Erfworld #137 - The Discussion Thread

[Whispri]

You know what you call a perfect plan, with no surprises, and you win with no losses? A simulation. Get booping real, Wanda.

It really does look like a distraction on Wanda's part. After all, she didn't expect the perfect Warlord to be impossible to defeat. And if she's flat out giving up, well half-heartedness can be expected either way.

Hmm-- what now? Wanda has Duty to Stanley, but not, apparently, to GK. She took the initiative to suggest the summoning spell to Stanley, but now she won't go beyond orders to offer Parson any options. She fought Ansom with enthusiasm, but is fatalisticaly expecting the city to fall.

My guess: Wanda isn't an official GK unit; if it goes down, she won't be affected. And yet she's bound to Stanley somehow. That inclines me towards the rescue idea. Wanda swore some sort of personal allegiance to Stanley, that kept her from dying with Faq. Now, she figures if GK falls, she'll just go join him in his new barbarian career.

An Allied Barbarian you mean? As with the Gobwins?

She could just hop through the magic portal if it comes to it.

[Aevii]

Why do people keep bringing up Wanda's "duty?" Remember the archon informed Jillian that Wanda was under no such effects-shortly before being vaporized.

[Whispri]

Why do people keep bringing up Wanda's "duty?" Remember the archon informed Jillian that Wanda was under no such effects-shortly before being vaporized.

Assuming the Archon wasn't lying, wasn't letting the truth stand in for accuracy, and did not in fact have anything more to say before Jillian and Wanda interrupted her to death?

Then that doesn't actually matter as a Loyalty spell would only change the person she was Loyal too, it wouldn't enforce Duty. Duty is a separate form of Natural Thinkamancy as noted here.

[SteveMB]

At any rate, it's Wanda that feels hopeless. Apart from her suicidal behavior (Yes, I still think she was trying to get Ansom to croak her), it even says in her character bio thingamajjiger that feeling hope is not one of her fortes.

I dunno -- somehow "touch me with them" doesn't sound right for that ("strike me" or "hit me" would fit better).

EDIT: Looks like RCC did take the courtyard (no thanks to Ansom). It even sorta looks like Duke Nozzle and the other RCC warlords are still bickering while all the soldiers are patting themselves on the back.

It looks to me like they're now at the inner walls (i.e. not in the courtyard, but holding the entire outer wall zone).

[DevilDan]

As I understand it, the archon told Jillian that there were no loyalty spells affecting Wanda, which is what is usually done to induct valuable captured casters. All this tells us is that the story between Faq and Stanley is more complicated than Jillian suspected, which we've suspected for a long time.

In this comic, there's a hint that there is something that would compel her to follow Stanley's orders anyway.

Also, if we want to get technical, Duty regulates how a commander discharges acts in relationship to his or her Ruler. I'm not surprised that Wanda is secretive and that she's devious and twisted enough to keep secrets and to rationalize or justify that behavior.

[Fjolnir]

Duty is not a spell, Jillian thought that Wanda was under the influence of some sort of Loyalty enhancing spell (IE, something that makes you more loyal to A over B), Duty is the requirement of every warlord to do their best for their Ruler no matter what. (possibly the dodge here Parson isn't overlord/king or whatnot of GK) though I kinda like that everyone thought that a "perfect warlord" always won no matter what, and all seemed to embarrassed to admit it before this point. Looking forward to seeing what shockamancy does (all we know is that it's also a naughtymancy effect) I did like that the idiot squad out front was celebrating their job half finished too...

[SteveMB]

Notice how Wanda subtly deflected Parson's question about Duty -- there's nothing in the rules (at least as they were described to us) that would make whether it's hopeless or not relevant... she's simply not allowed to conceal important information like that. In other words, Parson pretty clearly caught her violating Duty, and she brought up his failures because she knew it would distract him from that decidedly uncomfortable question.

Interesting -- as Whispri noted, Wanda knows better than to think that any warlord is completely unbeatable. Either she's succumbed to complete despair and is arguing herself into staying there, or she's distracting attention from something.

It also seems to me that Maggie and Sizemore are agreeing with Wanda's comments, but they presumably don't know any better (Sizemore is specifically said to not know much about military stuff).

[Hatu]

Frankly, Parson's plans have been more or less flawless, they only failed due to Ansom's incredible luck and Charlie's god-like intervention.

Yeah, I found it rather ironic that Parson's very reasonable stance on the fragility of plans stands in rather stark contrast to Ansom's fortunes thus far. Every time anything might throw a hitch into Ansom's strategy, he comes up with a patch for his plan, then just keeps hammering away until it works. So much for rolling with failure.

It's frustrating. I think the characters and world setup of this comic are easily good enough for us to enjoy watching Ansom and Parson go a few rounds for real. Let Parson actually set Ansom back on his heels for longer than a frame or two. Then let Ansom spot the flaw in Parson's plan and re-take the initiative. That would be great. Instead we've seen Parson facing off against an irresistible force that implodes his plans the instant it makes contact with them.

By now, it looks like the first time one of Parson's plans actually succeeds in forcing Ansom to change his strategy will also be the last. That's a shame.

Edit: Also, love the STHU sound effect when Parson slams his fist on the table. Shouldn't it be STBU?

I was thinking the same thing. :-)

Why one hour until the end of the world? Does Parson believe Ansom will attack the garrison this turn, without Archon support?

Maybe. It's not clear to me that Ansom could do so though. If the inner walls use the same game mechanics as the outside walls, it seems as though they would be nearly impregnable.

-H

[Whispri]

A side effect of using those Foolamancy Spells: If as the result of this day's work Ansom and co. are given good reason to think there is a Foolamancer is the City, the story of Stanley's escape isn't exactly going to sound believable.

[Krytha]

I like. Parson knows what he's doing.

[headhoncho]

These last two strips have been... OK. Definitely better than the previous four or five.

Thrilled with the frequent updates, though.

[Gez]

Nope. Crap is an allowable word.

Better example, since here it's clearly used as a profanity rather than figuratively as in "life gives you crap" or literally as in "crap golem".

[Tobz]

To make the RCC unwilling to take the garrison, I guess it'd be enough to put everything they have left on the garrison walls. Untill Ansom decided to make a soft spot, RCC deemed the outer walls impossible to take. And that was with only the undead manning it.

With Parson, his casters, and the remaining elite units, gobwins and undead on the garrison walls, Ansom likely will hold a turn so he can include Charlie's archon's in taking the garrison, again putting all his pieces into position before striking.

[slurpz]

Game-omancy lecture.

[Aquillion]

Yeah, I found it rather ironic that Parson's very reasonable stance on the fragility of plans stands in rather stark contrast to Ansom's fortunes thus far. Every time anything might throw a hitch into Ansom's strategy, he comes up with a patch for his plan, then just keeps hammering away until it works. So much for rolling with failure.

It's frustrating. I think the characters and world setup of this comic are easily good enough for us to enjoy watching Ansom and Parson go a few rounds for real. Let Parson actually set Ansom back on his heels for longer than a frame or two. Then let Ansom spot the flaw in Parson's plan and re-take the initiative. That would be great. Instead we've seen Parson facing off against an irresistible force that implodes his plans the instant it makes contact with them.

By now, it looks like the first time one of Parson's plans actually succeeds in forcing Ansom to change his strategy will also be the last. That's a shame.

Um, what? Ansom has been every bit as adaptable as Parson. To name just a few:

His original plan was to feint the tunnels and use his siege to take the walls. Parson ruined this, and Ansom was forced to reverse strategies. Then Parson crushed him in the tunnels, and he was forced to shift his focus to the walls again. Then, after he'd clearly decided not to accept Charlie's offer, Parson forced him to accept an even worse version of it just to save his own miserable skin.

Parson has been winning. That's the point of his whole rant here. He just hasn't been winning enough, not yet. But he's put a huge amount of pressure on Ansom, forced him to abandon his strategy several times, and drastically shifted the odds from the absolute curb-stomping they were at the beginning. People keep saying that Ansom is saved by deus ex mechanica -- no. Ansom manages to avoid being utterly crushed by revising his plans and relying on Charlie, yes, but the real thing that's been saving his ass so far is the 25-to-1 margin.

[SteveD]

Huh, did the writers just respond to the 'Parson's impotence' thread?

[Iain]

Better example, since here it's clearly used as a profanity rather than figuratively as in "life gives you crap" or literally as in "crap golem".

Or, indeed, as an order

The sound effects seem to be based on real world sayings, phrases and suchlike, so probably aren't affected by the boop-censorship. Though I can't recall whether they have been censored some of the time.

[Fafnir13]

Huh, did the writers just respond to the 'Parson's impotence' thread?

Maybe not directly, but it is certainly a good response to any reader anytime who starts to wonder the same thing.
Really, it's just a really good way for Parson to show that he is indeed the warlord promised. Can't wait to see how this turn ends.

[Doran]

Yeah definitely not, that thread started in the last two weeks, and I remember pclips posting that book 1s script has been written long before that.

[teratorn]

It smells like a klog is coming!

It's just me or do they like rather big when compared to Parson?

[MalikT]

Look at the two orange units in the last panel, are they waving to the camera.

[Doran]

It smells like a klog is coming!

It's just me or do they like rather big when compared to Parson?

Looking at the last panel of this, he does seem to have shrunk slightly, also gotten a little more muscular, although that could be the breastplate.

[Lamech]

STHU: Shut the heck up

And now FOOLAMANCY, and HEALOMANCY! Lets see here dwagon doughnut of doom... Ansom walks into the doughnut and promptly gets smashed by 19 full-health dwagons, and loses horribly. Or maybe Parson would have shifted them anyway, so... Jillian stumbles on dwagons, and Wanda lets her past... I wonder what Parson is so mad about.

The buttons aren't working so no links...
And yeah Parson is warping to become an erfworlder. Note his pupils in page 20, and his height on page 21. The pupils are gone and he seems to have lost an head of heights.

[Sunday]

Looking at the last panel of this, he does seem to have shrunk slightly, also gotten a little more muscular, although that could be the breastplate.

yeah but stanly is pretty short anyway. Wander seems to just come up to his sleeve. though the angle's do throw you off.... though it would be interesting if parson was slowly turning into a erfworlder.

[TheWombat]

I know it doesn't seem likely but I noticed something in this thread that makes me have a theory about what's to come.

Spoiler

Show

When was the last time we saw 3 casters together in one room? That was when Maggie was linked to Jack and Misty. If you put a Thinkamancer, Croakamancer and Dirtamancer together I wonder what sort of insanity that could bring.

[SteveD]

...that or the artist is changing his style. :P

He does seem shorter compared to when he first arrived.

Edit: How do you think Parson plans to 'convert' the enemy? More mass-croakmancy?

[Tweed]

Heh. I will tip my hat to the authors for this page. The first few panels seem like they were directed squarely at this forum and a few of us nay-sayers. Perhaps that's just egotism on my part.

[MirEgal]

It seems that Wanda hides something.

Parson is a gamer and socially inept. He knows how to give orders, but not how to deal with people. It seems that a certain part of the comic is how Parson learns this skill (dealing with Stanley; talking to Maggie; talking to Sizemore...).

Maybe Parson will win once he knows how to deal with Wanda.

[DevilDan]

Huh, did the writers just respond to the 'Parson's impotence' thread?

I truly hope that that is not the case.

The sound effects seem to be based on real world sayings, phrases and suchlike, so probably aren't affected by the boop-censorship. Though I can't recall whether they have been censored some of the time.

Parson did use "WTB" once, presumably instead of "WTF."

[SteveD]

Well maybe not that threat specifically, but it does feel like this strip is the writers responding to recent criticism of Parsons abilities, neatly tied in with addressing moral issues with the troops.

Still, 3 stips in a week; how awesome is that? Are they making a dash for the finish?