Keymonus

Thank you! To be honest, credit for the hairy cow goes to @Ross Fisher, I had tried with different hairpieces but using the Wrestler’s one was the best solution! Thanks a lot! This is the greatest issue with AMRCAs, that is building-driven long stories... they “sink” very fast from the first page, and you often lose some great things! Thank you! I’m a great fan of the first artic expeditions too, and I had thought about something similar for a VERY long time before actually started. Thanks! At first I planned building also a small wooden house, but then I decided that in Tam wood is likely a rather expensive commodity, imported from “woodier” places. I’m glad you noticed that! Thanks a lot! If you (or anybody else) want to join, for instance with a semi-inactive character (and a build now and then, but without any constraints) it would be very nice! The prolonged stop on Tam surely gave time to anyone to arrive and join! About the input... I’ll be clearer finishing the story (something I still have to do ) but in very general terms the expedition would have four aims: -finding the Northwest Passage, if it exists, and reach the Western Ocean -finding out the fate of the previous (lost) expedition -exploring for exploration sake (and depicting a little of that side of the world) -establishing commercial connections from the brick seas to the great alliance states (if things go wrong) or to the western ocean (if things go well), with the latter option involving a lot of valuable exotic goods. In any case, Yeldo is the westernmost (EGS) port in the North, so an obligatory stop for the (hypothetical) trade route. So I would need to know 1) the position of Corrington about a trade route established by Oleon, but that would bring advantages to both nations (I don’t think the EGS world should actually be extended west, but Yeldo may gain some bonus if the AMRCA goes well). 2) Is it ok how I’m describing Yeldo administration? 3) I planned to “meet” the governor and the Chiefs (a third, and possibly last, build in Tam), but I think that deciding on my own their opinions about the possible trade route (and about having an Oleander guest) would be too much. Thank you a lot!

Outside Braemore, October 620, Island of Tam Lieutenant Norbert had walked for half an hour towards the interior when he saw the first houses of the town, actually small farms scattered in the greenest countryside he had ever seen. Quite surprisingly, the Port of Tam (the rickety pier and a couple of tiny warehouses) was rather far from the towns that spotted the island. Cormag, the officer at the piers, explained that it was for the strong winter wind... still strong, far from the coast, but a little more bearable. Most of the farmers turned as he walked by, staring at him. His arrival was probably the most unusual thing since a very long long time: a few Corrish ships made a stop there, now and then, but the island was far beyond the border of the usual trade zones. As a consequence, most of the colonial goods were still expensive curiosities. The inhabitants grew oat and turnips, as they had done for centuries... ...and bred some strange hairy cows, robust and fit for the hard work in the fields. The only thing produced in Tam that was worth something in foreign trades was wool, used for the clothes of the inhabitants and exported to Corrington textile factories. The most interesting thing that Jean-Luc had learned during the long walk -Cormag, who had accompanied him, was definitely enthusiastic to talk a lot about his island- was the complexity of the local hierarchies, a strange superimposition of Corrish institutions and local traditions. From what he understood, the island had a Corrish governor, appointed in Belson but approved by the Council of the Chiefs, that is the heads of the most important families; the governor could theoretically take decisions on his own and was theoretically the highest authority on the island, but the opinion of the Council was usually considered binding. Moreover, there was a small garrison of redcoats that responded to the governor, but each clan also had his warriors, loyal only to the respective Chief. This overlap of different powers was something absolutely un-Corrish, but it seemed to work: the prominent families of Tam were involved in the local government and, even if this system required a lot of long discussions, it always prevented major turmoils on the island. An important-looking man was waiting for them in the middle of he road. He seemed friendly, but he was also accompanied by a guard with an impressive axe. Jean-Luc knew that he had nothing to fear, but he also took the mental note to always bring a couple of marines with him, especially if he wanted to be considered a foreign envoy. After a brief but warm greeting, and the usual questions about “the East”, the man -who presented himself as the Chieftain of the Clan MacLean- invited Jean-Luc to his house to discuss the matters bringing him on Tam, since clearly he wasn’t there by chance. The difficult part would have begun soon... convince a bunch of quarrelsome lords and a Corrish governor to support a trade route across the very border of the maps, towards lands they probably had never heard about. Jean-Luc hoped that the whiskey of Tam was as strong as the Oleander whalers described it... soon he would probably have needed a couple of glasses! Overall vew: ---- WIP: Big story editing ongoing. Using a map without island names, I misinterpreted which one was actually Tam. Since it is already October, and I hope to reach the Great Alliance States before December, I’ll keep my expedition in the real Tam (West of Corrington) and fill the gap later, with some visiting stops (but nothing significant in terms of story) along the coast from Dortanis to Tam. If somebody wants to “embark” (for instance with a Corrish scientist, as @Bregir suggested), this is likely the last chance to do it. PM me or post a character in this thread to join (with any level of activity you want, even with a completely “passive” character that will appear now and then).

Just a little comment (I’m not sure if it matters for the combat rules). We are committing all our forces in the battle, but King’s Port is a large city, so not all our forces are advancing room after room dragging cannons and horses... as we showed in our builds, we are advancing mainly from South and West with light infantry supported by small cannons, while our heavy artillery is around the city, ready to destroy fortified buildings. We have a smaller force trying to pass the river from North and preventing reinforcements from Pamu. Last but not least, we sent forward a small unit of the Order to secure the Quiver Sanctuary and the monks/priests living there

I saw the WIP of the build but the overall result is simply impressive! The ruinded buildings, the minifig posing, the effects... everything is perfect. Moreover, if I see well, both the room and the road are only 8 studs wide each... but it really seems a huge battle scene!

Terraversa, East of King's Port, August 620 "Thousands of feet march to the beat, it's an army on the march. Long way from home, paying the price in young men's lives." The first battle had been won, and several bridgeheads had been conquered all over the island. The losses had been relatively mild but, still, they were the highest suffered since the Juniper War. And that damned island was still largely to conquer. The first, rather obvious objective was the capital city, King's Port: the city had the largest harbor and was right in the middle of the excellent road system of western Terraversa. The capital city of the island also had a strong strategic and politic value: its capture marked the turning point between an island successfully resisting to the invasion and some minor strongholds still in enemy hands... and, for foreign nations, it could also make the difference between joining a war or supporting isolated pockets of resistance. Therefore, they had to conquer King's Port, and quickly! During the T-Day, the forts of the city had been shelled and stormed, and the vanguard of the army had entered the city from South and East. However, refraining from a brutal bombing with heavy artillery had had its cost, and the bluecoats were still fighting in the streets, with the local militia clinging to buildings and barricades. The troops landed West of the city, so North of the King's River, on the contrary, had successfully captured fortifications and batteries but were still too weak to attack the city and defend themselves by a counterattack from Pamu, so they had entrenched and were waiting for reinforcements. And the easiest way to bring those reinforcements was crossing the King's River from the South, building a proper bridge, and using it to bring soldiers, supplies and artillery between King's Port and Pamu, cutting the city off from the Kingshead district. The designated crossing point was a few miles East of the city, where the King's River was nothing more than a fast stream... quite easy to cross for a man, but an insuperable obstacle for a cannon. Combat engineers and common soldiers started working hard, reinforcing the riverbank by hammering long wooden poles in the sand. More poles were hammered directly into the bottom of the river, creating a robust anchorage for the pontoons... for sure a difficult and uncomfortable job. On the other side of the river, the bank was cleared from the bushes and the sand was leveled with shovels and spades. The next step was far more difficult, especially considering the fast flow of the river. Empty barrels were thrown in the water and secured to the poles, creating a sort of floating platform: the buoyancy of each barrel could barely sustain a single soldier, while the complete structure will hold men, horses and even cannons. While the privates worked, the officers planned the next moves with the chief engineer: according to him, the bridge could be completed in half a day, enough to let the column rest and to complete the siege before the evening, if they marched quickly enough. Soldiers and sailors followed the instructions of the combat engineers, trying to keep the barrels in position before they are dragged away... and trying not to be dragged away themselves while working in the deep water! The bridge quickly started to take shape, at first as a simple row of ropes and barrels... ...and then, when planks and earth were cast over the structure, as a robust floating platform. For sure not a bridge intended to last, but a fast solution to bring men and cannons onto the other side of the river. The soldiers marched forward, platoon after platoon, ready to face the enemy on the battlefield. Among them, the veterans of the Mardierian Legion. Several of those soldiers lived on Terraversa -or were even born on the island- before the "Terraversan patriots" forced them to flee with their families. Some were members of the garrison, others were simply political opponents of L'Olius or Oldis, who had ended up in proscription lists for a reason or the other. For them, the war was something far more personal... a chance come back to their land and to get their deliverance! -------------------------------------------------------------- A series of three builds I've done for the invasion liberation: the river banks remain the same, with the soldiers progressively clearing the bushes and building the bridge. Probably it would've been better using a larger river, this one doesn't really seem worth of a bridge... but I imagine that it would still be a problem for our cannons!

Just to bring some order: These are the missing entries I found. There are also the builds of the first wave of the invasion (labeled as MRCA results) to be ordered somewhere, here or in the AMRCA.

Welcome to Oleon @CapOnBOBS! You chose for sure the best faction (objective and unbiased opinion) and probably one of the most interesting periods... there are settlements to build, islands to colonize, and a war to win! Your introduction is very nice, and your minifig is great! If you need help or suggestions to start feel free to PM me or ask in our "national" chat (you've been added or you'll be added soon)

Nice build @Bodi! The round ruined tower, in particular, is very nice, as well as the foliage, the objects scattered around and minifig posing... so very well done, it Is quite a nice build for its scale! My only doubt is about Terraversan uniforms... why those poor guys have no pants?

Or you could instead bet on the winning horse...

Matter of semantics... here I see the henchmen of a tyrant who brought Terraversa to ruin, and brave soldiers bringing back peace and order to the oppressed people of Terraversa! OOC Yes, this is an imperialistic act of invasion of a nation sending its soldiers to die in a foreign land for mere reasons of money and power... exactly as happened in a good half of all BoBS events! In real life it is terrible, but here as a game it's different, something like Star Wars Empire invading planets and conquering the galaxy! Thank you guys!

Great figbarf NOD! The combination of regular and custom parts is very nice, and all the minifigs you use are suitable for a pirate mercenary band. There is no fixed number, we have seen companies raised with half a dozen men and companies recruited with 30 soldiers, barracks and field kitchens... the rule is about how many soldiers can be recruited in each settlement. Currently, you can recruit (in EGS) only in your own settlements, and this is the only issue here: this build will likely give a soldier bonus to the Terraversans, and create mercenaries that NOD can use for his stories, but won't actually add 60 men to Terraversan forces. The only way to do it is to recruit your men somewhere and bring it with a ship to Terraversa (without being sunk by anyone), trying your luck against Oleander war fleet

King's Port Batteries, Terraversa, 16 August 620 (T-DAY-1) "And all around the shore, where cannons still roar, they're haunting my dreams, they're still there when I sleep" The Terraversans called them "Oldis' Fist", according to the intelligence. Probably it was one of the heaviest souvenirs left by the Mardierian army... and everybody could easily guess why it was left behind. That massive 64-pounder was for sure quite difficult to move by itself and, furthermore, it was on top of a steep cliff. For sure, it represented a real threat for an attacking fleet: that beast could throw a roundshot up to three kilometers far, or a shell filled with dozens of musket balls on a shorter range. If the defenders had the chance to make those "gift" rain on the ship decks or on the crowded longboats, it would have been a massacre. Moreover, the small promontory was surrounded by reefs and shallow waters, which made the approach difficult for bomb ketches... running aground in range of enemy batteries wasn't a great perspective! This was the reason why, the night before the main landing, Tristan and his men were in those small canoes, rowing towards a coast just slightly darker than the night sky. As several other times in the past, darkness was a good friend for them: they couldn't see the landing point, this was true, but they were also hidden from their enemies... and, if everything had gone as planned, they didn't need to find that small beach on their own. Flashes of light broke the pitch-black night, as a man waved a lantern on the coast... two flashes, a pause, two more flashes. The conveyed signal! Their man on Terraversa was telling them that the way was clear... or somebody had captured him, and now was dragging them all in a trap. Trying to be as quiet as possible, the rowers headed towards the shore, while the other soldiers, Rimbaud's Raiders and mountaineers of the 5eme regiment Pride of Guelph, grabbed muskets and sabers, ready to fight tooth and nail if they had been betrayed. The canoes scraped on the shoals, avoided some surfacing rocks and, at last, reached the small beach. Their man was waiting, hidden among the rocks and, fortunately, alone. That beach was too small for a proper landing, with only an old, half-crumbled mule track leading to the top of the cliff. A patrol checked it, now and then, but they were almost outside King's Port defensive system... if they had met a few soldiers, they would have easily got rid of them without noises, with knives or bows: some of the Raiders had spent years living with the natives and could use that weapon quite well. That night, however, they didn't meet anyone, either on the beach or along the trail. After a few hours of climbing, sliding and muffled cursings, the commando reached the top of the cliff. It would have been almost impossible without their local guide, and this explained that little hole in the Terraversan defenses. It was dawn. Below them, on the shiny sea, they saw the spectacle of the Oleander fleet: an endless row of ships of the line, frigates and galleons, with support ships and bomb ketches moving around... sails and flags waved in the wind, and hundreds of cannons shined in the gunports under the morning sun. It was impressive, but it also meant that they were late: they had to take the battery immediately, before it could fire on their comrades. There was no time for a plan, for a flanking attack, for a reconnaissance. A few cannonballs, fired from the distant fleet, stopped right in front of the battery, hitting the low wall with almost no force and sinking in the soft ground... Damn! A frontal assault was a bad perspective even without the risk of friendly fire! Reloading would have taken a few minutes, so that was their chance... hoping that down below they had good spyglasses! The Terraversans artillerymen were surprised as they were loading the first shot, but reacted quickly, grabbing weapons and tools. However, they were only a few, and they were not trained at all for close-quarter engagements... the fight to take the battery would have been fast and relatively easy. At least, in theory, thought Tristan as a Terraversan tried to split his head in half with a shovel. The bluecoats climbed the low wall and charged forward. That cannon would have not fired that day: whatever the cost, they would have taken the battery, and would have held it against the enemy counterattacks. Meanwhile, along the coast, dozens of cannons were blazing, and at least as many had been destroyed by the massive artillery barrage. One of the forts was burning, but also one of the largest battleships was tilting, and the sailors were jumping in the water. That day was going to be the longest in the whole life of hundreds of men. That day they were making history!

I completely agree, this is exactly my point of view... But I usually build in yellow also because I mostly have pirate torsos with yellow skin visible, while most of my “fleshie” ones can be used with yellow heads, maybe adding a foulard to cover the pink “neck”. Moreover “realistic” parts often come from large sets (eg potc ships) and so are rather expensive, and in my experience they are more easily damaged (more expression lines—> more lines that can be scratched if the previous owner was not careful)

Sorry! It’s the first iron bridge (therefore simply called Iron Bridge), built in 1781

Very nice battle scene! As usual, a cannon is a very very argument to carry in a discussion... in any kind of discussion! I like your bridge design, it reminds me of this one. I'm not so sure about the connection between the arch and the road above (maybe having it a brick thick, instead of a plate only would be enough)... very original design anyways! The accompanying text is rather epic too. But enough talking for now... now let's teach those scoundrels how the soldiers of Oleon fight! "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English Oleander dead! [...] Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit To his full height. On, on, you noblest English Oleanders. Whose blood is fet from fathers of war-proof!" William Shakespeare Guillaume Secouerlance, notorious Oleander poet

The reason you haven’t seen this part (yet) is that we could be sure about the landing, but not about the aftermath (we were not sure at all to arrive to the urban fighting without being repelled). Honestly I didn’t expect at all the stalemate (I thought we would have taken KP, or we would’ve died trying)... but wait a little and you’ll see a lot of blue and something-else-possibly-blue-too coats slaughtering one another in the streets, on the hills, in the woods etc... and hopefully the flag with fleur de lis waving over Oldis’ palace!

Thank you, guys! The battle scene was (quite obviously) inspired to the landing scene in "Saving Private Ryan" and more in general to Normandy landing. Without machine guns and tanks to block with anti-tank obstacles... well... I had to improvise! Now let's crush the tyrant's militia and conquer set King's Port free!

One of the first landings during the battle for King's Port

Wow, what a superb ship! I'm not sure about the grey tiles on deck, but everything else is very, very nice. You included a lot of the tiny details I love (the cook, the minifigure display platform, the hat holders...). Very nice rigging too! I'm only rather sad you had a bunch of red -and not blue- coats for the crew, somebody would have gladly bought it with some shiny doubloons... a lot of shiny doubloons... and would probably be interested regardless the uniform color! BTW, is the paper a printed part or some photoshop magic?

Wonderful landing scene! I like the water and the water-to-land transition, as well as the minifig posing. Maybe you could have added something more on the sand (a few cannonballs/ or craters, some seaweed...) but the overall result is very nice. Now let's export some absolute monarchy help Terraversans to form a new, fair, and legitimate government.

Excellent writing Capt Wolf! Thank you for the great (even if politically biased, as expected from a Terraversan newspaper) description of the first phase of the invasion! Well, the report is more than biased, but the result is not bad... we lost 4 ships (+3 in a storm) in the greatest military operation ever seen, and we took all but one the lesser objectives. About KP, the landing was quite successful, but nobody really expected to solve everything with a single raid... a lot of fighting is still required for sure!

Welcome on board, @Edmund Babbington! Even though you are in a different faction, do not hesitate to ask "older" players for tips, ideas or suggestions, regardless of "in-game nationality". Nice minifig and introductory story... with lots of cutlass wounds and tropical fevers everywhere, a good physician is more than welcome in the Brick Seas!

Landing Point Charlotte, Terraversa, 17 August 620 (T-DAY) "Hell is waiting where the ocean meets the sand"  The soldiers of the first wave got onto the small rowboats, that were immediately lowered into the water. Somebody whispered a short prayer to Poseidon, others hummed a popular tavern song, most remained silent... only the platoon of legionnaires assigned to the ship continued chatting and laughing till the last moment, as if their assault was nothing more serious than a pleasant walk. The cliffs in front of them started appearing from the morning fog. It was almost the hour. In a few minutes, they would have started rowing as madmen towards Plage Charlotte, one of the designated landing points... not thehardest target, but still well under the crossfire of forts and batteries! Everybody knew that a lot of things could go very, very, wrong: according to the plan, they would have reached the shoreline immediately after the first artillery barrage, overwhelming the shoreline fortifications and opening a safe passage for the second -and more consistent- wave; meanwhile, their artillery would have hammered the remaining forts, turning them into ruins. Suddenly, the capital ship shot the first volley, immediately followed by hundreds of other cannons. On the shore, a battery exploded, immediately followed by another one. With a savage yell, the soldiers started rowing, while dozens and dozens of cannonballs flew over their heads. Small clouds of smoke announced the first return volleys. A few seconds later, jets of water exploded from the sea, and a nearby ship received two blows. As the artillery duel continued, the small boats reached the shore. The bigger coastal batteries continued their barrage against the fleet, but the mortars and the small culverins were waiting for them. One of the boats was annihilated, directly hit by a grenade. After what seemed an eternity, the keels of the boats hit the sand and the soldiers jumped forward. The rain of iron and fire began immediately, as the soldiers arrived in the range of Terraversan blockhouses. Organ guns and wall muskets started firing, giving rise to a hellish concert of bangs and rattlings. In just a matter of seconds, dozens of bullets were flying in every direction.  Some soldiers fell after a few steps, mowed by mortar fire and organ guns, but most charged forward, taking shelter and starting a strong cover fire with their muskets. One of the organ guns fired again, but those damned weapons were inaccurate and slow to reload... with the soldiers moving and scattering along the beach, this time most of the bullets hit only the sand.  An officer of the Zouaves, the tirailleurs from New Oleon, started yelling orders, reorganizing the soldiers for the charge: if they took the fortifications before the Terraversans could reorganize, the first bridgehead would have been taken! Only a few dozen meters and they would have reached the blockhouses... a run through the Tartarus, towards the guns of their enemies, but also the road towards King's Port and the victory!   A few more pics of the battle:   The Terraversan organ gun:   Obvious credit to @Khorne for the foreign legion and the zouaves, something I never had the chance to depict. Ps So it begins... as soon as possible I’ll add a link in the AMRCA thread!

A discussion that was more or less like “this island is in a strategic position”, “that island would be a good base for further exploration”, “hey, Island 16 has swamps and crocodiles! Everybody likes swamps and crocodiles! It’s the perfect place to build a city, who cares about mines and cash crops when you have crocodiles?” And everybody agreed