OLD NEWS

Tuesday, August 29, 2000: I'm learning Flash, and as proof (and my first 'project') I've made a Flash menu for this site. It loads a LOT faster and looks better (in my opinion) than the previous ones. I may edit it later to add sounds, etc. If you can't see the menu above, go to www.macromedia.com and get the Flash plugin.

-Avenging Warrior

Friday, August 25, 2000: There will be a training session this Saturday at 3:00 pm Eastern time. If any of you can't come at that time, please tell me. We'll meet in the clan chatroom on this website and perhaps discuss a few things first, then after this short meeting we will go on EA|Play. I will make a new room titled Red Samurai Guild, meet there (to to chatrooms and chose it from the list). Whoever has the fastest connection will host. It will be discussed in detail tomorrow.

-Avenging Warrior

Sunday, August 20, 2000: I've set up a clan chatroom! Clan meeting will take place there, but you can go there anytime and chat with fellow members - you'll find me in there often. Just click on the link above, register (using the name you go by here as your username) and log on!

-Avenging Warrior

Saturday, August 19, 2000: One of the Red Samurai Guild's first members, Yairuchi Teinoko, has returned. It's been a very long time. He says he's been having major computer problems. Welcome back!

-Avenging Warrior

Friday, August 18, 2000: 3 new members have joined our clan. I'd like to welcome Jubei Takagi, MadMordigan and LaoFei to our clan. I've decided to accept every request to join, at least for now. These new members will be put "on trial". I will see how they do in our clan - how much they participate, how they get along with their clanmates, etc. and based on this I will decide whether to keep them or not. This doesn't mean the older members are getting a free ride - I'll be watching everybody.

Conveniently, our forum went down for maintanance. Don't worry about the not found message, it should be back up soon. I don't know exactly when. I will be sendint out e-mails about imprortant things to all clan members, so this won't hinder our communication much. (remember, we've still got e-mail and ICQ - USE IT)

Also, there is a clan tournament starting and our clan is in it. I already have 2 people signed up (3 including myself) - Azzamain Mori and Zen Blade. If you can and wish to participate, please do so. Learn more about this tournament at www.planettotalwar.com. Read the FAQ there, it explains a lot. Use the forums for any further quesions.

-Avenging Warrior

Wednesday, August 16, 2000: A new member has joined our clan, Azzamain Mori. He claims to be a skilled warrior and has some good ideas, so he will be a great help to our clan. Also, in order to help organize clan events, we should all know which part of the world we live in. Please tell me what timezone you're in through e-mail, ICQ or the forum. Any future members will enter their timezone when they sign up.

-Avenging Warrior

Saturday, August 5, 2000: This clan is getting organized, now. We will have organized training sessions and clan chats every Sunday. The time is yet to be discussed, so tell me what time is conveninet for you in the forum. There is a post about it originated by Dark-Lord, use that if you want. Also, since the EA scores are horribly inacurate and count drops as losses, I will not take your scores from there anymore. You can use the members page to report your actual score to me, and it will be updated later that day or the next day.

-Avenging Warrior

Friday, August 4, 2000: (read the below update first) Ok, I may have overreacted just a little bit... well, I'd like to announce that I'm psychotic and have a bad case of clinical depression. These things happen to me sometimes, although usually not this bad. In the future, if I go psycho on you, it's just a temporary thing (unless I never come back, in which case I committed suicide). Well, anyway... the clan is NOT being disperced. I'm not giving up yet. However, I will not change the members page back. Everyone except a few devout "Honored Members" was flushed out of the clan. Of couse, I may have left out a few, so if you think you're a devout member and will participate in clan matters actively from now on, contact me (e-mail, ICQ or the forum) and you may return. But remember, my patience has run out. The rest of you, you've had multiple warnings. Also, I'd like to encourage you all to mailbomb and ICQ-bomb Gandalf until he submits to the wrath of the Red Samurai and returns to us :) (seriously though, try to convince him to come back, use the upcoming patch as the main excuse and be creative)

-Avenging Warrior

(NOT)FINAL UPDATE: Well, I see the support I'm getting from you guys. No point in continuing on with blind hope of revival of this clan, so I might as well put it out of its misury. I'd like to thank a few devoted members who have really been there for this clan and my little plans and hopes. The rest of you - well... thank you for everything. As a token of my appreciation, I award you with the death of our clan. Oh, and by the way, my special thanks go to Gandalf, who has abandoned Shogun. If he had stayed, we might have survived. I would have kept the "honored members" that are listed on the members page at this time and flushed out all the rest, thus giving us a fresh start and one last chance. Thus, I thank him the most.

It's been nice while it lasted. Goodbye Red Samurai Guild, goodbye my friends, and goodbye Shogun.

-Avenging Warrior

Friday, July 28, 2000: I am very unhappy with the current state of our clan. We are unorganized and nearly dispersed - little more than the name remains. We will start having organized practice sessions on a regular basis (see the forum for details). Also, I've sent out e-mails to all our members to notify them about some new things, but got very little responce. Should I clear 3 quarters of the members page? I really don't want to do that (and if I do, we really won't have much of a clan left), but that's what it looks like right now. Why does everything I create end up dying due to lack of participation? I must be cursed... well, no more fresh new ideas for me. This is my last attempt (which no doubt will end up in failure).

-Avenging Warrior

Saturday, July 1, 2000: I'm leaving on a vacation to France tonight, so I won't be here for a week. Gandalf, I'll contact you by telechonesis and enitiate the next phase of our plan for global domination as soon as I get there. Aw man... me and my big mouth, now I'll have to kill you all. I really gotta be careful with what I say. Anyway, take care of the clan for me, Gandalf. I know you all can't live without me, but you gotta try :)

PS: The bit about a sinister plan for global domination was JUST A JOKE. It was! Seriously! Really....! The suspicioul-looking figure on the roof of the house you see outside your window is not a professional assassin, and he was not ordered to shoot you. Again, there is no sinister plans for globabl domination, so you can carry on with your daily business and you do not have to notify the FBI.

-Avenging Warrior

Wednesday, June 28, 2000: Spot #20 filled. Welcome to the clan, Arti! I hope you all take this clan thing seriously, and don't just take up space on the members page. I'll be stern but fair when handling members - read the below updates. Also, I understand that EA's server is... inadiquate... and the lag and amount of drops are horrible. And since a drop is counted as a loss, after I get your scores from EA's page, you can tell me how many of your competitive games were drops and I'll subtract them from your score.

-Avenging Warrior

Wednesday, June 28, 2000: Another member joins - Silent Blade. Welcome! That makes 19 members, so we're not accepting too many more. This also means that I'll watch how active you are and boot you after a couple of warning (unless you have a good reason - like vacation, don't have the game [working] yet, no time because of other things, etc. Notify me in advance if you won't be active for a while, so I won't boot you.

-Avenging Warrior

Monday, June 26, 2000: We've got two new members today, Warbringer and Kueblai Khan (who was on the wait list). I hope they bring us many victories. Welcome to the Red Smaurai Guild!

-Avenging Warrior

Friday, June 23, 2000: I'm not happy with the responce I got from my "role call". As a result, I'm segnificantly decreasing the size of the members roster. The following people have been removed:

If you have been removed by mistake, please contact me a.s.a.p. and I'll put you back. Also, I had a guy waiting to join, and now that new spots are open he's finally in. I'll add him to the members page as soon as he tells me he wants to go by. Welcome!

- Avenging Warrior

Tuesday, June 20, 2000: I'm going to start updating the stats on the members page regularly. Jester's telling me the stats for now, maybe I'll check them myself too when I have time. They'll be updated every few days. These stats are taken from the EA page, so I understand that they may be inaccurate. Tell me if this is the case.

- Avenging Warrior

Saturday, June 17, 2000: Jester has reminded me of a kinda important issue: on the members page, we have the wins/losses stats! Fill me in on your progress when you play, guys. And don't lie - you won't be kicked out if you lose a lot. There's always room for improvement.

- Avenging Warrior

Friday, June 16, 2000: Guys, you have the IQ of a peanut. Seriously, you actually fell for it? I was planning to have it going longer, but Gandalf was offended by this rather mean practical joke, so I decided to kill it before he (literally) kills me. He knows where I live, you know... Oh, a note to my good friend Jester: no offence, but come on, man! I was bs'ing for half an hour, I got tired! I just wanted to see how much bullshit I could feed you before you'd realise what I'm doing. Not to offend anyone or anything, (offending Gandalf was enough, I don't want to get the whole clan on my ass) I just wanted to have a little fun, and measure your IQ while I'm at it. Rather disappointing, really... Well, no harm done. Again, disregard the news below and treat it as a joke only, because that's all it is. Meanwhile, I'll try my best to evade Gandalf's assassins.

- (the soon to be dead) Avenging Warrior

Thursday, June 15, 2000: Gandalf and I made a bet recently, and he lost. Now I get to reveal one of his big sectrets - probably the biggest one he kept from you guys. I was itching to tell you for months, and here it is: Gandalf - he... is a she. That's right, Gandalf's a girl. Her real name is Maxine. No, don't get me wrong, she's not lesbo or anything, she's perfectly straight. The reason she didn't want this revealed is because she wanted to be treated as a "member of the crowd" in the Shogun community. No premature kids getting horny and all - equal treatment. Don't believe me? I can prove it! It just so happens that I have a picture of her scanned on my computer. Here it is, boys and... Gandalf! I wonder what she was going to say about me... and I can only pray that she keeps her end of the deal. Hey, a bet's a bet. And she actually thought I couldn't burp the alphabet in 30 seconds... Oh, and just so you don't ask, we are not dating.

-Avenging Warrior

Wednesday, May 24, 2000: There's been an important update on the official site! You can now register for Shogun online. After you enter your personal info (first part of the registration), continue on to the second part. There, you'll pick a Japaneese surname from the list (too bad you can't make your own) and pick the clan you're in (or make your own). Make sure you pick our clan, the Red Samurai Guild, from the list! Register today! Oh, and when you pick your username, use your clan nickname (the one you go by in this clan and on shogun forums). Too bad they don't ship you a free pre-release copy of the game with your registration... :-)

-Avenging Warrior

November 19, 1999: I'm sorry to have to bring you these horrible and painful news, but me and Gandalf are still alive. Sorry for the severe lack of updates, but I can explain (I hope). We were all hyped on making that tactics tutorial we boasted so much about, but there were a couple of problems: there's TONS of work to do, and we're too lazy to do it. Now, though, we've found a way to make our work much faster, and more improtantly, sat down and started doing it. Right after I'll finish posting this news update, I'll go work on the tactics program. We have some info: it will be pretty big in size, 5 to 10 megs, no less. I might be wrong, but this is my estimate. It's gonna take a while to download, but it should be worth it. If it's not, feel free to send us bombs by mail.

-Avenging Warrior

October 24th, 1999: I finally figured out how to make the background in the forum static! You'd be surprised how many places I can find to put in some extra HTML code... Also, I know you may have liked the snow background better, but there was one problem with it: no matter what color the text was, it would be hard to read.

-Avenging Warrior

October 23rd, 1999: I've changed the background to the one we had before for better readability. I figured that if you tore your eyes out while trying to read white text on a light background, you wouldn't be able to play Shogun and that would defeat the whole purpose of running a Shogun clan. Yellow on dark green is much better than white on... white, wouldn't you agree? Also, the work on the tactics section is going along. The update should be finished some time next week.

-Avenging Warrior

October 21th, 1999: We have added a Shogun screenshots section. There are 64 screenshots total in there, divided into 2 parts. More may arrive. I'm also planning to cook up a cute little slideshow out of the screenshots, that will show the next one every 10 seconds. It will scroll through all of them. I'm still not sure where to put it though. Also, major update to the tactics section coming in a few days. Even though Shogun didn't come out yet, we'll use another strategy game's engine (namely Myth: The Fallen Lords) to show different tactics. There is a unit comparison, and we'll only use units that relate to Shogun units in our demonstrations. It will come in a nice web interface as well as a downloadable program. Sure beats the "game didn't come out yet" excuse, doesn't it? Well, 'till next time.

-Avenging Warrior

September 6th, 1999: How quickly time flies...school is about to beging for me and Avenging Warrior, and has already began for a lot of our members. Of course, that will mean less and less time spent at the things we love to do, like contribute to this page. Don't despair though, we will try to make time, even though school will sure make updates and new sections scarcer then ever. On the brighter side of things though, we will be getting learning! Yes, going back to my school full of dumb jocks, annoying teachers, and paranoid deans who think i am a future psycho killer...on top of it all, learning makes all this even MORE fun. Oh well, i sure can't wait for the holidays when we will get a lot of time on our hands. Now about the page. We added a story section, when in between such activities as learning, banging your head on the desk from frustration, and thinking about going on a rampage through the school cause all of them deserve to die (umm...maybe that's just me though), you can stop by and write us a tale about your game related adventures. As long as it has a fun subject matter (comical or serious) we'll post it. Sometimes, if your story isn't exactly game related but is on a pretty cool subject, we'll post it anyway. Of course, anyone can write, and we accept most stories, as long as it's not really dumb or unrelated to anything. We already have one story by Mithril, and another by yours truly with a giant story written by Avenging Warrior in the lineup to come soon. Just go to the clan story section and you will see the easily accesible stories there, along with a small description.

-Gandalf the Grey

September 1st, 1999: I'm finally back home! Damn I missed sitting at my computer 25 hours a day. Well, looks like I have some catching up to do. I've noticed that clan GIN has declared war against us. What the hell is up with that? Do they actually have a reason for that, or did they just feel like shooting off their mouths? When Shogun comes out we'll all be at war, enjoying ourselves with the game. But what's the point of dissing eachother out? That's pointless and just plain stupid. I also saw some stuff about a new section, for stories and such. Sounds like a good idea. When I was sitting there for hours with nothing to do, I started thinking up of a nice story. It takes place in medival Europe. I plan to make it pretty long, and divided up in chapters. I pretty much have the first two down, in my head that is. I didn't write it down yet. Anyway, fill me in on the whole story.

-Avenging Warrior

August 30th, 1999: Hail friends! I am finally able to post and update the site again! And this time, i even have an explanation! My processor somehow gotten loose (must of been the time when i was beating my tower with a baseball bat for crashing yet again on Baldur's Gate) and i only got it fixed today when a good friend of mine came by to take a look inside. God i felt like an ididot...um, anyhow, enough about me. Many things happend while i was away, trying to use a pathetic excuse for a computer some of us know as laptop, and i'm here to tell you about them. First off, i have a treat for all you J.R.R. Tolkien fans out there! I joined a guild for an upcoming massively multiplayer online only game based on the Middle Earth universe in the 4th age (the books were based in the 3rd age) and from the description of it, the game sounds pretty cool. Yes, i said description, because there are no screenshots as of yet. Judging from the minimum system requierments of this game-a beefy Pentium 2, 350Mhz with a 3d accelerator- it better damn look good, since it's forcing me to upgrade my new computer! The view is a 3d overhead perspective, and sounds very promising. The gameplay is even more promising though, with many a feature that would make this game stand out (like the fact that player fighting is alowed, but if you win, the opponent is knocked out. If you decide to kill him, you get chased by everyone in towns and hunted by bounty hunters for rewards, but if you let the poor sap live, he will awaken and be allowed a few minutes to find some healing method before dying of blood loss. And death is permanet, unlike Ultima Online or Ever Quest). The guild i joined has a goal of recapturing the legendary Moria mines, and getting stinkin' rich with all the Mithril we will recover. The guild site is very nicely done by a very respectable dwarf named Kalim, and we discuss important issues on the forum almost daily. I wrote an article on military and economic strategy for our guild, and you know what? They actually liked it! More over, they suggested their own ideas in a very mature maner, and this shows intellect and a close bond of friendship in the guild. I like that, and i welcome anyone interested to come and take a look around. The guild's official page which looks spectacuraly good as i have previously mentioned, is at https://www.angelfire.com/sd/silverdeeps/ Well, for more details about this wonderful game, visit the official site for a nice historic background and FAQ's at www.middle-earth.com and for forums and such, visit some of the links you will find at the main page. Unfortunately, the betatesting of this game is only going to begin in the middle of 2000, so the official release date is not known as of yet. A pity, but well worth the wait. In Shogun related news, i have gotten an e-mail from Richie Skinner from Creative Assembly, and like with most of the clans out there, he sent me a CD filled with new screenshots and movies. I am not sure, but he may have sent an e-mail to everyone on the guild, or just myself and Avenging Warrior. If it's not everyone, i'll make an effort to upload these pics and movies to the site, or you can download them from totalwar.org if you wish. Also, our esteamed member Ronin and I are playing with the idea of having a story section to keep our fans intrested. Since we cannot wait for Shogun to be released so we can tell tales of battles won and lost, we can tell tales of other games we have played. In fact, go to the forum and speak your mind on which stories you wish to write, and the subject upon which you will base them. Then, get on to Microsoft Word and type it up. Unless you are writing something completely unrelated to anything, or something horribly stupid, we will post it up in a new section. Well, tell me what you think on the forum! Last but not least, i am sad to report that an old time member, Kuni-Yori, left us for reasons we he wished to remain private. Avenging Warrior may guess what those reasons are if he remembers the day we let Kuni-Yori into our guild and what we discussed about him. Anyhow, we are sad that he left, and wish him good speed wherever he goes. Well, that about sums it up, and now, i bid you all farewell and goodbye.

-Gandalf the Grey

August 21st, 1999: Well, with not much happening lately (i had RPG fever with a game called Baldur's Gate) i decided to just bring up a bunch of stuff which comes along, related or not related to Shogun. Browsing through my favorite "entertainment only" book company, Paladin Press, i saw a few that caught my eye in particular. Now first off, let me start by explaining what exactly makes Paladin Press special. You see, most publishers dare not publish books on how to make guns, bombs, illegal ID, hack into computers, become a hitman for hire, or other such dangerous stuff. That's where Paladin Press comes in. Of course, i want to make clear that no, i am not using these books to recreate the Littleton tragedy in my school, so put your phones down, i'm not the next mass psycho killer. And of course, when you are looking through this page, neither should you consider becoming one. Now that this legal crap is done and over with, let me get back to what i was saying. Among the many interesting books, i saw one on how to make oriental and european swords and another on how to use them. The first describes the process of building your own forge, making the blade and hilt, and giving the weapon a polished look. The second is describes fighitng moves, training with a sword, picking the right one for you, etc. I personaly think that geting these two books (which are already on my list of must gets) is a pretty good investment and won't require you to train in a special school or buy an expensive weapon. I think any fan of sword combat and history should go check out Paladin Press. You might like some of the other sections too. Just remember, if because of this site you start hacking banks, putting folks "on ice" for hire, and holding off a swat team with a rocket launcher, don't blame it all on me OR Paladin Press. Remember, as every book in their collection says, for Entertainment use Only. Here's the link to the site, enjoy yourself and leave a few comments/flames about me being a heartless monster for liking that page, on the forum!

Paladin Press

-Gandalf The Grey

August 19th, 1999: With Avenging Warrior out of country for the week to deliver top secret information..erm...visit his grandmother, I'll be the one doing all the updating. Now in earlier news, Avenging Warrior commented on the state of wargames in the industry, relating to Tim Brooks' of Sharpnel Games view about the business men running the show, instead of the developers and gamers. Well, today i got an interesting reply on the subject from Jason Fitzgerald of Creative Assembly. Jason argues that game companies who do not listen to the "suits" once in a while go out of business. Why? Because to make a perfect game you must appeal to millions of people with very different likes and dislikes. Jason makes an example of this, and i quote,"Okay, so 2 million people bought a Command and Conquer game but it was by "dumbing down" the intricacies of warfare that Westwood achieved this outrageously profitable success". So in the end gaming companies are reduced to simplifying their games in order to appeal to a broader audience. Sure, 1 hardcore fan of the particular genre might complain about it, but 10 local simpletons who barely know what a computer is will buy the simpler and more broader game. If it was a perfect world, game companies would make their games only for the hardcore and leave the simpletons to play some kiddy crap, but a little thing called money comes in and ruins the whole jig. If the publishers had a choice, they would rather please 10 simpletons then 1 hardcore fan just to get 10 times more cash. To find publishers that are hardcore gamers and understand how the people feel when the game does not live up to what it promised is very difficult. Jason talks about how, and i quote,"I hope that when you play SHOGUN TOTAL WAR you will see a game that is so brilliantly designed that it is as easy to play as Command & Conquer (or any point and click game) but with the realistic complexities of battle to add the depth and intrigue for those who want to truly explore the tactics of total war". All I can say is it will be a superbly difficult task and we all wish them the best of luck achieving it. My own view of things is somewhere between the two. I hate the money-grubbing "suits" as much as anyone, but I do understand that "gamer suits" are almost impossible to find. Well, that's how I see it anyhow, leave your comments on the forum. Thanks to Jason for taking interest in our page.

-Gandalf The Grey

August 17th, 1999: If you're at this site, then you must be a wargamer, right? If you are, here's something you should know: I've been reading the gaming news, and found out of a new gaming company, that will make wargames only, I believe. They're developers came from other gaming companies. The company's president, Tim Brooks, declares the beginning of the "Wargames Revolution". The sad truth is that the wargames industry is dying. Why? The companies these days are run by publishers, or "the suits" as Tim Brooks calls them. They're interested only in how many copies they'll sell, and not about the quality of the game or anything else. Here's an excrept from his words: "Now, we are not declaring war on just any publisher. We are declaring war on the 'big boys.' The publishers that are run by 'the suits.' For those of you who are unfamiliar with the workings of the gaming industry, "the suits" are the totally uneducated and untalented people who are now making the gaming decisions for millions of gamers worldwide. These people, 'the suits', are not gamers, have not ever been gamers, and wouldn’t know a good game if it walked up and rolled hexagonal dice. These "big boys", the publishers, and their employees, "the suits", are talent-less, bottom line addicted, after-the-big-hit, who-cares-what-the-customer-wants, bottom feeding... Well, I digress. But boy did it feel good!" He makes some good points here, as well as the rest of this document. Their company, Sharpnel Games, will publish their own games, and will care about the quality of the game and will try to please gamers, and not just try to get it on the shelves as early as possible and spread hype so it will sell better. (Hmm.. EA seems to have some of these bad qualities, with their delays and demo crippling and all. Are they "the enemy" as well?) Sharpnel Games has also funded the creation of "The Wargames AcademY", a member-supported non-profit organization that, from it's members' pledges, will fund the development of War gaming technology and production... or so they say. Could it be just a big scam to get easy cash from gullible wargamers? I don't know. I hope not. They said that it will be run by a "board" of members, so if it's a scam, it's a good one. Anyway, visit their site at www.sharpnelgames.com to find out more. Be sure to read all the text on the main page, and visit the "Developers Corner" and "The Academy" as well.
I know this doesn't have too much to do with Shogun or its clans, but I felt that I should post this here anyway. I encourage you to visit Sharpnel Games and find out more, and talk about it in the forum.

- Avenging Warrior

August 13th, 1999: We've noticed that we've got a lot of members and getting more fast, but half of them never come to the forum, never participate in our discussions, and don't show any signs of life. This will no longer be tolerated. Our forum is alive and has many live threads, so it's not like there's nothing to post. All members are required to come and participate in these discussions, post some of their ideas, etc. at least a couple of times a week. We will inform all of the "dead" members of this. If the response is negative or there is none at all, they will be removed from our guild without hesitation. We're trying to be the best trained guild, not the largest one. We don't recruit members just so the members section will look bigger. Also, since the release of Shogun is far away and the demo will be worthless, we've decided to play other games as a clan while we wait. Right now the decision is Myth: The Fallen Lords. It's an awesome game that we could use to train for Shogun or just have some fun, and it's cheap (only $9.95). However, we're listening to your suggestions. If you think there would be another game that we can play, and we agree on it, we can play that too.

- Avenging Warrior

August 11th, 1999: Hey again. Just wanted to say that I finally finsihed my story and picked out a picture for the members section for myself. Now that this is done, i'm gonna consentrate on that history section everyone seems to go nuts about. But i will need some help. First of all, what kind of history do you guys wanna see? I mean i ain't going to copy entire history tomes onto the page, right? So vote on the forum: do you want an overview, a timeline, some info on weapons, info on the important people of the time, or a bit of all of 'em. Your feedback will ensure a better over all article.

-Gandalf The Grey

August 10th, 1999: Hail all, it's good to be back from suspension. Suspension from the computer that is. So to celebrate my return, i decided to redo the tactics section and put all the quiz questions into a chart, so you guys don't have to wait really long for the pictures to load for each one, and make a new quiz question to go along with it, with the help of Avenging Warrior. What makes this quiz question and the ones after it different, i edited in helpful "attack arrows" to show who your men are attacking. I hope this makes it easier to understand what's going on in these sometimes confusing pictures. This will porbobly be the last quiz question which will have such simple goals and settings as destroy your enemy on a flat field. Next time, i promise ill think up something with a little twist. I wish more clan men would get Myth, it would be really cool to demonstrate these tactics in a film format. In fact, if more of you got the game OR the demo which also allows you to view films, we could have film questions, and film tactic guides! Just imagine, we could walk you through everything from storming a hill, to winning once outnumbered, and just plain gruesomly humongous battles! So please, i recomend you get the demo (the game is better, but i understand that some of you might not want to spend $9.95) to view these films. I know it's a 30 meg download, but i assure you it is worth it. You can get the demo at any download site, my favorite being www.hotgames.com

-Gandalf The Grey

August 9th, 1999: We're getting new members fast, we have a total of 12 now. The new enlist system is working great. Now it's all in one step, which lets us grade their test and add them to the guild take minutes instead of days. PS: Another big update might be coming soon...

- Avenging Warrior

August 7th, 1999: Big update to the enlist page. Before this day, when someone wanted to join our guild we had to go through this process: someone who wants to join e-mails me for the test, I send him the test and explain how to use it, he sends me his answers, I evaluate them and tell him how he did, if he passed I ask him for his ICQ# and the name he wants to use in this clan, he sends me that info, and finally I add him to the members list. Sending and getting e-mail messages takes time, so this process takes days. If it looks long and annoying to you... you don't know how right you are. Howevr, now that's all in the past. The enlist page was, for the most part, left as it is. I've just removed the part about having to e-mail me to the test and put a button under the requirements list, saying "JOIN OUR RANKS". When it's clicked, a new page opens up. That page is a simle form that the person completes, which asks them their contacts, why they want to join, etc. On the bottom of that form is our test. The questions stayed the same, except now it's in poll interface. This way the process of joining will be much faster. I get all the info I need, including that person's test answers, in one e-mail message. Check it out, and tell me what you think in the forum.

- Avenging Warrior

August 2nd, 1999: Thanks to Mithril, we are finally on the list of clans at Totalwar.ORG. And yet another guy has just joined our guild. He'll be up on the members list as soon as he tells me what we should call him. By the way, the myth film Gandalf put up really is good, you should check it out. If you don't have Myth, get the demo, it should work there too.

- Avenging Warrior

July 30th, 1999: Hello again, fellow members! Before you start throwing broken bottles and other such sharp objects at me for not updating, let me explain. Yes, it has been over 2 weeks since the last update, but that is because we are all very busy. Doing what you ask? Well...lots of stuff. Two more of our members now have Myth: Avenging Warrior and Mithril. And we encourage YOU ALL to get the game. It is CHEAP at most software stores (i bought a copy for Avenging Warrior for under $9.00) and still looks as good as most games today! And it makes great practice and great fun. In fact, the main feature of our update today is a treat to all you Myth palyers out there. It is a film (viewable only through Myth's super kewl replay features) of my estimed colegue Ronin and I, doing what we do best: kicking MAJOR ASS! This film can be viewed to see how to properly attack, OR for pure entertainment! Be warned however, the dialogue our enemies used when we were punding them into the bloody earth, is rather intense and should not be viewed by olderly folk, wemen who are nursing, pregnant, or faint of heart. Also, about our weekly quiz question. Well, i simply don't know if anyone reads it, so i decided that we should do a vote. All the people who want to see more Quiz Questions, VOTE IN THE FORUM! Let us know, or the quiz questions will be a thing of the past. Also, if enough people can get Myth, we could do the next best thing! We could show you guys films of victories and provide in depth studies of how it was accomplished. And lastly, you might have notced the introduction to the page is not on top anymore, but i figured moving it to the bottom would allow our members to view the news faster. Tell me if i should replace it back by voting on the forum.

Myth Film: "Killing Campers"

-Gandalf The Grey

July 21st, 1999: Gandalf the Grey is back, and this week's quiz question will be put up soon, hopefully by tomorrow. Also, we've got 2 new members, one is Mithril, I just added him to the members section. I just informed the other that he passed the test (through e-mail) and I'm waiting for him to tell me what he wants his clan name to be so I can add him.

- Avenging Warrior

July 15th, 1999: I added 2 more pictures to the site, this time it was the forum and the enlist section. Also, ever since or clan was created we were planning to have our members get pictures for themselves and write stories/descriptions, so we would post it in the members section. Well, we're finally starting to do that. The members section was left as it is, except now if you click on a member's name, a new page opens up with his picture and description. Oni Gigan and I already have ours done, and Ronin already has a picture and is writing his story. Darkshadow will have his ready in a few days. We encourage all our members to do this.

- Avenging Warrior

July 14th, 1999 (evening): Some cool stuff happened since this morning, so I decided to update the news again, informing you of these events. I got Adobe Photoshop 5.0, and decided to try it out. The result was some cool images, that I put into the site. They are actual screenshots from Shogun: Total War, but I edited them a little. Check out the Clan Story and Tactics sections for updates. So far 3 pics were added, 2 to Tactics and 1 to story. But I assure you, there will be more to come.

- Avenging Warrior

Jyly 14th, 1999 (morning): We have yet another member. He seems to know his battle tactics well - he passed our test with an 80%. (8 out of 10) We welcome Oni Gigan to our guild. We now have 7 members. But we're always recruiting, so if you're still not in a clan and meet at least some of the requirements listed in our Enlist section, don't hesitate to join! If you'd like to join our ranks, contact me, Avenging Warrior. My contact info is in the members section.

- Avenging Warrior

July 13th, 1999: Gandalf the Grey is on vacation and will come back this weekend. Until then, I, Avenging Warrior, will be taking over the news and the enlistment of incoming members. Even without Gandalf, however, our clan will still be improving. Right now Ronin is working on some cool images, and I'm also thinking of ways to spice up the page. Meanwhile, I'm fixing up the bugs we're finding here and there. Before Gandalf left, he made a new quiz question though, and we changed the layout of the tactics section around a bit. The tactics page itself and the quiz page are now seperate. There's a link to the quiz at the top of the tactics section, don't miss it. Anyway, I'll keep you informed as new events and ideas arrive.

- Avenging Warrior

July 12th, 1999: New stuff on the horizon. Ronin is now hard at work at making some VERY cool moving graphics for the page. Also, with the help of Ronin, a prog called Hyper Snap, and a little game called Myth, we will be bringing you a new tactics section like no other! Taking screen shots withing the game, then posting them on the page with easy to understand and comprehend images that will for the first time SHOW you how it's supposed to look and work out! It won't be quite like Shogun's thousand men battles, but like Sun Tzu said, "Controlling few, is like controlling many". If you only know how to make the many fight as one, then you have acomplished your goal.

- Gandalf The Grey

July 11th, 1999: Another clan member is welcomed into the guild. Kuni Yori is our new tactics expert, and will help me write tests, and update the tactics section with new stuff. Better watch this guy on the field of battle folks! Also, our new member Ronin has agreed to help us make some pretty neat graphics for the page, and Commander Dark Star agrees to help write the stories. As promised, we are all a well oiled machine, and i have no doubt that if we maintain this close bond of loyalty and friendship on the field of battle, we will be a guild unlike any other.

- Gandalf The Grey

July 10th, 1999: Man, what a wild couple of days! Already, members are pouring in! We got 2 new guys. We welcome to our guild Ronin, and Commander Dark Star! We hope these two warriors fight bravely and defeat the Guild's enemies in glorious battle! Why don't you come join us as well ! Don't delay, become a Red Samurai today!

- Gandalf The Grey

July 8th, 1999: Hooray! Our Clan opens! We have also compromised a close allience with Clan Towashima, us being previously in that clan before we decided to make our own. And we also get a new member. We welcome "Yairuchi Teinoko" to our guild. There are still some stuff to be done, like adding the member's pics and stories, but that will surely come at the end of the week.

-Gandalf The Grey