August 2006 2nd round vote is CLOSED

[Michael O'Brien]

Well it is good to see Eorl winning the first round by a large margin, yet if enough other members combine their vote into a strong contender it might still result in a close race.

This vote ends at 16.30 GMT Aug 30th.
I want everyone to participate. Every vote counts and it makes the race all the more exciting.
Please do not leave it to the last minute.

Next round of suggestions start on the 31st of August. It will be a single figure month. A PURE single figure this time, unlike Faramir and Eowyn mini vig. Mounted figures are not allowed. If Eorl wins this round we can maybe see the lossoth hunter have another run at winning again.

[barliman]

Let's hope Eorl can maintain his lead in round two! But Felarof does seem to have a knack for falling over his own feet...

[Will the Fey]

Go Eorl GO!
Run Felarof RUN!

[bombadil1963]

Eorl! Felarof!

This is not the time for cowards! This is not the time for people who sleep behind the oven!

This is a good time for free and brave people: Eorlingas and their ancistor from the times of old!

Pay tribute!

[ddaines]

Eorl gets my vote this round as promised. Let's hope he wins this time as there are some good ideas waiting in the wings. ;D

[Axe99]

Hey Bombadil, I hope you're not suggesting that Aragorn and Eomer were sleeping behind the oven . Sorry - just playing with words!

As for the vote - it has to be Eorl - go that good thing - and Felarof as well, for good measure. Good signs early, but then it's still very early, but I think there's a very good chance this month (touch wood!)

[savage727]

Aragorn & Eomer gets my vote!

[Theobald]

Huuooommmm looks like a draw today ...
Where are the supporters of EORL ? Come on, please!

[aelfwine]

Eorl!

[Wendy]

For the cost concious, Eorl is the least expensive option this month. Go Felarof! Don't be glue...

I don't want to belittle the other suggestions, by the way. All would make lovely vignettes. :)Buhman, please suggest Lossoth Chieftain next month. He would work well as a single figure.

[twrich]

Hi Wendy,

Well, you know me, I'm on the stubborn side, so I would definitely suggest the Lossoth Hunter again next month. And please, I don't care who might suggest it first, so anyone out there feel free to. But I am not ready to give up yet this month!

Imagine a scene where King Arvedui, his fine robes ragged from long hard travels escaping from the marauding armies of the With-King of Angmar, and carrying one of the most precious heirlooms of Western Civilization: a palantir!. And then, on the barren, frozen wastes by the Ice Bay of Forochel, the Lossoth Chieftain, clad in furs, meets King Arvedui, awed by his regal bearing, yet fearing to help him, lest he bring down the wrath of Angmar upon his people!

And Wendy, the Lossoth Chieftain and King Arvedui can be made as two stand alone figures (better for diorama builders and role-players/war gamers) without an expensive base. I think two separate men would cost less than a man on a horse, as the horse is bigger.

So Vote Lossoth, Dunedain, and Palantir!!!

[mshartmann]

Well, my vote is in - Go Eorl - where did that hunter come from? Crafty devil isn't he??

[barliman]

Actually, twrich, Eorl and your Lossoth chappie with Arvedui would cost the same if the two vignette figures were 'simple', without an expensive detailed base (Halbarad cost the same as Eowyn and Faramir), so as-yet-uncommitted voters shouldn't let the price issue sway their judgement.

But I'd argue in Eorl and Felarof's support that they're a FAR more relevant and important twosome to LOTR than an unnamed eskimo and a defeated king: not only did Eorl save Gondor at the Field of Celebrant but without him there'd have been no kingdom of Rohan, no Theoden to ensure Saruman's defeat and lead the ride of the Rohirrim to the Pelennor Fields, and no Shadowfax to convey Gandalf on all his vital errands. So if people want an important and worthy figure for their collections/vignettes/table-top games, then Eorl is the obvious choice.

By contrast, all Arvedui ever managed to achieve was the loss of an entire kingdom and not one but two palantiri. Not a particularly impressive CV...

Everyone should vote for the Lossoth hunter NEXT month. This month, they should vote for Eorl on Felarof.

Go Eorl!

[Hammershield]

Arvedui and the Lossoth is a much more interesting subject. Hasn't been done before, ever. The market is flooded with Rohirrim so for me the choice is simple. There is little that would make Eorl differ from Theoden (quite the opposite, Theoden was said to be like Eorl born again) and we already have, what?, three or four of him.

[ddaines]

13 each (to date) - here we go again!!

At least no one can say this Fellowship is boring.

[barliman]

Hammershield - The Lossoth may not have been done before, but neither has Eorl!!!

A young golden-haired man riding a horse without saddle or bridle is nothing like a grey-bearded old man riding a horse with full harness. If all men on horses are to be regarded as being indistinguishable, then by that logic we should never vote for any more hobbits (all got hairy feet), Elves (all got pointed ears), or people (all got two arms and two legs)...

How many members really want to have a Mithril collection without an Eorl figure? Well, I guess the voting will decide that.

[khador]

Keep cool all fellowship members.

I feel this vote as Council of Elrond... with some passions and rifts between members.
I don't think that we have to begin a war between us to defend ideas.
Lossoth vignette as Eorl on Felarof are very good all twice. What will be the loser this month will certainly be the winner a next one.

[Theobald]

Hi twrich,
The Lossoth-idea isn't less impressive to me than this rider. You can be sure of my vote for that one next time. Don't give it up, please! Huuooommmmm .... hom !

[ddseuferer]

Must...vote...for...Eorl....

[Wendy]

twrich said:

And Wendy, the Lossoth Chieftain and King Arvedui can be made as two stand alone figures (better for diorama builders and role-players/war gamers) without an expensive base. I think two separate men would cost less than a man on a horse, as the horse is bigger.

So Vote Lossoth, Dunedain, and Palantir!!!

OK, Fair enough. Let's see, mounted figures are 24.95 and as we do not know how much two stand alone figure would cost yet, should Mr. Tubb design it so (or it is requested of him) it shall be amended as such: Eorl might be the least expensive option. ;D

Ah well, may the figure(s) with the most votes win! ;D

Wendy

[hsf62]

16 for Eorl! Very good indeed!
Next month we can vote for a hunter.... Not this month! This month Eorl it is!

[twrich]

Barliman (and All):

Well said regarding the relevance of Eorl! But as a master historian (meaning you), I think your wits are a little befuddled by your own Scrumpy! ;+) Yes, Eorl was important in setting the "stage" for events in the LORT. But really, Barli, without Arvedui there would be no Dunedain, no Aragorn, no new King! no defeat of Sauron; for it is from Arvedui that Aragorn, Re-Uniter of the Two Kingdoms from the descendants of Numenor, arose.

Oh, and that Lossoth Chieftain is really cool too.

But I digress! So if you'll concede that my footnote to the LORT is just as important as your footnote, I'll contradict another of your statements: EORL HAS ALREADY BEEN PRODUCED! Perhaps not mounted on Felarof, as you would prefer, but as part of MS258: as Eorl giving his oath to Cirion in exchange for the right to settle/guard the fertile lands now called Rohan.

Now, to the main point of this post. In prior threads I saw some members pledge their allegiance to Eorl or the Lossoth idea before any suggestions were even made for the month. And then (and here) even some saying, in effect: let's vote for one this month, and then we'll vote for the other next month. Now, this is the right of any member. But I thought to myself: wait--this contradicts the best interests of this Fellowship!

We all should try to come up with great suggestions each month for everyone to vote on, and if Eorl or the Lossoth, or anything else prevails, great--we had a wealth of ideas to choose from. But if several of us guarantee our votes ahead of time, before all of the suggestions for a month (or especially a future month) are even made, whether to the Lossoth idea or anything else, and try to "arrange the vote," not only don't we have the benefit of an idea submitted from those people; even worse, others might be discouraged from making their own suggestion (feeling that "the vote is in"), and we end up with fewer choices overall. In that case, we might as well just draw numbers and let every member have a turn at a suggestion, with no consensus on what is the most desirable idea, and each have one of their own suggestions produced every ten years or so, and each be stuck buying 9 of 12 a year, or dropping out of the Fellowship!

Yeah, I know. This means that some of you (my friends) might have to vote for something else next time if you like it better than the Lossoth Hunter--but that's the way it should be! And who knows, perhaps King Arvedui with Palantir and the Lossoth Cheiftan might still win this month!

I would like to see Eorl on Felarof produced also: It is awesome the way Chris sculpts these miniatures (I can't wait for our Frugmar MX piece to be released). But we members will add the most to this Fellowship by suggesting great ideas every month--this gave us Gilraen and baby Aragorn last time, Beorn Battles Bolg, and Faramir & Eowyn in the Houses of the Healing; even though Eorl and some version of a Lossoth were also suggested each time!

This is why I will continue to suggest my favorite idea every month (as Barli has); you never know how the Fellowship might vote from one month to the next! So instead of voting for a specific member's idea, vote for the best idea itself! Let's do all we can to encourage as many ideas as possible.

Well, I hope I haven't offended anyone, but I want the best Mithril Fellowship possible, where we take advantage of this fabulous opportunity to have OUR ideas made by Chris. And the more ideas the member's suggest, the better each monthly winner will be!

twrich

[barliman]

Wow, longest post on record!

Though I'd momentarily forgotten about the Eorl & Tirion release (long time ago, and my memory was once famously described as being like a lumber-room, remember), what I meant was Eorl on Felarof hasn't been done before.

I can defend my argument in favour of Eorl being of greater 'historical' import than Arvedui by simply pointing out that though Strider and the Dunedain would have existed without Eorl, Rohan wouldn't, and without Rohan it wouldn't have mattered one Balrog's whiskers how big, brave and Viggo Mortensen young Aragorn might have been, Gondor wouldn't have survived. Indeed, it probably wouldn't have lasted beyond what would have otherwise been a catastrophic Gondorian defeat at Celebrant in 2510.

As regards the rest of your message, surely people voting for any figure are voting for the figure they WANT, however and at whatever point they decide to vote for it. And by voting for Eorl they ARE voting for the best idea (well, I think they are. What, biased? Me?? Surely not).

Democracy can be irritatingly inconvenient, can't it? Take it from one who's suffered from its vagaries on more occasions than he cares to recall...

[Theobald]

Hi twrich, I share your concern about alliances for voting for one suggestion, especially when they are formed before the next suggestions are made. - I have to admit that I also took part in this for Eorl. Your thoughts about future developments of this Fellowship are absolutely right, I think. Thank you for that entry.

[savage727]

Outstanding post twrich and one in which I concur. As a new Fellowship member since May 2006 I have noticed exactly what you were trying to convey and to be honest it is troubling. I did not expect to see you vote for my suggestion this month and I'll vote for yours next month in a club such as this. I want the best idea to win each and every month - not one that keeps getting resubmitted time after time in the hopes that it will wear down the voters or gain some type of sympathy vote! I personally will continue to vote for the figure that is most attractive to me each month on its own merits and I hope the rest of The Fellowship does the same for the good of us all.

[Axe99]

I'm voting for Eorl this month, but:

a) because I want it produced, and:

b) I've got a preference for a single-figure lossoth, rather than a vignette, and while it _could_ be two single figures this month, it will be a single figure if it gets up next month (vignette would be cool, but I'm a big lossoth fan, and go for single figures before vignettes, and so if a lossoth does get done, I'm keen for it to be a single figure - even though I'm also a big Arthedain fan as well - poor old Arvedui, losing his kingdom and all but I guess with a name like that, what can you expect... )

I think it's important for folk to keep throwing in suggestions though - while it wasn't exactly exciting, and while I suspected I'd vote for Eorl this month, I still threw in the Ranger suggestion, to help keep a bit of variety in the mix. I think with all the talk of Eorl and Arvedui and his Lossadan mate, that we shouldn't forget poor old Elessar, nor Aragorn and Eomer - in fact, after some quite popular 'generic' figures, we've got some veritable 'whos whos' of third age middle earth contenting for our votes this month.

Hmmm... I'm rambling - sorry! Have a good vote all - the beauty of this fellowship thing is we get a new one every month .

[Wendy]

Well, I wouldn't worry about block voting because it hasn't worked thus far. If enough people prefer another suggestion, that's the one that will win - especially with the second round of voting added it would take a huge block of voters to change the outcome. I'm voting for Eorl like I've voted for him even when he only got one or two votes. What can I say? I'm a sucker for mounted figures and I would like to see how Chris sculpts Felarof. And to be frank, I've rarely voted for the winner whether Eorl or the Lossoth hunter or Prince Imrahil with wounded Faramir or...well you get the idea. I hope I'm not bad luck!

As for suggestions, I'm pretty much holding off more because Halbarad has already been made so I thought someone else should win that first figure. I'll throw out a suggestion now and again, but there have been so many suggestions from others that I've liked better than my own: Hirgon, Far-Harad Chieftain, Beregond, trumpeting ent just to name a few...

Really, we aren't voting for Eorl just to shut Barly up! ;D

[barliman]

Really? That's great news! It means I don't have to...

If constantly putting up the same suggestion month after month is the only way I can get Eorl voted for, Savage, then by hooky that's what I'll do. I don't see how that forces anyone to vote for him at all (unfortunately), and as Wendy so rightly points out, it certainly hasn't worked on his previous eleven outings...and I'll take as many sympathy votes as I can get. A vote is a vote is a vote.

It's called persistence. If you think an idea is good enough (and I do) then you just keep plugging away with it until enough other people agree. I really can't see the problem - it's not as if its being there month after month is forcing anyone to change their thinking or preferences: if they don't want to vote for a particular figure, they just won't. That's how voting works. It's not as if I've ever asked anyone to vote for Eorl or promised a tit-for-tat vote in exchange (as you seem to suggest), or promised anyone a free drink in the Pony if they vote for him (though maybe I should...).

If your favourite figure doesn't win this month, Savage, just put it up again next month, and the month after that (etc...). After all, just because a suggestion doesn't win first time out doesn't make it a bad idea.

[bombadil1963]

In fact I`m not a member of a secret Eorl-Alliance against other members!
And if this month would have brought something more exciting suggestions for my own interest, you would have seen me streched between two poles . . .
Yes, I gave my word. But I do not think this is kind of irregular or immoral! In some special way it´s to honour somebody´s persistance . . . . ;~)

On the other hand I´ve to agree with Axe99: I like single figures more! Otherwise I would have prefered Arvedui and the Lossoth Chieftain.

[twrich]

Follow-up to my long-winded post (with a medium-winded one):

It is certainly the right of any member to vote for what ever suggestion they want, and to commit their vote ahead of time if they choose.

I just got to thinking that I would like to see more ideas from the members, like Dave (Axe99) who made a suggestion, even though he felt he'd most likely vote for Eorl anyway.

And Wendy, I certainly understand that you were being considerate by declining to make a suggestion for a month or two after your Halbarad was selected. But I have spoken with you many times, and know you to be very creative! I'd like the opportunity to consider more of your great ideas, even if they overcame one of my own.

Bombadil, I never thought you were part of some "secret Eorl-Alliance." There has been no secret about it! ;+) Honestly, aside from a friend or two of mine, I didn't keep track of who promised what, and some made pledges to my idea, so I am including myself in this. And it is not wrong to support a friend or an idea, that is what members of groups do.

But the point is to promote the widest variety of choices for all of us to vote on. I am not asking anyone to vote any way other than they want, but rather to still give the other members the benefit of your ideas, even if you yourself don't vote for them! You never know, your idea might be the sleeper that wins!

twrich