SkaForHire

A little off topic, I love your torso decals! Does this forum have a post full of decals for the different Lego factions? I would like to get a few satchel torsos with symbols behind them (such as the one you have made, only for the lion knights.) You are doing a great service to your guild! Over at Kaliphlin, we are a rag tag bunch, so we don't have need for uniforms outside of the capital, however you Avalonians look spiffy!

Greetings Darecold, I have been watching your fleet, as it seems to be one of the few that rival my own. We would be glad to trade with you at Eastgate in the Inland Sea, or at our merchant posts in Barqa and the Spice Islands (or any other minor coastal post belong to the GEAR CO) We mainly trade in oil, timber, and exotic goods obtained from far, far off lands, but we also carry all the basic necessities to fit out settlers and adventurers. Beware, GEAR CO will not do business with slavers, so if that is your game, your money is not wanted here. -Dugal MacLean [i really like your ships! I can't imagine how hard it was to get enough werewolves though!]

I like it. Queens Cross is pretty cool, we could probably throw a bunch of lore behind that. I do like your idea about someone building the crossing, and then we name it. If I had the bricks I might take a stab at it. Alas, I am going to three PAB Walls tomorrow, we will see how much tan and browns I can get so I can finally get moving on my tower. I have a kind of different thing in mind, I hope I can find enough bricks to represent it.

You should throw Eastgate on the map, then again I may be prejudice ;) Although it is big enough to be two sides of the Red River and controls that inlet... so might be worth noting... But to your question, for the one that crosses Arkbri, we could name it after the bridge (which we can assume is something magnificent, and the major feature of such a city) Maybe Goldbridge, Whitebridge, Longbridge, Stormsbridge, Bridgehaven... Or if it technically is a river port... Stormsport, Riverport, Southpor,t Arkbriport, Blackwall, Desert Rose, Rivertown.

I am not trying to nit pick, just comparing conclusions here. We came to different conclusions ( I posted after you on the Avalonia thread) although I estimated around 700 miles of coast in the south, I think the map maker (you) has a better idea on the scale. In the end, It really depends on the type of ship, but I think 4-5 knots is a little slow for a Medieval ship. Most major ancient trade routes in the Mediterranean averaged around 6 -7 knots (but you have to remember that many of them probably put in at night, so while sailing were hitting higher speeds.) The top speed for small cog (50ft or so) would be around 9 knots, where a larger cog (100ft) would likely be around 13 knots. Still, I agree with you about putting in at night, most ships would not dare that terrain in the dark, thus making the trip about two weeks. My calculations were all made assuming the best wind possible and sailing 24 hours a day - something most ships would not do. So, I am guessing it is about a 2 month journey to circumnavigate the continent - Assuming one can pass through the polar regions. (maybe that will spark some Mitgardia polar explorers MOCs!)

Some quick math, and a shotty eyeing of the coast lines, there seems to be about 350 nautical miles of Avalonia's mainland from border to border (through the Mystic Isles), while if one was to sail all the way around there seems to be around 550. Much weaker is my eyeing of Kaliphlins coast. I come up with around 700 nautical miles. I wish we had a scale on the maps! Anyway, there may be a few that want to know this, but with an average sailing speed around 7 for a late medieval cog, we are looking at about 170 nautical miles a day (with good wind, and sailing 24 hours a day). That would mean a little over two days for the voyage from Kaliphlin to Mitgardia through the Mystic Isles. Three and a quarter days to go around the whole coast, and four and a quarter to sail Kaliphlin's whole coast. That is at max speed with very favorable wind. A galley under row power averaged around 2-3 knots, with short bursts in battle up to 9. BTW, a small cog would probably max out around 10 while a large cog could hit perhaps 13 knots an hour. Alright time for bed... But hypothetical fantasy math is fun!

That is a lot of bananas. My favorite guys have to be the two soldiers standing there with the sands of time dagger... "Oh yeah Phil, I picked this up last week off some princess chick." "Oh really Henry? That looks like a spiffy piece of craftsmanship." I like that this competition is spawning random MOCs that are not part of the challenge. I hope it stays fresh throughout the whole year (or longer)

[Jason, your map is awesome - I was just jabbing over the borders because that is the way my character is; he is a scoundrel, and probably has no idea personally where exactly a border lay. However, when I was writing up my guy's backstory I was under the impression that the "Red" River (btw, are we going with that name? I just threw it out there, but it seems to be sticking) was on our side of the border. I was caught a little off guard when you map came out, as it then showed that my guy's land was in Avalonia. I didn't want to make a huff about it or insult your hard work, but it did present a fun opportunity to have my character say something about it.]

You know that doesn't really make sense, since this is a pirate specific topic? As in it was about pirate Lego on sale, and then had discussion about pirates and where to find them. It would be much more useful in the pirates forum as that is where pirates people go first. This thread really doesn't have a general audience... The point is moot since the thread is dead, but I don't understand why the mods are always so keen on moving threads when often they are in the right place to begin with. If a thread is about a specific theme it should stay in that forum, even if it is about buying...

Clearly their map is wrong. Look, the forest does not even stretch as far on "our side" of the Red River. What, are they planning on doing? Cutting it down? Also, the fortified and garrisoned town of Eastgate sits on both sides of the river's mouth. Since my company has been in firm control of the town for over a hundred years, the people there will choose to side with whoever we side with. In this case the mighty Kaliphlin Guild. We cannot let them have these lands, as they have the only Live Oak in all of Historia (to my knowledge.) This live oak allows us to build stronger ships and fortifications, and since the badlands lack timber, this is probably where most of us get this resource from. I agree with you Gex, it is time to start building towers within the forest and on the coast to show our friends how we stand on this issue. We won't sit idly as our lands are stolen by someone with a pen. We have a saying where I come from, "Come and Take It." -Dugal

Ok... So I bit, I am going to join in on the fun. I am probably limited to smaller MOCs because of my brick selection, but I am spending way too much time reading these forums not to participate. Haha. Greetings Lord Flagg, I, Dugal MacLean, wish to hereby swear an oath of Allegiance to the Kaliphilin Guild and take on the rightful duty of protecting the south. My resources are great. Not only are some of my oil fields the richest, but my main business, as you may know, is seaborne transportation and merchanteering. My fleet is vast, fast, and combat tested. Our Company, GEAR, or the Greater Eastgate Articles and Rations Company has been in business since before the last war. I hale from my company's headquarters, the town of Eastgate located on the Inland Sea at the place where the westernmost river meets the sea(we call it the Red River [ unless there is already a name, but I couldn't find one in the threads] because of the red badlands mud it carries all the way through the forest and to the sea, giving the river a blood-like color at some points ) . As you know, many ships traveling east from Avalonia and destinations further choose to use the Inland Sea for as far as possible, as it is much calmer than the Great Southern Ocean (fear not, for we are well equipped for all conditions!). For generations we have been harass... errrr ... inspecting trader's papers for proper authorization to pass through the region. We have maintained order on the shores of the sea, admittedly with a heavy hand at times. In the past we have taken up privateer commissions in the name of various lords in order to protect our lands, and others. My company's reach extends much further than just the inland seas. Our ships sail around the whole continent and to lands far, far away. Additionally, our oil holding lands in the badlands have left us with a large and established ground force, at your lord's call if needed. Lastly, I would like to strike down some of the vile rumors about myself and my men. 1) We never plunder innocent merchant vessels, every good we have confiscated was most likely being traded illegally. We often luck out and find unmanned vessels in the Inland Sea, by law of the sea those are finders - keepers. 2) We do not hunt of the coasts of Avalonia, those are ruthless (yet good looking) imposters trying to soil our name! 3) We do not control the "Ghost Ship" Whisperer. We are well trained seamen, with hundreds of years of experience, and we have yet to see such a ship crewed by the damned - or at least one that was not a Darklands pleasure yacht 4) Our company has never raided a Kaliphlin Guild or Siccus Badlands trade caravan. We are protectors, and proud of our region. Now some vile rumors that I shall somewhat admit to: 1) We do not take kindly to slavery, and have been known to confiscate and free slaves. This is true, and we will continue this policy. 2) The rumor that while in a far, far away land we bought crates of special fleas that have a particular taste for Drow skin and blood. We then took said crates to Nocturnus and unleashed them upon the denizens of the dark. That one may be true. If we would have known that these fleas caused infertility in their weak warriors, we would have never brought fifty crates back to the mainland; we would have brought fifty thousand. I hope by accepting our oath of allegiance, you will grant a ceremonial pardon for said rumored "crimes." In return, we will build two orphanages, one public park in Petraea, and vow not to ship any sort of soap or disinfectant to Nocturnus. As my personal artist is busy plun... er, collecting tolls, I leave you only with this sketch of one of my most trusted assistants, Florbad The Mighty. For Kaliphlin! -Dugal MacLean lego1 007 by princeofska, on Flickr flickr image of Florbad Above you will see the Florbad the Mighty and the GEAR 2nd Desert Brigade - "The Hotknives" - walking through a village on the way to deliver this missive. [My actual sig fig is under construction with parts still in the mail. Sorry!]

LOL! Nice! I only played 40k myself (and I am STILL trying to sell a gigantic early 2000s Space Marine Army off...) but those look pretty neat. I doubt you will find anyone that will allow you to field them against real models though! ;) But still very cool.

I do agree that any pirates at all is a good thing, but if they are going to end the POTC line, PLEASE give us one East India or Royal Navy ship! Or heck, just give us Lego Pirates 2012.

That isn't good - not the price, that is good - but that they are discounting the big set of the 2011 run. I wonder if that means they are pretty much done with Kingdoms. Which stinks, because I don't have the money in my budget to pick up a bunch of Kingdoms :(

I can appreciate that, but having a subforum for MOCs does not break up the main forum itself. Look at the pirates forum, all discussion happens in the main forum, while all MOCs are posted in the MOC forum. There is no discussion in the MOC forum. I think there are two major problems here with it all being in one spot. One - organization, it is incredibly hard to sort through MOCs, Guild Threads, Etc... Having a Historica MOC forum could work wonders. Just have a stickied Index thread on the main forum. Leave the normal forum for discussion (Historica and not related alike) and non related MOCs. This will free up space for those not interested in the Historica build, since the forum is shared amongst four themes. Two - Historica may have caused more interest, but it also may be seen as a divider in the forum. Some don't have an interest in the community build, and by the amount of flooded posts related to Historica, they may stop visiting at all. So it may have the opposite effect of what was intended in some cases. I think leaving the smacktalk and guild lore in the main forum is fine, but I really think a MOC sub forum for Historica is crucial. Not to mention that judging MOCs for Historica would be much easier if they were all in a sub forum! Perhaps it is a little OCD of me, but I personally would enjoy more order.

One last suggestion tonight - Since this is meant to last at least a year, perhaps there should be a fifth guild that gets started about six months in? It would be easy to add an island to the map to the SW. Perhaps a guild that revolves around the sea? Why I suggest keeping a reserve guild, and starting it in six months, is to allow new people to join that might otherwise be intimidated three or four months from now, when all of the guilds are well established. Yes, they probably would not win in total points, but it might make for a friendly environment for the new people. (Think of it as an expansion pack) With the rate EB is growing, I think it is safe to say that new castle fans will come into the fold over the next few months. It could even serve as a spot for veteran castle fans that have been here a while but decided not to join right away (perhaps unsure of what this was, or that it would be fun for them)to jump in. Just a few thoughts, but I think it might be a way to gain even more momentum later on. I have to say, that as originally a skeptic of the whole thing, this is shaping up to be one of the most interesting Lego events I can remember. I still think it needs its own sub-forum though :)

So.... After going all the way through this thread and most of the other... A few questions: It seems that there will be points awarded to each guild for builds? That is pretty cool, but that would require neutral judges, right? Can I sign up for that? I don't have enough bricks out of storage to make much for the builds, and I am intrigued by all of the entries so far. It would be fun to be a judge if more are needed. Second, is there a map yet? That would make things much clearer. I have mapping software and can whip something up if needed... After getting through one of the guild posts, I see there is indeed a map. Looks good, especially the southern map. One last thought, it was said earlier in this thread (somewhere around page 9) that points would be used to take land away from other guilds. I was wondering if a map was made, if there shouldn't be "districts" or "duchies" or something that can be taken away / bought. They could be considered "traditional" duchies of the actual Lego factions, that way one could explain in greater detail why there is a few crown knights area in all four guilds. Because these districts traditionally belonged to that faction, long before the king forged the great nation of Historica. Maybe a guild member has built a keep or watchtower for a certain "king" or "lord" of a Duchy - that would make it easier for different guildies to community built a certain town or what not. Not all districts would have to be claimed or used. Effectively, they would be NPC territories and those would be the territories that the other guilds could steal or buy with their points. Anyway, just a thought. Oh yeah, where the heck are the coastal settlements and some good merchant cogs! That is the pirate in me talking ;)

I think it will be. I believe its completing its second year in the next few months. It is a nice ship. I bought at 12am last night, and they goofed up my order. I didn't seem to get VIP points! They did readjust it so I got the proper free shipping.

Is the last before or after the Apes take over? :) This was awesome! Part of me would like to think you built all three at once, and that they all still exist - but I am guessing that is not the truth. I really like the evolution, its something I don't recall seeing before.

I am surprised, with the high quality of both Castle and Kingdoms sets, why Lego would steer away from the Medieval / Fantasy era? I wish we knew sales figures... But I know AFOLs ate up these last two lines pretty well, and I can't imagine kids didn't. I will say that they were smart with models like Village raid, which was really just a way to produce a barn, they threw in a bunch of baddies to sell it to kids. But lets face it, that barn was for AFOLs! I hope to see more knights in shining armor, I am already starved of my main theme ten years at a time (pirates) to get rid of a classic theme like castle would really hurt. Although I would save a lot of money. Lets hope its not KK2-ish. Or whatever that was before Castle... knights with no pants... (or decals if I can remember correctly)

Hey everyone, This may only apply to Americans, but I went online to see what the Lego shop had for Black Friday. The Imperial Flagship is listed at 139 and the POTC battle back was slashed in half at 8 (ish) dollars. I just ebayed a relatively cheap Imperial Flagship (not that cheap, but about ten dollars more) So I was kicking myself for that. But I did grab a couple battle packs. Also, over 49 dollars and it is free shipping, over 99 you get a Christmas set, and over 149 you get a further 10% off. Not bad. I just couldn't justify hitting the 149 mark... Even though I did get Emerald Night to go around my Christmas tree this year. I just couldn't justify a fourth IF! Hope this deal helps some of you!

I Understand, sorry that it came off snooty... As a neutral observer in this event, I would just like to see no limits building. Some of these have been quite fantastic! You make a good points about the timeline, however I never really thought of steampunk much greater of a rift than high magic. Also, since this is going on in a forum with wild west also, it might give those people an opportunity to participate. Who has mammoths? I want to see that MOC!

The cannon is the most medieval part about this... the steam engine would be the part that might be crossing that imaginary line (are you all really going to limit what a person builds?) Cannons date back well into the middle ages. Besides what happens when someone builds a hovering wagon that shoots lightning bolts... but it is ok, because it is all magic based? Whereas I am not really a fan of the Historica thing (I don't know, some of these MOCs are kind of tempting me) I think putting limits on it would be bad. Back to this MOC. I would go with black wheels to make them look like steel, or maybe just some of the larger steel looking wheels. I think it is sort of funny how it looks now, because with that large of a steam engine the wooden wheels would give way quite quickly! :)

IF you are referring to the blurriness of some of the pictures, I don't think it is Flickr. From the looks of it, it is actually the way you shot the pictures that make them look weird. Your focus is linking on very crisp to one or two blocks or elements, pushing the rest out of focus. This is usually caused with a lens with good depth of field (are you using a DSLR?) and being too close to the object you are taking a picture of. I would step back a couple feet and use your zoom. Lego is hard to capture just right... Anyway, I love this tower. It is very reminiscent of some of the WoW towers, and I really like that it has that broken down look. I guess I enjoy that it is something different from all these pristine looking new towers. Also, I like the cannon room - that is a very interesting looking contraption to control the movement of the cannon.

I agree. I also find the guild thing weird, and makes it hard to navigate this forum - especially if you are not participating. It has pretty much blocked out all of the other historical themes too. Still, these challenges make for some great MOCs, so I think the positives at least equal the negatives of having such a large challenge. Although, I think it may actually be best if it was moved to its own sub-forum, sort of like the Pirates MOC forum.