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Brickdoctor

[MOC] Bricdocton Outpost

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Before we begin, a bit of history of the Isle of Bricdocton:

The Isle of Bricdocton was first colonized by the ancestors of the Avalonians nearly six centuries ago, but the colonists were confined to the island's plains, as a lack of an organized military did not afford them the ability to drive off the indigenous Forestmen who controlled the forests. The leader of the colonization endeavor, the first Lord Bricdocton, built up a successful, self-reliant village on the coast in sheltered Bricdocton Bay. His built his keep on a hill overlooking the village. By the time of the third Lord Bricdocton, a Knight, no fewer than a dozen colonial villages were present on the Isle of Bricdocton, and roads had been built into the forests. The fourth Lord Bricdocton was incompetent and concentrated solely on his own grandeur. He transformed the keep and its supporting buildings into Bricdocton Manor, but the roads became a popular target for raids by foreign pirates. The fifth Lord Bricdocton made an effort to fortify the colony, notably building the manor up into Bricdocton Castle, for which he attained the title of Count. The sixth Lord Bricdocton traveled throughout Avalonia, stirring up great interest in the opportunities on the island and achieving the title of Duke, but he neglected his family and his son married one of the Forestwomen. The seventh Lord Bricdocton then used his influence within the ranks of the Forestmen to gain the title of Grand Duke within the new Avalonian Guild and all but united the island. Bartholomew Docken, eighth Lord Bricdocton, eliminated the pirate threats. By the time the orders for fortification went out from Cedrica, the roads on the isle were guarded by Forestman watchtower trees and Avalonian guardhouses alike, allowing raw materials to be safely transported out of the dense forest. Lord Docken founded the Bricdocton Inventors' Guild and contributed multiple advanced siege engines to the Avalonian military, rising to the rank of Arch Duke.

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On an island that prides itself on self-reliance, what little stone is available is used towards the maintenance and expansion of Bricdocton Castle, so outposts usually consist of a short tower to provide protection for Avalonian men. The indigenous Forestmen keep watch from the nearest handy tree.

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Each road and outpost is carefully placed to allow the road to be surrounded on both sides by trees, ensuring that the Forestmen can easily move stealthily from outpost to outpost and rain arrows down on enemies from relative safety.

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Every outpost includes a small shed at the back, used for storing provisions.

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The Avalonian soldiers who are given outpost duty aren't even close to being expert archers, but the outposts have been constructed with arrow loops to allow Forestmen to position themselves inside the fortification if necessary.

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With the establishment of outposts along the roads between the villages and the forest, peasants can now safely travel between the two halves of the island.

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The guardhouse isn't tall enough to be a useful watchtower, but it's top level is a fairly safe place for the commander to survey his surroundings.

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Forestmen keeping watch from the trees regularly come down from their posts when they aren't on duty to enjoy a meal or a game with the Avalonian soldiers.

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Thanks to the diplomacy and ancestry of Bartholomew Docken, eighth Lord of Bricdocton, what was once a constant conflict between peasants and Forestmen is now a relationship in which the Forestmen happily assume the lookout duties at each outpost.


I was going to go for a traditional stone watchtower, but the technique I use for the walls used up too many tiles and I got stuck at this height. Then I tried a tree-based watchtower for the Forestmen, but maydayartist had already made an excellent one of those that I knew I didn't have enough leaf pieces to come close to. So I combined the two ideas into a sort of hybrid outpost, with the Forestmen in the trees doing the watching and the Avalonian soldiers manning a short guardhouse.

Finished November 2011, C&C welcome. Thanks for looking! :classic:

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Nice work! I like the simple look that's not over the top. Plus I always love the bases you make. :wub: Great work!

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Nice and clean. It's a good guardhouse/outpost. Only problem with the small size is (as you say) that it's not so great for a watchtower purpose, unless it's built on an already advantageous natural position like a small hill overlooking a valley... which I am perfectly willing to imagine.

Looks great. (Get a sand green flag!)

I need to get myself more of that greenery.

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Only problem with the small size is (as you say) that it's not so great for a watchtower purpose, unless it's built on an already advantageous natural position like a small hill overlooking a valley... which I am perfectly willing to imagine.

I imagine this as part of a network of outposts, each located on the edge of the forest. On one side, you have plains leading to he beaches and the sea, and on the other, you have a dense forest with trees blocking a lot of your view from every angle, so a really tall tower isn't that practical.

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Great Brickdoctor! I really like the smaller outpost! And the trees are very nice!!!

Your photo skills are truly amazing!

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Great Brickdoctor! I really like the smaller outpost! And the trees are very nice!!!

Thanks. :classic: I was worried that this design wouldn't produce the taller, skinnier versions of MMV trees that I wanted, so I'm happy to hear that.

Your photo skills are truly amazing!

Really enjoyed looking over the photos, which are of spectacular quality! :classic:

Thank you. :sweet: The RA helped me a lot with my photos.

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As I said in our guild thread, great MOC. It looks simple, yet you used so many good techniques. Goes to show, sometimes the best MOCs aren't the biggest!

Also, photos are just insanely excellent. Proud to have you in our guild!

Edited by ZCerberus

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