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  1. - Top - End - #931
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: The Culture explores 40K II: Now With 100% more Fanfiction

    Sorry for not posting, but I don't think I can do today either. It's nano you know? I should be done with it by early tomorrow at latest in any case.

  2. - Top - End - #932
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    Kobold

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tavar View Post
    It's partially logistical, true. But, what also feeds into that is the AdMech, and the general loss of knowledge that allowed it to flourish. Yeah, there are many individual things in the Imperium that beat the Tau. The problem is that it's largely individual things which can't be reproduced, or if they can must be hand crafted. Artisan works are all well and good, but it's shown that they can barely supply the Adept Astares with such works.

    The Tau presumably will not have this problem, at least not until a Dark Age or something.
    Well... they do have some energy that other people don't have. Look at their energy weapons: Ion Cannons, Pulse Cannons, Neutron cannons. I think other races have things similar to Fusion cannons, though. And other races definitely have Plasma cannons.

    Quote Originally Posted by jseah View Post
    Sorry for not posting, but I don't think I can do today either. It's nano you know? I should be done with it by early tomorrow at latest in any case.
    But the icon below your name says you are a winner!

  3. - Top - End - #933
    Eldritch Horror in the Playground Moderator
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    Default Re: The Culture explores 40K II: Now With 100% more Fanfiction

    Eldar Fire Dragons carry Fusion guns, and Tau plasma weaponry is better than Imperial but worse than Eldar - which is odd, because Pulse weapons are technically a more refined, less powerful type of plasma weapon. Neutron and Ion cannons are Tau-Empire-specific, but it could be quibbled about that they didn't actualy invent either, they just bought or stole them (from the Demiurge and Vespid, respectively).

  4. - Top - End - #934
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    Actually... looking at the stats?

    Tau Plasma weaponry is about equal to Eldar... sometimes better, sometimes worse. Eldar are capable of bigger plasma guns though (those can go on their ships).

    And Pulse Weapons are a hybrid Plasma/Solid Penetrator (ie, magnetically accelerated coilgun, but not particularly fast out of the barrel. The hitting power comes from how it hybridizes the projectile into an energy pulse) type of weapon.

    http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__...ulse_rifle.jpg

    That's fanon, I think though. But hasn't been contradicted.
    Last edited by Gavinfoxx; 2012-11-29 at 03:24 PM.

  5. - Top - End - #935
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    Default Re: The Culture explores 40K II: Now With 100% more Fanfiction

    Also, on the 'luck' thing, the Culture 'doesn't believe in Luck'... but if they start manipulating it via that orky warp field, they might get some interesting understanding in the ways that the Warp interacts with and affects reality, and things that might be similar to Luck. Could be interesting...

  6. - Top - End - #936
    Eldritch Horror in the Playground Moderator
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gavinfoxx View Post
    Actually... looking at the stats?

    Tau Plasma weaponry is about equal to Eldar... sometimes better, sometimes worse. Eldar are capable of bigger plasma guns though (those can go on their ships).

    And Pulse Weapons are a hybrid Plasma/Solid Penetrator (ie, magnetically accelerated coilgun, but not particularly fast out of the barrel. The hitting power comes from how it hybridizes the projectile into an energy pulse) type of weapon.

    http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__...ulse_rifle.jpg

    That's fanon, I think though. But hasn't been contradicted.
    http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Puls...e#.ULgu1Ib5XB0

    It says the gun "fires a plasma pulse, which is generated when an induction field accelerates a particle which breaks down as it leaves the barrel." No mention of solid-shot ammunition, but I don't know enough science to be certain if these contradict or not.

  7. - Top - End - #937
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    Gotta love that vagueness, it accelerates "a particle," whatever that means.

    Presumably it's firing a charged particle beam, anything from hydrogen ions to metallic superatoms to antiprotons, in a pulse. That super-high-velocity beam of gunk does the damage, and it's small mass and narrow profile means gravity and air resistance mean a lot less than for a Bolter round. It's a pretty old idea actually, at least as old as Telsa's "Peace Ray," and might be feasible within our lifetimes (though probably not as an infantry weapon...).

    Of course, this is 40K so bringing in real science isn't incredibly useful.

  8. - Top - End - #938
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    part 7.5 Orks - finale
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    A number of ork starships have left the system for neighbouring systems. This is partly to establish communications with other ork tribes as well as test their ability to travel through space. Given their shipbuilding capability, we anticipate high losses, but drone pickets in all neighbouring systems are on the lookout for arrivals.

    A plan for using the orks as a weapon against Chaos appears to be somewhat feasible, if morally questionable.
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    --- Neverending Story would like to add that the moral status of using the orks as a weapon depends on their classification as a non-HS, which clearly seems to not be the case, judging from Eldar and Necron reports. The Orks are a weapon, and using a weapon made by the Old Ones clearly has no moral implications.
    --- Large Sticks Speak Softly is of the opinion that the Old Ones did not just make a HS. They made one with sentience and the capability to form a civilization. Perhaps some corrective action is in order but the Orks are clearly not a HS and using them as a weapon would obviously <...>
    --- This human contributes the fact we are considering 'corrective' action. This is obviously morally repugent, are we going to engineer the orks to be less aggressive? <...>


    The plan's details have been furnished by a different Mind who conducted an experiment in directing the war-like nature of the orks, which was surprisingly easy as long as they had something to shoot. It appears that directing the orks against Chaos only requires nothing but replacing the warboss and acting 'orky' enough to lead them on an attack.
    However, this necessitates at least one agent entering Eye or a local warpstorm in realspace which is obviously far too risky to attempt.

    A slight modification of the plan depends on another thing. What happens when a warboss gets replaced? Does his Waagh just stop or does another warboss take over and continue?

  9. - Top - End - #939
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    Either can happen, although there is generally some loss of power amongst the Orks, unless the reason the old Warboss was defeated was a succesful leadership challenge.

    If assassins kill the Ork Warboss, the power vacuum ensuing could rip the Waaaagh apart. Or there could be one exceptionally powerful underboss who steps neatly into the void, with only a few dozen murders.
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  10. - Top - End - #940
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    Quote Originally Posted by jseah View Post
    part 7.5 Orks - finale
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    A number of ork starships have left the system for neighbouring systems. This is partly to establish communications with other ork tribes as well as test their ability to travel through space. Given their shipbuilding capability, we anticipate high losses, but drone pickets in all neighbouring systems are on the lookout for arrivals.

    A plan for using the orks as a weapon against Chaos appears to be somewhat feasible, if morally questionable.
    Spoiler
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    --- Neverending Story would like to add that the moral status of using the orks as a weapon depends on their classification as a non-HS, which clearly seems to not be the case, judging from Eldar and Necron reports. The Orks are a weapon, and using a weapon made by the Old Ones clearly has no moral implications.
    --- Large Sticks Speak Softly is of the opinion that the Old Ones did not just make a HS. They made one with sentience and the capability to form a civilization. Perhaps some corrective action is in order but the Orks are clearly not a HS and using them as a weapon would obviously <...>
    --- This human contributes the fact we are considering 'corrective' action. This is obviously morally repugent, are we going to engineer the orks to be less aggressive? <...>


    The plan's details have been furnished by a different Mind who conducted an experiment in directing the war-like nature of the orks, which was surprisingly easy as long as they had something to shoot. It appears that directing the orks against Chaos only requires nothing but replacing the warboss and acting 'orky' enough to lead them on an attack.
    However, this necessitates at least one agent entering Eye or a local warpstorm in realspace which is obviously far too risky to attempt.

    A slight modification of the plan depends on another thing. What happens when a warboss gets replaced? Does his Waagh just stop or does another warboss take over and continue?
    Ork travel through the Warp is really random. They tend to stick together and arrive at a system but more then one WAAARGH has just shown up out of no where due to bad luck with how it was traveling. (They may or may not be guided by their gods during a WAAARGH)

    If killed by an Ork, that Ork just takes over. If killed by an assassin then his bodyguards tend to fight it out and if they are too equal in strength the whole WAARGH falls apart. Generally the new warboss will not be as good of a leader then a warboss who got in via beating the old warboss.
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  11. - Top - End - #941
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    Hold on... how are they talking about the Old Ones in such detail?? Did the Necrons give them so much info? The Eldar? They don't know much about the topic.. Info on them is really really rare... I believe they were mostly pre Eldar Empire, and the Eldar, at best, likely have legends only about them. In fact, the Eldar really only have legends about large swathes of their earliest history; that's why they want to recover artefacts and such so much. As far as linking them to making of the orks, I don't know if any race knows that. Several races have archaeological digs that have dug up this or that crazy artifact from them, but for the most part, those things are considered 'from some impossibly ancient, unknown race'. I dont think ANYONE knows that they made the Orks...

    Unless I'm getting something wrong, then?
    Last edited by Gavinfoxx; 2012-11-30 at 02:40 PM.

  12. - Top - End - #942
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    Quote Originally Posted by Forum Explorer View Post
    Ork travel through the Warp is really random. They tend to stick together and arrive at a system but more then one WAAARGH has just shown up out of no where due to bad luck with how it was traveling. (They may or may not be guided by their gods during a WAAARGH)
    Doesn't this depend on whether they are using a Weirdboy-navigated ship, or they are just hitching a ride on a Space Hulk?? According to Navis Primer, Weirdboys can Navigate the warp, via instinct!


    Oohhh, found a great quote from Navis Primer..

    "Dere's dis fing, see, what comes from all Orks. It goes round us an' through us, and keeps da kosmos togevva. It's called da Waaagh!, an' it makes Orks Orky. It gets bigga when we does, and gets stronger when we's fightin' an' winnin'. An' when dere's enuff of it, lots and lots of it, see, den speshul fings 'appen. Like really 'uge wars!
    -Ogbad, Ork Warphead"
    Last edited by Gavinfoxx; 2012-11-30 at 06:38 PM.

  13. - Top - End - #943
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gavinfoxx View Post
    Doesn't this depend on whether they are using a Weirdboy-navigated ship, or they are just hitching a ride on a Space Hulk?? According to Navis Primer, Weirdboys can Navigate the warp, via instinct!


    Oohhh, found a great quote from Navis Primer..

    "Dere's dis fing, see, what comes from all Orks. It goes round us an' through us, and keeps da kosmos togevva. It's called da Waaagh!, an' it makes Orks Orky. It gets bigga when we does, and gets stronger when we's fightin' an' winnin'. An' when dere's enuff of it, lots and lots of it, see, den speshul fings 'appen. Like really 'uge wars!
    -Ogbad, Ork Warphead"
    Yes and no. It's partly because Orks don't care where they go, just as long as there's some good fightin on the other end. So it's not really random, but it's barely navigating at all.

    So getting them to actually stop in a empty system would likely fail. They'd just keep going til they hit something they can fight.
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  14. - Top - End - #944
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    Have you read Navis Primer? Ork weirdboys can choose where they want to move a ship in the warp, full stop. As long as they have a reason to go to a specific place, they definitely can do so!

  15. - Top - End - #945
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gavinfoxx View Post
    Have you read Navis Primer? Ork weirdboys can choose where they want to move a ship in the warp, full stop. As long as they have a reason to go to a specific place, they definitely can do so!
    No I haven't. I'm mostly going by the new rulebook which described them as mostly random.
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  16. - Top - End - #946
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    part 7.5 A Certain Chaotic Warp Sorcerer
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    Week 2
    He added an extra symbol to the ritual circle and another vision came to him. Hmm, that wouldn't do either.

    The Tzeentchian sorceror scratched at his goatee, trying to think of another way. The blasted thing on his chin itched endlessly and gave him no end of grief. He couldn't get rid of it though, Tzeentch seemed to want him to wear that beard and informed him by way of understanding that if he didn't leave hair on his face, he wouldn't have a face.

    Not that he knew how to cut it off either. The goatee grew back faster than he could shave it.

    Still, this Culture was quite the tough nut. So far, all the plans he had come up with to contact them, from simply talking to an entire warband out for blood resulted in his death with varying quickness. It was looking like simple contact wasn't going to work either.

    The sorceror cursed as another divination turned up devoid of a solution. Hmm, he would need to be a little more devious. He cast another one, poor success? Hm! That was still the best so far, not that it was difficult to top total disaster.

    Well, may as well cast a few more dice to make sure and see if he could refine the solution a little.

    Week 3
    The plan was set, and done. Now, what he had to do was wait and see where the plan would go wrong. He knew from the forecasting that *something* would not turn out the way he wanted it to, but he couldn't figure out what would go awry.

    The Culture
    GCU The Right Hand of God has picked up an IoM covert rumour about an ancient artifact on a barely developed mining planet. A few mercenaries are already planning to go get it and the GCU is diverting from its course to investigate.

    And now the Eldar, and then it's part 8.
    Last edited by jseah; 2012-12-02 at 01:14 AM.

  17. - Top - End - #947
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    part 7.5 Eldar
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    Week 1
    Our efforts to explain the technology behind the hyperspace drive and various construction methods in hyperspace have met with further difficulties. Nevertheless, we are confident that eventually the Eldar will be able to make hyperspace drives. Eventually may be at least a few years though.

    At this point, we are sure that the Eldar are using a completely different construction principle. While we have refrained from scanning the teleportation gates' and weapons construction with effectors beyond detecting their presence, enough visual data has been accumulated to indicate some strange properties.

    Our Contact citizen living on the Exodite world has not been meeting with much trouble. Additional data on Eldar society's reactions to outsiders is being gathered.

    The Eldar Wanderers have explained that the Path of the Wanderer isn't a real Path but a term for those Eldar who are not on any Paths.

    Week 2
    We have initial indications that the Eldar have a higher baseline emotional sensitivity than human-standard, as well as slightly lower disease resistance. Going by their testimony, the Eldar also have a higher baseline Warp sensitivity.

    They have also refused application of backup protocols as it would require scanning them. All three Eldar Wanderers on the Culture GCU are awaiting transfer to the nearby GSV Reporting for Duty.

    The Eldar have commented that our organic citizens seem to perform very little useful duties, indicating that the Eldar spend far less time on entertainment or perhaps cannot afford that time.

    Week 3
    GSV Reporting for Duty
    We have noted some symptoms of addiction of one of the Wanderers to a VR environment. Beyond working out that it is the same (customized) environment that the specific Wanderer has been requesting, we have refrained from intruding into it to protect privacy.

    The other two Wanderers have commented that this is a risk that Wandering Eldar undertake. We are currently dicussing acceptable ways to try recovery with the other two Wanderers and the main Eldar delegation.

    Meanwhile, we have had to, with regret, restrict the activities of the other two Eldar to realspace activities, and without true risk. (eg. no sundiving without a ship nearby) Losing one Eldar will be bad enough for our diplomatic relations, we will not risk the others.

  18. - Top - End - #948
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    The Eldar used to spend that much time doing useless activities.

    Some of them still do.

    Mostly, it would remind them heavily of their culture pre-Fall. Perhaps even 'pre the worst decadence, pre-fall'. IE, The Culture would remind them of a particular era in the Eldar Empire.

    Of course, they would only know this from legends regarding that era.

    Also, you have a typo in the Chaos sorcerer thing:

    "but he couldn't figure out what go awry."
    Last edited by Gavinfoxx; 2012-12-02 at 07:01 PM.

  19. - Top - End - #949
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    part 7.5 Eldar - The other side
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    Week 1
    Spent a day at the Eldar side of embassy waiting for a ship. The Eldar don't seem to have an office in the way the IoM does, instead they conduct their internal business with informal talk and consensus decisions. This appears to indicate a more cohesive and equal society (in terms of status) than the IoM.

    ----
    The Eldar cruiser has arrived to transfer me to one of their larger fleets where they have said that they live in. It is interesting that they mention their permanent spaceborne nature as a sort of exile. Apparently, our assessment that the Eldar's independence of planets is a sign of maturity is too quick.

    The Eldar are spacebound out of necessity, not because they want to be that way. Perhaps they might appreciate Orbital construction plans.

    I am currently in a guest room on the cruiser under heavy guard. The Eldar will soon transition through their teleportation gate to the system their fleet is currently in and they appear to want to keep the process a secret. As per our agreement, I will not deploy any scanners and my companion has agreed to limit its effectors for the duration.

    ----
    We have arrived. The transition through the teleportation gate has taken nearly 20 hours, which is far longer than we have noted. I suspect from this that the teleportation gate is not a Warp-based galactic range displacer like we initially imagined, but more like some method of extremely fast FTL.

    This method of travel between gates is still much faster than our own hyperspace drives. Given how far we would have moved, it appears that the 'leisurely' pace the cruiser used is roughly 150 kilolights. The Eldar have said that they could indeed go much faster.

    The fleet looks impressive on paper, consisting of over a hundred ships with nearly half of them military ships. Yet, the fleet is hobbled by the need to protect vulnerable support ships that are harvesting resources from the system. The Eldar have said that this is a major mining fleet, with the majority of their population residing on Craftworlds, which are gigantic ships the size of planetoids.

    Week 2
    Life with the Eldar is peaceful, mostly. The Eldar are not subject to the social combat that normally plagues IoM, instead the pecking order of their society appears to be competence at their chosen Path.

    As I am an outsider, I am not subject to their devotion to a Path although I am still going to try blending into their society. I will be working as part of a trainee craftsmen programme aimed at teaching and applying mining techniques. I am obviously unqualified for their Paths involving Warp abilities; construction and military are also off-limits due to the sensitivity of that information.

    ----
    It is interesting that their formal education appears to be focused on self-improvement along the Paths. Instead of mass-education like the IoM, the Eldar rely on a sort of apprenticeship-like process (with multiple teachers for every student). I surmise that this is only possible due to their extremely low birthrate and extremely long natural lives.

    One of the first formal teachings seems to be focused on observational techniques and thinking skills. This is quite interesting material, my companion is obviously recording this. Perhaps we might incorporate some formal instruction in those techniques too.

    This is 90% pure speculation on the Eldar's society, since most of it doesn't exist.

  20. - Top - End - #950
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    Does anyone know which novels talk most about Eldar society?

  21. - Top - End - #951
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gavinfoxx View Post
    Does anyone know which novels talk most about Eldar society?
    As far as I know there are exactly three; Path of the Warrior, Path of the Seer and Path of the Outcast.

    I've only read the first one but it was very good. There are other books with Eldar in them, but we don't really get a good glimpse of their culture in those books.



    Anyways an Orbital really isn't that different from a Craftworld on a general level. They are both planet sized living areas with potentially unlimited size growth. Except a Craftworld can or does move more.

    The Culture Citizen will eventually learn about switching Paths. Something that is done whenever the Eldar in question wants to and with only the Path of Command having special restrictions.

    Also staying on the same Path for too long, which varies from Eldar to Eldar, is considered unhealthy. Anyone who gets stuck on a Path is viewed with a mixture of pity and horror.
    Last edited by Forum Explorer; 2012-12-03 at 12:34 PM.
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  22. - Top - End - #952
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    *Checks* Well, CS Goto wrote 'Eldar Prophecy', as well as William King's 'Farseer', which apparently aren't very good at describing mainstream Eldar, according to the reviews that compare it to the Thorpe Paths novels... supposedly the three Thorpe novels are the best of the five??

    Edit: I missed one, "Shadow Point".
    Last edited by Gavinfoxx; 2012-12-03 at 01:29 PM.

  23. - Top - End - #953
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gavinfoxx View Post
    *Checks* Well, CS Goto wrote 'Eldar Prophecy', as well as William King's 'Farseer', which apparently aren't very good at describing mainstream Eldar, according to the reviews that compare it to the Thorpe Paths novels... supposedly the three Thorpe novels are the best of the five??
    MULTILASERS!

  24. - Top - End - #954
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    Yeeaaaaa, apparently Goto's novels (or at least this one!) aren't good either...

    Anyone know how Rennie's 'Shadow Point' compares with Thorpe's Path trilogy for describing Eldar?

    Also, we're talking about Eldar, so...

    SCATTERLASERS!
    Last edited by Gavinfoxx; 2012-12-03 at 01:34 PM.

  25. - Top - End - #955
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    Default Re: The Culture explores 40K II: Now With 100% more Fanfiction

    Found a ranking of how good the novels are at portraying Eldar culture...

    First is the Path novels
    then Shadow Point
    then Farseer
    then there is a pause to show the difference in quality
    then Harlequin
    then there is a much, much bigger pause
    then Eldar Prophecy.

  26. - Top - End - #956
    Troll in the Playground
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    Default Re: The Culture explores 40K II: Now With 100% more Fanfiction

    GOTO!!!!

    To date there has been precisely one novel with the Tau as the central players. GOTO!!!! wrote it. There have to date been no books worth reading with the Tau as the central players.

    Eldar Prophecy, like everything that... Person touches, is a blighted mess of a story that the Black Library does its best to pretend never existed. The Path novels are great for exploring Eldar culture, best to stick to them. Friends don't let friends GOTO!!!! after all.


    ... Yes, I'm still mad that Goto wrote Fire Warrior instead of someone competent. I can forgive him his Multilasers and his awfulness in every other case, but ruining the only chance the Tau ever had at getting more development... GOTO!!!!
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  27. - Top - End - #957
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    Default Re: The Culture explores 40K II: Now With 100% more Fanfiction

    GOTO is responsible for Fire Warrior? No wonder it burned my fingers and screamed with the howling rage of a thousand tortured editors whenever I picked it up, and still sits gathering dust in my basement hundreds of miles away. I'd never heard of GOTO when I first read that, and I knew it was indescribably awful.


    Though you might be in luck, if you like Ciaphas Cain, HERO OF THE IMPERIUM - the next book in the series is The Greater Good, featuring the Tau as the primary coproantagonists. Not a Tau main character, but it'll be a good author writing a book with a lot of Tau emphasis.
    Last edited by The Glyphstone; 2012-12-03 at 03:26 PM.

  28. - Top - End - #958
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    Default Re: The Culture explores 40K II: Now With 100% more Fanfiction

    Quote Originally Posted by jseah View Post
    This is 90% pure speculation on the Eldar's society, since most of it doesn't exist.
    Not bad.

    An amusing note is that the Eldar use low-level psychic phenomenon for pretty much anything. A non-psyker trying to "fit in" is going to do about as well as someone without thumbs in our society -- you can do it, but it's going to be awkward and probably in ways that people-with-thumbs would never have thought about
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    Elflad

  29. - Top - End - #959
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    Default Re: The Culture explores 40K II: Now With 100% more Fanfiction

    Yea, they wouldn't be able to open doors, or use their communications network, or find people using terminals, or anything.

    Though, if a Contact or Special Circumstances operative has really good training and lots of experience, they should start to notice that Eldar body language is wayyyyy more subtle than most human types of body language; they might have to gland something to be able to notice as many details to learn the subtleties. At the very least, they should probably pick up on the fact that 'There seems to be a lot of body language subtext to terms and communication that I am not understanding. Can I have some help learning this?'

    Saying that would be a huuuge surprise to the Eldar; the fact that they would pick up on it, and the Imperium of Man hasn't (in millenia of dealing with the Eldar) can help them figure out that The Culture is different...

    If you wanna get a handle on Eldar Craftworld civilian society, read the first few chapters of Path of the Warrior. It's actually... really really similar to several parts of The Culture in a lot of ways (well, the civilian / artistic side of their life)...

    Jseah: Did you get my recent emails? Is that helping?
    Last edited by Gavinfoxx; 2012-12-04 at 12:45 AM.

  30. - Top - End - #960
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    Default Re: The Culture explores 40K II: Now With 100% more Fanfiction

    part 8
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    Week 22
    Discussions with the Tau look to be mildly productive. The Tau are much more organized and foward looking than the other major powers in this galaxy.
    Pointing out the Chaos contaminations that we spot to the IoM inquisition has been partly successful in destroying them. Nevertheless, we hope to eventually use cooperation against Chaos as a wedge towards negotiation with the IoM.

    A number of IoM technologies previously proscribed have been cleared for further examination after their warp effects were assessed to be stable (the Eldar helped a little) and very useful. Chief among these is a scanner that can detect warp effects as well as the partial warp nullifier that is the Gellar Field.
    We are in the process of testing an IoM warp-based computer that is claimed to be able to pilot a short Warp jump. The test is being carried out on an uncrewed test vessel devoid of useful technology, essentially a small metallic eggshell, with the computer, Gellar Fields and IoM-grade powerplant.

    Scans of warp effects on our ships are proceeding apace, with none found so far. Gellar Fields have also been cleared of any realspace effects and so will operate continuously on all our ships. Construction of the requisite equipment should be easily possible on every GCU, independent drones will complete their current missions before returning to their nearest ship for refit.

    The Necron vessel being tracked has arrived at another Tomb world, this one previously destroyed by the IoM. The Necron vessel is now heading to another nearby system. For some reason, the Necrons appear to partially blame us for this.
    We have repeated our offer to wake the other Tomb Worlds the necron lord is interested in and have met with refusal.

    Week 23
    IoM fleet concentration orders have been detected, with the aim of attacking the Culture. Still, we haven't given away our positions and with the tactical advantages we hold, there is little to worry about if we avoid engagement.

    Analysis of Necron tech has provided further advances in the field of subatomic engineering. We are close to a major breakthrough, with a stable nucleonic filament already possible although infeasibly energy intensive to construct and maintain.
    It has some very interesting properties that the Necrons appear unaware of. The filament itself seems to catalyze fusion in normal matter it passes through, which has been hypothesized to explain the "blade that cuts through anything" in the post incident report from Curiousity Saved the Cat.

    Preliminary analysis of the data provided by Curiousity Saved the Cat has indicated that Necron warp suppression observed in pyramids is of a similar principle to the IoM Gellar Field, but considerably more sophisticated. Theoretical work into this has begun, building on the work done on Gellar Fields.

    Week 24
    The Right Hand of God is reporting a real-space anomaly, warp-based according to the warp-scanners implemented last week. Possible contact with a new civilization, although they appear to be incrediby secretive. Details to follow.

    The Eldar have warned against us making unlikely friends. Whatever that means. Nevertheless, we are re-examining all our contacts again based on the past history of Eldar predictions. The possibility that the Eldar are leveraging our anticipation of their predictive power into souring our relationship with the Necrons seems to be a working hypothesis, but precautions will still be taken.

    The Ork-HS question remains unsettled although Large Sticks Speaks Softly is reporting only minor progress on its intrusive reform program. Both sides are quoting its results as support for their position.
    >>> Information Network Administration - Comments Closed; refer to dedicated subsection of net for discussion forums. At present there are ~340 major sections dedicated to dicussing parts of the Ork-HS question, nearly all of them track updates live. Discussions should take place on those dedicated forums and not on Culture News Network article comments.

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