Eleven Weeks To Go, what are you looking for?

It's eleven weeks to go until release date.

Things I've noticed...

No Go4 scenes yet. Was looking forward to seeing how they reacted to the defeat of the Army of Justice. Still have that in the future.

Timeline is currently Spring 897. The ICA seems to be two years away from a good supply of smokeless nitrate ammunition, small arms and artillery.

With the Temple Boys catching up on some of the technology and high explosives being two years away, will the pace of ICA victory slow down? ICA still wins hands down in strategy and tactics but is that enough to handle being outnumbered three to one while on the offensive? The Temple is starting to reduce their lines of supply as we get closer to Zion.

Semi-worried that DW will hand the forces of good a serious setback/defeat in order to build dramatic moments.

Between OWL having sensors everywhere, Nahrmahn providing analysis, and a friendly seijin to tell people what is going on there should be no surprises. And yet the scene of the general briefing the Archbishop gives me pause as that could be a set up for something ugly.

The bad news is that with the last snippet only yesterday I can't expect one anytime soon. Argh. Just have to wait the 11 weeks I guess.

I'm certainly expecting Temple Lands starting to get their bearings and actually pound Charisians where it counts - not that I want to stick it to Charis, it's just that I think it would make for a more interesting stories. Given what the latest snippets are setting up, it seems I won't be disappointed.

What else? I'd love to see some spy action, perhaps in Zion. On that, it would seem, HFQ will deliver as well.

And of course I have high hopes for getting some background on the War of the Fallen and some clarification on how things actually looked between Chihiro & Schueler.

And Haarahlds. After two (or was it three?) books' worth of buildup for them I finally want them to be here to kick ass and chew bubblegum (only no bubblegum on Safehold Well, I'll settle for the first part).

And I want something really surprising to happen. Something along the lines of Brotherhood in book two or Aivah's revelation at the end of LAMA, something so far out of the left field that our collective jaws will all drop.

Well, the next snippet picks up with "Mistress Marnzho's Fine Milliners." So it could be that we are in for some cloak and dagger stuff in Zion. That could be fun..

Don

Hi Fubar,

Good points, but a few clarifications seem in order.

It's March, or still winter on Safehold or Siddermark to be more exact.

A Go4 meeting might follow the secretive scene that begins the next snippet, so we may yet have our wishes fulfilled in this case.

The pace of ICA victories isn't all that quick; July for BGV and DE, October for Mountain cross and Fort Tairys, February for DE over the AoS, then March for the much smaller victory at Esthyr's Abbey; though we're still in March, it doesn't look like any other victories are planned.

The temple hasn't reduced its lines of supply because it hasn't stopped advancing and attacking, however you might view it.

The new propellants and explosives are supposed to begin reaching Siddarmark sometime this summer, although I'll grant it may take a couple of years before the switchover is complete.

17 days and counting,

L


,

Fubar wrote:It's eleven weeks to go until release date.

Things I've noticed...

No Go4 scenes yet. Was looking forward to seeing how they reacted to the defeat of the Army of Justice. Still have that in the future.

Timeline is currently Spring 897. The ICA seems to be two years away from a good supply of smokeless nitrate ammunition, small arms and artillery.

With the Temple Boys catching up on some of the technology and high explosives being two years away, will the pace of ICA victory slow down? ICA still wins hands down in strategy and tactics but is that enough to handle being outnumbered three to one while on the offensive? The Temple is starting to reduce their lines of supply as we get closer to Zion.

Semi-worried that DW will hand the forces of good a serious setback/defeat in order to build dramatic moments.

Between OWL having sensors everywhere, Nahrmahn providing analysis, and a friendly seijin to tell people what is going on there should be no surprises. And yet the scene of the general briefing the Archbishop gives me pause as that could be a set up for something ugly.

The bad news is that with the last snippet only yesterday I can't expect one anytime soon. Argh. Just have to wait the 11 weeks I guess.

lyonheart wrote:Hi Fubar,

Good points, but a few clarifications seem in order.

It's March, or still winter on Safehold or Siddermark to be more exact.

A Go4 meeting might follow the secretive scene that begins the next snippet, so we may yet have our wishes fulfilled in this case.

The pace of ICA victories isn't all that quick; July for BGV and DE, October for Mountain cross and Fort Tairys, February for DE over the AoS, then March for the much smaller victory at Esthyr's Abbey; though we're still in March, it doesn't look like any other victories are planned.

The temple hasn't reduced its lines of supply because it hasn't stopped advancing and attacking, however you might view it.

The new propellants and explosives are supposed to begin reaching Siddarmark sometime this summer, although I'll grant it may take a couple of years before the switchover is complete.

17 days and counting,

L


,

Fubar wrote:It's eleven weeks to go until release date.

Things I've noticed...

No Go4 scenes yet. Was looking forward to seeing how they reacted to the defeat of the Army of Justice. Still have that in the future.

Timeline is currently Spring 897. The ICA seems to be two years away from a good supply of smokeless nitrate ammunition, small arms and artillery.

With the Temple Boys catching up on some of the technology and high explosives being two years away, will the pace of ICA victory slow down? ICA still wins hands down in strategy and tactics but is that enough to handle being outnumbered three to one while on the offensive? The Temple is starting to reduce their lines of supply as we get closer to Zion.

Semi-worried that DW will hand the forces of good a serious setback/defeat in order to build dramatic moments.

Between OWL having sensors everywhere, Nahrmahn providing analysis, and a friendly seijin to tell people what is going on there should be no surprises. And yet the scene of the general briefing the Archbishop gives me pause as that could be a set up for something ugly.

The bad news is that with the last snippet only yesterday I can't expect one anytime soon. Argh. Just have to wait the 11 weeks I guess.

I think that having so much packed into such a short timeframe makes the pace on the story seem to crawl, or in my own case, I have to keep remembering that not as much time has elapsed as I am tempted to think...

Don

I'm looking for how RFC handles the Thirsk 'death' WITHOUT a dream sequence! Obviously, I prefer to think that this good guy should and will survive this death experience.

After going through the 'mortal wound' for the Duke of Darcos, I'm looking for some impressive mental gymnastics for this to meet the conditions put forth.

N.B.: 500th post!

Please be careful--this thread is NOT currently marked as a SPOILER thread.

What I'm looking forward to is what Clyntahn might do with his rakurai ops and how he might have them directed against the Allies military commanders.

I'm deliberately avoiding any spoilers, although that makes me sound as if I'm not current with the snippets. That's the price I'll pay I suppose, and a few things I'm looking for obviously won't make this list...

First I'm looking for the book!

I'm very curious what the CoGA will do with the locusts otherwise known as the MHoG. 1.6 million men, with over 600,000 rifles, many of them the church's latest model.

Do we see the MHoG split into northern and southern forces? Since everyone seems to think that BGV is going to roll over Wyrshym and continue west, if that happens the MHoG is the closest and largest force to oppose him, even if Wyrshym had other reinforcements on the way.

What do those troops do if the army they were sent to rescue is gone? BGV can easily prepare his troops for a northern massacre. I'd rather send those Harchongese who have had their eyes opened as to how their masters intended to use them as cannon fodder home, along with their guns to raise havoc and a massive slave rebellion, but I seldom get what I want.

If there's a southern MHoG, how can Hanth possibly stand against a horde that outnumbers him 20-1? Where is the final shipment of 50,000 ICA troops being sent? (In winter might I remind everyone...)

Will we FINALLY get the Battle of Gorath Bay? I wanna see the Haarahlds POUND Dohlar's capital city's waterfront into rubble - while Merlin does some derring-do to smuggle Thirsk's family free from the Inquisition's "protection." Oh, let's not forget beheading King Ronald for murdering all those Charisian POWs!

I also want to see what happens to Thirsk's fleet when they get hit by a 10" shell for the first time. How long will it take for their banners to come down when one shot destroys an entire ship from far beyond the range of their own guns?

Will Thirsk surrender his fleet and defect once his family is safe?

Will Thirsk's captive wizard's inventions do one bit of good against a Haarahld? (I sure hope not! PLEASE don't invent underwater mines!)

Will the EoC cut a deal with Silkiah to give them access to the Salthar canal? Will Silkiah consider becoming the logical mainland realm to join the EoC?

How many Corisandians are going to volunteer to join the ICA after the assassination attempt on their princess and her husband? Doesn't that free up a minimum of 20,000 ICA occupation troops? (I'm gonna leave 10,000 there so nobody gets any ideas...)

I wanna see Clyntahn's tantrum when he finds out that the AoS no longer exists!

Can Ahlverez escape even though a seijin can drop in to tell the local commander that the remnants of the AoS are close by?

Will DE do Hanth a favor by crushing the Dohlarans who are digging in at Evrytyn? (I expect DE will probably get a full replacement of shells and mortars when he passes by Thesmar.) I look forward to him remaining in the southern theater to defeat Dohlar, especially if there's a southern MHoG. (Yes, I've read the snippets...)

Is Dairynth and the canal head there toast? Ok, the allies will want to preserve the infrastructure, but sail a Haarahld into the Bay of Bess and EVERYBODY is going to run! That also cuts off Kaitswyrth's southern supply route. Oops!

Will we get another cliffhanger like at the end of LaMA? (Which hadn't ever occurred in this series before, but once RFC leaves his readers hanging, he tends to enjoy the idea. Remember 3 of the last 4 Honor Harrington novels? A handshake? The battle of Beowulf set up, but no battle? Mike going after Mesa? Seriously, I was ready to SCREAM after all of them!)

Now he's done it once in Safehold, and I don't TRUST the devious celery chasing hexaped!

McGuiness wrote:
Will the EoC cut a deal with Silkiah to give them access to the Salthar canal? Will Silkiah consider becoming the logical mainland realm to join the EoC?

While I agree with many of your other points. THIS!!! I am glad to see that someone else agrees with me that the logical way for Silkiah to jump, is to jump in bed with the EoC with both feet. The advantages for Silkiah AND the EoC would be overwhelming.