OOTS #288 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

A little late, sorry. Still working on the Spoooky Wizard's projects.

[The_Ducky_Ninja]

Nothing like a good old fashioned game of charades. Especially when the guesser can't understand the actor even if she were to speak. Btw, what's with Shojo not consulting the cat?

Edit: My first post just said YAY to make sure I had 1st posting rights. W00T!

[Pagan]

Woot, first page :D

Edit: isn't it strange that Haley is the only one who care about what Shojo was saying?

Anyways, great work, as always :)

[TheLastOfTheFallen]

w00t! Love it!

EDIT: ok, now that I've secured my first page post...

If only "David" could have waited one more day before making his "We need more rules jokes" thread. Love it: "Don't make me bull rush you. I'm tired and can't remember the rules." I had a player say almost the exact same thing this weekend - crazyness, I tell you! (only it was don't make me Bull Rush the Orc. That was probably the only difference.)

[Gralamin]

great strip love the charades

And puchline was pretty good to

edited for spelling

[menkent]

boy do i get upset when the comic isn't early enough to suit my personal whims. :(

gg giant

[Jman8088]

First Page!
U don't know who i am

<update>
(when i posted that i hadn't even read the comic)
Awsome!
Haley's really good with charades!

I think we all advanced an age catergory wiating for the comic
j/k
<3 ya Giant

[Tomada]

Roy so underestimates the rest of the order

[theKOT]

Yes!!! The possibilities that this strip opens up!!! I love it! Roy isn't very good at scharades, is he?

[Winged One]

I don't know why, but for some reason I found Shojo's punchline hilarious.

And how V cast ER to get away from him faster. And Roy's right, how the wombat does Bull Rushing work, anyway? *checks*

[Kusai]

Well done Mr. Giant! Can't wait to see whats going on now!

[FreeloadingSausage]

*gasp*!


Shojo you horrible man! what *have* you for us now?

[Shlik]

Dundunduuuuuuuuuunnnnnn

[NoSoupForYou]

Nice comic!

Long time reader, first time poster.

FIRST PAGE!! w00t

[Crazy_Uncle_Doug]

Comedic Physics strike again!

[AtomicKitKat]

ROFL!


I'm glad you figured that out before I advanced another age category.

Brilliant! ;D

[Jacklu]

Awsome! It was worth waiting up for it! Great wor Giant! :D
By the way, Shojo should have a gaze attack that causes encephalitis!!! ;D

[Kish]

Well, I see the people who were tired of Haley talking in gibberish got their wish today. :P

[PhoeKun]

This was totally worth staying up for. Shojo moves well for an old man...

[fwiffo]

What's with Roy lately? First, he sics Elan on poor Hinjo and now he calls Shojo "moron", when Shojo was pretty darn fair and reasonable. I would think he'd be happy and elated to be found innocent, since he pretty much resigned himself to losing the case. Yet he is very cranky.

[TheLastOfTheFallen]

Oh, one other thing: unless the Giant decides to torment us (I know I would, were I in his shoes)



we are about to finally find out what shojo was going to tell Roy



Not much of a spoiler, but on the off chance you don't see it coming, I hid it.

[The Giant]

Well, I see the people who were tired of Haley talking in gibberish got their wish today. :P

Who says I don't listen to reader feedback? ;)






(Oh wait, that's right, I'm the one who says that...)

[niolo]

Well, I see the people who were tired of Haley talking in gibberish got their wish today. :P

Or Haley was tired of her teammates not understanding her...

[Duckluck]

Heh, I knew he wasn't that nuts.

[Euphemism]

*snicker* The number of times this has happened to me...

[TheLastOfTheFallen]

Well, I see the people who were tired of Haley talking in gibberish got their wish today. :P

Really, both the "We need more rules jokes" and "Haley not talking isn't funny anymore" crowds got their wishes. Haley not being able to talk WAS the joke, and a damn good one, whie there were 3 rules jokes that my sleep deprived brain spotted: one regarding Bull Rush, one regarding Gaze attacks, and one about Age Categories.

[TheLastOfTheFallen]

Who says I don't listen to reader feedback? ;)






(Oh wait, that's right, I'm the one who says that...)

ROTFL. :D

[Django]

will Haley take a level of some obscure mime prestige class, thus fulfilling the desires of the strong mimeophile subcommunity of the OOTS board?

You, know, the one I made up?

[Nightmarenny]

What's with Roy lately? First, he sics Elan on poor Hinjo and now he calls Shojo "moron", when Shojo was pretty darn fair and reasonable. I would think he would be happy he was found innocent when he pretty much resigned himself to losing the case. Yet he is very cranky.So he should be happy that he was brought to a court he doesn't recodnize to defend themself against an unfair law with a Judge who before a few moment age seemed like a total moron because in the end he got off? Bull****, he is very rightfully pissed.

[Mattaeu]

okay, so i didn't like the one before this one, but thank you

wonderful; absolutely enjoyable.

thank you giant.

[Bakta]

laws of comedy physics strike back :D.

Just a couple of questions popped up in my brain :

- How come Haley is the only one to figure Shojo is acting all along?. V took a stoopid potion ?

- Why isn't , by now, the rest of teh OotS used to Haley's gibberish.

No decryption today.. Booo I say M. Giant!

[Nightmarenny]

Really, both the "We need more rules jokes" and "Haley not talking isn't funny anymore" crowds got their wishes. Haley not being able to talk WAS the joke, and a damn good one, whie there were 3 rules jokes that my sleep deprived brain spotted: one regarding Bull Rush, one regarding Gaze attacks, and one about Age Categories.
Don't forget the one about expeditios retreats against an old man.

[Winged One]

Who says I don't listen to reader feedback? ;)






(Oh wait, that's right, I'm the one who says that...)
The chuckle from that was worth staying up another few minutes after reading.

Oh, and by the way, I look forward to the declassification of your project.

[Tomada]

Who says I don't listen to reader feedback? ;)






(Oh wait, that's right, I'm the one who says that...)



You don't lose the oportunity for fun comments, do you?

[TheLastOfTheFallen]

snip
- How come Haley is the only one to figure Shojo is acting all along?. V took a stoopid potion ?
snip
No decryption today.. Booo I say M. Giant!


Because Haley is smarter when it comes to people, and she is the suspicious one.

And the second comment this poster made PROVES that it is IMPOSSIBLE for the Giant to please everyone.

[TheLastOfTheFallen]

Don't forget the one about expeditios retreats against an old man.

True, though I have my own theories about that Expeditious Retreat, though they will not be shared. :P

[Nightmarenny]

laws of comedy physics strike back :D.

Just a couple of questions popped up in my brain :

- How come Haley is the only one to figure Shojo is acting all along?. V took a stoopid potion ?

- Why isn't , by now, the rest of teh OotS used to Haley's gibberish.

No decryption today.. Booo I say M. Giant!

Never say "teh" again. Ever Eveeeeeeer.


Haley and Elan were the only ones really looking for a problem for the trial. The others wern't interested and just wanted out of their. So they never get a real chance to figure it out.

[Winged One]

Haley has ranks in Sense Motive, in other words.

[Grimblade]

Great comic! I was never any good at charades either. :P

For some reason, Shojo seems to sound less like a senile old geezer and more like a smart person who happens to be getting on in years there. The voice I hear for him in my head just sounds... different.

[The Giant]

And the second comment this poster made PROVES that it is IMPOSSIBLE for the Giant to please everyone.

Yup. For every comment expressing annoyance at the gibberish, I have one in my email inbox thanking me for the puzzles. This is WHY I choose not to take reader feedback too seriously.

[Feste]

Ah... it was worth the wait.

The Predictors, Extrapolators and Wild Guessers Guild will have a field day with the "...smarter than he looks" comment.

[The_Ducky_Ninja]

Btw, what is Encephalitis?

[rebellioussong]

woot first three pages is a record

Anyway. OOOOO I WAS SO RIGHT

But why was he faking dumb? That still is to be exlained

Greath comic Giant keep it up

[Nightmarenny]

okay, so i didn't like the one before this one, but thank you

wonderful; absolutely enjoyable.

thank you giant.
Amazing how you can push your opinian about something unrelated to the topic so much. Oh wait I'm think of another word. An unfriendly word.

[Kish]

Haley has ranks in Sense Motive, in other words.
Which is Wisdom-based, so Durkon might be competitive with her even untrained, but never Vaarsuvius.

Btw, what is Encephalitis?
Nasty disease involving brain-swelling.

[Holy_Knight]

Great comic, as always, Giant. I laughed out loud on multiple occasions. :)

[TheLastOfTheFallen]

Yup. For every comment expressing annoyance at the gibberish, I have one in my email inbox thanking me for the puzzles. This is WHY I choose not to take reader feedback too seriously.

And a wise decision that proves to be. :D

BTW, am I allowed to quote this next time someone trys to say you should listen to us?

[Sylvius]

I liked that encephalitis joke more than I should have, It think.

Haley might be demonstrating that she has the highest Wisdom score in the party. There's no disputing Roy's and V's (and even Belkar's) intelligence, but on the Wisdom front it looks like Haley is on top.

[theKOT]

Who says I don't listen to reader feedback? ;)






(Oh wait, that's right, I'm the one who says that...)
Well, if this was indirectly at me(I said something similar recently), I must say in my defence that what I meant is that you wouldn't change the entire strip's direction just because someone asked you to. For instance, you wouldn't eliminate Miko's character early just because she was impopular, and you wouldn't have Haley speak normally again before you had it planned. I didn't mean to say you never took suggestions or listened to people (Wasn't thog originally going to be killed off, but he was so popular that you kept him?), I meant that peopel can't expect to steer the thread simply by posting what they want to happen.

Sorry if I was unclear.

[fwiffo]

So he should be happy that he was brought to a court he doesn't recodnize to defend themself against an unfair law with a Judge who before a few moment age seemed like a total moron because in the end he got off? Bull****, he is very rightfully pissed.


Yes, he should be happy.

Personal experience. I was recently involved in a case where I was attacked, police was called and I was detained, then I had to go to a trial, where I ended up having to plead guilty to a lesser charge and got a slap on the wrist punishment, while the other person got off scott free. Total miscarriage of justice.

But at the end of the trial I was darn happy. Because while I got treated unfairly, it could've been far, far worse.

Same situation as Roy. He already processed and reacted to "this trial is unfair and I shouldn't be here" a while ago. At this moment the new development is that he has been found not guilty. So, at this moment he should be happier than he seems to be.

[mec]

Haley Decryption Key:

A = E
B = L
C = A
D = N
E = I
F = S
G = M
H = Y
I = G
J = U
K = Y
L = O
M = K
N = B
O = C
P = D
Q = F
R = H
S = J
T = P
U = Q
V = R
W = T
X = V
Y = W
Z = X

[DVC]

Long-time fan, first-time poster. Very much enjoyed the charades. Only the other day our group was talking about having a bard with Perform (Interpretive Mime), giving the party bonuses by prancing about in the shadows, face painted white, trying to get out of a box or pulling a heavy load, so this strip struck a chord!

And I don't the Bull Rush rules, and I'm supposed to be the DM...

[xyzchyx]

For the poster that asked what it was, encephalitis is inflammation of the brain.

I absolutely loved that line... and Roys next remark at Haley's cross look.

[Bakta]

Never say "teh" again. Ever Eveeeeeeer.


Haley and Elan were the only ones really looking for a problem for the trial. The others wern't interested and just wanted out of their. So they never get a
real chance to figure it out.

As you can see in the first post, I can both write the and teh ni teh same sentence. The thing is, my dislexia and I never always agree on things like this. Get used to it :P

As for the person who took me seriously about Haley gibbersih.. Well, what can I say. Don't take me serioiusly on a funny forum?, look right and left before crossing a street?.

Yes, Haley is the suspicuious one, and said that something wasn't adding up (cf Elan's looks remarks in the trails). What I inteded to point out, was during the last duel between Blekar and V, the latter said it was paid to think, nothing else.

[The Giant]

Well, if this was indirectly at me(I said something similar recently), I must say in my defence that what I meant is that you wouldn't change the entire strip's direction just because someone asked you to. For instance, you wouldn't eliminate Miko's character early just because she was impopular, and you wouldn't have Haley speak normally again before you had it planned. I didn't mean to say you never took suggestions or listened to people (Wasn't thog originally going to be killed off, but he was so popular that you kept him?), I meant that peopel can't expect to steer the thread simply by posting what they want to happen.

Sorry if I was unclear.

No, no, I was just poking fun at myself and my critics. No problem. I took your comment as sarcasm, as in, "Hey, you wanted no more gibberish, you got it. She still can't SPEAK, but technically, less gibberish."

And you're right, posting a list of things you want to happen (or not happen) in the comic because you want me to read it and obey is a waste of...whatever this message board runs on. Electricity? Photons? Whatever.

[T.Hammerstriker]

Haley Decryption Key:

A = E
B = L
C = A
D = N
E = I
F = S
G = M
H = Y
I = G
J = U
K = Y
L = O
M = K
N = B
O = C
P = D
Q = F
R = H
S = J
T = P
U = Q
V = R
W = T
X = V
Y = W
Z = X



What's this for?

[TheLastOfTheFallen]

What's this for?


'tis a joke, methinks.

[Buzzaro]

Why cant she be saying the cat be smarter than it looks... I mean come on--- cats look stupid; but if they are smart enough to make people feed them can care for them them they must be smarter than they look...

[Cobrateen2000]

Also, as some have already noted, he is slightly sleep deprived. The guy is tired and cranky. Give him a break people.

Also, great comic Giant. Well ... it wasn't as funny as some. I, for example, did not fall out of my seat laughing. Shojo's line was good, and so was the game of charades, but that's about it. Still, good as always.

[theKOT]

No, no, I was just poking fun at myself and my critics. No problem. I took your comment as sarcasm, as in, "Hey, you wanted no more gibberish, you got it. She still can't SPEAK, but technically, less gibberish."

And you're right, posting a list of things you want to happen (or not happen) in the comic because you want me to read it and obey is a waste of...whatever this message board runs on. Electricity? Photons? Whatever.
Oh, Phew! I was a little discomforted there. I love how you handled it!

This board runs on the energy given off from each alignment debate. So keep arguing about miko, because you are keeping the board alive!!!

[Midnight Son]

This comic rated several solid, out-loud chuckles. For those keeping track, that now makes 280 online comics, about 20 extra pages in book one, and almost every page of book 0 that have made me laugh out loud. The only other comic to ever came close to this kind of consistency with me was Calvin & Hobbes. Please Mr Giant, don't follow his steps and take an early retirement into seclusion. Even on the sad day when OoTS ends, we expect you to stick around.

Who wouldn't want to be able to cause a viral inflamation of the brain with just a look?

[Jarl]

And you're right, posting a list of things you want to happen (or not happen) in the comic because you want me to read it and obey is a waste of...whatever this message board runs on. Electricity? Photons? Whatever.
Happy thoughts?
Marshmallows?
Fruit juice?
Sugar, Spice, and plutonium?
Pure, concentrated evil oozing from the 9th dimension?

-Spiders?

[Bakta]

And you're right, posting a list of things you want to happen (or not happen) in the comic because you want me to read it and obey is a waste of...whatever this message board runs on. Electricity? Photons? Whatever.

A complete waste of yellow flatbelly hamster I vote

[Lianae]

Oooh, that's awkward!

Great strip Giant!

[Bruendor_Cavescout]

I'm reasonably certain Internet message boards run on self-importance.

And its good to see that Shojo's not as frail and senile as he portrayed for a bunch of strips...

[mdsoze]

Giant,

Was the "What's that, Lassie? Timmy's trapped in a well?" line a reference to the bit Eddie Izzard does about those sorts of animal shows?

[Jman8088]

E bema ew yrad fra ftacmf ed olpa!
I Like it when she speaks in code!

I almost posted only the coded stuff (is this ok?)

[Cobrateen2000]

"What's this for?"

If you read it downwards, it has a spooky secret message.

Edit: Sorry, I don't know how to quote.

[Jacklu]

Perhaps later strips should be done entirely in charades. You know, leave the translation entirely up to the reader?

[Holy_Knight]

This board runs on the energy given off from each alignment debate. So keep arguing about miko, because you are keeping the board alive!!!

Good God, man! Do you realize what this means? We've discovered--nay, CREATED an inexhaustible energy source!!! :o

[Gralamin]

Even on the sad day when OoTS ends, we expect you to stick around.

Pun intended?

[theKOT]

This comic rated several solid, out-loud chuckles. For those keeping track, that now makes 280 online comics, about 20 extra pages in book one, and almost every page of book 0 that have made me laugh out loud. The only other comic to ever came close to this kind of consistency with me was Calvin & Hobbes. Please Mr Giant, don't follow his steps and take an early retirement into seclusion. Even on the sad day when OoTS ends, we expect you to stick around.

Who wouldn't want to be able to cause a viral inflamation of the brain with just a look?
For some reason, I almost never laugh out loud at comics. The only time I do is when they manage to get into my "wierd" sense of humor by doing something totally crazy. However, OOTS gets about 1 lol per five comics for me, ahead of just about everything else. AND it has a plot.



Good God, man! Do you realize what this means? We've discovered--nay, CREATED an inexhaustible energy source!!! :o

I knew that the first time I thought "there is no reason to answer this repetitive question" and my hands betrayed me. Curse you unfaithful appendages! Curse you I say!

[Jarl]

Giant,

Was the "What's that, Lassie? Timmy's trapped in a well?" line a reference to the bit Eddie Izzard does about those sorts of animal shows?

http://imdb.com/title/tt0046617/maindetails

-Lassie Come home was where it started, but Lassie the series was the main source of this kind of tomfoolery.

[Midnight Son]

Pun intended?
Is there any other kind?

[Cobrateen2000]

Giant,

Was the "What's that, Lassie? Timmy's trapped in a well?" line a reference to the bit Eddie Izzard does about those sorts of animal shows?

No, it is a reference to Lassie. The old TV show.

Now I can quote too! Yay!

[Jacklu]

Giant,

Was the "What's that, Lassie? Timmy's trapped in a well?" line a reference to the bit Eddie Izzard does about those sorts of animal shows?


nope, it was in referance to an old show called Lassie where a dog named Lassie was always recuing a boy named Timmy who had a tendancy to fall down wells and get in other such trouble.

[Mattaeu]

Amazing how you can push your opinian about something unrelated to the topic so much. Oh wait I'm think of another word. An unfriendly word.meh, i'm all sugar n bubbles from this excellent comic. though i don't see how the different comics aren't...related...
yeah...
:P

[K-man]

Haley Decryption Key:

A = E
B = L
C = A
D = N
E = I
F = S
G = M
H = Y
I = G
J = U
K = Y
L = O
M = K
N = B
O = C
P = D
Q = F
R = H
S = J
T = P
U = Q
V = R
W = T
X = V
Y = W
Z = X



Anyone else notice the first bit of it?
A = E
B = L
C = A
D = N
E = I
F = S
G = M
H = Y
I = G
J = U
K = Y
L = O
M = K

it spells "ELAN IS MY GUY OK"

Awesome comic giant

[Justinian]

lol @ 288

Like Shinjo wouldn't just detain Roy if he had to. Bull rush indeed. ^_^

I'm interested in seeing why Shojo prentended to be senile.

[mdsoze]

http://imdb.com/title/tt0046617/maindetails

-Lassie Come home was where it started, but Lassie the series was the main source of this kind of tomfoolery.

I know what Lassie is, I grew up on Nick at Nite.

But Eddie Izzard has a bit in his routine where he specifically makes fun of Lassie and Flipper.

"What's that Lassie? Timmy's trapped in a well? Or do you want this steak I'm holding off camera?"

[Magus]

This comic was excellent. The rules jokes were completely organic, as was Haley's decision to use charades. Of course, both were used to hilarious effect. Even better was the characterization. The Order was ready to get the frell out of there- except for Haley. She has been expecting the other shoe to drop ever since they were found innocent, and now that the Miko affair has been dealt with- and found to not, in fact, be the other shoe- she was able to remember what everyone else forgot: Shojo was trying to make a request of Roy shortly before the Dramatic Climax of Belkar's Almost Stabby Doom. Durkon is wiser than Haley is, but which member has the highest ranks in Sense Motive? Which member was able to realize that it would take more than a vassal almost goaded into Falling to deter Lord Shojo? Uh-huh. Haley rocks.

[Scion_of_the_Light]

Well, Shojo definitly showed himself to be far less senile than we originally thought...

Good, classic comic! Very solid!

[Jacklu]

You know Giant, it would be pretty cool if you gave Haley five arms like in panel three. You know, have her get bitten by a radioactive flea or something. ;) ;D

[Devoured_Dude]

"Shojo has a gaze attack that causes encephalitis"

I totally predicted Shojo could do this in last month's spoilers thread. ;)

Actually, such a power would make Shojo a popular companion for hungry mind flayers. Remember those hot dogs that plumped when you cooked them?

[Wizzardman]

I liked that encephalitis joke more than I should have, It think.

Haley might be demonstrating that she has the highest Wisdom score in the party. There's no disputing Roy's and V's (and even Belkar's) intelligence, but on the Wisdom front it looks like Haley is on top.


We best hope not; if so, Durkon is screwed severely in the spells department. My guess is merely that Haley has more ranks in it, and Durkon's been trying to stay out of it, as Roy has partially blamed him for the crew's being there in the first place. Or, to use D&D terms, Durkon rolled a nat 1.

[infiniteviking]

Hee. Trust Vaarsuvius to prepare Expeditious Retreat.... (/gratuitous V cheering)

ROFL at poor Haley trying to communicate. How does one say 'Roy has thick skull'? Yay for her creativity and persistance.

A few people have been citing comedic physics. *snicker* Good Spot check -- I'd forgotten about that.


How come Haley is the only one to figure Shojo is acting all along?. V took a stoopid potion ?
Well, V is notoriously shortsighted about things he considers beneath his notice. "A wizard never loses their ticket", eh? He was never really interested in the trial -- just wanted to know more about the structure of the universe. Petty human scheming is irrelevant.


Haley Decryption Key
Hahahahaha!

Great comic, Giant. Love the poses and all. Good luck with the project!

[Devils_Advocate]

And you're right, posting a list of things you want to happen (or not happen) in the comic because you want me to read it and obey is a waste of...whatever this message board runs on. Electricity? Photons? Whatever.
Bandwidth, obviously. Worthless posts are a waste of bandwidth. Precious, precious bandwith.

EDIT: Two out of three for correct spelling isn't so bad considering that the last one is how I actually pronounce it, right?

[Dugray]

Bovine Spongeophorm Encephalitis is Mad Cow Disease ( A Disease which literally eats away at the brain. Very unpleasant.)

Anyways as to the comic.. -Shrugs- Long winded way of saying something.. Guess it's only good for the jokes, would have prefered to get right into what Shojo has to say (mainly because I care more for the story than the jokes)

[Kodoz]

Probably my favorite part was the "Shojo's Head? Shojo's Liver spots?"

[The Giant]

Anyways as to the comic.. -Shrugs- Long winded way of saying something.. Guess it's only good for the jokes, would have prefered to get right into what Shojo has to say (mainly because I care more for the story than the jokes)

See previous discussion on never pleasing everyone. ::)

[TheLastOfTheFallen]

I think it is bloody hilarious that we had someone complain about the lack of cryptogram and someone complain about the lack of plot, where previously we had someone complain about too much cryptogram and someone complain about too much plot. Please, Giant, let me cite this every time someone brings up "I would chang blah blah blah".

[Adeptus]

Woot, first page :D



Could we pleace get this "First page!" spamming added to the rules as banned activity. Then the mods could mercilessly delete them away, and give warnings too.

Gah...

[dragon95046]

I think there is another reason Haley was able to figure out what was going on, she has a lot of experience with trials. She commented that she had some thief friends that had been convicted on less evidence and that the OOTS should have been found guilty, but unfortunately it was all in her garbled tongue so no one else ever understood her. It was Elan's side comment about things not being what they seem when she first figured it out.

The other members of OOTS present saw nothing wrong with the trial itself (other than the fact that they were there to begin with) and so never had reason to suspect something else was going on.

Ultimately, Haley figured it out because she had taken ranks in a knowledge skill, maybe Knowledge(Trials), Knowledge(Courts), or Knowledge(Law) (Cool, haley can be a lawyer too).

[TheLastOfTheFallen]

Woot, first page :D

Edit: isn't it strange that Haley is the only one who care about what Shojo was saying?

Anyways, great work, as always :)


Could we pleace get this "First page!" spamming added to the rules as banned activity. Then the mods could mercilessly delete them away, and give warnings too.

Please quote an entire post if you are going to bash it. I don't see anything wrong with giong "First Page!" then going back and editing your comment in. How does it negatively impact the boards or you for this to happen?

[Krytha]

hoohar

I can only imagine why Shojo wanted to fool everyone except for Roy... why not just show everyone? Elan probably wouldnt have noticed the difference anyway...

[Gunslinger47]

The unique thing that stood out about this comic was the expressiveness of Haley. She conveys a lot of her character without saying a word. Very cutesy.

Shojo shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, I suppose. Everyone seemed to think it was unusual that a group of paladins would let themselves be ruled by a crazy person. Also, he spoke so different than he did when we first saw him. [1] (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=120)

[Cirin]

Ultimately, Haley figured it out because she had taken ranks in a knowledge skill, maybe Knowledge(Trials), Knowledge(Courts), or Knowledge(Law) (Cool, haley can be a lawyer too).Haley probably has a fair score in Knowledge (Local), which does cover knowing laws (even in the PHB description). Knowledge (local) is the only Knowledge skill that is a class skill for rogues.

Her knowledge of the law is almost certainly a practical one, the sort of thing you get on the streets from having friends thrown in jail, having your own run-ins with the law, and learning the practical end of how things go down, not formalities of precedent and procedure. As she said, she'd seen enough friends go to jail to know that courts usually don't work that way.

[kerberos]

See previous discussion on never pleasing everyone. ::)

Well you could make several versions of the comic, you know: One where Belkar dies, ones where Miko does, one where she falls, one where Haley is cured, one where she takes ranks in mime. One where the plot advances faster... Can't you do a little work to please you fan base? :P

[Shatteredtower]

Anyways as to the comic.. -Shrugs- Long winded way of saying something.. Guess it's only good for the jokes, would have prefered to get right into what Shojo has to say (mainly because I care more for the story than the jokes)

I'm just here for the comic myself... ;)

[Mal_the_Mad]

Well you could make several versions of the comic, you know: One where Belkar dies, ones where Miko does, one where she falls, one where Haley is cured, one where she takes ranks in mime. One where the plot advances faster... Can't you do a little work to please you fan base? :P

nope thats for the 'extras of book 3 or 4 whichever one we are on now, cause 2 should be on the street realll soon so im guessing 3. towards the end.. only have 12 more comics till the end of the story arc, JK.

i can see it now, if your a miko fan goto page x, if your a belkar fan goto page y, oooh an oots choose your adventure ... thats gotta be the next book

[The Doctor]

And you're right, posting a list of things you want to happen (or not happen) in the comic because you want me to read it and obey is a waste of...whatever this message board runs on. Electricity? Photons? Whatever.

Monkeys. Everyone knows the internet runs on infinite monkeys.

[Praetorian]

Well you could make several versions of the comic, you know: One where Belkar dies, ones where Miko does, one where she falls, one where Haley is cured, one where she takes ranks in mime. One where the plot advances faster... Can't you do a little work to please you fan base? :P

I think V's the wizard here . . . no matter how brilliant Rich is (and he most definitely IS brilliant) I don't think he regularly tampers with quantum shift and universal probability before breakfast. More to the point, wouldn't the creation of several parallel OOTSiverses make things needlessly complicated?

[Bakta]

Monkeys. Everyone knows the internet runs on infinite monkeys.

Do not dare mouth a bad thing about my maker!!

Eels, what say of eels ?. Or bright green fire extingusiher ?

[PhoeKun]

Do not dare mouth a bad thing about my maker!!

Eels, what say of eels ?. Or bright green fire extingusiher ?


The internet runs on eels? Don't be silly.This internet is made of... Love and Peace!


... unless they were some sort of super eels with magic powers. Then you might have something.* On topic, I'm glad to see that Shojo's old man gut is a result of his seating posture, rather than a physical debilitation. It makes him that much easier to take seriously.

* This post brought to you by sleep deprivation. Have you had yours today?

[xrestassuredx]

Awesome strip as always! I was kind of hoping for another crypogram, but that's okay since I was distracted and ended up on page 8 (I want to be the first to translate one of these days). Besides, what beats a good game of charades?

Shojo is a fathead?



* This post brought to you by sleep deprivation. Have you had yours today?
Don't you know it. :o

[Evik]

Thats why Roy is the leader but not the brains behind OOTS...Haley should have been trying that with V

[phlip]

The internet runs on eels? Don't be silly.This internet is made of... Love and Peace!

Man, if web forums ran on love and peace I can think of a *lot* of forums that would have died from loss of power a *long* time ago. Not a lot of love. Very little peace, either. If you get what I'm saying. Which I assume you do. I doubt these fragments are helping.

[metalphil]

The encephalitis comment is absolutely classic. Loved it.

Thanks Giant, you rock my sad little world. ;D

[Djagir]

Yup. For every comment expressing annoyance at the gibberish, I have one in my email inbox thanking me for the puzzles. This is WHY I choose not to take reader feedback too seriously.
Okay, next time you need to present the charades without giving us the solution so we have to figure it out to get the punch line...

...right. ;)

[rosebud]

Haley is wonderfully expressive in these strips. I'm curious if they're more fun or more of a pain to draw, or both. Whatever it is, they're a joy to see.

As for the strip, I still haven't figured out Durkon. Why is he leaving -- doesn't he still believe there's a reason he is supposed to be here? I realize that Haley has funny cornered in this strip, but I'd expect him at least to be lurking in the hall.


Perhaps later strips should be done entirely in charades. You know, leave the translation entirely up to the reader?My view (http://www.giantitp.com/Images/fanart/ootsfill2.gif) of your suggestion.


I'm interested in seeing why Shojo prentended to be senile.It's fun! (And it keeps people off their guard. Plus, Mr. Scruffy likes it.)


Anyways as to the comic.. -Shrugs- Long winded way of saying something.. Guess it's only good for the jokes, would have prefered to get right into what Shojo has to say (mainly because I care more for the story than the jokes)Is that a long-winded way to say, "I didn't like it. Get to the plot."? ;)

Keep in mind: Comics are also about artwork, and Haley in panels 3, 8, and 7 are just delightful. We're closing in on #300. The spacing perhaps needs it?In any event, Haley is just precious in these strips, as was Elan in panels 11 and 10 of #287 (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=287).


Could we pleace get this "First page!" spamming added to the rules as banned activity.I'll second that viewpoint, if any is required. :) (The length of the threads already discourages some people.)

[Ladoran]

I LIKE the twist with Shojo. Hadn't seen that coming, but very very good. Of course now that it happened it is quite obvious that it should be that way. Don't you love hindsight :D. Excellent comic - as usual.

I think the board - and the rest of the internet - runs on electrons and photons. They in turn are powered by: Uranium (and other nuclear fuel sources), wind, sunshine, water, coal, oil, and gas. Did i forget anything? ;) Unfortunately it doesn't run on hydrogen and helium... yet.

[Marller]

And you're right, posting a list of things you want to happen (or not happen) in the comic because you want me to read it and obey is a waste of...whatever this message board runs on. Electricity? Photons? Whatever.
It runs on RAWbear's sweat and tears, of course. :)

[Neopolis]

Shojo has a gaze attack that causes ezipipilsiddshipthingamajig, rofl. Priceless moment. :p

Will we finally get on with what Shojo has to say?

[Alfryd]

Most amusing. Plot hook, ahoy!


What's with Roy lately? First, he sics Elan on poor Hinjo and now he calls Shojo "moron", when Shojo was pretty darn fair and reasonable. I would think he'd be happy and elated to be found innocent, since he pretty much resigned himself to losing the case. Yet he is very cranky.
I remain highly skeptical of Roy having a substantial wisdom score.


Who says I don't listen to reader feedback?
(Oh wait, that's right, I'm the one who says that...)
I'm glad we had this talk.

[Eldhrin]

I'm reminded of a post Scott Adams (the man who writes and draws Dilbert) made on his blog back when it was new (which wasn't all that long ago) about how he has become aware that each Dilbert comic is only going to please a certain proportion of his readership. His key to keeping all those readers is to make sure that he juggles different elements around so that nobody ever has to wait too long before they get another comic that makes them laugh.

From comments on the last hundred or so OOTS strips, I suspect that the readership here displays the same effect. OOTS, of course, has a considerably stronger storyline, since Dilbert has no overall arc or purpose, just a few multi-day stories or scenarios.

But how you manage to produce such fantastic expressions with stick figures I do not know... it's fantastic.

[Bakta]

I guess any future discussion about Shojo's plans fails under ...

Dun dun DUnnnn



So Shojo is smarter than he looks, so all this trial thing is a farce and just a way for him to get his hands (claws?) on the OotS for some LG mission that requires discreet handling.

But as smart as he is, he failed his diplomacy check big time. Arresting the OotS then asking them to do something for him will result in a very easy kiss my ass feat, so it's not the way it'll happen. Which brings to the next point, what kind of leverage will Shojo have over the OotS.

What would odds be of :Cue [railroad plot ;)] linear order in, let's say he sends Miko to take Roy's sister out of Nale's clutches against them helping him. Or something of the kind, as M. Giant's ever filled sense of humour will think best.

Fairly good I'd say.




And now for something completly different : Why would Shojo play pretend with the Sapphire Guard?. If he was acting before, was he acting when he described the creation plot?.

Questions, questions.

...

And last idea : This forum runs on single malt Burgundy wine marshmallows


[edit] tpyo

[Sir_Rosh]

Nice work as always Giant!! Love the "What's that Lassie?" joke. *chortle*

Can't wait till Friday!

[Delgarde]

We best hope not; if so, Durkon is screwed severely in the spells department. My guess is merely that Haley has more ranks in it, and Durkon's been trying to stay out of it, as Roy has partially blamed him for the crew's being there in the first place. Or, to use D&D terms, Durkon rolled a nat 1.

Assume Durkon has 18 for Wisdom. Sense Motive is cross-class for clerics, so if they're roughly 12th level characters, he can't have more than 7 ranks, for a total modifier of 11. In practice, he gets so few skill points that it's unlikely to be even that high.

In contrast, assume Haley has maybe 16 for Wisdom. Sense Motive is a class skill for rogues, which she probably has maxed out at 15. Total modifier, 19, considerably higher than Durkon can manage.

Really, abilities don't count for much at higher levels. They contribute about the same as skills at first level, but they increase at about 1/8 the rate that skills do. Haley could have a Wisdom of *4* and she'd still be better at Sense Motive than Durkon.

[Lasombra]

"whats that Lassie? Timmies Trapped in the Well?" :P

this line comes up in my sessions way too regularly, and I alway get dirty looks from the guy who insists on playing a wear-wolf :D

[Methuselah_Amakiir]

I agree, haley shoulda contacted V... although he high-tailed it with Expeditious Retreat.

[Reaver225]

Why would she tell V about it? Roy is the leader of the group, and so needs to deal with it.

Also, if you think about it, it was probably a spot check Haley made, showing how no-one else saw it.

Cause she SPOTTED Shojo's big brain.

[Electric_Monkey]

And we found out Shojo doesn't have a weight problem - he just has bad posture when he sits on his throne.

[U2QueenBee]

Maybe I'm just dense (ok, no 'maybe' about it) but I didn't really understand today's comic - Haley sees Shojo trying to get Roy's attention while everyone is in a big hurry to leave, that I get. But why doesn't she just indicate, 'Roy, yoohoo, Shojo wants to talk to you!' rather than 'Shojo is smarter than he looks'? Was it that she didn't think he'd pay attention to Shojo unless she said that? Shojo did seem fairly 'together' when he sent Miko back to her room, after all.

Don't get me wrong, the charades thing was great, the bull rush joke, the encephalitis, all that, I just don't feel like I 'get' why Haley said what she said, or why she only stops Roy and not the others, for that matter.

[codemartin]

When i was reading this comic my dogs were barking. I have very loud talktive dogs so the lassie quote really hit home. ;D

Anyway lassie joke check,

dnd jokes at least double check

realizing roy wisdom low haleys is high : priceless

woot page nine.

[geek_2049]

Someone needs to grow a sense motive.

[Kanashimi]

hee hee hee... a gaze attack that causes encephalitis.

Great comic.

And I knew that Shojo wasn't chubby, old people just slouch.

I think it's fairly obvious why Haley was the only one to figure out Shojo is smarter than he acts. Deprived of speech, she is using the heck out of her listen and sense motive skills.

That and she is the only one of the group we KNOW is a woman! Ergo the superior listening and paying attention skills ;)

[WTFWWD]

Hey, another winner for the Giant!

I loved this strip, and kinda hope Haley does the charade thing more often (I'm not a cypher guy)

Keep up the good work!

[Sebastian]

I liked that encephalitis joke more than I should have, It think.

Haley might be demonstrating that she has the highest Wisdom score in the party. There's no disputing Roy's and V's (and even Belkar's) intelligence, but on the Wisdom front it looks like Haley is on top.

After a certain level is less about the stat and more about the skill, Haley, as a rogue have enough skill point to put in a number of skilland sense motive as a class skill Durkon could have an higher wisdom but only 2 skill points level, no more than a 12 int, (I believe) and sense motive as a cross-class skill. There is no way his total is higher than Haley's.

[Jaqrabbit]

One comic, three great laughs. :D The lassie joke nearly had me falling out of my chair. Hilarious stuff, and worth the wait.

(edit) Hey, how bout that... My avatar's borked... Time for a temporary replacement.
(re-edit) Avatar de-borked.

[GKBeetle]

Btw, what is Encephalitis?

From Dictionary.com

Encephalitis

n : inflammation of the brain usually caused by a virus; symptoms include headache and neck pain and drowsiness and nausea and fever (`phrenitis' is no longer in scientific use) [syn: cephalitis, phrenitis]


Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

[GKBeetle]

Edit: isn't it strange that Haley is the only one who care about what Shojo was saying?

It's obvious that she was the only one paying attention in #285 when Shojo changed from senile old man mode to Commander of the Azure Guard mode. The way he was able take control of the situation and stop Miko from attacking the OOTS shows that everything before that was just a show.

[HOO]

That was absolutely worth the wait.
I just talked to a friend the other day about the lack of rules-jokes in the last comics and now this :D
"..and I can't really remember the rules" could be one of my players ;)

[rosebud]

After a reread, I'm curious if "Hey, this is kinda fun" also referred to drawing Haley in the strip. :D


So Shojo is smarter than he looks, so all this trial thing is a farceThe trial was real, and they were acquitted. It should have been apparent from the story and several other exchanges that he wasn't an idiot. There could be numerous reasons why he wants to talk to them.


But why doesn't she just indicate, 'Roy, yoohoo, Shojo wants to talk to you!' rather than 'Shojo is smarter than he looks'?Possibly because Roy's followup would have been, "Why?" At which point, she'd be stuck pantomiming exactly what she just did. She was thus efficient and even smarter than she looks.


Was it that she didn't think he'd pay attention to Shojo unless she said that?Possibly because Roy was acting far dumber than he looks. He has a needless prejudice at this point, perhaps in part because he acted so stupid with Miko.

[fithi]

Great comic, Giant! Much fun!

"What's that lassie?...." *snicker*

[King_Troll]

A courtroom full of lawyers, a joke about encephalitis...

I think if I look hard enough, I can see a stick figure Shatner in the background muttering "Denny Crane. Haley's having my baby. Denny Crane".

[Neopolis]

Possibly because Roy's followup would have been, "Why?" At which point, she'd be stuck pantomiming exactly what she just did. She was thus efficient and even smarter than she looks.
Roy didn't care about what Lord Shojo had to say, because he thought Shojo was just a senile old fool. Just like he replied to "Mr. Scruffy would like to have a word with you".

[garylian]

Fun comic, Giant!

Now if you can just start deleting every post that mentions what page/post it is without regards to content, this would be a lot more fun.

I swear, what the Bnet kiddies learned... lol

[Tilley]

First Time Poster.... ooooOOOOOooo

Great comic! I can't wait for what this new turn of avents will bring!!

[Theodoxus]

No Doubt Garylian - I have yet to understand the need to declare something as obvious as what page you're posting on. Even more irksome is when people say 'First!' on a post when they are obviously 'Second' because they aren't the original poster. (Yes, I know it means first reply - but it looks retarded when they say 'First' and the thread says '2')

Denny Crane... You have no idea how much I love Boston Legal - best show ever (for comedic value).

[Jevanyn]

Sweeeeeeet! I want #288 on a T-shirt! That's the best episode since Up a level Down a level. Good stuff!

[Arachnophile]

Favorite quote,

"Expedious Retreat!"

;D

[GeekLordAragorn12]

Great comic, Giant! :)

[NovaNightmare]

a Game of charades, and the rule that when you say anything bad about someone they always have to be right behind you.

Hooarrrrry!!! The Comic Potential!

[hillhome]

Hahahahahaha! That was a great comic Giant! Really cracked me up, "Glad you figured that out before I advanced another age category" Oooo the sarcasm that drips from that statement...

[kerberos]

Maybe I'm just dense (ok, no 'maybe' about it) but I didn't really understand today's comic - Haley sees Shojo trying to get Roy's attention while everyone is in a big hurry to leave, that I get. But why doesn't she just indicate, 'Roy, yoohoo, Shojo wants to talk to you!' rather than 'Shojo is smarter than he looks'? Was it that she didn't think he'd pay attention to Shojo unless she said that? Shojo did seem fairly 'together' when he sent Miko back to her room, after all.

Don't get me wrong, the charades thing was great, the bull rush joke, the encephalitis, all that, I just don't feel like I 'get' why Haley said what she said, or why she only stops Roy and not the others, for that matter.

Well If you're gonna get all logical about it, we might as well wonder why Haley doesn't communicate in writing.

[Jannex]

Well If you're gonna get all logical about it, we might as well wonder why Haley doesn't communicate in writing.

Probably because Roy was just about to walk out the door, and she didn't want to take the time to root through her seven bags of holding to find paper and ink. Just a guess, though.

[mdsoze]

Like Haley doesn't have a Heward's Handy Haversack? She's way too practical not to have one.

[Justinian]

Assuming she did, she wouldn't have it atm. Miko took all their items - they'll get them back shortly now after being cleared.

[estradling]

Assuming she did, she wouldn't have it atm. Miko took all their items - they'll get them back shortly now after being cleared.


They already got their things back... Otherwise how would the have had their weapons when facing Miko? You can see Hinjo passing them back

[Drekkan]

Excellent strip. I was reading it just now over wireless in my ethics precept and I started to crack up at the encephalitis remark. Gotta learn to stop reading comics in class.

[BiscuitHead]

What is the squiggly on Roy's right elbow?

[Alfryd]

Well If you're gonna get all logical about it, we might as well wonder why Haley doesn't communicate in writing.
It appears she's been afflicted with some peculiar form of aphasia that might extend to all use of language. Then again, it might not. The Human Brain can be a very strange organ.

[theKOT]

What is the squiggly on Roy's right elbow?
That is part of hist sword.

[King_Troll]

What is the squiggly on Roy's right elbow?


Judging from its relative position to his arm and the sword on his back, I'd say it's the hilt of the sword.

[Miklus]

That's one of the best comics ever!

I agree with what-his-name, very few comics make me laugh out loud. The exeption is this comic, Calvin & Hoppes and Dilbert. Dilbert can be very, very funny if you are an engineer with a stupid boss. Like me.

But this comic has a plot too! I wonder what Nale and Xykon is up to? :)

[Freeman333]

"Timmy's trapped in the well?"

I'm sorry, but if I were Haley right then, I would have popped Our Fearless Leader one right in the chops, attack penalty for nonproficiency with unarmed attacks be damned. Of course, I'm not Haley (or so they tell me) so I just got to chuckle about it. Despite being completely different, me and Roy sometimes sound a great deal like one another...

[The Doctor]

Favorite quote,

"Expedious Retreat!"


Seconded. The remainder of the panels could have been blank and it would still have been funny due to this quote alone.
(not that I am advocating blank panels.).

[Stick]

First time poster, been reading OotS for a few months (read comic 1 to about 210 in a row one day, then waited for updates)

Anyways, great comic as usual. Loved the Lassie joke even though I never liked the show. Great work Giant.

[Ironfang]

Banner day for me:
1. No Crypto
2. Rules Jokes (didn't catch that request post tho)
3. Rich posting in the thread more : )
Thx man, I know you did none of this due to requests it just all works out well for me....Great Minds...

Posted by: U2QueenBee Posted on: Today at 7:06am
Maybe I'm just dense (ok, no 'maybe' about it) but I didn't really understand today's comic - Haley sees Shojo trying to get Roy's attention while everyone is in a big hurry to leave, that I get. But why doesn't she just indicate, 'Roy, yoohoo, Shojo wants to talk to you!' rather than 'Shojo is smarter than he looks'? Was it that she didn't think he'd pay attention to Shojo unless she said that? Shojo did seem fairly 'together' when he sent Miko back to her room, after all.


In previous comic after the trial Haley notices, thanks to Elan, that something doesn't seem right. She must have beleived it was Shojo. So she really wants Shojo to talk to Roy to get the scoop. Maybe she is hoping he can give her some insight to a "cure" as well ; )

[xrestassuredx]

Why would she tell V about it? Roy is the leader of the group, and so needs to deal with it.

Also, if you think about it, it was probably a spot check Haley made, showing how no-one else saw it.

Cause she SPOTTED Shojo's big brain.
Perhaps, but she didn't even spot Shojo standing directly behind Roy for presumably a good portion of the charades game..

[Deuce]

Perhaps, but she didn't even spot Shojo standing directly behind Roy for presumably a good portion of the charades game..

in response to:

Also, if you think about it, it was probably a spot check Haley made, showing how no-one else saw it.

Cause she SPOTTED Shojo's big brain.

Shojo's big brain is spotted? What, is he a half-leapord? A were-cheata?

[Cap_Hardman]

http://72.51.33.159/pics5/i/20060215/c/6/3/c6329fccb83012d12fe695ae15dea3cf0

[Lord_Jadawin]

in response to:

Shojo's big brain is spotted? What, is he a half-leapord? A were-cheata?



Boo :)

[lunar]

Good stuff! Finally Roy has to interpret the cryptograms too. Expeditious Retreat? Bwahahahahaha!

[Ironfang]

Here is a prediction:
I predict altering the Giants work and posting it here is going to cause problems.

[aaronbourque]

Anyways as to the comic.. -Shrugs- Long winded way of saying something.. Guess it's only good for the jokes, would have prefered to get right into what Shojo has to say (mainly because I care more for the story than the jokes)

See previous discussion on never pleasing everyone. ::)
Seriously. I mean, did he forget this:

http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=136

I mean, that was a double-length comic, and far more pointless.

Aaron "The Mad Whitaker" Bourque; just as fun, though.

[U2QueenBee]

Banner day for me:
1. No Crypto
2. Rules Jokes (didn't catch that request post tho)
3. Rich posting in the thread more : )
Thx man, I know you did none of this due to requests it just all works out well for me....Great Minds...

Posted by: U2QueenBee Posted on: Today at 7:06am
Maybe I'm just dense (ok, no 'maybe' about it) but I didn't really understand today's comic - Haley sees Shojo trying to get Roy's attention while everyone is in a big hurry to leave, that I get. But why doesn't she just indicate, 'Roy, yoohoo, Shojo wants to talk to you!' rather than 'Shojo is smarter than he looks'? Was it that she didn't think he'd pay attention to Shojo unless she said that? Shojo did seem fairly 'together' when he sent Miko back to her room, after all.


In previous comic after the trial Haley notices, thanks to Elan, that something doesn't seem right. She must have beleived it was Shojo. So she really wants Shojo to talk to Roy to get the scoop. Maybe she is hoping he can give her some insight to a "cure" as well ; )


Hmm, I guess that makes sense. Maybe it's just me then, work's been mental this week and it must have broken my brain. If I never see another integrated care pathway again it will be too soon.

[Nyax]

Awesome, as always Rich! gotta love all Haley's expression! And Finally we know what look was deceiving!

[kerberos]

Seriously. I mean, did he forget this:

http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=136

I mean, that was a double-length comic, and far more pointless.

Aaron "The Mad Whitaker" Bourque; just as fun, though.

YUo're saying that quoting Mothy Python is pointless? BURN THE HERETIC!!!!

[CarpeAmentum]

"Timmy's trapped in the well?"

I'm sorry, but if I were Haley right then, I would have popped Our Fearless Leader one right in the chops, attack penalty for nonproficiency with unarmed attacks be damned. Of course, I'm not Haley (or so they tell me) so I just got to chuckle about it. Despite being completely different, me and Roy sometimes sound a great deal like one another...


Haley is profiecient with unarmed attacks, they are natural/simple weapons. Roy would, however, get an attack of opportunity on her for attacking him with them.

[Talas]

Alright 12th page! New record!

Am i the only one who wa buying the whole "Shojo is a moron" thing? If i was buying it you know it was a good ploy ;)

[BURNhollywoodBURN]

Oh, one other thing: unless the Giant decides to torment us (I know I would, were I in his shoes)



we are about to finally find out what shojo was going to tell Roy



Not much of a spoiler, but on the off chance you don't see it coming, I hid it.

I highlighted it, dumbo.

[LtPowers]

I suspect V's going to be sorry e missed the next strip.



Powers &8^]

[cyberchihuahua]

will Haley take a level of some obscure mime prestige class, thus fulfilling the desires of the strong mimeophile subcommunity of the OOTS board?

You, know, the one I made up?



Hmm, 5 ranks in Perform (Mime).

Opens up Shadow Dancer...

[BURNhollywoodBURN]

Well, if this was indirectly at me(I said something similar recently), I must say in my defence that what I meant is that you wouldn't change the entire strip's direction just because someone asked you to. For instance, you wouldn't eliminate Miko's character early just because she was impopular, and you wouldn't have Haley speak normally again before you had it planned. I didn't mean to say you never took suggestions or listened to people (Wasn't thog originally going to be killed off, but he was so popular that you kept him?), I meant that peopel can't expect to steer the thread simply by posting what they want to happen.

Sorry if I was unclear.

You were.

[theKOT]

I highlighted it, dumbo.
A. Don't be rude.
B. don't quote spoilers. It makes them show up.



You were.

Oh really? Lets see how the Giant responded...


No, no, I was just poking fun at myself and my critics. No problem. I took your comment as sarcasm, as in, "Hey, you wanted no more gibberish, you got it. She still can't SPEAK, but technically, less gibberish."
Although I think he confused me with Kish....

[BURNhollywoodBURN]

Personal experience. I was recently involved in a case where I was attacked, police was called and I was detained, then I had to go to a trial, where I ended up having to plead guilty to a lesser charge and got a slap on the wrist punishment, while the other person got off scott free. Total miscarriage of justice.


Yeah right.

[BURNhollywoodBURN]

"What's this for?"

If you read it downwards, it has a spooky secret message.

Edit: Sorry, I don't know how to quote.

For anyone who's lazy, it says: Elan is my guy ok, and the rest of the abcs

[Lightman]

A little late, sorry. Still working on the Spoooky Wizard's projects.
"...advanced another age category!" pure genius!

[Jacklu]

Now that I think about it, it shouldn't be too surprising that Shojo is smarter than he looks. After all, would an organization as serious as the Sapphire Guard allow a senile old man to be in charge?

[Melnor]

And the D&D jokes of doom continue!

Haha, good comic, Giant!

[armatil]

heh, "expeditious retreat"

*snicker* ;D

less talk, more jokes; just the way i like it. splendid!

[theKOT]

heh, "expeditious retreat"

*snicker* ;D

less talk, more jokes; just the way i like it. splendid!
Actually, Roy did a LOT of talking. ;)

[armatil]

Actually, Roy did a LOT of talking. ;)

true enough, but not nearly as much (or as dense) as most of the comics from the past few weeks. all that court stuff made me long for good oldfashioned poking fun at the rules and short-but-sharp clever humour that made me love the OotS so much.

[theKOT]

true enough, but not nearly as much (or as dense) as most of the comics from the past few weeks. all that court stuff made me long for good oldfashioned poking fun at the rules and short-but-sharp clever humour that made me love the OotS so much.
Yeah, it was getting kinda heavy. I like the how the Giant puts in breathers between plot chunks. Lets ya breathe a little and absorb what happened, ya know?

[soozenw]

*snip*

i can see it now, if your a miko fan goto page x, if your a belkar fan goto page y, oooh an oots choose your adventure ... thats gotta be the next book




that is a great idea...i used to love those books when i was little. (okay, so i read through 9 pages to get to the ONE post i would comment on...)

great job as usual, rich! i'm beginning to have lots of respect for haley! woo!

[GeekDaddy]

What, oh what does Shojo have to say?

"Roy, your friend, the halfling will be dimembered and have his parts scattered to the four winds. But I have good news, I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Gekko.


Hey! It could happen!

[greatscott]

I think there is another reason Haley was able to figure out what was going on, she has a lot of experience with trials. She commented that she had some thief friends that had been convicted on less evidence and that the OOTS should have been found guilty, but unfortunately it was all in her garbled tongue so no one else ever understood her. It was Elan's side comment about things not being what they seem when she first figured it out.

The other members of OOTS present saw nothing wrong with the trial itself (other than the fact that they were there to begin with) and so never had reason to suspect something else was going on.

Ultimately, Haley figured it out because she had taken ranks in a knowledge skill, maybe Knowledge(Trials), Knowledge(Courts), or Knowledge(Law) (Cool, haley can be a lawyer too).

My theory on why Haley figured it out:

Haley can't communicate verbally, so she is more tuned into non-verbal communication. Kind of like people ascribing super hearing to someone who is blind. The theory being without sight, more time is spent focusing on hearing.

Anyway, Haley maybe got temporary bonuses to her other 'senses' due to the lack of ability to verbally communicate.

GS

[redmind0]

Eh-

Funny, a little disopointing.

Could of been condesed for more plot space

[Caledonian]

I feel obligated to point out that the phrase Haley mimed is not "Shojo big brain look", but "Shojo brain big look". Roy somehow reverses the words in the last few panels, which actually makes the message harder to understand. I am confident this will be fixed in time for the hardcover.

On a totally different subject... Oh, my various Gods. I don't think I've laughed this hard at a webcomic since... I can't remember, but it's been a while. The look on Shojo's face... well, the look I imagine to be on Shojo's face. How does Giant manage to fit so much expression on such a simple structure?

[Umbral_Arcanist]

mY theory on Haley's perceptivness is that she had ranks in sense motive, based solely of this strip and the one where they meet the Linear Guild for the first time......

[Serina_Spellbinder]

What's with Roy lately? First, he sics Elan on poor Hinjo and now he calls Shojo "moron", when Shojo was pretty darn fair and reasonable. I would think he'd be happy and elated to be found innocent, since he pretty much resigned himself to losing the case. Yet he is very cranky.

Speaking for myself only, I'd be cranky too if I'd been dragged in chains to a city far away by a shrew of a paladin to stand trial on a vague and bogus charge where all the cards were stacked against me, even if the final outcome was favorable to me.

But that's just me.

[Steward]

Speaking for myself only, I'd be cranky too if I'd been dragged in chains to a city far away by a shrew of a paladin to stand trial on a vague and bogus charge where all the cards were stacked against me, even if the final outcome was favorable to me.

But that's just me.


I'd multiclass to Paladin if I were Roy just to get everyone else mad.

[Serina_Spellbinder]

Because Haley is smarter when it comes to people, and she is the suspicious one.

And the second comment this poster made PROVES that it is IMPOSSIBLE for the Giant to please everyone.

Shoot, I thought Haley, based on her alignment, would be the first one out the door when the court was adjourned.

[phlip]

Perhaps, but she didn't even spot Shojo standing directly behind Roy for presumably a good portion of the charades game..

Well, we know (http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscript?SK=246) that having someone talk about you gives you like a +10 to Hide...

[yuccadude]

Great comic giant, time to borrow friend's rule book :P



Yup. For every comment expressing annoyance at the gibberish, I have one in my email inbox thanking me for the puzzles. This is WHY I choose not to take reader feedback too seriously.

That and people don't really know what they want most of the time

[Gefangnis]

Excellent, Giant!

Next we know, you'll be on Oprah! :P

[theKOT]

Excellent, Giant!

Next we know, you'll be on Oprah! :P
The G: "And then, they said they thought my comic had lost its spark! I felt so depressed, and then I started giving into their whims!"
Oprah:"Well we just happen to have a little gift for you under your chair to help you feel better. Tadaa! It's a Black Mage shirt! And we have someone backstage who wants to meet you...."
Mystery guest: "Hi Rich, it's me, Brian Clevinger. I know that being a webcomic artist can be tough, but you gotta follow your dreams, man! Where would I be today if I had stopped making sword-chuck jokes when people asked?"

[battleburn]

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!111 ;D ;D ;D LOL

[EladrinStarmist]

Great comic today, Giant! The miming by Haley was great, as was the joke in the last panel; simple but funny at the same time. And no cliff hanger Friday! At least, it's not as bad as LAST Friday. ^__^

[Blaznak]

I liked Haley's awareness of her inability to communicate and her solution around it. I wonder if she has ranks in perform? Or if Roy just doesn't have Sense Motive ranks?

Well, Shojo was good, as well. I smell exposition, however...

Hmmm....

Later, Stickies!

[Reborn]

Great comic today, Giant! The miming by Haley was great, as was the joke in the last panel; simple but funny at the same time. And no cliff hanger Friday! At least, it's not as bad as LAST Friday. ^__^

288 is wednesday's comic. There's another one to come today :)

[Alfryd]

288 is wednesday's comic. There's another one to come today.
Or tomorrow, depending where you live. Oh well, 11 hours to go.

[EladrinStarmist]

Yeah, I realized that AFTER I posted. But, that means I get double OOTS today! ^__^ But it could still be a horrible yet wonderful cliffhanger! Woot!

[Melnor]

You know....this may seem really pathetic, but I JUST noticed that throughout this entire strip, there's a spotlight on the characters :-[, but you can still see the background; albeit dimmly. I don't care what you say, that's just good drawing.

[Melnor]

I liked Haley's awareness of her inability to communicate and her solution around it. I wonder if she has ranks in perform? Or if Roy just doesn't have Sense Motive ranks?

Well, Shojo was good, as well. I smell exposition, however...

Hmmm....

Later, Stickies!

My guess is that Elan has been training her in his bardic talents. The question is...what else was he teaching her at the same time? :o

[theKOT]

You know....this may seem really pathetic, but I JUST noticed that throughout this entire strip, there's a spotlight on the characters :-[, but you can still see the background; albeit dimmly. I don't care what you say, that's just good drawing.
Actually, at first it was theorized that Shojo was the goodness in all our hearts turned into a beam of light which reacted with molecules in the air to form the floor. Yeah. We have too much time on our hands.

[Reaver225]

I can imagine the DM in this game preventing Haley's player from speaking and having to do charades just to add 'authenticity'. It sounds like something the Giant would do if he was DMing...

[Steward]

My guess is that Elan has been training her in his bardic talents. The question is...what else was he teaching her at the same time? :o


Er...you mean what was Haley teaching Elan. Elan appears to have dumped a lot of skill points into Ride and probably doesn't have much left for anything else.

[Lord_Jadawin]

Er...you mean what was Haley teaching Elan. Elan appears to have dumped a lot of skill points into Ride and probably doesn't have much left for anything else.

I think the point is he doesn't need much else... ;)

[Tariskat]

What, oh what does Shojo have to say?

"Roy, your friend, the halfling will be dimembered and have his parts scattered to the four winds. But I have good news, I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Gekko.


Hey! It could happen!

I think that was the best thing I've read on this thread. (edit) The second is the Giant poking fun at us (and himself) several times. It makes me snicker that he wastes his time reading our bickering...
And as for strip 136 being called far more pointless (I don't know how to double quote in a post, sorry aaronbourque) but I laugh til I cry on that strip.

[LostOne]

Lately, I have been noticing that The Giant's has been more expressive in his art. Vaarsuvius crossed arms for example. Now he just had the charecters play charades which must be very hard to show. Just look at the first comic and you will see the difference. This comic just keeps getting better and better as the Giant gets better.

Just wanted to say we notice your art, Giant. ;)

[Dugray]

:o Maybe Shojo will have his people repair Roys greatsword? o.O!

[ElfLad]

Oh noes its friday and theres no comik lets all burn teh giant in effijjy.

In all seriousness, I can totally see Belkar getting executed or getting life in prison, and then when Nale and the LG meet up with the OotS, he fires Belkar's evil opposite.

But that's just me.

[teratorn]

Good work Giant, and don't be too harsh on the posters here, their input is important for an outsider like me.I never played D&D, I still don't understand some of the stuff, but even so I do enjoy the strips.

This one was particular good (I really like Haley). And reading this forum allows me to understand some of the issues, in particular since Miko appeared, these discussions about palladins, evil chaotic, alignment, etc. have helped me to better understand what is going on. It's an interesting universe. On the other hand I'm pro Miko, hey she beat the OOTS twice.

[Eternal-Darthness]

Roy: What is it?
Shojo: I have something to say. It's better to burn out, than to fade away! Yaaa!

(Sorry, Highlander has poisoned brain)
Until The Giant finishes up with the Wizard, I think I should be checking these TRSa like 8-bit. But then, no self-control! Gaaaa! The "what is it boy?" joke is older than most dirt, but it still cracks me up every time.
On another note, as someone mentioned, Miko has gone from Lawful good to Lawful Creepy. I for one would argue (Guard as paint bucket, etc...) that Belkar is already Chaotic Creepy. They've narrowed down their alignment differences to Law and Chaos now. ;D

And for the people posting first on the page,then going to the comic, then editing their post, that gets you BANNED at 8-bit's forum. Just because it isn't rampant here (Giant not posting every day at the same time) doesn't mean you shouldn't knock it off.

[Devoured_Dude]

For everyone who is annoyed by the "first page" comments, may I humbly suggest reading this thread starting on page two. It works wonders for me. ;D

[Doopliss]

So, I'm really the only guy who thinks Roy did a good job. Hey, charades are hard!

[The_Ducky_Ninja]

It's now 10 minutes past Friday! Boo! I hafta wake up in less than 6 hours! I like exclamation points! And OOTS! And The Giant!

Also, a saturday updating comic I read has posted its new comic b4 OOTS. HAVE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY BEEN CHANGED!? *Head asplodes*

[theKOT]

Heheehee....
No, the only thing I find troubling is the lack of ETA by the Giant. With his bad luck, I always worry that he had some kind of accident....

[Renmazuo]

It's now 10 minutes past Friday! Boo! I hafta wake up in less than 6 hours! I like exclamation points! And OOTS! And The Giant!

Also, a saturday updating comic I read has posted its new comic b4 OOTS. HAVE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY BEEN CHANGED!? *Head asplodes*

;D

Really, the only reason I find that post funny is because of *Head asplodes*

[The Giant]

Heheehee....
No, the only thing I find troubling is the lack of ETA by the Giant. With his bad luck, I always worry that he had some kind of accident....


Not me, no. There's another sticky thread with the ETA in it though.

[Sc00by]

Yup. For every comment expressing annoyance at the gibberish, I have one in my email inbox thanking me for the puzzles. This is WHY I choose not to take reader feedback too seriously.

I know this was posted a long time ago, but Dungeons and Dragons MMORPG has been released and I've not actually done anything else but play it for a few days...

I agree totally. And tbh I'm really glad that this is the way you are. I'm not a fan of Hayley's gibberish, but this strip *almost* ;) made it all worthwhile.

I'll sit down and shut up while you keep making me laugh! Oh and Hope your friend is OK - looking forward to 289, but only when you're in the right place to write it. I'd rather have late excellence than on time mundanity!

EDIT*finger/keyboard interface irregularities

[WildBill]

Rich I just read your post for why there is no comic, and I have two things to say.
First, I hope your loved one has a speedy recovery from whatever ails them. May Banjo or whatever other God watch over them.
Second, thanks for letting us know why the comic will be late. I for one would rather you took a week, or even a month off than let the stress of this affect the quality of your work.
~Billy

[Gralamin]

It must be hard dealing with annoying people who are very selfish, so heres my message to you:
Hang in there Giant ;D.

[The Glyphstone]

Agreed. Do understand, Giant, that 99.9% of the people on these boards actually appreciate your work. The remaining .1% think we are all mind-less ;D sycophants for not demanding prompt gratification, but I digress.

We're all waiting patiently, and best of luck and hope to your family member(s).