Lego doodles POST THEM

[alphafalcon541]

I bet Stubby has one built but just won't show it off.

[Quantumsurfer]

because you could hardly ever field something like that and still have a proper army to oppose it (and you'd need a freakin' big battlefield), or just have a battle where the AC is alone and stomps everything else.

Not to mention, I don't think I'd even want to field the damn thing (which I would only against someone else with one in their own army or, as you said, something of similar power).  That's got to take a lot of hours to put together.  I realize it can be therapeutic to smash apart things you've created.  I understand it can teach you the value of things or the proper place of materialism.  Blah, blah, blah.  But I'm materialistic as fuck.  I couldn't invest that much time and effort into something just to see it ruined for a moment's amusement.  That's what tanks and things are for.  Still an investment, not a midlife crisis.  I can see building one for the joy of building but I've got better things to do with my time than to sit and rebuild the fucker for several more hours while I giggle to myself about how cool it was, how totally sweet, when that guy punched a hole through my AC with that imaginary OT Super Laser.  Then cry when I find out I forgot to take pics of that turn in my excitement so I can't show all my cool friends on teh intanetz.

[Apollyon]

Briktopia is about to become another major brikverse superpower...

Hehe, i had thought about adding a definition of Brikverse Superpower to the wiki before. In order to be considered as superpower a faction must have at least two of the following:
6. a SHIP
7. an Armored Core
8. a SHDT
9. a humongous amount of minifigs and/or vehicles

I think according to that the Assyrians and the Immortals certainly qualify. Who else? The Stranians and the 37th Union? Hm, and what about medieval/fantasy superpowers...?  

can't be that hard to make

O rly? I beg to differ. I couldn't build anything like that on my own. Not to speak of the number of parts needed. I dare you to look up Brian Cooper's other mocs. He's got talent and he was nice enough
to share the instructions for one of his creations.

Personally I don't get this whole 'I need to build this so my faction can be the uber strongest' [...]
The reason I'd never build an AC [...] is because you could hardly ever field something like that and still have a proper army to oppose it (and you'd need a freakin' big battlefield)[...]

I am not going to build the AC to make my faction uber strongest but because it's just an awesome thing to display and have. Will it ever see play? Probably not, but then again you never know.
I have wargaming friends who have bought the UCS Imperial Shuttle and we play Brikwars from time to time, so...

... the $20 instructions (do you have them Apollyon by the way?) but gathering the pieces would be a monumental effort of time and bricklink-scouring

Yes, i bought them last year already. When i finally started sorting my bricks yesterday i thought it was time to try them out. I am not finished yet but judging from building the head i do not have many of those i need, especially not in the right colours. It will take more time to sort and compare what i have with the master parts list and the instructions before i even know which ones to buy. I want to get
it finished in the course of this year though and i made a nice excel sheet, too, so i will later be able to tell what it cost. It's going to be 200€-300€ i guess.  

I couldn't invest that much time and effort into something just to see it ruined for a moment's amusement.

This shouldn't really be a concern to anyone unless you decide to reduce your mocs into a complete rubble of bricks. My Vindicator SHDT has sustained quite some damage when it saw battle but it was easy enough to repair. Besides the AC's inner technic frame is near indestructible. If it falls off the table only bits of the armor will fall off. I guess Natalya can say more about that.

[Craigallot]

Hm, and what about medieval/fantasy superpowers...?  

Did anyone say 'Kingdom of Medivo / Westeron?'

The superpowers to me are the factions who have so much influence and reputation, they're very prominent. I'd consider the Assyrian Empire and Brittanian League superpowers because of their many appearances and how they're spread throughout the Brikverse (read: everyone's collections).

[Apollyon]

The superpowers to me are the factions who have so much influence and reputation, they're very prominent. I'd consider the Assyrian Empire and Brittanian League superpowers because of their many appearances and how they're spread throughout the Brikverse (read: everyone's collections).

Yes, there is certainly a difference between having a huge/awesome looking faction on your shelf and having a faction that gets adopted by other players, thus shaping the Brikverse canon. Canonical Powers??

[Craigallot]

We probably shouldn't overthink this, but I see it as a difference between power (what you have at your command) and influence (the influence exerted by this power). You could have a lot of 'power', but if the power isn't utilized, it wouldn't help you to get 'influence.' For example someone posted this massive, awesome Greek-inspired army a while back, but sadly we haven't seen them in battle, so most people will have probably forgotten about them...

[Scratch]

I think that the Influence may be akin to the Imperialism, which makes a lot of sense for the Brittanians.

[Zahru II]

I still don't think charging money for MOC instructions is 'ethical'.

[Quantumsurfer]

Pfft.  Influence.  Lulz.

But I take your point.  I'd say the only real way to measure that is in appearances.  And even then, I'm sure I'd consider the owning player's inclusions to be more important than guest appearances made in other players' games.  Not that those don't have weight, especially if the owning player approves, but I just can't see them as being anywhere on the same level.  You have control of your army, your camera, and your imagination.  If you also have time and energy, you can tell stories about them yourself.  On the other hand, your faction is nothing more than a convenient plot device to someone else...or an attempt to curry favor with you for whatever goddamn reason it is that kids do that here.  The exception here, obviously, is collaboration.  If you have a guiding hand in the story that's being told, it makes it partially yours and I think you should get points for that.  Not like, points, god forbid, but props.  

The thing about our canon here is that literally everyone drives it.  We all have "canonical power."  I mean, there's just one person who can put a kebosh on anything you come up with, no matter how stupid.  That wiki is open to anyone with the will to use it.  Hell, I've come up with three star empires, one of which is actually written, that I don't have a single minifig for yet.  I mean, when I'm stupid rich, I'll remedy that for sure but I went ahead and took down the idea because its a decent one.  Besides, there are lots of concepts we've canon for and no real physical representation for.  A huge chunk of the reason the Scythian forces are among my favorite factions in the BrikVerse has more to do with Shadowscythe's Shorts than anything else.  So, in the end, I think your faction's influence is going to be a real hard thing to measure.  Kinda comes down to:  Have an idea, share an idea in writing or pictures or both, do some shit with the idea in writing or pictures or both.  Influence.

[Scribonius]

In order to be considered as superpower a faction must have at least two of the following:
6. a SHIP
7. an Armored Core
8. a SHDT
9. a humongous amount of minifigs and/or vehicles

Huh... so my force could only take #9 into account, and even then, they'd mostly be armed with spears and swords... I've got a lot of muskets and such from the classic pirate sets, but with over 400 minifigs at my disposal, I don't think I can arm all of them that way.

So, out of curiosity, I am apparently a little behind on my terminology. What are SHIP and SHDTs? (assuming that SHIP isn't actually a ship?)

[Tzan]

SHDT = Super Heavy Death Tank
I think.

[Scratch]

SHIP is a space ship over 100 studs in length, its an acronym for Significantly Huge Investment In Parts, referring to the amount of ABS needed to make one.

[aoffan23]

SHDT = Super Heavy Death Tank
I think.

I thin STD is Super Death Tank, while SHDT refers to a Super Hover Death Tank. That being said, I think a STD gives you plenty of power, as well.

[pkbrennan]

Just a quick doodle I put together for the heck of it...

[Tzan]

Oh right, hover.

SHIP = Significantly Huge Investment In Penis