Blitz Questionnaire - Weasel

[Weasel]

What is your name?

Jason Young

How did you decide upon your Blitz nickname?

I was given a stage name for a band I was in back in the late 90s.
It was Sgt Walrus. It is a long story and nothing to do with The Beatles.
It is now my business name too.
I made my name just “Walrus” for the Blitz as I didn’t want to restrict my rank!

What ladders are you represented on?

Steel Panthers

What is your favorite PC War-game?

Steel Panthers

Who has been your hardest opponent?

All have been excellent.
Hawks, Steel God, Czerpak, Vesku, Grumbler to name a few difficult opponents.
For the last couple of years Weasel has been my nemesis. He is hard work indeed!

How long have you been a member of the Blitz?

Joined in Sept 01, so 5 years, 11 months so far.

What War interests you the most?

I am interested in conflict and history in general so I will read about any era. I guess WW2 pulled me in first, and perhaps that’s why SP appealed.

If you could choose to be present at one historical event what would it be?

Wow, that is hard. I have thought of a thousand moments and cannot pick one.
A Jimi Hendrix show in ’67-’68 would be right up there 

What is your favorite War movie?
Stalingrad is cool. A Bridge Too Far also ranks up there.

What do you snack on while gaming?

Coffee I guess…I don’t really eat at my computer.

What is your favorite and least favorite aspect of the Blitz website?

I would agree with Chris.
It is the people and the chance to connect with like-minded pixel warriors from all over the globe. The community is excellent.
The least??? No idea, I have no negatives really.
I wish there was more of us…but maybe that would ruin it a bit…??

Do you own any war memorabilia?

Not really. A few of my Grandad’s WW2 ribbons (he was a Major in the Fijian Army fighting in the Pacific), some other random badges and that’s it.

What is the best military book you have read?

My favorite is Mark of the Lion, about Charles Upham VC and Bar.
That is because I am a Kiwi, biased, and he is a bloody legend!
I have read many others and have a bookcase full of them, some bad, some excellent…all read 

What do you think was the single most important event of WWII?

Pearl Harbour is right up there I guess. It pulled USA into the war properly and made the end inevitable. I don’t know really…Stalingrad must be right up there too.
I find it hard to break it down to one moment like that…really the most important moment was when it started I guess.

What is the most interesting documentary you have ever watched?

The Corporation.
There are many but that one is the most important. If you have not seen it…you should.

What is your favorite version of Steel Panthers?

I play SPCAMO only, so MBT and WW2. I like them both equally.

Are there any war games catching your eye at present?

I was dabbling with Hearts of Iron but it just takes too much of my time.
When I was ten I joined a war-gaming club and played WW2 1/72 scale battles with dice and rulers and terrain on table-tennis tables…SP is the computer age version and I guess that it is all that I need.


What piece of wisdom would you like to pass on to your fellow Blitz members?

Ha! Me! Wisdom!

Try and remember that it is a game and a challenge.
Don’t play for the ladder, play for the enjoyment of you and your opponent.
Show good form with your opponent, and in general.
Have fun!!

[Weasel]

What is your name?

Matthew Allen

How did you decide upon your Blitz nickname?

After watching Saving Private Ryan I thought the word Fubar that they used in the film was a very accurate way of describing my game play style.

What ladders are you represented on?

Combat Mission
Steel Panthers
The Operational Art Of War
Combat Mission Shock Force

What is your favorite PC War-game?

It was Combat Mission that brought me to the Blitz and it's still my favorite WW2 wargame but WinSPWW2/MBT is a very close second, in fact it's closing all the time.

Who has been your hardest opponent?

My hardest CM opponent is Walkure, he's a CM killing machine and damn near impossible to beat. But my current SP nemesis is Shortreengage, he has a nasty nack of humiliating me big time, still he's not all bad as he's a fellow WH40K nut. ;-)

How long have you been a member of the Blitz?

According to my Blitz's member page it was Oct 2002 but to be honest I didn't think it was that long......I suddenly feel very old. LOL

What War interests you the most?

I grew up watching all the old black & white war movies as a sprog so WW2 is a major interest, but as I've gotten longer in the tooth I'm developing an interest in the Napoleonic Wars. Fingers crossed for the game Histwar™: Les Grognards which is currently in development.

If you could choose to be present at one historical event what would it be?

Easy.....that would have to be the final punch-up between Boudicca and her army, after they had defeated the Roman Ninth Legion and sacked the Roman capital at Colchester, and the remaining Roman Army under the command of Paulinus. But the site of the battle has been forgotten in the mist of time so I'm going to be cheeky and choose a second which would be Nelson's first great victory at the Battle Of The Nile.

What is your favorite War movie?

The Dambusters starring Richard Todd and Michael Redgrave is a film of almost documentary proportions, in fact it was filmed in black & white just so they could use real footage from the war. They don't make 'em like that any more.

What do you snack on while gaming?

I'm partial to a nice single malt, failing that a JD & coke does the trick......it could also explain some of my past performances.

What is your favorite and least favorite aspect of the Blitz website?

The great blokes who I've gotten to meet would have to be my favorite aspect. My least favorite would have to be the length of time it's taking me to earn a blasted medal.

Do you own any war memorabilia?

I have my Great Grandfathers hand grenade from The Great War, it's called a Mill's Bomb but it's almost identical to the hand grenades the Brits used in WW2.

What is the best military book you have read?

Cassino : The Hollow Victory by John Ellis.

What do you think was the single most important event of WWII?

The evacuation of the British Army at Dunkirk, we'd have been right up the creek without those lads back in Britian.

What is the most interesting documentary you have ever watched?

Crikey I watch so many documentary's I couldn't pick any one in particular, I'm rather keen on anything history based or to do with space and star gazing.

What is your favorite version of Steel Panthers?

WinSPWW2/MBT are the only versions I play now.

Are there any war games catching your eye at present?

Well I did have high hopes for CMSF........but oh dear. It's going to need a shed load of patches to fix all it's problems. Histwar™: Les Grognards is another I have my beady eye on and I'm still waiting for a decent game that covers the Age Of Fighting Sail.

What piece of wisdom would you like to pass on to your fellow Blitz members?

Don't eat Kebabs at the keyboard, it's dead hard to clean that sauce out from in between the keys......and remember it's just a game so have fun.

[Weasel]

I like the DAMN BUSTERS too, the fellow that played Barns Wallace looks quite a bit like the real man. For some reason that one line in the movie always sticks in my head "hello nigger old boy" (said to his dog). Obviously in England in the 1950s it must have had a different meaning?

((IF ANYONE IS OFFENDED BY THE NAME USED FOR THE DOG I WILL DELETE IT, NO OFFENSE IS INTENDED THAT IS JUST THE LINE FROM THE MOVIE))

[Fubar]

Yeah Michael Redgrave was a great actor.

Another great film that had Richard Todd was in as well was The Longest Day in which he played Maj John Howard who was tasked with capturing Pegasus Bridge, what makes it even better is that Richard Todd was actually part of the real event and acted as military adviser during the making of the film.

[Walrus]

Hi Chris

For some reason that one line in the movie always sticks in my head "hello nigger old boy" (said to his dog). Obviously in England in the 1950s it must have had a different meaning?

((IF ANYONE IS OFFENDED BY THE NAME USED FOR THE DOG I WILL DELETE IT, NO OFFENSE IS INTENDED THAT IS JUST THE LINE FROM THE MOVIE))

No, the meaning was the same.
It was a "light-hearted+ name for the dog because it was black.
It is good to see how much some of us have changed our attitudes to other races, genders etc
There is an issue with the current movie being made by Peter Jackson as to what to call the dog.
It'll be interesting to see what happens with that.
PC-ness vs reality

As my lovely girlfriend just pointed out (while reading this over my shoulder) "you cannot edit history"...unless it is "1984".

Actually, there is a fair bit of that going on as we speak...shameful.

Cheers...and good call re. the kebab Fubar
Cheers

[Bigwig]

I'm still waiting for a decent game that covers the Age Of Fighting Sail.

That would be nice. I love me some Aubrey and Marturin novels.

[Fubar]

That would be nice. I love me some Aubrey and Marturin novels.

I watched the film Master & Commander the other night at my mates, he's just bought a full CSS for his new 52" widescreen FST TV, and it was awesome. When those cannonballs were flying i nearly hit the deck.

[Bigwig]

That would be nice. I love me some Aubrey and Marturin novels.

I watched the film Master & Commander the other night at my mates, he's just bought a full CSS for his new 52" widescreen FST TV, and it was awesome. When those cannonballs were flying i nearly hit the deck.

Nice.

The movie is an excellent adaption of the books - it really captures the mood and characters without getting bogged down on slavishly replicating the novels' plots.

[Mr Grumpy]

Hi Chris

For some reason that one line in the movie always sticks in my head "hello nigger old boy" (said to his dog). Obviously in England in the 1950s it must have had a different meaning?

((IF ANYONE IS OFFENDED BY THE NAME USED FOR THE DOG I WILL DELETE IT, NO OFFENSE IS INTENDED THAT IS JUST THE LINE FROM THE MOVIE))

No, the meaning was the same.
It was a "light-hearted+ name for the dog because it was black.
It is good to see how much some of us have changed our attitudes to other races, genders etc
There is an issue with the current movie being made by Peter Jackson as to what to call the dog.
It'll be interesting to see what happens with that.
PC-ness vs reality

As my lovely girlfriend just pointed out (while reading this over my shoulder) "you cannot edit history"...unless it is "1984".

Actually, there is a fair bit of that going on as we speak...shameful.

Cheers...and good call re. the kebab Fubar
Cheers

When the film was last shown on UK TV the dogs name was dubbed to Digger to avoid upsetting anybody.

[Weasel]

I'm still waiting for a decent game that covers the Age Of Fighting Sail.

That would be nice. I love me some Aubrey and Marturin novels.

I have AGE OF SAIL 2 but I must admit, although it is beautiful to look at I was totally bored after a few days of play. I have never played it again since then.