MagPiesRUs

Vote: Hinckalina/Hinckley

Welcome to The Aventine, a Roman-Mediterranean themed restaurant in the heart of the city. I've made this to go alongside my Hawk's Diner MOC in my 1950's town. The Aventine is still a work in progress, so hopefully I can improve it based on your feedback Starting with the front of the restaurant: I'll try on a better decal later on, but I quite like the look of the old weathered sign: A view of the left side. The right side is the same, only it has two latticed windows instead of a door. I'm thinking that the sides may benefit from windows on the top. Inside the restaurant. It's a little cluttered, I'm thinking of removing something. The floor will most likely end up being tiled dark tan: One of the tables, complete with Roman legionary statue: Above the doorway is a large statue of a Roman emperor: The chef's kitchen exterior, featuring a gladiator statue and some Roman pottery: And the kitchen interior. It's a little cramped, but the chef can live with it. A couple more shots of the interior: Thanks for visiting! Enjoy! Feedback is much appreciated.

Happy Birthday IS, I hope you have a great one.

The weapon used in the killings is a gun that none of us is seen carrying in any of the pictures. If anything, that would suggest that it was a pilot that did the killing, seeing as though the soldiers have a perfectly good blaster to use already.

Since the killer actually has a "camera-bazooka" rather than a regular blaster, I suppose we can throw that theory out the window. I have a gut feeling about Razak Crade being an Imperial spy myself, though it may just be because of his evil smirk and haunting black eyes.

As Adley has said, the pilots heard the shot outside their quarters, and there is no sign of Seadrik's body outside. No, a blaster must've killed Widanko. Do you have any evidence to back that up that Imperials are targeting aliens? We've only lost one alien, it could well be a coincidence. Besides, just because someone has a long beard, doesn't mean they're a different species. We can't rule out the possibility that the killer was one of our vigilantes either. After all, there was suspicion towards Widanko before this game... of life even began.

Considering that Widanko was killed by a blaster which none of the pilots possess, and that all of the pilots were present at the scene first, could we assume the killer was one of the soldiers?

Confirmed.

The game hasn't even started yet and ImperialSilvertongue is already trying to turn us against someone? Vote: Ivy Shadowspark Some great characters you've made, JlBlue. Terris "Toup

I bought Empire Total War a few weeks ago and I'm loving it. I've just finished a very fun campaign as France, I love the new trade, government and diplomacy systems. And of course the real-time battles are fantastic. Unfortunately I have to play it on low graphics to keep it from lagging, but I'm happy with how these screenshots have turned out: British line infantry march while under artillery fire: Ottoman cavalry make an audacious charge on a French square: Chaos ensues: A Dutch fluyt manages to hit the gunpowder store on a pirate ship, resulting in a magnificent explosion: Prussian soldiers bayonet charge their Swedish foes: More pics here.

I'd like to sign up too please.

I am able to start Noir Mafia in Mid-April, but I thought that if NewRight is ready and eager to start his own game now, it would be nice to let him have a go. Sorry for the confusion.

I was planning on starting Noir Mafia later this month, but I'm fine with someone else starting up a game. I suppose I could do with some more time to touch up my own game. Best of luck to you, NewRight

I've noticed this with metallic gold, and not just in licensed themes. I've noticed that the my IJ golden idol and the gold on my new imperial soldier's uniforms are beginning to fade. The gold paint is wearing off in the 8630 Gold Hunt especially. This is evident with my "old man" Gold Tooth figure, who is starting to develop grey hair.

I would be ready to start Noir Mafia at the start of April at the earliest. At the moment I'm very busy, and if I started it now it would be very rushed and possibly long pauses between days. As for "gambits", who could forget the... The TinyPies Gambit Often coinciding with the Rotrigous/"Hinckley in Roman Mafia" Gambit, the player must get involved in an argument with a silver-tongued sneak and get killed off in the process. Up until then, try to delay your inevitable death for as long as possible by staying under the radar. If you have not been voted off by the end of the game (even in ones that you host) you have failed the TinyPies Gambit.

Thanks for hosting such a fun and exciting game Hinckely. And congratulations IS. A well deserved win, you're a true master of deception. You said that there was "commotion" in the cab, but that he knocked something "out of the truck". It was my fault in that I should've looked into that a little closer, but at that point I was fairly confident that Ian was loyal. I had noticed that there were 5 guns there, but in the end I had brushed it off as I thought one of the guns was for the Dickie to kill off the person we voted for. I figured that someone else would've brought it up otherwise, so being the natural born follower that I am, I decided not to say anything. So Ivan will be converting back into a mafia again?

Exactly. They only just voted off a silver tongued sneak before the game was paused; they don't need another one.

I'd be ready to start Noir Mafia in a month at the earliest, but at the moment I'm very busy and I'm not sure if I'd be able to regularly update the game. I'm not sure why he hasn't posted here yet, but Tanotrooper said he was planning on restarting Roman Mafia around about the 15th (the Ides of March).

Thanks for all of your feedback everyone! Thanks. I considered creating a Catherine the Great vig, but I've decided to make 5 vignettes for each country, and thought the other events to be more important. Thank you. Yes, you can expect a "History of Spain". Thanks. You may not be able to see from the photo, but Trotsky is also there behind the lectern. Yes, I've summed up the history myself. Considering the amount of time it takes to write 10 or so paragraphs though, I'm thinking of copy and pasting them from now on. Thanks! Yes, I'm only making 5 vignettes for each country. No, that's not intentional, though both Britain and Russia have featured vigs from World War II. I agree a Cold War vig would have been nice, though as I said above, I'm only choosing 5 vigs that I feel are most important. He's mounting it on a statue atop the Reichstag during the Battle of Berlin. The vig is based on the famous photo: Though in reflection I really should have added something at the bottom to show that it was on top of a building. Thanks again everyone.

Very nice! It resembles the playmobil set well. I love the choice of colours you've used, it gives the MOC a real Classic Castle feel to it. That and the great tudor look and the lovely red roof you've given it. The interior is equally cool, especially the downstairs fishmonger. I really like the use of the net and the nice checkered floor you've given it. Overall, this is a great creation with a nice mix of classic and newer techniques. Well done!

The Kievan Rus', 11th Century In the 8th Century, the Vikings of Scandinavia had rapidly expanded. With their combination of piracy and trade, they travelled all around Europe. In the mid-9th Century, Vikings began to travel along the Baltic Sea. A group of Vikings called the Rus' exacted tribute from the local Slavs and Finns, but they soon drove the Rus' back to Scandinavia. However, the Slavs and Finns began to conflict with one another, and they called back the Rus' to bring peace to the region. The Rus' sailed back, and under Rurik, they settled in Novgorod. Later, his successors moved and established a state in Kiev. These Kievan Rus' grew rich from trade betwen Scandinavia and the Byzantine Empire. The Norse had began to merge with the Slavic population, and they adopted the Orthodox religion from their Byzantine neighbours. The Rus' culture grew, until their achievements in literature, religion and architecture were greater than those of the Western states. However, the state of the Kievan Rus' began to crumble as princes began to fight with one another as nomads frequently attacked them. In the 13th Century, the Mongol Golden Horde conquered much of Russia, and Kiev was destroyed. Novgorod now became the greatest Russian power, although they still had to pay tribute to their Mongol invaders. Ivan the Terrible and the Oprichnina, 1564-1570 Ivan IV, while known for his cruel ways, was also known for changing Russia from a nation state to a small empire, and for forming the basic structure for Russia that would be followed for the next 400 years. Ivan's early reign was a very succsful one, where he annexed the Tatar Khanates along the Volga River, established trade and became the first Russian ruler to be officially crowned as the "Tsar". However, when Ivan's first wife Anastasia died, he grew ill and increasingly paranoid about his subjects. Ivan especially distrusted the Boyars, nobles of the court, who had mistreated him as a child and who he suspected of poisoning his wife. He set up the Oprichniki, a sort of predecessor to secret police, who would often terrorise the local people. The Oprichniki would wear black clothing and ride black horses with black saddles, and carry a dog's head and a broom to represent that they would sniff out treason, and sweep away the Tsar's enemies. These men would use horrific methods of torture, such as impaling or roasting their victims over a fire. In a dispute, Ivan sent his Oprichniki to massacre the inhabitants of Novgorod, where around 3,000 were killed. Ivan the Terrible became increasingly unstable. During an argument, he struck his son Ivan Ivanovich with his staff, accidently killing him. Realising what he had done, he lived the rest of his life grimly in his palace, until in 1584 he died while playing chess. His successor, his only other son, the mentally retarded Feodor, became Tsar of Russia. He had no children, and following his death, Russia plunged into civil war. Peter the Great and Westernisation, 1703 With the death of the ill and childless Feodor III in 1682, disputes arose as to who should be the next tsar. Peter the Great's half brother Ivan V was rightfully next in line, but he too was very ill, and it was agreed that the ten-year-old Peter would become tsar. However, Sophia, one of the daughters of a previous tsar, led a rebellion of the Steltsy (Russia's elite military corps), killing some of Peter's relatives, and made herself acting regent of Russia. Peter wanted power back however, and upon gaining supporters, overthrew Sophia. Peter became sole ruler of Russia when Ivan V died in 1696. One of Peter's main concerns was that Russia was a very backward country. It was isolated from the rest of the world, had little trade, lacked in technology and had a weak military. Attempting to gain access to the Black Sea, which was mostly controlled by the Ottoman Empire, Peter attacked the fortress of Azov in 1695, and after a building up a large navy, captured it in 1696. Seeking support against the Ottomans, Peter made an 18-month journey across Europe, known as the Grand Embassy. Although he failed to gain any help, he was able to learn more about Western culture. In the United Provinces, Peter studied shipbuilding and masonry as well as metalworking and dentistry. Peter returned to Russia, eager to put his knowledge of Western customs to use. He banned beards in his court, encouraged the wearing of European clothing, ended arranged marriages in Russia and introduced the Julian Calendar. He made peace with the Ottomans, seeking to gain some control of the Baltic Sea, which had been taken by Sweden earlier. In the Great Northern War, Peter the Great eventually defeated Sweden, taking Livonia and Estonia from them. Wanting a new modern capital, Peter the Great built Saint Petersburg in 1712. He continued to reform Russia, replacing the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church with a council of ten clergymen, created the Table of Ranks, which determined hierarchy by service to the Emperor, and introduced new tax systems. Peter's rule had succesfully westernised Russia, turning it from a relatively uncivilised and isolated country to a modern power that could compete with Europe. The Russian Revolution, 1917 In the early 20th Century, Russia was still an autocracy ruled by the Romanov tsars, though the people were growing restless. Russia had been dealt a humiliating defeat by the Japanese in 1905, and the people were starving and wanted more freedom. In 1905, a group of starving workers made a peaceful protest at the Tsar's palace, but were fired upon by soldiers in what was known as Bloody Sunday. Angered by this, the people began to riot across the Empire. Tsar Nicholas II finally gave in and set up a duma (parliament) for the people. However, he ignored them, causing further unrest. World War I started in 1914, and Russia fought against the Central Powers. Russia did poorly though, having little supplies and equipment for their troops, as well as incompetant generals. The people grew angrier and in February 1917 the Russian Revolution began. The Tsar abdicated and a Provisional Government was set up. However, they did not pull out of World War I. Meanwhile, news reached the Bolshevik party leader Vladimir Lenin that a Revolution had started in Russia. He away in Switzerland at the time, but as he promised to take Russia out of World War I, the Germans sent him to Russia on a train. Lenin began to drum up support, until in October 1917 the Bolshevik Red Guards stormed the government's Winter Palace and took over. Lenin pulled out of World War I, but it wouldn't be long until Russia had another war. The "Whites" tried to reinstall the Tsar into power, and fought against the Bolshevik "Reds". The Bolsheviks executed Tsar Nicholas II and his family, thus removing the White's figurehead. Soon the Civil War ended, and the Bolsheviks remained in power. "The Great Patriotic War", 1941-1945 Ever since the formation of the USSR, the Soviets had feared attack. The Western Powers hated Communism, and feared that it would spread. They had even helped the Whites fight the Reds in the Russian Civil War. By the 1930's, Joseph Stalin believed that Russia was under threat. However, Stalin had recently purged the military, executing his best generals. The Soviets had shown how incompetant they were in the Winter War against Finland in 1939. Needing time to rebuild his army, he agreed not to attack Germany in the Nazi-Soviet Pact. By 1941, two years into World War II, Adolf Hitler had devastated the Allied forces, having conquered Poland, Czechoslovakia and France in fast Blitzkreigs. With the battle on the Western Front almost won, Hitler turned his attention to Russia. In June 1941, Germany commenced Operation Barbarossa and invaded the Soviet Union. Germany launched a three-pronged attack, hoping to take Leningrad, Moscow and the Caucus Oil Fields. Germany was having great success until they attacked Stalingrad in 1942.Though it was a long and bloody battle, the Russians managed to surround and starve the German forces, forcing them to surrender. It was a decisive victory for the Soviets. The Russians now began to advance, and engaged the German Panzers at Kursk, which was the largest tank battle in history. It was another great victory for the Russians. Now the Soviets pushed the Germans back further, until they came to Berlin itself. Earlier, a Russian colonel had pointed at the rubble that was Stalingrad and said to the German prisoners: "That's how Berlin is going to look". Most of the defenders of Berlin were only children. It wasn't long before the Russians poured into the city. On April 30th 1945, Hitler committed suicide, and the remaining Germans surrendered. World War II was over in Europe. All 5 vignettes: Enjoy! Feedback is much appreciated.

Darn. I was about to post up my final suspicions too. Oh well. Let the host-pestering begin!

From the evidence we have, it seems I am most likely to be a rat. I can honestly tell you that I am loyal, but I unfortunately don't have any way of proving it. The closest I could come would be to tell you that I was pushing to vote off Wynona and Pavarti (well, and Richie and Willie, but that's not the point ), and was against voting for Dragonatieri and Stanton. Also, in the operation I was involved in, everything went smoothly, and it has been proven that only one rat is required to sabotage our jobs. Pretty weak evidence, I know, but it's all I have. Yes, I've been rather quiet throughout the game, but this is because I've only spoken when I've had something important to say. If I don't have anything to say, I'll shut up. Yes, my brother was a rat, but what does that mean? I thought that we had agreed that all roles were assigned randomly in this game of life. Besides, if you use that logic, you should kill Quarrioni too, as his wife was a rat, and Zabrina and Willie should've been rats too. The evidence from the operation does seem to point towards either me, Ian or Johnny as the rat, which is odd as I trust the other two. Johnny, can you provide any more detail about the operation, or is your head still bleeding? Can you say anything to confirm that I didn't shoot Ian? Have we got a mop in here? Also, Iris has said that if we don't kill the last rat today, someone will suffer for it, so let's not be hasty in our decision. Besides, she's also said that we don't have a time limit to come to a decision. We'll be locked in this room until we kill the last rat, and you probably want as little dead bodies rotting in here as possible. No, neither do I.

Happy Birthday WhiteFang, I hope you have a great day.

I'm not sure, but i turned around to see you fall from the truck. It also sounded as if you knocked something out of the truck when you did this. Do you know what it was? Yes I did, and the explosion. A lot of it seemed to be coming from the alley. No, I didn't see any wire. At what point did you see the wire? I know there was a lot of commotion in the alley while we were in the theatre.