Erfworld 140 The Battle for Gobwin Knob, Page 127

[BurntOfferings]

What is Parson holding in his left hand in frame 1? Is that his eyebook?

[headhoncho]

Wow, Parson and Bogroll look especially similiar in that first panel. Looks like the folks that've been speculating that Bogroll would get mistaken for 'Lord Hamster' (unless Ansom bothered to specify that the real thing has two eyes; personally I doubt it- and he can't even know what color Hamster's skin is via Thinkagram!) could well be right, with possibly dire consequences for our favorite Twoll. (Then again, as folks have probably noted before me, it has been potentially foreshadowed.)
Awesome, awesome page. x)

I think the Parson/Bogroll switch will totally happen, not only because of the foreshadowing in this strip and previously, but also because the one spell canister currently unaccounted for is the Foolamancy one.

And I agree, this was an awesome strip! Last one was pretty darn good, too.

[DragoonKain]

The t-shirts were magically added to the corpses when they were uncroaked.

[SteveMB]

I think the Parson/Bogroll switch will totally happen, not only because of the foreshadowing in this strip and previously, but also because the one spell canister currently unaccounted for is the Foolamancy one.

Hmmm... Ansom knows that Stanley has a Foolamancer, but not that he's flown the coop with Stanley. He (or one of his allies) might interpret Parson's lack of visible stats as an indication that he's a decoy illusion, and perhaps think that Bogroll is Parson crudely disguised by Foolamancy. (Such slapdash illusions are far beneath Jack's ability level, but Ansom may not know that.)

[[sWc]Konman]

im loving the comic, disclaimer and all

[El_Chupachichis]

What is Parson holding in his left hand in frame 1? Is that his eyebook?

I suck at picture analysis. Deleting original hypothesis.

[Solarious]

You don't really need the forums to predict this kind of thing. Once you learn about dance fighting, zombies, Wanda, and Michael Jackson, this would have been long in the coming. It's as awesome as Wanda's Norns moment.

Extra points to Jamie and Rob for the header. But we know you believe.

Mmmnn... cookie. Yum.

[scotchmonger]

I tried to post something about this in the last strip but kept getting timed out.

I don't think parson was talking only about stacking numerical stat bonuses, nor does "Force Multiplier" mean that some numerical bonuses are multiplicative vs. additive -- I don't think there's enough hard data on this in the strips we've been shown.

Looking back on strip 138[/QUOTE] he says it's all about force multipliers and lists a bunch of things. Leadership, Dance Fighting, and the Artifact bonus do seem to be direct numerical buffs. Terrain, Spells and Specials... not necessarily.

Then I found this Force Multiplier Wiki[/QUOTE] which defines the term in a way that's more in line with what we've seen Parson do. Relevant definition from the intro:
"Force multiplication, in military usage, refers to a combination of attributes or advantages which make a given force more effective than another force of comparable size. A force multiplier refers to a factor that dramatically increases (hence "multiplies") the effectiveness of an item or group."

In strip 139[/QUOTE] Sizemore's visible stack (5/6 Metal and 2 Crap) is pretty close to what it was in strip 120[/QUOTE] (4 Metal and 5/6 Crap). So the numbers should be different but not by much. The force multiplication is done by stacking properties. Free Movement + Burrowing = unmatched field mobility; Shockmancy = no enemy retaliation/escape ability. And it all gives him the chance to set off the Crap bomb and escape before the enemy can even react. The movement rules alone don't add numbers to the his stats but they are "a factor that dramatically increases the effectiveness of his stack" because they let him selectively engage any weak point he finds in the entire enemy formation instead of waiting to engage the enemy on their fortified front line.

In this newest strip, I think Wanda's dance fighting is mostly a bonus in the conventional numerical sense (though it could also boost luck or critical hit % -- unknowable for now) and that it's a mechanic that is understood if not commonly used in Erfworld (Ansom needs to have the outfits explained[/QUOTE]) but it's a bonus that Ansom can't match and just like Transylvito, Wanda has "a flippin' ton of" uncroaked.

It looks like Parson is surveying and I don't see anyone other that Bogroll in his stack. I want to see him actively join the fight, he certainly looks ready for it. I suspect the RCC can eventually make a secondary break in the wall to attempt a flank ("move siege under heaviest guard") but for now they're all being funneled through the front door (ka-dogg -- I love it)

I hope we get to see through Parson's glasses again soon and that we'll find out what "Chief Warlord Lv 2 - Special" means.

I can't wait to see this play out.

[HandofShadows]

A GREAT page. Congrats to all involved.

Ansom is in big trouble, but is really in to deep to back out right now. As for the changes in art I tend to look at Wanda's normal sized head and body as a result of Dance Fighting (an earlier panel had her head/body the "normal" size). Parson really has not changed size, he and Bagroll have always been about the same in height (Wanda even remarks on it). Bagroll may serve as a distraction for Ansom's forces, but I think he will be very hard to kill. Bagroll is a Troll and that means he regenerates. And I don't think Ansom will go after Wanda. He alreay knows that if Wanda even touched the Arkenpliers, she will take contol of them and he would be very dead, very quickly if that happened.

In regards to the many "oddities" in Erfworld (Women have cleavage, the ArkenPliers look like a set of normal pliers from our world, people look like charactures ect) I look at is as if Efrwold is a Beta version of a turn based game. The mechanics of the game are mostly there, but the models/graphics department is running WAY behind and so stand in models are being used. (A real world example of this is in Hlaf Life 2 Ep 2. VALVe use a pumkin as a stand in for the "strider buster"). I don't know if the "game" will ever get upgraded. The Titans may have stopped work on the game due to the current economic situation.

[hajo]

Where did they get those t-shirts? You can't just go to Cafe Press and order a thousand Hamstard t-shirts, ready in an hour...

They got the t-shirts as a side-effect of the mass-uncroaking in the tunnels.
No waiting, instant service

[selgnij]

They're so close to that portal, that it could be some sort of handle set into the frame. Would make sense if those were the top of some stairs.

Its the 3D glasses, if you look close you can make out the red and blue. Plus they appear on his head just after that.

[Tundar]

And all of an sudden, I hear the voice of Vincent Price inside my head.

Parson and Bogroll has the coolest hat ever.

[Tarvok]

The dance fighting question: I don't think this is so much a question of battle bonuses, as battle mode. Imagine for simplicity's sake that each unit has two combat ratings: offense and defense (like Civ). Now, add in a third rating: dance. Defender chooses which form of battle is going to be utilized. Items that would grant bonuses in normal combat (such as special swords, armor, etc.) do NOT grant bonuses to dance fighting... but the gear Jillian's crew was wearing for the attack on Stanley does.

This is heavily simplified, but I do believe the defender's choice of dance fighting is not merely a bonus, but a change in the very nature of the battle.

[SteveD]

They should grind down the coalition nicely, but the plan hinges on Wanda surviving the turn.

Will she and her army of uncroaked be able to take Ansom and his own stack? Casters are mighty weak in direct combat, remember...

This could still end with Parson and Ansom in a one-on-one.

[zillion ninjas]

They got the t-shirts as a side-effect of the mass-uncroaking in the tunnels.
No waiting, instant service

Yes, and furthermore I think that it's armor, not t-shirts. Note the crease that most of them have down the front, the same as with Parson's and Bogroll's armor.

Also: vicious, evil-eyed hamster helmets? To the merchandise thread!

[Lemarc]

Looking at the fifth panel, it appears Ansom is sending in troops affiliated with the two warlords that the dirtamancer hit. Either they weren't croaked, or Ansom is sending in stacks without any leadership.

Nah, those are Redhead McSwordysword's troops on the left, and what look like Jetsone troops on the right. I think that one with the two swords might be the surviving warlord herself, but it's hard to tell at that size.

Regarding the art shift, I'm pretty sure it's just that. Look at Ansom, panel 2 and panel 8. Ansom's never been in close contact with Parson, and his personality hasn't really changed since the beginning of the comic, but look at that difference.

[Yellowchopstick]

What if....Parson and Bogroll started dancing too? To Thriller, or even, dare I say, the hamster dance?

....Would that count as Shockmancy? :P

[Shadic]

I almost lost my mouthful of cereal at that, actually.

That was pretty awesome. Likely my favorite Erfworld.

[teratorn]

What if....Parson and Bogroll started dancing too? To Thriller, or even, dare I say, the hamster dance?

Parson will find that the hamster dance raises his bonus to epic levels... he'll be able to truly snack on gwiffons and rip apart cloth golems with his bare hands.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

So...

Chief Warlord bonus... check
Croakamancer bonus... check
Individual Unroaked Warlord bonus... check
Dance Fighting bonus... check
Artifact bonus from Parson's Sword... maybe


With all these bonuses, all those Uncroaked are going to be hitting pretty flippin' hard...

[TheTurnipKing]

Heh, you don't have to have any belief in Micheal Jackson to appreciate his work. Whatever else is said about the guy in decades to come... the dude could dance... and sing... and write songs.

[Fez]

The dance fighting question: I don't think this is so much a question of battle bonuses, as battle mode. Imagine for simplicity's sake that each unit has two combat ratings: offense and defense (like Civ). Now, add in a third rating: dance. Defender chooses which form of battle is going to be utilized. Items that would grant bonuses in normal combat (such as special swords, armor, etc.) do NOT grant bonuses to dance fighting... but the gear Jillian's crew was wearing for the attack on Stanley does.

This is heavily simplified, but I do believe the defender's choice of dance fighting is not merely a bonus, but a change in the very nature of the battle.

Possible, but unlikely. During the battle between Stanley and the Transylvitans, dance fighting was used between them at the beginning of the encounter, presumably to determine the level of bonus each side got from their dancing. Then the actual fighting occurred traditionally once each had earned their dance fighting bonuses.

[Kyouhen]

For the question of Wanda having boobs, remember that the spell that originally brought Parson to Erf was supposed to find someone who would feel safe in it. Would you feel safe standing next to Wanda?

As for the art style, I think it might just be a dramatic thing. More realistic art when things are all actiony, more cartoony art otherwise.

As for this comic, epic. Need desktop of panel 11 nao.

[zaitcev]

The swanky hats that Parson and Bogroll wear is the first reference to OoTS that I noticed in Erfworld. Surprising it took so long, but most likely I just missed something subtle before. I'm not a big fan of OoTS, so it's hard for me to relate unless it's something obvious. Anyway, does anyone want to guess what it means for Parson's character, in particular the ruthlessness?

Re. Wanda, I miss the definitive, somewhat chibified design from her character page.

[Ultimatum479]

I'd made up my mind early on (before page 50 or so), but I'm making it up again, just for the hell of it. Wesnoth is the primary/initial(/both?) influence on the creation of Erfworld. <_<

[Kholdstare]

Bamaomaomao

These last two pages. I would have sex with them.

[El_Chupachichis]

Heh, you don't have to have any belief in Micheal Jackson to appreciate his work. Whatever else is said about the guy in decades to come... the dude could dance... and sing... and write songs.

And touch little boys.

Kinda trumps the "musical talent" thing in my book.

[vrellum]

I think they might have thrown us a curve. I think Wanda is dancing to "Bad" not "Thriller" based on the sound effect on the next to last panel.

I mean "Thriller" would have been too obvious, right?

[fendrin]

As another note, its been discussed before but I do still wonder at the ongoing transition in sizes of chars and styles. Parson is no longer as towering as he was. In panel 8, he's only a couple inches taller than Bogroll, and clearly not the giant he was to Wanda and others. Similarly as someone pointed out even in this thread, Wanda's own style has changed dramatically, with more normal proportions of head and body. Is this something of consequence or just Jami evolving his aesthetic for the characters?

The towering in that one panel with Stanley (last panel) is perspective. Compare to when they are standing next to each other (panels 6 and 12). Stanley is easily as high as Parson's waist. Wanda is leaning and still comes up to Parson's ribcage.

[Tanaar]

Rob and Jamie are my new heroes for this strip