The ramblings of John McNab

[Stuyvesant]

...and now we have Rab. I think his cynicism will serve him well.

Not to mention the awesome (aweful?) 'tache. That represents authority and martial demeanor (a story once told to me alleged that the Dutch military in the 'olden' days - i.e. the '50s or '60s, before all the conscripts turned into long-haired, work-shy hippies in the '80s and before the whole thing became volunteer professional in the '90s - it was permissible to grow a mustache because it created a 'martial appearance' - don't know if it's true, but it sounds reasonable enough. Same applies to the police, by the way ).

Nice timing on the Earl's side. Sure, he went down as a tyrant twice over, but he left it all to his one son to inherit (presumably, without the stain of tyranny passing over to him as well).

[aldriq]

Not to mention the awesome (aweful?) 'tache. That represents authority and martial demeanor

Indeed, though I somehow doubt the martial demeanour or the moustache will prevent him from throwing up on his liege's chaplain's shoes when the occasion comes...

[Serek000]

Rab will be a good leader, I should hope. I can't imagine anything else from a man with such a glorious mustache. His hair + mustache combo reminds me of a Canadian Ice Hockey player from circa 1981. Lovin' it.

[loki100]

Very well timed indeed, poor Donald 'naturally' passing away at just the right time for Rab! I like that whilst other foolish rulers are likely busy crusading, the only time a Mael sent anyone abroad was on a booze cruise, it is the Scottish way. Thus Mael has passed away, a reasonable enough ruler on the whole and now we have Rab. I think his cynicism will serve him well.

well yes, I mean what other response is possible to be told that your spotty younger brother, who would have inherited half your realm, passed away just days before the Earl had one flagon too many?

Not to mention the awesome (aweful?) 'tache. That represents authority and martial demeanor (a story once told to me alleged that the Dutch military in the 'olden' days - i.e. the '50s or '60s, before all the conscripts turned into long-haired, work-shy hippies in the '80s and before the whole thing became volunteer professional in the '90s - it was permissible to grow a mustache because it created a 'martial appearance' - don't know if it's true, but it sounds reasonable enough. Same applies to the police, by the way ).

Nice timing on the Earl's side. Sure, he went down as a tyrant twice over, but he left it all to his one son to inherit (presumably, without the stain of tyranny passing over to him as well).

His moustache has really caught the attention hasn't it?

There's a brilliant set of 'police-procedural novels', mostly set in and around Amsterdam, by Jan van de Wetering, one his heros has what I now have to regard as a Rab moustache (& they were written in the 70s).

Of course the other aspect of the Dutch army in the 70s and 80s was they all went home for the weekend leaving N Germany to its own devices ... I'm sure no-one told the Kremlin though so it didn't really matter.

Indeed, though I somehow doubt the martial demeanour or the moustache will prevent him from throwing up on his liege's chaplain's shoes when the occasion comes...

oddly enough, his first feast with the Duke does indeed involve overdoing the bevvy ... you'd think that Paradox were trying to smear/accurately portray Glasgow wouldn't you?

Rab will be a good leader, I should hope. I can't imagine anything else from a man with such a glorious mustache. His hair + mustache combo reminds me of a Canadian Ice Hockey player from circa 1981. Lovin' it.

Yep he has one memorable moustache, it is so very 70s/80s isn't it?

[loki100]

Ah Rab, he was a gregarious chap in those days



See his wife wanted a daughter, so he provides



Close, but there you are ... any way he was to be famous for running the local town gossip sheets

And then he spent an age hunting with his mates



ok they weren't all mates



not that stopped Rab from his hunt



or feasting with the Duke ... think he found his father's secret buckie stash on the way in



While his steward was getting beaten up by some Neds [1] down in Dumfries



And then we had the jolly fun of serving King Duncan the Cruel,

why grandfather?

I think the clue is in his title?



Seems we were in Norway, looked much like Falkirk [2] so it took us a while to work out why we couldn't understand what was being said

While we were at war he kept up his sword practice



even if the Norwegians forced him into a premature withdrawal



though later on he took better precautions



and he was able to keep up on his diet



and all the exercise kept him off the bevvy



I mean have you seen the price of beer in Sweden these days ..

his only problem was some of his court were a bit bored ... either that or Roger just simply wanted to kill his son Murdoch



[1] - Ned, a colourful form of Glaswegian street life
[2] - Falkirk is pretty much mid-way between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Often claimed that while it isn't actually the end of the world, you can indeed see it from there

[morningSIDEr]

even if the Norwegians forced him into a premature withdrawal

though later on he took better precautions

These lines following on from the ones before about 'sword' practice are fantastic.

Good to see Rab proving a good Scotsman by annoying his wife by providing her with the wrong child, quickly succumbing to drink, spending hours from the home whilst out 'hunting' and whilst his father was very proficient with a polearm, Rab is a dab hand with the sword. A very promising start to his reign it must be said!

[Serek000]

The poor Steward. It seems he's always getting roughed up by peasants. Good old peasants, living up to the reputation of Scots being cheap when it comes to money.

[Stuyvesant]

What's with all these 'de Glasgows' intent on murdering their way through life? It seems a particularly bothersome clan, their name surfaces in just about every plot. I say, just get rid of the lot.

Oh, and come to think of it, how is it that your spymaster, Matthew de Glasgow (sounds fairly Scottish to me - albeit with some French accents) is heir to the county of Feher, which, if memory serves, is somewhere in Hungary/Transsylvania?!?

[aldriq]

Anyone would think that north of the Clyde there is only deer, south of the Clyde there is only trouble...

[loki100]

These lines following on from the ones before about 'sword' practice are fantastic.

Good to see Rab proving a good Scotsman by annoying his wife by providing her with the wrong child, quickly succumbing to drink, spending hours from the home whilst out 'hunting' and whilst his father was very proficient with a polearm, Rab is a dab hand with the sword. A very promising start to his reign it must be said!

Yep, a real example of west coast manhood, bevvying, never in, and easily distracted ...

The poor Steward. It seems he's always getting roughed up by peasants. Good old peasants, living up to the reputation of Scots being cheap when it comes to money.

What's with all these 'de Glasgows' intent on murdering their way through life? It seems a particularly bothersome clan, their name surfaces in just about every plot. I say, just get rid of the lot.

Oh, and come to think of it, how is it that your spymaster, Matthew de Glasgow (sounds fairly Scottish to me - albeit with some French accents) is heir to the county of Feher, which, if memory serves, is somewhere in Hungary/Transsylvania?!?

I think its more a generic place name, ie they come from Glasgow? I've checked the family trees and they are not related. I think the various links to Hungary (theres another in the next post) relate back to the lustful ZIla and her one woman campaign to turn Scotland into Hungary

Anyone would think that north of the Clyde there is only deer, south of the Clyde there is only trouble...

yep sort of summarises the local geography ... mind you any deer in Drumchapel would get the shock of their (short) life

[loki100]

well he had his weak moments too, you know



Not helped when he found out his mother had joined in a local plot together with his steward to kill his not very popular spymaster. I think they were just jealous of his mother [1].



Well rather than deal with this, he took it out on someone else ... blamed him for his wee brother's death:



at the same time as he got a right hiding off some passing Norwegians



in a moment of weakness he made his mother the new spymaster



packed his sister off to marry some german punter with a metal fetish



and faced with all this weakness, the neds in Galloway scented blood



there was good news that apparently we won the war



Which meant he was allowed home.

Mind you the Duke seemed to be in a mighty bad mood with the other earls



I think he opted to ignore this as well ... staying well out of sight



especially as they were all too busy plotting against each other

at least there was one occasion when he managed to stiffen his spine and stand up and be counted



Which of course merely raised the problem of who inherited Galloway

Rather than worry about this, he wandered off to join the latest plot ... kept him out the house for a while



even if it was led by a metal merchant named after a breed of porpoises

[1] – Zila the lustful Hungarian, hence, I guess, the claim on Eber

[morningSIDEr]

Superb stuff, I do rather feel for Rab, caught up as he is amongst the constant plotting of his court. I feel for his steward far more though! With the Rurivkovich it was constant injuries to the marshals, with the 'of Clydesdale' (?) it is the poor steward who seems to ever suffer!

I'm not surprised Norway's troops landed in Oxford as opposed to Scotland during the war, I'd certainly want to keep fight in a pleasant place such as Oxford rather than somewhere such as Falkirk in their position!

[loki100]

Superb stuff, I do rather feel for Rab, caught up as he is amongst the constant plotting of his court. I feel for his steward far more though! With the Rurivkovich it was constant injuries to the marshals, with the 'of Clydesdale' (?) it is the poor steward who seems to ever suffer!

I'm not surprised Norway's troops landed in Oxford as opposed to Scotland during the war, I'd certainly want to keep fight in a pleasant place such as Oxford rather than somewhere such as Falkirk in their position!

I suppose that so far I've only managed one independent battle I've struggled to maim that many nobles, but give it to the peasants of Galloway ... they are, indeed, doing their best to keep that noble tradition alive

England seemed to fall to pieces in this game, there is an independent Lancaster in the north, bits totally independent, bits owned by the Norwegians and an 'England' in SW Sweden, at least i guess it'll keep them from invading Scotland for a while

[loki100]

Well it was sometimes hard to work out when he was being patient and when he was being lazy



The ongoing problem of extracting money from Galloway didn't worry him too much, mind you he wasn't the one being beaten up on a regular basis



But he was so calm, so patient, it was quite nice for a while, a sort of live



and make love period



Then while he was off getting a free lunch, he got a new job



Must admit after that he did become a bit more suspicious for a while ... he even caught your granny, Auntie Constance, nicking the pies .... guess it was a form of on the job training?



Oh and it seems as if the family had really always owned Carrick, all the time, for ever



though it appears he'll have to wait a while before doing much about

Then they all went on crusade, well that it is they went to Ireland instead as it was nearer and featured marginally fewer nutters out to harm them



though he managed to catch his father's man-flu over there



but he took his time and got better



So there you are kids, I think we can confirm that overall idleness yields better results than being active ... I'm off for a bevvy and a nap. If only Patience had kept her virtue ... unlike Granny Constance managed.

[aldriq]

That pesky Fingal has escaped this time with typical Irish luck, good job Rab is a patient guy. Will the claim remain for Rab's heirs to use it?

[morningSIDEr]

His cynicism is serving him well, I don't quite trust Scottish bakery products myself! Considering that Rab has been treating the peasants so well, banning them from entering the city and the like, I really don't know why they continually assault his poor steward. Interesting that you now have a claim on Carrick, any chance you'll be able to make use of it soon?

[Serek000]

Check out the consumption survival rates in that family! I bet with immune systems like that they could weather the black plague if need be!

[lgonggr]

Enjoyed reading, I love a good AAR with pictures Will follow with interest !

[loki100]

That pesky Fingal has escaped this time with typical Irish luck, good job Rab is a patient guy. Will the claim remain for Rab's heirs to use it?

No, I've just realised that if you are as low down the food chain as I am, then the only good claims are either: (a) completely out the realm, then if you're lucky the King will go to war to get it for you (this happens a lot in this game at least), or (b) within the Duchy so you can war for it, but the one I can't get my paws on is another province in the same realm/different Duchy ... unless of course I manage to make myself independent

His cynicism is serving him well, I don't quite trust Scottish bakery products myself! Considering that Rab has been treating the peasants so well, banning them from entering the city and the like, I really don't know why they continually assault his poor steward. Interesting that you now have a claim on Carrick, any chance you'll be able to make use of it soon?

well would you let a bunch of plague ridden peasants near your nice city? The steward is handy for them to work out their frustrations on someone who doesn't really matter

Check out the consumption survival rates in that family! I bet with immune systems like that they could weather the black plague if need be!

I know, we shake off near fatal diseases with such ease, amazing how much healthier Glasgow was then than it is now ...

Enjoyed reading, I love a good AAR with pictures Will follow with interest !

glad its caught your attention, also helps that the ingame images are so good and easy to use

[loki100]

Oh quite the little tactician he was



Nothing was safe from his touch in those years ...

So he was just setting off to see the old Duke and decided to throw Neil, his youngest, in jail



and he managed to find back the family collection of Buckfast special brew



and since the Duke then decided he liked him so much



he chucked the Dolphin in jail as well ... nice wee friend for Neil really



Oddly the Duke died soon afterwards






well given what he had planned, he decided to start by being nice to the new one

and very nice to Mad King Duncan the cruel



and he was so busy off with his posh mates he had no time for any of us



Of course he manouvered his way to any money going



and since he couldn't find anything else to do



he really went on a building spree, which certainly kept me busy fabricating antiques and selling healthy snack foods



while at the same time making a lot of trips over to Ireland