The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Extreme =&gt; Extreme Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Healergirl on 15-07-2011, 21:59:19</h2>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>15-07-2011, 21:59:19</strong>
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				The current crop of Invasion movies and series all seem to follow the same basic trope:&nbsp; The decision makers for every interstellar civilization that stumbles across Earth are&nbsp; genocidal lunatics.<br><br>We might be a threat one day?&nbsp; They decide to wipe us out.<br><br>They don't like the way we treat the ecosphere?&nbsp; They decide to wipe us out.<br><br>They want our natural resources?&nbsp; They decide to wipe us out.<br><br>Take the remake of "The Day The Earth Stood Still as an example:&nbsp; In the original Klaatu was delivering a pointed message to earth.&nbsp; "We don't like the road you're heading down.&nbsp; We will not allow you to become a threat to us.&nbsp; Is that clear?"&nbsp; But Klaatu went to great lengths to make his point in a way that was both a very convincing display of the power his people had at their disposal, and yet had a remarkably low body count. <br><br>Contrast that to the remake, in which Klaatu is a genocidal loon. <br><br><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body"> Yes, yes, he stops GORT from actively exterminating the human race, but if you don't think the EMP that wipes out Humanity's man-made electrical capacity doesn't indirectly kill billions of people, well, think again.</div></div><br>I have something in mind that is a little more complicated.<br><br>The Domino Theory was the lynchpin of American strategic thought in the sixties.&nbsp; It held that if Vietnam fell, the geopolitical impact would result in the fall of other Southeast Asian nations, and that would lead to a true shift of the strategic balance in favor of the communist block.&nbsp; It didn't turn out that way for a variety of reasons.<br><br><br>But this time, the finger pushing the domino may not be human.<br><br>It is January of 1968.&nbsp; The Tet cease fire until recently was holding other than heavy action around Khe Sanh. But a few days ago the North Vietnamese seem to have gone completely nuts, announcing at the UN that they would never accept the American ultimatum to withdraw from Laos.<br><br>What Ultimatum? the American ambassador responded blankly.<br><br>The North Vietnamese delegate produced a document - one of several identical copies that were found on the grounds of the Presidential Palace in Hanoi that was quite terse:<br><br>Withdraw all combat forces from within the borders of Laos.&nbsp; You have 120 hours to comply. <br><br>&nbsp;And yet, when the document was produced a the UN, the wording was:&nbsp; Withdraw all combat forces from within the borders of Laos.&nbsp; You have 93 hours to comply.&nbsp; While the Secretary General of the UN was holding the sheet in his hands, and it was not paper that was certain, the wording changed again:&nbsp; <br><br>&nbsp;Withdraw all combat forces from within the borders of Laos. You have 92 hours to comply.<br><br>When reporters asked President Johnson's press secretary if a similar ultimatum had been delivered to the White House, there was no comment given.<br><br>At the 72 hour point given of the countdown, a couple of amateur astronomers reported seeing something unusual, gently glowing objects that they lost track of.&nbsp; One said they seemed to be slowing visibly in the hour or so he was able to observe them.&nbsp; The other said that they seemed to be taking deliberate evasive action.&nbsp; Both agreed that the objects were coming from, or perhaps from behind the sun. Crazy, eh?<br><br>There are now 24 hours left on the countdown.&nbsp; The siege of Khe Sanh has more or less collapsed, the North Vietnamese Army has pulled back, NVA troops seem to be repositioning to defend Laos.&nbsp; South Vietnamese and American forces are at full alert, all leaves have been canceled.<br><br>It is January 1968.&nbsp; A time of social disruption, war, the promise of peace, hope for a new age.&nbsp; But a new player has entered the game, and is holding very high cards in not at all human hands.<br><br>IC Thread:&nbsp; http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113972.0 (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113972.0)
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>15-07-2011, 22:19:39</strong>
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				The players will start in South Vietnam, that is where the early action will occur.&nbsp; I recommend US Army, or Air Force, CIA. But if you have a Vietnamese or French character in mind, run it by me.&nbsp; Other nationalities are possible.&nbsp; Women characters are possible, but remember that this is 1968, not the 21st century.&nbsp; The past is a very different country after all.&nbsp; However, simply on the basis of what they see and experience, all characters will be considered quite valuable by the US government, so allowances will be made.&nbsp; Women and minority characters will thus have much greater freedom of action than they would have had historically.&nbsp; But they <strong>will</strong> have occasional problems with other humans just because of who they are.&nbsp; This will not apply to their dealings with the aliens.<br><br>Content, I'm leaving it open, will probably run the game in the Extreme forum for maximum freedom of action.&nbsp; I am all about context, I don't do torture for the sake of torture, if you are worried about that.<br><br>This will be a system Lite game, using Mongoose Publications Traveller as a base.&nbsp; If you don't have the book, don't worry, I will be handling the mechanical details.&nbsp; You will be asked to make rolls, and I will be very clear about what you are rolling for and what the modifiers will be.&nbsp; Your character skills and abilities will be governed more by your character concept than the formal character creation rules, but I will make sure that there are no Gods Among Us, there will be a balance between the players.&nbsp; Characters can be any age from 18 onwards, I recommend no older than the early thirties.&nbsp; Older characters will have more skills, younger characters will be better able to pick up skills concerning the Alien tech.&nbsp; If they live that long.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>NiceTexasGuy</strong> on <strong>16-07-2011, 02:32:20</strong>
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				Wow.&nbsp; This is ... different.<br><br>:: cranking up the Rolling Stones ::<br><br>Color me interested.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>16-07-2011, 03:50:28</strong>
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				Thank you NiceTexasGuy.<br><br>What type of character do you think you would want to play?<br><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>kobrakid92</strong> on <strong>16-07-2011, 03:54:54</strong>
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				This does look very interesting. My only issue would be the fact that I'm not entirely familiar with the dice system. Other than that it looks pretty solid.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>16-07-2011, 04:04:17</strong>
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				2D6 with modifiers.&nbsp; Ability modifiers will seldom exceed +3 or -2.&nbsp; Skills:&nbsp; -4 for untrained, 0 for base familiarity.&nbsp; +3 is very good indeed.&nbsp; Normal success target is 8+, higher depending on difficulty level and circumstances.&nbsp; This is a System-Lite game, I've conluded that some rules are often necessary to encourage mature behavior by the players.&nbsp; Anybody who wants a more detailed explanation for what is going on as in "How the hell did they sneak up and get the drop on me?"&nbsp; will get one.&nbsp; Don't worry about me cheating as a GM.&nbsp; As a Gm I have often cheated on die rolls - in favor of the players.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>kobrakid92</strong> on <strong>16-07-2011, 04:08:10</strong>
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				Ok. The only reason I'm partially hesitant is because I've never done a dnd type game online. I'm used to tabletop with no problem. But I'm still interested so yeah I'm still in. As far as character goes I'd be more prone to an American soldier as the Vietnam era is a personal favorite of mine.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>NiceTexasGuy</strong> on <strong>16-07-2011, 04:33:37</strong>
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				My experience with playing system games is pretty much nil, I'm just depending on the GM to tell me what's going on if we end up playing.<br><br>As for my character, I'm thinking either a journalist or a helicopter pilot.&nbsp; I don't really have a clue what's going on, it just seems like an interesting time and place to roleplay, along with an interesting extraterrestrial twist.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>16-07-2011, 05:26:45</strong>
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				This is, as NiceTexas said, a fresh take on an old idea and I like the way it's slanted. You present it very well, HealerGirl.<br><br>I'd lke to play a female but am unsure what ranks/roles females would have had, if any, in the 1960s US Army/Navy/Air Force. I suppose even a CIA field operative would have been male then. A Vietnamese woman would be not much more free than a water buffalo and would most likely be a prostitute if she was involved with the American forces... All I can think of are nurses and maybe doctors, but my medical knowledge is nil. Hm... any ideas?
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>NiceTexasGuy</strong> on <strong>16-07-2011, 15:21:39</strong>
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				<br><br>". . . significant numbers of women served admirably in all branches of service as professional nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, air traffic controllers, aerial reconnaissance photographers, intelligence and language specialists, legal officers, and in security and administrative positions. Civilian women also served in Vietnam in the Red Cross, USO, the Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as in other government agencies. Other women worked there as journalists, flight attendants, and in various church and humanitarian organizations."<br><br>More information can be found here:&nbsp; http://www.illyria.com/vnwmany.html (http://www.illyria.com/vnwmany.html)
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>16-07-2011, 19:39:12</strong>
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				Thank you for the complement Haibane.<br><br>As to your character, I may have just the thing:<br><br>A female black market operator who smuggles all sorts of things, talks to everybody, has a fairly complex network of favors and obligations she uses to keep her business running and stay alive&nbsp; If it's a shady deal, she has a finger in it.&nbsp; If it's happening, she knows something about it.<br><br>Most of the people who know her are sure she is a spook, but are evenly divided as to whether she is CIA, French intelligence, or Communist Bloc.&nbsp; This is part of what keeps her in one piece.&nbsp; She does little favors for everybody, major favors for nobody.&nbsp; That is the public perception of her.&nbsp; You can go with that, or give her firm ties to one side or the other.&nbsp; As an indepenent, you would have freedom of action, but no official support from any government.<br><br>The amount of crap any female character has to deal with will be much less than what would have been inflicted on such a person historically.&nbsp; This is a game, after all.<br><br>But of course, you may choose any sort of character you wish.&nbsp; I will work with you, make sure your character is integral to what is going on.<br><br><br>Kobrakid92,<br><br>An American soldier would be perfect.&nbsp; Not a grunt, though.&nbsp; How about a senior NCO?&nbsp; A Sergeant First Class, for example, has real authority and far mor fredom of action than any junior officer.&nbsp; you would be in command of a small mechanized cavalry team between Khe Sanh and the Laotian border.<br><br><br>NiceTexasGuy,<br><br>I'd go with chopper pilot.&nbsp; Once it dawns on various power elites that the impossible is indeed happening, journalists running around poking their noses into things will be subject to harassment to put things very mildly.&nbsp; Good pilots - and your character will be very good - were much in demand, were shuffled all over the place as needed.<br><br><br>One more thing i want to make very clear:&nbsp; The aliens are doing this for their own reasons.&nbsp; They are not genocidal loons, but neither are they here to save humanity from itself.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>16-07-2011, 19:54:08</strong>
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				Thank you for the help, both of you. I need to play a character I can relate to of course and who's background I can get my head around. The person you suggest Healergirl makes me feel a bit out of my depth but I'll give this more thought.<br><br>Will the player characters be starting off in different locations or all be brought together for the start?
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>16-07-2011, 20:25:16</strong>
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				I'd be interested though I don't have any experience with the system but I'd be happy to give it a shot, if you're still looking for people.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>16-07-2011, 21:05:05</strong>
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				Athos, you are quite welcome to join.<br><br>Don[t worry about the system, you will be called upon for dice rolls now and then, but I am aiming to keep as much of that out of the player's hair as possible.&nbsp; Syys tem gmes - having rules helps keep things orderly, but they can also bog things doun in minutiae.&nbsp; I am going to avoid the latter.<br><br>Haibane,<br><br>Yes, that character is a lot to take on, she is an NPC I have in mind.&nbsp; How about red cross?&nbsp; State department?&nbsp; Laos had every unusual status at the time, but everyobody pretended it was still an independent nation. State department flight into/out of the ountry gets in trouble, that's one way for you to get involved quickly no matter what type of character you want to run. There are a few of them around in the area.&nbsp; Khe Sanh was a very active area in terms of combat operations,&nbsp; &nbsp;But there are ways around that.&nbsp; What do you want to run?&nbsp; I'll find a way to get you into the thick of things, I love challenges like that.<br><br>As to starting locations, the military characters will be starting at Khe Sanh.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>16-07-2011, 23:12:08</strong>
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				Healer, you are being such a sweetie. Thank you so much. I am British and my knowledge of the Vietnam war is limited to several movies and a number of books (13th Valley, Chickenhawk, If I Die In A Combat Zone, and a few others). My husband used to be a miniatures wargamer and he's a history buff so I have a few political books of his to draw on as well, but to be honest I am out of my depth mostly with the American politics of the time beyond what was broadcast on TV (which seemed to be mainly student protests).<br><br>I might be better off avoiding the USA altogether and going for an Australian character as I know the UK involved the Aussies a bit in the conflict.<br><br>Perhaps a diplomatic attache to the Australian embassy? I am good at playing high-class ladies ;)
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>17-07-2011, 01:04:48</strong>
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				haibane,<br>Yes, that would work perfectly.&nbsp; The Australians had a very heavy military commitmtent to Vietnam considering the size of their population.&nbsp; A high-priority Australian government mission to Vietnam to meet personally with General Westmoreland and politely ask "What the hell is going on with Laos?" Is a very good way to gt you involved.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>17-07-2011, 03:37:06</strong>
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				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4935479#msg4935479">Quote from: Healergirl on 16-07-2011, 21:05:05</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Athos, you are quite welcome to join.<br><br>Don[t worry about the system, you will be called upon for dice rolls now and then, but I am aiming to keep as much of that out of the player's hair as possible.&nbsp; Syys tem gmes - having rules helps keep things orderly, but they can also bog things doun in minutiae.&nbsp; I am going to avoid the latter.<br><br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Very cool. I was considering a CIA operative. Maybe someone involved in the Phoenix Program or something to that effect but I don't know if that would fit well with what you have planned.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>17-07-2011, 04:10:45</strong>
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				Phoenix was pretty tightly focused on direct counter-insurgency but with the highly fluid situation developing, such an operative could easily get dragged into the action.&nbsp; Sure.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>NiceTexasGuy</strong> on <strong>17-07-2011, 05:18:48</strong>
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				Another option for Haibane if still looking for ideas ... perhaps a Member of Parliament, maybe even a very new and inexperienced MP, looking to make a name for herself by going to Vietnam and confronting Gen. Westmorland on issues pertaining to Australia's involvement in the conflict.&nbsp; Though I still have no idea what's going to happen plot wise, it might put her in the interesting position of being the senior member of her government present in the area.<br><br>As for my character, I actually have a very specific sort of person in mind.&nbsp; He's actually inspired by Donald Sutherland's character "Oddball" in the movie Kelley's Heroes.&nbsp; Though the character was something of an anachronism in the movie's WW2 setting, he would be perfectly at home in Vietnam in the 60's.<br><br>If you're not familiar with the movie, here's a sample.&nbsp; Enjoy:&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>Kelly's Heroes Oddball - Negative Waves (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuStsFW4EmQ#)<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>17-07-2011, 11:21:20</strong>
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				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4936964#msg4936964">Quote from: Healergirl on 17-07-2011, 01:04:48</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">haibane,<br>Yes, that would work perfectly.&nbsp; The Australians had a very heavy military commitmtent to Vietnam considering the size of their population.&nbsp; A high-priority Australian government mission to Vietnam to meet personally with General Westmoreland and politely ask "What the hell is going on with Laos?" Is a very good way to gt you involved.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>Lovely. That's settled then. I'll go think about her personality now. Also thanks for the ideas TexasGuy but an Aussie diplomat is where I'm headed now, a senior one obviously. A civilian would make a nice mix I hope with the military types we already have on board.<br><br>My take is that the Australians have an embassy in Saigon and this lady works there on various non-military issues but has been sent to Gen Westmoreland's HQ on a fact-finding/liaison mission over the Laos problem.<br><br>Seeing as Kelly's Heroes was very much a child of the 60s and early 70s it's hardly surprising that Oddball fits into the peace-love-dope youth thinking of that era. I loved that move and Sutherland stole the show. As you say a bit odd for 1944 but fine in 1968.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>17-07-2011, 15:04:25</strong>
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				Haibane,<br><br>Not too senior.&nbsp; Your character will be more than a secretary, but remember the times - the Glass Ceiling was a very thick slab thick back then.&nbsp; On the plus side, your character would likely be massively overqualified for the position she holds.&nbsp; I am fighting the urge to spill spoilers, but since she will be&nbsp; the first person the invaders actually <strong>talk</strong> to this is a Good Thing for humanity.<br><br>I happen to adore Kelly's Heroes.&nbsp; Donald Sutherland, Clin tEastwood, Telly Savalas, Don Rickles, Carroll O'Connor.<br><br>My favorite dialogue from the film:<br><br>"I hate to say it, but you guys have made a wasted trip."<br><br>"You don't have to knock out the Tigers, you just have to keep them occupied."<br><br>"The only way I can keep three Tiger tanks occupied is to let them shoot holes through me."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>17-07-2011, 18:11:41</strong>
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				Not a problem with the seniority thing. I just assumed she'd have to carry some weight in order to be send on this mission (to Gen W regarding Laos that is, not the aalien thing).<br><br>And no spoilers please! :D
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>17-07-2011, 18:52:24</strong>
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				Haibane,<br><br>Oh yes, your character would be one of those Foreign Ministry careerists who are on the short list for diplomatic troubleshooting missions.<br><br><br><br>The same with the other characters.&nbsp; Before the Tet Offensive erupted, the Khe Sanh area was the only real hotspot, so naturally Top people would end up in that area.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>18-07-2011, 00:21:38</strong>
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				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4937794#msg4937794">Quote from: Healergirl on 17-07-2011, 04:10:45</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Phoenix was pretty tightly focused on direct counter-insurgency but with the highly fluid situation developing, such an operative could easily get dragged into the action.&nbsp; Sure.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Excellent. Now its time to do some research hehe.
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				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>18-07-2011, 00:55:54</strong>
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				Here is what I need from everybody:<br><br>Name (It can wait, though.&nbsp; I have stressed and&nbsp; fumed over naming characters myself.)<br><br>Gender<br><br>Age<br><br>Brief background up till character's current age.&nbsp; &nbsp;No need to go into great detail just yet, just something like self educated street kid, middle class urban or rural, upper class that sort of thing.&nbsp; And how man years you have been in your current profession.<br><br>Current profession CIA operative/soldier/chopper pilot/ diplomat.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>18-07-2011, 04:14:19</strong>
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				(http://roycedorazio.com/show/AdrianPaul.jpg)<br><br>Character Sheet:<br><br>Name: Samuel Edward Mackenzie<br><br>Gender: Male<br><br>Age: 42<br><br>Background: Samuel Mackenzie was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1926. His parents were Scottish immigrants and he had two older brothers, Dale and Scott. As a child, he excelled in school. In 1942, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour both of Samuel’s brothers enlisted in the army. Despite his desire to follow, Samuel was too young to enlist. He was forced to remain behind until 1943 when a clerical error allowed him to enlist at the age of 17. <br><br>Following basic training, Samuel was assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion and participated in the invasion of Normandy in June of 1944. He saw heavy combat in France for several months until he was wounded at the Battle of Brest in August of 1944. His first taste of intelligence work came while he was recovering in London. He was approached by the OSS and asked to courier a small case of documents to a resistance cell operating on the German border. Upon successful completion of that mission, he was used as a courier twice more in 1945. <br><br>Samuel returned to the United States in 1947 and attended Stanford University where he studied language and politics until 1952. Upon graduation, Mackenzie was recruited into the newly founded CIA and returned to Europe where he was stationed in Berlin until 1958 when he was transferred to Asia.<br><br>In 1959, Mackenzie was deployed along with the 77th Special Forces Group into Laos as a part of Operation “Hotshot.” There he helped train the Royal Laotian Army and members of the indigenous Hmong and Yao tribesmen as they struggled against Communist incursions into that area of the world. Mackenzie remained there until 1962 when the operation officially ended. <br><br>From there, Mackenzie began working as part of a counter insurgency taskforce codenamed “Iron Monkey” that worked to identify and neutralize key Communist figures throughout Vietnam and Laos. Eventually his unit was merged with the Phoenix Program when it was established in 1967.<br><br>Current profession: CIA Operative<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>kobrakid92</strong> on <strong>18-07-2011, 04:47:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Before I post my character sheet could you possibly help me find any infantry units stationed at Khe Sanh? I'm having trouble finding anything solid. Army or Marine infantry units are fine.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>18-07-2011, 20:01:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Athos,<br><br>You did fine.<br><br>Kobrakid92,<br><br>III Marine Amphibious force was at Khe Sanh historically as weer assorted US Army special forces units.<br><br>11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and 1st Cavalry division have detachment in the area and are redeploying to the Laotian border due to the ultimatum.&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>kobrakid92</strong> on <strong>18-07-2011, 20:21:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Name- Alex Fields<br><br>Gender- Male<br><br>Age- 35<br><br>Brief background up till character's current age- Born during the depression. His father fought and died in World War 2. He dropped out of school and joined the Marines at age 17 and fought in the Korean War. He has slowly climbed the ranks ever since and now serves in Vietnam at Khe Sanh.<br><br>Current profession- Sergent First Class, Squad Leader for III Marine Expeditionary Force.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>18-07-2011, 20:38:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kobrakid92,<br><br>Perfect.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>19-07-2011, 00:19:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(http://i.ehow.com/images/a07/ua/c9/everyday-hairstyles-60s-800x800.jpg)<br><br>Ag, its so hard to find images of stylish women from the 60s if they are not Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Onassis or Audrey Hepburn. Anyway, I think the face above is a suitable mix of stylish, well-educated and not too plain.<br><br><strong>Name:</strong> Michelle Jane Rawlinson; "Mitch" to her very close friends or "Em-Jay" - to her professional colleagues, it's "Ma'am".<br><br><strong>Gender:</strong> Lady<br><br><strong>Age:</strong> 38<br><br><strong>Background:</strong> Born in Sydney, 1930 to a lawyer father and orthodontist mother. Her family lacked nothing and was financially "robust" (in other words white, middle class and democrats). Educated at St. Andrews Cathedral School and Macquarie University, Mitch graduated in 1944 as a BA in psychology with a degree in Bachelor of Laws.<br><br>She practiced in her fathers law partnership of Melksham, Rawlinson and Grundie until the age of 29 before accepting a post of assistant under-secretary to the State Department for Internal Affairs (Immigration) in 1960. Progressing at a meteoric rate she joined Australia's diplomatic ranks and was posted to Manila during the Abercrombie-Coulson affair in 1964 and was seconded to the Australian embassy in Saigon in 1966, with a specialist portfolio in "military projected politics."<br><br><strong>Current profession:</strong> Diplomat. There are also rumours of an affair with a high ranking U.S.N. officer.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>19-07-2011, 00:39:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I love that picture, Haibane.<br><br>Her eyes seem to be saying "Get on with it.&nbsp; That mess in Southeast Asia wont solve itself.&nbsp; I'm doing this&nbsp; shot for Mum and Dad. Doubtless&nbsp; they will show it off to the parents of every man my age they know."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>19-07-2011, 08:12:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Glad you like her! After lots of searching I got the image from a site about 1960s hairstyles :-/&nbsp; I'm wondering if she'll be either useful in the game or totally out of her depth!<br><br>I put the Manilla posting in there BTW to suggest she laid some groundwork then in liaising with the US armed forces and politicians but at a low level of course.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>19-07-2011, 14:57:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hey, Healergirl. This looks like a whole lot of fun. :) I've got an idea for a character for you.<br><br>Name Aaronn&nbsp; Blacke<br>Gender: Male<br>Age: 18<br>Brief background: Aaronn was a good student in both middle school and high school; with high grades and commendations from many of his teachers, it seemed like he could become anything he wanted to be. Then the draft hit him, though, and instead of being a lawyer, or a doctor, or an investor, he ended up a soldier. <br><br>Aaronn has proven himself to be quite the capable person when under fire; a heavy dose of intelligence allows him to often keep his emotions separate, not allowing them to influence him away from what is the most logical course of action.&nbsp; He is also quite precocious, and loves to study new things, some times simply for the sake of keeping his brain active.<br><br>Intelligent and perceptive, and able to keep his cool under fire (as well as having the patience to sit around, hours at a time, unflinching) has earned Aaronn the role of sniper; a task he excels at . Aaronn himself uses an M21 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M21_Sniper_Weapon_System) sniper rifle, as well as packing a service revolver (chambered to fire .38) as a sidearm.<br><br>Current profession: Sniper<br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>19-07-2011, 19:58:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/72/Ricoeur.jpg)</div> (Hello! In hopes that you are still accepting applications, I'd like to present: )<br><br>Name: Etienne Gervais<br><br>Gender: Male<br><br>Age: 45<br><br>Background (entirely open to change if needed):<br>Born in 1925, his father was an early electronics repairman with a small shop on the outskirts of Montreal. Etienne wanted to sign up in 1942 but his Catholic father was vehemently opposed to his son (as he put it) "becoming a killer" and prohibited his enlistment. <br><br>The morning of Etienne's eighteenth birthday, he snuck out well before dawn and was standing in front of the registration center before it opened, waiting to sign up. He was promptly disowned by his father. Etienne was sent to Camp Valcartier for basic training, then was held back from deployment for radio and signal operations training due to his experience in his father's shop. Etienne participated in the landings at Juno beach, Normandy in June 1944 as a radio operator with 3d Canadian Division. <br><br>Discharged in 1945, Etienne returned to Canada but felt out of place and uninvolved in the civil sector. In 1946 he returned to France and joined the <em>Légion étrangère</em>, being deployed to Indochina in early 1947, again as a field radio operator. Shortly after the Battle of the Day River, he was promoted to <em>Caporal Chef</em> and recommended for officer's candidacy. He returned to France in late 1952 for cadet training. <br><br>By the end of the year as a fresh <em>Sous-Lieutenant</em> with field experience against the <em>Pathet Lao</em> and <em>Viet Minh</em>, Etienne had been snapped up by the SDECE's <em>11e bataillon parachutiste de choc</em>, given a brief series of course introductions to parachuting, counterespionage tactics, psychological warfare and guerrilla recruitment/liaison, and returned to Indochina as part of a unit which started out training the <em>Groupement de commandos mixtes aéroportés </em>and went on to establish and train Partisan units among the Northern Hmong and Nung <em>montagnards</em>. <br><br>During the transition, Etienne remained in Laos as a SDECE liaison officer among the Hmong, working with the American CIA (who were picking up the reins of the French-created <em>montagnard</em> units) until 1959, when he was shot during the Vietnamese invasion of Laos and lost his left leg below the knee.<br><br>Etienne returned to France and an SDECE desk job as a full Lieutenant, writing about operations in Indochina, the use of Partisan troops, and specifically his military experiences among the Hmong. <br><br>Now, almost nine years later, he is returning once more as a field liaison in Vietnam (and probably Laos) with a memorized list of personal and also recommended contacts (both American and Hmong), freshly minted <em>brevet-Capitaine</em>'s bars, and a prosthetic foot, to see what can be learned about the bizarre ultimatum which has surfaced.<br>&nbsp;<br>(Etienne is: Fairly mild and moral; farsighted; missing his left leg below the knee; an adequate pistol and rifle shot; a reasonably good speaker and translator of French, Hmong, Vietnamese and English; good at orienteering, radio comms, and electronics repair; and a responsible leader. Hopefully his CIA connections and history will make him easy to fold into the group? He's no commando or Rambo, but an officer with some combat experience primarily focused around communications and liaison. He has carried a rifle, but rarely if ever shot it at a person, being more concerned with radio operations and command decision-making in the field while others handled immediate security.)<br><br>Current Profession: SDECE (French rough equivalent to the CIA) Liaison
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>19-07-2011, 20:17:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He sounds like an extremely useful person to have around!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>19-07-2011, 23:24:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Carnival of the Goat,<br><br>Welcome aboard!<br><br>TheHangedMan,<br><br>Considering the interest you showed in an earlier incarnation f this idea, I really should have sent you an invitation.&nbsp; you are quite welcome to play.&nbsp; At 18, your character is too young to be an officer, but your sniper idea is intriguing.&nbsp; Go with that.<br><br>So a diplomat, two combat soldiers, two covert ops people, a chopper pilot (NiceTexasGuy, just waiting on your character description).<br><br>That will be enough for me to handle.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>20-07-2011, 00:44:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;:-) It's all cool, Healer. I made a slight tweak to my original post to make him just a sniper. Does that look groovy? Also, sounds like a pretty solid six man team to have. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>20-07-2011, 01:01:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4949750#msg4949750">Quote from: Haibane on 19-07-2011, 20:17:31</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">He sounds like an extremely useful person to have around!<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Just don't ask him to dance. ;)<br><br>I'm sure all of our characters will be very useful at various points. :) Diplomatic connections in a situation like this can accomplish all sorts of things!<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4950355#msg4950355">Quote from: Healergirl on 19-07-2011, 23:24:48</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Carnival of the Goat,<br><br>Welcome aboard!<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Thank you. Carni is fine. :)<br><br>I have a feeling that Samuel may be a little more 'covert' than Etienne, based on Samuel's 'Iron Monkey' and Phoenix Program experience. Also possibly more of a combatsman since he didn't spend most of his career lugging a radio over hill and dale. :) They both seem to be good translators/liaisons, with local contacts that will hopefully come in handy! <br><br>I should have read Athos' character more closely. They're so similar that they might've already met (If you'd like, Athos) in a few places (Normandy, and the hand-off of the Hmong <em>montagnard</em> bands from French control to American during Operation Hotfoot)! I suppose it's a symptom of us both having similar character ideas (existing connections to insurgents in Laos, old grognards 'retired' to a combat liaison/agent mode) and the same historic period which made certain major events stand out. That and me failing to do more than quickly skim the other characters and decide to do an old soldier from the French-Indochina period since I didn't see anyone else...&nbsp; D'oh! :)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>20-07-2011, 01:35:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Carni,<br><br>Your character is fine, A French operative fits perfectly. In fact, I was going to have one as an NPC, a PC works even better.&nbsp; You make a good point about Knowing Athos's character, we will go with that, if that's OK with Athos.&nbsp; Hm, level of&nbsp; cover.&nbsp; Etienne is an Official Cover operative.&nbsp; Regardless of his official title, everybody knows he is SDECE, they just pretend he isn't.&nbsp; Samuel is Non Official Cover.&nbsp; He may be suspected of being CIA, but all non-military Americans were suspected of that in Vietnam.<br><br>TheHangedMan,<br><br>Looks good. Nice touch with the revolver, BTW.&nbsp; Reliability over rate of fire.&nbsp; Very sniperish.<br><br>I agree this is turning into a perfectly balanced group for the game, and without any real prompting from me. You all came up with the characters on your own.<br>You've got some muscle in the group to keep everybody alive, a pilot (chopper pilots qualify on fixed-wing before they get near a helicopter) while the intel people and the diplomat gather the information and make the contacts needed to find out what&nbsp; on (or off) earth is going on and help formulate a plan to deal with it. <br><br>&nbsp;Well done!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>20-07-2011, 01:53:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4950626#msg4950626">Quote from: CarnivalOfTheGoat on 20-07-2011, 01:01:07</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">I should have read Athos' character more closely. They're so similar that they might've already met (If you'd like, Athos) in a few places (Normandy, and the hand-off of the Hmong <em>montagnard</em> bands from French control to American during Operation Hotfoot)! I suppose it's a symptom of us both having similar character ideas (existing connections to insurgents in Laos, old grognards 'retired' to a combat liaison/agent mode) and the same historic period which made certain major events stand out. That and me failing to do more than quickly skim the other characters and decide to do an old soldier from the French-Indochina period since I didn't see anyone else...&nbsp; D'oh! :)<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>No worries, great minds think alike eh? Your character looks great and I'm absolutely for the idea that Sam and Etienne know each other. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>20-07-2011, 03:46:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Thanks, Healer. Glad you like.&nbsp; :-)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>20-07-2011, 05:51:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4950814#msg4950814">Quote from: Athos on 20-07-2011, 01:53:18</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">No worries, great minds think alike eh? Your character looks great and I'm absolutely for the idea that Sam and Etienne know each other.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Thanks, I look forward to seeing how everyone interacts in-country! Do you have any preference for Normandy, then, or Hotfoot? Or even both? Coincidence can make good story and an awful lot of troops were poured into an awfully small area at Normandy, and the Hotfoot program was definitely a likely place to meet, since there were only very small groups of *COUGH* "observers" *COUGH* in both the French and American eras and the handoff wasn't an overnight 'One walks in, the other walks out' situation, since it involved the replacement in many cases of small teams of people who had been living among the tribes for years, and necessitated some time to build local trust. So either one works easily. Or both.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>NiceTexasGuy</strong> on <strong>20-07-2011, 14:36:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sorry, everyone, I was without internet for a couple of days, and I'm running late at the moment, but I'll try to post something as soon as I get back later today.<br><br>Ciao.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>20-07-2011, 21:50:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4951701#msg4951701">Quote from: CarnivalOfTheGoat on 20-07-2011, 05:51:55</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Thanks, I look forward to seeing how everyone interacts in-country! Do you have any preference for Normandy, then, or Hotfoot? Or even both? Coincidence can make good story and an awful lot of troops were poured into an awfully small area at Normandy, and the Hotfoot program was definitely a likely place to meet, since there were only very small groups of *COUGH* "observers" *COUGH* in both the French and American eras and the handoff wasn't an overnight 'One walks in, the other walks out' situation, since it involved the replacement in many cases of small teams of people who had been living among the tribes for years, and necessitated some time to build local trust. So either one works easily. Or both.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>I would vote for both. Maybe a passing meeting during the chaos of Normandy and then obviously closer dealings during "Hotshot." I was thinking that their relationship might be somewhat adversarial in nature. Etienne strikes me as a little more by the book where I see Mac being far more 'the ends justify the means,' kind of a person. That being said, that doesn't necessarily mean that they don't have a mutual respect for each other. I dunno, lemme know what you think.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>20-07-2011, 22:27:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4954155#msg4954155">Quote from: Athos on 20-07-2011, 21:50:07</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">I would vote for both. Maybe a passing meeting during the chaos of Normandy and then obviously closer dealings during "Hotshot." I was thinking that their relationship might be somewhat adversarial in nature. Etienne strikes me as a little more by the book where I see Mac being far more 'the ends justify the means,' kind of a person. That being said, that doesn't necessarily mean that they don't have a mutual respect for each other. I dunno, lemme know what you think.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Sounds good to me.<br><br>And yes, Etienne is probably a bit more rigid about doing things 'the right way' whenever possible. He's fairly mild, personality-wise (I was rather pleased with the image I found for him because I think it shows a great deal of personality. Clearly scarred but...He's not some dour, bitter, dead-serious type.); not a very aggressive personality except when immediate command-response is required (I picture there being a significant difference between his 'conversational voice' and his 'command voice'), so he's not likely to really get in Mac's face about it directly so much as to be competitive. And he'd <em>never</em> argue about it in the middle of a situation. (Prompt execution of a non-optimal decision usually trumps standing around not coming to a decision, in the field.) I'd imagine they're not keen on each others' methods. The focus on protocol vs. results would be somewhat appropriate for their respective national allegiances, also. While Etienne has been through the French equivalent of SERE and can handle himself in a nasty situation, that isn't what he was there to train the native auxiliaries in. I'm guessing that Mac probably has a much longer list of dirty tricks and fewer compunctions about their use.<br><br>In Normandy, Etienne wouldn't have been anything special other than having to carry a heavy-damn field radio on his back.<br><br>In Laos, Etienne probably introduced Mac to a very nicely regimented little group of Montagnards that were trained to keep their weapons clean, do recce and give a thorough report, work well in concert with actual army troops if the need arose, follow orders and to set up a good ambush...But who were NOT trained in all the underhanded, really nasty elements of mantrapping, psychological warfare/terror attacks against enemy civilians, etc. which were beginning to be prevalent in other zones of the conflict. Admittedly, at the time Etienne was initially assigned to train them, the <em>Montagnards</em> were seen by the French as local militia liable to be used in either a hit and run or a stand up interdiction defense against a Vietnamese <em>invasion</em>...as opposed to hit-and-run guerrilla irregulars in an occupied nation. They would almost certainly have spent some weeks with the tribe together during the 'handoff', and if the invasion came before that handoff they'd have both been in it.<br><br>Big point in favor of Mac's way of doing things though :) Sure enough, when the invasion <em>did</em> come, the northern <em>Montagnards</em> did get rolled up and the survivors went to ground in proper commando fashion...And mister European knight <em>did</em> get part of his calf blown off and sent home, and from then on indigenous forces in that war definitely were more effective by using more covert, more nasty methods.<br><br>I imagine they see each other as being competent soldiers and officers...But they occasionally question the usefulness/appropriateness to the situation of the things which the other person is competent <em>AT</em>. Etienne being more of the old school mentality about imperial arming of local groups, and apparently Mac having the newer, more aggressive 'black project' mentality.<br><br>As an example, I can <em>definitely</em> see Etienne getting shot by doing the horribly traditional 'stand up, be visible, inspire the troops' thing. And Mac pretty well going 'What did you THINK was going to happen, dammit?'<br><br>Sound good? If not, please hack at/modify as you like. I'm a mild and agreeable sort myself. ;)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>20-07-2011, 22:32:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Also, just to be sure we're on the same page, you've said 'Hotshot' twice in posts now. I think we're talking about the same thing but just to be sure:<br><br>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_White_Star (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_White_Star) (initialized as 'Operation Hotfoot')<br><br>This, yes? Training of the RLA, Hmong, Nung, et al.?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 02:34:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4954325#msg4954325">Quote from: CarnivalOfTheGoat on 20-07-2011, 22:32:51</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Also, just to be sure we're on the same page, you've said 'Hotshot' twice in posts now. I think we're talking about the same thing but just to be sure:<br><br>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_White_Star (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_White_Star) (initialized as 'Operation Hotfoot')<br><br>This, yes? Training of the RLA, Hmong, Nung, et al.?<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Yeah sorry, you're absolutely right it's Hotfoot. For some reason I keep thinking hotshot instead. -shrugs- Weird how my mind works (or doesn't) at times.<br><br>It looks like you've done quite a bit of research which, sadly, is something I haven't been able to do beyond having a cursory glance at a few time lines. I think you've got a great handle on where I'm going with Mac and his work with Etienne. I don't want to say that Mac is evil for evil's sake, but I see him as being such an idealist that he's willing to turn himself into a monster as long as he believes that the cause he does it for is just. To that end he's more than ready to meet his enemies, and their families, friends or even innocent bystanders with brutal violence if it means furthering his goals.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>NiceTexasGuy</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 05:43:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I have a fairly extensive biography for this guy and wasn't sure if I should post it.&nbsp; I haven't figured out how to do that <em>hide</em> thing for spoilers and the like.&nbsp; So, what I'll do is post the short version first, then the longer one below it, so you'll have a choice regarding how much you want to know about him. <br><br><strong>Name:</strong> Gerald (Jerry) Browers<br><br><strong>Gender:</strong>&nbsp; Male<br><br><strong>Age:</strong> 27<br><br><strong>Job:</strong> 1LT, U.S. Army, Helicopter Pilot<br><br><strong>Physical Description:</strong> Tall and thin, with long hair and scraggly beard.&nbsp; His trademark clothes are an imitation leather jacket (he believes wearing real leather results in bad karma) and old style flying helmet (also imitation leather) complete with goggles. <br><br><strong>Picture:</strong>&nbsp; (http://www.trailershut.com/actor-images/donald-sutherland-4669.jpg)<br><br><strong>General:</strong>&nbsp; Few people in Vietnam know his real name ... he is usually referred to as "Crackpot" ... He is currently on his second tour in country, and is getting worse regarding his non-military bearing and behavior.&nbsp; His value as a pilot with exceptional skills and daring (many people assume from his actions he has a death wish - though there are indications this is not the case) has resulted in his superior officers overlooking most of his flaws, but they know they can't allow it to go on.&nbsp; It has gotten to the point everyone else in his unit refuses to fly with him, yet he continues to fly medevac missions and do the occasional job nobody else wants (ie: extracting troops from dangerous situations).&nbsp; If asked, he claims he does this to build up good karma.<br><br>=============================<br><br><strong>Name:</strong> Gerald (Jerry) Browers<br><br><strong>Gender:</strong>&nbsp; Male<br><br><strong>Age:</strong> 27<br><br><strong>Job:</strong> 1LT, U.S. Army, Helicopter Pilot<br><br><strong>Hometown:</strong> South Park, Colorado<br><br><strong>Physical Description:</strong> Tall and thin, with long hair and scraggly beard.&nbsp; His trademark clothes are an imitation leather jacket (he believes wearing real leather results in bad karma) and old style flying helmet (also imitation leather) complete with goggles.<br><br><strong>History:</strong> Jerry was a typical middle American middle class teenage boy... experimenting with sex and alcohol, and (very rarely) other substances; bullying the smaller kids; playing at various sports; and taking dares at the drop of a hat.&nbsp; Both gross- and fine motor skills not only made him a natural athlete, but also later served him as a pilot.&nbsp; His first two years of college his major was "undeclared" and when forced to pick, chose psychology as a major.&nbsp; He doesn't remember why, but it may have been because one of the instructors in the psychology department was female.<br>&nbsp; <br>Jerry also joined ROTC, not out of a sense of patriotism, but for the financial assistance the government provided.&nbsp; After graduation from college, Jerry was commissioned and went to flight school to full the increasing demand for UH-1 Huey pilots in Southeast Asia.&nbsp; He wasn't necessarily for or against the war when it started (technically, it wasn't a war, and it's starting point was ambiguous, so we'll say when things started to heat up and U.S. involvement grew), he was just trying to survive training.&nbsp; He arrived "in country" on his 24th birthday.&nbsp; The year was 1965, and Vietnam still looked to most eager young Army officers be a great adventure.<br><br>In that first year, he had experienced the same traumas that many people experience in war ... witnessing traumatic injuries and death, loss of friends, survivor's guilt... naturally it changed him, but he was still the dedicated Army officer and had built up a reputation as an outstanding pilot.&nbsp; Near the end of his first tour, Jerry disobeyed orders and picked up some wounded soldiers out of a "hot LZ" which had been closed due to intense enemy fire.&nbsp; One of the lives he saved was the son of a general.&nbsp; Now, in the general's eyes, he could do no wrong, and was rewarded for his skillful flying with a tour on the general's staff back in the U.S. and as his "personal pilot."&nbsp; <br><br>Meanwhile, anti-war sentiment in the US was growing, and Jerry's exposure to high ranking officers and their conduct was causing him to question a lot of things he took for granted.&nbsp; Falling out of favor with his boss one evening (the details are sketchy, but there was rumored to be alcohol involved .... and a stolen mule ... maybe some fireworks ...&nbsp; and a cocktail party involving some Army brass and a couple of senators) Jerry was on the next flight back to Vietnam. <br>&nbsp;<br>Now, he's the crazy guy with a reputation as the guy who take the risks nobody in his right mind would take. A lot of GI's owe their life to this guy most of them only know as "Crackpot" ... He let his hair grow out, and wore a cheap toupee in a halfhearted attempt to remain within regulations.&nbsp; Eventually, he just stopped wearing it altogether and let the beard grow, too.&nbsp; Because he continued to perform admirably, his superiors simply tried to keep him out of the public eye (meaning visiting brass) ... and kept him tucked away at remote locations as much as possible.&nbsp; Of course that sort of thing can't go on forever.<br><br>Disciplinary action was pending when the word came down that things were heating up for the jarheads at Khe Sanh.<br><br><br><strong>Persona:</strong>&nbsp; Jerry is now a very spiritual man, though many theologians would have some difficulty figuring out what it is he believes.&nbsp; He'll often quote philosophers, but usually attribute the quote to the wrong person.&nbsp; He is seldom drunk but his manner of speech would indicate otherwise.&nbsp; He usually slurs his words, goes off on a tangent talking about things nobody else cares about, and has pet names for everyone, or strange terms of endearment he uses at random.&nbsp; Even when the meat in the chow hall is identifiable, he doesn't eat it.&nbsp; He is an expert on teas of the world, and has a collection of every conceivable type of tea known to man.&nbsp; He will often suggest cures for what ails a person by prescribing different blends of tea. Jerry seldom worries about anything, and when something goes wrong, blames it on the negative thought processes of those around him. <br><br>=======================<br><br><strong>Spoiler within a spoiler:</strong>&nbsp; He might not be quite as good a pilot as everyone seems to think.&nbsp; It's possible he's gotten by on a combination of luck, the belief in his superior skills and the resulting daring-do.&nbsp; Still, there's no doubt he is a <em>competent</em> pilot, just maybe not as good as everyone seems to think.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 11:31:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				From the depth of some of these bios I think I need to develop Mitch's background a bit more. A one-liner history with no personality notes is now looking decidedly lazy!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 14:04:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sweet Jesus.&nbsp; Oddball as chopper pilot.&nbsp; Well done NTG.<br><br>Haibane, no worries take your time.<br><br>I'm working up the initial where you are/what's happening around you posts, will have those up today/this evening (For&nbsp; Eastern Standard Time)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 14:34:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4955251#msg4955251">Quote from: Athos on 21-07-2011, 02:34:06</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Yeah sorry, you're absolutely right it's Hotfoot. For some reason I keep thinking hotshot instead. -shrugs- Weird how my mind works (or doesn't) at times.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>The two sound alike and we use 'hotshot' more in modern times than 'hotfoot' which has kind of fallen out of the vocabulary. <br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4955251#msg4955251">Quote from: Athos on 21-07-2011, 02:34:06</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">It looks like you've done quite a bit of research which, sadly, is something I haven't been able to do beyond having a cursory glance at a few time lines. I think you've got a great handle on where I'm going with Mac and his work with Etienne. I don't want to say that Mac is evil for evil's sake, but I see him as being such an idealist that he's willing to turn himself into a monster as long as he believes that the cause he does it for is just. To that end he's more than ready to meet his enemies, and their families, friends or even innocent bystanders with brutal violence if it means furthering his goals.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>I'm an evil history maven. I actually wanted to teach it for a long time!<br><br>War is a situation which undermines easy definitions of morality. I don't think Etienne would see Mac as 'evil'. I certainly would not, personally. The question that faces every person sooner or later is 'how far will you go to do what you believe is right?'<br><br>Many characters and people find it fairly easy to say 'I would die.' It is far harder to say 'I would place my own self-love at risk by becoming something I hate and loathe.'<br><br>Not saying that is where Mac is going! Just sort of showing the ends of the spectrum.<br><br>To my way of thinking 'Evil' starts to enter the picture when one is doing things for the sake of doing them out of some personal enjoyment or desire. It's much harder to quantify when one is doing things for the sake of the bigger picture. You start looking at things like 'If I do something horrible to this one person, and that saves ten lives, then is doing the horrible thing 'evil' or 'good'?' And yet, that same kind of math is used by doctors trying to stem an epidemic...And terrorists attempting to change the world by 'accompanied self-immolation'.<br><br>It's slippery ground.<br><br>But it's what keeps philosophers in business!<br><br>I am definitely looking forward to getting IC with everyone, the way this group is shaping up.<br><br>And NTG...Good heavens your character looks fun.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>NiceTexasGuy</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 15:34:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4956870#msg4956870">Quote from: Haibane on 21-07-2011, 11:31:27</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">From the depth of some of these bios I think I need to develop Mitch's background a bit more. A one-liner history with no personality notes is now looking decidedly lazy!<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Actually, I believe that was the assignment, it was the rest of us who didn't pay attention.&nbsp; My excuse is that I tend to talk too much sometimes.<br><br>*****<br><br>As for my Oddball character (henceforth known as "Crackpot"), it might seem like cheating to use something akin to a preexisting character, but I had gotten excited over the prospect of playing him in another game elsewhere in the forum when it was decided I needed to play a more serious security-minded guy.&nbsp; Anyway, I'm happy for the opportunity now, and since I'm a little overwhelmed by real life at the moment, I'm looking at playing more of a supporting role, and certainly not being the most active character in the play.&nbsp; I hope this is okay.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 15:35:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4957036#msg4957036">Quote from: Healergirl on 21-07-2011, 14:04:51</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Sweet Jesus.&nbsp; Oddball as chopper pilot.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div> He was scary enough in command of a Sherman. At the end of the movie he was in charge of a Tiger (which is MUCH scarier) but a Huey? Ow.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4957212#msg4957212">Quote from: NiceTexasGuy on 21-07-2011, 15:34:46</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Actually, I believe that was the assignment, it was the rest of us who didn't pay attention.&nbsp; My excuse is that I tend to talk too much sometimes.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div> Be that as it may, I still think now that we have so many great characters shaping up mine needs a tweak here and there. Sometimes verbosity has its benefits.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 15:46:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I should work on my character's history more, too. But I don't know, this is a block I run into every time I roleplay. I can't seem to think of anything that makes sense until I start playing the character. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 18:02:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				THM,&nbsp; <br><br>I have the same problem.&nbsp; Add details as they come to you.<br><br>Haibane, <br><br>No rush, fill her bio in at your leisure.<br><br>NTG,<br><br>I loved Oddball, so no problem at all.&nbsp; As to your RL stuff, been there done that.&nbsp; No worries.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 18:44:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				IC Thread:<br><br><br><br>http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113972.0 (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113972.0)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 18:48:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Glad I'm not alone, Healer.&nbsp; :-) It's like, I go to myself "Why is he doing this?" And then a second later "because this, that, and the other thing happened to him, and that shaped him to respond to this situation in that way." I build the blocks, then after a while, I loop them all together. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 22:43:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4957212#msg4957212">Quote from: NiceTexasGuy on 21-07-2011, 15:34:46</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Actually, I believe that was the assignment, it was the rest of us who didn't pay attention.&nbsp; My excuse is that I tend to talk too much sometimes.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Yeah, somewhere along the line I totally lost track of the word 'brief' and went berserk on the keyboard. Sorry.<br><br>And I tend to write too much sometimes. &lt;_&lt;<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4957212#msg4957212">Quote from: NiceTexasGuy on 21-07-2011, 15:34:46</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">As for my Oddball character (henceforth known as "Crackpot"), it might seem like cheating to use something akin to a preexisting character, but I had gotten excited over the prospect of playing him in another game elsewhere in the forum when it was decided I needed to play a more serious security-minded guy.&nbsp; Anyway, I'm happy for the opportunity now, and since I'm a little overwhelmed by real life at the moment, I'm looking at playing more of a supporting role, and certainly not being the most active character in the play.&nbsp; I hope this is okay.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>On character design:<br>I think we all base our characters off characters we've seen/known. There's a classic writer's tenet that say 'Everything has been done before.' which is related to the 'There are only (X number) of plots/stories.' Anyhow, as I said, the character looks FUN. Which is what's important, since this is a game. ;)<br><br>The BEST characters 'write themselves', and I think most writers/would-be-authors are constantly hoping to 'find' one of those, but too many English courses drill us to make a 'history/background/personality' of the character whether or not we can 'feel' the character. It's an academic crutch for those times we are unsure of what the character will do, I think? So in a way I totally envy you people who build your characters 'from feel'. <br><br>And as far as I'm concerned, RL always comes first. I tend to post a fair bit because I have a lot of free time just now, but I also look out for how much other people have posted. I'm not one to have a thirty-post exchange with another active player...While there are two other characters in the room who should be included in the conversation. Patience, I can have it. :)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 22:58:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				What Carni said about RL.&nbsp; I do ask that you try to let me know if you will be absent/slow for a time.&nbsp; I can always make allowances/ play games with gmetime to keep everybody more or less on track.<br><br>The initial post is up in the IC thread, let me know if you want to make any changes to your starting circumstances.<br><br><br>IC:&nbsp; &nbsp;http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113972.0 (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113972.0)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 23:12:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4957654#msg4957654">Quote from: Healergirl on 21-07-2011, 18:02:11</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Haibane, <br><br>No rush, fill her bio in at your leisure.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>What I may do then is do as others confess to doing, which is to build the character as the game goes on but add to her bio here as new info becomes known or I decide that's how she is.<br><br>Given that, might we have a characters thread for the game possibly? It'll help me find everyone quickly too.<br><br>EDIT: Edited to fix dumb typos. Damn you typos, damn your eyes!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>NiceTexasGuy</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 23:18:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				There have been times when I've been amazed at how neatly a story falls into place when I had none of it planned out.&nbsp; It's part of what makes writing and playing so interesting.<br><br>As for posting in the IC thread, do you want us to try to go in order based on your addressing each character in turn?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>21-07-2011, 23:28:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				No need to go in strict order right now, NTG.&nbsp; Post away.&nbsp; If I run into problems keeping continuity straight, that may change but let's keep things more fluid for now.&nbsp; I didn't have an order in mind while I was writing, it just got put to paper as the idea's solidified in my head.&nbsp; I do have an outline of where the game is going, but that outline is very much subject to alteration by player action.&nbsp; I am a very flexible GM.<br><br>Haibane, A character thread is a great idea.<br><br>Character thread:&nbsp; http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=114016.0 (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=114016.0)<br>edited to post a link to the character thread in the proper forum this time.&nbsp; Silly me.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>22-07-2011, 06:54:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">I'm an evil history maven. I actually wanted to teach it for a long time!</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Very cool! I've always found history fascinating myself, particularly ancient history. <br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">But it's what keeps philosophers in business!</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Pssst! Wanna know a secret? Mac is short for Machiavelli, not Mackenzie. Possibly with a sprinkle of Nietzsche here and there, but we'll see.&nbsp; &gt;.&gt;<br><br>Anyway, I'm going to try and get a post up for Mac sometime tonight before I head off to bed. Nice opening post Healergirl, I'm really excited to see where the story goes.<br><br><br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>22-07-2011, 20:35:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Carni,<br><br>If you don't mind me asking, how on earth did you pick CarnivalOfTheGoat as your handle?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>22-07-2011, 20:52:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4963669#msg4963669">Quote from: Healergirl on 22-07-2011, 20:35:21</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Carni,<br><br>If you don't mind me asking, how on earth did you pick CarnivalOfTheGoat as your handle?<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>It's a couple of things, really. I have a few silly goat masks that I've had just forever...Since I was a kid, if ewe'll excuse my saying so. ;)<br><br>Goats are sort of a bizarre combination of a domesticated animal AND a symbol of sexuality/decadence/evil/what have you depending on the culture. In a single religion they are both the representation of innocent, helpless sacrifice AND a symbol of malignant evil...A very, very peculiar duality!<br><br>The particular phrase came out of one of the most recent games I've been interested in, Eclipse Phase (http://www.eclipsephase.com/), which actually HAS a setting called 'The Carnival of the Goat' (alright, it's a floating anarchist colony on a spaceship) and that sort of conjoins all of the peculiarities of innocent fun, sinister decadence and dark mythology which are attendant to carnivals (if you don't know what I'm referring to, DO read Bradbury's <em>Dark Carnival </em>and <em>October People </em>work, particularly <em>'Something Wicked This Way Comes'</em>, I've yet to meet the person who didn't enjoy the latter).<br><br>It's something of a callback to Halloween as a child, back in the 70s, when things were scary for all the <em>right</em>, fun reasons as opposed to the parentally paranoid reasons. Which goes back to the masks, and subconscious symbolism and...Yeah. It's semiotically convoluted, isn't it?<br><br>But then, if it was obvious, you'd never have asked!<br><br>Off to the story-forum I go!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>22-07-2011, 21:14:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I'm not who asked about it, but that's an amazing way to pick a name, Carni.&nbsp; :-) And the avatar is very fitting to boot. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>22-07-2011, 21:34:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Forgive me if I don't post for a day or three, we have a busy weekend on our plate this weekend, its a motor racing event at Silverstone, our local race track and as my hubby is a frenzied fan and I am a fan of slightly lesser frenziedness (though not much) we are busy going out until late Monday so I probably will not be able to post until Tuesday. I am sorry this break happened just as the game got going.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>22-07-2011, 21:47:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Oh, understood completely, Haibane.&nbsp; Don't worry about it.&nbsp; I've been thinking about how to handle that sort of thing, it's pretty much inevitable for this medium.&nbsp; I will get you squarely back into the thick of things when you are able to post again, never fear.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>22-07-2011, 22:57:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4963849#msg4963849">Quote from: TheHangedMan on 22-07-2011, 21:14:27</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">I'm not who asked about it, but that's an amazing way to pick a name, Carni.&nbsp; :-) And the avatar is very fitting to boot.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Thanks!<br><br>Might I ask what drew you to the Hanged Man? That's a rather particular piece of tarot iconography and not one of the more popular ones for people to identify with.<br><br>Also, awesome opening posts everyone. Particularly NTG. Given the rather grim atmosphere, I can see that Jerry is going to provide a nice dose of levity.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>23-07-2011, 01:09:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It's not a popular one to identify with, no, but at the same time, I feel that I genuinely do identify with it. It also likes to show up in the occasional readings I get. <br><br>I'm curious, what's your interpretation of it? 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>24-07-2011, 09:02:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4964827#msg4964827">Quote from: TheHangedMan on 23-07-2011, 01:09:02</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">It's not a popular one to identify with, no, but at the same time, I feel that I genuinely do identify with it. It also likes to show up in the occasional readings I get. <br><br>I'm curious, what's your interpretation of it?<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Outside of some research I did for a short story once, I don't know huge lots about the tarot. I do recall that it reminded me of Legba in an impatient way, as it were. Cusp. Moment of decision and know that you have to give up the easy path.<br><br>If I were to guess about a person's views based on it being the card they identified with I'd sort of assume that they viewed their life as an uphill slog that demanded constant reinvention.<br><br>What I was getting at before was more to do with its popularity. The cards one usually sees (in my experience) people attaching are things like death, the devil, the tower, strength based on rule of cool. And of course the various minor royalty. The hanged man doesn't follow the rule of cool thing, I've never heard someone lay claim to it as 'their card' before. :)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>24-07-2011, 13:48:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Carni,<br><br>I think you're dead-on with the rule of cool thing.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>24-07-2011, 13:55:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Carni,<br><br>I think those pictures are wonderful!<br><br>That reclining statuein the second.&nbsp; I wonder if that is masonry or if the workmen started with a honking big rock and chipped away everything that didn't look right?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>24-07-2011, 19:18:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I'm going to echo Healer here, those pictures are amazing Carni!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>TheHangedOne</strong> on <strong>24-07-2011, 23:34:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4971098#msg4971098">Quote from: CarnivalOfTheGoat on 24-07-2011, 09:02:41</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Outside of some research I did for a short story once, I don't know huge lots about the tarot. I do recall that it reminded me of Legba in an impatient way, as it were. Cusp. Moment of decision and know that you have to give up the easy path.<br><br>If I were to guess about a person's views based on it being the card they identified with I'd sort of assume that they viewed their life as an uphill slog that demanded constant reinvention.<br><br>What I was getting at before was more to do with its popularity. The cards one usually sees (in my experience) people attaching are things like death, the devil, the tower, strength based on rule of cool. And of course the various minor royalty. The hanged man doesn't follow the rule of cool thing, I've never heard someone lay claim to it as 'their card' before. :)<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Heh. Rule of cool can go bugger off in some dark corner. I personally hate anyone that latches onto things for no other reason than "coolness". It feels incredibly shallow. <br><br>Hanged Man is a good representation of my life, at least, the last two years or so; and probably for the rest of this year, too. I've also adopted it because it indicates a change in perspective. I have always been told by others that my perception of things is quite unique; the hanged man card reflects that, in that, depending on the deck, it's typically the only card where right side up is upside down. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>25-07-2011, 00:18:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg4971606#msg4971606">Quote from: Healergirl on 24-07-2011, 13:55:34</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">That reclining statuein the second.&nbsp; I wonder if that is masonry or if the workmen started with a honking big rock and chipped away everything that didn't look right?<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>I'm glad people are enjoying them. :)<br><br>Actually, ALL of the statues in that park are modern, and made with concrete. But they're definitely representative of the local style/feel...
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>NiceTexasGuy</strong> on <strong>25-07-2011, 18:39:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				My character (the crazy helicopter pilot) doesn't seem to be terribly active in the goings-on at the moment ... please don't take that as a sign I'm not interested in playing.&nbsp; It's just that the action is going on someplace else and I don't see there's a huge need for him to plunge into it when he's supposed to be flying around overhead.&nbsp; He'll respond if called for some reason, but I'm not feeling left out if nobody involves him for a while.<br><br>Meanwhile, I've been trying to do a little research on some things in his background and it hasn't led me where I thought it would, so that has been a distraction as well.<br><br>Anyway, I'm still here ... so call him if you need him, but don't feel like you need to try to include him in something so I won't feel left out.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>25-07-2011, 23:44:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				You are a scholar and a gentleman NTG.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>26-07-2011, 19:05:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Finally posted. Sorry it took me so long to find the time. I hope its okay that I drew a picture of Rawlinson having Gervais as her contact in Laos. I thought it would be useful to connect those two together asap. If that's a problem for you, HG, then just say and I'll make whatever edits you'd like.<br><br>Also I think the game could use an OOC thread to discuss stuff? Maybe have a staff member move this one to the same board the IC thread is on?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space.</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>27-07-2011, 00:00:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				RL always comes first, and And it makes a lot of sense for Gervais and Rawlinson to cooperate.&nbsp; Just to keep an eye on what those trigger-happy Yanks are up to if nothing else.<br><br>I will rename this thread to add OOC discussion to the title and ask a staffer to move it.&nbsp; Great ideas, Haibane.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>27-07-2011, 01:57:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Putting up a post for Haibane to get her back in step with everybody, then will post for all tomorrow night.&nbsp; Sorry, work was hell today, and didn't stop just because i fled the office.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>28-07-2011, 00:18:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Haibane has made the excellent suggestion that I send player discovery infor directly to the players by Pm&nbsp; I have found my posts a little clunky because fo the way I have been combining general description of what everybody would notice with the small bu significant details that individual characters discover.<br><br>So from now on that sort of thing&nbsp; (like Mackenzie finding the deformed bullets and Rawlinson's briefing packet) will go to the players in Pm, titled appropriately. <br><br><br>The public posts on the gamed thread will continue of course, but that will be more generalized setting description, and the obvious stuff that everybody notices, things like the attack actually starting.&nbsp; That will be kinda hard to miss.<br><br>This is my first time Gming a play by post game, still feeling my way along a bit.&nbsp; Thank you all for being my guinea pigs.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>28-07-2011, 01:11:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I am now umm-ing and aah-ing a bit over my next post. I can fill it with mundane stuff like the arrival and her talking with colleagues but the meat of the next event seems to be the meeting with the Laotian Foreign Ministry during which Rawlinson and Gervais will meet. I can certainly do a post about that meeting but I suspect it might contain events and people you know about Healer and I don't, so I've a couple of suggestions - let me write it and forgive me for screwing it all up! - or you add to your existing post for me and end it where Rawlinson and Gervais actually meet (or you give Carnival the option to bring Gervais into the scene), or send me a PM with anything relevant about the meeting with the Loatian officials and I'll put it in a post which Carnival can follow.<br><br>Sorry if I'm pushing you about a bit but I'm genuinely stuck for what kind of content my next post should contain.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>28-07-2011, 01:34:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				No Problem at all!&nbsp; I am a bit braind fogged myself.<br><br>A general notice for all players:&nbsp; Tuesday and Wednesday are insanely busy days at work for me due to production cycle reasons.&nbsp; Wednesday in particular.&nbsp; i quite often don't have the energy to do anything particularly creative on those days.&nbsp; This in particular was one of them.&nbsp; I will have posts for everybody and general posts as well up tomorrow morning EST.&nbsp; Sorry guys, but my creative ass is dragging!<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>28-07-2011, 02:36:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I think sending details via PM is a great idea. As for brain fog, I know that feeling all too well so no worries on my end. :)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>28-07-2011, 09:13:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Given the nature of the discussion between Moua Tou and Etienne, it could easily wrap up in a line or two, then fast-forward to events at the embassy.<br><br>Keeping things lively, keeping people involved. :) Solo stuff scattered all over can be neat, but not holding onto it after others are in the vicinity waiting to meet.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>28-07-2011, 11:21:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I managed to drag a post, kicking and screaming out of my muse's sweaty clutches. I hope it works for everyone. Carnival, if you think I went too far with the info about Etienne, his hotel, etc, please say so and I'll be happy to change anything.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>28-07-2011, 14:47:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Carni,<br><br>Absolutely.&nbsp; I'm following the basic opening format of Invasion movies:&nbsp; Scattered people finding pieces of the puzzle, events draw them together. I'm working on it.&nbsp; Once verybody hooks up you will tend to stay in the same general location, but doing various things of course.&nbsp; But not alone, usually.&nbsp; I despise the movie/tv trope of people wandering off and getting into solo trouble when any damn fool knows that there is safety in numbers.&nbsp; And none of your characters are fools.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>01-08-2011, 02:24:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Just so noone gets worried about sudden loss of activity, Haibane and I are working up a co-authored post that has been a little bit RL-delayed. <br><br>There'll be more activity soon!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>01-08-2011, 03:32:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				No problem!&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AusGre</strong> on <strong>01-08-2011, 04:33:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hello there,<br><br>I was just wondering if you were still accepting applicants, this is a very interesting concept to an alien invasion and especially with Vietnam it adds the right amount of... Hrm, drama I suppose to it. Makes me want to turn on some <em>Fortunate Son </em>and watch <em>Aliens</em> or something, heh. If you are accepting applications, I'll make a profile as soon as I am able to.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>01-08-2011, 06:34:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Please do, I will be happy to take a look at it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>01-08-2011, 16:43:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&lt;reads Cari's and Haibanes' collaborative post, then stands up whistling and clapping&gt;<br><br>Wonderful post!&nbsp; <br><br>Alright you stragglers, fall into line!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>01-08-2011, 17:02:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Most of it was Carnival's work. It was so good it inspired me to try harder. I don't know any of the local place names or people or lingo so all the really good bits are hers.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>02-08-2011, 00:35:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg5008291#msg5008291">Quote from: Haibane on 01-08-2011, 17:02:15</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Most of it was Carnival's work. It was so good it inspired me to try harder. I don't know any of the local place names or people or lingo so all the really good bits are hers.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Thanks, but I disagree a little...Place names and lingo are just fluff. Character interaction is the good bits and you did fifty percent of that. ;)<br><br>Would people like it if I tried to hack together a set of links with some local and 1960s-contemporary lingo?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>02-08-2011, 01:08:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Yes, Please!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>02-08-2011, 08:30:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				That would be great as long as we plan to kep playing in this location. I was wondering if, like a aHollywood blockbuster the game setting will widen soon? I stole the current Laotian prime ministers name and hacked it about a bit to come up with the foreign ministry guy. I have no idea what Laotian names are like.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>02-08-2011, 12:44:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I'm not going to post loads of war photographs because, well, we've probably seen plenty of that in movies and such.<br><br>(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/80/Kuang_Si_Waterfalls_Luang_Prabang_Wikimedia_Commons.jpg/800px-Kuang_Si_Waterfalls_Luang_Prabang_Wikimedia_Commons.jpg)<br><br>Miscellaneous websites I've visited recently when writing for this game:<br><br>Hmong, Cambodian and Laotian names (http://www.johncooke.com/name/hmong.htm)<br><br>A few Laotian phrases:<br>Sabaidee - Hello/How are you?<br>Excuse me/sorry - Khaw thot.<br>Thank you (very much)- Khawp jai (lai lai)<br>Help! - Suay dae!<br>Stop! - Yut!<br>Nop - the Laotian word for the traditional Buddhist bow, with palms of the hands pressed together before the heart<br>Samloi - Laotian bicycle rickshaw 'taxi'.<br>Wat - A Laotian Buddhist temple (as in Angkor Wat)<br>(http://www.shutterstock.com/subscribe.mhtml)<br>Wat Phou (ruin in southern Laos)<br><br>Laos is a country with a strong Buddhist tradition which has shaped its customs and etiquette. Besides their religion, the family is central to the Lao people's lives. Shoes are removed before entering temples. Women must never touch monks and should not even hand anything to a monk, but instead place their offering where the monk can reach for himself. Monks are forbidden to touch women or even speak to them outside the safety of the temple or 'wat'. Laos is a conservative country and it is not acceptable in Laos for men and women to show open affection in public. The French colonists who occupied Indochina had a saying: "The Vietnamese plant the rice, the Cambodians watch the rice, and the Lao listen to the rice grow…" reflecting the calm, patient way in which people conduct their lives. <br><br>(http://www.thailandsworld.com/sites/thailandsworld_com/images/Laos%2FWat_Phat_Luang_2.jpg) <br>Wat Phat Luang in Vientiane.<br><br>(http://www.thailandsworld.com/sites/thailandsworld_com/images/Laos%2FWat_Pra_Keo.jpg)<br>One of the Wats on Setthathirat road (near where Michelle and Etienne met). The image is cropped rather closely to not show the neighboring modern buildings!<br><br>A few Hmong phrases:<br>Nyob Zoo (Sawv Ntxov) - Hello (Good morning)<br>Koj Nyob Li Cas lawm - How are you?<br>Ua Tsaug - Thank you.<br>Sorry - Thov txim.<br><br>When talking to a Hmong person, he or she may not offer direct eye contact. Traditionally, looking directly into the face of a Hmong person or making direct eye contact is considered rude and inappropriate. Hmong people tend to be humble and do not want to show or express their true emotions in front of other people. They will say “maybe” or “I will try” instead of giving a definite positive or negative reply. The Hmong in the 1960s are predominantly animists with Buddhist, Confucianism and Taoist elements.<br><br>A few Vietnamese phrases:<br>Xin Chao - Hello!<br>Chao buoi (sang/toi) - Good day (morning/evening)<br>Cam dn - Thank you.<br>Tam biet - Goodbye.<br>Xin loi - Sorry.<br><br>The Vietnamese generally shake hands both when greeting and when saying good-bye. Shake with both hands, and bow your head slightly to show respect. Bow to the elderly who do not extend their hand. Vietnamese women are more inclined to bow their head slightly than to shake hands. The Vietnamese willingness to avoid unpleasantness can sometimes lead to great misunderstandings. "Yes" may not mean "yes." When the Vietnamese say "No problem," you can take it to mean "Yes, there is a problem." Double and even triple-check all commitments, and then monitor them closely. <br>Making eye contact with people one is unfamiliar with is viewed as impolite/aggressive.<br><br>A Vietnam war glossary (http://history1900s.about.com/od/vietnamwar/a/vietnamglossary.htm)<br><br>Laotian involvement in the 1967 Opium War (http://www.akha.org/content/drugwar/mccoy/63.htm) Some ironic incidents (ironic when set against the backdrop of the war itself), including how a Laotian general became the most powerful opium warlord in the area, the CIA trying to coax him to tone it down a little, and incidents involving French and Corsican gangsters in Laos and Vientiane.<br><br>Wikipedia: The Laotian Civil War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laotian_Civil_War) Including all the various French and American involvement, the Pathet Lao, the Vietnamese, the Chinese, etc. Very helpful in understanding how Laos was intensely involved in the war in Vietnam.<br><br>In the 1960s, upper and middle-class Laotians and Vietnamese are very likely to wear 'European/American' clothing, often including slacks, collared shirt and tie, but suit coats are reserved for formal occasions or worn by officials/elders. <br><br>Movies have made much of the stereotypical 'black pyjama' garb that is common in many parts of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, but different cultural groups often wear highly embroidered variations when they are not working. There is a large Hmong community known as the 'flower Hmong' for the vibrant colors and extensive embroidery they use.<br>(http://media.lonelyplanet.com/lpimg/4237/4237-1/preview.jpg)<br><br>Laotian costume shows more influence from Burma and Thailand:<br>(http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/hb0d5n99q5/FID3)<br>(http://images.travelpod.com/tripwow/photos/ta-00c7-f9a4-3ca6/traditional-clothing-that-the-people-wear-of-laos-paksan-laos+1152_12944215232-tpfil02aw-7455.jpg)<br>The boys are carrying multi-reed pan-pipe flutes called kaen.<br><br><br>A stairway to a mountain-top temple in Laos:<br>(http://media.lonelyplanet.com/lpi/26711/26711-2/681x454.jpg)<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>02-08-2011, 22:20:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The scope will indeed widen.&nbsp; Much of the&nbsp; in-character action will take place elsewhere, but Laos and&nbsp; the rest of Indochina will remain the crucil of the action.&nbsp; And also, I know I've had you guys on the rails, but I assure you that we are soon going to reach&nbsp; the point where I will be offering you choices that have a genuine impact on the story.<br><br>I do NOT have a predetermined end in mind.&nbsp; The outcome isn't binary either, this is not a case of either utter annihilation or the destruction of the Invader.&nbsp; There is a lot of range between those two points on the scale.&nbsp; Not to pout any pressure on your character's shoulders &lt;grin&gt; but what they do is going to have an&nbsp; impact on the outcome.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>Oh, and I will toss in some Big-Picture stuff and secret meetings that the character's don't know about, but will help set the tone.&nbsp; every disaster/alien attack story has them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>03-08-2011, 01:37:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Just a quick heads up, my posting may be a little slow for the next couple of days due to my RL work schedule.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>03-08-2011, 01:56:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Oh, understood completely.&nbsp; I have a Day From Hell glaring balefully at me for tomorrow.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>03-08-2011, 02:12:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				-shudders- I feel your pain.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>04-08-2011, 12:53:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				My day from hell is continuing.&nbsp; I have a bit more for each of you, was unable to send it but will try to do so today.&nbsp; <br><br>I am contending with a crisis in the extended family, so as you can imagine I have quite a few demands on my time and energy at present.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>04-08-2011, 21:47:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				RL comes first, and family ALWAYS comes first.<br><br>Hope everything works out okay, and soon.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>05-08-2011, 19:54:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				NiceTexasGuy and TheHangedMan have stepped out of the game.&nbsp; No hard feelings or friction, these things happen.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>05-08-2011, 21:10:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Arh, that's a bugger. Doesn't leave us many players :(
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>05-08-2011, 21:17:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I have been contacted by somebody who is interested in playing, waiting on his character idea now.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>08-08-2011, 10:14:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I just did a Michelle post. Sorry, Carnival, that I rather dragged Etienne around there. I hope you don't take offence but if you think he would be doing or suggesting something else, please let me know and I'll be happy to change anything around. It just seemed sensible to keep Rawlinson and Gervais together from now on barring some unexpected event and since Rawlinson needed to send her telex I had her take him with her back to the Australian consulate.<br><br>BTW, I don't know if anyone knows about those old telex image scanners but I watched the great Steve McQueen cop movie "Bullitt" again recently and near the end of that is a famous scene where one of those spinning drum image scanner machines is used, so it was that kind of machine I had in mind when writing the post.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>08-08-2011, 13:19:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Haibane, that is eactly right, those things were bleeding edge tech back in the day!&nbsp; Arne't they the weirdest things to see in action?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>kobrakid92</strong> on <strong>09-08-2011, 04:32:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hello, just letting everyone know that I'm going to be gone for a couple days and I'll be back sometime Wednesday.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>12-08-2011, 16:58:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Game status update:&nbsp; I'm waiting on a response from Carni.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>14-08-2011, 17:19:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I am very, very sorry folks, in the past few days an enormous amount of RL SHTF on several levels. It is pretty much done now and I am home and will be trying to catch up and post late tonight.<br><br>I really do apologize for holding things up.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>14-08-2011, 19:25:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Aww, I'm so sorry to hear life is being horrid to you, all I can offer is a virtual backrub I'm afraid!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>14-08-2011, 21:38:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Perfectly fine, Carni.&nbsp; I've had my share of weeks from hell lately I understand completely.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>16-08-2011, 03:11:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Not my best effort, sorry. This, too, shall pass.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>16-08-2011, 10:18:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Your post looks perfect to me, Carnival. I took the liberty of editing my prior one to include the sending of the report to the two numbers Gervais gave Michelle. Sorry, I should really have checked with you rather than rushing headlong and dragging Gervais around with Michelle.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>CarnivalOfTheGoat</strong> on <strong>16-08-2011, 23:54:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg5073935#msg5073935">Quote from: Haibane on 16-08-2011, 10:18:35</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Your post looks perfect to me, Carnival. I took the liberty of editing my prior one to include the sending of the report to the two numbers Gervais gave Michelle. Sorry, I should really have checked with you rather than rushing headlong and dragging Gervais around with Michelle.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>No, no, it's absolutely fine. Sometimes it's even necessary, especially when a player is absent for a short time.<br><br>I'm just very sorry I didn't have the foreknowledge to warn folks.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>17-08-2011, 00:01:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It looks fine to me, Carni.<br><br>And foreknowledge?&nbsp; It would be a poor excuse for a crisis if RL had the decency to warn you ahead of time, wouldn't it?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>17-08-2011, 01:20:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I am mad enough to chew nails.<br><br>Windows Hiccuped, my word processor program crashed and I lost my document. The saved file is gibberish, of course.&nbsp; I am franticly searching for a temp file of the doc somewhere. Not quite done, but in the home stretch.&nbsp; &lt;bangs head on table&gt;<br><br>It was a good one too.&nbsp; My muse was firing on all cylinders.&nbsp; Bloody hell.&nbsp; Puckernuts.&nbsp; Multiple expletives deleted.<br><br>Starting over, but dammit, I am certainly off the rails now.&nbsp; I can recompose but my creative zip has been eaten by my helpless fury, and tomorrow is my worst and heaviest workday of the week.&nbsp; Grumble.&nbsp; Sorry guys, I will have it up as soon as possible.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>18-08-2011, 18:59:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				New post up in the IC thread, all individual information Pm's sent to the players.<br><br>Sorry for the delay, but when I lost the doc, I lost everything, the IC post and all your pm stuff was in the same doc.&nbsp; Grumble.&nbsp; I saved as two docs when recomposing.&nbsp; Grumble.&nbsp; Just to be sure.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>18-08-2011, 21:32:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				*hugs*<br><br>I feel for you, had that happen to me a few times over the years though I have never lost a complete word doc like that, just lots of posts in forum reply windows. Even so that was horrible enough, I can't imaagine what losing all your info on a whole game is like! I might suggest buying a cheap memory stick and keeping a backup on there.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>19-08-2011, 03:49:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hey guys! Just wanted to post a heads up: Life had gotten a bit hectic at the moment so I'll likely not be able to post until Saturday. I'll try to make that sooner if I get some time on Friday.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>19-08-2011, 17:05:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				thank you for the heads-up, Athos.&nbsp; RL always comes first.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>22-08-2011, 10:41:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hi all<br><br>I have a post part-drafted and about tready to go up but the info Healergirl gave me implied that Carnival needs to post before I do since Rawlinson's actions need to take place after Etienne leaves the room she's in, so if that's okay with everyone I planned to wait until after Carnival had posted again so my post makes more sense.<br><br>EDIT: Umm... things have slowed down a lot. Is anything happening?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>02-09-2011, 00:32:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I have literally just rejoined the 21st century two hours ago.&nbsp; But... the game does seem to have fizzled.&nbsp; I am disappointed, but it does happen.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>02-09-2011, 21:57:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I'm still waiting for Carnival to post. According to the PM info you sent me, Healer, it doesn't make any sense for me to post first.<br><br>Unfortunately I also think the game had the stuffing knocked out of it when two people left before it really started. Perhaps replacement players shopuld be recruited?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>10-09-2011, 15:15:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hi, anyone there? What's happening on the game please?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>17-09-2011, 14:54:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sorry, Haibane.&nbsp; I just got backonline after yet anothr internet outage and have been madly scrambling to catch up on work - I work from home and not having the web avalable really suck professionally as well as personnally.<br><br>Sadly, I think the game has run aground.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Haibane</strong> on <strong>17-09-2011, 15:20:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Sorry to hear of your internet woes *hugs like mad*<br><br>I'm just surprised none of the other players have posted here; I would have thought if people lose interest its only polite to say so.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>17-09-2011, 16:05:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				*accepts hug gratefully, hugs back*<br><br>One would think so, yes.&nbsp; <br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Athos</strong> on <strong>22-09-2011, 06:39:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=113409.msg5221149#msg5221149">Quote from: Haibane on 17-09-2011, 15:20:31</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">I'm just surprised none of the other players have posted here; I would have thought if people lose interest its only polite to say so.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>To be fair, I am the one with the last post. As well, I have been very busy as of late and haven't had much time to catch my breath much less track down the status of everyone else's lives. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>kobrakid92</strong> on <strong>22-09-2011, 06:45:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I honestly thought the game fizzled after the last Pm's were sent out. I waited Athos to post since I thought it would flow better. Since it was a while between the last post and Athos's last post I assumed the game dead.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: The Domino Theory:  An Invasion from Space. (OOC DIscussion)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Healergirl</strong> on <strong>22-09-2011, 15:07:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I'm not being catty, these things happen, no hard feelings!&nbsp; I have some other thoughts along the Invasion theme.&nbsp; I will retrench, rethink andin the futre at some point, reboot.&nbsp; One thought in my mind is to run my next multiplayer game as individual threads for each player, so the game can continue even if some drop out.
			</dd>
		</dl>
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