Greetings and salutations,

You will forgive me for such a brief introduction, but for those that don’t know me, simply put – I am Oberst. While I can be given over to erstwhile bouts of flowery effluent that would make Cicero seem plain spoken, I figure at this juncture it is best to get right down to business.

Currently, I am in the process of getting up to speed on the day to day administrative affairs of the Clan as a whole. Auditing whatever activity tracking each House has. To that end, after the New Year I may need some help in finishing off the audit. If you would like to volunteer your services, it would be greatly appreciated. Please do not reply to this e-mail. Contact me individually at vonoberst [at] sbcglobal [dot] net.

But, that is secondary administrative fluff that only I should really be concerned about. A more pressing matter is the upcoming Great Jedi War. Tarentum is a Clan that has its ups and downs with the Great Jedi War. Our overall placing never really reflects how we did. As a Clan we possess individuals whose writing talents craft language in such a deft manner that they consistently and constantly place in fiction portions; and gamers who climb the top of the ladder in positive differential win-loss records. Unfortunately we never have the sheer raw numbers to match the other Clans in their zeal. And as a further unfortunate happenstance, history only remembers winners. Forget the victories of great generals like Hannibal, Pompey, Charles XII and Napoleon. Cannae, Iberia, Narva and Austerlitz lose their luster and shine when you realize that these great men ultimately fell to superior numbers.

Not all is dire, glum and gloom, though. Your very best. Your absolute very best can bring us bright spots and hope. And that little bit will make our fight for the top that much easier. And that’s all any of us in the Clan or House summits can ask for – your best. If your best can only score you a handful of points, that is perfectly acceptable. There is no shame in presenting what you can do. The only thing that can be looked down upon is not giving your Clan your absolute best.

But, let’s end on a lighter note, shall we? Many of you have been asking when the next Wargame is. And I’ll tell you. It starts on the 20th. As some of you don’t know, this is how you get ranks and positions in the Clan’s military. Ever wanted to portray your DB persona as a soldier? Officer? Engineer? Scout? This is your chance. Here’s how it goes down. I provide the map and the scenario, you provide me with the plans to achieve the objectives outlined.

There’s a twist this time, though. You won’t all be doing the same scenario. You’ll be going head to head in pairs. And because of that, you need to sign up before you I can give you the details. From 12/20 to 12/23 you will shoot me an e-mail saying “I want to sign up for the wargame.” And only between those dates. Do not e-mail me before or after. On 12/24, I will figure out who is playing which side and e-mail both sides with the map and their orders. All scenarios are due by 1/6/09 (I don’t care about time zone, it just has to say 1/6 on the time stamp for your e-mail). And I will judge the scenarios head to head. Yes. Just me. That means you might end up with say – Armus or Bf as your opponent. And no, you won’t know who your opponent was until AFTER I receive both submissions. Winners will either receive promotions (if they’re already listed in the military) or first pick of open positions in the empty spots already in the Navy or I Corps or the soon to be unveiled II Corps. Yes, even the Corps commander spot could be up for grabs.

And to make things just a little bit more interesting, the top 3 submissions will earn a spot on my Command Staff for the upcoming GJW, if a Battleplan event is part of the competition.

Regards,

Maxamillian von Oberst-Tarentae,

Marshal of the Armies of Tarentum,

Proconsul of Clan Tarentum,

Death Dealer