May Newsletter
Community
It’s been a busy month on the community side. April saw the continuation of our weekly Baldur’s Gate 3 and Sons of the Forest games, as well as the return of some old favorites. The Isle saw a resurgence with Dubsaloon’s discovery of a VOIP server, leading many people to casually play both together and solo.
The Merry Men wrapped up their work in the Underdark and made their way above ground to the Githyanki Creche. Travelling through the Mountain Pass and entering the Creche, Honey faced the Zaithisk, hoping to extract her tadpole for more info, but walked away with the parasite (and her) even stronger. May will see the group complete the Creche, take on the Githyanki Inquisitor, and make their way into the Shadow-Cursed Lands of Act 2. Last month also saw the Merry Men reach level 8, with level 9 expected by the end of May. Sons of the Forest saw the Merry Men building up the Eastern Home, which the group decided was in a much more defensible position compared to the West. As Winter hit, a small scout party entered a nearby cave, spending many days within, and eventually discovering a crashed spaceship deep within the mountain. Further exploration revealed 2 separate artifact pieces, adding to the mystery of the island. May will see the Merry Men continuing to expand their Eastern Home and exploring more caves and bunkers, hoping to discover what is really going on… For anyone interested in learning/refreshing on D&D 5e, Schmidt will be starting up the 5e Academy. This won’t run as a regular event; rather when someone is interested, he will organize a play session with them (and others, if others are interested at the time) to go over the basic rules and to have a quick go at conversation, combat, and checks. Message Schmidt if you are interested. April also saw the start of Schmidt’s weekly streams, with Alien: Isolation being wrapped up this week. Every Monday will have him facing his fears with Horror Time, followed by weekly sessions of Space Engineers and Ark: Survival Ascended on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. But Schmidt isn’t the only one streaming, as Jelly, Dubsaloon, CanadianMoose, and RemyBell have also begun starting their own streams. Let this be an invitation to all interested in content creation, the more the Merrier!
Star Citizen
May kicks off an exciting month for the Merry Men. On May 14th, Drake Defensecon kicks off with a big release, a ship we’ve all been waiting for: the Ironclad. This beauty opens the door for our cargo haulers in the MMI to carry around all our precious resources in safety. Lined with a thick layer of armor to protect those high quality crafting goods, the Ironclad will open a new chapter in the Merry Men’s logistical capabilities.
But the Ironclad isn’t the only ship coming. Drake launches with another (less beautiful) snub fighter, the Pitbull. While not as pretty, this little guy looks like he’ll pack a punch with its 2 cannons, aided by its small silhouette to avoid enemy fire. Following Drake, we’ve got Origin flying in with a brand new heavy fighter, the M80. Now combat might not be what Origin’s known for, but when you’re surrounded by the sleek, luxurious feel of that silver cockpit, does combat REALLY matter that much?
Taking a turn after the M80 is MISC with a brand new refueling ship, the Starlite. There’s not much to say about this thing, it’s a smaller refueler than the Starfarer. It’ll be a great addition to our logistics fleet. Kicking things up a bit, we move onto Aegis for the Tiburon, a variant of the Hammerhead. Rumored to sport a pilot-controlled laser beam, this ship sounds like a natural counter to the Idris and its own pilot-controlled laser. Then finally, the biggest ship of them all, the Anvil Odin, the brand new Battlecruiser. The largest (store) purchasable ship in the ‘verse, this baby will be a sight to see for all (and hard to miss too, with a 1:1 hologram displayed over Area 18).
While Defensecon is all about ships, something else seems to be on the horizon: Squadron 42. While it’s not expected to be released soon, there has been a lot of movement on CIG’s part that indicates SOME news will be coming this month, whether that be a release date or a delay. No one knows for sure, but keep your eyes and ears peeled for an update on the long-awaited singleplayer story.
Finally for this month, CanadianMoose has been working on a trailer for the Merry Men organization. While not ready just yet, be on the lookout; it’s a good one. Schmidt is also working on some short form content for the group to be posted by the end of the month. Content help us drive engagement and growth, so if you have any clips, screenshots, or even videos of your own that you’d like to share, be sure to post them in the #screenshots and #clips channels.
Classified Information
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Be on the lookout for more details about ██████████ ████ █████████ in the coming weeks
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Final Words
And that’s all for this month’s Merry Men Newsletter. Be on the lookout for more information on the upcoming 4.8 patch for Star Citizen and ██████████ ████ ███████, as well as any additional events that may pop up. Until next time, we’ll see you in the ‘verse.
Join the Cause
Ready to join a community that believes in teamwork, fun, and lifting each other up? Whether you fly, fight, or just hang out, there’s a place for you among The Merry Men.
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