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"I think I've cracked the code. double letters are cheaters except for perfect squares (a, d, i, p and y). So Leddy isn't a cheater... "

I'm just wondering why Dany didn't let the dragons serve as combat air patrol for the fleet? The dragons worked well against ships before....

If you look at the map, Yara was probably just about to head South when they were interrupted

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Now here is a Foreign Invasion I was in favor of.

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All I Wanted Was A Pepsi, Just One Pepsi

Team Zoot, Team Zoot Mid-Atlantic

Bingo! ;-)

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"Politics is just show business for ugly people."

How would that help him get Sansa, isn't that his ultimate goal ?

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"I think I've cracked the code. double letters are cheaters except for perfect squares (a, d, i, p and y). So Leddy isn't a cheater... "

I thought self-promotion and power were his ultimate goals. I think he'd like to possess Sansa, but he had control over her once before and gave her to Ramsey for the sake of consolidating his position in the Realm.

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''The enemy isn't conservatism. The enemy isn't liberalism. The enemy is bulls**t.''

—Lars-Erik Nelson

The writers did some studying of classic sailing ship naval battles in history. Salamis and Trafalgar (especially Trafalgar, it looks like), to name just two. Euron Greyjoy could have done what Lord Nelson did at Trafalgar: divide his fleet into two columns and direct them perpendicularly against Yara Greyjoy's own fleet.

By doing so, Euron's force was able to break Yara's force into two or three segments, surrounding Yara and Theon's flagship and their escorting ships and then force them to fight until the end. The second column of Euron Greyjoy's fleet dealt with Yara's remaining ships, who would be screened off and unable to receive signals from the flagship. Confusion and disarray would result. It was risky, and Euron could easily have died leading the boarding party, but no balls no blue chips, right? ;-)

Because Euron's force closed quickly with Yara's it prevented her ships from breaking off or escaping once they saw that the cause was lost. And because it was close-in fighting, her ships would have been unable to disengage, regain sail power and then reengage, reentering the fray. Euron's ultimate design was to bring on what was called, back in the days of sailing ship naval battles, a melee. Yara's ships would be also be forced into a frantic battle and their lines would have quickly been broken.

Euron was already acclaimed as the superior seaman when compared to Yara, and his fleet captains would have trained incessantly for the two-column direct attack and ensuing melee. He and his captains were also prepared for a fight; Yara Greyjoy's weren't, at least not at that time. She made a fatal tactical decision in not accounting for Euron's superior seamanship. His ships looked like they carried more sail, meaning they could beat to the wind more efficiently and travel more quickly, giving them greater maneuverability and ramming power, if needed.

If Yara's ships weren't rigged for a fight at that moment (and it looks like they weren't), Euron's ships -- which were rigged for one -- could have gotten in among her force fairly rapidly, before an alarm could have been sounded and general quarters stations -- prepared to repel boarders -- taken by her sailors. This is especially so if Euron's smaller, faster and well-armed ships could pick off Yara's screening ships, dispatching them before they could get word out to the flagship and its own screeners.

Likely, none of what I just wrote actually applied to this naval battle, though. Because it was made up for TV. ;-) Sails -- especially from a tall mainmast -- tend to be visible for miles off, even at night. Any halfway competent at-sea watchstanders would have seen him coming from nautical miles away.

So maybe Euron and his ships hid in a cove to await the passage of Yara's ships, unfurled all sail and came in from behind her, taking her fleet in the rear and setting off that melee? Who knows? I sure don't. LOL!

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"Politics is just show business for ugly people."

Littlefinger's ultimate goal is the Iron Throne, either with Sansa at his side (because he needs the legitimacy a Stark would provide) or without her. He admitted it himself to Sansa after the Battle of the Bastards. With Sansa and his own position as regent or whatever to his stepson, who's the ruler of the Vale, he's sitting in a good position to capitalize on things as they develop.

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"Politics is just show business for ugly people."

Hey, this was not unrealistic at all!

I mean, if a lousy container ship can dodge around and manage to ram an Aegis class destroyer, (probably the most advanced ship with the best sensors out there), I dont' think one sailing galley should have too much trouble ramming another.

I wonder if the captain of that container ship was named "Euron"...

When did GoT switch to The Hobbit?? That's what I want to know.

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

Except in The Hobbit (the book), it was just a black arrow fired from a normal bow.

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"Go yell at an M&M"

They wrote a book based on that movie?

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

I heard J.R.R. Tolkien was being sued by Peter Jackson for doing so.

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"Go yell at an M&M"

You can never trust a guy whose first name is THREE initials

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Yeah I have a feeling it will be Littlefinger on the throne of a destroyed kingdom all alone.

As far as the "how could they make the ships in weeks" questions. It has been at least a year. When Dany showed back up, Varys was just leaving for Dorne. Couple months to get there, couple months to get the Dornish ships ready, couple months back. Then load up all the Unsullied, Dothraki, horses and supplies and sail a couple months back to Dragonstone. Then, were Oleana and the Sand Snakes just waiting at Dragonstone or were they sent for on an overland journey or a few weeks to sail from Dorne, past Kings Landing and to Drangonstone? Couple months possible there too.

In that time, Euron has some highly focused ship building. There weren't doing anything else other than building ships. He had quite a few too when he showed back up. The monster ones were probably his already. Then, Euron and the Lannisters knew where Dany was going and it's just around the corner from Kings Landing. Wait for the ambush at that point.

I'm guessing they call it the Narrow Sea for a reason, and not to be sarcastic.

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----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"

We know how long its been because they showed Sam's girlfriends baby who looked to be between 2-3 years old, probably closer to two. He was a less than a year old last season.

It's amazing how many ships you can build when you're properly motivated. Like if you have a psychotic for a king who'll personally cleave your skull with an ax if you falter or fail. ;-)

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"Politics is just show business for ugly people."

Amazing what you can build without regulations, environmental studies and the like.

Not going there, sir. ;-)

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"Politics is just show business for ugly people."

Where are they getting the money for all this? I don't see any working people around to tax

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Yup. I think Jaime Lannister mentioned that the Ironborn generally don't make anything and usually have stolen everything they have. ;-)

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"Politics is just show business for ugly people."

Like the wood they'd need to build all those ships? I don't recall seeing a single tree on any of the shots of the Iron Islands.

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''The enemy isn't conservatism. The enemy isn't liberalism. The enemy is bulls**t.''

—Lars-Erik Nelson

Check out the map of Essos and Westeros and look where Slavers Bay/Bay of Dragons is and where they would need to sail to Sunspear (for Varys) and then Dragonstone.

It's a lot farther than Pentos, Lys or Bravos to Westeros.

http://viewers-guide.hbo.com/...ation/18/dragonstone