Quote from: Greentongue;959550Speaking of "organized crime", I recall that there are assassin families, are there families that specialize in specific types of "crime"?

I assume there are "crimes" besides not paying the government its due and breaking the Concordant?

What are some of the "crimes" that a typical mid-westerner might not expect to be a crime?
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Uncle, I also would like to ask some related questions. As far as investigating crime goes. I would think that where a crime occured would determine who has jurisdiction(and of course taking into consideration who was the victim). So in the clanhouse, the clan elders would be involved. Crimes committed in the temple, the temple. What about crimes that occur in public? How would petty crimes be investigated, such as the pick pockets in the market(if at all formally)? So when and how would a "Lord Meren" get involved, and who would he work for(part of the OAL, or someone else)? What would he investigate?

And to expand on Greentongue's question, what are considered crimes in the Empire? How does this differ from our conception of jurisprudence?

Thank you in advance,

H:0)

If you look at the history of Rome, Persia, and other empires, "crime" meant either 1) stealing money that was going to the Empire or 2) disturbance of the peace.  Both of these things tended to be stomped down very hard, which also meant that the locals would try to fix them before the Empire noticed.

Quote from: Zirunel;959449The pantheon of the "Two Brothers" Aridzo and (I think) Eshuel? is pretty big in the far northeast, like around Lake Parunal....I think it extends into Jannu too. I could be wrong about that, my sources aren't at hand. Chirine, is the two brothers cult  a big deal closer to Tsolyanu, like say in Kilalammu?

I'm pretty sure you're right. It seems to be mostly to the north, in the small states. Might be - never saw it when we were there, but we were a little busy fighting the locals.

Quote from: AsenRG;959540My question is inspired by the plans to play a gladiator this week and the next. Of course, the swords are blunted, or we wouldn't be playing with friends:p.

So, Uncle, are there any organized crime groups "fixing" the Hirilakte arena matches;)?

We discussed this a while back; there is no 'organized crime', mostly because most of what we consider a crime is considered normal business practices.

Now, having said that, 'match fixing' is the province of the person or group putting on the event, and you can pretty much do anything for the right price...

Quote from: Greentongue;959550Speaking of "organized crime", I recall that there are assassin families, are there families that specialize in specific types of "crime"?

I assume there are "crimes" besides not paying the government its due and breaking the Concordant?

What are some of the "crimes" that a typical mid-westerner might not expect to be a crime?
=

Yes; it's occupationally based. One normally can find out who handles what, and make a deal.

Not particularly; we had a discussion about this early on in the first part of this thread. A lot of what we consider 'crime' is not so regarded; one can't just murder somebody out of hand, as their clan will come back to yours and have you summarily dealt with. Most antisocial or 'criminal' action is handled internally by your clan, and usually pretty quickly and strongly. Inter-clan and temple things are dealt with on that level, as nobody wants the Imperium or other governments sticking their nose into one's private business.

Anything you can think of, besides the Big Four of treason, rebellion, tax evasion, and breaking the Concordat. It's one of the biggest culture shifts that players have to deal with - they can indeed do anything, but then they'll have to face the social repercussions. And the 'law enforcement' is going to come from family, clan, and temple, rather from the local rozzers. So, as an example, sharp practice in commerce is possible, but you'll never work in this town again...

Quote from: Hrugga;959556Uncle, I also would like to ask some related questions. As far as investigating crime goes. I would think that where a crime occured would determine who has jurisdiction(and of course taking into consideration who was the victim). So in the clanhouse, the clan elders would be involved. Crimes committed in the temple, the temple. What about crimes that occur in public? How would petty crimes be investigated, such as the pick pockets in the market(if at all formally)? So when and how would a "Lord Meren" get involved, and who would he work for(part of the OAL, or someone else)? What would he investigate?

And to expand on Greentongue's question, what are considered crimes in the Empire? How does this differ from our conception of jurisprudence?

Thank you in advance,

H:0)

Everybody has their own in-house investigators. So, lots of opportunities for a Lord Meren to be active, and also to possibly an OAL plant. Nothing is ever what it seems, and mayhem usually ensues.

See above. There is no 'legal code' per se, outside the Big Four; yes, there are criminal and civil courts, but nobody is happy to see officaldome get involved in their private affairs.

For example, when my alter ego killed the High Priest in Hekellu out of hand, he was acting as a senior priest of the Temple and not in his role as deputy Governor - my brief was for military affairs - and so the Imperium was not officially involved. I did tell the Governor, Lord Takodai, so as to keep him informed, and also paid a small amount of blood money to his clan - which they promptly donated to the Temple as an apology for their member's embezzlement. You can't just kill people on the street - see also Gronan's comment on this. Same social rules apply.

Quote from: Gronan of Simmerya;959586If you look at the history of Rome, Persia, and other empires, "crime" meant either 1) stealing money that was going to the Empire or 2) disturbance of the peace.  Both of these things tended to be stomped down very hard, which also meant that the locals would try to fix them before the Empire noticed.

This. I think that this was one of the first things we had to learn out at Phil's, and possibly one of the more difficult.

Interestingly, I have a police officer coming to play in my campaign, and he's fascinated by the different policing and legal situation. Luckily, I happen to have some juicy crimes for him to investigate. Mayhem will ensue, as the Provost and his merry band investigate a nasty murder...

Quote from: chirine ba kal;959605Everybody has their own in-house investigators. So, lots of opportunities for a Lord Meren to be active, and also to possibly an OAL plant. Nothing is ever what it seems, and mayhem usually ensues.

See above. There is no 'legal code' per se, outside the Big Four; yes, there are criminal and civil courts, but nobody is happy to see officaldome get involved in their private affairs.

For example, when my alter ego killed the High Priest in Hekellu out of hand, he was acting as a senior priest of the Temple and not in his role as deputy Governor - my brief was for military affairs - and so the Imperium was not officially involved. I did tell the Governor, Lord Takodai, so as to keep him informed, and also paid a small amount of blood money to his clan - which they promptly donated to the Temple as an apology for their member's embezzlement. You can't just kill people on the street - see also Gronan's comment on this. Same social rules apply.

In other words, if I am walking through the market and I feel a tug at my belt. If the perpetrator is caught, he should be summarly thrashed and sent on his way...

H:0)

Quote from: chirine ba kal;959606This. I think that this was one of the first things we had to learn out at Phil's, and possibly one of the more difficult.

Interestingly, I have a police officer coming to play in my campaign, and he's fascinated by the different policing and legal situation. Luckily, I happen to have some juicy crimes for him to investigate. Mayhem will ensue, as the Provost and his merry band investigate a nasty murder...

Let us know how the mayhem turns out!!!

H:0)

Quote from: chirine ba kal;959268Understood!


Re the Glorious Empire...

Yes, I think it did, in spots like The Dungeon in Lake Geneva and The Little Tin Soldier Shoppe and Uncle Hugo's SF Bookstore here in the Twin Cites. Back before the Internet, little indie stores had no competition, and if you wanted to get something you had to go to the very rare conventions or the local store. Mail order was very difficult, as it was very hard to even find the addresses of most publishers, and most of them didn't want to deal with mail order - too much overhead, and sales to distributors brought in more money more reliably. (Convention sales were the icing on the cake.) Model railroad and hobby stores used to exist that worked in the same way, too.

These days, used books are more or less worthless, and what few retail stores that still exist will touch them. Miniatures have very, very little resale value even when painted and based; 'used' raw metal has no value at all in today's retail environment. Stores must stock the 'big name brands' to get any sales, the days of being able to potter around in the back corners and look for lost treasure are long gone. Lines that have no support from the publisher / manufacturer have a shelf life measured in nanoseconds, and get dumped in the 75% off bins. (I will admit that I get a lot of great figures, that way.)

Once the Internet arrived, and became easy to use, all this went away - no money = no money. The small publishers / manufacturers have turned to the Internet to sell their stuff, because it's the only way to reach a large enough audience to survive. We are in the age of the 'boutique' website.

So, yes, I've been there, and I do kind of miss those times.

A couple talented college kids did a video for my store:

https://www.facebook.com/NeutralGroundGames/videos/1132091560253896/

Anyhow, they did a great job and it's not their fault that I look and sound so old.  It's been month by month since I started five years ago and I still haven't quit my day job.  My sales are more mainstream than I'd like and I've gotten gun shy of metal figures and my own favorites.  How long it can carry on in a city of 80000 with 5 gaming stores is anyone's guess.  Oh well, it keeps life interesting:D

Quote from: David Johansen;959663My sales are more mainstream than I'd like and I've gotten gun shy of metal figures and my own favorites.

It would seem that with so many people using game modules, having the miniatures that would go with each, for rent, might work.
I suspect more people would like to use miniatures for their games but can't afford to invest in something that they will only use once and have no place to store.

Unlike chirine, not everyone has a spare basement to keep things in and years to build up a wide selection.
=

Quote from: David Johansen;959663A couple talented college kids did a video for my store:

https://www.facebook.com/NeutralGroundGames/videos/1132091560253896/

Anyhow, they did a great job and it's not their fault that I look and sound so old.  It's been month by month since I started five years ago and I still haven't quit my day job.  My sales are more mainstream than I'd like and I've gotten gun shy of metal figures and my own favorites.  How long it can carry on in a city of 80000 with 5 gaming stores is anyone's guess.  Oh well, it keeps life interesting:D

David,

Wow!!! They really did a great job. I liked everything I saw. The shots, store, and miniatures(beautiful), model building(awesome), and the interviews all good. With that being said, I would have liked to see more shots with game action in it. The only other thing the music. It was good to start off with. But there could have been a transition to a more up beat, majestic piece of music. It kind of made me feel sad. Like it was a dying art. Otherwise great job.

Nuetral Ground has all of my interests covered for sure!!! If you were in my town, I would definitely be visiting you. Congratulations on doing what you love. May you be prosperous and have good fortune always!!!


H:0)

I know there was a discussion about painting miniatures in part I of the thread. Not sure if we covered this, but here goes. What would a "newbie" need to start themselves off successfully painting miniatures? Such as paints, brushes, tools, and other equipment needed? How much would one have to spend more or less?

Also what are some good references that you could turn to for guidance(in addition to Uncle and others here who have a wealth of experience in the hobby)? Thanks.

H:0)

PS If we did indeed discuss this, disregard. I will take a look back at part I...

I suggested Vivaldi or Wagner for the music and Morgan Freeman for my voice, but they had to use what the College had in its library.

Okay, the basics are clippers, an x-acto knife, brushes, and paints.  For plastics, a set of flush cutting clippers will save you a world of pain.  For brushes I use cheap nylon brushes, I do most of my painting with a number six but you'll also want a 3 and a 000.  One mistake beginners make is using too small of a brush.  They come to a point for a reason.  Some folks love a sable brush.  I do if I'm drawing in brush and ink but miniatures painting is hard on brushes and I'm not a fan of trashing $30 brushes.

Paints come in various qualities.  Most miniatures painting paints are really good: smooth, and highly pigmented.  If you're a beginner that doesn't matter so much but if you want really good results you need really good paints.  Craft store and dollar store paints will do for learning.  I mostly use Army Painter but Games Workshop and Privateer really do make better paints, more expensive but better.  Many people love Vallejo but personally it's too thin and a bit glossier than I'd like.

White Dwarf magazine still does okay painting tutorials.  The basic approach is clean up the mould lines and flash, paint on a base coat, pick out the details, shade and highlight.

Good modern plastic and metal figures don't have many mould-lines, but second tier companies and resin figures often do.  The X-Acto blade with a curved top is handy for this as it can be pushed along like a chisel.  Plastic figures are often in more parts and need assembled.  Model cement is great for plastics and terrible for everything else.  Many people prefer a brush on liquid cement as tube control is a learned skill.  Super glue gel is good for most other things.  Metal kits often have larger gaps which are best joined with two-part epoxy.

You can spray on your base coat and Army Painter has a great line of spray primers.  If you're not painting sports cars or space marines, you'll want a white, grey, brown, or black base coat.  White is best if you're using cheaper paints as they won't be opaque enough to cover a dark base coat.

You can paint on a base coat.  For more complex models brushing it on gives better coverage.  I use acrylic primer with a bit of Future floor wax to thin it down.  Don't try this at home.    Primer matters more on metal figures than plastics.  Soft plastics like toy soldiers should be base coated with Krylon for Plastic spray paint.  Reaper Bones and many board game figures are Vinyl and should absolutely not be painted with Krylon For Plastic as it reacts badly.  Plastics and resin figures often need washed with warm soapy water and allowed to dry before base coating.  

Most painters use acrylic paints, these have little to no odor and thin out with water.  Artists acrylics work but require more skill in thinning and getting the right consistency.  Enamels like Testors model paints don't need a primer on metal but require spirits to thin them and stink enough that your wife will send you out to the shed.  Really top notch painters use oil paints which stink less than enamels and are thinned with linseed oil but will still get you kicked to the shed.  Don't bother with oil paints they take forever to dry.  If you're doing non-metallic metallic and light sources and worrying about really consistent blends that'll hold up under a magnifying glass and painting one or two figures over the course of a year, oils are fantastic but if you're painting stuff that people will play with and touch, don't bother.

You want to mostly use flat paints not glossy ones.  They just look better and show detail more clearly.  If you're using cheap paint it'll be a bit glossy.  Army Painter (whee look at me schill) has good dull coat you can use to tone down the gloss.  Start painting with the skin and work up to the large areas and then the details.  You actually want to overlap your layers as nothing looks worse than a white patch between details and its easier to pick out raised details.  Shading and highlighting can really improve a figure as can lettering, patterns, tattoos and other painted detail but those are a bit advanced for this thread.  You can do a simple wash slopped all over the figure with really thinned out burnt umber paint that will sink into the recesses and give a simple dip effect without the glossiness of varnish or floor wax dips.

In regards to law.  I found a legal blog a while back.  He was talking about Hebrew and Shria Law.  Both of which were open source.  There were 4 schools of law inthe Ottomen empire and at least two schools of scholars in the Herbrew terdition.  If you had a dispute you both went to scholar and they would consult the books and give you a judgement.  

Anyway open souce law or maybe free market law is a better term.

And on the political side the world Caliphate would have and intergration of Church and State.  But a Separation of state and Justice or law.  Might be just as good for personal freedom.