Or if his thoughts inside are fine, but his method of communication (the medium) is broken, the same as Wanda's. He just uses quotes and riddles rather than mono-syllables.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gamebird
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Or if his thoughts inside are fine, but his method of communication (the medium) is broken, the same as Wanda's. He just uses quotes and riddles rather than mono-syllables.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gamebird
Now this is a totally random idea I thought I'd throw out there... and I'm not sure I like it because it messes with the Foolamancer subplot the strip has going on...Quote:
Originally Posted by Doctor Zuber
But what if Charlie interferes? We really have no clue how many Archons he has at his disposal. And he might just be motivated to do so, since Parson told him that the odds of winning the GK siege were contingent upon Stanley living. And Charlie wants to watch that show.
Charlie wouldn't back out on a contract, he's made that clear in not working with Parson until Jetstone (foolishly) released his alliance.Quote:
Originally Posted by Name Lips
Plus, it's also clear Charlie doesn't care who wins, just that he gets maximum profit out of it.
Jami pretty much confirmed that Stanley's surrounded and "punching through." But which direction is he punching through? The Foolamancer is pulling some kind of shenanigans here, and that's the most likely one - get Stanley to punch through to Gobwin Knob instead of Faq.
Good grief, this thread gave me a headache. Off the wall theories of turning around, miscounts of Transylvito warlords, et cetera. Is like the art isn't explaining everything...okay, so maybe small art with artistic camera effects makes for harder interpretation. :smalltongue:
As for Jack's treachery, if it is indeed treacherous as his face would imply (but we've been surprised before), it looks like he is pointing out the obvious units ahead so that Stanley is oblivious to the units behind. Sneak attack for x2 damage! :haley:
Or not. I do find the past tense of panel 8's Jack quote to perhaps indicate that he saw those ambushers as they passed them by. Panel 9's switch to present tense might support that he's talking about different sights.
That's a rather clever possibility actually. Nothing as fancy as a veil, just get Stanley turned around. By the time he figures out the ruse, he'll have too many enemies behind him to risk going back.Quote:
Originally Posted by vonschlesie
A little late, perhaps, but when was that? I can't seem to remember it.Quote:
Originally Posted by kagato23
i've been reading since the start of erf, and i have to say i think this page is the best (esp panel 7). bravo
I like that. It's much easier to fool one warlord than all the transylvito warlords. If he uses a veil to make it appear as if Faq is in the opposite direction than he might be able to get stanley back to gobwin knob by the time Charlie makes a move. Anyone know if the move of an average gwiffon is less tha that of an average dwagon? Mentioned anywhere?Quote:
Originally Posted by Doctor Zuber
I just like that it seems Stanley cares about Jack and the other units he commands. For a guy that seems to be abandoning his city and all his people for his own personal safety/agenda, he shows some real emotion.
Is Stanley redeemable? Is he having second thoughts about starting a new side after leaving GK to fall? I'd like to think so. I want Stanley to win.
Eh? Stanley shows emotion for Jack? No, it's not Jack he cares about but about Jack casting a veil. He has choked, threatened, and puzzled over Jack and now when he knows he's up against he's trying the "Look Jack. We're going home. See it'll be alright. Just get us there, puleeeeze."Quote:
Originally Posted by fehler
I mentioned this before, but part of the issue is that, I think, Erfworld mostly seems to be written with the end-product in mind (rather than with the page-or-two-a-week audience in mind.) This is especially apparent with an action page like this one, with the action divided into two pages.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fafnir13
It's a serious dilemma with webcomics -- the authors have to choose between making every page entirely self-contained (and possibly breaking the flow of the story or reducing dramatic potential when they're read all at once), or spreading important events over multiple pages without regard for the page-a-day format (and possibly leaving readers confused between pages, or losing new readers who just see that one page and can't make heads or tails of it). Of course you can try to do both, but sometimes you gotta choose one route or the other... shoehorning in a joke or an explanation or something else that would make one page stand better on its own is eventually going to put you in a position where doing so makes the next page weaker.
I agreeQuote:
Originally Posted by lamech
with that tooQuote:
Meh... if its important it will be made clear soon.
Stanley is not the sharpest Tool in the shed but I doubt he could be turned around to go all the way back to GK. He's more than 1 turn away in any event.Quote:
Originally Posted by vonschlesie
I think the OP was refering to this but I just see Stanley feeling sorry for himself.Quote:
Originally Posted by TigerHunter
But he has two turns to get to gobwin knob. The turn hes acting on now, and possibly the next turn.Quote:
Originally Posted by HamsterOfTheGod
First of all, Jack is definitely coherent in the Thinkagram to Parson. His mental image is much more composed than his physical form. I believe making philosophical and theatrical quotes is his normal mode of communication. They just make more sense when he's not broken. I think he either snaps back to normal when Parson says his name, or he's slowly regaining sanity over the course of this last page or two.
"O Tempt not a desperate man" (Hamlet) my translation:
I suspect you of ulterior motives but I'm tired of being stuck in my mind, so be nice to me.
"A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from the top of a mountain" (proverb):
Jack is wise, with his mind trapped inside his body, while Stanley is a ruler who sucks at ruling.
"A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends" (Baltasar Gracian):
He is going to use an illusion of his enemies to trick Stanley into retreating from the real enemy. He knows Stanley doesn't make intelligent use of his resources (friends), and if Stanley finds out Jack isn't broken anymore, he'll order him to cast stupidly.
"I think that I think, therefore I think that I am" (Ambrose Bierce):
Jack is now letting Stanley think he's still a lunatic, but is compelled to answer his questions by the Rules. Yes, I was on a thinkagram, I'm back to normal but I'm not letting you know it.
"Fools rush in where fools have been before" (proverb):
Going to Faq is a bad idea.
"Woe is me, to see what I have seen- See what I see!" (Hamlet):
Oh snap, the enemy's right here... Look at this illusion instead!
The pointing and the hand on shoulder seem like he's casting a spell, and he looks satisfied that it worked in the last panel.
Ok I know it's probably been said, but...
By the titans, that was darn near an apology from the Tool, or at least, regret.
This I find much more interesting than the debate on illusion/not illusion/Oh boop we gonna' die.
Ok, i've done my best to splice together the two panels with the semi panoramic view. I don't know if my manipulation is even in artillary range of accuracy, but maybe it will inspire someone else to do a better job.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...it/faqpass.png
I agree with you (and with your other points). Jack is back in business, let's see if he is as good as Jillian says.Quote:
Originally Posted by Reploid Knight
Ah, did Stanley rush to that direction fora about 2 turns? Seems the nemy column is very scattered.
I remember the enemy's warlord does not have any arcane relic. But maybe some other artifact that can help later. In 1 strip, we will find out. Do wampires taste good crispy???
Stanley took two turns at dwagon speeds to get to the pass; Jillian did it faster. Remember - Jillian said that if she took all the air units with "26 move and above" she could beat him there from Gobwin Knob, because she "knew this terrain better". Even allowing for the two turns she got by breaking the alliance with Jetstone, that means Gobwin Knob isn't more than 52 move away from the pass - probably 52 hexes, but I don't think we know move per hex. And dwagons? Well, we know a lot of them have more than 56 move.
Does Jack know the route Jillian took? He very well might - they are both ex-FAQ. Would he tell Stanley, or Fool Stanley into taking it? Well - Parson did ask him to get Stanley back to the city.
If so, Stanley might just be back this turn in time to surprise the archons, but Jillian and Vito would be stuck two turns away - they needed that alliance trick to make it out in one with their forces. If Jillian's fastest gwiffons (52 move) survived Wanda, maybe a handful of the warlords could make it back in time, depending on riding rules... but not the bats (22 move), and not most of the force.
That would make this whole FAQ sequence another particularly shrewd trick: a diversion. Stanley would have drawn off Ansom's air force, gotten part of it Wanda'd, gotten Charlie and Transylvito both out of the alliance... and returned to strike Ansom, with zero air units left to oppose him.
I think Jillian may have a hard time getting employment afterward.
Even if Stanley entered the ambush hex, as long as Jack has him breaking out in the direction of GW and gives him directions, he might still make it in time to intervene on this turn.
Anyone want to guess what kind of damage Stanley's dwagons can do while in the capital, where they get Parson's new and improved leadership bonus*? Archons are tough - but probably not that tough.
*The strip says "all units of my capital" - do we know they have to be in it? Or just from it? When Ansom considered leaving the dwagon ring, he mentioned that the remaining forces would be weaker without his direct bonus... but those weren't Jetstone troops to begin with.
Hey, looks good to me, might even inspire me to do some work on it.Quote:
Originally Posted by dr pepper
Just can't belive the debate continues AFTER the voice of god gave us the answer.
This is an amazing comic.
Seeing the Foolamancer in action is awesome, and after the last panel, my opinion that Tool's, no matter his strategic blunders, a truly formidable close combat opponent has increased. He looks damn impressive there, as does the foolamancer.
Great work, guys, keep it up.
Not any more -- the faster dwagons are the ones that were wounded in the raids and then wiped out in the battle over the lake.Quote:
Originally Posted by Notes
Hey thats really clever, plus Jillian started at least a hex back, so the upper limit is 51 hexes for current distance to GK. Hmm... if Stanley was only a few hexes away from the pass, he might have enough move to make it back on his personal dwagon with glowy yellow eyes. But he would have to leave the others behind.Quote:
Originally Posted by Notes
Wait! If the Archons can't see one vieled dwagon in the airspace they wouldn't be able to attack, the garrison, and the archers could return fire. Maybe Stanley still could save the day. (Okay, that would be too big of an exploit.)
P.S. This would have been much more amazing if you posted this before this comic, when everyone was saying, "Stanley is two turns away":smallsmile:
Certainly not a god. But I am kind of amazed at how much the debate continues. Actually, I'm amazed at how much stuff gets debated. Sometimes I wonder if I'm drawing things clearly enough. *shrug*Quote:
Originally Posted by shamelessmerc
The art's fine. It's a function of the readers: Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe.Quote:
Originally Posted by jami
OK, let's go back to the STORY for a second:
The major possibilities for Stanley at this time are to actually go to Faq, or to return to Gobwin Knob.
Reasons for thinking Stanley will go to GK? Parson asked for him, and presumably needs him to win the fight at the walls or in the air. Plus it's cool to think Jack will get Stanley to GK against his will.
Reasons for thinking Stanley will go to Faq? There's a mystery about Faq that needs to be resolved. What better way than for Stanley to get there and tell the story of how he took the place? (Or didn't, as the case may be.) Plus it's cool to think Jack will get him there despite Jillian and the Transylvanians opposing him.
A couple of other musings:
When a jerk starts to develop a soft side, he's either being humanized as an ongoing character, or he's being set up to make his death more tragic. Which is in store for Stanley?
What if Stanley gets to Faq and creates another side at the capitol? Mostly I've seen conjecture along the lines of "you can't have two capitols." But we know empires can fragment. Suppose Stanley makes another side, and GK stays a side anyway! ...maybe Parson gets to run his own Erf country, then. And Parson's status vis-a-vis Stanley is uncertain, plenty of room to tell that story. Blatant speculation, but I don't see anything preventing it from being possible.
Ditto! Keep the faith + the sanctity of artistic vision and intent. We're lovin' every panel. The art and the story is magnificent and sometimes part of the fun is in conversing about the possibilities!Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptC
:)