Ugh, you're probably one of those people who cried when the Amayar died. RJ was angry that no one cared about this 'disaster' meanwhile no reader has ever even seen an Amayar and we were meant to cry for this. That's like Mars blowing up and we have to weep for a billion dead martians, but we've never even seen one.
The concept is called empathy. You should try it sometime...
And no, I did not cry. But I did get where RJ was coming from. You don't have to see blood and gore to appreciate the horror of a thousand deaths unless you have an emotional range and imagination that can be fit in a teaspoon.
But many of these 'losses' are more a result of Rand and the chaos that he brings, and not the Forsaken. Very few of the Forsaken can claim to have created real chaos. Semirhage may be the first real example, and that occurred in KoD.
Name a few? Cairhein? That was Asmodean. Andor? That was Rahvin. Arad Doman and Tarabon? That's Ishy, Moghedien and Graendal. The Tower? That's Mesaana. The Aiel? Asmodean again.
Whatever chaos Rand bings is being exacerbated by the Forsaken. It is called "Let the Lord of Chaos Rule".
A\I said distant losses because they have no emotional value. We know Siuan and have walked alongside her - she thus has emotional value. Same with Olver and other people. Do you even care about what's going on in Shara? It's apparently 'bad' according the Aiel, but I doubt you've become angry or sad over something so distant to your heart.
So, let's get this right. It is not in facts that we are dealing here but emotions. You don't really care about the Forsaken's competence, you care about the emotional response their actions generate. How can you claim to be rational about this then?
It'd be fair if you said that the Forsaken's atrocities leave you cold. I think differently, but that's a matter of perspective. But when we discuss competence, it is a matter of facts and numbers, which you must agree are on the Forsaken's side.
Sorry but I disagree. There's a level of battle above the massive war of the Tarmon Gai'don. Without armies these people could still cause serious trouble in the world, so long as they have some sort of connection to the Dark One - which they do have.
Causing serious trouble is possible when they are not kept busy infighting. You did see that I mentioned that right?
Oh please... the Forsaken couldn't fail more if they tried. With Mat as the Prince of the Ravens, and the Dragon Reborn as his friend, it will be the easiest truce in the world when the whole Blight descends on them. Even the Whitecloaks want to fight alongside the Aes Sedai. Asmodean caused real trouble with the Shaido, and in the end, the Seanchan have 300 damane and the Shaido are going back to the Waste.
So the Forsaken are incompetent because the Light will eventually overcome the hurdles and unify to fight them? You do realize that but for those hurdles, the Shadow could have been wiped out by now?
Oops... I meant if you can't blame the Forsaken, who can you blame for not killing the Light? It's their job.
I'm still a little confused. Is there a rule that someone should be blamed for not killing the major protagonists? Because that is certainly not the goal of the Forsaken! They have been, till recently, told nothing about killing these people.
Spreading chaos is a subplot for crying out loud. The goal is to kill the Dragon and break the Wheel.
Again! I cannot believe that you missed the significance of Moridin playing Sha'ra. Spreadin chaos is the main job, not killing the Dragon. For god's sake, the prologue to tGS has a conversation that proves exactly that!
The goal is to eventually either turn or kill the Dragon, but for now, with the Wheel protecting him overtime, that is not an option at all.
Are you serious? What about Moghedien and her long-standing feud with Nynaeve? Lanfear wanted to kill Aviendha. Ishamael told the Black Ajah to get rid of Nynaeve, Elayne and Egwene and make them damane.
And Moghedien is your gold standard of Forsaken competence?
As for making them damane, that is not killing them. And that they did not end up damane did not change the fact that this incident drove yet another wedge between two factions of the Light.
Are women really bad generals?
01/10/2009 07:05:03 PM
- 1512 Views
No.
01/10/2009 07:41:35 PM
- 944 Views
Or RJ just loves stacking ridiculously unfavourable odds against the male Forsaken generals...
01/10/2009 08:40:47 PM
- 1035 Views
Lol... too true
01/10/2009 09:32:29 PM
- 926 Views
And you guys whine about the lameness of RJ's villains?
01/10/2009 09:41:54 PM
- 943 Views
I still haven't seen proof of Demandred or Ishamael's "brilliance".
01/10/2009 09:56:41 PM
- 769 Views
but you are difficult to please
02/10/2009 05:10:13 AM
- 722 Views
But they are lame... they've done minimal damage to the Light
02/10/2009 05:06:05 AM
- 672 Views
You can't have it both ways....
02/10/2009 06:47:21 AM
- 755 Views
Why not?
02/10/2009 08:45:35 AM
- 718 Views
Yeah
01/10/2009 09:57:01 PM
- 705 Views
Re: Yeah
01/10/2009 10:40:28 PM
- 738 Views
I thought the same in the past...
02/10/2009 07:01:18 AM
- 716 Views
Gah! Hate!
02/10/2009 04:11:49 PM
- 727 Views
Ah, come on...
02/10/2009 04:41:37 PM
- 700 Views
No no, I was just being pouty that I haven't read the new stuff yet.
02/10/2009 05:01:15 PM
- 714 Views

Re: Or RJ just loves stacking ridiculously unfavourable odds against the male Forsaken generals...
01/10/2009 09:51:30 PM
- 789 Views
Good points! Also, these "generals" haven't actually fielded any troops
01/10/2009 11:23:40 PM
- 671 Views
But as individuals they are meant to be deadly too
02/10/2009 05:09:21 AM
- 665 Views
Well, yeah. They're knowledgable and deadly in person. Generalship doesn't come into it.
04/10/2009 12:09:50 AM
- 648 Views
nope
01/10/2009 08:06:57 PM
- 793 Views
Tylee Kirgan, Birgitte, and one other, Egeanin
01/10/2009 09:47:00 PM
- 1099 Views
Birgitte's not a soldier though.
01/10/2009 10:10:50 PM
- 693 Views
She says she's not, but so does Mat.
01/10/2009 10:34:04 PM
- 609 Views

Mat's not a soldier, either - he's a general
01/10/2009 10:51:29 PM
- 750 Views
Birgitte is too cautious to be better than an adequate tactician.
02/10/2009 04:22:45 AM
- 730 Views
My opinion
02/10/2009 01:30:12 AM
- 1097 Views
That's a poor excuse
02/10/2009 11:59:42 AM
- 633 Views
I disagree
02/10/2009 04:26:28 PM
- 733 Views
Re: I disagree
02/10/2009 08:31:29 PM
- 930 Views
Oh, puh-lease.
02/10/2009 09:09:30 PM
- 878 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease.
03/10/2009 04:52:37 PM
- 697 Views
Re: Oh, puh-lease.
05/10/2009 05:08:27 PM
- 3153 Views
I always know I've out-argued an idiot when they fall back on the tired old "RJ wanted it that way"
06/10/2009 04:42:11 AM
- 738 Views
And I can tell you're through when you've gotten to three+ insults per paragraph.
06/10/2009 05:46:24 PM
- 846 Views
Monday morning quarterbacking at its worst
04/10/2009 07:28:36 AM
- 786 Views
Men and football.
05/10/2009 04:49:35 PM
- 710 Views
She didn't kill anyone! Why SHOULD she feel guilty? She gave necessary orders.
06/10/2009 03:33:15 AM
- 812 Views