Ideas made flesh... possibly?

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

Well met Liber.

 

I used to post a lot on the Liber, many moons ago under a different handle. Relatively recently I discovered that I can't actually access my old account here, so here I am.

 

I've had a couple of ideas for chapters knocking about for a while and my old favorites that I'd been working on years ago are still in the back of my mind, but I find they need some serious revision, as warm and familiar as they are.

 

So, to begin the real meat of this post I'll begin with a bit of a manifesto as to why I'm thinking the way I am.

 

I love the attempt to work with the lore of 40k and Space Marines specifically with the framing of what we know today. Seems a funny thing to say really since we'd usually assume a lot of us are already doing that, but I mean in terms of functionally looking at the reality of what GW is proposing.

 

There is a lot of mysticism and psuedo science involved in the 40k universe and I accept that fully. I am a massive fan of the thread on the 'reality' of the Bolter and it's munitions and construction linked elsewhere in the Liber. I am also a big fan of the 'Warhammer 40k Blitzkrieg' series of videos shared between two YouTube users going by the names of 40k Theories and Fiaura The Tank Girl where they analyze the armoured vehicles used in 40k with the latter (Fiaura) utilizing her knowledge as an engineer on point.

 

To cut down on waffle; basically this boils down to how I view Space Marines to reasonably operate.

 

To be clear, I'm not a fan of 'reasonable marines'. Don't get me wrong I don't discount them entirely and if that's what you want from your Astartes then be my guest and I'm all the happier for it, but it's not what I see when I look at the Astartes.

 

They are terror weapons, with the effectiveness and equipment necessary for extreme shock and awe. They are not the snipers crawling around in the long grass waiting for one shot in a million. They have done their time in that training to gain practical knowledge and experience from that particular field, but it's not their focus. There are others to do those jobs, unless push comes to shove.

 

They are built to kick down the door and kill everyone in the room, but also display that sheer terrifying proficiency to everyone else in view. This isn't to detract from their overall ability on the battlefield and use in almost any environment as extremely heavy infantry and shock troopers, but this is their strength.

 

You put them in a siege situation and they are better suited to breaching and clearing the walls of the enemy citadel than playing the waiting game. On defence they wouldn't be holding the line with the Imperial Guard (sorry, Astra Militarum... right), they'd be ranging, looking for poorly defended resource points. They'd be trying to punch a hole in the besiegers lines and then roll up the flanks to do as much damage as possible before dispersing.

 

You don't create a 7 foot tall warrior with the personal armour and armourment of a Bradley to dance around the issue.

 

 

To me I would see Space Marines as the ones using their jump jets to quite literally jump on to the troop skimmers used by the xenos races and tear them to pieces. They'd be the ones boarding Titans and laying charges. The frontline engagement seen in so many artworks should quite literally be the tip of the spear.

 

 

As such I've tried to imagine, in keeping with the theme of the 40k Astartes chapters, what cultures from history I'd be able to draw from to support my particular view of how Astartes are supposed to operate.

 

So far I've been fairly shallow in the pool of possible candidates.

 

Frankly, I've been coming up more with specific military outfits than cultures. 

 

If you want to discuss my interpretation, go for it, but what I'd like to elicit from the Liber, if you'd be so kind, would be some ideas to push this forward in terms of theme.

 

What I've narrowed it down to so far is thus:

 

My favourite chapters are the Blood Angels and Salamanders.

 

The cultures I've drawn from before have been Nordic offshoots, middle eastern Hashishim  and Barbary Corsairs, some Bhuddist and eastern influenced meditative - kung fu movie ish (with less cheese) - influences.

 

Would anyone have anything to suggest?

 

Thank you for your time Liber.

[Dizzyeye01]

I'd say from what you've been talking about there is a successor chapter to the White Scars.Perhaps they hail from a sea where where boat travel is the way the local populace gets from island to island, conducting trade or, more likely than not, raiding each other (incorporating that Barbary Corsairs theme you've used before). The populace could also have the equivalent of whale hunting as a way of teaching youngsters that patience is a virtue: throw a spear too early and the spear will do minimum damage. It could also be seen as a rite to adulthood that then gets incorporated into the chapter.

[Erasus]

Hello!

I couldn't agree more on the ethos of the Space Marine.

 

But down to the question . . .

Um, what exactly is the question?

 

Is it to provide suitable real life cultures that follow the aforementioned ethos in order to inspire these new Chapters?

Or are you asking those of us far too eager to jump in when called to help create one?

 

For the first there's the GW favourites in the Greco Roman cultures and the medieval Knightly Orders. The Samurai and the rest of Edo Japan are a relatively untapped source. White Scars have the Mongols but what about the Parthians or Huns. There's the variety of barbaric tribes the Romans beat into the dust such as the Gauls, Scythians, Thracians, Carthaginians and those who they lost to such as the Goths, Visigoths, Lombards and the successive Franks. I don't think any official Chapter follows the Byzantium Empire too closely. Could even look at Zulu or Maori culture. Ottomans are rarely given a shout out either.

Except for the horse orientated groups here the rest are pretty much "kick in the face" type of people. Could drag some influences out of them.

 

If it's the latter . . .

 

Sticking to your favourite Chapters, I recommend a late Founding Blood Angels Successor ravaged by the Red Thirst, as many late Foundings are, that recruit from a feudal world.

The culture could be rife with civil wars. The less advanced a civilisation seems to be the rougher and more "kick in the face" it seems to be depicted, so maybe resources are scarce, it's easier to take off of others than get them yourself? Ah! No I got one! How about there are two cultures, one civil and feudal/Renaissance and one barbaric and brutal. The brutal one is constantly raiding and butchering the other, the Chapter take it upon themselves as guardians of their chosen world to routinely cull their numbers, taking the young as possible recruits. Got both the regal nobility of the Blood Angels and the brutality of Astartes represented in the two cultures.

 

Although I do love the idea of angry Salamanders . . .

 

What about a Chapter of Salamanders Successors that live inside the husk of a mining world? The population was moved out during the onslaught of the Beast to perform manufacturom work making munitions and weapons to fight the xenos. Ironically this meant it was so much easier for the orks to take the world and waste we remianed of the populace was hunted through the tunnels. Fast forward a bit and the Beast is banished, the orks were cut off and as the Imperials attempted to purge them the xenos became more and more feral, due to no spacefaring examples to copy. The infestation is never cleared, so when the Chapter decides to take a crack at it there's plenty of orks running around the Hulkesque planet. They fail to completely purge the planet as well, partly to the near infinite array of tunnels and mines but partly due to the fact they liked chasing the orks through the close spaces, bashing in skulls with hammers and unleashing the rage that came with fighting the alien scum. The remains of the local humans could be there, maybe as a worthy recruitment pool. I don't know I got carried away . . .

 

I actually have a similar idea for my Sacred Brethren, less angry though.

 

I'm not sure why, but I've taken your "to the point" marines, the ones I tend to envision as well, and made them Angry Marines. Sorry . . .

 

Point me in a direction to set off in and I will spill all the ideas that come to mind along the way

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

Well, that was quicker than I remember the Liber moving in the past!

@Dizzyeye I had considered the White Scars myself, but for some reason couldn't separate the mongol from them in my minds eye. I suppose I'd had a bit of a block on the subject. I am really digging the idea of a water-world (leaving Kevin Costner aside) culture and have to admit, it hadn't come to mind until you suggested it. I quite like that approach. The whaling idea works, if they're reliant on them for food, but perhaps supplanting the whales for a larger, more predatory beast for the initiates rites. All good suggestions brother, thank you!

@Erasus you're bringing the enthusiasm brother, it's great... and strangely angry.

So to address the first point you made, I admit yes I left the actual point of the above post a little bit vague, but both you and Dizzyeye kind of hit the nail on the head with your suggestions.

I greatly enjoy the process of developing a Space Marine chapter and even the discussion surrounding the themes and application of certain cultures to the Astartes paradigm is greatly satisfying for me, so even just discussing these concepts is wonderful. However, to actually get through the discussion to the proper application and then hammering out of a proper IA would be the obvious end goal, let's see if I can actually go the distance for once!

I really like the suggestion of some of the cultures you put forward initially. The Huns, or even the Goths could be a good point of reference. I was actually seeing whether I could combine both of your suggestions, to have the White Scars parent chapter, with a Hunnic themed culture but still stick with the water world. Seems a bit strange from where I'm sitting at the moment, but anything can work, it just depends how well it's written after all!

I like both of your larger suggested points to do with the Salamanders and Blood Angels chapters, though I really quite like your Salamander successor there. That's a pretty fantastic concept. That said, you've just pitched two seperate IA possibilities whole-cloth, and I'm rather entranced with the water world idea for the moment.

Though if you don't use that latter idea of the mining husk with orc infestation in the future, I might just have to revisit it!

Thank you for the quick replies brothers.

PS

I am looking more for discussion and a bit of back and forth as to the pros and cons of certain themes and their viability and practical application to a Chapter. I'm asking a bit more than what I would normally, usually I'd come with at least a half fleshed out concept before I took to the forums unless I had a specific question to ask, but I've not done this in a long while and the creative process is a little rusty.

[Dizzyeye01]

 

@Dizzyeye I had considered the White Scars myself, but for some reason couldn't separate the mongol from them in my minds eye. I suppose I'd had a bit of a block on the subject. I am really digging the idea of a water-world (leaving Kevin Costner aside) culture and have to admit, it hadn't come to mind until you suggested it. I quite like that approach. The whaling idea works, if they're reliant on them for food, but perhaps supplanting the whales for a larger, more predatory beast for the initiates rites. All good suggestions brother, thank you!

 

No problem at all :)

 

Another point to make is that not all successor chapters behave in the same way as their parents do. It's very possible that with the new intake of recruits from your homeworld that the mongol part of the white scars disappears and the Barbary Cosair culture replaces the mongol part.  

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

No problem at all

Another point to make is that not all successor chapters behave in the same way as their parents do. It's very possible that with the new intake of recruits from your homeworld that the mongol part of the white scars disappears and the Barbary Cosair culture replaces the mongol part.

This is very true. It was more of a conceptual block on my part. I'd had the ideas knocking around for a while and I just couldn't shake the mongol roots. Their theme had overwhelmed my mind!

Having some extra input from other minds seems to have shifted the cobwebs though.

[Dizzyeye01]

No problem at all

Another point to make is that not all successor chapters behave in the same way as their parents do. It's very possible that with the new intake of recruits from your homeworld that the mongol part of the white scars disappears and the Barbary Cosair culture replaces the mongol part.

This is very true. It was more of a conceptual block on my part. I'd had the ideas knocking around for a while and I just couldn't shake the mongol roots. Their theme had overwhelmed my mind!

Having some extra input from other minds seems to have shifted the cobwebs though.

That's what the Liber is for. It's always good to get another persons' perspective on something :)

[Erasus]

Right! So water world with mounted raiders, sounds like Mad Max on water to me

[Aqui]

My Iron Hands successors have a "steam punk renaissance" feel, or at least their homeworld has (and will do once I get around to giving them the time they deserve). Aztec has been applied to Rainbow Warriors (unofficially), but it could work for other Chapters as well, especially if the focus is put upon the more blood thirsty aspects.

[Olis]

Frankly, I've been coming up more with specific military outfits than cultures. 

 

If you want to discuss my interpretation, go for it, but what I'd like to elicit from the Liber, if you'd be so kind, would be some ideas to push this forward in terms of theme.

 

What I've narrowed it down to so far is thus:

 

My favourite chapters are the Blood Angels and Salamanders.

 

The cultures I've drawn from before have been Nordic offshoots, middle eastern Hashishim  and Barbary Corsairs, some Bhuddist and eastern influenced meditative - kung fu movie ish (with less cheese) - influences.

 

Would anyone have anything to suggest?

 

I would say that drawing inspiration from specific military outfits is not a half-bad idea. It just depends on the unit and how much history/influence you can wring from it. The Knights of Santiago wouldn't be a bad start, if somewhat staid. The Hessian units under the British in the 18th century might be interesting (hell, by extension you could use the landgrave of Hesse-Kassel as a cultural influence). How about South African Boers? That'd be something different. Sorta gothic, but not really. 

 

That'll do for the moment. 

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

My Iron Hands successors have a "steam punk renaissance" feel, or at least their homeworld has (and will do once I get around to giving them the time they deserve). Aztec has been applied to Rainbow Warriors (unofficially), but it could work for other Chapters as well, especially if the focus is put upon the more blood thirsty aspects.

 

 

Believe it or not I have read your Rainbow Warriors IA. I'm pretty sure I was around when you were still working on it, though I could be misremembering. I'm actually trying to get my old account issued back to me, thanks to Olis (who I'm pretty sure I've mis mentioned as Ollin to somoene else somewhere, apologies brother! I have a mental block with your name, apparently).

 

I'm not sure I want to go full bloodthirsty with these guys, but a certain love of and slant towards melee and close range engagements are definitely on the cards.

 

Though I have to say, the steampunk renaissance theme sounds wickid, I'd love to have a look at that.

 

How advanced would you want this civilisation? Because I'm trapped envisioning jury rigged speed boats with autocannons and hydraulic harpoons but you could be seeing sails and cutlasses or even galleons and cannon

 

 

 

 

I think I'd prefer just before the 'age of sail' where cannon and shot became commonplace. I prefer feudal worlds myself, as recruiting worlds for Astartes. The brutality of melee combat, the prevalence of boarding actions. I don't know much about actual medieval era sea warfare so I'm shooting in the dark a little bit.

 

I'm envisioning a rather bleak, cold world, covered in dark (sometimes) stormy seas. I'm thinking late medieval in terms of advancement, and with some shades of leftover tech from the Dark Age, but with only the resources to truly outfit their warriors more towards early medieval or more towards the fall of the Roman Empire, that kind of time period. Technically they may have the knowhow and even the ability to create better armourments if they desired, but 

 

I also shifted my cultural origins from the Huns to the Goths, it fits to me more of the bleak, brutal and very blunt warfare that keeps popping up in my minds eye.

 

To describe it: I'm seeing dark seas, being tread by large Galleons full of pale, dark haired, bearded warriors with Germanic and Scandinavian styling. Armoured in hides, cured leather and quilted jerkins. Their ranged weaponry consisting of bows, crossbows and javellins, while their melee complement would be made up of heavier blades like the Falchion or even Falcata, with any requirement to strike fast being met by either the warriors own limbs or a secondary, short stabbing blade.

 

Well, I think I went a bit Nordic without meaning to. I think I wanted to go with the Goths instead firstly because I'm not making the Space Wolves on the sea. So no vikings or anything that harks too closely to them. Secondly, the Goths have a lot more of a mix of influences, culturally, from Eastern and Southern europe, along with the various invasions of other nomadic peoples such as the Huns and the Mongols.

 

Wow, well, ok. I rambled a little further than I'd planned, but not a bad thing necessarily!

 

I would say that drawing inspiration from specific military outfits is not a half-bad idea. It just depends on the unit and how much history/influence you can wring from it. The Knights of Santiago wouldn't be a bad start, if somewhat staid. The Hessian units under the British in the 18th century might be interesting (hell, by extension you could use the landgrave of Hesse-Kassel as a cultural influence). How about South African Boers? That'd be something different. Sorta gothic, but not really. 

 

 

I have to admit, you've piqued my interest. Aside from the Boers, I've only a passing knowledge at best of the other units you've mentioned. I'll have to look into them and see what fits the best. If any of them match what I'm starting to bring together (as evidenced by my ramblings above), I'll see if I can bring something in. Even if not, the more I research the better, knowledge is king after all.

[Erasus]

How much land do you plan to have?

I ask this because it will determine how much of anything these people have. On Fenris they use spears and axes because iron and steel are hard to come by unless you visit the Iron people. In real life the Goths were similarly strapped for metal. The availability of wood would also affect the size of the ships.

 

I'm thinking it might be worth looking into the Byzantine Navy or privateer groups such as the Sea Dogs. However both of these units operate in areas that are very hot and sunny, the overall feel of them then wouldn't fit your bleak and grim outlook, but they might provide inspiration or knowledge on how your galley fleets work

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

How much land do you plan to have?

I ask this because it will determine how much of anything these people have. On Fenris they use spears and axes because iron and steel are hard to come by unless you visit the Iron people. In real life the Goths were similarly strapped for metal. The availability of wood would also affect the size of the ships.

 

I'm thinking it might be worth looking into the Byzantine Navy or privateer groups such as the Sea Dogs. However both of these units operate in areas that are very hot and sunny, the overall feel of them then wouldn't fit your bleak and grim outlook, but they might provide inspiration or knowledge on how your galley fleets work

 

Is there any trade? Or is it more commonplace to take?

 

Do you have a name for the planet yet?

 

Does the Chapter reside planet side or nearby?

 

Ok, let's address your first point, landmass.

 

What's in my head right now leads me to say that for whatever reason, whether it be nuclear war, extreme climate change or polar shift, the larger landmasses of the world have mostly sunk beneath the oceans. The largest areas still habitable are the industrial powerhouses. Essentially city states unto themselves, having the only true income of metal, wood and food and all being jealously protected.

 

I'd say probably only a handful of such larger city states per quarter of the globe. This in turn leads the smaller islands turning to either raiding or very specific fishing and trading to get by. Enter the whaling culture, the larger beasts being an excellent source of oil, meat and bone. Possibly one ship per small set of relatively close set islands?

 

This also ties into your question on trade. I'd say, the economic ecosystem of the world revolves around a few things. The larger settlements having the land and therefore resources available to gather wood, metal and other minor resources. It is not however, farmland. Therefore they rely on the fishing crews and whaling ships of the island communities surrounding them to provide for them, in trade for the materials to continue surviving,

I'd also imagine each larger city state would possess a unique resource for whatever region of the world they reside in. Makes for easy heraldry and representation.

 

Survival is king on this world, as you'd expect for an Astartes recruiting planet.

 

This also leads into raiding vs trading. As you'd expect, the city states protect those that provide for them, and supply ships and men to keep those under their protection safe. For some of the islands on the fringes of these larger groups, their position is untenable in terms of trade and so turn to taking from others to gain what they need.

 

I like the idea of having shades of grey to draw from as well. Some raiders may be honourable and take only what they need from the whalers and traders they pirate, with others simply reveling in the hunt and the glory, no matter the cost. Likewise while most of the city states may honour their oaths, protecting those they owe their continued survival to, where others may simply be strong-arming the local islanders and as such, perhaps more raiders make their way to that particular states borders.

 

 

Name of the world? Not the foggiest, yet.

 

Does the chapter live on or off world? I hadn't considered the question yet, and now it's being asked I can't decide which I prefer. There's something to be said for both approaches. It would fit to have the chapter reside in an orbiting fort, observing the world from on high.

 

However it does tickle me a little to have their fortress sitting on an island somewhere on the planet, becoming a mystery amongst the worlds seamen. A myth of an immense, implacable fortress discovered by a relative few. A myth a little like Atlantis. The fact that it exists, but none that search for it can find it. Perhaps they build their fortress from a magnetically charged rock that is strewn across the world that messes with a compass and other instruments?

 

I'm not sure really.

 

I also don't have a name for the chapter, nor do I have a colour scheme. I'm more just taking things as they come to me, or as they're asked!

[Dizzyeye01]

What may be an idea is to have the main base for your chapter be something that the chapter works to keep a secret, meaning that if any seamen make it to the base then they are either recruited into the chapter as serfs (or equivalent) or silenced. It could even be considered a feat to reach this mysterious land.

 

Another thing to consider is the relationship this world has with other ones if at all.

[Erasus]

I'm liking the idea of an island fortress hidden in the mists, locals fearing the idea of wraiths lurking in the mist.

New recruits being taken there would be the scene in Harry Potter when they're r owing across the lake, except everyone is scared senseless and there's no magical castle before them, it's the dominating sheer walled fortress of the Chapter leering down at them and their insignificance.

Could even have Chapter serfs be the rowers or steersman, wearing garb that the locals have come to associate with the dreaded keep of Misthall (not sure if that name is taken somewhere else?)

 

Given me the idea of calling them the Mist Wraiths

 

Not sure if this is too dark a title for your Chapter?

 

Edit: I've now imagined a form of mist based mandrakes haunting the mists but they don't dare harm the serf boats for fear of the Chapter's wrath, may be a stretch too far maybe?

 

Further Edit: on second thought it would be better and make more sense to have the Mist Wraiths (if you're happy with that) to do it themselves, warding the sailors off with their terrifying visage. Stories abound of giant daemon men with blazing eyes of fire who can crush a man's skull with their hands.

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

I'll admit I'm not sold on the name. Mist Wraiths is fine for the actual inhabitants of the planet themselves.

 

Edit: I've now imagined a form of mist based mandrakes haunting the mists but they don't dare harm the serf boats for fear of the Chapter's wrath, may be a stretch too far maybe?

Further Edit: on second thought it would be better and make more sense to have the Mist Wraiths (if you're happy with that) to do it themselves, warding the sailors off with their terrifying visage. Stories abound of giant daemon men with blazing eyes of fire who can crush a man's skull with their hands. 

 

 

I quite like the idea. However I think I'd like the chapter to have some interaction with the populous. Visiting the city state centers and possibly supplying food and materials when the seasons are remarkably harsh. They give the larger powers the tools to keep the overall human ecosystem going as it has, to support it as a recruitment base.

 

They look after their people, but they don't protect them from the realities of life on the somewhat bleak world.

 

As I said earlier, I think it works if the people have a knowledge far outstripping what they are capable of producing with the tools available.

 

Some cities might still possess some limited electric generators, salvaged from the wreckage of the old world. Perhaps one has an older model destroyer hull as a military powerhouse. Little idiosyncrasies like that suit the Imperium more than just 'feudal' or 'primal' world monikers, with the ensuing tech level and culture that is roughly history appropriate.

 

Perhaps one year of unusually bad storms (possibly an inkling of an invasion of some kind?) the chapter shelters the vast majority of the population within the fortress. Something that only adds to the already foreboding tales spun about them to begin with. 

 

Another thing to consider is the relationship this world has with other ones if at all.

 

 

 

This is another thing I've been debating. It works both ways. Either they're cut off and they only receive what the chapter gives them, or they have access to Imperial Trade but at the same point, have nothing to trade for goods with. Possibly the latter. I think it comes down more to what the Chapter allows.

 

The thing is, I don't see these guys as being cruel or capricious, or even petty in their wants and needs. Even when it comes to their own people. I think if it came to it they'd allow some trade, though perhaps only certain merchants vetted by the Astartes themselves, and their presence monitored by escorts from the chapter serfs.

 

That said, this is all getting a little convoluted. I'd have to think more on it. Maybe it'd be worthy of a stripped down entry, well laid out but brief as my gut is telling me I'm getting lost in the details now.

[Erasus]

Yeah I didn't think the name would stick

[Dizzyeye01]

I imagine if you're chapter is barely keeping the population alive then they wouldn't just give them the supplies but rather drop them in and see who gets. Only the strong survive after all and just handing out supplies might make people just wait on them

[Grey Hunter Ydalir]

I would say that Imperial culture has simply broken down overall. I'd imagine this is more of an ex-Dark Age world that following some catastrophe that left the world in environmental strife that leads it to be in the situation it finds itself in right now.

 

Yeah there will be some bits and pieces, but I'd rather it be more feudal architecture and means, but with a few more advanced cues. Something more towards for example, making a medieval galleon, but with the approach of modern engineering and shipbuilding that we know of today to enhance it, with whatever tools are available.

 

They might have been brought back into the fold initially, but not well developed due to a lack of resources. A plan perhaps to industrialize the world somehow post Crusade, but being far from Terra (so I imagine) and the flaring of the Heresy put paid to any potential plans to revolutionize the planet.

 

It has nothing the modern Imperium needs.

 

Do the city states have a more Imperial culture separated from the gothic culture of the raiders? 

 

 

No separate cultures, all one Gothic culture with some influences and trappings of the old Imperium, but nothing more than that.

 

Was the whole point of this exercise to create a culture to help you come up with the Chapter's character, or was that already done? 

 

 

Honestly I come up with ideas best when I'm being questioned more than being left to my own devices. In isolation I my works are highly iterative of one another and suffer from the same crutches and cliche's, unless I'm paying particularly good attention to it.

 

I had the vaguest of outlines and it's only gained more definition with the more questions I've had thrown at me and suggestions given.

 

Do you have any details on the Chapter itself yet? 

 

 

Again, in all honesty, no. I haven't thought about it, that said I haven't had much time to really work on it. I've been working a lot lately and have had a lot of RDO's pulled out from under my feet, which is always fun. *Grumble grumble grumble*

 

My mind has been occupied with other things, like the coming of my firstborn child. I'm using this time on the forums again as a kind of unwinding catharsis at the end of the day and I'm rather enjoying it so far.

 

I'll leave you alone for now to plan out the brief you mentioned, best of luck! 

 

 

Thank you, you've been a great help so far brother. I appreciate all the questions! Don't stop if you don't want to.

 

However, yes, I do actually need to get off my backside and do something with all this instead of treading water like I have been. I'll see if I can throw together a rough outline over the next couple of days to put all this in perspective.