Index All Helmet, No Head - The Mandalorian Discussion Group and Index---New stories, new discussion--9/2!

That sounds quite like you, Q_M.

Awww... a great point, yes. Mandalorians aren't quite like that, unfortunately (although I wouldn't take bets against any Mando who wouldn't be like that, if he's marooned on a hostile planet without any equipment - them Mandos can be quite the MacGyver's, if they're willing to. ). A Mando'ad takes every advantage he can get, starting with (theoretically) superior equipment than his opponent - but, he doesn't completely rely on the ship he's flying, either; he tries to rely on himself, on the pilot. There's that Mandalorian principle "Ret'lini" (Just in case.), after all.

Somebody's not quite the fan of X-Men, eh?

 

Actually, I love the X-Men. That's why I am so critical. Wolverine with an adamantium skeleton? Ok, that's cool. Sabertooth with an adamantium skeleton? Uh, ok, I guess that makes sense. Bullseye with an adamantium skeleton? What the hell? How did a Daredevil villain get an adamantium skeleton? And how is Wolverine co-existing in 12 monthly titles at once? Damn you, Bendis!!!!

See my point? I want to Mandalorian iron a commodity so stays 'cool'. Adamantium used to be so rare and powerful that is was practically a plot device. Now every new character has an adamantium something or other. Heck, now there's "secondary Adamantium", that's not quite as strong. Do we really want 'secondary beskar'?

Oh...wait...phrik alloy.

 

Alright, folks, here goes the next challenge! Please read the descriptions closely, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

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[blockquote][hl=#000000][color=#dd0000][b][u]Challenge [i]#2[/i][/u][/b][/color][/hl][/blockquote]You will have four different topics to choose from. If you want to write about more than one of the topics, you may as well write more than one entry - and since we're not giving away any awards, there are pretty much no restrictions for that stuff.

You should at least write 2,000 words, but there is no limit of genre or length over that. You can write a vignette, a short story or even a whole epic. [face_tongue]
[blockquote][hl=#ffbb00][b]Topic 1[/b][/hl] (proposed by [b]corellian_ale[/b]): [i]Dark Times?[/i][/blockquote]The Mandalorians are known as a glorious warrior culture that more than once played major roles in galactic conflicts. But they had also more than once been only a step away from extinction. There even was a time when they had to fight against a suppressing power, the Empire, and even the Mandalorians weren't save from the "Dark Times".

Write about the fate of a single Mandalorian or a group of Mandalorian under the Imperial Reign, under the New Order. OCs are preferred, but you can also write about one of the [i]Cuy'val Dar[/i] (preferrably not, because that's the next topic :P). You may [u]not[/u] write about Boba Fett or Kal Skirata! If you want to, however, you can write about Fenn Shysa or Tobbi Dala.

[blockquote][hr]
[hl=#ffff00][b]Topic 2[/b][/hl] (proposed by [b]browwiw[/b]): [i]Those Who No Longer Exist[/i][/blockquote]There were 100 Cuy'val Dar. We know of at least 4 (Kal Skirata, Walon Vau, Rav Bralor, and Cort Davin). Create your own. Include his 'favored clones'. Why did he choose to become a Cuy'Val Dar? What were his training methods? What is he doing post Kamino? (the last point can go hand-in-hand with Topic 1, if wanted)
- added level of difficulty: the sergeant must be female.
- added level of difficulty: 25 of the Cuy'val Dar weren't Mando'ade. Write one of those.

[blockquote][hr]
[hl=#00ffff][b]Topic 3[/b][/hl] (proposed by [b]Quiet_Mandalorian[/b]): [i]The Aruetiise[/i][/blockquote]The Mando culture is often hard to understand for non-Mandalorians. The way they behave, they make their every day, they raise their children, etc. often seems weird or even brutal to outsiders - things that come naturally for any Mando'ad.

Write a story depicting a Mandalorian merc from the eyes of an outsider to the culture. [u]No[/u] canon characters allowed (only in tiny cameos) - if you want to write about one, ask me via PM, maybe I'll permit it.

[blockquote][hr]
[hl=#00dd00][b]Topic 4[/b][/hl]: [i]A choice not their own[/i][/blockquote]The Mandalorians were the first group in the common galaxy to meet the Yuuzhan Vong, at the very beginning of their invasion. Many Mandalorians of these times thought that they should've crushed the Vong on sight, in the belief they could prevent the invasion before it even started. Mandalore Boba Fett, however, chose to side with the Vong, in hope for protecting his people as long as it possible. It is only plausible that not everyone agreed with that decision (some might've even left the Mandalorian ranks to do something about the invaders on their own), although Fett made a wise choice, from a certain point of view; by fighting alongside the Yuuzhan Vong, they could examine them, their tactics and their principles, something that indeed proved to be of great value when the Vong turned against them. Still, there are those who say that by taking action in the very beginning of the invasion, it wouldn't even have come that far.

Write a story about a Mandalorian in the Yuuzhan Vong war, who thinks he fights on the wrong side and tries to do everything to inflict even the slightest damage on the Vongese. It can be in battle, a simple dialogue with another Mando who shares his opinion, or even about the efforts of a rogue Mandalorian who fights against the Vong while his brothers fight for or alon

 

I know were you come from, vod. However, I'd say as long as only Mando'ade are utilizing pure beskar, there's nothing wrong with that. And safe for the little exploit by the Empire for a short time (and maybe a little bit on black market, at horrendous prices of course), I don't think beskar is so common in the galaxy, you'd only expect to find it in Mandalore sector and used by traditional Mandalorian communities throughout the galaxy. I agree with QM, here, that the idea of Mandos selling their precious beskar is rather silly.


Oh, and as for the challenge - I'll get to that later today.

 

Let's run with that thought.

In Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, the bounty for the average petty criminal appears to be between one and five thousand credits. Others like Malindin Geverak, a small time forger, can fetch up to ten thousand, and though we could assume that the ceiling for bounties is represented by the five million offered for Komari Vosa by Dooku, the fact that a few decades later, bounties of five million credits are routinely being placed on turncoat Stormroopers and Devaronian war criminals would seem to suggest that the actual upper limit is probably much higher.

That said though, why settle for just the credits? Weapons, ammunition, money or means of transport, whether it be a swoop bike, landspeeder or the latest CEC-model light freighter, take them for your own use or sell them unless the terms of the hunt specifically stipulate some particular item is to be returned, or the authorities need it for evidence. After all, it's not as though the prisoner (or dead body) you're returning is going to need them any longer, so like those second sons of the lesser nobility, to the victor the spoils, wouldn?t you agree?.

Then there's the question of mercenary work. Being on contract would have to be steadier work than hunting down fugitives with prices on their heads trying to lie low, and as Beviin states in A Practical Man, there's always a war going on, or needing to be fought, somewhere, and there's no reason to disbelieve him, but how much, exactly, can a mercenary earn? Thrackan thinks the sum of one million credits per Mandalorian commando per month for a force of one hundred is a "ludicrous" figure, but that begs the question of exactly how much a force of mercs would need to be paid and make a profit off their work or break even, taking into account wounds sustained and needing to be treated, expended ammunition, damaged armour needing to be replaced, ships needing to be refueled and every other expense. Jaster Mereel, for example, maintained a force of around ninety-six Mandalorian mercenaries or possibly more (each of the dropships deployed to Korda 6 appears to carry approximately twelve troops, and there are eight of them depicted leaving the main ship) in full Supercommando armour including the dart-launching kneeguards, and all as heavily armed as Mandos invariably seem to be, plus everything needed to keep them in the field and ready to fight, all contained in a ship that might very well be in the neighborhood of a Star Destroyer in terms of size, and unless he was drawing on resources from back home to keep everything running, the sheer size of the operation would seem to suggest that merc work can be quite lucrative.

Thanks for the suggestion. I?ll have to look into it.

Ah, understood.

For my part, I don?t find the prolifer

 

Which one to choose, which one to choose....




*shakes fist in frustration*

Damn you C_F, I wanted to finish on of my epics by March!!!

Now I'll be constantly distracted.

 

I just joined a Mando-themed RPG over on the Roleplaying boards. Hopefully I hone myself a little for the writing challenge. Maybe I'll even learn to quit posting at 3:30 in the AM.

 

Good luck on that. It looks rather interesting.

 

I'd say this is probably done quite often, and even if the captured gear isn't as top-notch as the bounty hunter wants, he can still sell it on black market and buy his own preferred equipment for the money "earned".

This would truly be kandosii, ner vod! Good to see that at least one of the topics appeals you enough to be, um, inspired.

Glad you like the topics, though. I'm looking forward to reading more from your Mando OCs.

I'm not into RPGs myself, but I read your two posts and think you're doing a pretty good job so far. I doubt you'll have problems with the challenge.

Oh, and if you have enough time, you might want to check out some of the Mandalorian fics you can see in the first post - QM's Have Blaster, Will Travel and VaderLVR64's Child of Mandalore are must-reads.

 

No emoticon? Do I sense a hint of passive-aggressiveness? If not, then join in! I fear Koyle may drown in estrogen.

Thanks. I like RPGs because they give me a chance to really 'get into character'. Dealing with other players and situations not of my own making forces me to think about how the character will think and react. Kind of a 'test run' before I commit myself to writing a story. I've actually learned that I don't like certain characters during roleplay and that's saved me a lot of anguish. And then some I fall and love with and discover strange things about them. Jaek is a character I've learned a lot about.

I'm currently reading through the Legacy of the Force series (halfway through Tempest) and decided that I want to write in that general era. Koyle Brann (the OC I'm playing in the RPG) is a character I want to write about. The Legacy appeals to be because it's new and fresh and hasn't been done to death, yet. And it seems like Lucas Licensing has learned from their mistakes and accomplishments from the long running NJO series. It gives me hope, I guess.

 

No, just felt one would be unnecessary.

I'd like to, but I'm a bit too busy at the moment, unfortunately.

Anyway, I really only have one Mandalorian OC of my own who's worth anything, and by my reckoning he'd be married, about 44 standard years old and the father of numerous children by the time LotF gets rolling.

 

I'm currently playing through Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (bought a Gamecube just to play it. Beautiful game.). And I'm thinking...whatever became of Jaster's Legacy after Jango and Zam escaped from Oovo IV in the Firespray. The Galactic Judiciary Department would have impounded it and...then what? These are the things that keep me up at night.

Other ideas of I've had that I'm going to share just to befuddle you all. Mandalorian vs. Mistryl Shadow Guard (it would be worse than the inkpen fight in Bourne Supremacy). Mandalorians aiding Antarian Rangers (I love the idea of the Rangers). Mandalorian adopting runaway AgriCorps Padawan (right after Order 66). Spraying a Wookie with Gundark Mace (cause it's funny).

Damn you, Wookiepedia! Let me sleep.

 

WOW! The sheer amount of activity is staggering.

Right now I'm drowning in: exams (exam period in collage), estrogen (I'm the only guy in the class....well there are two more actually but they rarely show up), my own sci fi universe, my own fantasy universe (so you can imagine my headaches)....what else....oh yes and I'm busy trying to get my partners who handle the art department and the guy doing the miniature sculpting and rules to move their lazy asses. I don't know what's harder: collage, writing my own universes or trying to set up a firm that handles wargaming.

Maybe I should try brokering world peace while I'm at it.....why do I have to drown myself in all sorts of interesting and time consuming work????

Still I'm gonna try write something for the challenge....topic 3 I think. The story will have mandos, aruetiise perspective on them and ....oh yeah... stormtroopers getting shot to pieces.

 

Good question, but I'd say it just ended up on a junkyard. I, for my part, have been using several AIAT/s as gunships in my fanfiction Honor Guard...

Some nice concepts, stuff like that always serves as great inspiration. I might even include a MSG (Mistryl Shadow Guard... or Metal Gear Solid?! ) or Antarian Ranger in my current ongoing story, although I actually don't know too much about either of them.

Well, that's pretty much exactly what you wrote in your last entry...

Anyway, I wish you good luck in your exams!

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Upcoming: a list of the best Mando resources around, both in the net and in published media. (thanks to ale's question via PM) I'll post everything I can think of in here, and everybody else is asked to add anything I forgot (like books I haven't read, or websites I don't know).
It's not like everyone is a walking EU-encyclopedia in terms of Mandos like QM, browwiw, and um, me (? ).

 

That's a good question...

Rather envy you for playing Bounty Hunter. I'd love to try it, but I'm a hardcore PC gamer and I refuse to purchase a console.

Indeed...

Actually, I sometimes wonder about the origins and background of the Mistryl Shadow Guards in that they're women known for being mercenaries for the purposes of supporting their families back home, and a friend once suggested that they might very well be some kind of Mandalorian off-shoot or splinter-group, which, in a way. makes sense, I think, because they do seem to function almost as a feminine inversion of Mandalorian shock-troopers or supercommandos, preferring stealth and close-combat where a Mando might prefer to go in guns blazing.

Oddly, a rather similar event figures heavily in the backstory of one of my characters...

Great minds think alike, I guess.

Or concentrated Dinko essence!

 

Alright, there goes nothin'. Please post anything I forgot or any other resources you know of. As for the published media, my list consists only of the stuff I'd consider as "must-reads" or "must-sees" - objections and additions are asked for here, as well.

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[b]Online Resources[/b]
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[blockquote]- [link=http://boards.theforce.net/Message.aspx?topic=19305982&brd=10003&replies=492][b]Mandalorian Reference Guide[/b][/link] - thread on TFN with lots of information. [b]Reverend_Tegoth[/b] had a website running with all the information in the thread, but unfortunately, the site is currently down, so you have to go with the thread - which is also really full of information, many of which you might not have seen yet. There are all references on Mandalorians in the KotOR games, the young Boba Fett novels and the ToTJ-comics listed.
- [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mandalorian][b]Wookieepedia article: Mandalorians[/b][/link] - pretty solid intel for a wiki article, and I myself watch this page to avoid false information added. From this article, you can also access the Category: Mandalorians as well as a list of known Mandalorians. While the article itself is rather short, there are a lot of links to other topics about the Mandos.
- [link=http://karentraviss.com/html/cont_newmandoa.htm][b][i]Mando'a[/i] dictionary and quick grammar guide[/b][/link] by Karen Traviss - last updated Nobember 2006, next update is coming this March
- [link=http://www.starwarsfanworks.com/timeline/][b]Star Wars Timeline Gold[/b][/link] (fanmade) - same as the NEC, it is useful for any EU stuff, and you can easily search for keywords like "Mandalorian" in it.
- [link=http://starwars.com/hyperspace/member/insideronline/86/indexp3.html][b]Inside Mando'a Culture and Language[/b][/link] (HYPERSPACE-only)

(esp. here I need more links!!!!)[/blockquote]

[b]Published Media[/b] (Books, Comics, Games, Articles in official LFL sources)
--------------------------
[blockquote][i][u]Comics[/u][/i]
- [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jango_Fett:_Open_Seasons]Jango Fett: Open Seasons[/link]
- [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Revenants]Tales #18: Revenants[/link]
- Appearances in the [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Knights_of_the_Old_Republic_%28comics%29]KotOR Comic series[/link] every now and then, and in [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tales_of_the_Jedi:_The_Sith_War]Tales of the Jedi[/link][/blockquote][blockquote][u][i]Books[/i][/u]
- [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Unifying_Force]The Unifying Force[/link] (only minor appearances, pretty much the only one in that era)
- [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/A_Practical_Man]A Practical Man[/link]
- [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Bloodlines]LotF: Bloodlines[/link]
- [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mandalorian]The New Essential Chronology[/link] (also as a general source for EU stuff)
[/blockquote][blockquote][i][u]Insider articles[/u][/i]
- [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_History_of_the_Mandalorians]The History of the Mandalorians[/link] by Karen Traviss; [i]Insider #80[/i]
- [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Mandalorians:_People_and_Culture]The Mandalorians: People and Culture[/link] by Abel G. Pena; [i]Insider #86[/i][/blockquote][blockquote][i][u]Games[/u][/i]
- [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Knights_of_the_Old_Republic]Knights of the Old Republic[/link]
- [link=http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Knights_of_the_Old_Republic_II:_The_Sith_Lords]Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords[/link][/blockquote]
[hr]

Well, I can't think of any more "good" sources. Now it's up to you, guys!

 

I think it'd be neat if a history-minded Mando'ade took it upon him or herself to track it down. I've noticed that Karen Traviss has drawn upon the old WEG (West End Games) Star Wars RPG, Marvel series and, obviously, video games for Mandalorian trivia. I keep hoping that Jaster's Legacy will pop up in her work. Because, well, the clones are literally Jaster's legacy.

The Mistryl Shadow Guards history can he found here. While the Shadow Guard's history isn't linked to the Mandalorians, if could be conceivably retconned that the mercenary army that assaulted Emberlene were Mandalorian. If that were the case, then it could be inferred that the Eleven Elders based the Shadow Guard at least somewhat on Mandalorian tactics.

The easiest way to pit a Mandalorian against a Mistryl Shadow Guard? The latest bounty keeps an unassuming, attractive female personal assistant with himself at all times...

Heh. Actually, I was making a reference to Dog the Bounty Hunter's (ye gods, how I hate that guy) use of grizzly bear pepper spray.

 

Not to sound overly inquisitive, but was that link meant for my benefit or for that of other readers in keeping with Corran's previous post?

The mercenaries in question might very well have been Mandos (and since no dates are given, we could even speculate that it was Jaster's Protectors who were involved), but the preferred methods of operation of the Mistryls differ rather significantly from the stereotypical Mando was of doing things, i.e. they prefer unarmed, hand-to-hand fighting where a Mando can never carry enough weapons. They go about dressed unobtrusively or in disguise where Mandos clank around quite deliberately in their distinctive armour. They generally seemed to be employed as bodyguards or members of rescue parties, being protective, where Mandos typically focus on causing as much destruction as possible. The two are like perfect, complimentary opposites of each other.

It works...

Ah...

I'm serious about the Dinko essence though.

 

That was for everybody's benefit. Also, I get drunk off my own HTML markup skillz.

The Mistryls were also know for using hand claws, shock whips, and zinji needles. I guess the Shadow Guard are modeled on ninja; i.e, hiding in plain sight. So, the first 45 seconds of the fight will involve expending their exotic weaponry on eachother and then lead directly into the ol' Chuck Norris vs. Jack Bauer slobberknocker of doom. And judging from Jango's performance against Obi-Wan in AotC, Mandalorians are no slouches in the fisticuffs area. Once the lightsaber was factored out, I'd say Jango was was the superior hand-to-hand guy. His technique reminded me of the RL Krav Maga. IMHO, the purely militaristic Krav Maga would suit Mando'ade perfectly. Especially the upper levels where they teach you how to snatch an attacker's gun away and beat him with it.

 

So, I take it none of you has something to add to the list I made? Can I add it to the first post, then?

 

Ah, okay. Sorry to ask.

Well, no harm in that.

Yeah, I can just see that...

I'd agree on both accounts. I've never actually seen it demonstrated, so I've no idea how closely Jango's technique resembled it, but from what I've read, Krav Maga seems like a good choice to base a Mandalorian unarmed fighting style off of. Very business-like and to the point, as opposed to some of the more familiar Asian styles, or at least that's the impression I have of it.

BTW, the dialogue and characterization you've worked into that RPG thus far is excellent. I love the idea of a half-Corellian Mando, particularly as you've realized him, and I'll look forward to seeing him in fan-fiction should you decide to go that route with the character.

You might want to add The Unifying Force, Corri'ka. In addition to being the only depiction of a full-on battle between Mandos and Scarheads, it has a few interesting details, such Boba Fett apparently wielding his father's Westars (or replicas thereof) in combat.

 

It'd be cool, indeed, but while Karen might be the person to pick this up, I doubt it'll happen. She's got Ko Sai, the gloved Mandalorian and Kad'ika running, currently.

I got the same impression. I've never heard of Krav Maga before, but it looks like it fits a Mando better than Kong Fu for example.

I can only second that! From what I understand, he is indeed intending to include Brann in his fanfic entry.

Good point. I thought it was only a little cameo (I still haven't read it, yet ), but now that you say it, I think it's worth a mention, indeed. Oh, and it's either Cor'ika or Fand'alor.

 

Bah, now I want to write a mando fan fic. To bad I suck at writing stories...

 

Don't forget to post your thoughts in the Author Analysis: Karen Traviss thread. The haters and nay-sayers are out it force.

 

Thanks for the heads-up. I'm trying to to stay out of Lit at the moment (getting into arguments there can absorb alarming amounts of my time which I need to study for university), but I'll see if I can mobilize my brothers to provide some positive commentary.