MstrOfPppts

I see you're on a MOCing roll ... These planets really are usefull for such MOCs with forced perspective. I think that there is too much white, which is more suitable for the rebel's ships. Also there's too much contrast using black with white and maybe going with a gray ship would look better. It'd also distinguish the space from the ship more. The outer plate widh grills looks a bit excess for not carying anything or being more detailed (with some tiles around or something ... You'll get used to my comments that usually point out the inferior parts of the builds, but I think you have a lot of potential, so keep up the good work! P.S. I'm not sure Vader would be pleased to find your bxxxx slave on the ship ...

Great job catching the Tatooine feel. The sticking out parts is a nice idea, not to have a regular square base. The left part of the MOC is nice with the brown wall part sticking out, though having just a plate for putting some figs on is a bit too much. It isn't detailed enough and looks unfinished. As previously I'd sugest to conect the surrounding area with the middle section. I like to think of my MOCs as one whole, that could easily be carried around and put on display. Though this doesn't necessarily mean a square base and that all the builds are parallel or perpendicular, the options are endless! I really like the engine build - just enough colors and detail to look very appealing.

The ship might be a bit too white and red for the Empire, but being a prototype, explains it. It is really well made and I like the general shape of it. The details of it are also nice. The cave part does the job, though I think that the plates on the top should somehow be connected to not give the too much scattered effect. It'd also be nice, if the cave had the floor under the ship. If you don't have enough bricks, don't go too big and try with some smaller MOCs which is a really nice opportunity to try out some more detailed builds ...

The rebels have gained acces to the detention sector and their plan was really simple. Blow up the main generator to power off the prison cell rays and escape in the dark. But what they did not count on is that a squad of highly skilled Shadowtroopers was sent to this sector. With the nightvision integrated in their helmets, the blackout is exactly what they are waiting for ... Bonus image of the blackout and a stupid rebel scaring the colleagues with the flashlight (thanks for the idea Ninja Nin!): Edit: Better safe than sorry catching last minutes I posted the images first and then edited the text in. Clumsy as i am, I forgot to mention that this is sector B (tough it's obvious from the build). So would a mod please squeeze Sector B between the [soNE Ep.IV] and Operation Twilight, which could be put into quotes, please Edit 2: Thanks Lobot for taking care of it!

4:1 9:1 16:1 26:1 38:1 47:1

12:1 15:3 20:1 21:1

Yes, that's why I said that the Empire has 2 builders in sector C in my example, which makes it 4+1 = 5 and 5 builders fo rebels = 5*1 = 5. I don't mind if the higher amount of builders wins in this case, I just think that it should be stated in the rules what happens in the event of tie. So that we don't get the feeling, that there were some bribes going on, since numbers don't tell everything ...

Interesting episode! I can't wait untill tomorrow, to see all the builds appear in different sectors. I couldn't find it in the rules, so just one suggestion to avoid any inconvenience: in case of a tied score in a sector, I'd say the winner takes it all. For example: Empire has the best scored MOC in sector C and 2 builders, and the rebel scum has 5 builders in that sector. The score is even 5:5, so I suggest the best MOC shifts the scales and Empire wins, yuhey!

Love the idea of this contest! So after far too much time and a bit over 21000 pieces placed, this is what I call my Dream Home: Villa Puppetolus All but the top two rooms have detailed interior, so please check the lxf file. I'll try to finish it and create a seperate thread with more images, though I don't have time prior the dead line ... I also don't have time nor knowledge to make a solid render, so just some LDD screenshots will have to do. Enjoy!

Mere rumors ...

Great choice! I'm realy looking forward to see this model. I'll not participate in this challenge for the lack of time and ideas. Besides architecture is not my prefered theme for there are no orcs nor lightsabers.

Interesting idea, but I have many concerns about this one. First of all, you've already stated more cons than pros, but as you said, there might be some more. Although there might be some more pros, I'll only state the cons, for I don't see this being a huge success. It still might be, but with a lot of modification. Here's my thoughts about everything: - Limiting the builds too much is a bad idea and a move from the direction the "building game" idea is all about. - Being able to build for any "race" might be a god idea, but that then limits the RPG possibilities for one cannot create a character he builds. Building more then one characters might be confusing for some. - Having a game complete at a certain point is also very risky and I see two problems with it. One is that some players might not join the game if it's been to far along the line and the other is that players from the losing factions might loose interest in building a round or even two before the end if they see no possibilities in success. - And another big problem I see with this is that there's far too much coordination needed behind the scenes and also within the factions. One should be a "gamemaster" and work on everything - buying phase. And if he does not have time or if either of the fraction leaders is absent, the game is forced to a hold. Also members might loose interest if seeing too many members inactive or just not replying to the tactics threads ... - And the biggest concer is that choosing the official builds to represent a certain part, might distract the players with less building skills for not playing any role in actual game. - Also team members activity should be taken in consideration here. It is impossible to expect that the teams are formed with an even ammount of active players. And if the purchased ship / island is not built on, is it lost or does it still stay in the game? While in the first option clearly the more active factions have an advantage in number of ships / islands and easier attacking / defending options, the second option loses the whole purchasing and building for idea ... The problem with simulating a board game is that board games are played 1v1 or 1v1v1v1 or equal teams against equal teams. Here as said it is impossible to achieve that and one team might clearly have an advantage or some builders might feel unimportant if we equal the number of builds that count. Anyway it is a fresh idea and I hope I didn't turn you off of any further thinking. I's just my opinion and wait for what others have to say. But I think that a more freely set game lasting "for ever" is a better way to go.

Excellent job! There's so much detail all around. The door is well made and I love the part just above the door. The lowered piping and the red lines really revitalize the plain floor. The lighting shot also came out pretty nice. My only complaint would be the rope part near the ceiling. It just doesn't seem to work for me. Ordinary pipe might have been better ... I'm also not too fond of the scuba gear. Is all that under water? Also the Imperial uniforms could be changed, but I understand the need of the dark side. There's always time to switch! :) And when did you decide to shave your goatee? I too would like a TC-4 :D

Shhhhhhhhh! I'm huntin fow a wabbit, he he he.

The idea of RPG is something to add to the value of the game. It's there and people can use it (adjust their character according to it, do different things at different level and so on ...) or you could just have your XP numbers grow and ignore them. Noone's gonna tell you you're not allowed to build something, unless there's a challange with certain limitations, which is always fun. But you can still skip it if you don't like the idea and make a freebuild with similar content ... It's something like achivements built in almost every recent computer game. And yes, I'd add those too! Some people play the game just to hunt all of the achievements doen whilst others play it for the storyline, gamplay, graphics and simply ignore the achievements. The game might get some interest into this forum, but I'm afraid it'd end too fast. Many people said it was GoH that lured them away from here, but I don't think it's just for the fact that something's happening. I believe that the point is that GoH has a lot of potential for different builds. I've always found this forum a bit too narrow minded. And still most of you active in this forum recommend the Bluecoat, Redcoat, pirates and islanders fractions? But there is so much more to the pirates than that even in real world, let alone we add some fantasy factor. And if we mix that with castles the possibilities become that much bigger! Sadly I think that the only pump for this forum would be that TLG releases new pirate themed sets. I believe that LOTR is mostly responsible for the history forum to be more active. Even though some don't like the theme, everyone likes to build with something new. And there hasn't been anything new for pirates for far too long! Well my idea would be to create something new and not joining GoH with the pirates game we're talking about. Of course the number of participants is not static, yet still I believe there's not much chance in growth of active participants. Yes some new might come but also some might get fed up or just loose interest or time. And the less activity there is in the game, the faster people loose interest. So the main problem is that having too long gaps between main chalanges is that most people that are not in both games will get bored since others will build for the other game. There's also a problem of organization. Two games take more time or more people, or both, to maintain. We all saw the inactivity of guild leaders after time and that is bad for the game. They got switched and things got better, but are there enough people to have two games? Also another thing is that GoH curently has most of the good and active builders. There you can improve and get a lot of feedback, whilst for example in SoNE I really miss all that. It's important that the guild leaders are very active and that their builds are at least somewhere above average. And I doubt that current leaders would sacrifice more time to help with another game, but there's not many left I can see in that role that are not already part of GoH. That is a funny one! I really think that GoH nor any other game if it comes along should be mainly considered as competition. Of course everyone likes competing, but as ZC demonstrated the progress of the skill in various builders, I think that should be the main goal of the game. Plus to have fun and all that ... And why is it that this forum has a better appreciation for simpler MOCs? Because it's all it gets. Apart from some excellent ships there's not much to see here. There goes the narrow mindness again. There's so much more to pirates then just ships. I too am more of a landlubber (even in SoNE I only build terrain or structures) so I miss those kind of MOCs here. The problem in ships I think is that they are big and take time. As if in history forum everyone would build castles on at least 48 stud plates. And if there's anything I'd like to see here, is some land pirate MOCs built at the skill level, that some of the better GoH participants are currently showing!

Well having two games run at the same time and one running the challange and the other being in "freebuild" mode is also an option, but I'm afraid it wouldn't work well. I think that everyone prefers challanges or missions or anything rewarding let it be tags, XP or some prizes. This might cause the "freebuild" game stagnate too much, and the players that wouldn't want to join both, would be there alone and loose interest even in the game they were sticking with. I think that creating the ultimate game is the way to go!

I know this is a bold move but I'll say it anyway. I've been thinking a lot about this and the best thing that comes to my mind after Mike S mentioned cannons and guns existing with swords and magic in one place, was World of Warcraft! A softly steampunkish version of a mixture between pirates and castle. A completly new fictional universe where imperial soldiers, musketeers, chainmail warriors and knights could coexist, each with it's pros and cons. A world with a few big islands in the seas and even some islands floating in the air above them. Catapults, cannons, coaches, ships and even some flying machines mainly baloon vessels would all be possible. The same goes for different type of structures from big fortified castles to piraty hideouts ... This way we could connect all the castle and pirate builders together in one subforum. Maybe even lure in some sci-fi fans, but wouldn't go to wild into that direction. This came to my mind, because thinking about what people could build in this pirate based game besides ships. After thinking about wars between factions it all comes to guard towers, fortresses that are very similar to castle builds. Then comes the training barracks, agrigultural structures and so on, which means that 80% of content might be very similar to GoH. The only difference would be the appearance of guns and cannons and a little more focus on ships and ports. Now here come the main questions: 1. Does it make sense that the two so similar games exist at the same time? I doubt, since despite this being a big international forum, I think that lack of active players might be noticed in both after time. Some might switch, some might be undecided and join none. Some might join both and be inactive ... 2. Is there a way to incorporate the pirates game into GoH? I don't think that makes much sense, since cannons were forbiden in GoH and besides the one big continent makes little interest for naval forces to go out and explore the world. Besides GoH has gone on for so long that such hard changes might hurt the game. 3. (Now here comes the bold one and I'm expecting to get some rotten tomattoes thrown at me) Would it be possible that GoH comes to an end and an all new game is started that is bigger and better?! I doubt that the last option even comes into consideration, but I think that a new WoW like universe I described above could be very cool! I know GoH is still running and has a lot of activity going on but still improvements could be made to it. 1. A RPG part could be included - something like choosing a race (that are predefined *) and maybe even a class for your character. Then there could be experience gained and to build up your character. I really like that idea from SoNE but it could be executed way better with a lot more meaning. Maybe even include some Heroica features into the game? * as I've already mentioned I find all the SW characters weird in the GoH. It's abit too free from this perspective and some things don't make sense. I know it's a matter of taste and a subjective opinion but still I feel things could be more organized ... 2. The main goal of the new game would be to include the pirates universe with the castle one. This way maybe some more active players would join the game? 3. I imagine most of the current GoH players would join the new game and new players could learn from all their great builds in a new different universe. Plus, imagine all the current guild leaders joining forces with the pirates staff for new ideas and more help for working behind the scenes. It's just some brainstorming that I had to write down so please don't hate me for mentioning the end of GoH, I know it's not going to happen ...

Since the POTC is actually the theme that brought me from the dark age I consider pirates my favourite theme. Saddly I lost interest due to the lack of new LEGO sets ... But this is some good news and I have some sugestions for this game. Let me say I have little experince with GoH (but followed it quite much) and that I'm an active SoNE participant and I'd like to point a few things that I think are neccessary for success: - First, a great storyline is a big plus for such game, which I think GoH has and SoNE lacks a lot. Also going with the movie canon was in my opinion a bad idea for SoNE for making the game a bit limited. - On the other hand I find GoH a bit too free for everything - Star Wars characters finding place and so on makes it a bit messy. - So I think it should be made very clear what all is allowd in the game - for example is the game going the pure realistic pirates, are beasts and monstrums like Davy Jones from POTC acceptable or is the game going to a more steampunkish version, which might also be interesting. For example I remember someone using canons in GoH and was politely told that GoH is not about that ... The game should be a bit limited to what is allowed so it doesn't become everyone's mashup! In the end of the day everyone can build ordinary pirate ships / ports / ... with humans if he does not have any other introduced races. Things that should be discussed prior to launch: Are dwarfs and orcs allowed too? And what about magic? I think this could work for an interesting universe making a step further from "classic pirates"! - About the title, I'd suggest Pirates of brick waters - a cool reference to pirates of dark waters and avoiding the word "seas" which is a bit too common for pirates and "guilds" to avoid the similarity with GoH. - Factions should be well thought of and there should be at least 3. The more the better and also at least 1 member per guild / fraction should be a leader (maybe also a moderator of that particular subforum) to pull the strings and push things forward when it's needed. Being active and actually building something from time to time is a big plus and a must for such person in my opinion. That is one thing that is very well impplemented in GoH and is very shaky in SoNE. BUT! If there's not enough (active!) participants, then more fractions means only a few participants from each side :( - Another thing is that the game should have a very clear goal and a system that makes sense! * GoH has some good storyline, but the gold collecting is not very clear to me. Also I find their forums a bit confusing with updating old posts and I find it hard to find certain information - it's not beginner friendly since there's a lot of content. I do understand thet people following it from the start know where to search for information. * SoNE has an interesting idea of RPG system but is not executet too well and lacks something more. One of the very original ideas of SoNE was episode II, where your bricks were limited to 3 sets. Also the winning fraction from previous episode had an extra small set available! - A separate forum is a must! GoH has it, but SoNE lacks it big time! - if it's a competition, there should be some prizes! I know it's hard to acquire those, but still a small set or pack of bricks is still better than nothing. Tags and titles might also work but nothing beats some new bricks :) I think that rewards are just something that attracts some more participants! Also judging of MOCs should be done by "Experts" like in SoNE rather than by public vote. GoH has some mixture of both which is also a bit confusing. Some more notes: - bare in mind that GoH was there first, meaning there are some players there that might be interested in this game but will not switch for being there for a long time. So, do not give up too early if the game is not a big success right after the launch! The worse the response from the participants is, the more effort needs to be put in at least from the beginning!

Ummmm, could you feel all the S10 bags for Mr Gold? You should feel for a cylnder hat I guess it's first come firt served, right?

Yes, we change planes in Frankfurt, so we'll be on the same plane :) It seems that Billund is really small and I don't mind walking, but if that means we miss the dinner, I'd gladly be picked. We'll let you know and thanks for the offer.

We (Redhead1982 and me) are also arriving at 18:20. Good to know I don't have to eat a lot before leaving Looking forward to seeing you all!

Captain Nemo and MstrOfPppts' Shipwreck Cove

[pid][/pid] 246B Team Captain Nemo and MstrOfPppts decided to go for a classic pirates set design with an updated color scheme. The idea whilst thinking out of the box, was to connect the sets in a way that's different to what we expected from everyone to do. So here's what we came up with: ~ Captain Nemo ~ Arg! Behold Privateer Port — a place for any pirate to call home! Load treasures onto the rowboat with the crane or find new hidden treasure! Lock up your enemies in the jail or use the zip line to escape when breaking out! Or perhaps just fire the cannon and spot ships with the spyglass. Live the life of a pirate! Includes a pirate captain, two crewmembers, a skeleton prisoner, a rowboat, a cannon and a monkey! Some play features: ~ MstrOfPppts ~ Pillar hideout is a temporary pirate shelter mainly built from wreckage. Hide the treasure into one of the pillars and fire the cannon against any scallywags! Use the hidden map room to plan the smuggling routes and never run out of precious rum! Includes a pirate lady, three crewmembers, a cannon and a shark! Some play features: ~ Complete model ~ Due to lack of time for anyone of us to build both models, a quick photshop will have to do ... behold the Shipwreck Cove!

To any of you troopers, that have not yet recieved the transmission and are willing to build in the last episode, contact me via PM.

Please refrain from talking any further strategies here. I have a plan, wait for my signal ... you'll all know what to do!