So that means the following can be discussed:-
The Korean War, The French-Indochina War, Suez & Malayan emergencies, Cyprus & Aden emergencies, The Mau Mau Campaign in Kenya, The Algerian Revolution, The Hungarian Revolt, The Cuban Revolution & Crisis, Vietnam, The Iraq/Iran War, The Russian Occupation of Afghanistan, The NI Troubles, The Indian/Pakistan Wars, Falklands Conflict, GW1 plus the various conflicts that afflicted Africa in this period. Plus numerous others I haven’t mentioned
However there are some area’s which warrant a more specific separate mention, and a few area’s which will still remain out of bounds.
Firstly the Middle East. As where all aware this area of conflict is a prime environment for flame wars and general in-civility. The merest hint of this will result in the post being removed and the poster warned plus further sanctions imposed. I will not tolerate any personnel slanging matches. If any religious bigotry or religious baiting occurs I will advocate that the person(s) responsible are banned. Its that simple. Argue/discuss/debate with passion, conviction and facts, but don’t fall into gutter debating.
Any thread that starts it’s basis as being post 2000 will be removed without explanation. If you need an explanation then you haven’t read the guidelines.
I’m aware that the several conflicts have no easy defining finishing line. I will monitor these on a case by case system. Don’t feel that a decision I made in one scenario gives you’re the Green light in another scenario, it doesn’t.
Threads based on a Individual are normally very shallow in there conception and usually make for very poor WI’s. As such, unless the poster presents a detailed and convincing argument, they will be locked and removed.
Threads based on indivual pieces of equipment, IE-WI a Chieftian met a T74 who would win/surviVe, are not allowed. Yes within the context of a wider thread those do have a bearing but not as a stand alone thread.
There will be no thread’s concerning WI Germany had won WW2 how would the world be different etc. Again they are to shallow and the complex nature and dynamics of such a thread would make it unworkable in reaching a feasible conclusion. Also no further WI Hitler had survived WI’s. There’s enough of them around and they still fall foul of the weakness’ mentioned earlier concerning threads based on individuals.
No separate NATO v Warsaw Pact threads concerning possible combat. Yes discuss the potential WI’s surrounding actualities of the Cold War but don’t get into a Tom Clancy, Red Storm Rising scenario. Also given the nature of the Geo-Political world that existed beyond 1945, the temptation to discuss and include possible superpower responses not allowed outside the given historical timeframe, of the war/conflict under discussion is very strong. However what I don’t want is a thread about say Suez swerving off into superpower conflict. All conflicts/war’s in this extended timeframe had such a possibility and I don’t want every thread ending up as a West v East scenario and MAD events.
The basic Guidelines remain in force and they will be adhered too.
We have a huge canopy to paint. Lets not get lost in petty squabbles or meaningless threads. There are some very enticing WI’s out there. Let’s enjoy the possibilities they bring, but please abide by the Guidelines. They won’t fill or fit everyone’s requirements but that’s is our working environment.By it’s very definition a “What If” isn’t a clean-cut issue that has rigid Black & White boundaries, rather a large expanse of Grey. However this Grey still needs to have some sort of context.
The What If’s need to be a plausible variation on actual military/political events occurring up to the end of 1985 or viable alternatives in their conception. This is a vital pre-requisite to any What If thread, if they do not meet this requirement they will locked or removed.
Remember before posting, check using the Search facility that your proposed question hasn’t been discussed before, if it has then; add your opinion to that existing thread. This results in concise and informative threads, rather than disjointed and fractured ones.
When you post the thread, don’t just ask the question but give us the benefit of your viewpoint and information to back up your argument, as this helps to put the question into context.
By abiding by these simple rules the What If area of the Forum won’t descend into the type of environment that saw the demise of the Poll Section. So please no stupid, nonsense or offensive threads, and if in doubt about whether your proposed Thread is a viable one-then just contact either Marcus or one of the Moderators.
Remember it is you the potential poster, on whose success or failure this part of the Forum rests on.
Regards to All
Andy H
PS: Check this thread for any changes in the Guidelines & Rules over time
