Keymonus

The 21st of December

Welcome on board, whatever faction you choose! I’m quite late at the party, but I agree with the others... choose the faction that you “feel” more at first impression. However, the factions’ pages and the descriptions are basically what we started from, but each “nation” has evolved quite a lot with time: we have obviously had priests in Oleon, scientists in Corrington, merchants in Eslandola and pirates in the Sea Rats, but you can basically take the way you want -and I think this is the greatest fun. My main character is an officer in Oleander army, is not that pious and subtly despises the “big wigs”, the nobles who occupy their position with no merits, something that would fit more for a Corrish; on the contrary the ordered and regulated Corrington also has a questionable trade company that often operated “above the rules”. My suggestion then is to take a faction but without feeling “limited” by your choice: the brick seas are big enough for everything you decide to become!

Very nice, and thanks for the nod to my brewery! This micro plantation is very original and very appropriate for our new settlement. Please also add a link in the settlement thread, specifying if it’s already licensed (by you or by the settlement account)

Fake news! No ship from the nation of Oleon has sunk (yet) in these months! Apart from the usual Corrish lies (), your build is nice and includes some original details. Your water to sand transition is very nice in terms of colors, even if it is a little too geometric. I'm not so sure about your tree, but the bush on the right is excellent. I also like the uniform and gloves abandoned on the sand by the swimming officer. I also like your use of broken tiles... using dark reddish-brown and dark red parts can be a real pain, they tend to become very fragile with time. I also had to repair one of my torsos, no visible scar but a bad alarm ring.

Nice build and original color scheme! I like the roof technique a lot, very nice and effective, even if likely it would be very difficult (or, better, expensive) to build in real bricks! As others said, possibly it is a little too big for Black Rock, but surely a wonderful build!

Thank you, guys! It is actually something unusual here in BoBS, and I'm glad the Lotii invasion brought some new vibes to our world. P.S. I hope not to stereotype too much the East Asian culture while depicting the Lotii... I'm doing what I can to give them a little more dept.

Nice start! I like in particular the wheel design and the base (so, basically, everything in your pics)! I'm looking forward to seeing how it evolves

Nice and iconic cavalry unit! I had seen it before on Flickr, and I'm glad to see them officially enter in the BoBS lore!

Thank you, guys! Actually, I started assembling the minifigs, and then I decided how to use them... I'm glad you like them! Well, effectively not the best mood! However, I'm glad you like my minifigs! Thanks! Most of my previous builds were centered in or around Astrapi, but now I have my own creature, and I hope to see it grow! No, you may have misunderstood... my caption just refers to the photo above. These are just bandanas, my guys don't take uniform parts as trophies. Maybe scalps, but not uniform parts!

21st is OK for me, sorry!

Fort Arltrees, November 620, El Oleonda As the battle for El Oleonda arrived at a stalemate, the Oleander presence on the island could become more stable: the first wave of colonists arrived in Fort Arltrees, with small farms, houses and workshops sprouting near to the fort itself. This was for sure something absolutely positive, but also started turning the small settlement into an interesting prey for hostile natives, Lotii soldiers or deserters and, even worse, for Corrington. A small militia was therefore raised in the town: currently, a single platoon framed in the 1ere Compagnie Milice Coloniale de Fort Arltrees, together with a small unit of Essener mercenaries. The soldiers of this unit are nicknamed ragamuffins, due to their untidy and "customized" uniforms: the blue coat, ubiquitous in the Royal Army, is often torn and mended in several points, due to the long marches in the thick jungle; for the same reason, several parts of the uniform are replaced with robust and comfortable hunting clothes. These soldiers lack most of the formal training and discipline of the regular army. However, they know how to move and survive in the hostile jungle of El Oleonda, and how to fight in this unique environment. An attacking army must cross the jungle to reach Fort Arltrees, and there the ragamuffins would make their stand, shooting from the bushes and hunting the enemies, one after the other. These soldiers are expert trackers, who can find and follow the little clues that a group of people inevitably leaves. (Note: the color of the little piece of cloth, possibly ripped off a coat or a jacket, is not so casual) The whole figbarf The officer discussing with a native warrior. (Note: the credit for the warrior's design goes to @Khorne). ------ I'll use this small building to raise a platoon of soldiers in Fort Arltrees.

Great idea! I'd like to be in, if possible later in the month (no specific day)

A brewery, producing rice wine (medium factory)

Fort Arltrees, November 620, El Oleonda The battle for El Oleonda had ended without a clear winner, with Carno and the Lotus Empire holding more or less the territories they had occupied before. However, the war ended with a clear loser: the city of Jiangkai was burned to the ground by the retreating troops, leaving behind most of the civilian population. While plans for the reconstruction are at the very beginning, some of the inhabitants relocated to Fort Arltrees, the only nonhostile settlement in the area. Since no local brewery had been established in Fort Arltrees yet, some of the Lotii refugees started a lucrative business, quite new in the New World: the brewing of the so-called vin de riz, or rice wine. This unusual type of booze is weaker than whisky or rum, but stronger than wine or beer: despite an initial diffidence for its strange, milky appearance, the Oleander colonists soon started to appreciate this new beverage. The preparation of the rice wine begins, quite obviously, with rice: the seeds are cleaned, polished and wrapped in towels... ...then the wraps are put over big cauldrons of boiling water, so that the rice inside is quickly steam-cooked. In the following step, rice is mixed with water and with a "starter", a secret mixture of rice, yeasts and molds. The blend is continuously mixed as it ferments -roughly for a couple of weeks-, then the "wine" is filtered and stored for maturation, first in barrels and then in bottles. Lieutenant Dubois, the local governor, had initially some doubts about allowing the Lotii refugees to permanently settle in Fort Arltrees... but, after all, that had never been his own war, nor a war of his nation. If they wanted -or needed- a new start, as the other colonists, they would've been welcome. Another perspective: A little altar, dedicated to the cult of the ancestors. From what governor Dubois could understand, it is something similar to the "lararii", little altars dedicated to the household deities in the Faith. The counter, with different types of liquors exposed. Bird's eye view: ---- A medium factory for Fort Arltrees, one of the first buildings using bricks instead of wood. Basically I started building a traditional brewery, then I remembered the nice "Asian" decorations I had bricklinked a long time ago and never used... and this is the final result! About the process described: this is the basic process for the production of several "wine rices" although I skipped several peculiar steps, and "adapted" others to my bricks. I think it could actually work even in "my" modified version, but don't try this at home!

El Oleonda militia added to the encyclopedia!

Nice build, the houses are a little too colorful but very nice in structure. The story is well written too. Just a friendly reminder: the main rule of RP is that you can’t take decisions for, move or kill characters from other factions, unless it happens with the allowed mechanisms (challenges, MRCA results...). Now we are at war, this is true, but I suggest you to limit a little your killings

Thank you guys! About the size... I used one of the micro-only licenses won with the challenge, using (as I did for other prizes) a down-sized build instead of a micro. The tavern itself, in terms of rules, should rather be a small property. This is basically because I’m terrible at micros, and in previous challenges I was told that this approach is ok (obviously not for regular -even free- licenses, but for the ones requiring a micro)

A tavern (+the overall growth of the settlement), licensed as a large artisan

Fort Arltrees, November 620, El Oleonda People called it "The Tavern", nothing more. The simple wooden building didn't have a real name or colorful signboard, but still everyone in the little settlement knew it... quite unsurprisingly, since it was the first real tavern on the island. The first wave of colonists had arrived on El Oleonda even before the end of the battle. Hunters and adventurers arrived first, though men looking for their fortune on the island, and ready to defend it weapons in hands. Soon, however, the ships started carrying also farmers and artisans, fishermen and priests... common people who decided to leave a miserable past behind, or who simple tried to improve their lives with a new start. Wooden houses replaced the first shacks, while the first shops and stores started opening their doors. And, among them, The Tavern. The owners, a young couple from Breshaun, had moved with a little money and a lot of enterprise. Currently the meals they serve are drastically influenced by what is hunted, fished or collected around Fort Arltrees every morning. However, the customers seemed to apreciate the sometimes strange stew served in The Tavern, especially if accompanied by a glass or two of Fatu Hiva booze... currently nothing was brewed in the settlement, even if a few guys down the main street were already trying something a boiler and an alembic. The settlement was growing at sight, with a certain satisfaction of the major, Lieutenant Marcel Dubois. With the new tavern, the settlement could already be considered a Town, and new colonists were arriving with every ship. After all, Fort Arltrees would have remained on the maps for longer then he had expected, and was quickly turning from a temporary camp into a real settlement. However, the political situation in the area was far from being calm... Carno was friendly, and had also provided the settlement some mercenaries, while the Lotii had signed a treaty and had withdrawn eastwards, at least for the moment. The Corrish declaration of war, however, concerned Marcel. For this reason, he had given order to raise a little militia, nicknamed "the Ragamuffins" from the untidy and customized uniforms of the soldiers. Corrish redcoats, however, were definitely far, and a real fight there in the East was quite unlikely. Life in the settlement continued exactly as before Corrish declaration of war, vibrant and colorful: a tiny market had started appearing along the main street, with new stalls sprouting each time. A fortune teller had also arrived into the settlement, a clear sign that money had started moving. However, she should probably make more favorable predictions, if she wants to keep her customers! The tiny colony established excellent relationships with the nearby villages, with Halosian and Tyree'De hunters and traders regularly visiting each other's neighbours. Quite unsurprisingly, some of the colonists took a local wife, while others left the settlement to live with the natives. An overall view of the scene: I will license it as a Large Artisan in Fort Arltrees, using the license awarded in the challenge. As usual, I preferred a downsized, minifig scale build to a microbuild, but please let me know if there is any problem. In this case the "excessive size" of the license compared to the build accounts for the overall growth of the settlement.

Important update: due to the current political situation, citizens of Corrington are no more welcome in the settlement. Citizens of Corrington will be detained until the end of the crisis, and ships with the flag of Corrington and/or of its trading companies will be blocked in the port.

Don’t worry too much, it was just a minor suggestion concerning uniformity. However, as you did in your storyline post, you can simply specify a little more that it is a composite unit including tirailleurs and “metropolitan” light infantry (1 platoon and 2 platoons), add a little of story here (e.g. the former acting as trackers). There Fleur the lis jacket is perfectly fine, I often used it for my officers or for some soldiers too!

@merc, while the design of each soldier is nice and original, I’d suggest you to split them in separate posts... I think you have a light infantry/tirailleur unit from New Oleon, a light infantry/musketeer unit from the motherland or the colonies and heavy cavalry/courassiers. Even though they fight as a single group and have the same commander (something you can say) I would at least separate infantry and cavalry.

Unit Name: El Oleonda Ragamuffins (formally 1ere Compagnie Milice Coloniale de Fort Arltrees) Unit type/specifications: Light Infantry/ Militia Officer (left); Privates (center and right) Uniform Description: Blue jacket with white facings (the standard “bluecoat”). The white trousers and the shako are replaced with civilian or native clothes (brown or tan hunting trousers, often ponchos and kerchiefs, felt hats or berets). Leather belts and cartridge bags are often carried. Equipment Description: Flintlock muskets (standard issue muskets or hunting weapons). Often one or more flintlock pistols. A variety of sword, hatchets, and machetes, both for melee combat and for moving in thick jungle. Recruitment center: Fort Arltrees Unit history and description: Formed with the first wave of colonists, mainly hunters and adventurers, the aim of this militia unit is the defense of Fort Arltrees from any external threat, may that come from Lotii soldiers or stragglers or, more recently, from Corrish attacks. While the settlement is fortified, it would be difficult to defend against superior forces. Therefore, the Ragamuffins (from their untidy and irregular uniforms) are prepared for a dynamic defense in the jungle, ambushing and hunting the enemies far from the town. Absolutely unprepared for conventional fighting, these soldiers are still formidable in their own environment, a jungle they know as their own pockets... on El Oleonda the enemies would only find their own graves! Campaigns: The Battle for El Oleonda (last phases), Seawatch campaign Unit motto: “Adversus et Admorsus” More about the unit: The full platoon

Nice build, especially the interior scene, and neat military strategy! My first hope now is a fight between the King’s Port Commune and Oldis’ soldiers! Anyways, we’ll see soon how well the defenders will fight and how much of your plan could be accomplished with the resources (namely gunpowder, flammable substances and hornet nests), the weapons and the manpower they have in and outside the city, also considering that no foreign ship can arrive on the island without a fight with La Royale.

Perfect the first points, thank you! And about the position of Tam... whoops, I think my expedition is already lost, not a great start! I didn’t notice the second small island! Please give me a moment to adjust the story, I still think that the potential trade bonus could likely apply to Yeldo anyways (it is the westernmost EGS Port, so the one that could actually have benefits), but I have to build something to fill the “little” gap in my journey (a brief stop in the “real” Yeldo or in Altonia, maybe), using the summer months between Breshaun and Tam for the intermediate stops -with the lieutenant describing the previous parts of the journey to somebody.