Henri Dunant, first winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and subject of countless biographies is perhaps best known for his work in establishing the Red Cross. As a volunteer for that organization, I could extol you all day on the merits of it. Rather, I would prefer to look at Dunant's other great legacy - the Geneva Convention.
The Crimean War was making people aware of the atrocities that war could include. 12 Nations sat down to codify a system of rules for armed engagements, which to this day most countries still abide by (or have at least agreed to). The entire contents are enclosed below:
Article 1. Ambulances and military hospitals shall be recognized as neutral, and as such, protected and respected by the belligerents as long as they accommodate wounded and sick. Neutrality shall end if the said ambulances or hospitals should be held by a military force.
Art. 2. Hospital and ambulance personnel, including the quarter-master's staff, the medical, administrative and transport services, and the chaplains, shall have the benefit of the same neutrality when on duty, and while there remain any wounded to be brought in or assisted.
Art. 3. The persons designated in the preceding Article may, even after enemy occupation, continue to discharge their functions in the hospital or ambulance with which they serve, or may withdraw to rejoin the units to which they belong. When in these circumstances they cease from their functions, such persons shall be delivered to the enemy outposts by the occupying forces.
Art. 4. The material of military hospitals being subject to the laws of war, the persons attached to such hospitals may take with them, on withdrawing, only the articles which are their own personal property. Ambulances, on the contrary, under similar circumstances, shall retain their equipment.
Art. 5. Inhabitants of the country who bring help to the wounded shall be respected and shall remain free. Generals of the belligerent Powers shall make it their duty to notify the inhabitants of the appeal made to their humanity, and of the neutrality which humane conduct will confer. The presence of any wounded combatant receiving shelter and care in a house shall ensure its protection. An inhabitant who has given shelter to the wounded shall be exempted from billeting and from a portion of such war contributions as may be levied.
Art. 6. Wounded or sick combatants, to whatever nation they may belong, shall be collected and cared for. Commanders-in-Chief may hand over immediately to the enemy outposts enemy combatants wounded during an engagement, when circumstances allow and subject to the agreement of both parties. Those who, after their recovery, are recognized as being unfit for further service, shall be repatriated. The others may likewise be sent back, on condition that they shall not again, for the duration of hostilities, take up arms. Evacuation parties, and the personnel conducting them, shall be considered as being absolutely neutral.
Art. 7. A distinctive and uniform flag shall be adopted for hospitals, ambulances and evacuation parties. It should in all circumstances be accompanied by the national flag. An armlet may also be worn by personnel enjoying neutrality but its issue shall be left to the military authorities. Both flag and armlet shall bear a red cross on a white ground.
Art. 8. The implementing of the present Convention shall be arranged by the Commanders-in-Chief of the belligerent armies following the instructions of their respective Governments and in accordance with the general principles set forth in this Convention.
Art. 9. The High Contracting Parties have agreed to communicate the present Convention with an invitation to accede thereto to Governments unable to appoint Plenipotentiaries to the International Conference at Geneva. The Protocol has accordingly been left open.
Art. 10. The present Convention shall be ratified and the ratifications exchanged at Berne, within the next four months, or sooner if possible.
In faith whereof, the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the Convention and thereto affixed their seals.
Done at Geneva, this twenty-second day of August, in the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
(Here follow signatures)
Click image to enlarge.
This was signed August 22nd, 1864. This means we have had 150 years of Geneva Convention.
There are and have been many criticisms of the Convention. According to the Wikipedia article:
Despite its intent of ameliorating the ravages of war, the inception of the 1864 Geneva Convention inaugurated "a renewal of military activity on a large scale, to which the people of western Europe…had not been accustomed since the first Napoleon had been eliminated."
In the modern era, since the Geneva Conventions do not apply to Civil Wars, they are of questionable influence. Once again, the wars in the Crimea raise questions about the atrocities of war.
As we play our war games, it helps that we only have to watch the numbers tick down. If instead of numbers, those were our soldiers, or conscripted slaves, or insect aliens it would be pretty disheartening. Let us remember that while
Genghis Khan wrote:A man's greatest pleasure is to defeat his enemies... to hold their wives and daughters in his arms
it is also true that
Sir Winston Churchill wrote:When You Have To Kill A Man It Costs Nothing To Be Polite
Since there were 12 signatories, there are 12 players. The map is from the era shortly after Geneva Convention went into practice. (Unification Germany would have been better but it's too small for 12 players). The Zombie spoils will represent POW camps. Reinforcements are unlimited, which won't matter early on, but will ensure a great late game. Note the new scoring system! Due to the longer nature of the games, I have opened the completion window for an extra month.
NO SIGN-UPS REQUIRED - Everyone is eligible! To sign up all you need to do is join and win at least one game started between August 1 and August 31 with the following settings:
Settings Maps: Eastern Hemisphere Players per game: 12 (Twelve) Game Type: Standard Initial Troops: Automatic Round Limit: Any Play Order: Sequential Spoils: Zombie Reinforcements: Unlimited Special Gameplay: Fog of War (Trench Optional) Round Length: Casual or speed
Medal Criteria You need at least 300 points for the Challenge Achievement Medal
If you play 24 games or less then: Each join (bronze token) is worth 1 point Each win (gold token) is worth 100 points If you play 25 games or more then: Each join (bronze token) is worth 1 points Each win (gold token) is worth 10 points
The settings that must be present are Eastern Hemisphere, 12 player standard, Foggy, Zombie, Unlimited, automatic, sequential Please double check and make sure you have all these settings set. The other settings are open.
Who can play a Challenge? All challenges are open to everyone, although freemiums may have a problem meeting the game load. For this challenge, bigWham is offering a special on speed game packs.
How do we join? All you have to do is a)create games that meet the requirements or b)join games that meet the requirements. They can be private, public or even tournament games. Team CC is not creating any games, the whole thing is done by users. There is a game-join link at the top of the first post.
What are the prizes? For reaching the Challenge Goal you get one of the rarest medals on the site, the Challenge medal. Challenges only come around once, if you miss it, you won't ever have another chance. For scoring the most points in the Challenge: 1 Green Conquer Star For those who finish in 2nd-5th place in the Challenge and achieve the Goal: 1 Blue Conquer Star
When do I get my prize? Soon after the end of the event!
How is deadbeating dealt with? Please report deadbeats in your games, I will do a random check. Inventory items will stay, but medals might be taken away if the deadbeats points do not allow for a medal.
Rulings 1. Deadbeats will have entry points stripped. Not applicable 2. Wins by round limit count as normal wins. 3. Games can always have round limits but they never need to. 4. Inventory relating to the challenge will vanish at the end of the year. 5. Bot games do not score tokens.
I like it also, but will not join... have to play 12 games to win one, maybe I'll win two of twelve, but still lose 10 (ten) and lose like 300 points (and win 200). Not scored games is a must.
dakky21 wrote:I like it also, but will not join... have to play 12 games to win one, maybe I'll win two of twelve, but still lose 10 (ten) and lose like 300 points (and win 200). Not scored games is a must.
If losing some points fills you with fear, there's something wrong.
We play games, we risk our points. Not to do so undermines the whole concept.
“Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.” ― Voltaire
Have to agree with DK here surely half the fun of playing is winning points and risking losing them. I for one wouldn't bother playing if it didn't include points.
The settings/setup aren't my cup of tea, but I'm always up for a challenge... and I do like the new scoring system - a very creative solution to a tricky problem.
Two players, who shall rename nameless joined 93 of the 104 games that are active or waiting for players. They had foed me, and made it so that I could not join any of those games. And when I pm'd them to make them aware, they were one hundred percent uncooperative and unsympathetic. Personally, I feel like they are making themselves to be public nuisances who are violating the spirit of the COMMUNITY challenge. For they are free to foe me or whomever; but once they butt join games in a COMMUNITY challenge and severely limit the games that other players can join, they are not acting within the spirit of the COMMUNITY challenge whatsoever.
VOL, everyone knows the two pricks you're talking about. They are part of the reason I make private games and PM a list of 2000+ players interested in the challenges, but exclude both these players. I will add you to the list if you like.
iAmCaffeine♥ wrote:VOL, everyone knows the two pricks you're talking about. They are part of the reason I make private games and PM a list of 2000+ players interested in the challenges, but exclude both these players. I will add you to the list if you like.
iAmCaffeine♥ wrote:VOL, everyone knows the two pricks you're talking about. They are part of the reason I make private games and PM a list of 2000+ players interested in the challenges, but exclude both these players. I will add you to the list if you like.
add me to that list if you please
Will do, but I won't be creating any more games until 25th onwards.
dakky21 wrote:I like it also, but will not join... have to play 12 games to win one, maybe I'll win two of twelve, but still lose 10 (ten) and lose like 300 points (and win 200). Not scored games is a must.
This is an overall issue with the monthly challenges and why the scoreboards for each are filled with lower to mid ranked players. Very few if any higher ranked players want the epic point rape that comes with these challenges. I lost around 500 points in one of these challenges even though I won above the expected outcome. If I join 12 games and win twice, which would be a good result, I would likely surrender 250 or more points. As I would need at least 3 wins it would likely take me around 20 - 24 games if I play above average. I likely win around 120 points per win and lose around 45 points per loss. Do the math...it is not pretty.
I just make my own games, they'll fill quickly with a bunch of people that also don't like playing against them...
