Brickdoctor

So, when are you going to go the route of the second house just for LEGO? Great news, as has been said many times already. Not that I ever really expected it to end in the near future.

It's probably going to be exclusive to certain stores, so it's not surprising that it hasn't been shown here.

Cleric is already one of the classes leading to Sage. I doubt Sandy will use all the combinations possible for Expert Classes, since there would be so many, but I would imagine Bard would be Druid + something.

Slice N Dice Blockade Requires 1 Operator Level: 1/10 Health: 15/15 Note: The Slice N Dice Blockade starts at Level 1, and gains 1 Level for every Turn a hero operates it, with a maximum possible Level of 10. If possible, the Blockade loses a Level for every Turn no one operates it. The Slice N Dice Blockade cannot move, and can only melee attack.

I attack Giant Chicken Leg (Left) from the Back Row.

It's funny how you suggest roleplaying to make a character more epic, yet you also say that Docken is one of the epic characters when I do virtually no roleplaying nowadays. (not that I mind - I'm flattered ) No, seriously, why is Docken considered an 'epic' character? It can't just be the eyepatch, can it?

I do want them, but I'm approaching this theme as an expansion on Castle and not an entirely separate theme, for now, because I don't know if I want to start collecting another entire line, yet, so the fleshie minifigs aren't my top priority.

It's not. We already know that the palace will sell for $120 USD. Really, though, I don't think any of us realistically expected the set to be as good a value as 8038.

Right, but what bugs me is that if the Senate Troopers were there just to be part of the celebration ceremony, why not make them Senate Guards? This would have been the perfect episode to make that transition back.

Good point.Speaking of security clones, the roles of the clones are becoming confusing. Clearly, the Shock Troopers have taken on the role of actual security, but the Senate Troopers have no real role. They're not ceremonial, because they still apparently use full-fledged armor and blasters, rather than the decorative rifles and robes seen in Menace. I really would like to see the Senate Troopers go back to Senate Guards, from which they can transition into Red Guards. (who should be appearing soon, now that we've moved on to a stage of the war when Phase II clones have been introduced)

Well, actually, my problem is that I already expanded into other themes. Star Wars was so disappointing for me in 2010-2011 that I got interested in Trains. Now I have two Emerald Nights that might end up with no track for another year because of how awesome Star Wars is looking. Jabba's Palace might get left until 2013 in favor of the Joust, though I think I'm definitely getting the Skiff.

I don't think so. Looking at this picture, the only seams I can see there where it's clear that two separate pieces of plastic are connected in a joint is the head to body joint. (which clearly rotates the same way the head of the old horse did) I don't see any sort of seam between the forelegs and the body on the outside that would be evident if the forelegs rotated.

All the sets other than the Palace, Skiff, and Sub continue to look rather mediocre. Some of the miniatures in the advent calendar are really unimpressive. The Sub, though, is growing on me. I never picked up Battle of Naboo, for one reason or another, so I might get the sub instead. But I also want to get some of the LotR sets, and I want the Kingdoms Joust as well, and I still haven't bought all the 2011 Star Wars sets I want, and I want to start a Trains layout and get some aluminum ME Models rails, and there're the CMFs to get...

QM Note:You can still use the hammer, and I encourage you to. Like I said above, the spear is really only useful against other mounted enemies, similar to the Standard-issue Halberd you found at the beginning of the Quest.

Now that FBTB posted all their pics, my thoughts: 9469 Gandalf Arrives - The new horse is a really nice combination of the new and old styles. TLG's kept the same basic shape and same curves in the body area, plus the hard edges of the rear end from the old horse. That being said, the head really doesn't seem like LEGO to me. With the hinge in the back of the horse, though... I think I'll get this one. 9470 Shelob Attacks - This is a really good looking spider - much better than the one in the HP set. Nothing I really want from it, though, so also a pass. 9471 Uruk-Hai Army - Minifigs look incredible, and the Uruk-hai would be great for future Heroica quests. I'm not sure about this one, yet. 9472 Attack on Weathertop - There're supposed to be 400+ pieces, but this looks like a very small set. Especially for $60. Pass. 9473 Mines of Moria - Eveyrthing looks great about this set, but at the same time, nothing stands out to me - I'm not sure if I would rather the money go towards Star Wars sets. 9474 The Battle of Helm's Deep - This is an amazing looking set, and the price per part is great, too. I hesitate, though, because I could get a larger set with a similar setup at a lower price in the Kingdoms Joust. Also, being a fan of yellow skinned minifigs, that one seems more appealing to me than this one. 9476 The Orc Forge - All the pieces in this set look very useful - there're quite a lot of 1x2x2 slopes in light bley, which I can never seem to have enough of.

QM Note: I'll get the map updated once I finish the Slice N Dice Blockade. I assume you want yourself, Xander, and William mounted on horseback? Party: Althior Emorith, Level 15 Mage (K-nut) *Party Leader* *Mounted* Power: 20 Health: 18/19 Ether: 12/19 Gold: 5 Inventory: Dragoro (WP:5), Makeshift Shield (SP: 1; can take Damage 5 more times), Topaz (Lightning), Amethyst (Darkness), Ruby (Fire), Sapphire (Wind), Garnet (Earth), Opal (Ice), Aquamarine (Water), Emerald (Wood), Diamond (Light), Potion x2, Tonic, Shovel, Bedroll, Smelling Salts, Mead, Nostrum, Remedy, Healing Staff, Horse Xander Unth'or, Level 10.5 Barbarian (posades) *Party Second-in-Command* *Mounted* Power: 18 Health: 17/17 Gold: 30 Inventory: Pongcanis Club (WP: 8), Enigmatic Hammer (WP: 3), Makeshift Spear (WP: 1; can deal Damage 5 more times), Robe of the Pongcanis Champion (WP: +1Front Row; SP: +1Back Row), Mead, Potion, Grand Potion, Phoenix Essence, Horse William Harkenshire, Level 7 Ranger (volcanicpanik) *Mounted* Power: 11 +2 for the next 1 Turns Health: 12/12 Gold: 0 Inventory: Mockthril Longbow (WP: 4; Fire), Makeshift Shield (SP: 1; can take Damage 5 more times), Makeshift Spear (WP: 1; can deal Damage 5 more times), Potion (2),Remedy, Smoke Bomb, Bedroll, Mead, Smelling Salts, Pickaxe, Horse, Makeshift Sword (WP: 1; can deal Damage 5 more times) (3), Alexandre le Chevalier, Level 3 Knight (Capt.JohnPaul) Power: 4 Health: 12/12 Gold: 0 Inventory: Standard-Issue Crossbow (WP: 1), Sword (WP: 3), Buckler Shield (SP: 2), Bedroll, Potion, Fire Bomb Spag Bitterstalk, Level 3 Barbarian (Kenghis Ghan) Power: 6 Health: 10/10 Gold: 0 Inventory: Crude Splinterwood Club (WP: 3), Standard-Issue Halberd (WP: 1;Total Damage doubled against mounted enemies and enemies scaling walls, Potion, Mead Isabella del Toboso, Level 3 Rogue (Dharkan) Power: 6 Health: 9/9 Gold: 5 Inventory: Golden Dagger (WP: 3), Standard-Issue Sword (WP: 1), Venom, Potion, Bedroll Arthur Justus Regulus VII, Level 3 Mage (Flipz) Power: 6 Health: 7/7 Ether: 6/7 Gold: 0 Inventory: Serpentine Staff (WP: 3), Opal (Ice), Potion, Bedroll, Telescope Crude Counterweight Catapult Operated by Arthur and Isabella Level: 2 Health: 10/10 Ammunition: Stones (unlimited) Arasmyth RuGard, Level 9 Mage (Kadabra) Power: 13 Health: 13/13 Ether: 9/13 Gold: 3 Inventory: Sapphire Staff (WP: 4; Wind), Robe of Magi (SP: 1), Scroll of Sealing, Sapphire (Wind), Topaz (Lightning), Potion, Smoke Bomb, Water Bomb, Grand Tonic Hiyaaaaaa Hwacha Operated by Arasmyth Level: 5 Health: 15/15 Ammunition: Explosive Arrows (6 Turns-worth) - The Hiyaaaaaa Hwacha will target every enemy in front of a selected wall. (example statement of action: "Hiyaaaaaa Hwacha targets enemies in front of the East Wall") Explosive arrows have a 50% chance per target of exploding violently and imparting a Burning effect, causing the target to lose 2 Health per Round until the fire is extinguished. Note: The Hiyaaaaaa Hwacha must take a Turn after each attack to reload - this need can be eliminated by assigning a second Operator to the weapon.

Okay. I attack Giant Chicken Leg (Left) from the Back Row.

Typical EB News humor. Nice job, Fangy and Shadows. (and Stauder, too, if you had a hand in this behind the scenes - I have no real way of telling)

Ouch. That's a terrible price per piece. I guess there are a few big pieces and Jabba, but...

I love that Treadwell!

Radioactive objects are the secret to superpowers!

They had tanks. That was like a battalion of clones, not a security detail. Funny, these plot holes are all the same ones I pick on in my upcoming review of the episode for the blog.

Yes. The eyepatch is evidence of my awesomeness. :pir_sweet:But in all seriousness, Bartholomew is sort of a no-nonsense character who's just concentrating on the mechanics of the game to be the best he can, and he doesn't do that much roleplaying, so I'm not surprised that he's not considered an 'epic character'.

I don't think my quest is close to finishing. I'm going as fast as I can without it seeming like I'm rushing the players, but I think this might be turning into another epic. I had planned for five to six battles, though, and the third is coming up, so we're probably around half way through.

Happy birthday, Quarryman and Sirens-of-Titan!