Kwatchi

Another great scene posted in the story line. So much interesting detail presented in your pictures. Captain Redbeard Snakehead was an odd one though. :)

That was a lot of detail and a superb story supporting it. Well done.

A very nice throne room with lots of nice details. Whether it is deliberate or not, the red throne does a great job drawing the eye away from the white architecture to the sovereign; likely similar to how thrones rooms were originally designed. The monocled courtier in the front row is my favourite bit though. he cracks me up for some odd reason.

Wow. Just spent 10 minutes staring at the pictures trying to discern techniques I can emulate. The details in the rigging are great.

Voted... and keeping this near the top of the page.

I'm still trying to figure out the purpose of the knife wielding parrot. :) But I'll say it took me an initial few seconds to realize this was LDD; that first picture was really well put together.

Well that was a fascinating read, and a lovely ship build as well. I'm curious to see where this goes.

Name: Charlatan Bay Ownership: Sea Rats Location: Infero Pordejon, Sea of Thieves Mayor: Captain Emil Meloche (Kwatchi) Who can own property in Charlatan Bay: Sea Rats and believers of the old faith; Corrington can build residential and commercial only. Who can freebuild in Charlatan Bay: Any believers in the Old Faith or character on the dodgy path. Who can trade in Charlatan Bay: Sea Rats and Corrington only. Port closed to Oleon and Eslandola. Charlatan Bay settlement thread

Colony Name: Free City of Charlatan Bay Ownership: Sea Rats Location: Infero Pordejon, Sea of Thieves Island Description: With 50 to 200ft High cliffs on all sides, and an active volcano that gives off smoke more than a couple times a year, this small island his highly volatile. An eruption in '618 was felt as far away as Nelissa. This seismic activity has led some to believe that there is gold to be mined in the cliff regions of this island. A large native tribe lives on this island, and they are rumored to be hostile. Colony History: The colony of Charlatan Bay is a free port and city-state located on the island known as Infero Pordejon. The main town itself was founded at the top of the cliffs overlooking the bay, but over time a warren like community has sprung up by the docks along the cliff base and this haven serves pirate captains and smugglers both looking to resupply their fleets and as source of miscreants for their crews. After the death of its founder, the colony found itself under Mardierian military control, though every day governance was the purview of a civilian mayor. With the eruption of the local volcano in May '618, the colony closed its port and fired on all foreign vessels trying to make landfall. Now under new leadership, this self-imposed curfew has been lifted. The colony presently hosts the headquarters of the Free Traders Association. <More details below>

Reading through your post let me slip back down memory lane to when I was a kid playing Lego on the basement floor with my brother. Thanks for helping me recapture that for a moment.

That's certainly a build to be proud of. You can see the effort that went into it. Well done.

My wife walked by as I was finishing it and had the same reaction for the same reason. :)

Previously "FRIENDS!" "We are gathered here this day to celebrate the finding of our salvation. Long had we looked for a refuge from the religious persecution each and everyone of us faced at the hands of the church. Long had we searched for the island named in the prophecies of Bishop Millar. At long last we have found our way to our much needed haven, and today we celebrate the founding of our new community. Community based on the old faith. Today, we celebrate the founding of our town, here on the shores of Charlatan Bay." "When Bishop Millar made his crossing, he found a place of spiritual promise. A place steeped in the power of Hades, Zeus, and Poseidon. Today, not only do we thank the pantheon of three for their guidance in helping us find these shores, we also cast away the shackles we unfairly wore so long in the old world." "HADES, GRANT US YER PROTECTION!" "Moderam, suderam. Moderam, suderam." "I FEEL HIS GRACE!!" "Ahhh. (That was invigorating)" "..." "ARE YE STILL HERE YA LAYABOUTS!!? Ye have yer orders! Get to building the palisades and huts. Cut down those trees and get a stockade built fer the livestock. GET MOVIN' YE PACK OF FLEA RIDDEN DOGS!" "Boy, go fetch Captain Amara and tell her to prepare to set sail. We have hungry mouths to feed after all. And fetch the barber; I need a shave these bristles off. In fact, after a shave and bath I should feel like a new man." ==== This was be licensed a small cultural (i.e. Altar of Hades), with plans to expand on it later.

Thanks for the new title DD

Neat little build. You have managed to produce a nice little flotilla this month.

I'd be interested in the Harry Potter half. What specifically are you looking for? Off the top of my head I have some spare Hobbit orcs and fleshy bits I don't need.

Well, that is officially the first BoBS building I have no desire to rob and light on fire. :) I'll simply echo the previous commenters; it's gorgeous. I'm happy just to be playing in a field that includes builders who can accomplish this.

Wow. You certainly set the bar for what a large build should strive for. Well thought out building structure and a dynamic scene with proper background story. Hopefully this shows up in a convention display in the future.

To all Sea Rat Captains, please join the discussion in the MCRA 4 PM thread on the following. Hopefully we can resolve this internally in time for the next MCRA. Note I will not be continuing the discussion with players outside the faction. Not to be rude, but you've said your piece and I don't believe you have a say in how we decide to enjoy the game going forward. Well... Ska gets say I suppose. :) === In my line of work (engineering consultant) we tend go about things by identifying the problem and then proposing solutions. So here's my take: PROBLEM: THE SEA RAT FACTION AS IT STANDS IS IRREVOCABLY BROKEN It is not just a problem of rules per se, but also one of perception. Our scope is too broad and our roles conflicting, and within three months our membership been split because of it. For whatever reasons we now have two halves of a whole: Free Traders and Pirates. And neither half is right or wrong. Free Traders (or say smuggler nation) are those who have entered the economic game and are both prospering and enjoying in it. While staying free of trappings of nations, they are playing by the established rules and are building towards set goals. This being a Lego community, building goals is an admirable quality. To function properly, Free Traders need 1) Escort ships, of which the best we have access to are the 'royal' ones; 2) not be attacked by other factions with impunity under the lazy argument of "Well, they are all pirates so I can do what I want to them because they're bad". Pirates are those who got into this game to roleplay the romantic figure of an independent pirate lord fighting ship battles and hiding treasure on far away islets. They came in expecting Blackbeard, Jack Sparrow, Long John Silver and got a game of city building and trade convoys overrunning everything. What Pirates need is not so clear as everyone of them sees this differently to be honest, but a set understanding of their place in the game would be a good start. I don't believe these two can coexist. Free Traders will always suffer from being painted by the same brush as Pirates and the latter will always suffer as they cannot draw upon the faction resources (i.e. royal ships) to compete against the ship class arms race as these are desperately necessary to the traders. We will continue to pull in opposite directions and suffer for it. I have three possible solutions, and two of these solutions do not require much of outside help from committees or decision makers. And we're 'owed' a solution to this as individual players in order to make sure our continuing in the game yields what we all most want... what we feel is fun. SOLUTION 1: The Do Nothing Approach We struggle on as is and try to come to internal compromises every month while waiting for Ska to fix things. SOLUTION 2: The Great Dispersal This would equate to something of a faction reset. A proclamation would be made in the forums stating along the lines of 'These Captains have had a change of heart and now being of good conscience wish it be known that they will except a royal pardon in exchange for taking a vow to the crown'. Any Captain could sign their name to the document, at which point the factions would be allowed to enter negotiations with either individuals or the whole lot of them with aim to switch over to their side. Any properties they had licensed would be reimbursed and "retconned" to appear in one of their new factions holdings. Those who stayed (or didn't get a pardon offer ) would continue on as Sea Rats with the new understanding that they were lumped in with pirates and that all nations were permanently hostile with them, barring a separate agreement. SOLUTION 3: The Schism Rather than the Free Traders leaving, it is the Pirates that do so. Free Traders keep Bastion, the fleet, and the colours. They gain a legal court system and pseudo respectability but are required to keep their ports upon to Pirates for building and trading in perpetuity. Any who stay are granted pardons for past endeavours, as it is discovered they had sailed under a Letter of Marque from Garvey (retcon again). Sea Rats may declare war as a faction if/when they feel it convenient of course. Pirates, willingly, take with them the shirt on their back and not much else. They give up access to the court system, faction ships, and a capital city. While they might have a nominal faction leader for rule purposes and gang up occasionally, they operate as independents. They own no islands unless they take them by force, and any squatter settlement they establish is at their peril. Pirates will be hostile to all the three existing factions unless a deal is cut (i.e. letter of marque, etc.). For Pirates, it becomes a game of survival more than anything else. Once the split happens, the new Pirate (or Buccaneers maybe) Faction becomes closed to new player membership. That simply is because it would be a bit much for an entry level experience. In order to join, a player would reach a certain arbitrary goal (e.g. time played, Dbs collected, ship size, etc..) and must MOC their fall from grace. Player could conversely leave the pirates faction upon receiving a pardon, which once again needs to be MOC'ed and agreed to by the new faction leadership. In exchange for the new pirate's loss of previously licensed properties (which become unlicensed rather than destroyed in case he switches back later), they gain a discount on ship costs, while keeping the squatter building costs (losing the artisan yield bonus). While separate factions, both Sea Rats and Buccaneers would compete in challenges jointly due to the low numbers at present. Any faction Dbs and FIPS would go to the Sea Rats in their entirety. CONCLUSION In case you didn't pick up on my slant, I like solution 3 the best. But this would need to be a majority decision. Hopefully you have thoughts on the matter.

I put my response to this nonsense in the Mardier Challenge thread. It should clear up some of the misunderstanding. .

I'll have to delve into this discussion properly this evening after I get home from work, but I'll quickly type up a few salient facts since I seem to be a point of discussion. 1. Sea Rats are not what we thought they'd be! Within the first month of play they morphed into a faction of free traders, as the EGS had pirate actions at a poor risk/reward. I for one joined BoBS late and balked at being a trader; it wasn't what I had in mind when I joined. Internally, our faction is split on the subject. And if I am not mistaken, no SR captain has sailed on a pred cruise since I joined in February. So rather than SR=pirates, it should be more SR= independent traders/smugglers/contractors. 2. At present, Eslandia has an INDIFERENT reaction towards Sea Rats in the political system. So I am curious who ok'ed the predatory cruise with a royal ship contrary to the crown's position? Seems treasonous to me. 3. My actions last month were my own and reflect an in-character negotiation I had with the ESL leadership (Kai) regarding establishing a free port on Ferro Azure. Negotiations took a sour turn unfortunately and I sent my latest counteroffer via the MCRA. So at this time you can safely assume I personally am Hostile to ESL, and I'll presume vice versa. I'm a mini-faction of sorts. 4. I don't make berth anywhere at present, but I will establish a colony this month (once the challenge islands are handed out) so ESL can 'seek revenge for my cowardly attack' and keep the storyline going. Because that is my focus atm; the Db rat race is secondary. Hope to see you on the seas. MUAHAHAHAHA!

Vive la Brique Libre!

March 2016 MCRA As reported in the Kings Port Adviser: But what really happened? (see Gulagurag's version here) ==== "I tell you Captain, this is Bardo!" "Mr. Montriche, do you know what that young pup over yonder said to me before he passed on? He asked why the blazes we'd attack the town as small as Tarlo. I was of course incensed at his temerity and slander, and sent him to make his apologies to Hades for his lies. But then I looked up, and what do my eyes behold? A sign. A sign stating in letters clear as an ocean breeze: 'Tarlo Town Hall'. And I'll prove me point to you right now. Hand me that map." "..." "Mr. Montriche, when I took you on as navigator, you told me that you had been gifted with a classical education and such by your family. Math, Music, Arts, Literature. Youe had tasted them all you said, though freely admitted having chased skirts 'round the local pub more than keeping your nose in a book. So I have a question for you now." "During all that learnin', did they not teach you how to hold a map the right side up?" "Youth is wasted on the young..." "Ms. Maicy! Round up the crew and get them back to the ship, and inform Captain Amara we're leaving at once for Charlatan Bay. And then find me a suitable 'guest' for the little celebration we'll be having upon our return home if you please. No sense in being antisocial."

Vedauwoo, not that SR would ever stoop to such lows as blockade extortion , but this is probably something that would be better (and more fun) if declared and roleplayed openly on the forum imho, and not hidden away behind Oz's curtain.

Your courtyard fountain is a clever idea. Nicely done! And I love the DW references as well. All you need now is an appropriate antagonist: Master Drumbeat of the SS Dalek?