Moff Wibbles

BEHIND THE SCENES:

At the Empire's height, a Task Force was led by one of the Empire's massive 1.6km Imperial Star Destroyers, and included advanced support vessels such as Raider Corvettes and Quasar Fire Cruiser/Carriers. Five years after the catastrophic Battle of Yavin, the remnants of the Empire are a shadow of their former selves. Task Force 113 was typical of a post-Jakku Imperial task force. With the catastrophic losses in the battles of Endor and Jakku, the Imperial remnant factions have found themselves forced to press older, smaller ships into service. Every single ship in the 113th Task Force it served previously in the Clone Wars. After extensive refits to prepare the venerable warships for the modern era, the 113th was launched from the shipyard at Nixor by the Triumvirate Navy in 5ABY. It was led by the Decimator, a Gladiator-II Star Destroyer. Measuring at 600m, the Gladiator was designed as an escort vessel, but proved itself perfectly capable of operating without support, becoming one of the Empire's most effective long-range patrol craft. Armed with heavy ordnance tubes and turbolasers, it was (and still is) capable of holding its own against vessels far larger than itself, and boasted a massive hangar bay for a ship of its size. Its only notable weakness was a small point-defence battery, making it vulnerable to bomber craft. For this reason, the Decimator was escorted by a quartet of CR-90 Corvettes, which have had their heavy twin turbolasers replaced with batteries of rapid-firing quad laser cannons. With their exceptional speed and anti-fighter targeting, they ably defended the Decimator from nimble bombers. The inclusion of a pair of Arquitens-Class Command Cruisers rounded out the 113th, giving the flotilla a potent weapon against corvette and frigate sized starships. With powerful dual cannons and docking clamps for additional fighters in between its bow prongs, the Arquitens has, despite its age, served the Empire well all throughout the Galactic Civil War. Consisting of fast ships and able to field a full fighter group, the 113th was a well-rounded task force ideal for system patrol and rapid response. -Overwhelming Force: The Imperial Navy (2nd Edition), Winter Celchu. BEHIND THE SCENES

Cheers, will edit those in now.

*Your entry has earned 3 XP (x2 for limited challenge)* NANTH'RI SYSTEM - IMPERIAL INTERDICTOR PACIFIER . SOME TIME LATER, WITHIN THE PACIFIER Some time later, in the brig of the Pacifier... The Inspector General had nothing further to say to the prisoner. His expression carefully netural, he turned and left, heading back down the corridor to the bridge. As he marched, he gave orders. A creature like Goldtusk was too dangerous to be left alive. It had escaped custody before. It could do so again. He owed it to the Empire to ensure that the danger it posed was...removed. Permanently.

Absolutely gorgeous, I always did have a soft spot for the Venator. Yours looks great - the detailing on the stern in particular is most impressive.

No worries, thanks for letting me know. There's probably a few other mistakes in the forms, since I really didn't understand how IP worked at the time I filled them out. I've educated myself a bit more, so hopefully that should be the last round of errors.

*Your entry has earned 3 XP* Dreighton, a sandy ball of rock with nothing to offer but Clawmice, Sand-leeches and an abundance of minerals. Located in one corner of the infamous 'Dreighton Triangle', it is a place avoided by most, for fear of ghost ships and mysterious disappearances. The Galactic Empire, however, is not as superstitious. It has constructed a massive mining complex on the planet, with tunnels kilometers long. It is here our heroes have taken a pit-stop, closer to their location than Imdaar. Here, they are negotiating with the requisitions officer to acquire much-needed building materials for their base. Arias, more at home with other troopers than in the murky field of logistics and politics, strikes up a conversation with the Sandtrooper guards outside one of the many base entrances. A former Scout Trooper himself, he befriends the Stormtroopers and ensures that they have allies on the ground, should they ever need to come back. As they talk, a 11-3K Viper Sentry Droid stands guard, its two heavy blasters at the ready. Inside, Ruby negotiates with the surly requisitions officer. She has a valid requisition order, but she's after some supplies not listed on it - supplies that will increase their odds of survival on the planet to which they've been assigned. The two haggle for some time - the officer is unwilling to accept Ruby's explanation of 'the mission is classified' and she's unwilling to divulge classified information. Eventually, though, they are able to come to a mutually beneficial arrangement. It turns out that requisitions officers aren't paid too well, so Ruby makes a kind donation to the requisitions officer break room, so they can install a dejarik board. \ With the supplies secured and negotiations complete, the two set off back to the Strix - with the newly acquired Sentry Droid in tow! BEHIND THE SCENES: Continuing the story of Arias and Ruby, we head to one of the worlds of the Dreighton Triangle - the planet Dreighton itself. A sandy mining world that appeared in Rebel Assault II, the planet was perfect for the sand challenge (especially since I had managed to scavenge more sand-coloured parts, and had more confidence). In this diorama, the crew gather supplies and allies before setting off for the destination of their base. The build was too small to fit the Strix in anywhere, so it's off-screen today. I enjoyed trying to do what I could with the little sand parts I had (this was basically my entire sand collection). My favourite part by far is the little cave I made for the sand scorpion! Greebling the wall for the mine was an interesting challenge - I still struggle with greebling, so I'm trying to work on it a bit. I decided early on I wanted some outflow pipes and some stained sand nearby - evidence of the Empire's short-sighted policies polluting the planet. I used dark tan tiles to show that the sand around the base had been permanently stained. The doors do work - they're not pretty, but they do work. At the time I made this, I already had put aside a fair chunk of my parts for the base Ruby will build, so it was interesting seeing what I could do with what was left over. The inside, I wanted to make look drab and utilitarian - it's full of storage lockers, crates and ventilation ducts (to whisk the sand back out, I imagine). It is a crossroads, with a large vehicle access straight through, and a smaller personnel corridor off to one side. On the other, we have our grumpy requisitions lad and his cramped, uncomfortable office. You can just barely make out that the room ends in a doorway behind him in his pic above - leading to the break room off-screen. Overall, I feel a lot better about this build than I do the previous one. The storytelling is better in the Sand and Deliver build, but the actual construction of this one, to my eye, looks much better - and the hill looks better than the previous one, too! Thanks all for taking the time to read this. I hope you're enjoying the little adventure our characters are on here. The next one isn't going to be for quite some time - I have to make a temperate forest, and I have almost no green parts at all! Acquiring them will take time :) Time I'll use to learn some decent foilage techniques, methinks. And no, this droid isn't going in the Factions III contest either. Not creative enough. I've left a little clue as to what I WILL be entering here. The parts are coming. Stay tuned.

*Your entry has earned 2 XP* MISSION REPORT: Recapture of Nixor Prison Complex FROM: Lieutenant Kel Dreng, 341st Imperial Army Battalion (B-Platoon) TO: Capt. Haer Woanek, 341st Imperial Army Battalion. SUBJECT: Mission Report (Operation Roundup) Sir, I am pleased to report that our part in Operation Roundup was a success. We were able to capture the HVT alive, and are transferring him to you for public trial - he should arrive shortly after this report. As per your orders, we used non-lethal force, and as such were able to capture his fellow convicts intact. I am sure they'll provide just the labour boost to get the factories back up and running. Your loan of TK-8752 was appreciated - my men lack experience, so having a veteran amongst our ranks proved a boon. Your probe droid's intel proved correct - HVT Colonel [CLASSIFIED] of the Rebel Alliance, also known as Inmate #463107 was positively identified, and proved exactly as much of a handful as intel predicted. He and his fellow convicts were using stolen Imperial riot gear. This is fortunate, as our riot troopers had only non-lethal weapons in case of just such an eventuality. The enemy, having seen and disabled our probe droid, knew we were coming. They erected crude barricades in order to keep us out. These feeble defences were no match for TK-8752's marksmanship. I am willing to admit that we underestimated the HVT, and I take full responsibility for my error in judgement. Due to their defensive positions and the shock of the ambush, we expected them to be suppressed and remain in cover. I absolutely did not account for the possibility that the HVT might simply not care if he got hit - nor that he'd target me first! Without my inspiring leadership to rally the troops, I can only imagine that they were demoralised and despondent by the tranquillising of their beloved commander. This allowed the HVT the opportunity he needed. Instead of remaining behind his barricades, as I expected, he instead charged to press the advantage! I have been informed that he quickly was able to overpower Cpl Hanz. Fortunately, Pvt Kearn was able to stun his remaining comrade, leaving the HVT alone. Whilst the Pvt moved to disarm and secure the stunned prisoners, TK 8752 squared off against the hardened criminal. From Pvt Kearn's report, the battle was as quick as it was brutal. As skilled as the convict was, he was no match for a veteran Imperial Stormtrooper. He was quickly disarmed, and then stunned at point-blank range. With their leader captured, I doubt these convicts will give us much more trouble. We shall reassert our control over Nixor shortly, and in doing so shore up our spinward border against potential New Republic incursions. I also recommend we further the training of our Imperial Army troops. We won't be able to rely on Stormtroopers forever - not with the Galactic Concordat stopping us from training new ones. I would also like to put Pvt Kearn for a promotion. He kept his head and fought well under pressure against far more experienced opponents. Oh! We were able to repair your favourite probe droid too - turns out they'd simply stunned it by throwing a shock baton at it. REPORT ENDS BEHIND THE SCENES! Hello again! I actually built this one a few weeks ago, but wasn't sure if it was good enough to actually present. (I eventually tore it apart and made another, more elaborate scene that was based more on building than storytelling, which I'll also upload today). I'm still not, but hey, at least I can get some feedback/constructive criticism! This one went through a few changes - originally it was intended to be on Ruul, a planet within TCR's territory, but I later learned that the 'sandy' look from the pics wasn't in fact sand at all, but tundra! I'll admit, I felt like a bit of a fool after that. Fortunately, I found a desert planet in The Triumvirate's territory that worked just as well! I didn't have enough sand-coloured pieces at the time to get the look I wanted, so I substituted in some white (representing sand blindness - painful glares caused by the reflection of the sun on certain materials, such as snow or sand). The barricades were intentionally ramshackle, to make it look like they were assembled from the ruins of previous battles. In this story, the prison complex on the planet suffered a breakout during the Galactic Civil War, and only now are the remnants organised enough to recapture the planet. The thing I enjoyed the most was how I was able to build the prisoners. I tried to make them look ramshackle, as they've spent the past year or so scavenging what they can. There are remnants of their original orange prison uniforms, but they've supplemented their outfits with looted riot gear and whatever clothing they can find. Their leader, of course, is the best-equipped. I feel like I succeeded. Here's a shot that was deleted from the final product - it shows the crew discussing their options shortly after stunning the droid, and provides a look of what their little camp appeared like before it was torn apart to make fortifications. The story was originally to be told in three parts - first, from the prisoner's perspective, then the commander's during the briefing, and finally the Stormtrooper's during the battle itself. I cut this arc because frankly, it was a bit too overly complicated. Simplicity can be strength. You can see from this build the remnants of an Imperial structure, half-buried in sand. Sadly, I didn't take any shots of the build without miniatures in the way (I tore it down in a fit of despair in the shooting process), but here's a decent shot of what it looked like. This one was a frustrating exercise of doing as much as possible with a very limited sand parts supply, but overall, I'm at peace with how it turned out. I won't be entering the Probe Droid in Factions III, as it is based on a design I saw online once, and not something I feel comfortable taking credit for.

*Your entry has earned 3 XP* -Admiral Sarn (Disguised) The two officers took the time to pack their things and have them (and a requisition order for supplies) transferred to the hangar, before they headed down there themselves. They were greeted by what looked like a half-dissected, misshapen egg and a ground crew officer in full gear. The three made short work of the loading process, with the help of the two astromech droids Ruby had requisitioned for the construction process. Though she'd have liked something bigger, possibly one of the 00-99 Imperial Orbital Load Lifters, none were currently available. No matter, one was on back-order. The two pilots were rather impressed with the room the container could hold - two large weapon crates, ten supply crates, four fuel crates and four MSE-6 droids, also boxed up. Sadly, it wasn't designed with passengers in mind, and mag-sealing two chairs down meant offloading some of the supplies. The two, although excellent pilots, knew that if they were in the hold, it meant the shuttle would be leaving without them. As the loading ladders were retracted and the cargo doors swung closed, they started to discuss plans for establishing a perimeter and maximizing their chances of success. They quickly reached an agreement - they were going to need more supplies than this, and Ruby knew exactly where to get them. As they talked, the speaker built into the hold flared to life. The procedure went smoothly. The shuttle used repulsorlifts to position itself over the detachable cargo container, then clamped the two halves together. A recent improvement, it allowed for rapid deployment of troops and vehicles without risking damage to the shuttle or pilots. The Strix was one of the first production run of the updated Sentinel-Class design. In under a minute, the ship was locked, loaded and ready to fly. BEHIND THE SCENES! Hi all! I am pleased to present the flagship for Arias and Ruby's adventures in the Dantus Sector - the Strix. A Sentinel-Class shuttle, she is built from the parts of the two sets that Lego has produced for this ship. Despite being outwardly very similar in appearance, her insides have been completely redesigned! The cockpit has been modified (inspired by the Tydirium Lego kit) to (barely) accommodate two pilots, so that eventually both Arias and Ruby can fly it together. The cargo bay has been completely hollowed out, with attachment points for various kinds of cargo (and passengers if needed), and has been made completely detachable from the main body of the shuttle! This in particular was difficult and time consuming to figure out. However, the end result is sturdy - you can actually just straight out drop the cargo bay from the shuttle onto the battlefield, and it'll take it! Redesigning the cockpit structure to not rely on the cargo bay for support was an interesting experiment, and one that took a fair bit of time. However, I am pleased with the result. The wings have also been modified so that it can include the classic 'bent wing' design of the nucanon Sentinel and Lambda-Class. This is intended to be a hybrid of both the legends and canon version. There are some parts I'm not 100% happy with yet. The side wings have way too many studs on a design that almost completely hides all the studs on the ship - that's something I intend to redesign, possibly by making the wings a SNOT design similar to the top fin (which needs a little reinforcing, once I get the funds). Overall, though, the build is durable, swooshable, and packed with play features. I'll continue to update it over time, and eventually I plan to upscale it (to approximately the size of the UCS shuttle), but for now it is a fine transport for our character's adventures. The locking system is super simple - the two bricks with the brown bits hanging out? Just pull them out, and the entire top section can fly off freely. Stick them back in, and the container is locked in tight. I took inspiration from the Lego City's Volcano Heavy Lift Helicopter for this mechanism, though mine isn't quite as elegant. I'm still learning, I'll get there :) The one thing that has confounded me, and I can see no solution to, is a separate landing gear for the shuttle without the cargo bay. Due to the shape of the ship, it's not really something I can work in seamlessly. I've decided to leave it for now - in-story, the ship simply relies on repulsorlifts (like a Landspeeder) when it is parked. Thank you for taking the time to view my little creation - I'm happy with how it turned out. I'll update this thread with any modifications/changes I make to the build. Next stop - the sands of Imdaar!

Requesting clearance to join the Triumvirate. As I never received word of acceptance from TCR's leadership, I feel no shame in jumping ship.

Mechis III might be a good bet. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Mechis_III/Legends

Well, that's fun. I did a little diorama a week ago that had a sandy base, and I was waiting for the right time to post it up :)

Absolutely stunning! I remember Sarapin from the old Force Commander game. You've really captured the feeling of intense heat and rugged building style. The greebling too is top notch!

Thanks! I plan on leaning heavily on Legends materials for my plotline and characters - especially the 90's video games. This campaign heavily references Rebel Assault II, and my next diorama to help out the Remnant draws inspiration from Force Commander.

No worries, Arias Mercer is my main bloke.