowledge of the game with a brilliant AAR, or made a brilliantly insightful post which has changed the way we view the game.

Here is the medal.



The bold red stripe which is flanked with gold indicates that your service has attracted notice!

I nominate Jarkko, for his insightful and incisive posts on "Forts", and how to destroy them.

Congratulations, Jarkko!

[Aphrodite Mae]

The "Cadre Service" medal is awarded to those people who have done one of the following:
1) developed a reputation of consistently presenting exceptional AARs, or
2) presented helpful analysis or research which has been widely acknowledged as excellent, or
3) performed some service to the forum which has made a significant impact.

Here is the medal.



On the medal, the gray of obscurity has been partially overcome by the white of "broad acclaim": most of the forum knows who you are, and they are beginning to expect great things from you! With this medal, notice that your honor (red with gold) has grown broader, and the medal is no longer "simple". The implication is this: with this medal comes responsibility.

Finally, notice that the blue has become broader, and that the silver thread has become fine gold braid. Blue is broader, because blue symbolizes dedication. Gold braid represents the honor that you bring upon yourself, because (paradoxically enough) of your selfless dedication.

My nominees for this distinguished medal are...
Runyan99, for his primer on strategy
Hobbes, for his classic thread which has over fourteen thousand hits!
Dixicrat, for his "Artillery Analysis" series
MajorTom, for his "frontage" analysis
Daxil, for conceiving and implementing an extremely cool tournament!

And last but not least, BSchulte, who was nominated earlier for his website and book reviews.

Subsequent awards of this medal are indicated by the award of a bronze Oak leaf pin, to be affixed to your medal.

Let's talk about those "Oak leaves" for a second, OK?

There are four kinds of Oak leaves: bronze, silver, gold, and "frosted".
The bronze Oak leaf indicates a second award of the same medal. In other words, win the medal a second time, and you get a bronze oak leaf to add to your medal; win it again, and you get a silver oak leaf, to replace the bronze one! And so it goes with the gold one, too.

But sometimes, somebody deserves just a little bit extra... especially if what they've done is particularly cool.
And so, when somebody does something to earn a medal in a way that's conspicuously cool, they can be awarded a "frosted leaf" to go with it! If the "coolness" citation is for the original citation, the person receives a cute little "frosted oak leaf" to pin on their medal. If coolness is cited for subsequent awards, then the person is given a "frosted bronze" or "frosted silver" or "frosted gold" oak leaf. And once a frosted leaf is awarded, the frost is perpetual! So... if you proudly wear a frosted oak leaf on your medal, all future awards of that medal will be frosted, too. Your coolness will never be forgotten.

By the power vested in me by the forum's affection, I hereby present Daxil with a frosted oak leaf, for his citation that I mentioned up there! I do so because of two reasons:
1) His computer died, but he somehow kept managing the tournament!
2) He lost his bracket, and was eliminated from the tournament. Even so, you never would have guessed it from his involvement with the tournament. The next day, he was posting tournament admin notices like nothing had happened. I admire "tough guys", myself: men who shrug off disappointment and setbacks. After all, that's an important part of being a leader among men, right?

Next, I submit Dixicrat for a bronze oak leaf, as a second award of the "Cadre" medal. This rewards the significant contribution of his "What's not in the Manual" thread. I think it's definitely "Cadre" material.

Finally, I once again present Dixicrat... this time, suggesting that his bronze oak leaf should be "frosted". My reason is because he created a helpful library of links, in his signature! This was a bright idea, in my opinion. It used forum resources in a way that nobody else had considered. It's not genius, but its certainly cool, you gotta admit! (or maybe you don't.) Anyway, his awards stand, if nobody vetos them in the next two days, OK?

[Aphrodite Mae]

The "Distinguished Service" medal has a dignity even higher than the "Iron Tiger". That's because its recipients have made "Iron Tigers" possible! This medal is the third highest honor of all medals.

The recipients of this medal are those persons who have designed, built and compiled widely played AACW scenarios. This includes scenarios which have been adapted from existing scenarios, if there have been "extensive modifications" in the new scenario, and if the scenario is widely played.

It is also for those persons who have provided "Distinguished Service" in other ways. Like Forum moderators, for example!

Here is the medal.



The symbolism is pretty simple to explain. The white represents the simple fact that your service work is universally aclaimed, and meets the high standards of expectation that have built up because of all of the stuff that you've already done. Congratulations!

My knowledge about this stuff is limited, and so there may be many more deserving candidates than the few nominations I present. (So: don't hesitate to nominate someone that I didn't, OK?)

I present Bigus, Clovis, Aryaman, and Rafiki as nominees.

The "dignity" of this medal is too high for me to award, outright. So we're going to need some citations (not +1, I mean actual citations), for this medal to be awarded. If you'll kindly provide a link in your citation, then people will be able to check it out, for themselves!

For future nominees who aren't nominated by whoever the ceremonial king or queen is, this medal requires a nomination (with citation, of course), a second (with a different citation), another citation, and then a final +1. So: this medal requires three different linked citations plus a +1.

This medal is also for those people who are listed in the credits of the game, if you played a significant role in the development of AACW. (Simply being on the beta team isn't sufficient cause. Being a beta is its own reward. ) I really don't know how to handle this part, at least as far as nominations and citations and all of that kinda stuff goes, so helpful suggestions are welcomed. PM me with your suggestions, so that the thread doesn't become "clogged" or stray off topic, OK?

OK. With all that said, I preemptively award Rafiki a "frosted leaf", even before his nomination is approved! (Some things, you just know are going to happen.) I'm doing so because I have yet to find a wiser, funnier, or more helpful moderator on the web, anywhere. He's just too cool, you know? I think that we're exceptionally fortunate, and I want to reward him for that.

[Aphrodite Mae]

OK. We're finally getting close to the end!
The next medal is the second highest medal of all.
That medal is the "Distinguished AACW Coordinator" medal!

Normally, the AACW coordinator would receive a "Distinguished Service" medal, for all of his hard and tedious work. But I think that it's pretty much universally agreed among us that our current AACW coordinator does so much more than is expected. I think that he deserves an exceptional award, don't you? Of course you do, and so I know that I can speak on behalf of the forum, in awarding the "Distinguished AACW Coordinator" medal to Gray Lensman.

Congratulations, Uncle Gray!

The medal isn't quite finished, but I'll show it to all of you, anyway. I'll explain what's missing, in a moment.
Here's the medal!



Now, let me tell you what's missing. Maybe you have some ideas to help me!
What's missing is the "solid gold" crown of laurel leaves, in the center! Right in the middle of that big broad field of "dedication blue ", OK?

Plus, a symbolic splash of Gray's favorite color, here and there... but I'll take care of that part! (I promise to come up with some sort of suitably cool symbolism for the color, OK?)

Soundoff made a good point about the unsung heros of our forum. But you know what? Right now, everybody's unsung! I mean, I haven't heard a single song about anybody! So, I aim to change that, by singing about someone, OK? Let's have Gray be our first sung hero!

I can't think of a more appropriate tune to borrow, than "Santa Claus is coming to town"! After all, don't we excitedly wait for each new update? It's kinda like Christmas, when we get to try out a new patch!

So: without further ado, here's the song.

To the tune of "Santa Claus is coming to town!"

Ohhhh you'd better log on, I'm tellin' you why:
Uncle Gray's made you something to try!
Uncle Gray's been working, for youuuuuuu!
Heeeee's killed a few bugs and made a few mods,
done it real fast, and bettered your odds!
Uncle Gray's been working, for youuuuuu!

He works when you are sleeping!
He works when you're awake!
He does it all just 'cause he's cool,
and he rarely makes mistakes!

So! You'd better log on, I'm tellin' you why:
Uncle Gray's made you something to try!
Uncle Gray's been working, for youuuuuuu...!

...
...That was fun!

OK, so we're finally to the point of revealing the highest honor, of awarded medals.

This next medal is a one time award. It will never be awarded, again!
In fact, so special is this medal, that there are only two nominees who can possibly qualify.

To let the suspense build up a little bit, I'm not going to reveal who I've nominated for this medal, OK?
You'll just have to wait, and see.

In my next "medal" post, I'll tell you about the very special "My name is Philippe and I live in France" medal!

[Gray_Lensman]

deleted

[lodilefty]

This is really cool!

Maybe someday WIA will get the same loving care

[TheDoctorKing]

I would like to see an award for getting your butt kicked with grace. It would give me something to aspire to.

You deserve a medal yourself for coming up with this nice idea, Aphrodite.

[Aphrodite Mae]

I would like to see an award for getting your butt kicked with grace. It would give me something to aspire to.

There is one more Battlefield medal to award... so maybe a small change of plans is in order. I'm going to discuss the final battlefield medal, instead of the final service medal that I originally planned on discussing.

You may remember that in my original post in this thread, I said that there is only one Battlefield medal that you can nominate yourself for.

This is it! We have already awarded the highest battlefield honor: The "Iron Tiger". I now present to you the lowest of all Battlefield medals: The Paper Tiger!

For friends who don't know about this English language idiom, Encarte Encyclopedia defines "Paper Tiger" like this:

a weak person or thing: somebody or something, especially an organization or a nation, that appears to be very strong and powerful but is in fact weak and ineffectual

This award requires no second. So, if you nominate yourself, then you're automatically awarded the medal!

So, the very first nominee is...
...Aphrodite Mae!!

Aphrodite Mae has demonstrated a simply remarkable cluelessness for understanding anything of importance, during a game. She can take a force which has a fighting chance to win a game... and somehow, snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!

So: congratulations, Mae, for being the kind of competitor that everybody wants to play!

Here is the medal!



Now, I'm not really sure how to thank myself for nominating and awarding myself this medal, but I will say that I'm delighted to have it, and I'll wear it proudly!

...
(On second thought, I know exactly how to thank myself: I'm going to have a great big bowl of Butter-Pecan ice cream! YAAAAAAY!)



...OK, now it's time to set kidding aside, and talk seriously for a moment.

This medal does serve a purpose. Its name may be a joke, but its purpose is not. If you have suffered a defeat in a game that you were just sure you were going to win, you might consider nominating yourself if you have done two things:
1) posted an AAR of the game, and
2) resolved to learn from your mistakes, and not repeat them.

When you nominate yourself for this medal, we'll be expecting you to list a few things that you learned from your defeat. I'm no exception to that suggestion, and so here are two of the many things that I learned from my defeat in the tournament.
1) I learned about "winter quarters". I'd heard the term before, and I guess I assumed that players did that because it's tougher to win in bad weather. But in my tournament game, I learned the hard way that soldiers dissappear pretty quickly when they're out in the cold, and out of supply!
2) I learned not to assume anything, no matter what. I'm a weak player, but I'm not stupid. I prepared for my tournament game! I practiced a lot, and came up with what I thought was a pretty cool plan for counter-play against the Union, in the Far West. It all hinged on the Fayetteville Depot. It just never occured to me that Coffee Sergeant would destroy the depot! When he did, my entire scheme collapsed.

So: I think I've fulfilled the requirements for this medal. I've explained what I learned, I resolve not to repeat the same mistakes again, and I've posted an AAR!

OK: now, about the symbolism of the medal!
The base color of the "Paper Tiger" is white. But it isn't the pure white of the other battlefield medals. Instead, it is "really cheap paper white".

The four pillars of command are represented by four bold, thick threads the teal-green which represents command. Notice the blue threads which flank the command pillars: they are the blue of the "EEK!" smiley. I hope that the symbolism is clear.

You might also notice that everything is pushed uncomfortably close to the edge of the medal. This is intentional: it symbolizes that your Command has run out of room. In the game, you found yourself with your back against the wall.

The flanks are also "visually busy": stripes and threads that are crowded just a little bit too close together. This is to symbolize the confusion and frenzy that you felt, as your army collapsed and there was nothing that you could do to stop it! There are vast empty spaces on the medal, but they're denied to you. You've been divided, and conquered.

In the middle of the medal, there is darkness. It symbolizes hopelessness and gloom. The game was important to you... but there came a point when you realized that it was hopelessly lost, and nothing you could do could change that brutal fact.

Even so, there is always hope for "next time". There is a saying in American English: "Behind every cloud, there is a silver lining". You have lost this battle... but next time? You know that you will win. You know that you will win, because you've learned from your mistakes, and that has made you stronger! That is your silver lining, and it is symbolized by silver threads girding the dark blackness of your loss.

So: this medal is a good award! Sure, it acknowledges a disappointing defeat. But what this medal is all about is learning from your mistakes, and resolving to better yourself... and then, sharing that with the forum. Think of it as "the victory medal of the defeated"!

Congratulation, General Mae. And please remember that there is a victory in every defeat.

Sure: maybe he sounds like Lao Tzu, or some sort of Chinese Emporer, or maybe even a fortune cookie, but what he said was true! There's a deeper implication, I think. To me, the implication is this: if we learn from our mistakes, then defeat can make us stronger players. And if we have grown stronger from the contest, how can we have been truly defeated? There is victory in every defeat!

So: nominate yourself for this award if you're surprised by how much you've learned from being defeated in a particular game! But be ready to explain, OK?

[HMSWarspite]

My nominees for this distinguished medal are...
...
Dixicrat, for his "Artillery Analysis" series
...
Next, I submit Dixicrat for a bronze oak leaf, as a second award of the "Cadre" medal. This rewards the significant contribution of his "What's not in the Manual" thread. I think it's definitely "Cadre" material.

Finally, I once again present Dixicrat... this time, suggesting that his bronze oak leaf should be "frosted". My reason is because he created a helpful library of links, in his signature! This was a bright idea, in my opinion. It used forum resources in a way that nobody else had considered. It's not genius, but its certainly cool, you gotta admit! (or maybe you don't.) Anyway, his awards stand, if nobody vetos them in the next two days, OK?

I veto all Dixicrat's CADRE Service awards. I cannot allow the proposal to stand, as it sullies the purity and honour of these medals . It is completely inappropriate for the wife to propose the husband.





Now Aphrodite, would you allow me to propose Dixicrat for several awards:
Basic award:
Dixicrat, for his "Artillery Analysis" series

Next, I submit Dixicrat for a bronze oak leaf, as a second award of the "Cadre" medal. This rewards the significant contribution of his "What's not in the Manual" thread. I think it's definitely "Cadre" material.

Finally, I once again present Dixicrat... this time, suggesting that his bronze oak leaf should be "frosted". My reason is because he created a helpful library of links, in his signature! This was a bright idea, in my opinion. It used forum resources in a way that nobody else had considered. It's not genius, but its certainly cool, you gotta admit! (or maybe you don't.)

Now you dont have to worry about appearances

[HMSWarspite]

Help guys. I have just realised I made a major faux pas (or dropped a clanger for the non english speakers! ) . By vetoing our mighty and honorable queen and re-proposing Dixicrat myself, I have inadvertantly increased the number of seconders needed to get Dixicrat his medals and thus turned a joke with honorable intentions into a potential diplomatic incident. (If you read the proposing rules you will see what I mean ). So I have now got 3 choices as I see it:
1) go out and expose myself on a desolate hillside and never darken these hallowed portals again - easy but does not actually solve anything
2) Have a coup, declare myself Queen temporarily, get one further vote, then resign (sorry, abdicate) and support the one true queen - would work, but likely to get a guy killed around here
3) get three further prople to second Dixicrat (come on, you know you can do it, the artillery piece is value on its own!)
4) beg our sovereign Lady, Aphrodite Mae, to forgive this lese majeste (affront to the throne for our non english speakers again - sorry for the lack of accents ), and bend the rules so that she can second my proposal and call it carried

Finally I would like to propose Pocus for an award. I would like to leave it to Her Serene Highness Aphrodite Mae to decide which, as I am not sure one completely fits. I propose him for many months, nay years, of effort to deliver and improve this game, never failing to be friendly and helpful, ignoring the more tempestuous 'suggestions' and 'helpful' posts, whilst picking up the good ideas. But above all for continuing to patch and improve this game and transforming it since it was written. He never seems to be too protective of his baby and will make quite radical changes when asked. And he has kept it bug free (mostly) whilst doing it.

I hope I haven't missed where someone has already awarded him something... (Lensman almost proposed him)

[Gray_Lensman]

Pocus? Almost... Me? Okay... Let's clear that up now. I second Pocus to the "Tip Top Highest Super Duper Programmer Developer" Medal or whatever it's equivalent might be!

And ole Dixicrat can get a second from me also, just for having to put up with the torture he must go thru daily. The artillery piece was probably easier. LOL