Erfworld 72, page 66

[AngryAngel]

This strip shows us some of the subtleties of real war. It also shows that Zamussel's force and Parson's dwagons are almost perfectly balanced in terms of attack and defense stats. If they weren't, the outcome would be certain, with only the time required to reach that outcome varying in inverse proportion to the margin of advantage of the stronger side. (This is assuming that Parson's gauntlet takes as many variables as possible into consideration: perhaps dwagons have an 'awe opponent' stat that lowers enemy attack stats; perhaps morale plays a role; etc.)

We also learn a bit about the Archons here. Jillian can kill a (wounded) dwagon with a single blow; and gwiffons can damage dwagons, but both were neutralized with single counter-blows (the gwiffon being killed instantly, with Jillian wounded/stunned and captured). So lets say that means 1 gwiffon=1/2 dwagon and Jillian=1 dwagon. Her current force of 5 gwiffons and herself would equal 3 1/2 dwagons. But the dwagons she's facing are wounded (let's say at half strength). She and her gwiffons now equal 7 dwagons. That leaves 12 wounded dwagons for the 3 unwounded Archons. These assumptions, along with the closeness of the odds, suggest that 1 Archon=2 dwagons. Pretty substantial combat power I'd say.

About the subtleties of war: Parson knows he's at a slight but distinct disadvantage in combat power. He also knows he has to conserve his dwagons if at all possible. He knows the commander of the enemy force is under some sort of compulsion from Wanda. He trusts Wanda, so he doesn't attack (which would make battle certain) but he doesn't withdraw either. He's giving Wanda a chance to prove herself. He's taking a risk, but he has apparently decided that the potential reward is worth the risk.

Jillian is hesitating. Lacking a mathamancy artifact, she may not realise she has an advantage (however slight). She is under a compulsion that supposedly will make her look for excuses to not attack. The reward of hastening the end of the war might not be worth the risk of attacking right now and she could probably justify her actions quit easily. After all, her boss takes pains to conserve and protect the units under his command. It's hard to see how he could fault her for doing the same, especially if she couched her argument in terms of not risking the Archons. Who nows how Charlie might react to his Archons being squandered carelessly?