=][= Winter 2010 Community DIY Challenge =][=

[Ace Debonair]

Naboo is one of the easiest ones up there, man! :)

Thing is though, I hate Star Wars. With a passion. I could easily manage a thousand words on that, but let's keep things on topic. ;)

 

Oh, apart from the lightsabres. Laser swords are just cool. :)

[Octavulg]

There are three things I must say to the above:

 

First, hating something doesn't mean you can't make reference to it.

 

Second, Naboo isn't Star Wars. It's in a bunch of movies which have Star Wars on them, but that was a massive printer's error. They'll catch it eventually.

 

Third, die. :D

[Brother Tyler]

Also, 1,000 words is (I think) fairly do-able. If anyone thinks that is an excessive minimum for a basic description of the concepts, let me know.

Actually, I think that might be a bit on the large side.

 

It's do-able, true enough, but if we saw someone out in the Liber with a thousand words on their homeworld that didn't include the words "Astartes" "Recruitment" or "Fortress Monastery", I think the average Liberite would probably be moved to ask them to cut it down a bit and tell us what effect all this has on the chapter.

 

...Or maybe that's just me. :ermm:

 

Either way, I've sorted my outline, complete with drawing from three things (one of which I did entirely by accident, it turns out :lol: ) and I can write as much as is required about it.

It'd just be a shame to put effort into a thousand-word version only to have to cut it down later. ^_^

 

That's definitely not just you, Ace.

 

That said, I'd assumed this wasn't going to be the actual Home World section (since it doesn't mention the Chapter). This is basically a pitch for the Chapter's home world.

By comparison, the first part of the recent AoD Championship battle report, seen here, comes out to 1,132 words. It's not really that much writing (if I recall correctly, it took me about an hour to write). The word count is based on cutting and pasting the content into Microsoft Word and then having that program count the words. Back in my typing days, word count was based on every 5 letters counting as 1 word. That is usually somewhere around five paragraphs of substantial length. I'm accustomed to writing a lot (as some of you who have had to read one of my wall of text posts knows ;) ), so 1,000 words doesn't seem like much of a challenge.

 

Remember, this is covering a very broad range of topics, including the topographical features (that's geography), the culture of the normal humans, whatever system of government and organization there is for the normal humans, wildlife, weather, etc. You could include discussion of the stellar system, historical events of note, etc. As long as you avoid discussing the Chapter itself, you can cover pretty much anything. Given the broad range of things you can discuss, I really don't see how 1,000 words is that much of a challenge.

 

And why are we so wrapped up around Naboo? And when we get obsessed with Naboo, why is it the amphibious Gungans, their silly blue balls, the Jedi, and Star Wars? There was some very neat geography, architecture, and culture that could also be looked to for inspiration (if you're inclined to use Naboo as one of your three required concepts, that is). You guys need to look beyond the obvious.

 

Now whether or not we use the 1,000-2,000 words submitted in this element in the final product is anyone's guess. As I said before, all we're doing at the moment is collecting the ingredients. I'm approaching this systematically, sequencing things in a way that allows the earlier elements to influence the later elements in certain ways. We will definitely include the basic concepts that are put forth, but we might refine them and information included in later elements might change things up a bit. So having more information on the front end gives us more rudder as we steer through the later elements.

 

As for the eclectic sources I listed for the requirement, I chose things that would be distinct from the thematic inspirations for other official Chapters, but varied enough that you wouldn't all be submitting the same basic thing. Having a variety to choose from and allowing you to apply the concepts you choose in a variety of different ways allows for each of you to develop something unique and interesting. There is actually a great deal of flexibility in what I've given you, and if you don't like any of the sources I provided, there are plenty of others for you to choose from.

 

No lightsabers, though. :( Remember, it still has to mesh with the established Warhammer 40,000 universe conceptually. There are no Jedi, Sith, or other Lucasilliness (and I'm a huge fan of Star Wars - it's just a different game universe).

[Ace Debonair]

There are three things I must say to the above:

 

First, hating something doesn't mean you can't make reference to it.

 

Second, Naboo isn't Star Wars. It's in a bunch of movies which have Star Wars on them, but that was a massive printer's error. They'll catch it eventually.

 

Third, die. ;)

First, valid argument.

 

Second, valid argument.

 

Third, I'm sure there's some quote about hatred and the dark side which I could use if I didn't find the whole thing decidedly terrrible. :P

 

And why are we so wrapped up around Naboo? And when we get obsessed with Naboo, why is it the amphibious Gungans, their silly blue balls, the Jedi, and Star Wars? There was some very neat geography, architecture, and culture that could also be looked to for inspiration (if you're inclined to use Naboo as one of your three required concepts, that is). You guys need to look beyond the obvious.

That'll make it a great source for everyone else to use, then. ^_^

 

No lightsabers, though. :) Remember, it still has to mesh with the established Warhammer 40,000 universe conceptually. There are no Jedi, Sith, or other Lucasilliness (and I'm a huge fan of Star Wars - it's just a different game universe).

You have nothing to fear on that count. At least, not from me. :lol:

[Brother Tyler]

I got only a handful of submissions for this challenge (apparently I made it too difficult for the rest of you, so lesson learned). It is going to take me a bit more time than I have at the moment to process the submissions for presentation to everyone for voting, so expect to see the submissions later on today or early tomorrow morning.

[Chapter Master Ignis Domus]

(Un)Fortunately, we came back to the U.S. over Christmas so I didn't really manage to get much done. I shall place all blame on delicious cooking and getting caught up in the excitement.

[Shinzaren]

Yeah, between school, working in retail, and the Holiday, I unfortunately had to skip this challenge. I had a very very very rough draft that was like 100 words :mellow: I will hopefully be able to participate in the later one! Looking forward to the entries!

[Dosjetka]

No time either to enter anything, though I'm curious to see what other people have done :mellow:

 

Ludovic

[Brother Tyler]

No excuses! :mellow:

 

Element 5 concepts and voting posted here.

[Ace Debonair]

EDIT:

 

You know, I'll just remove that whole question since I found the answer myself anyway.

 

It's probably for the best. :(

Edited December 30, 2010 by Ace Debonair

[elohimalpha]

Only 2?! That's shocking - I was really hoping to read about some crazy home worlds

[Brother Tyler]

Well, there were actually 3, but the third didn't meet the requirements.

 

And I didn't get any of the entries until the last couple of days. I was starting to get worried.

 

It would probably be worthwhile to discuss why it was that most of the members that have been participating so far didn't participate in this challenge. If the reason was some of the things I did, I might be able to avoid making the same mistakes in future elements of this project.

[AngryJohnny]

I didn't participate this time around because 1. time restrictions, it's the holidays, all my time was put into my family. 2. Writing isn't my thing, I'm not very good at it at all.

[Ecritter]

I didn't enter simply because nothing on the list called to me and said write about me. I just couldn't find the inspiration.

[Tybalt Russ]

I kept comming up short of the 1000 words. But thats no excuse, really there is no reson I could'nt have had this done in time, there was plenty of time.

 

Tybalt

[Shinzaren]

The biggest thing for me was the lack of time. Holidays are always busy for me, and this year was no different. Between family and work, I barely had time to sit, let alone to write.

[Brother Cambrius]

As people have mentioned above, the timing just was not ideal for me to sit down and write. The holidays have been bonkers along with university work that takes priority one.

 

Cambrius

[Guest Mordray]

I had an idea that incorporated elements of the Kree Empire, Wild Wild West and the warring states period of china... however the holidays, prior commitments and a few other things like needing sleep sort of stopped me from getting more then a vague description down.

[Brother Tyler]

Our poll has concluded and we have selected the basic Homeworld information for our DIY Chapter:

Presumed lost from the rule of the Imperium in the tempestuous wake of the Horus Heresy, the world of Illustris lies near the Veiled Region in the Segmentum Tempestus.

The world of Illustris is a world dominated by it's geographical features. There is one large, central landmass, that wraps around almost fully half of the planet. The core of this vast continent is composed of towering, jagged mountains and deep, ancient valleys. Away from the inhospitable centre, forests and plains form the majority of the planet's terrain. Whilst there are other, much smaller islands on Illustris, they are highly perilous places, and as a result humans and their civilisation have only flourished on the central continent.

There, the human settlements are largely made up of individual, isolated clans. Each clan generally has two or three fixed settlements, and migrate from one to the other at set times throughout the year. The people of these clans are hunter-gatherers and farmers by nature, who pit themselves daily against storms, wild beasts, and occasinally against other clans. As a rule of thumb, clan members are only allowed to marry people from other clans. In such instances, it is tradition for the man to move into the woman's clan, although this tradition is not always observed. On rare occasions, couples from the same clan elope together. Some disappear into the mountains, and are the rumoured source of the 'clanless', a semi-legendary horde of bloodthirsty raiders who plunder and kill wherever they go. Others will travel to distant clans in far-off lands, and start a new life there. Illustris has few major cities, and it is only those fortunate enough to dwell within the walls of these great cities who do not undergo any migration.

Each of the clans, and even the cities, must swear allegiance to one of four 'Dominions', vast empires ruled by a collection of powerful dynasties. Wars to take control of border territories, or even to annex the lands of distant clans into part of a dynasty, are commonplace. When a clan's lands are taken over, that clan's allegiance is usually forced to switch to the conquering Dominion, under the threat of mass execution.

The people of Illustris consider themselves honourable and courageous. Even after being defeated and absorbed by another Dominion, clans will willingly fight for their new masters to uphold the honour and reputation of their clan and it's warriors. The people of Illustris generally make excellent soldiers, disciplined and steadfast warriors that seldom question the decisions of their commanders, and fight with the ferocity of tigers. The cultures of the clans value good warriors highly, and the most fearsome of them pass into local legends. Almost every clan has a tale or two of a clan-born legendary warrior, who others strive to emulate.

The most famous one of these is Giashi Quan, a vengeful warrior who took his knife and rifle, travelling alone into the mountains to hunt and kill the raiders who butchered his beloved wife. The tale goes that seventy years later he returned, with a belt made from the skulls of the ones responsible, and a sword said to have been forged by the mountain spirits. The story then details his journey back into the mountains, where according to rumour he buried the sword at the furthest end of the deepest valley.

Of particular note is the surprisingly strong bonds between the clans, despite the frequent skirmishes and bloodshed overseen by the Dominions. In many cases these go far beyond simple trade rights, and many clans have a long, documented history of their interactions with other clans. Particularly, clans whose history is consistently violent and contains mostly warfare tend to view each other as worthy adversaries. Members of one clan marrying into another are, surprisingly, not demonized by their former clansmen, except in rare cases.

All four of the Dominions are fairly evenly matched in warfare, and wary generals make much study of their enemies' strengths, as well as their own. On the rare occasion that one Dominion rises above the others in terms of power, the other Dominons have always bonded together to combat them, although such alliances have proven to be fragile and quickly broken once the common threat has been toppled.

The history of Illustris shows a marked difference between the lives of it's nobles and commoners. The nobles keep to the major cities, spending thier days mired in an eternal struggle to manuever into greater prominence, whilst watching their backs against the ambitions of other nobles. The great dynasties that rule each of the four dominions eternally contest each other, both within their own dominion and abroad. Who gives the orders is almost irrelevant to the peasantry, however, who are forced to obey them regardless, pressured to do so by both their peers and personal codes of honour and obedience thousands of years old.

The one definitive surviving link to previous Imperial rule can be found in the somewhat decrepit temple on the far north of the continent. Far more splendid and magnificent than any of the other structures found on Illustris, it is home to the ancient line of Illustrian kings, dating from long back before the dynasties that rule the Dominion were established. As time has passed, however, the wealth and power of these kings has diminished, to the point where now they have almost no influence on national politics, their voice barely heeded more than any ordinary clan leader. With the decrease in power has come the decay of the temple, that clearly once used to be a vast shrine to The Emperor. Ancient documents suggest the line of kings to be descended from governors installed during the long-lost days of Imperial rule.

Various prayers and catechisms within the Illustrian culture refer, at times, to a Great Emperor, a figure who created marvels and whose very presence could tame and command the great beasts of the wild. Others talk of him being attended by an army of enormous statues, grey as the stones and yet alive. While such tales are largely considered mythical within Illustrian society, most Imperial scholars believe these accounts to refer back to the days of the Great Crusade, long before the Horus Heresy. When Illustris was claimed back into the Imperial fold, little changed on the world, although the site of the ancient temple was quickly transformed into a servicable space port.

So congratulations to Ace Debonair for the submission. He may now use the "Contributor" banner image:

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1290546215/gallery_26_4045_2540.gif]

Our other entrants were:

• elohimalpha
  
• Gurava
  

Both of these members is entitled to use the "Participant" banner image (assuming they aren't already using either that badge or the "Contributor" badge):

[img=http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/uploads/1290546215/gallery_26_4045_1095.gif]

=][= A note to our members that are entitled to the banner images - the normal B&C rules for images in signatures still apply, so all images displayed in your signature must display within a single space no wider than 350 pixels and no taller than 100 pixels. I've noticed a few of you that are displaying the images with other images in a way that they are side by side, separated by text, or otherwise creating a total display area either wider than 350 pixels, taller than 100 pixels, or both. Remember that the display of these images is still optional and must still be within the limits allowed by the rules. If you are one of the guilty parties, please adjust your signature accordingly. =][=

[Brother Tyler]

Next challenge posted here (3b - Markings Part II). Edited January 1, 2011 by Brother Tyler
Updated the link after I had to re-do the poll.

[Ace Debonair]

So congratulations to Ace Debonair for the submission. He may now use the "Contributor" banner image:

The trophy is mine! :lol:

 

My thanks to everyone who voted for my ideas for the homeworld - much appreciated!

[elohimalpha]

Nice work Ace!

[Ace Debonair]

Nice work Ace!

 

Cheers, buddy. ^_^

 

Was yours the other entry?

A fair bit of the stuff in there had me going 'Why didn't I think of that?' :P

[Dosjetka]

Nice one Ace! Well deserved :P

 

And I also enjoyed yours elohimalpha, so I didn't vote (couldn't decide :lol:)

 

Ludovic

[Brother Cambrius]

Very well done Ace, I enjoyed reading that.

 

Cambrius