Anchored in a Dead Calm

[gedren_y]

Captain Daffyd "Splattersquawk" Prows had wanted to be in Stedor for Burns Night, but the sea had other ideas. With no wind, and precious little wave, he ordered the crew of the Dark Narwhal to drop anchor and furl the sails.

With the ship buttoned down, the crew went below decks to prepare for the Burns Night feast at sea. There were plenty of provisions, as Captain Prows had planned for this possibility. Even the Corrington officer, often such a dour man, joined in the preparations. Dearji spent much of the time with Cook, helping him to get the spice mix in the haggis just right.

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Details of the Dark Narwhal:

I did my best to create a quarter scale (to the minifigure) ship. At this scale in LDD rigging would have been highly difficult, so I simply left it off. The sterncastle is as close as I could get to the existing design found here.

The feature that gives the Dark Narwhal her name is the huge brass bowsprit. It is sturdy enough for ramming.

The smaller guns are slightly out of scale (LDD issues), and the bow guns are more like bombards. That is how Captain Prows was able to fire the whole rotten goose carcass that earned him the moniker "Splattersquawk".

As can be seen here, the sterncastle has two floors above the main deck and stairs to the top. I was even able to represent the wooden Eslandola 'flag' and the letter of marque plaque.

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More detail shots (click to see them larger)

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Here's the hull out of the water. I'm not sure about the scale of the anchor, though.

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I'm not sure if the Dark Narwhal falls into either the Class 1 or Class 2. If she doesn't, I won't bother to license her.

CCC

[TitusV]

That's a cool ship! I'm not really into black, but it works here!

[Captain Dee]

That's a pretty neat ship, especially considering the scale. Black and gold/bronze look good together. I like the way you depicted the furled sails and the anchor is a bonus for something this size. The staircases at the stern provide a good sense of scale. Keep it up.

[Captain Genaro]

That crew must be kept busy polishing all the bronze . The cabin is a little too tall in my opinion, but that may just be a matter of taste. My favorite part has to be the water. The small waves are excellent, and I love the ship's wake.

[Maxim I]

Sweet micro Gedren!!!

So many nice detalis!

Anyway, I'll class it as a Class 2 A (thanks to the amount of guns and the size of the ship). Is that ok for you?

[gedren_y]

That's a cool ship! I'm not really into black, but it works here!

That's a pretty neat ship, especially considering the scale. Black and gold/bronze look good together. I like the way you depicted the furled sails and the anchor is a bonus for something this size. The staircases at the stern provide a good sense of scale. Keep it up.

That crew must be kept busy polishing all the bronze . The cabin is a little too tall in my opinion, but that may just be a matter of taste. My favorite part has to be the water. The small waves are excellent, and I love the ship's wake.

Thanks guys. The ship herself came together quite quickly, though her large guns took four separate rigs to get the parts aligned that way. The water took three passes before I figured out the look. Once decided on the look, I had to fill it in, which took three hours by itself. All that work to make it so subtle.

Yeah, there is a lot of polishing that gets done on the Dark Narwhal. Especially near feast days. The large sterncastle is about weight balance that she needs when unloaded. That brass bowsprit is solid and heavy.

Sweet micro Gedren!!!

So many nice detalis!

Anyway, I'll class it as a Class 2 A (thanks to the amount of guns and the size of the ship). Is that ok for you?

Thank you very much. Yes, I am glad that she fits within the free license. I went ahead and filled out the form, however I probably won't bother doing anything in the EGS. She's there, though, if the game masters need a little deus ex machina for story purposes (just ask).

[Bregir]

Interesting design, Gedren - I think you integrated the sterncastle from your former build pretty well. It does look a bit tall, but I agree the vessel needs some counter weight to balance out that great big brass bowsprit! Boy, is it gonna sing, if hit by a cannonball!

As I have made my habit, I am going to comment on rigging. Your mizzen (the last mast) should be further forward. To adjust the sails, you need to be able to pull some ropes backwards, and that is hardly possible here...

Further, I'd suggest fore and aft rigging on the mizzen, rather than squaresails. (But I guess its not the easiest thing to do in LDD. )

I have seen some ldd works rendered for better appearance, and I would suggest you look into that for future builds - makes for much better appearance!

Good job!