Dragons Ahoy!

Here are two wild Starred Agamas (Laudakia Stellio Stellio) - AKA "Dragons" - I photographed yesterday at Rehovot. Cute little lizards!

Election Day Convention, The Lance, Israel

Today we had elections for the Knesset (parliament) here in Israel, which is a paid holiday for most workers, so our beloved FLGS, The Lance (warning: site in Hebrew) in Kfar Sava (near Tel-Aviv) organized a mini-convention with various wargames, wargame demonstrations and role-playing games. I attended part of it. So here's a few pictures of the convention!

Another Lizard Interlude

Here are several wild Starred Agamas (Laudakia Stellio Stellio) I photographed today in Rehovot, Israel.

ACKS: The Dark Project - Character Classes

Now, about ACKS character classes I allow or disallow on the campaign ((C) denotes Player's Companion class):

Allowed Classes
Anti-Paladin (C)
Assassin
Barbarian (C) - usually Pagan warriors
Bard
Cleric - a Hammerite (must always choose the Mace/Flail/Hammer and Bow/Crossbow weapon groups)
Elven Enchanter (C) - a Changeling (-2 to Reaction from Lawful characters)
Elven Nightblade - a Changeling (-2 to Reaction from Lawful characters)
Elven Spellsword - a Changeling (-2 to Reaction from Lawful characters)
Elven Ranger (C) - a Changeling (-2 to Reaction from Lawful characters)
Explorer
Fighter
Hammerite Machinist (NEW CLASS) - a rare Hammerite scholar deep into clockwork engineering
Mage
Paladin (C) - a Hammerite holy warrior
Priestess (C) - either a Hammerite nun or a Pagan cultist
Shaman (C) - a Pagan priest
Thief
Venturer (C)
Warlock (C)
Witch (C) - village or slum hedge-wizards - WARNING! Presecuted by Hammerites as suspected pagans!

Disallowed Classes
Dwarven Craftpriest - No Dwarves in this setting
Dwarven Delver (C) - No Dwarves in this setting
Dwarven Fury (C) - No Dwarves in this setting
Dwarven Machinist (C) - No Dwarves in this setting
Dwarven Vaultguard - No Dwarves in this setting
Gnomish Trickster (C) - No Gnomes in this setting
Nobiran Wonderworker (C) - No Nobirans in this setting
Thrassian Gladiator (C) - No Lizardmen in this setting
Zaharan Runeguard (C) - No Zaharans in this setting

Classes I might allow if the player has a REALLY creative argument for their inclusion Bladedancer - would probably come from an exotic culture
Elven Courtier (C) - no real Changeling nobility
Mystic (C) - would probably come from an exotic culture

ACKS: Dark Project - Starting Work on the Regional Map

I've decided on the part of the Campaign map which will serve as the main game region for a zoomed-in regional map. This will mostly be the land around The City, as well as some wilderness - and Pagan-haunted forests - around it.

On the Workbench: WH40K Chimera Part #2

More paint done on my first Imperial Guard Chimera for WH40K.

ACKS: The Dark Project - Macroeconomics

Now that I have detailed the ACKS: The Dark Project map down to the duchy level, it is time to get back up to the Principality level and set up the demand modifiers, average Principality land modifiers and so on - in a word, Macroeconomics. As this setting is well-known for its thieves, economics are more important to it than even to the default ACKS setting - after all, thieves have to know which rich merchant travels from which town to which rich port - and then rob him!

Duchy-level demand modifiers will only be done at the Regional Map level, which will mostly be in The City's domain.

The City
Class I Market.1,500 years old.

Trade Routes with: Blackbrook, Cyric, Bohn.

Average Land Revenue: 8 GP

Demand Modifiers:
Grain, Vegetables: +2
Fish, Preserved:  -2
Wood, Common: +4
Animals: +0
Salt: +1
Beer, Ale: +0
Oil, Lamp: -4
Textiles: +3
Hides, Furs: -1
Tea or Coffee: +3
Metals, Common: -3
Meats, Preserved: -2
Cloth: +0
Wine, Spirits: -2
Pottery: -3
Tools: -6
Armour, Weapons: -6
Dye & Pigment: +1
Glassware: +0
Mounts: +1
Monster Parts: +3
Wood, Rare: +3
Furs, Rare: +4
Metals, Precious: -2
Ivory: +5
Spices: +5
Porcelain, Fine: +0
Books, Rare: +5
Silk: +4
Semiprecious Stones:+0
Gems: +0

Blackbrook
Class I Market.1,400 years old.

Trade Routes with: The City, Cyric, Bohn.

Average Land Revenue: 7 GP

Demand Modifiers:
Grain, Vegetables: -2
Fish, Preserved: +0
Wood, Common: -6
Animals: -5
Salt: +2
Beer, Ale: +0
Oil, Lamp: -4
Textiles: +2
Hides, Furs: -1
Tea or Coffee: +1
Metals, Common: -2
Meats, Preserved: -3
Cloth: +0
Wine, Spirits: +5
Pottery: -3
Tools: +4
Armour, Weapons: +3
Dye & Pigment: +2
Glassware: +1
Mounts: +0
Monster Parts: +1
Wood, Rare: -3
Furs, Rare: -2
Metals, Precious: +0
Ivory: +0
Spices: +4
Porcelain, Fine: -1
Books, Rare: +0
Silk: +1
Semiprecious Stones: +0
Gems: +0

Cyric
Class II Market, 950 years old.

Trade Routes with: The City, Cyric, Bohn.

Average Land Revenue: 7 GP

Demand Modifiers:
Grain, Vegetables: -2
Fish, Preserved: -2
Wood, Common: +0
Animals: -1
Salt: +0
Beer, Ale: -2
Oil, Lamp: +1
Textiles: -3
Hides, Furs: -1
Tea or Coffee: -1
Metals, Common: +1
Meats, Preserved: -3
Cloth: +1
Wine, Spirits: +1
Pottery: -3
Tools: +1
Armour, Weapons: +0
Dye & Pigment: +0
Glassware: +1
Mounts: -3
Monster Parts: +1
Wood, Rare: -3
Furs, Rare: -2
Metals, Precious: +0
Ivory: +0
Spices: +0
Porcelain, Fine: -1
Books, Rare: -5
Silk: -1
Semiprecious Stones: +0
Gems: +0

Bohn
Class II Market, 800 years old.

Trade Routes with: The City, Cyric, Bohn.

Average Land Revenue: 5 GP

Demand Modifiers:
Grain, Vegetables: -2
Fish, Preserved: -2
Wood, Common: -1
Animals: -1
Salt: +0
Beer, Ale: -2
Oil, Lamp: +2
Textiles: -2
Hides, Furs: -1
Tea or Coffee: +0
Metals, Common: +2
Meats, Preserved: -3
Cloth: +1
Wine, Spirits: +1
Pottery: -3
Tools: +0
Armour, Weapons: -1
Dye & Pigment: +0
Glassware: -1
Mounts: +0
Monster Parts: -1
Wood, Rare: -3
Furs, Rare: -2
Metals, Precious: +0
Ivory: +0
Spices: -4
Porcelain, Fine: -1
Books, Rare: -5
Silk: -3
Semiprecious Stones: +0
Gems: +0

What's the bottom line?
The City is always hungry for more grain, fresh and pickled vegetables, textiles and luxuries such as spices, silk and ivory, and these are imported en-mass from the Cyric breadbasket and the lush forests of Bohn. Rare books, usually imported from Cyric and Bohn, are in high demand in the City. Meanwhile, the City's Prince is now and again at war with Blackbrook over the rich agricultural land of the "no man's land" between their realms, as well as the more productive parts of the Great Forest.

Meanwhile, The City exports industrial products such as tools, weapons and armour top all its neighbours, including, ironically, its arch-rival Blackbrook - from which it imports quality timber products. The City also sells wine and spirits to Blackbrook and oil to Bohn in large quantities.

Last but not least is the subject of monster parts, which The City and Blackbrook, with all their mages, covet. These rare ingredients usually come from Bohn's rich forests, which are easier to hunt in than the Trickster-cursed Great Forest.