X_FIREFALCON
Spaceman
Interesting topic here, Monsterfurby, and one I myself have considered, especially after playing WC4 after Prophecy...even if Tolwyn was referring to races like the Mantu at the end, it still seemed almost foreboding of what was to come in Prophecy.
As for Tolwyn himself, I could take him or leave him. I agree with Maj. Striker that he was like the WC equivalent of Patton. I have mixed feelings, though, probably because we didn't play Tolwyn in the games...the victories won were tributed as much to Blair and other pilots' intervention as much as they were to any high-ranking military mastermind like Tolwyn. Through the games, I almost got the sense that there was a continual love-hate relationship between Blair and Tolwyn; they almost always clashed, but you kind of got the feeling that the reason things worked out in the end was because of the involvements of both. They always seemed to mutually respect and despise one another which was always an effective plot element in the series, I thought.
At any rate...against the Nephilim, would Tolwyn have done a better job? That's a hard one to say...that depends on your definition of "better." In my opinion, I think the Confederation would've benefitted from having him around to fight the new threat. Of course, the argument people are putting forth - that the fleet was in a continuing transition from a war-time powerhouse of fleets stretching as far as the eye could see to a peace-time collection of vigilant patrols moving about in small clusters to make sure all was quiet - makes a lot of sense to me. The Midway herself seemed like a wise investment for this purpose, though a very pricey one and very risky should a war start and you're stuck with one awesome capital ship that can't be in multiple places at once. So the whole concept of Tolwyn having a huge armada at his disposal just wouldn't hold water...unless the real question here is if the ending events of WC4 had been different and the whole Darwinism policy supported by Tolwyn had come to fruition so that maintaining a massive fleet would be Confed's top priority. But without another enemy to fight in the interim to make such an investment worthwhile, that policy wouldn't last...unless we're talking about a military anarchy with ships attacking each other or something (which again, probably wouldn't last).
So let's replace Wilford with Tolwyn on the Midway, to put him in the ideal spot that he'd likely be in (or force his way into) come the events of Prophecy. Do I think he would've done a better job? The answer's yes. Even though Tolwyn soon became the evil puppetmaster everyone loved to hate that validated their disgust for him in all the games prior to WC4, and he didn't seem overly loved by any people serving under him...the fact remains that the man commanded an aura about him. Things would be going to hell and everybody would be frantically looking around for a suggestion, and there Tolwyn would be with a determined face and an idea he planned to impliment and follow through on, whether the idea was right or wrong. He was the kind of character who would talk and others would listen, even if he was just going off on some kind of tirade or verbally abusing you for negligence. Sure, he was the kind of unlovable character who would watch comrades die without batting an eye and just carry on about his business, completely confident in his decisions...that's why he was hated, and that's also ironically why he was respected.
Wilford, by contrast, seems to be more of a lovable fatherly type ready to take everyone under his wing. There were some scenes in Prophecy that I thought were almost going to turn into a group hug. Tolwyn was cold, calculating, and egotistical, but even those of us who hated him somewhat admired his tenacity and effectiveness (whether it was leading a group of people or just being himself). Onboard the Concordia in WC2 or the Victory for a time in WC3, you knew exactly who was running the show. In Prophecy, it just doesn't have that tight a feel to it...you feel like you have more allegiance to the CAG than the Captain, and I don't remember ever seeing her out there in the thick of it with her pilots!
So anyway...I think the Confederation would've benefitted from Tolwyn in Prophecy, sure. Of course if he was present and in charge, it probably would've screwed up the works a bit. The whole concept of everyone on the Midway not knowing what to do and feeling their way around in the darkness made the Nephilim a scarier enemy to fight against. Had Tolwyn in all his confidence been present, he would've had an opinion, stuck with it, and kept everybody in line...he probably would've shot down all the religious mumbo-jumbo tied in to the Nephilim, and kept everyone focused on the task at hand rather than speculating the how and why of everything, and getting wrapped up in the potential futility of it all.
Long story short, I think he probably would've run a tighter ship, and thus kept everyone a lot more level-headed. For that alone, his presence would've been a significant asset in Prophecy, even if he's not in fact the brilliant tactician and military mastermind some would make him out to be.
So here's to not missing and yet still missing Tolwyn.
- FireFalcon ~};^
As for Tolwyn himself, I could take him or leave him. I agree with Maj. Striker that he was like the WC equivalent of Patton. I have mixed feelings, though, probably because we didn't play Tolwyn in the games...the victories won were tributed as much to Blair and other pilots' intervention as much as they were to any high-ranking military mastermind like Tolwyn. Through the games, I almost got the sense that there was a continual love-hate relationship between Blair and Tolwyn; they almost always clashed, but you kind of got the feeling that the reason things worked out in the end was because of the involvements of both. They always seemed to mutually respect and despise one another which was always an effective plot element in the series, I thought.
At any rate...against the Nephilim, would Tolwyn have done a better job? That's a hard one to say...that depends on your definition of "better." In my opinion, I think the Confederation would've benefitted from having him around to fight the new threat. Of course, the argument people are putting forth - that the fleet was in a continuing transition from a war-time powerhouse of fleets stretching as far as the eye could see to a peace-time collection of vigilant patrols moving about in small clusters to make sure all was quiet - makes a lot of sense to me. The Midway herself seemed like a wise investment for this purpose, though a very pricey one and very risky should a war start and you're stuck with one awesome capital ship that can't be in multiple places at once. So the whole concept of Tolwyn having a huge armada at his disposal just wouldn't hold water...unless the real question here is if the ending events of WC4 had been different and the whole Darwinism policy supported by Tolwyn had come to fruition so that maintaining a massive fleet would be Confed's top priority. But without another enemy to fight in the interim to make such an investment worthwhile, that policy wouldn't last...unless we're talking about a military anarchy with ships attacking each other or something (which again, probably wouldn't last).
So let's replace Wilford with Tolwyn on the Midway, to put him in the ideal spot that he'd likely be in (or force his way into) come the events of Prophecy. Do I think he would've done a better job? The answer's yes. Even though Tolwyn soon became the evil puppetmaster everyone loved to hate that validated their disgust for him in all the games prior to WC4, and he didn't seem overly loved by any people serving under him...the fact remains that the man commanded an aura about him. Things would be going to hell and everybody would be frantically looking around for a suggestion, and there Tolwyn would be with a determined face and an idea he planned to impliment and follow through on, whether the idea was right or wrong. He was the kind of character who would talk and others would listen, even if he was just going off on some kind of tirade or verbally abusing you for negligence. Sure, he was the kind of unlovable character who would watch comrades die without batting an eye and just carry on about his business, completely confident in his decisions...that's why he was hated, and that's also ironically why he was respected.
Wilford, by contrast, seems to be more of a lovable fatherly type ready to take everyone under his wing. There were some scenes in Prophecy that I thought were almost going to turn into a group hug. Tolwyn was cold, calculating, and egotistical, but even those of us who hated him somewhat admired his tenacity and effectiveness (whether it was leading a group of people or just being himself). Onboard the Concordia in WC2 or the Victory for a time in WC3, you knew exactly who was running the show. In Prophecy, it just doesn't have that tight a feel to it...you feel like you have more allegiance to the CAG than the Captain, and I don't remember ever seeing her out there in the thick of it with her pilots!
So anyway...I think the Confederation would've benefitted from Tolwyn in Prophecy, sure. Of course if he was present and in charge, it probably would've screwed up the works a bit. The whole concept of everyone on the Midway not knowing what to do and feeling their way around in the darkness made the Nephilim a scarier enemy to fight against. Had Tolwyn in all his confidence been present, he would've had an opinion, stuck with it, and kept everybody in line...he probably would've shot down all the religious mumbo-jumbo tied in to the Nephilim, and kept everyone focused on the task at hand rather than speculating the how and why of everything, and getting wrapped up in the potential futility of it all.
Long story short, I think he probably would've run a tighter ship, and thus kept everyone a lot more level-headed. For that alone, his presence would've been a significant asset in Prophecy, even if he's not in fact the brilliant tactician and military mastermind some would make him out to be.
So here's to not missing and yet still missing Tolwyn.
- FireFalcon ~};^