MagPiesRUs

Yes, I'd guess it would most likely be "converted". If rats are able to convert us at night, then we can throw pretty much everything we know about each other out the window. And yes, I'd assume the e-mail was intended for Johnny. It does worry me that Willie is so adamantly opposed to being voted off today. It doesn't matter at all who is killed first, as both of them will be killed regardless. It makes me wonder if he has a night ability he intends to use tonight, perhaps the ability to convert. Having a night action would be the only scenario I could think of in which being voted off later would be important.

Surprised to see the new 2009 sets in, I bought 7682 Shanghai Chase and 6242 Soldier's Fort. Both great sets, 7682 especially

The Roman Conquest of Gaul, 51BC Having been appointed governor of Gallia Narbonensis in what is now South-East France, Julius Caesar began to conquer the people of Gaul in what was known as the Gallic Wars. The Gallic people were all seperate tribes, who has long fought with one another, and Caesar was able to take advantage of this. However, in 52BC, the Averni chief Vercingetorix rose up and united the Gallic tribes and started a revolt against Roman rule. Vercingetorix adopted more modern battle tactics to try to match those of the Romans. Initially, Vercingetorix had great success against Caesar and the Romans. His most famous victory was at the battle of Gergovia, where he killed around 700 legionaries and forced Caesar to halt his advance. However, Caesar then besieged Vercengetorix and his people at Alesia. There he built two layers of walls around the fort, expecting a large Gallic relief force of around 100,000. Due to the construction of this wall, the Romans were able to hold off against this large relieving army, eventually routing them with his cavalry. With this victory, the Romans were able to starve the people of Alesia out. Eventually the Gauls surrendered. According to legend, Vercengetorix rode to Caesar's camp, where he threw down his arms at Caesar's feet and kneeled down before him. Charlemagne, 800AD Charlemagne became King of the Franks in 768. He was constantly involved in conquests, the first major one being his war agains the Lombards in Italy, where the pope demanded the Lombards return some of their cities. When the Lombards refused, Charlemagne besieged their city of Pavia, which they eventually surrendered. Charlemagne, now with the title 'patrician', turned his attention to the Saracens, who had a strong influence over the Mediterranean. He conquered their holdings in Corsica and Sardinia, before fighting with the Moors who controlled most of Spain. Eventually he captured Barcelona, the greatest city in the Iberian peninsula. Charlemagne also waged war against the Saxons, the Bavarians and the Avars to the East. All in all, Charlemagne was involved in around 50 campaigns during his reign. Having formed the Frankish Empire, he made reforms which got rid of cruel and corrupt governors, increased industry and commerce, improved farming techniques and put more emphasis on art, culture and religion. Charlemagne's rule formed France and the Holy Roman Empire and defined what became of Western Europe for the next 500 years. Joan of Arc and the Siege of Orléans, 1429 By 1428, the Hundred Years War had been going for 91 years, and the French had suffered greatly. After Henry V's decisive victory at Agincourt, the English had advanced right into the very heart of France. In 1428, the English besieged the French city of Orléans. There had been prophecies around that France would be saved by an armed maid. Thus, when Joan of Arc arrived at King Charles VII's court and stated that she had visions telling her to lead France to victory, the French morale grew. Joan of Arc arrived at Orléans with a relief force in 1429. Her force skirmished with the English around the English fort of Les Tourelles, weakening the English garrison there. While the other French generals met in secret agreeing not to attack until reinforcements arrive, Joan of Arc readied the soldiers to attack in the morning. Joan led the men against Tourelles, wielding the French standard. After a couple of inconclusive attacks, the French managed to break into the fort and Tourelles was taken. The next day, the remaining English retreated and lifted the siege. Joan led the French to a few more victories, but she was eventually captured by the Burgundians, who sold her to the English. The English accused her of witchcraft and burnt her at the stake. Joan had given the French hope however, and in 1453, the French won the Hundred Years war, and had regained all of their territory. The French Revolution and the Republics, 1789-1870 Most people in 18th Century France belonged to one of three estates - the First Estate (the priests), the Second Estate (the nobles) and the Third Estate (the peasants and lower class). Only the third estate was taxed. King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette lived in luxury, while the peasants were poorer than ever. Louis had recently sent forces to help the Americans against the British in the American War of Independence. News came back to the people of France about these ideas of democracy and revolution, who now wanted more than ever freedom. On 14 July 1789, the Sans-Culottes stormed the Bastille prison and slaughtered those guarding it. Louis and his family fled, but were caught. Outraged, the some French wished to execute them as traitors. On 21 January 1793, Louis was executed using a new machine called the guillotine. A revolutionary Jacobin named Robespierre took power, executing anyone he believed to threaten the Revolution. This period was called the Reign of Terror. Some Jacobins were so afraid of being killed themselves that they executed Robespierre first. The Reign of Terror was over. Now, 'the Directory' took over, though now foreign powers, afraid of their own people revolting, moved in to crush the Revolution. Fortunately for the Directory, a young general named Napoleon Bonaparte defeated the invading armies, and began to conquer the rest of Europe in reply. The Napoleonic Wars began. Eventually Napoelon was defeated and a new Monarch was installed in France, though it wasn't over yet. After French soldiers accidently fired on a peaceful crowd, a new revolution started, and Napoleon's nephew, Louis Napoleon III was crowned emperor. However, having lost the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, he was unseated, and a Third Republic was set up. France and the First World War, 1914-1918 In 1914, Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, and Austria and Germany went to war with Serbia. Serbia's ally Russia declared war on Germany in exchange. Russia was allied with France, so France joined the war on their side. The French, still bitter about their loss to the Germans in the Franco-Prussian War, wanted revenge, and this seemed the perfect chance. The First World War began, and Germany began to advance into Belgium and France. Trenches were built along the Western Front, which gradually became deeper and more complex through the course of the war. Soon, the war on the Western Front had become a muddy and bloody stalemate. The war carried on for 3 more years with no side having any real advantage, until the US joined the the war on the side of the Allies. The Germans, fatigued from the years of battle were pushed back to the German border. Eventually the Germans asked for an armistice. On November 11th 1918, peace terms were agreed upon in the Treaty of Versailles. The French were involved in many of the decisive battles on the Western Front, their most notable perhaps being the battle of Verdun, where the French bravely fought against the Germans, and eventually drove them out of Verdun and back to their original lines. All 5 vignettes: Phew! Next time I think I'll just provide links to wikipedia... Enjoy! Feedback appreciated!

We seem to like lists in this family, so here we go. We vote either Pavarti or Willie off: - The first one we kill is a rat. It took two rats to ruin the operation before, so we should kill the other one just in case - The first one we kill is loyal. Since someone in that group had to have alerted the police, the other must be a rat. Now here's the good part. After both are dead, we either... - End up killing two rats. Hoorah. That's two more dead. - End up killing one rat and one loyal player... of the game... of life. This would mean that it only takes one rat to ruin an operation. Thus, this would mean that those involved in our successful operation, Ian, Dragonatieri, Quarrioni, Johnny Blue, (and little old me ) are all loyal. This means that the only ones left who aren't confirmed to be loyal are Alicia, Dickie and Trexxisanti. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

I honestly feel we should kill both of them regardless. Someone suggested that it may take two rats to botch an operation, so if the first one turns out to be a rat, we should kill the other. If the first one turns out to be loyal, we know for certain that the other is a rat. This would also mean that it would only take one rat to ruin a job, meaning that the men involved in the successful operation, Ian, Dragonatieri, Quarrioni and Johnny Blue are all loyal. We may lose one loyal mobster, but I feel the ends will justify the means or something like that.

I was experimenting with this idea myself a couple of weeks ago, but these look very nice. I love the classy look of Goldtooth, he looks very 007-esque. I love the white suit on him, but considering his gold gimmick, I can't help but wonder how one of the tan suits would look: Great work, I'll look forward to seeing the other villains.

... But it's a well known fact that money can't buy happiness...

I think we should focus on Willy and Pavarti for now, as at least one of them is confirmed to be a rat. I'm rather indifferent about who to vote off first. While some of Pavarti's posts have been suspicious, she has made some helpful suggestions throughout the game... of life. In particular I remember her defending Stanton, saying that he may have been framed by Zabrina's killer. Willy on the otherhand has been strangely inactive compared to his previous games... of life, an hasn't really done much to help the family. Pavarti, you don't have a night action do you? Perhaps to keep the two night killers in check, we could vote who for who we want them to kill at night. Sure, the rats could sway this vote, but no more so than they could for our day votes. We are fairly certain that Perry was a bodyguard, so it's unlikely there'd be another rat guard, so we wouldn't have to worry about the rats able to stop the killings.

This is lovely TheBrickster! I love the shape of the house, very boxy yet smooth, it gives it a lovely mud brick look to it. The awning looks great, the green and brown is a nice contrast to the tan. I quite like the white window frames myself, I feel it gives the hut more character and it really makes the windows stand out. To keep the white a consistent colour scheme though, I might suggest replacing the tan tiles on the top with white ones, or add some sort of white stripe. The interior looks great, I really love the checkered floor. Like the awning, it really contrasts the exterior well. Good use of the Scorpion Palace rug too. Really, this is great, thanks for sharing. It should look good in your Desert Adventure display.

Are we allowed to quote information from your PMs? Doing so really ruins the spirit of the game. Also, it was only 11 days, not 107...

So you are a bodyguard? Why didn't you protect someone the last two nights then? Protecting someone is better than protecting no one, especially when there are a couple of people who are confirmed to be loyal. If you had chosen to protect Zabrina, who was pretty much a confirmed investigator on Night 3, she wouldn't have died.

UPDATE: I've tiled the sidewalk outside to hide the tan from the interior. I'll most likely change the pavement to light bley in the final product, but I don't have many of them spare at the moment: Interior: I've added a food display: The back of it can be opened up: A menu decal has been added, as well as a glass shelf:

Thanks for the comments everyone. Thanks. I'll do as many as I can, I have ten countries planned at the moment, but hopefully I'll make more later on. Thanks. The next will most likely be either France or Germany, as already I've made a couple of the vigs for both. Thanks again.

Willie doesn't seem to think so. He said that it was only him and Inertiatieri together: Well are you able to tell whether someone has left their house? Are you able to follow them? What were the results with Dragonatieri and Johnny Blue?

Brilliant, great use of the barbed wire piece. I love the choice of head, very creepy. It certainly looks as though he'll be doing some whacking with that thing.

So, Richie was the only one alone in the station? So, it seems that there were rats involved in our last two operations. I wonder if this means that the men involved in our successful operation, Dragonatieri, Quarrioni, Ian and Johnny Blue are all loyal. Hmm... Last time you told us that you were a bodyguard, not a blocker.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'll definitely try out some of your suggestions. Thanks. I agree the roof colours don't look quite right, but I don't want anything too bright, as I quite like the contrast between the bright interior and the dark exterior. I think I may try a different shade of green or perhaps dark blue. Yes, I'm planning on adding a sign, possibly tan or white. Thank you. I haven't seen the movie, but I hear that the cinematography is inspired by Edward Hopper, which this diner is based off. Thanks. I'm thinking that a SNOT technique could work, though it would make the roof very fragile. I like the idea of adding stripes to the roof, I'll definitely try that out. Thanks for the information about the doors, I'll change that. I don't have many city sets, but is there a lego version of a swing door? Thanks again, and good luck with your own diner. Thanks, I'm glad someone picked up on the reference. I would've loved to have included the green inner line around the windows, but it would be very difficult without having an outer line considering the way I've built the windows. I could use the curved window technique used in the Town Plan service station, but even then it wouldn't be seamless. Thanks again for your feedback everyone, it is much appreciated.

I'm planning on making MOCs for different countries, with 5 vignettes representing important parts of the country's history. I'll be starting with Britain... Caesar's Invasion of Britain, 54BC During the Gallic Wars, Julius Caesar made two expeditions to Britannia in 55BC and 54BC, believing that the people there had been helping the Gauls resist the Roman conquest. Meeting the Britons in battle, he described some of them as completely naked but for the torcs on their necks, with all of their body shaved and covered in woad. They let their hair grow long, which would be bleached with lime and spiked up. They used chariots, which would be used to both harass the enemy and to transport their warriors in and out of battle. Caesar's Invasion of Britain was largely a failure, but it wouldn't be long until it fell into Roman hands. The Battle of Hastings, 1066 Through royal ties, Saxon England had developed good relations with the people of Normandy. However in 1066, with the death of the English king Edward the Confessor, it all changed. The Norman duke William claimed that Edward had made him heir, while the Noble Harold Godwinson claimed that on his deathbed Edward made him king. On January 6th, Harold was made king of England. Furious, Duke William gathered together an army and sailed across the English Channel to take the crown for himself. Meanwhile, Harold Godwinson had just fought off a Viking force at Stamford Bridge, leaving his army tired. News reached him that William of Normandy had invaded, so he was forced to quickly march his men down to meet them at Hastings. The Saxons formed a shield wall, which stayed strong until the Normans lured some men them from their position and slaughtered them, breaking the shield wall. William's archers continued to fire on the Saxons. According to tradition, King Harold was shot in the eye with an arrow, before later having his leg hacked off. The Saxons were defeated, and William "the Conquerer" became the new king of England. Henry VIII and the Execution of Catherine Howard, 1542 Almost immediately after divorcing Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII married Catherine Howard in 1540. This marriage seemed to go well at first, with Catherine's motto, "No other wish will but his". However, six months later Catherine became bored and started romancing with one of Henry's courtiers, Thomas Culpeper. It wasn't long before her affair was discovered, and on the 22nd November 1541 she was imprisoned and charged with treason. On the 13th February 1542, she was executed. The British Empire and the Industrial Revolution, 19th Century The Industrial Revolution began in Britain, and led to breakthroughs in technology mostly due to the invention of the steam engine. New machines made work much easier, but also put many workers out of jobs. The construction of factories caused a build-up in urban population, and the growth of cities. Steam-powered trains and ships meant that travelling was much easier, and new weapons of war were created, which together meant that it was easier for the British to colonise far off lands, and create the largest empire ever known. In this vignette we see a British businessman enjoying some tea from India and tobacco from America, while reading through his plans for a new railroad. On his wall he has a large map of the world, painted pink (or in this case, red) with the British Empire. Also in his house he has antiques including an Indian turban, an African spear and an Asian bamboo plant. The Blitz, 1940 Following the Battle of France, the fight for the skies of Britain began in July 1940 between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe. Fearful for their lives, the British Government sent around 650,000 children out of the city and into the countryside in a mass evacuation. In September, German bombers began to launch air raids on various cities in Britain, causing great damage. These raids, known as the Blitz continued into 1941, but the spirits of the British people stayed strong and everyday life continued. Having lost the Battle of Britain, the Germans knew that they couldn't defeat Britain through the Blitz. They needed all of the planes they could for the impending attack on Russia, and the Luftwaffe began to withdraw. In May 1941, the Luftwaffe made their final and heaviest raid of the Blitz. This unfortunate fellow has had his wall blown off in one of the raids, but he continues to live his life. Outside his house amidst the rubble, two air-raid sirens are ready to sound. All 5 vigs: Enjoy! Feedback appreciated.

Damn, I can't believe Perry was a rat, the guy was like a brother to me. Eh, I wouldn't mind some whisky myself Iris. It certainly looks like it was an eventful night. The way I see it, the first man was trying to kill Perry, the second was protecting him, and the third blocked the protector's action. I'm not sure, but with Perry a rat, does this mean that Inertiatieri is confirmed to be loyal? I would also guess that this means that Johnny Blue and Richie are loyal too, as these two were always arguing with Perry. I'll be interested to learn of the results of today's operation, there are a quite a few people in that group who we've been suspicious of the last couple of days.

No one should call someone 'crippled', lest they feel the wrath of political correctness...

Indeed, I believe that is the old flesh tone used in the NBA basketball sets: It's great that they've used a different skin colour for the Middle-Eastern/Indian figs, it would be a little strange to have them as pale as the normal flesh colour. Unfortunately it will mean that there'll be even more problems involving flesh on torsos. As for the "chainsaw", it actually makes for quite a nice Aztec macuahuitl:

The sets look great, I love the Taun Taun. I do notice however that there is a big gap down the mold's middle. Does this perhaps mean that it will be able to split in half to provide ultimate sleeping bag playability?

Wow, thank you booger540. Ambush in Cairo looks fantastic, I love the Cairo swordsman and Marion. Look at that tan barrel!n It looks as if we get at least 3 apples in this set, which is great. I'm still not sure about the Cairo swordsman having an orc sword though, I would've much rather had a scimitar. I love the Venice Canal Chase, look at those Cruciform suits! It's great to see some more variety in fleshy facial hair too. The Venice pier doesn't look too bad at all (I see 4 black telescope pieces), nice addition of the man hole and rat. I'm still unsure about the Chauchilla Cemetary, the landscaping is rather good, but I feel the set lacks substance. The Cemetary warriors look nice though, and is it just me or does Indy have a new face there? Not much has changed about the Fighter Plane Attack, but I still like it. I like the look of the gun turret on the biplane. Temple of Doom looks great. We get two varieties of Thuggee (one of whom looks like the slavedriver on the rock crusher ). I'm not sure I like Mola Ramm, the cheekguards on his headdress come down too much. I do like that the cow horns are used on his headdress though. The new Willie looks great, it looks like we'll be getting blond princess hair. It looks like there are plenty of play features here, with 1x1 cylinders falling from the tower and collapsing track. I still don't like the mine cars, they look too long and silly. I feel a larger version of the dwarf mine cars would've worked better, though it does look like the ones included are good for playability. Overall, the Summer Indy sets look great, I can't wait. Thanks for the link.

I've reluctantly voted for Stanton, as he seems to be the only one we'll be able to realistically vote off today, and there are apparently consequences for not killing someone today. And Iris has told me that everyone has voted now...

I've been working on a 40's diner. It's not quite finished and there are some features I'm not pleased with, so I hope to improve it based on your feedback. Update (Jan 31st 2010): Overall view: The roof. I'm unsure whether I should keep it as it is, or make the raised brown part one stud wide (the name escapes me). Behind the diner I'm not in love with the step at the door, though it's necessary to keep the glass at a consistent level. Lights. I'll have to try to fix these up a little. Behind the bar. I'll most likely cover the tan with tiles when I get more, though I wonder if it would look better in brown. I'll need a couple more stools. As well as these, I'm a little concerned that I've used too many colours, what with brown, tan, white, black, greys and dark green. Enjoy. Feedback would be much appreciated.