Nice bit of writing, I'll have to order a copy of Kingmaker sometime soon
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Going a bit O/T, I was watching some blackadder lastnight, the last episode where they have to "go over the top". The last scene is superbly directed... the bit that got me was when darling goes "the guns have stopped, perhaps its peace... my god! we survived it, the Great War, 1914 to 1917 (which we know is wrong). Kind of conveys the utter hopelessness of the situation that millions of men confronted during that bloody war. The way they finish it is very good indeed, with a simple "good luck" from blackadder, where the jokes end and the mood suddenly becomes very serious. They charge over the top to their deaths, with the picture fading to an empty trench and then to a field full of poppies... very touching indeed!