Presenting The Colonial Tales Contest

[Plynkes]

The Gatling's jammed and the colonel dead,
And the regiment blind with dust and smoke.

Presenting The Colonial Tales Contest!

Time to get your creative juices flowing for another LAF contest. This time we want you to exercise your storytelling skills as well as your paint brushes, and create a scene or small story with a colonial theme. Perhaps the death of Fred Burnaby at Abu Klea, Beau Geste at Fort Zinderneuf, charging the Sikh squares at Aliwal, a German column ambushed in South West Africa, or perhaps Pizarro's meeting with Atahualpa. You may submit multiple photographs to convey your idea, and accompanying text should be provided to weave your tale, too.

If desired you may really go to town with your idea. Placing your figures with scenery on a diorama/vignette base is certainly encouraged, but we understand that not everyone wants to work that way, so it is not mandatory. But this is certainly not a contest where you enter one photo of five figures in a row with a plain background. We want you to use your imagination and bring your scene to life.

For the purposes of this contest and to encourage entrants with as diverse interests as possible, we are extending our view of "colonial" back to the great age of discovery, when the famous European navigators first ventured out and started making a nuisance of themselves around the world. So you may include anything from that point on, providing it involves the European exploration of the wider world, and/or contact with or conquest of indigenous peoples. We've decided to leave the world wars out, as we might have ended up with entries depicting Rommel fighting the Desert Rats, and it was felt that would be getting a little too far from the Prof's original concept for the contest.

The winner, as voted by the membership, will receive a special medallion on their forum profile displaying their victory to the world, and more importantly, they will have the esteem of their peers. A copy of the excellent book Battle in Africa by forum member Howard Whitehouse, will be awarded to one random participant.



So, to recap:

1. Colonial theme (as defined above). The scene must have a minimum of three figures (though the more the merrier) and there is no upper limit.
2. Up to five pictures (max size 800x800 pixels) of figures and scenery to depict a short tale or incident.
3. Text (fluff, in gamer parlance) to tell the story of the tale.
4. Each tale will be displayed in its own topic, with a separate voting topic once we've all had a chance to view the entries.
5. Prizes!

So get your entries in! If you want to enter PM the Prof and he will provide his email address so you can submit your entry (it will be on his business email, which he doesn't want to broadcast on the open forum). The closing date for getting your entry in is the 14th of August. The fun will begin on the 17th, and the voting will close on the 29th.

Good luck, and "Play up! Play up! And play the game!"

[traveller]

Great idea! I need some push to get the painting done. Did I understand that the latest time period is up to the shots of Sarajevo June 1914?

[Plynkes]

Not quite, we just decided to exclude the the colonial aspects of the World Wars. Purely Colonial conflicts past 1914 are fine and dandy.

[traveller]

ok, clear enough. The only question might then be what would qualify as "Colonial"... European or US troops pounding on people from other parts of the world?

[answer_is_42]

Certainly interesting. Would an 'example entry', be possible, for those still unsure exactly what it is expected (to show layout etc)?

[Calimero]

ok, clear enough. The only question might then be what would qualify as "Colonial"... European or US troops pounding on people from other parts of the world?

Do US in Vietnam qualify?

[Froggy the Great]

And where is the line between historical-based and science fiction - would 'er Majesty's Finest on Venus subjugating the strangely humaniform saurians count?

[Hawkeye]

Excellent idea! And there are already a lot of good questions on it, which just goes to show how much it has grabbed people's interest!

Now I just have to think about how I can get a colonial scenario out of my lead mountain...

[Prof.Witchheimer]

And where is the line between historical-based and science fiction - would 'er Majesty's Finest on Venus subjugating the strangely humaniform saurians count?

no, only Historical, no Sci-Fi or VSF.

[Prof.Witchheimer]

ok, clear enough. The only question might then be what would qualify as "Colonial"... European or US troops pounding on people from other parts of the world?

I'd say everything till World War 2, for example Abyssinia or Rif War, the conflicts after the WW2 aren't that what we had in mind.

[gamer Mac]

I don't know if this is my thing
I will need to have a think about it
Does it need to be new painted figures, unpublished on the web before or anything like that.

[JollyBob]

As much as I'd love to get involved, I think I may have to give this a miss. Too much on the desk as it is, too little free time, and a distinct lack of scenery to pretty up my pictures.

Shame, as the subject matter really appeals to me. 

Not to worry, I'm sure all you other chaps will produce some absolute delights to make up for it. Can't wait to see them! 

[Malamute]

And where is the line between historical-based and science fiction - would 'er Majesty's Finest on Venus subjugating the strangely humaniform saurians count?

no, only Historical, no Sci-Fi or VSF.

 

Only joking!

Good luck to everybody who enters, I am looking forward to seeing the scenarios. I unfortunately will have to pass on the invitiation to join in.

[Plynkes]

Some crazy person has asked whether they may submit multiple entries. For the record the answer is yes, as many as you like, but you'll still only get your name in the hat for the prize once. 

As far as whether the minis have to be new to the web, I'll get back to you on that, as that never came up when the Prof and I were discussing things. I'll see what the man says.

As far as an example entry goes, I don't really want to set a template that everyone else thinks they have to follow, as the idea is to run with your imagination. But I'll see what I can do.

[Gluteus Maximus]

I'd love to enter, but unfortunately it's only a few days till we go away on our hols. I'm having to work as many hours as I can get away with to save up some spending money, so haven't got the time to get something organized 

It's a shame, as it's a great idea, in my favourite "period" and I have almost enough of the right figures to do it. Sadly I need some specific scenery and a couple of essential characters which need some conversion, so haven't got the time.

I hope you get plenty of entries and that it becomes a permanent fixture in the LAF callendar