Here's To You Jessicabelle Dayafter

 

 As thoughts look back over the past year and a half, yours truly thinks about the good times. But, there were also some sad times. Among them was when a longtime friend and virtual neighbor passed away, Jessicabelle Dayafter. She was someone I knew since 2008 and my days at Woodlin, who went on to become a crack combat RP/pilot, as well as someone who frequently appeared in Nydia Tungsten's videos and calendars. In this article, I look back at the times I knew her.

Read Bixyl Shuftan's story in People. 

Jessicabelle Dayafter's Memorial Service

 

It was last week that news of Jessicabelle Dayafter passing away reached Second Life. She had been part of many places and groups, including the New Bastogne WW2 combat roleplay. On the night of September 26, the people of New Bastogne held an inworld memorial service for her, inviting some friends of her from the Sunweavers to attend. There was ceremony, and remembrance, and a salute to a friend and comrade.

Read the story in Events.
 

Weekend in Brief

 

There were a number of events that happened this weekend. Friday was the start of the Renaissance Festival for Making Strides Against Breast Caneer (above). Sunday would have the anniversary party for Team Firestorm, the monthly benefit concert at Veterans Isle, a memorial service at New Bastogne for Jessicabelle Dayafter, and more.

Read more about some of these events later.

Bixyl Shuftan
 

What A Weekend

Lots of events happened this weekend. The big thing was the "Burnal Equinox" festival, which ended with a bang, or rather a tower burn. But there were other events such as a tank rally in New Bastogne, the "Homes For Our Troops" Benefit at Veterans Isle, the Bacchanalia in the Roma area, and of course the Relay for Life events, which included a mermaid party and a "jail and bail."

More on these later.

The New Bastogne WW2 Combat Roleplay Celebrates Five Years

Last weekend on Friday the 13th, the New Bastogne combat sim officially celebrated its fifth anniversary. While there was a hunt for some vehicle crates placed around the area, the main event was a band performance and dance in the German teams' sports hall. Vickster Khun, the owner of the sims and the head of the German teams was there to lead the celebration, and had an announcement concerning one of the officers.

Read more in Places.

Press Release: New Bastogne Signal Photo Contest

Rules for Entry:
Take up to two(2) photographs, in which the subject is WW2 in Second LIfe featuring military and civilian life during wartime (see below for content qualifications). There is no registration fee and it is open to all who wish to participate, roleplayers and visitors. Organisation and sponsors can not participate in contest but they're free to expose their work. The top three photos will win a prize and will be selected the best military and the best civilian photo ! (see below for prize details)

Prize:
- 1st prize: 1000 $L one Kfz 72 from Vehicle Depot and one uniform from Sunshine's Tailoring
- 2nd prize: 300 $L one Kfz 72 from Vehicle Depot and one uniform from Sunshine's Tailoring
- 3rd prize: Kfz 72 from Vehicle Depot and one uniform from Sunshine's Tailoring
- Best military Photo: 300 L$
- Best Civilian Photo: 300 L$

Rules for selection:
Winners will be selected by three judges, selected from among the Propagandakompanie, who will not participate in the contest to help select the best photos from the entries. They will be looking for the top three photos from all the participants. Only one photo from each creator will be eligible to be in the top three, giving everyone two chances to win!

- 1st. The picture must be entirely original and not a photo of other person's works (no plagiarism).
- 2nd. Photographs are to be sent privately and not to be displayed (described, shown, given out) BY THE CREATOR before the contest results are announced. (discovered violations will lead to disqualification)
- 3rd. You are on the honor system and expected to act and behave respectfully to everyone involved.


Submission Dates:
- February 4th to February 14th

Judging will be held from:
- February 15th to February 16th

Photo Exhibition
- February 15th to February 28th in Homely Isle

Content Qualifications:
• Photos must feature daily life in wartime, civilian or military.

• Photographs will not be accepted after the February 14th at 12:00 PM SLT.

• All entries must be sent t to Emil Hansen (Emil.byron) inworld or by Facebook on private message in Signal's page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Signal/938597506156971)

• Only photos submitted with FULL PERMISSIONS (Copy, Modify, and Transfer) will be considered.


Further rules and exceptions include but are not limited to the following:

All photos submitted to the contest become the property of the New Bastogne System management to be used at their own discretion. Creators and participants of all photographs agree not to claim copyright or creative licenses of any kind of any photos submitted.

Participation in this competition implies acceptance of these rules. Before submitting any questions about the contest, one ought to refer to this rule sheet first.

If a problem arises that is not addressed in this notecard, it will be brought to the attention of the management and dealt with in a swift and just fashion.

Emil Hansen, Propagandakompanie

This contest is supported by: **New Bastogne System, WW2 Players group, Sunshine Tailoring, Vehicle Depot and Signal.**

The Christmas Truce Exhibit

Can you imagine fighting an enemy for months, and then not only putting down your rifle but also shaking hands with them and talking to one another? That's what happened a hundred years ago with the "Christmas Truce in December 1914. This holiday season, the New Bastogne WW2 combat RP area set up an exhibit at Homely Isle (98/135/31) to commemorate this event, which will remain up until tomorrow.

Read more in Events.

Concert at New Bastogne

This holiday season, the New Bastogne WW2 combat area has been taking a little time out from it's usually battles. One event was the Christmas Truce soccer match between the German and US teams (no record as to who won). On New Year's Day, There was a music concert and dance in the New Bastogne sim, with Vickster Khun and other officers, and enlisted, from the German team there, as well as a few players taking a break and dropping in.

January 1st at 15:00 SLT, we will have on Caen Sporthalle the New year Concert conduced by Ernst-Franz Gerlich. We will have music from 1930 to 1945 from many international artist and more than 10 musicians on stage!

There was a mix of music from both German composers, such as Rudi Schuricke, but also American Big Band musicians such as Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller.

Various Halloween Happenings

Second Life has no shortage of Halloween fun. There's a number of haunted houses, woods, and other locations around. But suppose you're looking for a party or some other public activity?

If you want to party with the wacky neighbors of the community the Newser office makes it's home in, the Sunweavers are having their Halloween Party at Club Cutlass. Club owner Jenni Greenfield takes to the stage to spin the scary tunes tonight in what promises to be a spook-tacular event.

6-8 PM Sunweaver Space (176, 62, 125)

Steelhead has it's own Halloween party tonight at 7PM. But that is not all. Halloween is the last day of the "Go Fish!" hunt.

At participating locations there are dead fish lying about, it is your job to find them before they stink up the place. Some are easy to find, other's you'll need therapy after you do find it. ... please get them before they really rot.

Among the places taking part in the hunt is the "Malarkey Manor" also known as "Toby's House. Located at Steelhead Harborside (100/114/24), one can drop by here to get a notecard with a list of the locations where one can find the dead fish. The Malarkey Manor has two, with the clues being, "survive to get your TROPHY" and "dig much deeper."

The Creations Dance Club, of the Creations for Parkinson's Charity group, is having a Halloween event that seems a bit more light and a bit less dark, the "Hallow Eve of Light, Happiness, and Love."


Be prepared to be amazed! You and your friends are invited to a Unique Alternative Halloween Celebration Dance. Friday, October 31st 6-8 pm SLT Let's come together to create an uplifting positive evening filled with Light, Happiness and Love. At our New Dance Club at the Etheric Center of Living Light. encourage costumes & clothing to enhance the positive energy of this evening. 12 fabulous free gifts!
 
The dance is from 6-8PM at Creations Park (124, 118, 4055) 

 The World War Two combat roleplay of New Bastogne has been getting into the Halloween antics with the invasion of zombie soldiers. How combatants began raising from the dead is unknown, some say an experiment by Nazi scientists gone horribly awry, others say a curse by a powerful witch furious with the war. Moderator Vickster Khun described the event in a notice.

Today, and tomorrow (Halloween), WWII players are permitted to play as zombies. They will be using a device that gives them greater HP than normal infantry, and will have a melee attack only. Any player using this device should be dressed as a zombie and play on Team 3. Zombies are authorized only between the hours of 5PM and 12 Midnight, SLT (PDT). On another note, you are asked to engage zombies with infantry weapons only. Have fun!

 The Zombie AO made those wearing it walk about in a stumbling, shuffling, often bent over manner. Jessicabelle Dayafter suggested those hunting the zombies on the hours they come out might be allowed some additions on their outfits that would normally make them out-of-uniform, such as a melee fighter's shoulder guard.

Those whom aren't yet in the combat roleplay, but are interested in taking part can head to read about the rules and get some starter gear at New Bastogne (117/156/37). Please take heed of the rules and listen to the moderators.

Luskwood, which last week celebrated their 11th anniversary, is whooping it up again with their Halloween event. The Big Tree is set to have some spooky scary fun.

That's right everyone!  We're going to be haunted yet again.  Feel free to start prepping those wonderful costumes for tomorrow the tunes will rise from the grave. Expect lots of our DJ fun and feel free to let your friends know to come on down then!

The haunted fun is listed as officially starting at 7PM, but people are likely to drop by in costume at the social area much before

All this, and more awaits those who brave the darkness in Second Life on Halloween.

Trick or Treat.

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the Day: WW2 RP

By Bixyl Shuftan

Places to Go on July 4rth

There's a lot to see and do on this July 4rth. Tribute City, built on the WW2 Tribute sim at (128, 51, 2518), has been holding Independence Day-themed events. They're the most publicized place, but by all means not the only one. Areo Pines Park also has it's own event today and for the rest of the week at Equus (16, 231, 22). Later tonight, the newly reopened Raised Tail Resort will be having it's own 4rth of July Beach party tonight at 6PM at Purrfection Estates (249, 61, 22).

If you want to celebrate by taking part in a WW2 themed combat game, head to the New Bastogne sim, join the group, read the rules, choose a side, get the gear, and after taking a moment to get the hang of the controls head out into the combat zone and run your flag up the poles to claim territory.

For places in Second Life with a patriotic look, one is SummerTown USA. But another was made not by an American but a Frenchman.  At Le Dome (36, 111, 21) is the Black Hills Forest, where you can see replicas of Mount Rushmore and the Statue of Liberty. 

Happy Fourth of July.

Cartoon of the Day: WW2 Combat RP

Taken at New Bastogne, not all tanks were huge fifty ton hunks of steel. Some models at the start of the Second World War were small compared to what would roll out in a few years.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Ceremony at New Bastogne

Earlier this week, the pilots of the German air group in the New Bastogne WW2 combat area, JG-52, held a ceremony to reward pilots shown to have performed well in recent flying. While the place hasn't been entirely free of problems, the pilots continue to scrap in the air, and have fun.

Read more in Events.

New Bastogne: WW2 in Second Life

It's been about a couple years since Bixyl Shuftan wrote on the WW2 Combat Roleplay. Two years later, the sims have gone through triumphs and troubles, but are still around. Recently, Grease Coakes took a look at the place to give his own observations.

Read Grease's story in Places. 

Bomber Contest in New Bastogne

Earlier this month, New Bastogne had a contest that was the bomb, literally. Three aircraft producers, along with the sim's German air group held a bombing competition, and about a dozen men and women stepped forward to participate. Some pilots were on-target, while others just made holes next to the tank.

Read more in Events.

Press Release: 1st Annual Bombers Competition

All planes must be WW2 era planes

Categories: Level Bombing, Dive Bombing, Anything Goes

Prizes:1st place-1000L 2nd place-500 L 3rd place-250L (this is for each category). Also a raffle in each category event.

Rules:
Level Bombing Event-
Player must remain above 100m at all times, no loops or dives down to 100m. Must use bombs only, no cannons/rockets/guns/etc. An admin will ride along to make sure the 100m rule is not broken (if not a 2 seater,admin can ride on the wing). 5 attempts given, to kill target or score as many points possible (yes you can kill the target multiple times if you kill it the first time, just give a chance for the damage to be reset).

Dive Bombing Event-
Player is to divebomb (duh). Must use bombs only, no cannons/rockets/guns/etc. May only take 20 hp damage from their own bombs (if you fly too low), after that, you will be considered "too damaged and must return to base". 5 attempts given, same idea as with the Level Bombing for points.

Anything Goes Event-
Use whatever you want (must still be WW2), do what you want, 3 passes instead of 5.

As a reminder, the event will be on Sunday October 28th, 5pm SLT. Sponsored by Skunkette Aviation,Shana Enterprises, BuzzworX, and the JG52.


The location is New Fallout (43, 142, 3590)

See you there!

Jessicabelle Dayafter

The New Bastogne Second Annual Tank Rally

This weekend, New Bastogne, normally the site of the WW2 Combat RP, began it's Second Annual Tank Rally. Red and Blue teams, each with players from both the German and Allied factions, squared off on four different battlefields on it's first day. So how did the action go and whom was the top tank ace? Read on to find out.

Read more in Events.

Vickster Khun Speaks on the Second Annual New Bastogne Tank Rally

On Saturday September 8th, the New Bastogne combat RP sim hosts it's Second Annual Tank Rally. Vickster Khun explained in a press release:

It's my pleasure to announce, the 2nd Annual Bastogne Tank Rally, sponsored Bastogne's own First Armee! Events will include combat tank races, individual and team events, and a new game based on the internet's World of Tanks! Prizes will be given for both individual events and overall points for World of Tanks tourney. Prize tanks (will be awarded) to top winners!

The Rally begins next Saturday, Sept. 8 at 12PM SLT (Noon), with daily events to be announced, the final day being Sunday Sept 16.

Talking with Vickster about the event, she explained a little more, " Well, its basically a sort of capture the base, or last tank standing team game where the tank driver can also be be gunner. There will be a base for each side, and they try to capture the base of the other team and defend their own from capture. The thing is, teams will be random, made of tanks from both factions, and sorted by classes. So there will be the same number of light and heavy tanks for each team, and (self-propelled) artillery too."

Vickster compared the event to the Massive Multiplayer Online game "World of Tanks," though, "It won't be quite like the game because we can't match it with our scripts …. We'll use flags on the tanks to denote teams, like red and blue or red and green. In the actually game, you are always green and the enemy is red."

"Some facets of the game we can't match, but the key things will be single operator tanks will be allowed, it will be a capture the enemy base or eliminate all enemy tanks, and points will be awarded for kills, being on the winning side, and surviving the battle. There will be a time limit also, and draws will be possible."

She also mentioned plans for a side betting pool, "everyone who wants to can buy in for 20L, and whoever gets the most kills of the round, win or lose, gets the pot." The rally would be an opportunity for Joe Sparrow to show off his tanks, she felt, and thought that there might be additional events, odd ones, "like who can knock down the most lightpoles in Bastogne in two minutes."

New Bastogne's first series of tank rallies was in March 2011.

Bixyl Shuftan

D-Day Commemoration

On June 6th, a D-Day commemoration was held in Second Life. Both the Flying Tigers and New Bastogne's German groups met at the WW2 Battlefield for a simulated battle as a way to honor those who fought in the real battle 68 years ago. Second Life Newser was there to get a few pictures of the action, and the meeting after the battle.

Read more in Events.

SL Machinima: Caen Teaser

"A semi-professional production on the New Bastogne Island in Second Life," by Hans Beitler.