CapOnBOBS

One of two ships originally designed to be an armed merchant men for the RNTC back when this limited skirmish on the island of Terraversa was well contained. The dramatic changes in the diplomatic mood of the Brick Seas caused the navy to step in and repurpose the ship mid-construction. The HRS Helios is now a full man-of-war. A total of 48 heavy guns, each broadside hold 24. Down below we can see two full decks of guns, followed by a third full deck for cargo, packed and ready. Her hull is large, long and wide, designed to hold both large cargos and while still maintaining a full gun deck to ward off Sea Rats. The ship remains equipped with cranes and extra cargo hatches for easy loading and unloading. Also, plenty of cloth to move the large ship. Though, had the word arrived at the Beauchamp Shipyard earlier, the Navy never would have paid for such a large and ornate stern section when they could have saved a penny and added a few more guns. Captain Gillette is an old pious disciplinarian. There is no cursing aboard his ship, he is never far from his family monk, who accompanies him into battle, and he begins each day with a prayer during the change in watch. He runs a tight ship, but the crew jokes that if any commander ever had the gods on his side, it is Captain Gillette. The thrifty Captain has more than a bit of embarrassment at the ornate design of his ship. Though at least the stern cannons add a practical element. And the pious Captain takes pride in daily recreating the God, Helios' journey across the Brick Seas and over the horizon. (Another shot, better for the bow piece but (like the rigging) the hoses didn't get rendered in this bottom on) Edit: coming soon hidden content to side by side the Helios and Phoebe (the sun and the moon) which are a pair of similar ships deliberately built to go together, but are not "sisterships."

The Beauchamp Shipyard (Licensed Large Factory) Admiral Beauchamp holds a recruiting drive (Troops) Claim and Coal Mine Expansion of the Beauchamp Shipyard with a drydock (Second Large Factory)

When last we saw our heros way back in October, they had just struck paydirt. Things have been busy in Oleon since. It is time we check back in with these happy three and their now fully operational coal mine. Well they have expanded and deepened the actual mine shaft. And hired some more hands, though those hands are hard to count in the coal dust. They have also fixed the deathtrap of a path they were taking down to the mine. Now they have a nice wooden platform, complete with a railing. And even a semi-permanent little mining camp at the top of the cliff to fend off the cold mountain nights. All nice, much needed... probably lifesaving... improvements. But, the real update is... they are bringing in that coal, fueling the booming war industry in Breshaun. Built months ago and hadn't had an opening to post it. Buzzer beater for Feb's build limit.

Now that all in the Brick Seas have had their eyes open to the hegemonic greed and duplicity of "The Red Menace," it is the patriotic duty of all patriots to resist Corrington's efforts to oppress smaller states like Oleon, Eslandola, and even those free spirited Sea Rats. To that end, the carpenters of the Beauchamp Shipyard have been working at breakneck pace to meet the demands of the Royal Navy. Reports have arrived back from *LOCATION REDACTED* that sea trials for the HRS Defender are complete. She is now under sail and on mission. (OOC: Appreciate the rigging above, for some reason the strings wouldn't render in most of the shots, I did this a few times, these are actually now much higher resolution photos than I usually do trying to capture it... sorry it didn't populate in all of them) As a heavy frigate, she is slightly wider than most (I think it was 4 studs wider than a large ship section) and also longer than most frigates (a large bow plus 7 mid-sections). With a condensed storage deck, mostly below the waves, there is a complete gun deck and, as pictured, she was "decked" out with additional guns all across the weather deck. Two chasers in the front and a "defending" deity graces the bow piece. The ship has sleek lines but, nothing too fancy in the stern. Captain and the ship's company now well tested and ready for action after completing their sea trials Captain Simone, eager to prove his worth, his first time commanding a frigate and he has been selected for an oversized heavy. Quite pleased with the new lady. The ship's armaments include 30 large caliber in the broadsides, the 2 chasers, and 4 swivels. Ready to check Corry aggression and restore balance to the universe.

Royal Quay: Jetty, Lighthouse, Ship Yard, Pier, Warehouse. (Royal Commerce)

FIXED! Bumped back up for Court Review

Bwahahahahahah!!!!!

What a terrific and funny story Steve two builds tell. Very well done. Hilarious!

Really fun build! Love the headgear, a motley crew for sure.

Great mix of colors to create your terrain

@Bregir I'm not sure what is more nerdy, participating in BOBS, or that before participating in BOBS I was building blue coat lighthouses to sit on the shelf and not share anyway. Mindset on the lighthouse was, "it is good/complete, and I just need to fix all the things my godzilla of a toddler had destroyed on it." I didn't really look at it with a fresh set of eyes. I'd upgraded a few things on it, but was focused building the rest from the ground up. Best possible interpretation for me, "look how much I've upped my game since joining BOBS." I'll put some work in on the lighthouse. Acknowledge the crane, had, had the same idea, but you are basically looking at a complete inventory of my brown/brownish bricks. I'll go sweep under some furniture and see what I can find.

As Breshaun and Eltina grow, volume at both ports has grown at pace. As property values in Breshaun increase and the population grows, there is less tolerance for large commercial dockyards. That is why the Counsel has decided to fund a major port construction project in Eltina. This massive port construction greatly increases throughput in Eltina's port, relieving congestion in both Breshaun and Eltina. The plan was this... the Crown would fund the engineering, to create a major deep water port, and then sell the newly developed prime land to independent builders. Step 1 centered around the construction of a jetty, breaking waves to create calm waters within and to prevent littoral drift from filling in the excavated berths. The jetty extends towards Eltina's recognizable rock spire, which has long been targeted for a lighthouse. With the lighthouse just beyond the jetty, navigation in and out of the port would be simple. Step two was the actual construction of the lighthouse, perched precariously atop the rock spire, it towers over the city's skyline. Once protected from the relentless tides and the perils of navigation, the Royal Quay was tied in to the Eltina defenses. block houses with sloped walls tie in to the existing large forts protecting the city and provide additional security for the new lucrative port and it's stocked warehouses. Also, the sand building up against the jetty has become a popular attraction for the locals. Once these elements were built by his majesties Engineers, the prime waterfront space was sold off to local venders. First to go in was a custom small craft shop. While craftsmen typically keep one work-in-progress out as a marketing ploy, the large wood frame and stucco structure houses the sales and logistics offices for the company as well. Adjacent, a large multi-purpose pier has been built for loading and unloading deeper draft ships. Eltina's position on the East side of the island, facing the war and our new holdings in Terraversa has made the pier a popular point of departure for supply and troop ships heading into the ever more crowded waters around TV. Next, we of course know that the faith is never far in any Oleander endeavor. A shrine to the god of the sea was built by the Faith and monks often linger for the opportunity to conduct an impromptu blessing of a ship or a particular voyage, for a small donation of course. In fact, if not for the Faiths oft stated indifference towards material wealth and worldly possessions, it would almost seem like monks are always wringing their holy insurance fees from nervous merchants. Already, the street of the new facility have become crowded and bustling. Next down the line, Admiral Beauchamp has purchased a waterfront strip and built a large wooden pier out into the protected cove. With a deep water berth on each side and a warehouse built out over the water, goods can be loaded straight into the ships. Further, the overpass connecting Beauchamp's office building to the warehouse means that what is coming in and out often goes completely unseen by prying eyes, perhaps this is why the Admiral handles so many government directed vessels. In fact, we can see some field pieces appear to have been brought out and are awaiting shipment, most likely to Terraversa. Finally, we come to the Admiral's new commercial brain stem. The large office building manages goods flowing in and out, scheduling of ships, scheduling of berth space and times. It is run by Beauchamp's buisness czar, Julian deVille. A sharp and compassionless businessman, he maybe would have made a better pirate. But deVille is just the man you want keeping your ships moving on time. Despite the business nature of the new port. The new construction, the long jetty, the crashing waves, and bustle of Eltina's expanded port district have made strolling the Royal Quay a local pastime. It is common on most nights for musicians to be out providing some accompaniment to the rhythm of the docks. The new and improved Eltina Royal Quay can support even large deep draft vessels... For the consideration of the court. This royal collab includes this outstanding 48 x 48 scene from @Bodi and this build from me which is a rectangle of 64x96 plus the jetty coming out and lighthouse for an additional 32x80. Total is 11,008 studs. UPDATE: The Lighthouse Is now My favorite part (of my portion)

@Faladrin, you don't even have to leave this post to find examples of me challenging rules for being unclear. My kerfuffle on this build was that when I built these two forts in the towns they are in, the towns were deliberately chosen because of the ring the defensive radius would create, which had been struck before I joined but were still listed on the chart. I guess my point is, I totally feel your frustration on the rule clarity and am the last person who could justify taking offense to somebody challenging a rule for one of my builds. The fort I just build in Nola Mar I actually built over Christmas. The reasons that 3 (me 2 @Bodi 1) forts were dropped in TV in the last few days is (exactly to your point), we'd held off posting anything in TV until we had it clear from @Bregirthat we could. We didn't know until this week that we actually could have built in these towns earlier (the mission I just posted in Nola Mar, I have been waiting to post since NOV. Valid constructive criticism somebody else said today... all "logs" all the way around is at best flat and dull, at worst lazy. And... it is easier digital (I think so anyway). That's why I built the cannon shot and took the time to pop off the roof and show the armory. Also, that is why the baseplate area for the total build is 64 x 96. I sized it out so that the area of the actual fort footprint would be about a large fort. Referees, thanks for quickly swooping in to make the call on the play... as you have when I have called shenanigans.

I have been watching OL's recruiting closely. My assumption is that troop recruiting since 28 OCT and until whenever the next MRCA turn closes will constitute 1 turn. Each settlement can raise troops only one time in that window? Is that right?

Oh no! Thanks.... fixed.... ugh...

This is beautiful! Sleek design, great colors, wonderful details!!! 10/10!

Thanks All and for the team for deeming Frontpage worthy! @Mister Phes, good note, my only thought on framing has been to max the zoom in the space provided, 'fill the screen with as much lego as possible without cutting it off too much'. This is a useful note.

1. I absolutely know what you mean, the struggle to balance classic pirate-y with more practical features and size does weird things. 2. As somebody who never appreciated architecture, everybody kept raving about Gaudi as I planned my first trip to Barcelona last year. I was floored! I am now an enthusiastic Gaudi fan even though I'd couldn't even list 5 architects. So, im going tobtake that as high praise. (And, if like me a year ago, anybody reading this wasn't tracking Gaudi, worth a google) @Kai NRG and @NOD Thanks! Actually the one thing I really wanted to test out in this build was the hing technique of building curves that makes for such great ship lines. I wanted to figure out just 1 curve at a time instead of diving right into a ship with multiple lines to worry about.

To whomever updated the fort chart under the land rules thread to remove the "defense radius" column, thanks. Obviously, clean up like that is very helpful.

Pulling this out of the comments on the Tarlor Fort post into a better spot. I don't think I am the only one who wasn't tracking this and I don't think I'm the only one who is struggling to find their bearing. Sincerely, I really enjoy this little universe and am thankful for the contributions everybody does to keep it alive. If I can be part of the solution and not part of the problem, that is what I would like. Right now, I feel like the best way to be part of "the solution" is to bring "the problem" to light in the right forum. If I am the only one who wasn't tracking this change, then I apologize. @Bregir, Yes, propaganda. Some of it is difficult to swallow and OL propaganda can reflect that while also accepting it as reality. Thanks for the nice comments about the fort... I was thinking about Fort William Henry (which was a real place, not just a scene in Last of the Mohicans). THAT SAID, "the protection radius of forts is obsolete." is a HUGE change to the universe that goes directly against the published description of how the universe works! I don't know if I'm the only one who is finding that out for the first time in your comment, but, man... that is frustrating... That redraws the whole map and changes the dynamic of the whole system. When I first read the radii in the land rules, I had to rationalize it a bit to myself (as I articulate above), forts are power projection platforms, not "just" fixed fortifications. I'm ok with that, but was surprised it was the rule. I'd be fine with it either way... just so long as we all understand which way it is... and your comment here is the first time I have seen something contrary to the published rules (that I have been keeping in mind as I've built forts and measured our/and your vulnerability based off of). @Capt Wolf highlighted the other day, this (the different and not well understood mechanisms for how the attack on King's Port was different from the attack on Fatu Hiva) is tricky because it is the first time that a faction on faction conflict has occurred and I get that. Your post here is another example of how the rules are unclear and causing frustration. How can I help us clear this all up? OL doesn't have to win for this to be fun, but it is real frustrating when the rules seem to be changing mid-fight. Gents, this is my favorite lego based online pirate universe, I hope my borderline obsessive posting shows you how much I appreciate the world you have built. How can I help you make it more clearly understood by all those who enjoy it.

@Bregir, Yes, propaganda. Some of it is difficult to swallow and OL propaganda can reflect that while also accepting it as reality. Thanks for the nice comments about the fort... I was thinking about Fort William Henry (which was a real place, not just a scene in Last of the Mohicans). THAT SAID, "the protection radius of forts is obsolete." is a HUGE change to the universe that goes directly against the published description of how the universe works! I don't know if I'm the only one who is finding that out for the first time in your comment, but, man... that is frustrating... That redraws the whole map and changes the dynamic of the whole system. When I first read the radii in the land rules, I had to rationalize it a bit to myself (as I articulate above), forts are power projection platforms, not "just" fixed fortifications. I'm ok with that, but was surprised it was the rule. I'd be fine with it either way... just so long as we all understand which way it is... and your comment here is the first time I have seen something contrary to the published rules (that I have been keeping in mind as I've built forts and measured our/and your vulnerability based off of). @Capt Wolf highlighted the other day, this (the different and not well understood mechanisms for how the attack on King's Port was different from the attack on Fatu Hiva) is tricky because it is the first time that a faction on faction conflict has occurred and I get that. Your post here is another example of how the rules are unclear and causing frustration. How can I help us clear this all up? OL doesn't have to win for this to be fun, but it is real frustrating when the rules seem to be changing mid-fight. Gents, this is my favorite lego based online pirate universe, I hope my borderline obsessive posting shows you how much I appreciate the world you have built. How can I help you make it more clearly understood by all those who enjoy it.

Terraversa is spear won territory and it must be defended! The maneuver units have been repositioned to re-invigorate the offenses that have stalled against the onslaught of bad news: no progress in King's Port for months, the sudden and total loss of Fatu Hiva where our Garrison of over 300 was reduced to 60 battle ready men and two large forts were destroyed while imposing only minor damage on one Red Coat ship, the luck of the Red Coats and Green Coats to sail past our 17 warships in the waters surrounding TV to land over 1,000 reinforcements unmolested, each with an eye to partitioning Terraversa amongst themselves under the false pretext of "protection," and the news that Prio now may enter the fray. These are indeed dark times... Well my friends, those on the ground have seen the change. Where at first we were resisted as conquerors, fear spread by Red Coat propaganda, we now see patriots like those in Nola Mar appearing across the island. As our actions and conduct have proven Terraveran fears unfounded, cooperation increases, governance returns in the towns, and volunteers pour in to fill the ranks of our garrisons. Here in Tarlor, a large fort has been constructed over the past few months of earth and timber. The town is protected by a mostly locally recruited garrison, and the seaward bastion's protect the waters to the South. Well supplied, the large fort will make Tarlor a tough nut to crack for any would-be attackers. Crews drill constantly as professionalism, discipline, and skill is added to the zeal and fearlessness that only true freedom fighters possess. The Crown and subjects of Oleon have been tried, but have not broken. We shall fight on with the gods on our side. We will be victorious.

Loyalty to the crown has earned the good people of Nola Mar the King's protection, but also his good graces. As such, he has called upon his nobles to demonstrate the charity and good will of the Kingdom of Light. Brother Jacob runs the mission inside Nola Mar and asks that you take a moment to acknowledge the crests of the noble houses that have funded the mission in Nola Mar, the houses of Rimbaud (@Keymonus) and d'Offren (@blackdeathgr) and Beauchamp. (Thank you noblemen) Similar to the mission established earlier to help the refugees from the conflict streaming to Astrapi, the Mission of Faith in Nola Mar welcomes those in need during these difficult times. The large cultural build demonstrates the benefits of Oleander culture, piety, and patriotism, while providing the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of the war's victims, though not all can, nor should, come into the camp as refugees. The missionaries are a common sight throughout the town, offering food, providing medical check ups, ensuring what comfort can be provided, is provided. Here we can see Sister de Cloche distributing some food to some refugees just outside one of the mission gates. (Provided by @Bodi!!! Thanks!!!) as we can see when we look within each of the buildings. The brothers of the faith practice their healing arts on those in need of medical care. Food is free and available to all those who are hungry (those aren't horse hearts, they are just red juicy delicious apples). Even a bunk with clean linen can be found. As refugees stream into the city through the security checkpoints, many mothers can be found occupying family rooms as the fathers enlist in the service of the King. Of course none are turned away, but certainly priority is reserved for the families of those who enlist. True to the well known piety of the Kingdom of Light, the primary gods are prominently represented and the brother's provide spiritual comfort in these trying times. It is quite an operation the priests are running here. Well funded by the good and noble houses of Oleon. A touching testament to the goodness of the Crown and Country of Oleon.

Being accepted as loyal subjects of the Crown is much more than accepting the King's rule. Loyalty is rewarded with all the benefits of citizenship. As war rages on across the island of Terraversa, the loyal subjects of Nola Mar, may now some sign's of the King's peace. The King's loyal subjects are now protected by a large fortress in the shape of a city wall. As soon as the first shots were fired by the liberating fleet of Oleon, the freedom fighters of Nola Mar began erecting barricades. For nearly half a year townspeople have devoted what time they could each day to improving the cities defenses. Once the King's banner had been lifted on high over the liberated city, Soldiers set to work in earnest building proper fortifications along the likely avenues of approach and weak points in the terrain. Flowing with the land around the city, the Sappers began to oversee crews of local volunteers instead of doing the building themselves, incorporating and improving on their makeshift city walls. Doubtless, the imposing design, high walls, bastions bristling with cannon, serve a double purpose. The town and surrounding area are now clearly defended, but to those that are willing to listen, the fort is a declaration of Oleon's commitment to protect and defend their newest subjects. While the conflict rages, any traveler personnel or cargo entering the city are checked, the citizens welcome the inconvenience as a small price for the security it provides. While most troops have departed to press the offensive, the garrison remains fully manned and on alert. Patrols are continuous. Newly built barracks house the troops so that our Soldiers, gentlemen as they all most certainly are and many recruited from the bravest of Nola Mar's volunteers, do not ware out their welcome by having to be quartered with the population. The large fort also allows Oleon's military logistics with well stocked magazines. The good and loyal subjects of Nola Mar rejoice to be under the protection of the Crown. Part II illustrates that the Crown's grace covers not just security and peace of mind, but dignity and sustenance in these trying times as provided by a nobility sponsored Humanitarian Mission within the city.

Well executed water technique. I also dig the rarely seen Orient Expedition torso.