The Grue

In Northern Minnesota, I work in Grand Rapids.

Sad but Grue,
The Grue

It is weird, all of a sudden lately work has been in an uptick and I have had less time to write. That and keeping my bees alive and stocking for Farmer's Market. I lost power today and can't upload from my phone so if we extend to Friday I think everyone would hopefully be able to get a story in and then if we want we can make changes to the format.

Darn Minnesota storms.

Sad but Grue,
The Grue
 

For some reason it will not let me upload my story from work so I will do it when I get home tonight. It is my fault for being lazy and not posting it last night or the night before but real world distractions can be a killer.

Sad but Grue,
The Grue

That is the line I was thinking 7th, sort of a risk-reward deal. Lose points to purchase crew models to purchase this terrain piece that has a synergy with your crew and hope you can play around it and the schemes to your advantage.

Also, to agree with Aaron, a photo page or spread in a rulebook with the employees of Wyrd would be interesting. Or a trading card so you could "collect them all" with Wyrd employees.

Sad but Grue,
The Grue

More environment pieces. Like Planechase for MTG where these cards were separate but impacted the game. Perhaps each player can place up to 5 points worth of environment pieces.

Christopher: I place Horror Duel well for 2 points.

Larry: I place Tethered Mutated Cow for 1 point.

Christopher: Awh, your crew kept pushing me into that last game. That viron-piece should be Cuddled.

Larry: Well, Aaron said more pictures of Justin in the rulebooks so your arguement is invalid.

Just my two scrip worth.

Sad but Grue,
The Grue

I think that some people (being generalizing here and not calling anyone out) perhaps wanted them to look close to the same as the Malifaux figures and were "disappointed (placeholder word to encompass all emotions)" when they did not. Beyond different art styles they could hand wave the differences, if they so chose to and did not have to, that Malifaux in a sense permeates everything.

Nature is different, weather is different, even some of the laws of the universe are different. I mean who knows what the soulstone stores are doing to the Mali-earth over there? What havoc is it wreaking to the ecosystem and in doing so perhaps changing how things are being created, used, and encompassed. Has anyone compared wood side by side from Malifaux to Earth? Do livestock grown in one devour the ones in the other if they survive the Breach crossing? How deep are the oceans and what horrible beings of unfathomable madness lurk in those inky depths?

This would cause Malifaux over time to shift slightly in terms of how thinks looked and reacted to the world around them, whereas Earthside, although of the same cloth and universe would have developed differently if ever so slightly, which would achieve the differences in look that we are seeing.

It could also be that it was simpler to make them that way and we should rejoice! I mean we are getting another game system in the world that we all know and love and not many games get that. Most get sequels or expansion and if you did not like the first version you most likely will not like the second or third if they are the same. However, if you change it up to target a different audience we could witness a board surge as more people visit and are enchanted by this world we know as Malifaux.

Again, just my two scrip worth.

As Always,
The Grue

The one thing that I always wondered about was if there were oceans on the Malifaux side of the Breach. I know that oceans were touched upon in Obliteration's realm during the "Tara" saga but I thought it would be interesting to do them outside of that void realm.

You could have it that during the first foray into the Breach some settlers and possibly a Guild contingent (because Guild is awesome) headed out into the badlands to find a far reaching post to build a frontier town. They went out searching for a new trade route, a new Soulstone mining location, etc.

They came across a vast ocean and decided to venture out into it. They sent messengers back to tell people what they found but the messengers never made it and when the search parties came across the mangled, mostly eaten corpse of the messenger on the edge of the badlands they decided to not go any further. This could explain why no one else has really traversed very far out into the badlands beyond the frontier towns and the trappers.

Once the ship(s) were finished they went out and sailed these Malifauxian seas in search of adventure and profit. They could have found it and found new and exciting creatures and locations which would allow for radically different models as Malifaux is mostly a dry landlocked area versus what you would see in coastal or island nations/ natives/ inhabitants. Perhaps there are native pirates out scavenging these newcomers to their watery realms or perhaps some of the ships were taken over by angry sailors or convicts and resorted to buccaneering to make do.

We would assume from their distant voyages that they perhaps made it through the initial purge of Malifaux and have been living and thriving on the sea. Co-mingling and cross breeding between the sailors and the local populace could have happened resulting in halfbreeds and whole new nations or allegiances. That and this group and all the generations down would have only known the original world and system before the purge and how Earth has changed since the closing of the great Breach and if they were to come across the citizens and factions of Malifaux of today's standards they might not be a copacetic as they once would have been.

The original members of the Guild that branched out would be structured off of the old Guild ways combined with their hard life on the sea and the unwavering discipline it would take. They would form the bulk of what would be a Navy and be the dominant force on the waves.

The Arcanists aboard or the ones that survived/ blossomed on the journey and subsequent years would be a hired force that was Merc'd out to the captains and pirates.

The Resurrectionists would be the chirurgeons and play their work the same as the Arcanists but in keeping the slave rowing force/ slave force in workable conditions. They could also have their own scourge fleets where they venture out and pillage to increase their stores.

The Ten Thunders could have a breach on an island chain, but it could be from a group not loyal or connected to the Oyabun so their influence would not necessarily be felt. Their fast skimmers and tight control over their sovereign waterways would force the Guild and any other vessel to pay the toll or find themselves added to the drink.

The Outcasts would be your normal mercs but to give them flavor and separate them from the Arcanists and Resurrectionists you could give them more advance shippery (Patent Pending word there) and they could have sort of like a Jules Verne/ Captain Nemo vibe with subs and steamships. They would be the monster hunters of the deep on the surface but the only ones who would know the true terrors slumbering below and trying desperately to keep them sated/ asleep.

The Gremlins could be a water-based faction, eschewing dry land to more of an amphibious life. They would congregate on floating atolls of flotsam and jetsam that drifts out in the vast expanse of the sea. Whenever one of these "Grembarges" came close enough to a settlement or a ship they would ship out and attack at night or in the open, alas they are Gremlins in nature, and rip it to shreds and bring the choice bits back to add to their makeshift islands. They would most likely venerate the terrors below as gods and you could have different tribes based on what different types of terrors you called for.

The Neverborn would be based off of these terrors, sort of the same way they were from the Tyrants (although I know not really) but they are the progeny that does not want to lose their grip on this tasty stew of fleshy bodies with their tan jerkified skin. You could have different breeds based off of a singular lineage or have them look like the evolutionary path that split when some grew purple fur and took to flight, this group developed fins or flippers, groping suction cups and milky tentacles. Their black blood could be a version of an octopuses/ squids ink and they could use it at range or in cloud attacks.

Like I mentioned, if there are no oceans that is fine and understandable. Malifaux could be in a dyson sphere for all we know. Just my thoughts on this growing thread.

Let me know what you think.

As Always,
The Grue

Perhaps it is just me but I really like the way the "The Other Side" figures look, especially the Titans. I respect everyone's differing opinions but if they end up looking "toyish" that is a bonus to me.

Someone else: They look like Toys.

Me: So you mean not only do I get to use them when I wargame but I can use them to kick the crap out of my sons' Paw Patrol and Little Einstein figures when we have our action figure battles?

Someone else: .....

Me: Haha, not amount of Pat-Clapping or Yelping for help will save you now...

[a moment of silence for the fallen pups and grossly unsupervised children of the rocket Rocket]

As Always,
The Grue

I meant no disrespect nor did I assume you were of school age. I was merely implying that education and work are very important and should take precedent over our little Iron Quill, but not too much, just kidding.

Implement Naruto Exam cheating rules, get caught and you're out of the class and can retry next year

As Always,
The Grue

@Gnomezilla Mine was Theme and Location.

Don't worry if it is a little late, your education is more important, with work tying in importance, and family and well life in general. The key is the happy medium and late caffeine fueled spontaneous writing sessions and creativity. Don't lose sight, beat hope into submission and show them that you got this.

You can be a princess locked in a tower of solitude and safety, the queen sitting on her throne of hardwork and chances, or the army laying siege to both and oh look you brought a battering ram made of badassery.

As Always,
The Grue

I have sent my ingredients in, but perhaps the other chefs for this Iron Quill have not yet or were delayed. Have patience and all will come to fruition soon.

As Always,
The Grue

Thanks! Which path was your first choice? And did you read all of them?

As always,

The Grue

Sorry, editing it down and trimming the fat took longer than I thought.

Choices

Let me know what you think.

As Always,
The Grue

Here is my entry.

Ingredients Used: Loaded Dice, Rebirth, Intersection

Words: 1,744

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Choices

Choice? Daniella had made up her mind to stop believing in choice a long time ago. Much longer from her perspective but she was always telling herself to live in the moments of others and not the exaggerated spaces she created.

It wasn’t easy; seeing things from anyone else's point of view was hard enough for normal people. Normally you would have a few positions to deals with, your own and the other sides, but what if you could see all the sides, know all the possible views and what came with them? What would you do; pick the most optimal and hope for the best? Not so hard, except that just because you can see where all the viewpoints are coming from it is truly hard to see where they are headed to.

Daniella ducked through an alley and leaped over the daily refuse that had piled up. She was careful to plant her feet this time, the other two times she had just tried making the leap ended in disaster. She could feel her ankle throb in her mind from where she had twisted it and at the same time she could feel the infection creep up her arm from where the rat had bitten her when she landed in the debris. She shook her head, and tried to push past the phantom injuries and ignore them.

She reached down and cradled the die in her pocket. The ancient die was heavy for its size; smooth to the touch on its face but well worn around the edges. She shivered, she didn’t know if it was the chill air or her realities realigning, layering on top of one another and sewing themselves.

Men of science would probably have fancy words to describe what she was experiencing but she was neither. All she could guess in the time she had it in her possession is that whenever she was faced with a possible choice…

Her brains made a sickening slapping noise as they splattered onto the wall next to her, the bullet punching through and lodging into the brick. Half of her head was gone, a gaping crevasse full of loose skin and singed blood-matted hair. The smell nearly made her retch as she ran past with her head down, the slapping noise replaced with a loud crack as the bullet hit the wall unimpeded. A quick side step past where she had fallen by ducking too low and she was almost at the end of the alley.

She reached the end of the alley and prepared to bolt off down the street, shielding her eyes against the sudden sunlight. She looked back and watched as the group of guardsmen chasing her stopped and inspected her corpse at the same time as she watched them chase after her. This was getting out of hand and they were closing in. She ran out into the street just as they made it to her prone form and planted a bullet in the back of her head. They breached the mouth of the alley and she knew she was running out of time.

Up until now she had assumed she was reflexively using the die, but she decided it was time to put the choice out of her hands and try to follow the path that hopefully would open up for her. The plan was ludicrous, but what choice did she have?

She heard shouts and orders for her to stop as she was about to reach the market square, full of the vendors and their carts, so she weighed her options.

She could veer left at the intersection and take the street down to the river docks, she could run straight through into the garment district, or she could take the hard right but that took her dangerously close to the Quarantine Zone.

All in all not the best choices, but she was almost at the crossing and needed to make a decision.

“This next part is going to hurt,” she told herself as she gritted her teeth and gave the die in her pocket a jumble.

[Left, to the docks seems like the best option]

----------------

[Straight, into the Garment District is the best option]

----------------

[Right, towards the Quarantine Zone is the best option]

----------------

[Surrender]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let me know what you think.

As Always,
The Grue

One thing we could do, and just to see as this thread has gotten a lot more attention as of late, is perhaps extend the deadline by a week. Have it be that it ends on Friday May 20. Just a thought, I mean we have to find a way to keep this going, I loved writing these and will be saddened if I sat back and watched it disappear.

As Always,
The Grue

Sorry I procrastinated. Was actually putting the finishing touches on my story. I admit that I have been letting my hobbies fall by the wayside as of late and just thinking, "Oh, I'll do that tomorrow," and then never following through.

I take blame, as self-pitying as that sounds, because I also looked forward to the Quill every month.

My apology comes late but you can believe that I am truly sorry. I will continue to write and try to get this up by tomorrow, if for anything just to finish what I've started.

As Always,
The Grue

I am late but I should have my submission up by the end of the day.

As Always,
The Grue

Welcome SnakeoilSage. The ingredients are there for our use as we see fit. Edonil always said to use them as a starting point and expand from there. Some times I look at an ingredient and take it at its literal meaning, whereas I also at times will go beyond and use the ingredient as its own personal "mini theme" and work from there.

Red Oni / Blue Oni  <-- This is the link to the Red Oni/ Blue Oni TV trope page if you want to use it that way. It is a good read either way. I cannot tell you the hours I have lost troping from one page to the next to the next.

Let's look at an example:

Taking Red Oni / Blue Oni at "what it means"

• Spoiler

  Sergeant Manthey was a hard man, Rebecca thought to herself. Nails for breakfast, with milk he could curdle with his stare. They had been paired together on a string of cases and what started out as a tedious assignment had soon turned into a loathsome affair. It was hard to Rebecca to follow protocol and ask the questions required by her station to ask when Sergeant Manthey beat floating stars into whomever they were interrogating. She could respect a good beating, a little applied force could shave hours of a prolonged investigation, but this was different; this Sergeant was different. He had a passion about him, a violence that seemed abated only when knee deep and draped with blood and viscera. She didn't know what it was but she found herself becoming fond of having him around and it confused her. They were nothing alike, hers was order, planning, following orders, while his was chaos, running headfirst into any situation, and his mastery of tying knots as he bent rules and stretched tape. It was infuriating but admirable. He was the type you wanted at your back but not always at your side.

   

Taking Red Oni / Blue Oni at "What it is"

• Spoiler

  Captain Griswalde knelt by the top half of a dying Guardsman. He was one of hers; she didn't remember his name but remembered his assignment, "Patrol Unit 1, Three Kingdoms Quadrant 3"  "On your feet man and report," the absurdity of this order was not lost on her, but it had the desired effect. His eyes fluttered open and he even tried to prop himself upright. She placed a hand on his shoulder, "What happened here?" "My legs Cap..." She sighed and focused her eyes, "I don't care about your legs, you're dead and there's nothing we can do about that. What I do care about is what did that to your legs." To his credit the man swallowed and told her his story, "We were on patrol sir, like every night, when these two monsters came out of no where." "Monsters?" her voice wasn't questioning, stranger things prowled these streets, but she needed more details. He continued, "There were two of them, one wide as a wagon but no taller than horseback, its skin was red and it was full of muscle. Tore through us in a rage, screaming and bellowing, couldn't understand it. We tried firing on it but this other one cut down our riflemen. It was tall, lithe, blue skin and razor sharp claws. They were fast and tore us to pieces." She spat on the ground, this was not the first time she had heard a story like this from a dying guardsman, first it was in Quadrant 1, then Quadrant 2. She had hoped it either wouldn't happen again or that at least she'd get better intel this time. A noise behind her spun her around pistol and axe at the ready, but then she untensed. "McMourning, didn't hear you come up," she holstered her weapons, "the bodies are ready for transport, I am glad you got here so quickly, last thing we need is a riot, it's good to see a man take pride in his job. If only all my men were as dedicated as you."

  Hope that helps, unless I veered off and took your questions the wrong way. Either way, I am here to help and am always available to answer questions.

As Always,
The Grue

You have built such a wonderful thing here Edonil. Be proud of what you created, and who you were able to bring together because of it. When I first got here and wasn't sure who to reply to or what to post the Iron Quill gave me a place to come and start out. I may not have been as successful as the others over the years but know that I enjoyed coming here and looked forward to the Quill each month. Some how I was even able to win it once. Ask my wife how happy the Iron Quill makes me and she will probably tell you to tell me settle down. You will be missed.

Admiralvorkraft seems like a very good choice. You will have a worthy successor. Let me know if you need any help with any of your future pursuits Edonil. Same for you Admiralvorkraft.

As Always,
The Grue
 

I am surprised, I did not think I had a chance at this one, so my thanks to all who voted for me. All of the stories were great, so congratulations to all. Beyond the writing my favorite thing is watching the other authors change and progress from contest to contest, we force one another to aspire to new levels of greatness and it is a thing of wonder to watch. Keep it up everyone!

Now if I can just get back on track forcing myself to start writing about Captain Griswalde again.

As Always,
The Grue

Now that I have read it once I am having trouble finding the specific spots where I got lost. I have reread it numerous times and can't seem to pinpoint where it was. I am forced to recant my earlier objection, though it never changed how I liked the story, which I did. Jobs pulled on trains always are fun and I enjoy reading them.

As Always,
The Grue

Thanks for the review. It took me another read through before I spotted the duplication, but I saw it and will attempt to avoid over detailing my details in the future. Wait...

I was humming "Mr. Booze," the whole time I was writing this. The one with James Dean and the Family Guy one.

The grammar is part my fault and part my word processors auto correct, but then again I should've proofread it.

When I first saw the item was a barrel I knew they would be barrels that ate things, then I just had to figure out how to fit it in. That's when I thought of the sham wow guy.

As Always,

The Grue

I had always imagined that the area around the governor's mansion and the more "posh" areas had thought Victorian feel, which melded I to regular buildings the closer to the slums you got which in turn switched to ramshackle cobbled together buildings where every space was filled and used when you got to the slums. 

The three kingdom neighborhoods were made to look more in line with their home country aesthetic.

On 1/3/2016 at 0:45 PM, zeeblee said:

The Quarantine Zones probably still look extremely strange.

Also some of the fluff has mentioned the buildings that are in the Zone and they have towers and winding stone stairways with big laboratories so all in all I agree that Malifaux is a hodge podge of various architectural designs. Who knows what you may come across above or below ground, or if you entered a nondescript building thinking you would find one thing you might find a completely different building then what was on the outside.

As Always,

The Grue

Good luck to everyone, was a very good batch of stories. I am glad that I was able to be a part of it. 

It feels good to be back.

As Always,

The Grue