Historic Themes as a Discourse Community

Henry Bricklider · November 11, 2020

Hello everyone,

This semester in college I am taking Expository Writing. This course's focus is on discourse communities, and I chose Eurobricks as my community of study for this semester. For our second project, I chose to write specifically on the Historic Themes forums. I thought it would be cool to share this work with the community.

Eurobricks’ Historic Themes Community

A core element of Eurobricks’ discourse as a whole is the discussion on new and upcoming products from The LEGO Group (TLG). Topics such as the 2020 and 2021 set discussions for the Star Wars forum have almost constant activity revolving around either sets that have just been released, or rumors and unofficial reveals of upcoming products. This type of discussion can be found on many subforums on the website such as in the City forums and the Action and Adventure Themes forums. However, there are some forums and subgroups that do not have this kind of discourse actively going on, namely the Historic Themes forums, which comprise of AFOLs whose interests lie with The LEGO Group’s previous Castle themes and related lines (namely Lord of the Rings). Because the Historic Themes forums and subgroup do not have any current products and sets related to them coming out, the discourse in these forums utilizes several genres to continue the discussion of LEGO related to historic themes. The broad definition of genre that will be used takes into consideration the form in which information is presented, the more specific elements and rules that make up any given genre, and how the genre can be used to achieve a specific goal. The underlying and driving force of much of the discourse in the Historic Themes is nostalgia, which is present both in the desire for a new castle theme, and in many of the MOCs posted to the forums.

The History of The LEGO Group’s “Castle” Lines

In order to understand much of the discourse surrounding Eurobricks’ Historic Themes subgroup, it’s important to understand the history of TLG’s “Castle” lines. “Castle” was one of the original themes to come out of the System line in the late 1970s and since its inception has been a staple of TLG. The line has had over 100 sets produced and has gone through several different styles and forms in the last 40 years. This long lifespan has created a multigenerational interest in the theme. AFOLs and TFOLs alike have an interest in Castle and the community has been around for quite some time. The last major line under the broader “Castle” banner was “Kingdoms” that lasted until 2012 and was replaced by “Lord of the Rings,” a theme that was especially well revered by AFOLs. “Lord of the Rings” had a short run and the last “Castle” line to come from LEGO was in 2013. This line did not last long and since its end, there has not been a proper Castle theme released. Because of this, there has been an extended drought of new content related to Castle and to Eurobricks’ Historic Themes subgroup. Despite this drought, the community surrounding TLG’s Castle lines has thrived and continues strong, despite the lack of official support from TLG.

What is Eurobricks’ “Historic Themes” Subgroup?

Eurobricks’ “Historic Themes” subgroup, while primarily a place for MOCs and discussion on TLG’s “Castle” themes is also encompasses some of TLG’s smaller, similar themes as well. As the name implies, “Historic Themes” is host to lines and themes The LEGO Group has made that are focused on certain periods in history. For example, TLG produced a line based on the American West with several sets focusing on both cowboys and Indians in the 90s. Another line that was a subtheme of “Castle” was “Ninja,” which provided sets and builds for both ninja and samurai. Both of these themes, while very small, still have a presence on the Historic Themes forums. Another theme, as previously mentioned, while not technically a “historic” theme is “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” subtheme. These lines provided new pieces, sets, and minifigures that could easily be used in “Castle” MOCs and other similar projects. As such, these lines fall under “Historic Themes” while not actually based on the knights and castles of history.

Historic Themes and “MOC-Posting”

One of the biggest genres of Eurobricks, and by extension the Historic Themes forums, is “MOC-posting,” a self-coined term that will be used to refer to users posts about their MOCs. MOC-posting is a key element of the Historic Themes forums, as users’ creations are what drive much of the discourse in this subgroup. When it comes to MOC-posting, there are some standards and commonalities between all photos of MOCs uploaded. For starters, any MOC that is uploaded to the Historic Themes forums must be related to historic themes, whether it be based on Castle, Lord of the Rings, or Ninja. Any MOC that is not related to any of the themes under the Historic Themes umbrella will not be found on this subforum. The other major standard of MOC-posting is that all the photos strive to be of professional quality. Proper lighting, clear image resolution, and images that present the entirety of the MOC and its content are all standards users strive to meet when sharing images of their creations. The discussion around these MOC-posts mostly consists of constructive criticism and questions regarding certain build techniques and parts used in the project.

Eurobricks’ Guilds of Historica

MOC-Posting is found across the entirety of the Historic Themes subforum. But there is a particular section of the forums that is dedicated to MOC-posting and more specifically, creating a world with users’ MOCs. Guilds of Historica (GoH) is, “The castle MOCers paradise” (Eurobricks). GoH presents a medieval fantasy world for users on the forums to build MOCs based on this world and expand the ever growing and adapting lore. Users will post their MOC and provide some sort of script or short story detailing the story/event that the MOC represents. For example, in a recent post to GoH “Allanar Market,” user soccerkid6 provides an image of a small market build and this small story for it, “Folwin heads to the Allanar market with a cart load of fresh carrots. While Allanar is a dwelf town, customers from the Adventurers Guild do often frequent it for the high quality goods. Dorsey is one such customer, whose prime adventuring years are well behind him. Though he doesn’t think so, and still picks brawls that more often than not result in him wandering around dazed for sometime” (Eurobricks).

GoH serves as an even smaller subsection of Eurobricks as users can join one of four guilds: Varlyrio, Avalonia, Mitgardia and Kaliphlin. Users will typically base their MOCs on elements of the guild they have joined. For example, the guild of Mitgardia is based on Nordic architecture and Vikings, and the region of Mitgardia is that of frozen wastelands and snowy mountains. As such, many of the MOCs based in Mitgardia will based on the lore established about Mitgardia and the overall aesthetic of the guild. Guilds of Historica is a staple of the Historic Themes forum and is a key element of what keeps the discourse surrounding castle and similar themes alive.

Discussion on Future Castle Themes and the Impact of Other Lines on Historic Themes

The Historic Themes subgroup is an interesting part of Eurobricks as they represent the greater Castle community. Unlike subgroups such as the Star Wars community, which have a constant supply of new products each year, the Historic Themes community has been without a proper line for roughly four years. The Castle theme has been a staple of The LEGO Group since the late 1970s and only until recently – the last decade or so – has there been a real drought of content in that theme. However, many other themes currently released utilize elements that can be useful to MOCers in the Historic Themes subgroup. A topic titled “Latest impact of other themes on historic themes” provides members of the community a place to document and share new elements – whether they be minifigure pieces or new parts – that can be used in MOCs related to Castle and broader historic themes. The actual rhetoric of this topic is very conversational, as members bounce off ideas regarding the usage of new parts, and everyone who contributes to the forum is eager to see what new elements are introduced and can be utilized. Members also post their minfigures that use these new pieces. Even though the discourse is very conversational, the structure of members’ posts conforms to standard English conventions of grammar; and emoticons are also used in replies. “You know, I could see the new ponytail/tricorn hat combo mold introduced with Series 20's upcoming "Pirate Lass" CMF being recolored for a Minuteman/Paul Revere-inspired CMF in a future Series... ” (Eurobricks). “Latest impact of other themes on historic themes” is a topic that is frequently visited and updated on the Historic Themes forums. Despite there not being a new Castle or similar theme, the Historic Themes community on Eurobricks is able to thrive due to topics like this on the site.

Historic Themes and Nostalgia

A common thread amongst the topics in the Historic Themes forums is nostalgia. Because castle as a theme has existed for over 40 years, there are many AFOLs who grew up with Castle in one form or another. The dearth of new and official content for Castle is the primary cause for the nostalgia. Many of the MOCs posted to the general forum are either inspired by older Castle content or are direct re-imaginings of old Castle sets. For example, in the last month, one use – pantelis – has posted two MOCs that are updates of older sets from the 80s and 90s using contemporary LEGO pieces. Pantelis’ works are not the only MOCs in recent months that are directly inspired by Castle sets of the past. MOCs like charlesp1138’s King Lennox’s Castle (inspired by Knights Kingdom I) and Niku’s Eastfold Rohan Stables (inspired by Lord of the Rings) were just two examples of recent MOCs that garnered a lot of traction and views. Guilds of Historica’s activity in the last several years can also be seen as a direct response to the lack of castle content, and nostalgia for what once was. All four of the regions in Historica are based on previous subthemes of Castle, like Vikings and Elves.

Despite the heavy influence of nostalgia on the Historic Themes forums and community, it does not inhibit and relegate to the discussion on the forums to the past, as previously explored. Nostalgia for previous Castle themes helps to drive much of the discussion in topics such as “Future Castle Sets?” Recently, LEGO unveiled an expansion to one of their LEGOLAND theme parks that would be inspired by creatures from medieval fantasy. Since this reveal, discussion on the aforementioned topic has exploded as users discuss ideas for the theme that build off ideas previously explored in past Castle themes. In response to another user’s idea for an army-builder set, user MAB responded:

Back in the day, they did sell (unlicensed) dwarf battle packs ... 852702-1.png Similarly for different knights, skeletons, trolls etc. If adding to a theme, they are a good idea. While a box of single colour DBG pieces might sound attractive to adults, I doubt it would sell that well to kids and families, especially if there are no instructions with what to build with it. Even multi-coloured Classic boxes have instructions. Concerning Uruk-hai, they did a type of battle pack: 9471-1.png Four Uruk-Hai, Eomer and a generic Rohan Warrior and a horse. Plus a selection of mainly grey parts. Yet people complained about it being "just a bit of wall". (Eurobricks)

Despite the heavy reference to previous endeavors of The LEGO Group in terms of historic themes, users such as MAB use the nostalgia they have to formulate new ideas – and MOCs – that are innovative and creative.

Conclusion

Despite the dearth of castle themes from The LEGO Group, Eurobricks’ Historic Themes subgroup continues to thrive today due to MOC-posting on the general forums and within Guilds of Historica, and the discussion of current products being put out by TLG in regards to its impact of historic themes.

Works Cited

charlesp1138. “King Lennox’s Castle.” Eurobricks, 21 Oct. 2020,

https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/180937-moc-king-lennoxs-castle/. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020

Digger of Bricks. “Latest impact of other themes on historic themes.” Eurobricks, 28 Feb. 2020,

https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/118572-latest-impact-of-

other-themes-on-historic-themes/&page=21. Accessed 15 Oct. 2020.

MAB. “Future Castle Set?” Eurobricks, 3 Nov. 2020,

https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/115655-future-castle-sets/&page=59. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.

Niku. “Eastfold Rohan Stables.” Eurobricks. 23 Sep. 2020,

https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/180423-eastfold-rohan-stables/. Accessed 9 Nov. 2020.

soccerkid6. “Allanar Market.” Eurobricks. 30 Sep. 2020,

https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/180582-allanar-market/.