ARV Contest Thread

[rednax]

Hi judges,

I went ahead and revised Jungle Fever a bit. Most notably, I've relocated the jungle so that none of it affects Level 3, and I've also made small adjustments near the move glyph so it isn't quite so out of the way and inaccessible. I'm very curious to know your thoughts. Thanks!

[Sir Heroscape]

Looks good. I really like the changes.

[All Your Pie]

Alright, here is my final iteration and submission of Iconoclast

Iconoclast: 1 SotM, 1 FotA, 1 VW

Instructions
Treasure Glyph trap: The figure triggering this trap may not move normally for the rest of the round.

Backstory:

Spoiler Alert!

On this night, like many others, the duke's secluded gallery was abuzz with activity. Once more, another expedition he had funded had come back triumphant, bearing the extravagant lucre and ineffable statuary of plundered tombs. Like many relics before them, these priceless artifacts would soon be filtered into the duke's private collection, but not before they could be displayed--after all, what use were they if they did not invoke envy in the hearts of his fellow nobles?

The centerpiece of this particular exhibition was a stunning display. Twice the height of a person, it depicted an abstract humanoid shape encircled by cloth and waves. The shape leaned on one arm, with the other hand reaching skyward, its fingertips the statue's tallest point. Below the hips it sank into a stone base of stone made to look swirling so convincingly the eye struggled to trace its lines. The light from the vaulted glass ceiling framed the sculpture perfectly, though it entirely failed to signify its exact material. Granite? Marble? Perhaps had he had time, the duke could have discerned this later.

Beneath the pretentious merry-making and defilement, a rumble shook up through the building. Some long-lost power lashed out at the world as though the statue were furious at its displacement. The partygoers shrieked in panic as the floor cracked open, revealing red-hot fissures that yawned ever-hungry. The ground outside softened and grew rank, verdant countryside and pristine gardens turning to pools of muck and slime. Countless priceless trifles were shook from walls and pedestals to shatter on the ground while the centerpiece itself sank, disappearing into a fissure along with the bodies. With a final crack, the ceiling caved in, completing the gallery's destruction.

Now it lies still, an unnatural blight upon the world. But the remnants of the power that brought this destruction still sleep among the rubble...

[Sir Heroscape]

Thanks for the submission!!

[Sir Heroscape]

JUST 9 DAYS LEFT!!!

Remember the winner of the contest gets this TREX DICE BOWL!

[Flash_19]

Here are my two submissions!

The Crypt
Requires 1 RotV, 1 BftU, 1 FoA



Backstory

Spoiler Alert!

The last rays of sunlight slowly slipped below the horizon as Mogrimm Forgehammer passed through the doorway and into the darkness of the crypt. The air was thick and warm inside and stones crunched under his feet as he walked further into the ancient tomb. He breathed deeply, relishing the smell of dirt and stone as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. After a moment he turned to face the four dwarves who accompanied him.

“There is treasure here. I can feel it.”

The words bounced and echoed off the tall stone walls and Mogrimm hesitated, wishing he hadn’t spoken so loudly. Before the dwarves could respond, a heavy thud resonated from the depths of the crypt. The ground shook as metal clanged against stone.

Gripping battle-worn axes, the dwarves waited, holding their ground as the sound of steps came towards them. In the dim light, Mogrimm could make out the shape of jagged armor and a monstrous sword.

Skull Demon.

The towering figure stopped, but the sound of steps continued. Others were coming. The Skull Demon’s eyes, visible through its massive helmet, burned with blue light as it stared at the dwarves. Wisps of pale blue smoke curled from its mouth as it spoke.

“Welcome… to your death.”

Battlefield 23
Requires 1 RotV, 1 FoA, 1 TJ

Backstory

Spoiler Alert!

Crack.

Agent Derek West turned and leveled his rifle towards the subtle sound of a branch breaking. The noise had apparently come from the clump of brush that now lay directly in front of him. With the rifle sights focused on the thick brush, he methodically picked his way across sand and rock towards the source of the noise, eyes and ears straining in the darkness for anything that seemed amiss.

There was nothing there.

A small fire nearby crackled and sputtered as bits of ash rose into the sky. Surrounding the fire were the other members of strike team Omega, a team consisting of 8 squads of Microcorp Agents en route to Ticalla. The team had been tasked with the delivery of as many extra weapons and supplies as they could efficiently carry for Vydar’s troops that were stationed there.

“Omega 9, you’ve moved from your post. Check in. Over.” The voice of his squad leader, Special Agent Jacobs, sounded in West’s earpiece.

“Roger, Omega 1. I thought I heard something. Request permission to make rounds over the perimeter. Over.”

“Permission granted. Check in upon completion. Over and out.”

West cautiously ventured out further from the camp into the darkness of the night. It was cool and clear that evening, and the dim light from the stars was enough to get a clear view of the land around. Thick underbrush dotted the grassy fields around the camp, which had been set up in between the crumbling stone walls of an outpost long abandoned. West had been along this pathway into Ticalla before. The team was nearing the edge of the jungle, and the brush was starting to grow denser. This would be the last breath of cool air before the warm, stiff air of Ticalla encircled them.

A shadow moved in the darkness.

West immediately swung his rifle towards the perceived direction of the shadow, his finger hovering over the trigger. Nothing. He waited, peering down the sights of the rifle, while the pounding of his own heartbeat sounded in his ears. Slowly, he began to inch backwards towards a large bush behind him, trying not to make a sound, but certain whatever the shadow was could hear the thumping of his heart.

He jumped as the sound of shouting and gunfire filled the air. Shots were being fired behind him at the camp. He looked back, trying to see through branches and leaves but he couldn’t make out what was happening. Mind racing, he glanced back towards where the shadow in the dark had been. There, a few feet above the ground, he could make out a pair of red eyes peering back at him. Off in the distance, a chorus of howls filled the night air – standing out above the flurry of noise from the camp. Suppressing the panic growing inside him, he breathed out slightly and squeezed the trigger, sights focused between the glowing eyes. The three round burst found its mark, and the red eyes sank to the ground while slowly flickering out.

A shrill howl came from his left, and West turned in time to see three large Deathstalkers barreling across the field towards him. Light glinted off bits of metal and wind blew through scraggly fur as the creatures raced towards him. Compared to them, he seemed to move in slow motion. Driven by sheer instinct, West raised his rifle, and sent three rounds into the shoulder of the leading wolf. It yelped and dropped to the ground with a crash of grinding metal.

The other two were mere seconds away. Agent West desperately pulled the trigger again and again, but they kept coming. After what seemed like ages, another of the creatures finally skidded to a halt on the ground as the final Deathstalker lunged towards him, teeth bared and red eyes flashing. He brought his rifle up, clutching it in both hands. He tried to swipe at the beast’s head, but felt it hit him as all went black.

* * *

His head was throbbing. It felt as if it had split open. Lifting a hand to his forehead, West tried to gently feel for the wound, but dried blood crusting his forehead prevented him from knowing how large the wound was.

He was lying face up on the ground. The brightness of the sun overhead somehow blinding him, even with his eyes closed. Suddenly, memories of the attacking Deathstalkers returned, and he bolted upright. A terrible mistake. Sharp pain shot through his head, and he gritted his teeth while slowly opening up his eyes.

It was a clear sunny day, and a light breeze whispered through the blades of grass. But the dead bodies of Deathstalkers sprawled across the ground plagued the serene sight. He needed to get moving. There didn’t seem to be any pain in his legs, so he tried to stand up. Everything seemed to be working okay, and as long as he moved slowly the pain in his head felt manageable. After bending down to pick up his rifle, he made his way carefully towards the camp.

The ground was littered with the corpses of dead Deathstalkers. And amid the fur and metal…

Deep breaths, West. Deep breaths.

He choked out a sob while trying to hold his emotions in check. Slowly and painstakingly, he moved between the bodies of his twenty-three teammates, counting each one and checking to see if any of them had made it. After wandering towards the outskirts of the camp, he counted the last one. His squad leader, Special Agent Jacobs, lay face up - eyes staring sightlessly into the sky. As he reached down to check for a pulse, he noticed two medium sized stones clutched in his hands. The stones had strange markings on them, and they felt unnaturally warm to his touch. It almost seemed as if they were… alive. Some sort of power or life surged through them. What on Valhalla? When he tried to pick them up, he was shocked at their incredible weight. He could barely manage to carry them. What are these, why did Jacobs have them, and how was he able to carry them?

The seeming problem gave him something to focus on instead of his grief. Agent West had to do something with those stones - he could sense that they were valuable. But what? He wouldn’t be able to carry them both back. He looked around for anything that might give some indication of what to do. A large scrap of metal that had somehow become detached from a Deathstalker lay a few feet away.

Using the jagged piece of metal, he dug twin holes in the ground on either side of the camp. It seemed foolish to him when he thought about it, but perhaps the extra work of separating the two would insure that one of them would remain a secret until Vydar’s troops could reclaim them. Vydar would want these back. He was sure of it. The ground was hard and rocky, and with only his improvised shovel, work was slow going. After digging for what seemed like hours, West placed the stones into the holes, filled the holes with dirt, and covered the broken earth with large stone slabs he had found next to the walls surrounding the camp. Hopefully it would be enough.

It was time to go. But, there was one thing left to do. West walked over to one of the trees that had been in the center of the camp, pulling out the combat knife that he wore strapped at his waist. Blinking back a tear, he cut into the bark of the tree - carefully controlling the movement of the blade as he carved the words and numbers. A few minutes later, he had finished.

“In honor of 23.”

EDIT: I reuploaded the map because I made a small change with some shadow tile placement after playtesting. I also decided to take a leaf from @superfrog 's book and include another picture to help visualize the map better - the one picture just didn't do it justice!

[Sir Heroscape]

JUST 3 DAYS LEFT!!!

Remember the winner of the contest gets this TREX DICE BOWL!

Those who have been working on their maps...don't let the deadline pass you up! @heroscaper2010 @antmarchingroves @rednax

[Flash_19]

ARV judges - I just wanted to let you know that I made some changes to The Crypt. The original submission post was updated with the changes.

[Sir Heroscape]

Originally Posted by Flash_19

ARV judges - I just wanted to let you know that I made some changes to The Crypt. The original submission post was updated with the changes.

Hmmm...looking at it, I’m not sure what the changes were. Would you mind pointing them out?

[Flash_19]

Originally Posted by Sir Heroscape

Hmmm...looking at it, I’m not sure what the changes were. Would you mind pointing them out?

It was a very small change, just some shadow tile placement.

[Sir Heroscape]

Originally Posted by Flash_19

It was a very small change, just some shadow tile placement.

Okay gotcha. Thanks for letting us know!

[Nomad]

Great submissions so far. I already have a couple of them built and ready to start theorizing . . . only one more day!