The Administorum
Battle Related Forums => Board Battle Archives => Board Battles => The Scrap Heap => Topic started by: Tyvaris on June 14, 2010, 05:55:37 PM
-
OOC Now Open.
Please keep all Out of Character discussion in this post. If you have comments about your most current post please post them here.
-
Yay! ;D (even though I don't have a current post, I thought I could at least express a sentiment here.)
-
Ok, well the post shall be finished tonight. In the mean time I feel I should get the ball rolling and describe what will be expected in Battler's first posts. I'm planning on leaving battler's first posts open ended so you can describe where your character is and how they end up doing, etc.
Essentially the first post will end something like this and is mostly story and description which is why it's been hard for me to write it all.
* Lark will leave the legislator pretty much being forced into going on the mission to find the Vilya.
*He will head back to the Aerodrome where his Aeroship is located and I'll describe what the Aero looks like as it will pretty much be the bounce off point for adventuring.
*He'll return to find his companion Grumbald Aleheart(Halfling) distraught. Grumbald tells Lark the crew has been threatened by both Parth Sinder and Tellos Stormslade and have mutinied for fear toward their families and their own lives. Lark informs Grumbald of the two run-ins and with the Legislator's mission.
*Lark is left now without a crew, without supplies, with 3 days left before he is hunted down and no place to escape to without Tellos Stormslade having a Privateer connection being found there.
*Lark sends Grumbald Aleheart on a desperate recruiting mission, telling him that they are leaving in two days and to beg, lie, or cheat any new crew members to join his crew.
Now here is where it's up to the Battlers and their own creativity. I am giving full GOD-MODDing privileges to you for Grumbald Aleheart for youto describe an interesting way to join the crew. It's up to you how your character will join the crew but there are a couple rules.
You can't kill anyone unless it is lawful. You can't kill hurt or maim Grumbald Aleheart. Once you decide to join the crew Grumbald Aleheart will leave your character to find the next crew member. You can write up where ever you want to in the Lower dregs of Mistvald for your character to meet Grumbald.
Grumbald is a dapper but friendly Halfling who is bearded and sorta if I can find a real modern day equivilant to the Halfling/Gnome guy from The Chronicles of Narnia Prince Caspian movie. He is quick to anger and speaks his mind. He has a gruff voice, and loves to complain, which is why his nickname is "Grumble". He has red hair and beard and is middle aged. Grumbald has green eyes and has a love of Ale and bar life.
Grumbald will start searching that night(once Lark returns it is now dark) and take a nap sometime in the middle of the night and then return to searching in the morning(it's up to you if your character gets picked up in a bar or doing some late night activity.) Perhaps your character can save Grumbald from thieves or from temptations(gambling, ladies of the night, scam artists). Your character can be picked up during the day also. It's up to you, but the end result is that you will have to report to the Mistvald aerodrome by sunset. If you'd like you could PM your ideas to see if you'd like some input or if it's not too farfetched. The posts don't have to be in order or sequential the first post could be during the day the next night. It doesn't matter as long as the end result is the same. Your post can be as long or as short as is necessary to describe how you ended up being convinced to join the Vilya crew. You can create all the dialog that you need from Grumbald. He isn't dumb though. If you need input just send me a PM and ask questions. An example would be how would Grumbald feel if he enountered an elf or anything.
The Reason I'm posting this is because I really hate that I haven't got the post finished and I want characters to start working on their ideas. Please let me know what you think.
I pretty much wanna get the crew coming together part of the story so that we can get into the adventure. Please PM me or post questions here and check back for the update tonight.
-
Hey, here's a heads-up about Clang:
At the moment, he's got no idea of what the heck is going on. Clang's first post will involve him stumbling into town, perhaps being beset by some nasty folks, and joining up with one of the other Players who comes to his rescue. At some point during this process he'll also get his name.
I'm hoping to work with another Player (looking for volunteers here!) to take him under their wing for this first bit - then when that player joins Grumbalt, they can ask Clang to come along. I'm not sure Clang is yet in any position to make any real decisions on his own.
-
Alfons would be very interested in clang, me thinks.
Let me know what you think, we had spoken briefly in pm about it.
-
The board battle rules says:
'we called this God-Modding. The Administrator would like to get away from using that term. The new term for this is "Being a horrible douchebag." '
Wait a sec... I'm not a douchebag :O
:P
I'm thinking of joining in the morning. However, I need someone else to post and that person join first. I plan to let Serassey overhear the conversation and pretty much blackmail Grumbald into letting him join.
Soul, might get Serassey to dislike Clang. It'll be an abomination to elves and I think I'll get him to like Clang overtime, or hate him more when he realises Clang has personality. We'll see.
-
Alfons would be very interested in clang, me thinks.
Let me know what you think, we had spoken briefly in pm about it.
Hey Sepher, I think Alfons would be a great choice to meet/rescue Clang to start off with. It it's ok with you, either please hold off briefly with posting once the thread opens so I can get an intro post in first and explain where Clang ends up, and then you can include running into him in your intro post already, or leave an opening in your first post for Alfons to run into Clang.
Soul, might get Serassey to dislike Clang. It'll be an abomination to elves and I think I'll get him to like Clang overtime, or hate him more when he realises Clang has personality. We'll see.
This makes perfect sense to me. And it could potentially lead to something quite interesting in the future too...
-
Hey, that's fine with me soul, i'll hold off until you post intro post, and I'll bounce off you there.
-
The board battle rules says:
'we called this God-Modding. The Administrator would like to get away from using that term. The new term for this is "Being a horrible douchebag." '
Wait a sec... I'm not a douchebag :O
:P
I'm thinking of joining in the morning. However, I need someone else to post and that person join first. I plan to let Serassey overhear the conversation and pretty much blackmail Grumbald into letting him join.
Soul, might get Serassey to dislike Clang. It'll be an abomination to elves and I think I'll get him to like Clang overtime, or hate him more when he realises Clang has personality. We'll see.
Those rules apply to other CHARACTERS not NPC's. The rules also say a battlemaster has the say on how the Battle is to be run. In the interests of story you don't have to have control of Grumbald if you don't want to. I was just using him as a plot device for characters to create an interesting introduction and get the crew creation part out of the way. I had spoken with you in PM about your character's part in the upcoming battle you have the option to stick with that idea or come up with a new on entirely. It's up to you. If you have any questions let me know. I should have the story up tonight, this weekend I had a bunch of scheduled activities I attended and was sapped out of my time. Please PM me if you have any ideas or have any questions.
-
The following is an excerpt from the Official Board Battle Rules, Rule 8.
"You post for YOUR CHARACTER ONLY, and NEVER POST THE RESULTS OF YOUR ACTIONS unless directly instructed to by the Battle Master."
By virtue of this line, the Battle master retains the right to waive this rule at any time, as he or she sees fit.
If Castellan tells you to god-mod something, you do it.
-
Well, it's not a requirement more of a suggestion for this part of the battle. If you don't want to please submit a PM and we can come up with an idea. The GMing of Grumbald is more the catalyst for everyone to come up with your own creative story etc. I didn't want to waste a month + asking so where is everyone and well Grumbald does this or says this etc wasting board space on stuff that doesn't advance the story.
-
I have my intro post ready. Should we just start a new post for intros or would you prefer we reply to your post when it's ready? Either way is cool with me.
-
I'll wait for your post then. I'd like to be as true to what you post as possible.
-
I can open it up again. The intro post for you is more of a character intro to the story. Like the opening scene of a movie. I'm pretty much letting everyone open the scene up to their own characters. I'll open it now and finish my end of the post tonight. The only problem that might come up is if I put anything else into the post that may change how your character would react in your first post. Please remember that when you post it can only be editted by the Battlemaster.
Wait, wait... posts can only be edited by the battle master? What if I misspell something (which I do often) or want to add in some more descriptive language, or fix the overuse of a word or two?
I mean, I realize why you wouldn't want someone completely changing their post around, but we really should allow small edits like that. Especially since I'm a major culprit of the above.
-
Wait, wait... posts can only be edited by the battle master? What if I misspell something (which I do often) or want to add in some more descriptive language, or fix the overuse of a word or two?
You could always try going over your post a few times in wordpad or something before you actually, y'know, post it.
-
I can open it up again. The intro post for you is more of a character intro to the story. Like the opening scene of a movie. I'm pretty much letting everyone open the scene up to their own characters. I'll open it now and finish my end of the post tonight. The only problem that might come up is if I put anything else into the post that may change how your character would react in your first post. Please remember that when you post it can only be editted by the Battlemaster.
I know this isn't my battle, and thus probably none of my business. But wouldn't you think the right to edit posts should be reserved for the player? It might put a bit of a damper on the game if you have a bunch of people saying "Oh wait, I meant this instead" or if they weren't satisfied with their post.
It wasn't much problem with the old boards when we could edit our posts of our own impetus, rather than rely on the battle host to do it for us. In some ways, it's like asking permission to change your mind in a forum that is based on free thought.
In a board that (inspite of the way the rules are communicated) encourages the vastness of expressing oneself, if that right is limited by posts being edited only by one person instead of the players that posted them in the first place, then what's the point? Just tossing it out there. Not trying to flame or troll. Do what you want with it.
-
I took it to mean that it was only like that until Castellan got the rest of his initial post up, but maybe I am wrong. It'll be cleared up then. No biggie. :)
-
Woah, hey. Wait a minute. Please, all of you, be aware that the rule where only the Battle Master can edit posts is NOT sa standard Board Battle rule. if anything, that is a custom rule that Castellan made up for this battle.
-
Oh... Yeah. I confused the Character Creation Guidelines with the battleboard rules. No you can edit posts as long as your actions do not change. Grammar, Spelling, adding or removing detail(not relevant to the story) can be altered or changed. I didn't get home till late last night so I didn't get a chance to update the post. I hate delaying over and over when I feel passionate about the story. I like this setting a lot and wanna explore it with everyone who joined.
-
Those rules apply to other CHARACTERS not NPC's. The rules also say a battlemaster has the say on how the Battle is to be run. In the interests of story you don't have to have control of Grumbald if you don't want to. I was just using him as a plot device for characters to create an interesting introduction and get the crew creation part out of the way. I had spoken with you in PM about your character's part in the upcoming battle you have the option to stick with that idea or come up with a new on entirely. It's up to you. If you have any questions let me know. I should have the story up tonight, this weekend I had a bunch of scheduled activities I attended and was sapped out of my time. Please PM me if you have any ideas or have any questions.
No worries, I got the rules. Just the sound of it made me chuckle, didn't mean for it to come off as attacking you or anything Castellan :) apologies.
I'll be sticking with it, and I've pretty much got what to post planned out.
Looking forward to it!
-
My goal is to beat Clutch and finish the first post today.... :P
-
My goal is to beat Clutch and finish the first post today.... :P
You could wait 'til the end of the week and you'd still beat him. :-\
-
Rule one should be: don't anger the Administrator Extremis... He's doing his best to get an EPIC battle underway. I on the other hand have just been throwing out excuses.
-
Whatever happens, happens. Life is life and games are games. I don't take it personally. Neither should he. :-X
-
My goal is to beat Clutch and finish the first post today.... :P
You could wait 'til the end of the week and you'd still beat him. :-\
Hehe.
-
:'(
-
Castellan! I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!
>:(
(No really...I do... >.> )
I expect posts!
-
But I spent all afternoon trying to talk reason into my girlfriend as to why she shouldn't go see the midnight premiere of Twilight... It was a struggle between reality and insanity and I failed... She failed to seek reason and is now excommunicatus. Well... not really but figured I'd throw that out there as an excuse. Not going to make anymore promises but I really should have it up tonight. Recently I haven't been getting enough sleep and the free time I do have when I get home I feel mindless and uncreative. I type all day at work and when I get home staring at a computer screen seems to be the last thing I want to do. I've stopped playing video games and have been reading a lot of books. Tonight I'll make a concerted effort and just finish it off, even it I have to just post simple sentences to say what happens.
-
Just because she's going to see Twilight does not mean that you have to go. Just sayin'.
-
I didn't go with her... But she came home and bugged me until 830 then left to go with here Twihard friends...
-
so have any of you actually READ twilight?
because I have
it's as bad as you'd think.
COMPLETELY UNRELATED POSTSCRIPT: watching a book explode on the freeway? Fun.
-
I have added a little more, but still not finished with my first post. I spent about an hour typing last night and was burned out. Tonight I should be able to finish it off, as all that is left is the description of the Graceful Gale and the discussion with Grumbald on finding a crew. Then it wil be opened to new posts. Today I'm going to clean up this tread and delete only the relevant OOC posts. Too much crap in here.
-
Not to be pushy, but I'm hoping you'll get this show on the road soon. The opening post doesn't have to be perfect - heck, you should see how the Board Battles started.....
-
Yes, I understand; tonight I'll unlock the thread and I'll finish the discussion with Grumbald. The dialogue with Grumbald is important as it will contain pretty much what Lark is looking for in crewmembers. Although considering his situation he won't have much of a choice he needs crew members whether he likes who they are or not. I'm going to work on writing a lot of notes down on Misthaven...
Essentially I have changed the name of Misthaven to Mistvald but the location is usually known to colloquially as Mist Haven, The Mist Haven(s), or Mistguard.
-
Board is now open. I am gonna probably do some grammatical clean up, but thats pretty much it. Please PM if you have any questions or feel free to post here.
-
Posted. Err...didn't quite realize how long it was until I pasted. Let me know if I need to edit anything.
Hooray! Still quite excited about this battle. :)
-
I'm not sure anyone else noticed but I am having a hard time editting long posts. Everytime I try to click to scroll down the text box jumps all over the place. So the I have to make all my changes in Word and then export them back into the box. Needless to say I have missed some minor things like Itallisizing Graceful Gale, etc. I won't have time today at work to read the posts, so I'll check them out tomorrow. I have decided to describe Gracie in detail and I hope to scetch a concept picture of it when the characters show up at the aerodrome.
-
I was editing the EoT recap thread all day yesterday and was not having any issues. What browser are you using?
-
Int Explorer 8....
It is only a problem with big posts. With the slider bar and the way it allows me to readjust the text box.
-
Protip: Don't use Internet Explorer. Problem solved.
-
my post will be coming tomorrow :)
Soul, I will keep yours in mind as i post.
-
Hey Sepher. Try to save Clang if possible. He's mostly just afraid and confused - he barely knows his own strength at present. He'd be appreciative.
Feel free to post for the thugs too, they're just bit-players. A halfway decent swordsman/marksman would quickly be able to send them running.
-
Sepher, Soul,
I've got my character hiding nearby. if a map was drawn, I imagined it to be something like this:
X -------> <-------C & M <----------------- S
Alfons Clang and Men Serassey (Hidden)
With lines representing lines of sight.
Go on like you two would though, Serassey's just got you covered from behind because his upbringing tells him to get you covered.
-
Hey Sepher. Try to save Clang if possible. He's mostly just afraid and confused - he barely knows his own strength at present. He'd be appreciative.
Feel free to post for the thugs too, they're just bit-players. A halfway decent swordsman/marksman would quickly be able to send them running.
Hah, Alfons is a 16 year old scholar engineer.... he built his wheelock from scratch but isnt the best fighter, so we'll see what happenes XD
-
I hope you don't mind me diffusing the situation, but that's what Darterity is best at :P
Also, I figured the whole no killing thing is tricky when everyone is equipped with guns and sharp pointy things.
-
Hah, good job resolving that situation.
Incidentally, it would be nice if someone could ask Clang who or what he is at some point. He'll come up with his name then, which will make writing future posts for him a lot easier. :P
-
I hope you don't mind me diffusing the situation, but that's what Darterity is best at :P
Also, I figured the whole no killing thing is tricky when everyone is equipped with guns and sharp pointy things.
I don't think alfons could kill someone (at least not yet) He was just hoping to scare em away XD
-
I was hoping for a shot in the limbs, but oh well. Many more chances in the future :)
-
Sorry for rushing my first post so far ahead of time. Regretting it now. Would have been cool to meet up with everyone.
Idling in the hanger now...
-
Sorry for rushing my first post so far ahead of time. Regretting it now. Would have been cool to meet up with everyone.
Idling in the hanger now...
Eh, we'll all be joining up soon enough.
Speaking of which, if someone would like to invite Clang to join them (I'm guessing Alfons might do that, seeing as he needs to be somehwere, but might like the opportunity to study Clang further) then Clang would be happy to tag along. He won't really know what's going on, mind you, but he'll be glad to have someone to follow.
Also, note that since Clang came up with a name, I'm going to be referring to him as a 'him' rather than an 'it'.
-
Just wanted to let you guys know. That just cause I haven't posted anything doesn't mean im not paying attention to whats going on. I know I have been sorta quiet post wise. I pretty much want you guys to tell what ever story you guys want. IT definately helps build some report between crew members and being that an Aeroship has a weight requirement it will take a lot for Lark to be convinced to bring a heavy metal entity on board. Don't feel too bad Tam the story will kick off soon when everyone gets around to the Aerodrome.
-
Not sure if you guys care or not, but this is what alfons looks like, save his gun is a wheel lock rather then a revolver and he has a rapier.
http://safebooru.org/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=191381
-
Don't feel too bad Tam, they haven't exactly seen Ses either (and I'm not planning to let them see him). :)
Thanks Sepher! Tons easier to imagine how it's like now. I'm assuming that the description of blue eyes and brown hair still applies though?
-
Yup :)
I just dont have photoshop on this computer or i'd save it and change the colours :)
-
Sepher I just combined that link with your original post in the Character Board. Nice picture. Btw. I did make a mistake I believe and not exactly describe Grumbald having any weapons. I'll have to take a look and see how it effects the story but he should be armed.
-
Sepher I just combined that link with your original post in the Character Board.
Thanks!
-
Don't feel too bad Tam, they haven't exactly seen Ses either (and I'm not planning to let them see him). :)
Thanks Sepher! Tons easier to imagine how it's like now. I'm assuming that the description of blue eyes and brown hair still applies though?
Just let me know if I need to edit. I wasn't sure if he was in a place that Linden could see him or not and I wasn't sure if she'd be able to decipher whether he was an elf or not. If I got either wrong, I'll correct the mistake.
-
You guys can assume that Clang follows Darterity and Alfons to the hangar (or wherever else they're going). He's not going to go running off by himself.
IT definately helps build some report between crew members and being that an Aeroship has a weight requirement it will take a lot for Lark to be convinced to bring a heavy metal entity on board.
Hopefully Clang's immense strength and complete lack of understanding of the value of money will help convince Lark. :P
-
Just let me know if I need to edit. I wasn't sure if he was in a place that Linden could see him or not and I wasn't sure if she'd be able to decipher whether he was an elf or not. If I got either wrong, I'll correct the mistake.
My fault, I didn't mention how obscure the ledge was. Don't worry, i wanted them to see me at this point. He needs to join the crew afterall :p
And no worries, his pointy ears and weird travel clothing would point to him being an elf as long as someone knew what an elf was.
-
Sorry for the hold up, but my post is up now. :)
-
Ok.. Just wanna check I've been reading through still seems like Clang, Darterity, and Alfons haven't yet made it to the hanger. I'd like everyone to make it to the hanger by friday so I can post this weekend.
-
I'm waiting for Alfons or Clang to speak or do something.
They can fast forward to us arriving at the hangar. Darterity is getting a hangover and wouldn't really want to talk much anyway :P
-
I'm waiting for Alfons or Clang to speak or do something.
They can fast forward to us arriving at the hangar. Darterity is getting a hangover and wouldn't really want to talk much anyway :P
Haha, I'm waiting for either you or Alfons to get us there. :P
Clang's got very little to say to Darterity at the moment. He wasn't being addressed directly, and he hasn't got a clue as to what Darterity is talking about in the first place.
Maybe Alfons or Darterity could suggest they get off the street and head to the hangar together? Like I said in my earlier OOC, Clang will happily follow them there. He's not really in a position to be taking any kind of leadership role at present.
-
Ill post tonight, and get us there :)
-
Ok, now that everyones there I think I'll go ahead and set things up for the next part tonight.
-
I know I've been slow posting. I am gonna try to build out my next post and just add to it. Should probably of been doing it while you guys were interacting more.
-
Hey Castellan, just pointing out that Grumbald never actually invited Clang along - Clang joined up with Alfons and Darterity after they'd met Grumbald.
That said, your post doesn't make it obvious that Grumbald invited him along - he's pretty defensive about it, so maybe he's either pretending he invited Clang or forgot that he didn't (though that would be hard to forget).
Also, I had an idea: give Clang a chance to demonstrate his strength (and/or willingness to take orders) and he should be welcome on the crew. Maybe Lark can safely ditch some equipment used for heavy lifting to make up for Clang's extra weight once he sees what he can do.
-
I was hoping you and Alfons would develop a friendship and have Alfons fix the ship and in reward be allowed to take Clang. Along the trip Clang can demonstrate how much value he is.
I know Grumbald didn't' know Clang was involved but adding him to the few who showed up couldn't help but make his efforts look less in vain and more successful. I don't believe Ser was introduced either to Grum.
The post is finished. In my next post I'll make Lark's introductions to the crew and deliver the crews ultimatum to join in the face of certain danger or to move along. Will be interesting to see how the crew may react to being asked to raid a privateer on their first day on the job.
-
Either way is fine by me. I'm sure Alfons is more interested in Clang as a mechanical curiosity than as a friend though. :P
-
Pretty much Grum says it. Beggars can't be choosers. He'd have to take what he can get be it an armored living machine, a drunken(hung-over) half-elve, a 16 year old boy, an Elve with no flying experience and the all too rare flying female Aero pilot. An eclectic crew no doubt.
-
Either way is fine by me. I'm sure Alfons is more interested in Clang as a mechanical curiosity than as a friend though. :P
At first yes. This can grow into a friendship :p
-
BTW, I have been post-poned from posting by working today.... unknown when I will get off, Will post tomorrow.
-
Hit a roadblock right now. I have been having some serious personel problems come up and yet another funeral to attend with the passing of my Uncle. I will be leaving tomorrow night and not returning until Thursday night. So I plan to post tonight. As you can probably expect the next part of the battle is gonna be a lot more fast paced. I plan to kick things off and go crazy this weekend. The crew is gonna sneak onto Tellos' ship and well things aren't going to go to well. Just bear with me.
-
Sorry to hear about your Uncle, my condolences. :(
Looking forward to the post though.
-
Ok, the goal now will be to post on friday during the afternoon. And then continue posting on saturday and follow ups on sunday. I am however changing my shift at work in the not so distant future which will mean I will have to work on saturdays but only till 4. Shouldn't effect my posting though. I plan to be about 100 times more active especially as the story heats up.
-
Ok... Lets get it on... Lets hash out the convos and figure out if you can be persuaded to raid a ship on your first day(night) on the job.
-
Clang has no idea what's going on or what he's signing up for. He's just hungry.
He'll likely end up following along with Alfons/Darterity unless they tell him to shove off.
-
Clang has no idea what's going on or what he's signing up for. He's just hungry.
He'll likely end up following along with Alfons/Darterity unless they tell him to shove off.
Ill see what i can do tonight :)
-
Ok... I'll have Lark talk to Darterity and all more after Alfons and Clang get straightened out. Lark is a bit sceptical about Clang and obviously about the authentication of Alfons. Also taking the most well known child mechanic out of the Vald is gonna draw a little suspicion.
Waiting also for a response from John and Tam. I'm gonna post again tonight or tomorrow make things even more interesting.
-
Would you be able to describe how the Sparrows work a bit here in OOC?
I think I was wrong when I assumed that the planes were rotary engines? I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to the mechanical, so been looking up bi-planes and such online to get an idea of what we'd be flying.
Also, how are they attached to the aero and when they need to be flown what would the process be to get into them and start them?
I don't need a lot of details. Just trying to picture all this in my head for when I write up posts. :)
-
(http://jn.passieux.free.fr/images/BreguetBrM5_2.jpg)
The picture above is of a British world war 1 plane known as the Breguet Br M5. It is rear prop driven. It's an early reconnaissance plane where the gunner would take pictures of enemy fortifications and troop movements. This is similar to what I have in mind for the Sparrows.
The difference being that the rear cockpit would be the engine deck(boiler, compressor, and exhaust) and the front part where the turret machine gun is mounted would be a static front mounted cylinder gun which would require maneuvering the plane to fire from that point. In Misthaven planes can't fire through the propellers like the later world war 1 or 2 planes can, instead having to be mounted on the upper wings(decreasing accuracy) or mounted in front of a propeller. The cockpit would be mounted far forward to give better visibility as the upper and lower wings would remove a lot. The goal for a Sparrow really isn't to be an air superiority dogfight aircraft it's to be more of early warning aircraft and scout. They still can be deadly though as accuracy goes up with the added visibility and they are fast moving from being light, but cannot maneuver as sharply as newer sturdier designs.
The plane is constructed predominantly of wood and the wings are made of sturdy canvas much like sails. It is a bi-plane which in Misthaven are usually referred to as Twin-sails or a Double Deck design. Wire is strung to add light reinforcement to the frame. A latticework of wood and steel hold the aeroplane together.
The engine is steam driven. The motor works similar to a locomotive in that it is propelled by compressed steam. Heat is created in the furnace which stimulates the boiler creating steam which is pumped into a compression tank where the pressure builds up. Releasing the throttle opens the valve which turns the turbine of the propeller. If the fire needs to burn the hottest prior to lift off and an amount of pressure is required before the propeller will turn fast enough to lift the ship off. Excess pressure builds up and needs to be released using a blow off otherwise the boiler will explode scalding to death anyone within a couple meters of the engine.
The cockpit consists of a meager pilots seat and a short glass wind screen. It has only three gauges: RPM gauge this determines the revolutions per minute of the prop as it is not an internal combustion engine. The Prop will have to rotate to keep flight. The higher the faster the plane will fly. The second is the pressure gauge for the boiler to determine the amount of power the plane has so that it can reach higher RPMs. The last gauge is the temperature gauge for the furnace. When the temperature gets below 250 degrees the boiler won't be hot enough to produce steam and the pressure gauge will lower. This is pretty much the fuel monitor gauge. When the temperature gets low a coal brick is thrown into the furnace and the temperature will rise. The bricks burning for about 30 minutes and having enough compression for about an hour of normal flight at a combat speeds it's halved. Aeroplanes typically carry four or five bricks behind the pilots seat. The seat is on a swivel and a throttle lock is applied to the plane(like an autopilot) and the seat spins around to work the furnace and then back to flight.
The cylinder gun is mounted forward of the cockpit and the firing mechanism is similar to one of those cheap little pull back and release plastic cars. A metal handle hand crank is attached to the side and is turned from about 3 o clock to about 9 o clock clockwise toward the pilot and a spring mechanism builds up pressure and is released by pressing down on a trigger to the left of the gun. When the trigger is pressed the spring is released slowly turning a metal cog in the ammunition of the cylinder drum and also working the hammer which strikes the preloaded primer and fires the rounds. The shot is lead ball which when fired expands into the rifling and fires out of the gun. A "Tracer" type of round is fired where a lead ball is hollowed out and filled with phosphorous and magnesium which when ignited cause the shot to burn bright and illuminate the trajectory. Dwarves have experimented with different powders to "Dye" the tracer rounds so red, green, and blue are common in most Aero circles. Lark has assembled a collection of different types as getting the same dye is hard when traveling between cities.
The cylinder gun has a drum like a donut that is filled with rounds sorta similar to a ferris wheel. It has spokes running to the center which converge on a small circle which is the aim point for the gun. The firing barrel is like the bottom of the ferris wheel where people load and off load that rounds circle around and are fired at the bottom after each round is fired the mechanism will keep feeding as long as the trigger is pressed and the hand crack works its way back from 9 to 3 o clock. When the drum is empty it's detached and placed in the cockpit and another whole donut is attached.
Starting of an Aeroship mounted aeroplane requires the placing of a "Hot Brick" a mixture of phosphorous and coal into the furnace and ignited with an internal flint strike mechanism. The hot brick burns quick and fast and will create a large amount of heat and cause the boiler to kick in. The process takes about 45 seconds for the prop to be at flight speed. The sparrows are mounted facing in two different directions one facing fore and one aft. So one will fly from the front and one from the rear. Dwarven technology is again used as the launch skiff is an elongated ballista like catapult. A release mechanism is attached so that the pilot can self release from the aero and the catapult will propel the aeroplane from the ship so that it doesn't require a runway. Landing is harder but because an Aeroship can fly at a constant speed and heading the planes land and are caught similar to a modern aircraft carrier with a catch hook. Planes must land one at a time from different directions. So typically the one with the least amount of fuel lands first.
There is no wireless radio type devices that exist so pilots must use hand and arm signals and flight gestures such as tipping wings or flying up and then down to communicate with crew or other pilots.
BTW. I can go on and on all day. I really like WW1 air combat....
-
I'm thinking if Serassey spends too much time near too LOUD a machinery, his hearing should be rightly affected too, just like all of us would be in real life.
As such, if we ever enter a battle and Serassey can't hear stuff, feel free to insult him with taunts like 'Where's your bloody hearing elf!!' or something similar.
-
There is no wireless radio type devices that exist so pilots must use hand and arm signals and flight gestures such as tipping wings or flying up and then down to communicate with crew or other pilots.
Are there standard signals that Mistvald aeros would have used? Or is it a preference of each particular aero?
The engine is steam driven.
Ignore anywhere in my posts that I said 'rotary'. Oops. :P
I took a look at a locomotive engine and got an idea of what this one looks like. I realize there is no piston involved in this one though. When I mentioned it to my husband, he said think more like a waterwheel where the steam is the water...turns the turbine which turns the propeller. Is that accurate?
The throttle,as you said, opens up the valve and controls how much steam pushes the turbine. Since it's kind of a free burning furnace, the blower is constantly releasing the excess steam? So when we are flying there is almost always a trail of steam rhythmically flying out behind us, depending on how fast we go?
And pretty much, if that compression tank is hit during flight, we're going down. Anything like parachutes on these things? Ha ha.
A release mechanism is attached so that the pilot can self release from the aero and the catapult will propel the aeroplane from the ship so that it doesn't require a runway.
We release the plane from the ship before we release the throttle or after? I assume before since it might be a little tricky to do so while being slung through the air. I just wasn't sure, if the propeller is propelling us forward, whether that would do damage to the ship's release mechanism or not.
Is the aeroship similar to this? Is there a picture?
Thank you for replying with such a detailed post by the way. I'm understanding what this all looks like much better now.
-
Are there standard signals that Mistvald aeros would have used? Or is it a preference of each particular aero?
Communication between planes is done using these pretty much standard hand and arm signals. Typically aeroplanes fly in packs or squadrons with a designated squad leader who give commands to his subordinates. To say "yes" the plane is flown up and down as if it were a car going over big speed bumps and to say "no" it shakes it's wings sorta like a see-saw. If an enemy aircraft is spotted the group leader will break formation and fly toward the enemy firing a shot. The first shot typically loaded into the cyl gun would be a "Tracer" round so that all would hear and then see the direction of contact. If the commander wishes to for the formation to climb he will shake his wings and raise his hand straight up. To go down he would shake his wings and then point down by placing the hand out of cockpit and down toward the ground. If in distress a flare gun is used to fire a red flare(If available) to indicated engine trouble or damage from combat.
There are NO parachutes, although the aero can become a glider if the engine is jettisoned by swiveling in the seat around and lifting a lever on either end of the engine(this requires great strength to release the catches especially if you are in a dive it's almost impossible to jettison the motor, if flying level the forward momentum and the weight though will drop the engine out of the back and down like a bomb if flying upwards the engine will fall out and fall backward ripping of your rudder and rear ailerons). Also the aeroplane can guide with at least a complete pair of one set of wings. Being as it is a Bi-plane it has two decks of wings as long as at least A wing is attached on the left and right sides the plane will fly or glide. So in combat say the left upper wing catches fire and burns off and then on the right side the lower wing is rent with shot and the canvas is shredded the aero will stay in flight but must have heavy compensation to the rudder and rear ailerons which are controlled by steel cables attached to the joystick. If any of the cables are severed then control of that portion of the aircraft is lost typically resulting in a corkscrew and eventual dive.
The engine is steam and not a rotary internal combustion and does not have the standard 4 stroke process of combining pumping fuel adding air and then igniting and then forcing out exhaust. Instead the following happens:
Basic operation of a simple reciprocating steam engine
*Heat is obtained from fuel burnt in a closed firebox
*The heat is transferred to the water in a pressurized boiler, ultimately boiling the water and transforming it into *saturated steam. Steam in its saturated state is always produced at the temperature of the boiling water, which in *turn depends on the steam pressure on the water surface within the boiler.
*The steam is transferred to the motor unit which uses it to push on a piston sliding inside a cylinder to power machinery.
*The used, cooler, lower pressure steam is exhausted to atmosphere.
From Wikipedia....
Diagram:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Steam_engine_in_action.gif)
Instead of turning a wheel it is a propeller. Also keep in mind that water is a type of fuel and when the temperature is up in your furnace and the pressure is lowering it's probably because your out of water and there's not more steam.
There is no smoke except from the furnace which is blown directly behind into the prop and dissipates quickly. It does show that and is one of the easiest ways to spot an Aero. Dwarven miners have experimented with forms of smoke less coal and although it is not extensively used will revolutionize Aeros.
The catapult launch system does not damage the ship. As it propels to higher speeds the aeroplane generates lift and lifts away from the ship. An example of this is those little rubber band paperplane launchers you see at a cheap store when a kid pulls the plane back and launches it it typically flies in a loop not straight and comes back to hit the kid in the head. The plane is braced and will not go anywhere unless the Aeropilot releases the catch it seems more logical that when the release is pulled a spring clock like mechanism counts down to release(probably less than 5 seconds) when the count down is complete the chalks that hold it in place release and the catapult fires it off. The plane can be stationary on the skiff and have it's engine at full speed and not go anywhere. Some Aeros actually use the attached plane as an additional flight engine to propel it along.
I plan on drawing some diagrams of the Gale and posting them so everyone can get an idea of what the internal layout looks like and get an idea of the ship. I'll also probably draw out a sparrow so you can get an idea of what it would look like in my mind.
-
I'm thinking if Serassey spends too much time near too LOUD a machinery, his hearing should be rightly affected too, just like all of us would be in real life.
Hey, Clang's squeaking neck isn't THAT loud. :P
-
Not to a normal human :P
He's probably lost his ability to 'hear a pin drop hundreds of metres away in a quiet environment' or something super fine. No big deal...
...yet.
*Evil Laughter*
-
I'll be on vacation next week from Saturday to Saturday. I give full god-modding rights to Castellan. If you need to move Linden in order to move the story, please do. Thanks! :)
-
Probably won't be necessary but thank you. I plan on having the discussion with the crew and then divying out tasks and then moving out for Tellos' ship. I am going to away this weekend also so won't be able to post so I figured I might as well start Part 2 next saturday when all the fun will begin. :-P
-
I assume Alfons is being left to his own devices at this point?
I'll wait for him to post about going about his business, then I'll reply.
-
I'll post tonight :3
-
Alfons and Clang will be left behind with Grumbald(What captain would leave a boy and a machine alone with an expensive aero?) Lark, Darterity, Linden and Serrassy will all sneak onto the ship. Lark will explain the mission to the group and then it's up to them to decide if they want to risk it.
Grumbald, Alfons and Clang will have an encounter themselves while the rest are off at the ship.
-
Oh, you can trust me with the expensive Aero... ::)
-
Ok, with the boards now being back up and me having more time this week Im gonna try to push to have Part 2 started on sunday. Things should get pretty interesting. I'm going to try to post this afternoon and through out the week culminating in finishing Part 1 friday or saturday and beginning Part 2 on Sunday.
Though out the board battle im going to write a couple short stories that happen at various times in the Five Realms. Im thinking about making a time scale and making things a little more indepth for the setting. I'm gonna update and post more about the descriptions of places also and include a history.
-
CASTELLON!
>:( <---- I make angry faces at you!
I know where you live!
-
CASTELLON!
>:( <---- I make angry faces at you!
I know where you live!
I concur (but don't know where you live)
-
Sorry guys. Have been busy with a new job. Labor Day vacation is looming also. I'll post tonight and try to finish this off by the end of the week. Then we'll kick off part 2 after Labor Day(US Holiday Sept 6). I'm sorry about the delays and really isn't an excuse just have been swamped with other things and I keep reserving space and time on the weekends to post and things keep coming up. The battle is still active, check back tonight for an updated post.
-
lol... well here is the hard part. It's not that I didn't have time last night. I just had writers block. I'm not exactly sure how to have Lark try to convince everyone. Perhaps with the dier straights everyone is in they are forced to follow or perish, Idk. I'll come up with something. Just took more than my addled brain could come up with last night.
-
Ah no worries, it is quite a tough situation :)
-
Tonight I'll have the post completed. Even if it's an outline. I really would like to have part one finished by this weekend.
-
At present, the crew have little reason to help Lark unless there's something in it for them. The best way to do assure them that there really is something in it for them is with the promise of riches - riches beyond the crew's wildest dreams! An animated, heartfelt (cough) and inspiring speech about the rewards of free enterprise, and how only a combination of effort and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is what will line their pockets.
If he's charismatic enough, he should be able to pull this off.
Naturally, some of the crew will then have questions and (well founded) reservations, particularly since there's some people here not in it for the money. It'll be Lark's job to address their concerns with some quick thinking, a glib tongue, and the occasional flagrant lie.
If he gets through that, I'm sure the crew will be happy to join.
-
Well I've come up with the solution. Although won't be able to post it possibly until monday night. Possibly tonight. I am leaving for vacation tonight and don't know if I'll have time labor Day night to post when I get back. Will end part one on this post. It will be a semi large post so will take a little while to post. Part II will start then.
-
Closed due to length.