La♔De♔Da♔Brigadier Graham

Duffers and the Duffer Society history on TWC

♔The Most Ancient, Puissant and Honorable Society of Silly Old Duffers♔

I was called la de dah Gnr Graham then...I started posting in the inimitable Duffer style on the rants and raves thread in Empire Total war General Discussions thread. Much to the moderators chagrin may I add! but people seemed to like it somewhat... Soon afterward I met up with another fine fellow.. his name was Kleber then.. we became firm friends and it wasn't long until we hit up with the idea of starting a society on TWC. And thus Kleber became Lance corporal Jones. The Ancient Tenets were written in earnest.. and from our erstwhile beginnings we managed to recruit more duffers to our benner, who also enjoy a spot of Port and Stilton. And the rest as they say is history.. we have taken part in various battles with the Mongols.. lead then by Shaggy the Khanny and thoroughly routed them at the battles of...

Khazi pass 2009 The battle of Ulan Bator 2009 And various other conflicts.. including with the Khanny's brother Chin Chinnery. Always giving them a thorough thrashing in the process.

This year has been a flurry of activity and we stand at the moment with 186 duffer members.. jolly splendid indeed. Along the way we have encountered various ne'er-do-wells and thorough blighters to boot not least of which are those bally S**** blighters. However we always seem to come out on top.. after they decided to adopt our crowns.. we were overjoyed that they would advertise our society for free.. thus we coined a new name for the blighters... S**** sandwiches eh what? Recently they started to follow we duffers to any thread they made.. so we now say that they are our little mascots.. and have actually made a few of their members out honourable little concubines. Even more recently I was awarded along with Arch-Duffer ♔Hammeredalways♔ The order of the S**** magnet.. in recognition of attracting at least 10 s**** members to a thread at the same time.. not an easy task I assure you sir!

This year we won the 2010 Party Elections by a rather small majority, as we really do not partake in politic shenanigans as a society.. suffice to say our protagonists were the Mongols again. However due the bravoury of our Honourable duffers at the battle of Hullabaloo drift.. we were victorious. They were "weighed measured and found thoroughly wanting" once more. "they dont like it up em".. no sir.

This year we continue to recruit new members...

Furthermore you can use our duffer smileys which I made and are hosted on TWC.. this was after a personal battle called the smiley wars....

New Smileys for TWC? [1]

And recently we have been recognized as a distinct user group on TWC with the advent of Duffer articles for purchase from the TWC market place.

♔"For the Duffers"♔ a jolly good thank you to the content staff and TWC! [2]

So it does rather look that the Duffer society is really rather here to stay I should think?..Pass the Port old chap! Huzzah!!!!

Your obedient servant.

La♔De♔Da♔Brigadier Graham

=

June 8th 2009 POSTED ON THE PATCH DAILY UPDATE THREAD===.

"Now steady on there's good fellows,

I have followed this thread for some time now and I am afraid it has denigrated into a pulpit for the local peasantry to air their grievances and complaints to their Highness's, C.A. it seems! In this forum, I believe they have the appropriate thread that goes by the moniker of " rants and Rave's I do believe! Let me just add, that I find it it inspiring to say the least that their Highness's C.A. should even deem it necessary to keep the Lower Ranks and common soldiery, informed of any advances on an almost daily basis, what what? If you have redress of grievance with the higher echelons. You can leave your scribblings and scrawling s or verbal ejaculations, in the requisite thread, may I suggest, "" Rants and Raves", for those who are endowed with the gift of calligraphy, or perhaps just the ability to read and write it would be a good starting point. You seek a redress of any grievance if you so wish with your local Justice of Peace or magistrate. Those citizens who aspire to a higher calling or social standing can always leave their deposit at the next Hustings,thus ensuring your grievances will be dealt with by the highest authorities. In short I would ask that those people responsible who shall remain nameless, abstain from further verbal or written complaints on this thread, thus ensuring that those people who are serious about Empire Total War, and follow this informative thread simply to be informed of any progress or inroads that are being discovered .

The Cut of a mans Gib can be judged by the way he bares his grievances in public! Those that shall remain nameless,

You have been weighed, measured and found thoroughly wanting!

I will have order and satisfaction gentlemen, what what!

Your obedient servant Gnr Graham"

Their Laws response.

Quote; "I have no idea whether this is epic role commitment or that this guy is being sarcastic. Either way it's hilarious."

Ages later on June 10th 2009, I had recourse to post again with a different version...

Now steady on there's good fellows!

"I have followed this thread for some time now and I am afraid it has denigrated into a pulpit for the local peasantry and common soldiery to air their grievances and complaints to their Highness's,at Creative Assembly.. it seems.

And the use of language such as Dammit, Feckin, and suxx's ass? confound it man! Is this a new language those ruffians and cad's have concocted in those uncivilized colonies in New World.

I once knew a very unsavory Character who hailed from one of the colonies with the unlikely name of New Amsterdam who tried to join our genteel society and was given a thoroughly sound thrashing for the use of such wholly ungentlemanly conduct!

In this forum, I believe this is the appropriate thread that goes by the moniker of " rants and Rave's I do believe!

Let me just add, that I find it it inspiring to say the least that their Highness's at Creative.Assembly. should even deem it necessary to keep the Lower Ranks and common soldiery, informed of any advances on an almost daily basis, what what?

If you have redress of grievance with the higher echelons.

You can leave your scribblings and scrawling s or verbal ejaculations, in the requisite thread, may I suggest, for those who are endowed with the gift of calligraphy, or perhaps just the ability to read and write it would be a good starting point.

You seek a redress of any grievance, if you so wish, by writing your local Justice of the Peace or town magistrate.

Those citizens who aspire to a higher calling or social standing can always leave their deposit at the next Hustings, thus ensuring your grievances will be dealt with by the highest authorities.

The only other recourse for gentlemen of substance and standing to seek satisfaction is by the honourable and gentlemanly method of martial combat on the field!, with the use of approved and time honoured weaponry, witnessed and seconded by personage of moral high standing in the community, thus imbibing the use of fair play to reach a satisfactory conclusion which is satisfactory to both parties aggrieved or otherwise.

In short I would ask that those people responsible who shall remain nameless, abstain from further verbal or written complaints on this thread, thus ensuring that those people who are serious about Empire Total War, and follow this informative thread simply to be informed of any progress or inroads that are being discovered !

Having many American friends! it still raises a chuckle when I hark back to the days when Britain ruled the Colonies, It would seem that it is a bone of contention still to this day?

But I can see now that may be, pathos and sarcasm and WHIT, might be only a Wholly British reserve. I have in my time met some very colourful chappies that hail from the Colonies,who have achieved a modicum of WHIT,unfortunately they have only ever achieved half of it! With this in mind, I shall tender my resignation from this forum forthwith and retire to one of the aforementioned colonies! I have heard a place named Ken tuck eh! may be of some interest, what what? The Cut of a mans Gib can be judged by the way he bares his grievances in public! Those that shall remain nameless, You have been weighed, measured and found thoroughly wanting! I will have order and satisfaction gentlemen, what what!" Your obedient servant Gnr Graham

And as one famous member put it, a personal friend and colleague of mine

Master Lance Corporal Jones...

" Nicely Put la-de-dah!"

The ancient Tenets we all abide by

♔We are the Most Ancient, Puissant and Honourable Society of Silly Old Duffers, or Society of Silly Old Duffers for more practical purposes♔Read The Ancient Tenets Here Chaps!!!!

S♔O♔D

Established June 22, 2009

in this forum and created and founded by

La♔De♔ Da♔Brigadier Graham, Arch♔Duffer

And

Lance-Corporal Jones, Arch♔Duffer

♔THE ANCIENT TENETS♔

Our commitment is to promote meaningful contributions to TWC through the support of but not limited to modders,artists, artisans, , writers, skilled debators, and any members attempting to improve the TWC experience for others.

We are also committed to honourable and polite behaviour,

Our methods include remaining faithful to the Principles of Dufferism by talking, acting, thinking like, and otherwise being silly old duffers.

Our main goal in life is to harvest as much reppage as possible before we pop our clogs!

Members of all ages may join so long as they adhere to this sacred rule!

Here are some very useful GUIDELINES for all aspiring duffers, and all sorts of different S♔O♔D's!

Upper-class twit: Replace "a" with "e" as in thet men be demmed! Use preposterous exclamations such as "gadzooks" or "odd's life" "Lud!" "La!" "Begad!" "M'dear" or "s'faith". Throw in a few foreign words for good measure. Is often spotted with golf clubs and the smell of champagne cocktails on his breath.

War veteran (low class): Repeat oneself often, misspell a few words, tell about exploits in India or the Sudan. Discretely use cockney slang mixed with words far above his usual vocabulary. "Crikey" and "cor blimey" frequent, as well as abundant use of diminutives. This duffer's drink is stout.

♔War veteran♔ (high class): Boisterous boastfulness, abundantly provided with "don't you know"s and "what"s. Shares the latter's taste for talking about his exploits, though this one invariably knew lord Kitchener, Lawrence of Arabia, or even Clive of India. Throws in abundant Urdu vocabulary, saying "khazi" for toilet, "pani" for water, &c. Drinks G&T, Pink gin, or such.

♔Grumpy duffer♔: Severe and reprimanding, abundant use of "I like the cut of your gib" and constant referrals to horsewhipping and "young rapscallion". This duffer is constantly complaining and reminding everyone of how things were better in his day. Drinks whiskey or sherry, according to the time of the day.

♔Mild-mannered duffer♔: A harmless silly old duffer, extremely careful in his manners and not really aware of what's going on. His weak bladder often forces him to be excused from the company of his fellow duffers. This duffer doesn't engage in boisterous duffer language, but rather in archaically polite formulae such as "your obedient servant" and the like. Drinks sherry or other such fortified wines.

♔Scottish old duffer♔: The Scottish old duffer has the worst temper of all, and he speaks like a character out of one of Walter Scott's books. He is eloquent and cannae help tellin aboot th'teim when th'wind was blooin and there was nae a soul in seight and such tales of Scottish superstition. The Scottish old duffer cannae refuse whiskey, especially if it's real Scotch.

♔READ -- TO MOVE UP IN RANK♔

Any junior member (Senex♔Stultus♔) wishing to attain the rank of senior member must attain a certain level of Dufferism and the criteria are very simple! A senior member, or Senex♔Magnus♔, is awarded with a custom banner with his very own avatar flanked by the Order of the Garter, and gains the right to participate in the more important decisions of S♔O♔D!

1.junior members must submit a certain amount of dufferesque writings in any forum, viz., 10 long posts (at least 2 paragraphs) or 20 short ones (a few sentences).

Content and dufferisms to be will be awarded based on merit, jocular, postings, are strongly encouraged as is sarcasm,pathos and whit, however one must remain, calm& polite to a fault.at all times even when assailed by members of a 'non duffer persuasion."

Dufferesque content is not required in every posting you make,although it is advised that you use the general guidelines from this Membership society to attain maximum Dufferesque habits, for the use in any situation one may find ones self in!

The use of "You Have Been Weighed, Measured,and found thoroughly wanting" Should only be used by Junior member if they think that they have garnered enough experience in matters arising or pertaining to the basic and ancient tenets of S♔O♔D.

Or if the Junior member feels confident to lay down the gauntlet and offer a challenge to any forum member that may have incurred you ire or scorn!

Similarly the use of "I once new a very rum character who hailed from(place location here) who imagined that he had attained a modicum of wit, however when I pointed out to the buffoon he only ever attained half of it it seems "

Is encouraged also and usually at the end of your summation, in closing!

Furthermore, the S♔O♔D Contest thread may be freely used by aspiring duffers to test their mettle and be judged by the Arch♔Duffers themselves! http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=272140

2, Jr members who wish to advance more rapidly to the Senior level rank may wish to do so, by the ability of recruiting five new members to S♔O♔D.

3, This most certainly is a prestige group however any body can become an arch♔Duffer, considering that he already is a senior member, if

a, A member of the Arch Duffers "pops his clogs"

b, A member of the Arch Duffers leaves or retires his post, in which case any aspirant who wishes to attain the hallowed status of Arch duffer, will be will be subject to a vote, in which Dufferesque posts and amount of new members they have recruited to S♔O♔D. will be given fair consideration! As will amount of interest, activity and willingness to extol the Virtues of the Arch-Duffers position in the Society and in TWC fori.

♔SOWING DISCORD BETWEEN MEMBERS♔

Sowing discord between members is STRICTLY PROHIBITED as conducive to the worst disorders of the civil body, which is the club. Members should always settle matters in a civil fashion; furthermore, let it be reminded that

Members of different rank may not call each other out.

If it should happen that a member of lower rank is offended by one of higher rank, an Arch♔duffer or Magnus should step in for him and defend him.

Furthermore, whereas a member may leave the club at his own discretion, it is not for him to decide if he is readmitted.

♔DRUMMING OUT♔

For disruptive behaviour in the club, ungentlemanly conduct and anti-dufferly actions, a member may be DRUMMED OUT of the club dishonourably. As a reminder, this is a time-honoured tradition in Britain, as you shall presently see.

A dismissed soldier might be subjected to the public degradation of being drummed out of the service. In 1649 five mutinous troopers in the New Model Army were told: ‘You shall ride with your faces towards the horse tails before the heads of your several regiments, with your faults written on your breasts, and your swords broken over your heads’. In later centuries a soldier, badges and buttons ripped off, might be marched through barracks or garrison behind the drums and then physically kicked out of the gates. In the British and US armies the ‘Rogues' March’ was the traditional accompaniment to this humiliating ritual.Meaning

Dismissed from army service to the sound of a drum.

Origin

The phrase 'drummed out' is most often used in relation to the, now outmoded, military practice of dismissing disgraced soldiers to the sound of drums. This drew attention to their plight and acted as a warning to others. The earliest reference to 'drumming out' comes in a figurative use of the phrase, in Thomas Amory's The life of John Buncle, 1766:

"They ought to be drummed out of society."

Soon after that comes a piece from The Edinburgh Advertiser, (June 1776), which refers to a literal 'drumming out', i.e. with drums:

"Included was a letter to me in very extraordinary language, and a summons to deliver up the town: the messenger was sent to prison for a few days, and drummed out."

The earliest specific reference to drumming out in a military scenario is Lord Thomas Macaulay's Critical and miscellaneous essays, 1829:

"Another is drummed out of a regiment."

These days we hear little of people being drummed out, apart from in the corny joke 'He was drummed out of the Mafia for cruelty'.♔

♔Present Arch-Duffers♔

La♔De♔Da♔Brigadier Graham

♔hammeredalways♔

René Artois (Reggie)

♔Former Arch-Duffers♔

Lance Corporal Jones (Retired)

Olgamer (Retired)

The Right Honorable Gentleman (Retired)

♔Present Lord Privy seals♔.

♔Oggie♔

♔Tango12345♔