Aphrodite's Knights

[GraniteStater]

Medals...now an Army...

parades are around the corner...

[Ethan]

Ethan, at the risk of exhausting you with your sprints back and forth between the Spanish and English forums , I ask that you convey my congratulations to Schluiffen for his receiving the high honor of the Cadre award. As far as I know, only five men have ever been awarded this medal!

No problem, my friend!

I'll communicate him your congratulations.

Warm Regards!

[Ethan]

Thank you, Ethan, for your exceptional services as our Liaison! The reason that I requested that you post in Spanish here was so that those who speak your beautiful language but who struggle with English might see from this example that they are welcome here, too... and subject to being honored, as well.

Gentlemen of the forums, Ethan has graciously done everything that I requested, even though it involved a fair amount of work. Please note that he has done so as a friend, and not because I "commanded" him, as "Queen". Please bear in mind always that my role as Queen is nothing more than ceremonial, and is all about honoring you, the gentlemen of these forums, in a way that's (hopefully) fun! In other words, if you're new to the forums or at least this thread, please don't think that my title of Queen has any real significance, OK? I seek to command no one. (Although my husband Dixicrat might vehemently disagree... ) I'm just like you: a gamer who likes AGEod games. I'm nothing more, and nothing less.

The realm of "The Knights of Aphrodite" is one that is founded on mutual respect. If I respectfully ask a gentleman to do me a favor, it is just that: a favor, and the only reason that I ask that favor is because its something that I can't do. If I should ever ask, as Queen, a favor from you, it is because I respect your abilities, and believe that your service to "me" will benefit our community. There is no shame or disfavor in saying a polite "no", to me, in my role as Queen. This queen commands no one, and makes no demands. In fact, I ask of my Knights only one simple thing: please always conduct yourself as a gentleman on these forums. If you agree to that, you too are a Knight of Aphrodite, whether you have been publicly awarded a medal, or not. All gentlemen who agree that honoring their fellow gamers is a good idea, are Knights of Aphrodite!

With all that being said, I'd like to give Ethan a pat on the back for his kindness in helping me to award medals to gentlemen of the Spanish forum. Without his help, I otherwise wouldn't be able to publicly recognize those gentlemen for their contributions to our greater community.

I hereby award Ethan the Bronze Oak Leaf for his diplomatic liaison medal.

Here's your upgraded medal, sir!

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At the end of the post, you'll find the medal scaled to 50%, so it won't overwhelm your signature. Again, thank you for your help. I shall call upon you, again.

Those are wonderful words, my Lady!

I want to say that it's a real pleasure to help, your Majesty. Indeed, your words are a nice compliment to my humble contribution to this forum and it reflects your greatness and generosity. Honestly, I don't deserve such a huge honor but undoubtedly my loyalty and allegiance to your Majesty will remain steadfast EVER AFTER.

[Aphrodite Mae]

Welcome to our forums, Confederate!

When can I become a General?

Have you noticed that you have a rank, under your name on your avatar panel? Well, I've got good news for you! Make 400 posts, and you'll become an AGEod General!

Becoming a General in The Queen's Army is a bit harder, though. You'll have to prove yourself in a number of ways... but the most important by far will be by winning PBEM games! (Play By EMail)
So: learn how to play PBEM, if you want to advance up the ranks in my Army!

Like I said earlier, The Queen's Army isn't ready to march, yet. There's still a lot of work to do. I'll outline all the details of the Queen's Army, in a separate thread, when it's ready. That won't be for another month or so, though. I'm still working out the details. I'm hoping that you gentlemen will think it was worth the wait. We'll see.

Y'know what? I'm just gonna create my own party and army. It's gonna be called... the "Confederate Party". Took me hours to create the name :P

I commend you for the time that you've spent in careful thought, considering the best name for your party! Thanks for the effort! Your creativity shines forth brightly, in your choice!

But you know what? I kinda doubt that we'll ever have that election, since men don't seem to like the idea of wearing my crown, for some reason. At first, I thought it was because everybody has enormous respect for my dignity and majesty as Queen, and didn't want to take it away from me... but Dixicrat has assured me that that's definitely not the case.

I finally figured out that it has something to do with the actual crown of the office I hold, but my husband Dixicrat won't tell me why. When I asked him why he and other men didn't like the idea of wearing my crown, he just kinda mumbled something about its "style".

So, I talked to the bigshots at AGEod about maybe changing the crown, but no, it can't be changed. Ever. Something to do with "tradition" and all that kind of stuff.

Anyway, I just don't understand why you gentlemen don't want to wear it; I think my crown is just adorable!

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Notice the sparkles! Notice the fluffy stuff! It might look kinda like a "hot pink" pointy party hat, but it's the crown of my office as "Queen", and I'm both honored and delighted to wear it!

[CENTER]Long Live Me!
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[Confederate]

400 posts...and PBEM games? I can reach 400 posts, but I do not/cannot play PBEM games. Only against the AI

Also, the Confederate Party is ready the roll!

(I'm gonna look SO awesome in that nice ol pink crown/party hat)

[Aphrodite Mae]

I'm sorry that I can't respond to the other posts that have been made, but something has come up.

Gentlemen, this post is no joke.
I am speaking as the real person behind the cheerful personae I present, as Queen Aphrodite Mae. As a woman, as a gamer, and as an AGEod veteran, I have found a series of posts in our forums that absolutely infuriates me!

I'm not going to talk about the details right now. I'm too angry.
Many of you know that I am a veteran of the United States Army, where I served as a Warrant Officer. (I was a pilot, for those who don't know.) So, I know how to keep a cool head in tough situations. Even so, I'm going to have to log off and cool off, before I make any more posts.

But, I will do one more thing before I log off.

Some of you may remember the "Gallantry" medal that I created a few years ago, recognizing good sportsmanship and exceptionally gentlemanly conduct in PBEM games. Gentlemen, I've created a new medal: the Queen's Medal for Gallantry. This medal will be awarded to those men who I feel have exemplified the sort of conduct that I believe shows how a real gentleman behaves in tough situations that have nothing to do with gaming.

I hereby award The Queens Gallantry Medal to GraniteStater, for his cool conduct "under fire". I furthermore award the leaf of "coolness", for his panache in a situation that would have caused most men to respond angrily.

Sir, I salute you. No cute smiley; I mean "the real deal". Here's your medal. You have my respect.

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I'll explain the medal, what's behind it, and what I plan to do about what I've found, in another post. After I cool off.

[SIZE="4"][font="Book Antiqua"]Havely[/font][/size]

PS Men, I respectfully ask that you neither quote nor respond to this post, until I post in this thread again. Even so, don't hesitate to congratulate Granite. He deserves your respect. He certainly has mine.

[Confederate]

Congratz Granite Stater

BTW, Aphrodite: I cannot respond to your visitor message due to my user restrictions.

[charlesonmission]

Really? Why no PBEM?

400 posts...and PBEM games? I can reach 400 posts, but I do not/cannot play PBEM games. Only against the AI

Also, the Confederate Party is ready the roll!

(I'm gonna look SO awesome in that nice ol pink crown/party hat)

[GraniteStater]

I thank thee for the award, Most Gracious One (pilot, huh? Wow). I shall wear it proudly as soon as I figure out the clasp...

[Confederate]

Really? Why no PBEM?

I don't know how to or what is involved.

[Coldsteel]

My Queen,

I am not sure if he has been singled out for his work on this site yet, but if not I would recommend "LodiLefty" for an award. . .

His work lately on updating the patches must be commended.

Not to mention he hasn't snapped at any of us yet for bothering him with all our little issues

With Regards,
ColdSteel

[Confederate]

My Queen,

I am not sure if he has been singled out for his work on this site yet, but if not I would recommend "LodiLefty" for an award. . .

His work lately on updating the patches must be commended.

Not to mention he hasn't snapped at any of us yet for bothering him with all our little issues

With Regards,
ColdSteel

I second this

[OneArmedMexican]

My Queen,

I am not sure if he has been singled out for his work on this site yet, but if not I would recommend "LodiLefty" for an award. . .

His work lately on updating the patches must be commended.

Not to mention he hasn't snapped at any of us yet for bothering him with all our little issues

With Regards,
ColdSteel

+1

If anyone deserves awards fake or real, it is the person who is keeping all the cherished older AGE games updated.
Actually he deserves a lot more than a medal for his immense work but it is a nice way to make him feel appreciated.

[GraniteStater]

+100

Grand Marshal of the Order of Constant Improvement

[Dixicrat]

My Queen,

I am not sure if he has been singled out for his work on this site yet, but if not I would recommend "LodiLefty" for an award. . .

His work lately on updating the patches must be commended.

Not to mention he hasn't snapped at any of us yet for bothering him with all our little issues

With Regards,
ColdSteel

I totally agree with Coldsteel's nomination, particularly in light of the fact that Lodilefty is currently coordinating four games.

GraniteStater, congratulations for your aplomb in whatever situation it was that garnered you a frosted leaf of coolness for Gallantry.

Queen Mae, I nominate Generalissimo for an award, for his exceptional accomplishment in heading the team that brought us Pride of Nations. I believe that it may possibly be AGEod's best game, yet.

@George McClellan: General...? We await your decision about your command, sir!

[Captain_Orso]

If I may shuffle in quietly and say,

++ for Lodi. Even if he looks like a rouge, there's more than meets the eye under that cloak of his All his contributions make the game feel shiny and new while still being the old friend we've known and loved.

8<

@George McClellan: General...? We await your decision about your command, sir!

You were expecting action?

[Citizen X]

My Queen,

I am not sure if he has been singled out for his work on this site yet, but if not I would recommend "LodiLefty" for an award. . .

His work lately on updating the patches must be commended.

Not to mention he hasn't snapped at any of us yet for bothering him with all our little issues

With Regards,
ColdSteel

I also second that!

[Le Ricain]

I also second that!

I would also second Lodilefty's nomination. It is worth noting that Lodi has only recently returned to active duty after having been WIA.

[Ethan]

I'm sure that without the effort and work of Lodi, AACW would not have been what it's today... so I second the Lodilefty's nomination, of course.

Regards!

[Coldsteel]

Where is the Queen! Someone must find her!

[Aphrodite Mae]

Gentlemen, I deeply appreciate your kindness and consideration in respecting my wishes to neither quote nor refer to my "angry" post, the other day. Thank you.

Today, I'm weary, from having spent most of last night crafting a post for a new thread that I've titled, Our Community. In that thread, I talk about what I believe to be the major problem facing our AGEod community, today. I also present a possible solution.

This is an awards thread, to honor gentlemen for their achievements; it's not a discussion thread, and so I'll say no more about the matter in this thread.

Well, except to say that I'm very tired, and emotionally exhausted from that effort. So, please excuse me if I don't present any awards, today, OK? You have my word of honor that, barring unforeseen circumstances, I'll post many of the awards that we have pending, tomorrow.

Thanks, guys. It's an honor to know you.

[font="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]Havely[/size][/font]

[Jim-NC]

I just got finished with my updated rack,

So how does it look? Be honest, I can take it

If you need help with your rack, I am available from hours of 25:01:00 until 25:01:01 each day. You can contact me via PM. I promise to be thorough (not fast, but thorough).

[Mickey3D]

I must admit (shame on me) I'm a little bit lost with all these medals that our graceful and prodigal Queen is designing.

Could it be a good idea to have all of them displayed at the same place with a small explanation ? Perhaps something similar to what Dixicrat did in "Basic training for AACW new comers" ?


Edit : We could have the official list of recipients at the same place.

[Confederate]

I third Lodilefty's nomination

[Aphrodite Mae]

I must admit (shame on me) I'm a little bit lost with all these medals that our graceful and prodigal Queen is designing.

Could it be a good idea to have all of them displayed at the same place with a small explanation ? Perhaps something similar to what Dixicrat did in "Basic training for AACW new comers" ?


Edit : We could have the official list of recipients at the same place.

Hi, Mickey3D, it's great to see that you're still around!
I remember your participation in this thread before, particularly when you nominated Tyrex and Vegitius (sp?) for a humorous series of posts that they'd made in the French forum! I'm mildly surprised that you don't remember Dixicrat's "medals" poster. No matter; you've got a good point: a list of medals might be a good thing to present here, now!

I think your idea of a guide would be a good one. I was planning something just like that, when Dixi and I had to leave, so abruptly. I have a lot of other stuff going on right now, so I just won't have the time in the foreseeable future. I'm sorry. The same is true for your excellent idea of a "hall of honor" of some sort; that also was on the drawing board in "days of yore", but like the "medals handbook", it's going to be awhile before I'll have the time for such a big project.

Gentlemen, here's the graphic that Dixicrat made of the Medals of Aphrodite's Knights, and here's a link to the original post. Dixi's poster of Mae's medals

A few of them have been retired (the "officer" medals, and the "enlisted duty" medals come to mind); a few have been added, since this poster was made; and one of the medals on the chart never even existed. (The "2 month good conduct medal". That's the medal I decided not to use but didn't tell Dixi until after he "grabbed" it to sweetly make the chart for us, as a surprise for me.)

I suggest that you use this chart to see the name of the medal that interests you, and then use the "search" tools to search this thread for the original post. Bear in mind that the "nomination" requirements for all medals except the "Iron Tiger" are suspended, so you can skip over that stuff, OK?

The "prestige" of the medals is their rank, in relation to one another. Read prestige from left to right, and top to bottom.

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[SIZE="3"][font="Book Antiqua"]Aphrodite Mae[/font][/size]

[Confederate]

Aphrodite, that is a lot of medals you have there

[Aphrodite Mae]

My Queen,

I am not sure if he has been singled out for his work on this site yet, but if not I would recommend "LodiLefty" for an award. . .

His work lately on updating the patches must be commended.

Not to mention he hasn't snapped at any of us yet for bothering him with all our little issues

With Regards,
ColdSteel

Coldsteel, maybe you deserve some sort of medal for having the "most quoted post"!

Over the course of the past few days, Lodilefty has received more nominations for recognition in the shortest period of time than any other man, in the history of this thread. But you know what? I'm not going to award him one single, solitary medal.

There's a really good reason for that, gentlemen! The reason is as simple as it is obvious: Lodi deserves lots of medals! One single solitary medal just won't do, you know what I mean? After I tell you a few things that you may not know about Lodilefty, I'm pretty sure that you'll agree that no single award can quite express the honor that he deserves. So: let's not have a ceremony (i.e., single post) recognizing Lodi's greatness... let's have a festival, instead! Lodileftyfest 2011! ompom:

Before we get started with that, though, there's something I'd like to say.
One of the things that I love most about these forums is the humor that I often find. You guys just break me up, sometimes! There's the droll humor of Mark Shot, and Rafiki's dry sarcasm, and so much of what Pocus has said. Dixicrat definitely has his moments, and I greatly miss the brilliant humor of Jabberwock. There are just so many of you who have that delightful sparkle! But of all of the men of these forums who are still with us, one of the men who has made me grin most often has been Lodi. Humor is a matter of personal taste, of course; what's hysterically funny to one person will leave another person just shaking his head. But there's just something about Lodi's "short and sweet" style that just slays me, sometimes! He's made me giggle, snort and squeak in ways that make me glad that you gentlemen can't see or hear me, because a Lady is never suppose to lose her composure! Thanks so much for brightening my world, Steve!

Let's get the festival started!

[Aphrodite Mae]

When I first came to these forums, I was given a warm welcome by several men, one of whom was Lodilefty. At the time, I assumed that his congeniality was mostly because I was a woman. But as time passed, I saw that Lodilefty treated all newcomers exactly like he'd treated me! He was kind, warm, and gracious to all. I'm pretty sure that there are many of you who remember Lodilefty's welcome to you, when you first arrived! The thing is, he's a coordinator, moderator, modder, and... well, a whole bunch of stuff that takes a lot of time and brainpower. This brilliant gentleman is incredibly busy all the time, and in a way that would drive most of us to distraction! And yet... he still finds time to welcome newcomers with the same warmth and congeniality that he did with me, so long ago.

For his congeniality in making newcomers to AGEod feel welcome, I award Lodilefty the Queen's Gallentry medal.
Because he somehow finds the time to do so, even though he carries a tremendous workload as an AGEod volunteer, I award the "frosty leaf of coolness", as well.

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On behalf of all of us who you've made feel welcome when we first arrived, thank you so much, Lodi!

Next: Lodilefty's Leadership!

[Aphrodite Mae]

Gentlemen,
if you've never been a Beta volunteer in developing a wargame, you cannot know the pressure of what goes on, during a game's development. There is so much to do, too few people to do it, and too little time to get it all done. On top of all that, when you're leading volunteers (as opposed to paid employees), you don't give orders; instead, you must tactfully "make suggestions". A leader of a Beta Team can take nothing for granted, and must plan for the unexpected. You can't even count on a steady roster, because there's always the comings and goings of people from the project for countess reasons.

Now, I think that you'll agree that there are leaders in this world... and then, there are Leaders. The difference is that good leaders inspire and motivate their people, get the job done in a way that involves excellence, and they do so, consistently.

I'm here to tell you, from personal experience, that Lodilefty is a good leader. He has a gift for shrewdly assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the members of his team, and then "suggesting" things that not only minimize a person's weaknesses while exploiting their strengths, but which also challenge them to become better in a way that they enjoy! And if someone makes a mistake...? Well, Lodilefty doesn't chew them out; instead, he reassures them, and takes the time to examine with them why things happened the way they did, and how to avoid problems, next time! I could go on (and on, and on), but I'm pretty sure that you get the idea: AGEod is extremely fortunate to have this guy!

If you are fortunate enough to have Lodi invite you to be one of his Betas, you would be wise to accept. You will learn a great deal; you will feel a sense of pride in being a part of an exceptional team; and under Lodi's leadership, you will become a better person, in the process.

For Lodilefty's leadership of AGEod Beta Teams, I present the Cadre Service medal.
For the truly exceptional nature of his leadership, I award the golden Oak Leaf, which I have never awarded before, for any medal.
And for the genuine concern that he has as a leader to cultivate personal development among his team members, I deem that the leaf shall be "cool".

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On behalf of all of your team members who have been inspired by your strong but gentle leadership, I thank you!
And on a personal note... thank you for patiently teaching me what you have.

[Confederate]

Congrats to Lodilefty and everyone else who was awarded a medal (that I didn't know about).