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Found 9 results

  1. FILM: Beethoven You'll spot a Lego 'Brick Bucket' in the scene where 2 kids are playing Super Mario Bros 3 on the NES! Bender's Game Leela enters the Planet Express ship in a demolition derby for spaceships, and one of the competing ships is made out of Lego. Big Tom Hanks is in FAO Schwartz (Toy Store) having a gun battle with a kid and he’s creeping around a showcase, and in it very visibly are a few sets of Lego. Big Momma's House Some LEGO bricks can be spotted in the toy box. Cattle Call There is a telephone made of LEGO. Da grande It's about an eight-year older who suddenly grows up, and his body looks like he's 40 (Renato Pozzetto). Still, he thinks like the child he is. After the old woman says "this money is not enough to buy this Lego", while crying he says "This morning I turned 8 and I can't have Lego..." Elf Will Ferrel the elf builds elaborate buildings of New York out of LEGO bricks. Flushed Away In the boat chase scene, a couple of rats are getting married; the Bride’s bouquet is some yellow Lego Flowers. Link to Clip Gremlins 2 You can spot some 80s Lego sets in a toy store, and Gremlins pop up in the toy store (build a huge gremlin out of Lego blocks, then merrily knock it over) Honey I Shrunk the Kids The children find and decide to sleep in one of Nick's blue Lego pieces. It looks like a partially buried 2x4. Link to Clip How To Be A Boy is seen playing with LEGO Bricks. (The) Indian in the Cupboard Original Lewa Jack In the great Robin Williams film, there are a few Lego sets (6175 Crystal Explorer Sub, and 6339 Shuttle Launch Pad) on the floor at one point. Jingle All The Way LEGO Display in a mall. Jönssonligan They use a remote controlled Lego robot in a heist. If I remember correctly it was used to disable an alarm system or something like that, amongst other things it could climb a staircase. Kickin' It Old Skool The main character is seen playing with Lego in a bar while the confused waitress watches him. Lego Action Fun A Two-Pack of stop motion Lego released on Video in 1998. Le Grand Bazard Logorama Maid in Manhattan The girl's son plays with Kopaka and a Bohrok--there's this extended 10 second period just him playing with it. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium There are Creator sets like the Dino, the Ferris wheel in the store. New Police Story A Jackie Chan film, the climax fight scene takes place in a Lego store. Prep and Landing There is Lego on the floor of the boys room, as shown in the clip at about 32 seconds. Link to clip Spy Kids 2 Bionicle is visible in the background of some scenes. Three Men and a Little Lady There is a scene in the Kitchen where they are all adding pieces to a massive castle MOC . Thunderbirds Are Go The buildings when the Zero X crashes have a Lego frame with card on the outside to add detail. Link to Clip Time Bandits There’s LEGO on the kid's floor near the beginning. Giant LEGO bricks also appear close to the end in the big battle with the incarnation of evil where they are used to make the wall. Link to Clip Toy Story 3 The teaser trailer features Lego bricks. Where The Wild Things Are About ten minutes into the movie Max is looking at his LEGO Minifigs. One’s an octan shirt with shades and a couple others including a yellow classic spaceman! The Witches The little boy Luke has a huge space monorail layout! TELEVISION: The Brittas Empire - Mr. Brittas Changes Trains When Gordon Brittas is hypnotised, he goes down to reception and find's receptionist Carole’s son Ben and a friend playing with a Duplo train on a small oval. Carole thinks she's in trouble for letting the kid's play with the trains outside. Brittas asks for various different thick rulebooks, but then makes a tunnel with three of the books over the track and a platform with the other. Brittas then asks for more tracks and later in the episode, he has made a large and elaborate Duplo train track layout with a few trains. Death Note (Japanese Anime) - Episode 33 One of the main characters used Lego Minifigs to symbolize protagonists in the various plots that went on in the show. Eastenders - Episode Aired on 08/12/09 Bradley was seen building the "Galactic Enforcer" from Space Police III with his girlfriend's son. Link to Clip (from about 25 minutes) Even Stevens The appearance of some 2001 Bionicle sets Tahu and Gali in Louis' room. The Family Guy – Season 5, Episode 11 Peter: You got Legos? Aw, sweet! Lois only buys me Mega Bloks. Lois: They're the same thing, Peter. Peter: You know what, Lois? They are not the same thing. And the sooner you get that through your thick skull, the sooner we can get this marriage back on track. First Shop of Coffee Prince – Episode Five Han Gyul gives her a little toy Lego robot. Episode Six Eun Chan is shown the back room, which houses Han Gyul’s collection of Legos (he used to work with them in the States); he marvels at concept of playing with toys: “Here, I can do anything I want” They play with the Lego (in a cute moment, Han Gyul “corrects” Eun Chan for bringing a bulldozer toy into the mix, because it doesn’t fit the time period of his horse-mounted knight-era setup). Episode Eleven Eun Chan takes out the Lego toy Han Gyul gave her, and tells it, “Now I have to tell him. Right?” (Later) Eun Chan looks at her Lego toy while repeating Han Gyul’s words to herself Home Improvement (unknown episode) Tim built the first "Bait and Tackle Shop with a built in Women's Department" out of Lego. King of the Hill (unknown episode) Joseph asked Bobby "Hey dude want to go melt some Lego?" The Lego Group 'Official Commercials' Malcolm in the Middle – Season 2, Episode 9 - High School Play Dewy and Hal build a private Utopia with Lego and Playmobil bricks, Lois crashes into it and destroys it. Season 4, Episode 10 Dewey plays with Bionicle to make fun of his two older brothers. NCIS - Season 5, Episode 12 McGee uses a LEGO model of a warehouse to show how the bad guys could sneak out with the radar system without being caught on the cameras. Also Gibbs can be seen playing with the LEGO-forklift. Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide The character "Cookie" has a BIONICLE Metruan arm piece on his glasses. Parenthood Max plays with LEGO in several different Episodes. Robot Chicken There were two sketches done with (and about) Lego: In the episode "Slaughterhouse on the Prairie" there is a commercial for a new LEGO line called "LEGO Babel", and in the episode "Easter Basket" the pharaoh minifig makes his subjects build a pyramid for him out of Lego, but when they run out of bricks and start using different colors and parts from other themes, they decide to bury the pharaoh alive and keep the pimped out pyramid for themselves! The Pretender – Pilot Episode The main character builds the Empire State building out of LEGO. That model then appears in the opening credits and a number of later episodes (both in the present and flashback). The Sarah Connor Chronicles: Automatic for the People John and Riley wake up that same morning. She then gives him a Lego robot that she made for him out of the child's toys on the floor. He's briefly freaked by the representation of his future, but accepts it. Season 2 – Episode 6 A little girl can be seen playing with Lego twice, and in response, her mother creates a large tower MOC for her. Season 2 – Episode 14 This guy is playing with Makuta and other bionicles, as he describes the ball-and-joint system. Link to Clip The Simpsons – Season 11 Episode 7 The family goes to a mega-store called SHØP (a parody of IKEA) and all the food and forks are Lego. Homer makes an apple out of bacon bricks. Season 12, Episode 15 The Simpson family visits Blockoland (a parody of Legoland), a theme park which is completely made of blocks. Lisa is ripped off when her Eiffel Tower kit has a missing Blocko piece. In response, Homer "sticks up for the little guy", and he gets Lisa the piece she needs. Season 19 Episode 3 Couch Gag: The family room is built out of Lego. Using stop motion filming, the family is then assembled out of Lego, one by one. Homer's full head of hair is replaced by a Lego block which more justifies his baldness. Homer responds with, "D'oh!" The Sooty Show There are some Lego sets scattered around Sooty, Sweep's and Soo's bedroom. South Park - Season 5, Episode 14 In Butters’ very own episode he can be seen playing with Lego. Link to Clip Season 8 - Episode 5 "You got F'd in the A". Butters can be seen to be playing with Lego. Stargate SG-1 – Season 1 Episode (?) There is the 6339 Shuttle Launch Pad in O'Neill's son's room That 70’s Show – Season 5 Episode 19, Bring It On Home Hyde: Told you to look where you were going. Jackie: Well what idiot leaves a Lego set right in front of the door? Eric: You knocked over my space command centre? I spent three hours building that. War at Home – Season 1 Episode (?) the dad tries to connect with his son (TRIES) and says "you still play with LEGO?" after that he says "That's OK, LEGOs are cool..." and they played with knights and castles. (They were playing with Duplo)
  2. I always build my MOCs in Studio first, and time and time again I found myself wishing I had a Lego color chart that would not only be a reference to identify colors, but would also help me decide on colors for my designs by allowing me to try out different patterns, so I created this: (Click on it to see the full size. It shows colors as rendered in Studio with these settings: Asteroid, Intensity 1.) At the moment, it’s not possible to build it, because many colors don’t exist as 1x1 bricks or 1x4 tiles, but I would really like to have this made of real bricks, so I also submitted it on Lego Ideas. The cards could then be used like paint swatches, you could hold a card against a MOC you are building to see which color would look best for a certain part. And the 1x1 bricks (plus 1x2 tiles for transparent colors) would allow us to experiment with colors and try out different color patterns, like this: I also designed a little display stand to hold the cards: If Lego releases new colors, it would be easy to update the cards either by expanding them with a second plate or by replacing colors that you don’t use often with the new colors and keeping those that you rarely use on an extra plate that you store away. Lego could sell the parts you need to update your chart in the ‘Pick a Brick’ section. I have also considered the possibility that it might not be possible anymore to manufacture some of the older colors. If that is the case, my proposal would be to print a background as close as possible to the color it should be on white tiles and white bricks so you can still get a good idea of how it looks. You would then have the possibility to replace those printed bricks with already existing bricks of that color if you wish, which would be better than not having them at all. (But at the end of the day, Lego would decide which colors they want to include or not.) I know that only very few ideas have been approved by Lego lately, so if you can think of any improvement that you feel might give it a better chance of being approved by Lego, let me know. Here is the link if you would like to support it on Lego Ideas: https://ideas.lego.com/projects/f44b1d7a-efa5-422d-ae0b-d8ac6e313082
  3. Mister Phes

    The EB Glossary

    Note! I'm heavily revising this. When I'm finished I'll create a new topic and return this to it's original form for archiving purposes... -Siegfried My Fellow EBers, here is a list of the most commonly used acronyms on EB. A must read thread for every EB newbie members ;-) So enjoy and feel free to contribute the that glossary by posting suggestions !! 0-9 4+/Juniors models that use fewer but larger pieces and more complex minifigs. Examples: Jack Stone & 2004 Pirate Themes. A AFOL Adult Fan of Lego AFFOL Adult, Female Fan of LEGO AFOFL Adult Fan of Fabuland Lego AWFOL Adult Walrus Fan Of LEGO B BL Bricklink. BrickLink is a venue where individuals and businesses from all around the world can buy and sell new, used, and vintage LEGO through fixed price services. Bley Bluish Grey Colour terminology referring to the new grey introduced by Lego. Like "old" grey it exists in light and dark. BOLOCS Built Of Lots Of Colours BP Battle Pack. These are small sets with a few figs with accessories and sometimes a small extra model, much like the old People Packs. These first appeared in the Star Wars line but now other themes (such as castle) have them as well. BPP Big Precise/Pointless Pieces A term developed by our very own for <insert that tiresome argument> pieces (the larger pieces intended for younger builders, usually, but not always found in 4+ sets). This does NOT include Duplo or Quatro pieces. BS Brickshelf An online resource for LEGO® fans, with full instruction and catalog scans, a gallery of fan contributed pictures, and more. BSTF Our very own Buy, Sell, Trade and Finds forum BTW By The Way BURP Big Ugly Rock Piece Those large strange shaped pieces including piece 6082 and piece 6083 C CAD Computer Aided Design CMF Collectable Minifigures. A recently occurred abbreviation for the LEGO® Collectable Minifigures series. CRAPP Crummy Ramp and Pit Plate The baseplate with a ramp and pit D D2C Direct-to-consumer A set made by fans directly for consumers. See here for the latest D2C contest. DSL Digital Subscriber Line. DSL is a very high-speed connection that uses the same wires as a regular telephone line DSS Dreaded Sticker Sheet. A common rant among AFOLs lies in the wide use of sticker sheets included in sets (intended to lower cost reduction) instead of printed pieces. DUPLO Double Sized Bricks. Large bricks intended for very young children E EB Eurobricks. This place ERLING Part designed by Erling Dideriksen in 1979 - also known as a headlight brick. F FBTB From Bricks to Bothans. A LEGO Star Wars fansite. Frown Reddish brown. Also known as Rown or Frown. Ref FTW For The Win G GREEBLE (GREEBLIE, GREEB) groupings of mechanical-looking detail elements on MOCs EX: http://news.lugnet.com/space/design H HOG Hand Of God HTH Hope That Helped I IJ Indiana Jones. A licensed theme by LEGO® Indiana Jones IMO In My Opinion IMHO In My Humble Opinion IOW In Other Words ISD Imperial Star Destroyer K KFOL Kid Fan Of Lego KK Knights Kingdom A castle line by LEGO® The Knight's Kingdom I line on Brickset and The Knight's Kingdom II line on Brickset L LEGO It was in 1934 that the company name LEGO was coined by Christiansen from the Danish phrase leg godt, meaning "play well." The LEGO Group claims that "LEGO" means "I put together" or "I assemble" in Latin [1] , though this is a rather liberal translation of a verb form that would normally translate as "I read" or "I gather." LBSD Lego Buying Sets Disorder; Buying sets from themes you don´t like just for the buying itself, or buying sets just because they´re cheap - not that you need them LDD LEGO® Digital Design(er) The official virtual building program by LEGO®. LDraw Lego® Draw The basis software with a huge parts library needed for CAD programs like MLCad. LMAO Laughing My A$$ Off LOL Laughing Out Loud LUG Lego Users Group. A popular suffix to the name of LEGO fan groups LULS Light-Up Lightsabers Fortunately, those MFs had a real short lifespan: they were only found in ROTS sets (& the 2005 Police Station by affiliation) LURP Little Ugly Rock Piece lxf A file extension used by LDD. M MF Minifig MIB Mint In Box/bag Midi A scale-size that's larger than mini, but smaller than minifig-scale. Midi MINI A model that is smaller than minifig scale MISB Mint In Sealed Box/bag MLCad Mike's LEGO Computer Aided Design. A virtual building program using the LDraw parts library. Official site of MLCAD MOC My Own Creation MOD The Modification of an official LEGO set. MSRP Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price N NISB New In Sealed Bag O OT Original Trilogy The Original Star Wars Trilogy comprising A new Hope (ANH-ep4), The Empire Strikes Back (ESB-ep5) and Return of the Jedi (ROTJ-ep6) P PAB: Pick A Brick A pick a brick consists of a wall of boxes full of various bricks in which you can choose whatever piece you want. PAY (or PA ): Pull A Yoda This comes from the fact that a lot of times when was not online, important news tended to appear. So by extension, PAY means something important happening in someone's absence. POTC Pirates of the Carribean. LEGO® pirate line based on the Disney movies. Pirates of the Caribbean POAAFOL Partner Of An AFOL POI Pieces Of Interest. Interesting pieces found usually when sorting through baggies from sets or when searching through misc. LEGO Primo A sub branch of Duplo for babies. Mostly things like rattles... PT Prequel Trilogy The Prequel Star Wars Trilogy comprising The Phantom Menace (TPM-ep1), Attack of the Clones (AOTC-ep2) and Revenge of the Sith (ROTS-ep3) POV-Ray Persistence of Vision Raytracer A tool to create three-dimensional renderings. Official site of POV-Ray Q QUATRO Bigger and softer bricks for really really young children. R RC Remote Controlled Sets that feature remote control, for example 8369 Dirt Crusher RC and 8475 RC Race Buggy RCB Relay Community Build People all over the world contribute a part for a big diorama. See here for a summary of Eurobrick's RCBs. Rewn Reddish brown. Also known as Rown or Frown. Ref RGS Republic Gunship ROFL Roll On Floor Laughing Rown Reddish brown. Also known as Rewn or Frown. Ref ROTS Revenge of the Sith S S@H (or SAH): Shop At Home Lego's online store. SHEFOL "She" (Female) Fan of LEGO SHIP Seriously Huge Investment in Parts. A very large LEGO spaceship, often (but not always) one that's 100+ studs long. Ref SIGFIG A business card in the form of a minifig. SNIR tuds Not In a Row. SNOT Studs Not On Top A building technique where studs are, surprisingly, not always on top. This can be achieved with pieces designed for the purpose and have studs and/or anti-studs) on two or more faces, or by using pieces in a creative way. For example, most of the hinge pieces are good for SNOTting. Examples: A Design at Brickshelf Sinner's tug boat uses SNOT to make the roof and front of the pilot house SP Space Police. A space line by LEGO® Space Police SPUD Special/Single Piece/Purpose Ugly/Useless/unLegoish Design/Decorative The many meanings of that acronym makes it a great one, as its not Single Purpose. SSD Super Star Destroyer STAMP Stickers Across Multiple Pieces Example: Tail and wings of 3451 Sopwith Camel SF Swoosh Factor Ability to swoosh a set/vehicle, meaning playing with it by holding it moving it around in the air generally making engine sounds. Some EB members (like *cough* KimT *cough*) love to swoosh in the nudes ( :-D ). Some models like the X-Wing, TIE Fighter or Snowspeeder have a very SF, the MF ISD & Falcon have an average ISD due to their size and bulkiness, whereas other models like Cloud City have a 0 SF (go figure why :-D ). SW Star Wars. A popular licensed theme by LEGO® Star Wars SYSTEM The line in which LEGO categorised mini-figure scaled sets. No longer officially used, however for convenience and old time sake still used to refer to mini-figure scaled sets. T TAWT Tie Army Wanted Target Term used in the Tie Army Thread to designate the rebel scum that need to be hunted down and destroyed TBB The Brothers Brick. LEGO blog featuring custom creations built by LEGO fans all over the world, plus LEGO news, LEGO set reviews, and more. They have a Glossary too! TCW The Clone Wars TFOL Teenage Fan Of Lego TLC The Lego Company TLG The Lego Group TRU Toys 'R' US U UCS Ultimate Collector's Series. UCS. V Vig / Vignette A small scene recreated on a small plate (usually 8X8) W WIP Work In Progress; a good example is this glossary... Whack Hit someone's avatar with another out of love. Note this is an EB definition and please don't try this at home. Example
  4. bartneck

    LEGO Color Guide

    Hello, The third edition of The Unofficial LEGO Color Guide is now available. It includes two new colors and many design improvements. I am finally pretty much satisfied with the book. Please notice that the printing process remains a challenge since CMYK printing is not able to accurately reproduce some LEGO colors, in particular light greens. If you want the maximum color accuracy then you need to purchase the PDF version. Your computer screen is much better at showing colors than pigment based printing.
  5. Flipz

    Heroica Theatre

    Thanks to Sandy for the banner! Introduction “Ah! Hello there! You must be the new class of students. Welcome, welcome! I’m Bilbert Wigglepike, adventurer, playwright, and actor extraordinaire! Of course, as theatre enthusiasts, you must have seen my gripping yet hilarious comedy, The Life of Beasley? No? What about my romantic classic Gnomeo and Harriet? Rated eight thumbs up by that unlucky critic who took the Zeigfried girl’s seat! Really, no? Well, surely you caught my dear friend Elphaba’s autobiographical musical Wicked during her short time here? No?!? My goodness, you need more help than I thought!” “I can teach you to bewitch the mind, to ensnare the senses, to pull at the very soul of all those who see you. Not through sorcery, trickery, alchemy, but through your own quirks, history, and emotional honesty." "I warn you: it will not be easy. Crafting interesting characters is a work of intention more than of luck. It requires concentration, focus, and determination. But for those who persevere...well, generations of actors have hungered after the joy of performance, the adulation of a pleased audience. And some small degree of that unique, exquisite satisfaction...can be yours.” “And let me say this: acting, or, as I prefer to think of it, role-playing, is Serious Business. I will not tolerate any foolishness...” “...hijinks...” “...shenanigans...” “...or tomfoolery of any kind in my Theatre!” “...Oh, who am I kidding?” “*Sigh* Welcome to Heroica Theatre...” Heroica Theatre is an Out-Of-Character discussion topic, where various thoughts, ideas, and advice about portraying your character can be discussed. Along the way, Bilbert and his troupe of performers (including several familiar faces!) will illustrate some of the concepts being discussed. But don’t let that stop you: any topic related to any aspect of roleplaying is welcome at any time. And feel free to be creative; who knows? Maybe you will be the Heroica Theatre’s next great star... Opening Night: The Roleplaying Basics Act I. Creating an Identity: Character Story Inspiration “This man was crushed by anvil. I...never seen thing so gruesome.” “I understand, Hoptet. After all, murder is…heavy stuff.” YEAAAAAAAAAAH! “...” “...” “Wanna get a banana burger?” “OK.” To sum up the acting technique of “transference” pioneered by the great actress Uta Hagen, one might say that “Acting is about finding ourselves within the character, and the character within ourselves.” Roleplaying is much the same; though the form and style may be different, it is still about taking elements of ourselves, combining them with elements we consider to be not of ourselves, and using them to create an entirely new character to display to the world. The primary difference between acting and roleplaying is, in roleplaying there is no set script, and the players together combine their talents to breathe life into the world. Even the greatest players in the world can’t play a character that is undefined, however. There’s a reason we don’t read books about speechless, lifeless, immobile statues; it would be dull and uninteresting. A character without their own defining traits has little more life than one of those statues. Roleplaying great Waterbrick Down once said this: If you get stuck, remember some of the basic questions: who, where, when, why, and, later on, how. Who was my character raised to be? Where was he/she born, where did he/she live before coming to Heroica? When did my character leave home and come to Eubric? Why did my character leave home and come to Eubric? Remember, too, that great characters are defined by contrasts, the difference between who they should be and who they are; consider: the sacrilegious, irresponsible paladin with a drinking problem, the ex-bandit ogre with a noble spirit, the wacky, comedic magician marked by darkness, the 200-year-old Elf with the maturity of a teenager, the rogue with a heart of gold, the quirky chicken sidekick who’s actually a demon of darkness, the honorable orc who becomes a paladin. Real people are messy and at times inconsistent; your character should be, too. Above all: your character should make sense to himself. All of our quirks and inconsistencies have some sort of reasoning or story behind them. You don’t have to know everything, but if you can have a few defining moments of their life set before you start playing, you’ll be in a good position to start off strong. If you can, from your character’s perspective, examine what you know about their history and find it reasonable and believable, then you’ve got a good base upon which later roleplaying can build. Coming Soon: Crafting a Back-Story: The Present as a Key to the Past Act II. Weaknesses and Strengths: Believability in Relatability: “Verily I say unto thee, Hoptet: he who had the less strength was the greater Hero.” “...” “What? I was channeling an ancestor of mine! Sheesh, kids these days...” Let’s be honest: a character that always succeeds, has no flaws, and never makes mistakes (or worse, who blatantly disregards their failures) is rather unlikeable. There’s an entire trope about Mary Sues and Marty Stus that cover exactly how they become unlikeable in far more detail than I can here. On the other hand, a character that tries to pour on the angst by constantly failing is no more likeable. The key is to find a good balance between the two, in order to make your character actually likeable. In all honesty, writing a believable, relatable character is kind of like trying to plan and host a game or a Quest; the key word here is balance, making your character strong enough, within reason, to believably handle themselves in the dangerous world of Heroica, while at the same time keeping them weak enough to, well, fail once in a while, which the dice WILL cause from time to time. This is doubly important in non-dice-based situations, where poor roleplaying can make you look quite silly indeed; if you’re a brand-new Hero who’s just arrived at the Hall, and you pick a fight with an experienced Hero with an Advanced Class, you are not going to be able to knock them out in one hit, no matter how poetic your description of the event; it’s just not believable. (This brings up another common roleplaying problem, one we’ll cover more in Act III.) Remember when we were defining the broad strokes of the character, adding depth through contradictions? That’s also a great example of balanced, relatable believability. Consider Lord Lawrence Boomingham, a mighty Paladin of Heroica. He is strong and hardy, as a Paladin he defends himself and his allies with his shield while also possessing the ability to heal them and himself when injured; a potent combination, to be sure. Bravery (bordering on impulsiveness and recklessness), combat skill and strength, and magical healing abilities are his strengths. However, he also has his weaknesses: he’s a chronic alcoholic, he’s brash, arrogant, rude, self-centered, racist, and, perhaps most tellingly for a Paladin, thoroughly irreverent. His strengths are balanced by his weaknesses, and though he may not always be likeable, he can be at times, and above all he’s always relatable. Let’s consider another great example: Althior Emorith, Sage. Armed with plenty of great gear, a magical sidekick, an Evoker girlfriend, and every single elemental Gem in existence, at first glance he may seem unstoppable, but he’s balanced out by his weaknesses. For one thing, Finnegan is incompetent, and in-character Althior isn’t much further behind. He’s a bit impulsive, has an ego the size of Jupiter, and takes himself and his work way too seriously. Althior also exhibits a different kind of dramatic balance; he straddles the line between “serious” roleplaying and comedic relief, at times the noble, troubled magician marked by the demon Abraxas himself, at others just a goofy loon. Character flaws are important, but this final observation is even more so: none of the best players in Heroica try to win all the time, and this is key. Good players let the dice fall as they may, and, when their character fails, they use it as an opportunity for character development. In Quest 4: Taming the Lions, De’kra the Shade Echo faced a string of horrifically bad luck. Rather than complaining, he used it as an opportunity to become more humble, even roleplaying his own “death” as a way to develop and flesh out his character. Likewise, in Quest 15: Hoisting Down the Jolly Roger, the Norse Barbarian Eric (and the entire party, actually) had to deal with short supplies and luck so terrible that the majority of the party went down in almost every battle! In a feat of great roleplaying that must be seen to be believed, Eric allowed this event to develop his character so much that it changed which Advanced Class he decided to take back at the Hall. Opportunities for character development can be rare, so failures are a welcome blessing in that regard. In short: don’t be afraid to fail! You might just end up more interesting because of it. Most importantly: don’t tell us all at once. Roleplaying requires patience; we don’t want to see the character’s whole story in an hour-long episode, we want to see it unfold over weeks, months, years. Coming Soon: The Road Goes Ever On: Playing your character for the long haul Act III. Characters in Conflict: Playing a Jerk Without Being a Jerk “All right, auditions for Elphaba’s yearly revival of Wicked are open once again, which means it’s time to figure out who is going to play who. Let’s see who we have here first. Roll call! De’kra?” “De’kra is present.” “Harriet? Mehmet?” “Harriet the Super Sleuth is here for the poultry and applesauce.” “As is Mehmet Attabar.” “I, Hoptet, ready.” “Drake?” “I’m here.” “And I’m here.” “And I’m here.” “And I am!” “Well, I was here before all of you, so...” “Shut up, Drake, you KNOW I was here before even you were.” “Please, Drake everyone knows all of you were here after ME!” “Hey, I’m here, too, you know--” “Uh, you guys do realize that multiple personalities do not qualify you for multiple roles, right? And, contrary to popular belief, it does NOT in itself make you more interesting, so--” “I disagree!” “Me too!” “I disagree as well!” “And me!” “*sigh*” “You and I are actually the same person, does that count?” “No, dear, we’re here as a joke, so we don’t count; we’re not real characters.” “NOT REAL CHARACTERS?!?!” “My parents are dead!” “Uh...sir, stories of familial death are rather overused as well, perhaps you should consider--” “DEAD!” “*sigh* Do none of you understand? Bizarre, over-the-top quirks of your personality are not what make for interesting characters! It’s conflict! Quirks define the personality, and conflict develops it! When used within reason, conflict can--” “RAAAAAAAH! HULK HATE PUNY GOD!” “Uh-oh.” “No, no, you've got it all wrong! To use conflict, you have to--” “HULK SMASH!” “That’ll teach you to run around with that no-good tramp Harriet!” “OW! I said I was sorry! OW! Finnegan made me do it! YEOOOOOOWWW!” “Well, at least SOMEONE'S using conflict right. Humorously, granted, but right.” “OW! OW! OW! OW!” “...help...OW...me...” “Ooh, looks like fun! Can I join in, Bilbert?” “ No, Harriet. No you may not.” There are three elements to every successful story: character, conflict, and creativity. We’ve already learned how to define the broad strokes of the character; now we move forward into the area that will bring your character to life: conflict. To explain why, let’s do a quick review: We’ve figured out what makes your character unique, we’ve made sure that the character’s quirks make sense, we’ve made efforts to keep the character believable, and, importantly, we’ve learned not to rush the roleplaying, but instead to keep things in reserve and reveal them over time, when the opportunity presents itself. You now have the makings of a deep, interesting, fun charcter--congratulations! There’s only one problem: how to reveal this? Where ARE the opportunities for character revelation and development? The answer, of course, is conflict, but there’s one more thing we must observe. Why ARE the rather annoying, overdone character aspects we saw a few moments ago so particularly prevalent? (Granted, these examples were rather over-the-top, but they are still remarkably common.) Why do new roleplayers perceive them (incorrectly) as THE go-to fixes for roleplaying*? Ironically, it’s because they instinctively recognize the importance of conflict, but fail to see opportunities for it outside of their own “bubble.” Conflict comes in two flavors: internal and external. Internal conflict occurs when two aspects of a character’s personality come into conflict; it’s an essential part of a realistic, honest portrayal of a character, but it is NOT the place to start your development. For one thing, internal conflict as a primary motivating factor is much better suited to novels, movies, and other works involving a single protagonist. In a world defined by the interactions between characters, external conflict is far more important; as roleplaying great Zepher once put it, External conflict, on the other hand, is not only a great opportunity for roleplaying, it’s also part of being a generous roleplayer; after all, since interaction with someone else’s character is a valuable opportunity for you, it stands to reason that it is just as valuable an opportunity for the other party. Character interactions are the heart of an open roleplaying community, and if you make an effort to help others’ characters grow, their own responses will return the favor. A word of caution, however: pets and other “companions” are NOT sources of external conflict; it may defy logic, but interactions between any characters played BY you are considered internal conflict. To put it another way, when two (or more) of your own characters interact, no matter what happens, YOU have determined the course and end result of the interaction; unless you are a superb roleplayer, there is little risk of anything happening that you didn’t already expect. By contrast, you never know where external interactions will take you; for example, Althior and Arthur’s interactions on Quest 17 led to an apprenticeship that neither party expected. As the old saying goes, “no risk, no reward.” So, how should you go about finding and using conflict? Here’s a hint: it’s not by walking up to another character and randomly punching them in the face, or challenging them to a drinking contest, or accusing them of burning down your home village. Such things, when planned in private with the help and consent of both players, can be dramatic and interesting both to watch and to play, but it’s seldom the place to begin. Just walk around, casually comment on the various conversations and goings-on of the time, and generally just react to things the way your character would. (Knowing to a degree what your character will do or say in a given situation is an important part of defining who they are, the “basic questions” of Act I will help again here.) Sooner or later, your character will say something another disagrees with, or they will say something your character objects to. Congratulations, you’ve just encountered external conflict! Now what? Do you punch them in the face now? Unsurprisingly, the answer is (usually) no. Often it’s best to let the conflicts simmer, lightly disagreeing as anyone would, but for the most part acting with composure and decorum. Only once your character has endured a realistic amount of provocation should they respond in kind. How much is enough? That varies by character. A roaring Barbarian brute would likely be more likely to lose his temper in an argument than a diplomatic Knight, but what of a Knight whose dead lover was an Orcish maiden, and the boisterous Cleric at the bar is boasting of his superiority over those “worthless greenskins”? In any case, the key is to wait for the right moment. Roleplaying is, really, an endless string of compounding reactions; for the most part, you can let the world itself get the ball rolling. One final tip: anger is not the only response to conflict; it’s simply the easiest. Using the example of the Knight with the dead Orcish lover, a new or intermediate roleplayer’s reaction might be to leap from the bar and deliver an angry tirade against the racist, self-righteous Cleric; a more seasoned veteran’s response, on the other hand, might go something like this: Kelwyn Greycloak felt an empty burning sensation in his gut, one that had nothing to do with the spicy meal Schezerade had set before him. He looked up across the bar at the arrogant Cleric. “Judge not what thou hast not seen,” he remarked coldly. Dropping a few copper commons on the table for the--ironically Orcish--barmaid, he set out for the balcony. Three years. Three years it had been since Kelwyn had lost her. As he reminisced about those happier days, he felt the Cleric’s eyes gaze contemptuously upon him, and he turned away, his body language declaring to all his desire for solitude. Not only is this a more unusual and interesting response, but it also allows for a more reasonable third party--perhaps a reassuring Ranger like Skrall, or the mostly-goofy but occasionally wise Mage Althior to speak to the Knight, showing a somewhat different side to their own character and allowing Kelwyn, in turn, to reveal more about his past to them. The reaction of Kelwyn to the Cleric allows other characters to react to him, and him to them, and so on and so forth. Less obvious choices like this one are more difficult than instinctive reactions, but they also allow greater opportunities than mere arguing or fighting. And make no mistake: good roleplaying is hard. But at the end of the day, it’s a greatly rewarding experience, and well worth the time and effort. Unusual roleplaying choices are often linked to characters with an unusual perspective on a given situation. Players who encounter difficulties in creating such unusual perspectives are encouraged to read about De’kra the Echo (played by Tanma), Cronk the Orcish Paladin (played by CorneliusMurdock), and the devious but not necessarily evil Lady Wren (an NPC played by Zepher). Coming Soon: Rush Hero: Exercising Patience in Roleplaying. Act IV. Burnin' Love: Cheap chocolates and rushed role-playing This Act has its own soundtrack . “When you meet the someone who was meant for you, before two can become one there’s something you must do.” “Do you pull each other’s tails?” “Do you feed each other seeds?” “No! There is something sweeter everybody needs…” “ I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss, and a prince I'm hoping comes with this, That's what brings everaftering so happy!” “ And that's the reason we need lips so much, for lips are the only things that touch. So to spend a life of endless bliss, Just find who you love through true love's kiss!” “ Aaaah, aaaah, aaaaaaaaaaaah!” “Aaaaaugh! Aaaaaugh! Aaaaaaaaaaaaugh!” “She been dreaming of true love kiss?” “And a prince she hope comes with this; That's what bring everaftering so happy.” “That reason she need lips so much?” “Yes, lips are only thing that touch.” “ So to spend a life of endless bliss, Just find who you love through true love's kiss!” “ You're the fairest maid I've ever met, You were made...” “ ...to finish your duet!” “ :sing: And in years to come we'll reminisce...” “ How we came to love,” “ And grew and grew love,” “ :sing: Since first we knew love through true love's kiss!!!” *applause* “Ahem. Yes, well, done good show everyone! There’s just one problem...it’s all absolute poppycock.” “Did someone say cock?” “*sigh*” Love. For some reason, it’s one of the most popular attempts at roleplaying. “I’ll say. ” You get out of here! Now, as I was saying, roleplaying romance is extremely common, to the point of being overused. The thing is, almost no one knows how to do it right. Here’s the thing: there’s more to love than rushed roleplaying and cheap chocolates. Love between your character and someone else’s should flow naturally out of good roleplaying in general, it’s not a “quick fix” for a character-developing interaction. How many couples do you know of in the real world who fell into instant, everlasting love at first sight? No, Haldor and Jess and Althior and Alexis don’t count. Now, if I had my way, no one would even try to roleplay relationships, it would just happen between characters--or not. However, since few people are willing to let such things develop, let’s go over some of the common romantic archetypes, and how to use them correctly. First up is the ever suave ladies’ man. This character is completely uninterested in long-term relationships and focuses primarily on the physical aspect of relationships. Note that, despite the term “ladies’ man,” this archetype swings both ways; Harriet the...playwright/actress is a prime example for those seeking to fulfill this archetype. Granted, she is rather unsubtle about it, but if you’re the type to try and force a relationship for your character then subtlety is most likely not your strong suit. One final note: the dramatic arc of “woman meets a ladies’ man and slowly but surely ‘tames’ him with her love” has been done to death. Don’t do it. Next up, we have the “dark but sexy” type, a.k.a. the “bad boy.” This character feigns indifference, which somehow just turns the ladies on. Gods help me if I know why. Expect to see a LOT of skin-tight leather, especially if the character is a woman. By definition, most of these characters will be Rogues, but others can pull it off. This, too is overused, particularly for men. More often than not, you come off looking like an Edward Cullen knock-off, so keep that in mind before you try it. Finally, we have the desperate, failing nerd. This one is less overdone than the others, and is more forgiving as well, but take it too far and you could come off as obnoxious. This is best used as a jumping-off point for other interactions; i.e. as the final stroke of bad luck that sends the character down a darker path--as a defining character trait it gets stale fast. Really, roleplaying love is just like the real thing; if you try to force it, it’ll fall flat. Also, like characters themselves, relationships need flaws and foibles to make them more interesting--a pair of jaded, bitter exes are far more interesting after the breakup than they were during the “honeymoon phase.” In fact, generally speaking, relationships, whether they’re still going or not, are more interesting in retrospect. The start of a relationship is slow, awkward, and honestly difficult both to go through and to watch. Characters who have been together for a while (or who used to be together in the past but aren’t anymore) have a history and background together that lend each other an added depth. This is, at its heart, the purpose of good roleplaying: to give the other characters, through your own actions, and extra dimension of depth and interaction with which to work. In the specific case of relationships, the backdrop of the romance (or the loss thereof) lets the other character reveal aspects about themself that they might not otherwise get to see. And that leads us to my final point. Roleplaying relationships fail (in this case, “fail” means “to become uninteresting”, not necessarily “to break up”) for the same reason so many real ones do: the participants fail to realize that relationships are more about giving than getting. Relationships, when done well, are one of the single most effective ways to add depth and interest to your character. The thing is, you have little control over it; when you choose to build a relationship with another person’s character, you are putting your character’s own development in their hands, and they in yours. Those who recognize this responsibility, and who exercise it with care and discretion, are truly roleplaying greats. Despite my earlier, joking disparaging of their relationships’ origins, Haldor and Jess and Althior and Alexis are both excellent examples of this side of roleplaying; they really do bring out new aspects of each other, and open each other up to unexpected interactions that might not otherwise be possible. You all would do well to learn from their example. Curtain "Well, that's it for Opening Night! We hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to drop by often--I...erm...we're coming up with new plays all the time, and we're always open to comments and criticisms. Enjoy your time at Heroica Theatre!"
  6. NOTICE: This guide is outdated as of the Sept 21, 2016 upgrade. The guide will be updated to the new site once the rest of the bugs are squished. Note for Smartphone Users: On most smartphones, even in "Full Site" mode, you will not see skins other than the default skin. This is not an error, it's just the way the software works. Everywhere There are a few features that will be on the screen no matter where you go on Eurobricks. This includes the Notifications, Control Panel access, and Site Search. Forums: The Basics Learn how to view the Most Recent post in a forum or thread, how to preview a post, and how to navigate around forum listings. Posting The number one thing you'll do on Eurobricks - posting. Learn about the editor window and how to control the edit mode. Profile & User Settings Fine tune your experience on Eurobricks by making sure your settings are the way you want them.
  7. Hello. Does anyone know of any good techniques to dust dusty legos. I have some fairly old ones that are caked with dust, but I don't know how to get rid of the dust thoroughly. Would a regualr old feather-duster work? Washing the bricks? Cans 'o' Air (for keyboards)? Thanks all! :-)
  8. Hi i'm new , I was trying LDD for the first time today (after trying MLcad). I was noticing how the hinge tool apparently takes random reference points. My question is: how do I make sure the proper pieces rotate in relation to the pieces that should not rotate? I have a model that has several hinging sections and it's getting a bit tricky. I tried attaching the left part in the picture to the floor, but that doesn't seem to help. Also is it possible to temporary hide certain pieces? I also would love to get rid of the see through "base plate" that you start with. Thanks so much!
  9. Lt. de Martinet

    Color Chart

    This is my longest-running project, a color chart. I'm using 3001 2x4 bricks as the ideal base sample. At the moment I'm trying to avoid variations within a single color (Pearl Gold, I'm looking at you), unless they are markedly different or a prominent site distinguishes the two. I started with the Bricklink color chart, and added colors from the Peeron chart, BL color notes, and other places around the internet. Color Chart by eldeeem, on Flickr It's NOT complete, and may never be. Here are the colors I know I'm missing, off the top of my head: Red Pink (from Peeron's chart; Clikits only) Light Pink (The only BL color I'm missing) Transparent Bright Yellowish-Green (Similar to BL's Trans-Bright Green, pre-Atlantis) Titanium Metallic (I have this, but forgot to add it before taking photos) Pearl White (Clikits version) Duplo Ochre Yellowish color Please let me know if you know of any other colors, or if you want to trade some of the colors I'm missing! Anyone? Anyone? Aanchir? ;P Cheers! -Ryan H.