BruceVC

African borders were created by Europeans in 1884 and in most cases the borders included tribes that already lived in that region, in South Africa we have no real examples of a tribe being split from its historical region because our borders include vast areas. Zulus for example settled in Kwa-Zulu Natal long before Europeans came to Africa and the creation of borders in 1884 didnt create any problems for them around there tribal territory That reality is the same throughout Africa, there are some examples of borders creating a split in tribes but thats not a main reason for Tribal tension because tribal wars have occurred in Africa like most parts of the world for thousands of years. Its the nature of mankind for tribes, clans and different ethnic groups to fight each other for survival and territorial gain . Borders didnt create that. Another example of this is European Germanic tribes, Scottish Clans or Native American tribes fighting each other And then there are many African countries where there no tribal conflicts or tensions outside of normal rivalry and they are also defined by the same 1884 borders Then what would be the solution if everyone really believed African borders were the reason for conflicts, its not like anyone is going to abandon borders in Africa because that will just create a myriad of worse and additional problems But again there are many African countries that went through the same Colonialism as the rest of Africa and yet the governments deliver services, economic growth and you dont see mass illegal migration of its citizens If Colonialism was really the main reason for Africa's problems then surly all African countries would be in the same boat? Colonialism is a factor but its not the main reason for the problems in Africa The single consistent and main problem in any weak or impoverished African country is ineffective leadership and that creates other problems like corruption or inefficiency in the public sector and how the country is governed or run

You played a lot of Project Zomboid haven't you? I realize there is no narrative or narrative end to it but what are the mechanics and design features you like about it? The reason Im including Zomboid is its always good to have a break from the same genre and I havent played a sandbox survival for years so Im thinking of Rust or Zomboid I will play it until I get bored and then go back to SP games

We really got to do better than thinking the likes of the Balfour Declaration is the reason we have conflicts and ongoing wars in the ME or the Israeli vs Palestinian conflict We cant keep blaming the British for something from over 100 years Every country in the ME has its own governments and national interests and they make there own decisions Its like blaming Colonialism for problems in Africa as if weak or ineffective leadership is not the main reason

I am looking for some advice on what I should play next, I am undecided because I had such an incredible gaming experience with both Pathfinder games Anyway these are my 4 choices at the moment Project Zomboid : I haven't played a Zombie apocalypse for ages and this has always looked good BG3: Probably the greatest RPG of all time, only thing stopping me is its a party based RPG and I like to have breaks around genres Cyb2077 : I have wanted to play this game for ages and its definitely stable Fallout 4 GOTY : I only played this game once and it wasn't GOTY and I have been watching the Fallout TV series and I am excited to visit the Wasteland again

Whats the latest drama on Canada getting invaded by the US or Canada becoming the next US state, I assume its all forgotten about now and Canada wont become part of the US?

I completed WoTR after 210 hours Its gets 89/100 on the globally respected " BruceVC game rating system " only BG2 ToB has ever received a higher score I mentioned several times what is fantastic about WoTR so I wont repeat that I had an interesting ending, I always wanted to close the Worldwound but not at the expense of sacrificing my own life and all my achievements and what I can still do So when I defeated Areelu I decided to NOT kill myself and Im fine with that We will continue to oppose Demons and the forces of Deskari and Baphomet who come through the Worldwound. I was sorry to have disappointed Nocticula but I am not going to sacrifice myself for her either I have decided to play the DLC that occur at the end of the main narrative, I still have a Pathfinder "fix" before I move onto another game The only real criticism of WoRT is it could have been longer, maybe 60-80 hours?

Meaning? Do you mean an EU army because the EU is not a federal system, its a union of different countries

" the most complex operation in history "

You have a habit of making honest, informative but depressing posts I thought my post would make you happy because its some good news around NATO future and shows a commitment from its members And Trumps gone in 4 years so this is more of a long-term " good news " story about NATO

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4en8djwyko @Elerond Some good news because we both support and recognize the significance of NATO This is not a " Trump win " for me, spending more money on NATO is just the right thing to do for all members

But heres what I genuinely dont understand and maybe you answer it Trump was always erratic, inconsistent and cavalier with the truth and he has become worse in his old age and his adoption of SM Truth has just exacerbated that behavior So why is there so much attention from the global media around what he says on Truth? Its never been a good way to understand what he really means but now his Truth comments get discussed and quoted on an almost daily basis and many people respond to it as if its US policy when often its just his ramblings In South Africa we literally have these "serious " media discussions around what Trump said on Truth Is it just about drama or embarrassment or do you think people are not able discern the difference between Trumps SM rants and what is a realistic policy discussion? If I was a MAGA strategist and I had Trumps confidence I would tell him to immediately stop using Truth for any updates and go back to traditional WH updates and press conferences His Truth usage is becoming a meme and a joke

And thats a huge mistake for Iran because now we have no way of monitoring Irans Uranium enrichment Another Israeli\US airstrike or military campaign is almost guaranteed

Why dont you and @Hurlshort play Dune together? Your time zones are perfectly aligned and you live in the same state?

There is so much consideration around main quests, side-quests and companion side quests I was thinking about Nocticula's profane gift but I dont like the idea of mind control\influence and then I was worried how that would impact my Arueshalae Romance arc so I declined But the adult themes and creativity around writing in these themes is probably the best I have ever experienced in any RPG But I put my foot down, killing all the servants seemed extreme and egregious even in the interests of Romance My liberal code won the day

It still surprises me that we take seriously these types of Trump SM comments We know he often says things on Truth that are just his ramblings or personal opinions and its often exaggerated or untrue The truth is the 3 sites were struck by the US " bunker bombs " but we dont know the full extent of the damage I doubt they were obliterated but damage was done and also this was the first time the US used these bombs in a war Here is the type of link I would reference around this but I wouldnt be concerned about anything Trump says on Truth unless its confirmed https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg9r4q99g4o

So it doesnt appear Iran ever agreed to a ceasefire, Trump really got this one badly wrong

The achievable Israeli objective was Iran abandoning its nuclear program This war became the predictable example of a deluge of fake news and SM hyperbole made worse by Trumps inconsistent Truth ramblings and Irans grandstanding but this objective can be reached through a ceasefire agreement, its the only realistic way to do this It was never about regime change or a US\Israeli land invasion So the real question if the ceasefire holds is will Iran abandon it nuclear program and I assume only the IAEA will be able to monitor this But if nothing changes around Irans nuclear program then the Israeli military campaign was a failure I cant imagine why Iran wouldnt agree, they are completely vulnerable to future airstrikes and this gives them an opportunity to save face without the war dragging on

This was a conundrum for me, it was a tough one because I Romanced her and I always thought the spirit was driving her dark side So it ended up with her killing her father, he was fine with it, but I put my foot down with her killing the servants And she accepted that, Kanie its a grey world of good vs evil in the backdrop of where WoRT is set I have had to make some compromises in the interests of stopping and ending the greater evil and threat which is ultimately about the Worldwound and defeating Deskari and Baphomet but Nocticula I can work with Like I mentioned its the nuance with the choices during the game that I am really appreciating

Im 180 hours into WoRT and Im busy with all the final quests and choices before I complete the last quest at Threshold As I have mentioned in previous posts this game is one of my favourite party based RPG of all time Its impossible to list everything I love about this game but in summary deep and complex main narrative with a myriad of different choices around what Mystic Path to take and how that influences dialogue options engaging and worthwhile companion side-quests, the best in any RPG I have ever played. I ended up finally Romancing Arueshalae and accepting Camellias murderous nature ....no ones perfect very complex character and class customization combat is the best part of the game with all different strategies I love the Crusader management and mini-battles. Its a nice break from the normal RPG progression lots to explore and many side-quests the length of the game, I appreciate how long it is What an RPG, I wish we had a commitment for Pathfinder 3 from Owlcat

https://www.reuters.com/world/middl...-meet-sunday-over-us-strikes-iran-2025-06-22/ Russia, China and Pakistan are bringing a UNSC resolution forward for an immediate end to the Israeli and US military campaign on Iran This will be as successful as the numerous UNSC resolutions raised for Russia to end its war in Ukraine And it always cringe to hear Russia grandstanding about how " terrible invasions and wars are " Russia just needs to stay out of any commentary around Iran, they have ZERO credibility on this " concern "

The reality is now the US is actively involved in this war, it was always possible The real question now is how this will negatively impact Trump in the midterms because this will fracture the MAGA base So its a good move for the Dems and the midterms

https://www.newsweek.com/iran-nominates-trump-nobel-peace-prize-he-threatens-neighboring-iran-2088699 Here is a good news story about Trump , unexpected but appreciated in the context of ending wars Pakistan is nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for the important role the US played in ending the recent India vs Pakistan war As stated by us in the Security Council, Pakistan favours a peaceful resolution to the crisis through dialogue and diplomacy," the Pakistani Mission said. "We hope that the situation will not escalate militarily, and tensions will be diffused amicably through diplomatic engagement." "President Trump has distinguished himself as a peacemaker," the Mission added. "His statesmanship and successful diplomatic intervention with Pakistan and India played a crucial role in bringing about a ceasefire between the two countries in May 2025." I think its an important reminder of the nuance and complexity of Trumps presidency and how he is seen in a much more positive light by countries outside of the typical media opinions and views we consume that can influence our views Its a pity Trump feels the need to gloat about these types of things on Truth but thats his hubris, insecurity and unhealthy obsession with SM attention. Its not how you want a US president to conduct themselves And @Malcadoryou will find this interesting, Im not sure if you aware but the US has been instrumental in a ceasefire in the DRC https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-deal-democratic-republic-congo-rwanda-war-mineral-resources/ Hopefully it maintains because its good for Africa and the region

Here is a good analysis about the reasons behind Irans military failures and current situation The Russian military expert Ruslan Pukhov wrote a great article about Iran. Subtext of the article is about Russia. Imitation of Power Director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies Ruslan Pukhov on the Causes of the Crisis of Iranian Defense Policy The first days of the Iran-Israel war clearly demonstrated the deep crisis of Iranian defense policy and building of defense. The reasons for this crisis are obvious and make the whole story very instructive. The basis of the crisis is the subordination of foreign and defense policy not to practical, but to chimerical ideocratic goals, for the implementation of which Iran does not have enough (and will never have enough) economic, military and technological resources. Instead of really promoting its influence (which it did not have), Iran was largely engaged in its imitation. Moreover, this imitation suited both the ruling elite of Iran, allowing it to sell this as a "great power" to the Iranian "deep people", and the numerous implementers of this policy in Iran, first of all, of course, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC, representing a typical oprichnina, naturally turned, in fact, into a semi-mafia organization interested in the constant expansion of its political and economic influence, in the development of the maximum amount of state resources. As a result, the IRGC has effectively “privatized” Iran’s foreign and defense policy, and to a large extent “privatized” the Iranian state itself, subordinating its policy to the narrow and corporate interests of the IRGC’s top brass. As a result, the example of Iran has become a clear example of how an attempt to portray and pursue a great power policy without the corresponding level of resources and development only leads to an imitation of a “great power”, to the construction of Potemkin villages in foreign policy, military construction, etc. This allows for some time to successfully bluff, intimidate, and trade influence (within the country and abroad), but this system falls apart as soon as someone seriously decides to test its strength. This is exactly what we are seeing. In an effort to compete with the US-Israel coalition in the Middle East, Iran has invested colossal resources in allies and satellites in recent decades - primarily Shiite countries and movements (primarily the notorious “Axis of Resistance”). At times, such a policy seemed successful and felt like a serious challenge, but as soon as Israel seriously took on such key elements of the Axis as Hezbollah and Hamas, it quickly and successfully neutralized them. The Iranian intervention in Syria also ended in disaster. As a result, Iran's colossal expenditures on all sorts of proxies went down the drain and all Iranian "influence" was quickly nullified by the powers that be in a real clash. In the military sphere, Iran was engaged in imitation of the construction of supposedly high-tech armed forces, while not having a sufficient level of technological and industrial development for this. As a result, when real modern technologies (Western and Israeli) came to the battlefield, the Iranian armed forces suffered a fiasco. Well, yes, they hit Israel with missiles several times, but even Saddam Hussein could do that in 1991. The accumulation of a diverse arsenal of, as we can see, not the most sophisticated and not highly accurate ballistic missiles has become the main Iranian achievement, and this arsenal could not even remotely compete with the power of the modern Air Force. It is now clear that many Iranian weapons, even those that looked quite modern, were built on primitive and low-quality components, because Iran had nowhere to get modern ones from. From the very beginning of the military conflict, Iran in many respects turned out to be an archaic "paper tiger". This does not mean that it is doomed to complete defeat in a clash with Israel or even the United States - backward and archaic societies have demonstrated a high degree of resilience in such situations many times in history. However, from the point of view of its long-term national interests, Iran needs a radical change in the guidelines of its foreign and defense policy, bringing this policy into line with its real interests, capabilities and resources. Among other things, an important element of this must apparently be a conscientious refusal to give up the suitcase without a handle in the form of the Iranian nuclear program. If this does not happen, Iran will be doomed to repeat catastrophes and further degradation. It is unclear whether the Iranian anachronistic regime will be able to undergo such a transformation. In fact, this is the main issue of both the current war and Iranian policy in general. https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/7801167

Thats fine, as long as you not suggesting that BBC doesnt cover Israel killing civilians or targeting civilian infrastructure then we agreement That was the impression you created when you said " There's a pattern there about who's hospitals have value and who's don't"

Nice, I played Arcanum for the first time a few months ago Its the last CRPG from that era I hadnt played and I had a great time The combat mechanics weren't great but the overall narrative, side quests, class and skill choices and different ways of solving quests were brilliant. And the whole map exploration I really enjoyed Overall I had a very positive experience