Erfworld 148 - TBfGK, Page 135

[Goshen]

Kyouhen, what is your avatar? What is that thing?

[Starwaster]

Does anyone else find spirit-form Wanda hotter than normal?

Or is it wrong that I find her hot at all...

Uhm.... I'd do her.

[ThreeEyedOni]

I think Charlie can only hack the Eye-books because they act as a medium for Thinkagrams. Or at least something similar to Thinkagrams. He can tap into them so he can have conversations with the holders without having to use an actual Thinkagram. I don't think they ever make it clear whether or not Charlie was able to access the notes Parson had put in there. Otherwise I think he needs to be closer to the target or have the target make contact with him first. The Arkendish would be just a little overpowered, especially for a mercenary, if he could tap into people's minds at will and make them do whatever he wants.

I figured that the Eyebooks were basically a sort of permanent thinkagram network, meaning that there was something easily noticed and hacked into (relative ease to him, at least). I don't see any reason to think that Charlie could at-distance hack into any of their brains without some agent being relatively close. If he could do that, I'm sure he'd exist beyond a "mercenary" status.

[dr pepper]

Kyouhen, what is your avatar? What is that thing?

The name of the image file is vorpal ooze so i guess that what it's supposed to be. From Kyouhen's sig, i'm guessing it's a GM grudge monster.

[abb3w]

I figured that the Eyebooks were basically a sort of permanent thinkagram network, meaning that there was something easily noticed and hacked into (relative ease to him, at least). I don't see any reason to think that Charlie could at-distance hack into any of their brains without some agent being relatively close. If he could do that, I'm sure he'd exist beyond a "mercenary" status.

Undersecured wireless network, vs. isolated wired LAN. Big difference. The most he could do would be trying to DDOS Maggie at her firewalls; that's unlikely to be tried. First, Charlie believes in getting paid for what he does. Second, he doesn't believe in playing games that HAVE a losing scenario, and so is too cautious to do that. Because from his standpoint, meddling could lead to options which might be substantially worse for his forces than Parson having control of an uncroaked volcano.

For perspective, consider the (spoilerific) excerpt on control of the undead from Jim Butcher's seventh Dresden Files novel, Dead Beat:

Spoiler

Show

"Whatever you do, keep that drum-beat going. Do you understand?"
"Right," Butters said. "If I stop, no more dinosaur."
"No," I called hack. "If you stop, the dinosaur does whatever the hell it wants to."

Now substitute an uncroaked volcano.

Charlie plans long-term, and he doesn't consider Parson an enemy; at most, Parson might be competition, but more likely a potentially useful minion or ally.

[shamelessmerc]

Um, seeing as how they don't reproduce the human way, I'm wondering if that is the natural representation of their genitalia.

Yep, I had thought of that but I don't agree...

other options:

1) Sizemore has little in the way of self-worth and 'body confidence' so his mental image of himself does not include his unused equipment (nod to Goshen)

2) in some books I've read the astral form of a projected mind is sexless

3) the authors knew putting in a penis would cause collective minds to blow, and possibly cause publishing issues

As I said before, it could have been disguised by posture

[Ragn Charran]

Why does everyone assume Sizemore never gets any action?

C'mon people, he hangs out with hippiemancers.

[shamelessmerc]

Why does everyone assume Sizemore never gets any action?

C'mon people, he hangs out with hippiemancers.

Are you advocating forcing yourself on paraliticly stoned girls???!!!!

Seriously... hippie-chicks always fall asleep on you

[MattR]

...it occurs to me that there is one major worry to this plan.

Once revivified, undead decay.
That could be bad for your mountain fortress.

That, however, is a long term problem. Meanwhile... Anyone else here waded through Tad Williams trilogy Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn? It's time to see if a mountain can be made to dance.

LOVE those books :) kudos to the man for not spoiling things and needlessly revisiting the setting just to squeeze more money from the readers too.

[Goshen]

It would be funny if Sizemore had a big hairy schwanz. Kind of like how nerdy Ned Flanders in the Simpsons is pornographically well built. It would also completely distract from what Rob and Jamie are trying to convey in the page, so I'm glad it's not there.

You are right, to anyone who has the image burned into their brain its GOATSE that comes to mind, I mean look at the hands at the bottom. And now that is forever how you will see this page.

I do NOT think the lava image is Goatsee refernce! The shockamancy of looking up the goatsee image has left many of us emotionally scarred, a kind of PTSD. You have to get past it man! Heal!

[Kyouhen]

The name of the image file is vorpal ooze so i guess that what it's supposed to be. From Kyouhen's sig, i'm guessing it's a GM grudge monster.

Yes, it's my attempt at drawing my Vorpal Ooze, an ooze made entirely out of swords, knives and other pointy weapons. It's how I keep bad ideas out of my game. (Fortunately I've never had to actually bring it out, I just threaten with it for lulz)

And no, it doesn't look like goatse. If you want to clean that image from your head just remember that their hands are too far up for that to be the case.

[noncaloric]

I do NOT think the lava image is Goatsee refernce! The shockamancy of looking up the goatsee image has left many of us emotionally scarred, a kind of PTSD. You have to get past it man! Heal!

Agreed. In goatse, the hands grab the orifice at the sides, whereas here, they grab it near the top. Also, goatse does not have the rightwards distension of the orifice shown in the magma chamber here. Any resemblance to goatse here is likely purely coincidental.

[ishnar]

Well said! I find the barbie anatomy very jarring, especialy since posture could have been used to disguise it.

It's a bit like all the people who have no problem with Dr Manhatten exploding people into bloody goo, but freak out that they were 'forced' to look at his member.

Grow up! Half the human race have one!

I think you're not thinking this through. I've seen many series, not just drawn but written where the genitalia are missing from the spirt body. Remember that Sex is supposedly non-existant in the spirit world. Bodies are nearly always depicted very vaguely and the standard explanation is that the only reason the spirit body is not formless is because the person's self-image is asserting itself subconsciously. In many series a person COULD change their spirit body to be an exact copy of the physical body, but that would take deliberate effort and the skill of practice.

[MadMaw]

Agreed. In goatse, the hands grab the orifice at the sides, whereas here, they grab it near the top. Also, goatse does not have the rightwards distension of the orifice shown in the magma chamber here. Any resemblance to goatse here is likely purely coincidental.

I dunno dude, the last line by Sizemore, "So beautiful", has the look of being a punch-line, which, if the image is a Goatse reference, makes sense. The fact that it has been echoed by heaps of people on the facebook group (see 'Just Fans') doesn't make it any less funny either.

The uncroaking of a volcano's core by magic could be represented in a lot of ways, while effective, two hands pulling it open wouldn't be the first one that springs to mind. That said, it is a fantastic piece of art regardless of the inspiration.

[shamelessmerc]

I think you're not thinking this through. I've seen many series, not just drawn but written where the genitalia are missing from the spirt body. Remember that Sex is supposedly non-existant in the spirit world. Bodies are nearly always depicted very vaguely and the standard explanation is that the only reason the spirit body is not formless is because the person's self-image is asserting itself subconsciously. In many series a person COULD change their spirit body to be an exact copy of the physical body, but that would take deliberate effort and the skill of practice.

I have thought it through (and I'm sure you've now read my later posts:-) )

I was mainly repling the the 4 or 5 post expressing relief that Sizemore was shown 'sans titan', which just struck me as hypocritical; especialy in light of all the posts drooling over Wanda.

[fendrin]

But Charlie has hacked the Eye-books, and isn't he, by virtue of his artifact, the premier thinkamancer in the world? Maggie already mentioned that he could get into Parson's head, why not a weakened, casting-distracted Thinkamancer? Though no contact is being initiated from GK side.

The evidence seems to show that linkng makes the casters stronger not distracted and vulnerable. or at lest magically. Physically they do seem to perhaps be more vulnerable.

Seriously though, would you want to risk making contact with a thinkamancer-croakamancer link? Who knows what psycho-death magic such a union could produce. Toss in a little dirtamancy and you might find your brain getting petrified.

It's trimanceric Volcanuncroakspell-O-Vision; not a documentary on Erfworldian anatomy.

QFT.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

[Boobo]Oh Parson, I don't think the Tool is gonna like this...[/Boobo]

So Stanly shows back up. Parson stands up, battered but victorious. He defeated the RCC army, twenty-five times his size, without backup or support from Stanly.

Stanly's reaction:

"WTF you booping boophead! You single-handedly destroyed the most powerful defensive position in the WORLD! Are you incompetent by nature or do you actually have to booping practice?"

"Hey, I beat the army, didn't I?"

"By doing their job for them! If you had just let them occupy the place, I could have come in the next turn and flushed them out with my Dwagons. Now I have to spend MILLIONS of Shmuckers just trying to get back to square one!"

Yea. some people are never pleased...

[BillyJimBoBob]

I know they are all probably about to die anyway but still...

Doesn't anyone think that making a volcano erupt.

A volcano that they are standing right on top of...

That perhaps this isn't the smartest decision?

I have no idea how they expect to live though this.

I'm not sure they expect to live, so much as this is the only chance they have to not lose. If even a single GK troop survives, and no RCC troops survive, GK wins. Besides, Sizemore is a potent Dirtamancer. If anyone can keep a portion of GK shielded during a volcanic eruption or the creation of an uncroaked volcano elemental, he is the one.

I'm guessing that Callahan's is a reference to the series by Spider Robinson about a rather eccentric barkeep named Callahan and his equally unusual clientèle.

I thought it was a reference to Thought Field Therapy, developed by Roger Callahan, a therapy exercised by tapping the hands. I know it's a huge stretch, but the hand holding and Maggie's psychiatrist-like talk at the start evoked that image for me.

[BillyJimBoBob]

That said, a neutered Sizemore did not bother me too much, because he is a rather neutered personality anyway. You can bet Wanda's self-image has all it's woman-parts.

Note that Wanda has no nipples in her spirit form.

Do you remember the scandal around Janet Jackson's 2004 prime time boob exposure at the superbowl? Given the media frenzy at the time, it was like a giant tit-monster had loomed over the horizon and crushed America. The case is *still* in litigation!! Get over it, people, It's just a boob.

I was displeased by that display, not because a nipple *gasp!* was shown to OMG, think of the children, but that it was a scene of violence, with Timberlake ripping off a part of her costume, followed by Jackson giving him a look of shock and then covering herself. There's enough misogyny in popular culture already. It's telling that your linked news article refers to it as a "striptease", when it was in no way such, regardless of how planned the event was.

Considering they don't nurse children, their females shouldn't have boobs either.

But remember, Stanley specified that the summoned warlord should feel comfortable in the setting. Parson would probably be very weirded out by a bunch of Erf females without breasts.

Seriously... hippie-chicks always fall asleep on you

Memory serves me well of my college days. They never fall asleep on you. They have 10 times your energy.

So Stanly shows back up. Parson stands up, battered but victorious. He defeated the RCC army, twenty-five times his size, without backup or support from Stanly.

Stanly's reaction:

"WTF you booping boophead! You single-handedly destroyed the most powerful defensive position in the WORLD! Are you incompetent by nature or do you actually have to booping practice?"

Parson's reply:
"Trimancer, start the magma golem pouring new walls and a new tower. We'll have this place looking better than before in just a turn or two."

[DarkNewton]

Am I the only one who expects for a full volcano sized golem to stand up out of the former volcano with trimancer+Parson in a room in it's head, maybe with some toy steering wheel console that he uses to drive the thing.

Then the RCC can break out it's voltron+hellokitty members..

/then/ we see real dance fighting..

[Goshen]

Yes, it's my attempt at drawing my Vorpal Ooze, an ooze made entirely out of swords, knives and other pointy weapons. It's how I keep bad ideas out of my game. (Fortunately I've never had to actually bring it out, I just threaten with it for lulz)

Kewl. I thought it looked like a cross between a demon slug and a swiss army knife from hell.

My avatar is our half-toothless cat. He doesn't drool much, but he makes weird faces no normal cat could manage.

[Goshen]

I was displeased by that display, not because a nipple *gasp!* was shown to OMG, think of the children, but that it was a scene of violence, with Timberlake ripping off a part of her costume, followed by Jackson giving him a look of shock and then covering herself. There's enough misogyny in popular culture already. It's telling that your linked news article refers to it as a "striptease", when it was in no way such, regardless of how planned the event was.

Not having seen the clip myself, that aspect of it escaped me, but I'll trust your description. Yeah, that's not very good role modeling, but I still think it was an accident.

What you say about violence against women, I do agree with. it's bad and way to common in pop culture. That makes the role of the Dominatrix (like Wanda) very interesting. What can it mean?

[CaptC]

Two words: Lava Golem(s).

What kind of music is hotter than Metal?

[Fez]

Hmm. In terms of ruthlessness...

I just realized, it is possible that Parson is not expecting to live at all, nor anyone here currently. (I don't think this is his plan, but its possible.)

Specifically, awaken the volcano. kill absolutely everything in this hex. All of the RCC, all of the garrison, all of Charlie's archons.

Next turn, who is up first? Stanley. Stanley returns and pretty much has won. Has only a level 1 city left (if that. Maybe no city at all). Still, only enemies left are Jillian and her squad. You'd have to expect that the Transylvitans won't want to be involved at all after something wiped out all of the RCC and Charlie's forces. Because no one will know quite what happened. Thus a good time to turtle.

Would certainly be ruthless.

[Welf]

This could end in some real downer ending; Everyone dead, city destroyed and only Stanley left. And because Transylvito and Charley are still part of the Coalition, they would attack. Exspecially Charley would; he could transfer his remaining Archons and mop up the rest of Stanley. I don't think he could resist the temptation of having two more arkentools. So Stanley probably would have to run away.

[VariaVespasa]

No, this is not intended as a suicide run by Parson. The players in his game were intended to WIN if they came up with an outrageous enough cheat, not merely take the enemy with them. I dont believe Erf will diverge from that, so the only way Parson dies is if an enemy attack gets through to him before the trimancer wipes them out (which is still possible, after all), or if the cheat isnt outrageous enough. I'm sure the trimancer can keep their area safe from the lava easily enough. Sizemore can seal the tunnels leading to them, no problem, if they arent already.

The trimancer will survive for sure, again unless someone stabs it. Theyre standing at the portal room. Parson will order the trimancer through the portal to save it before he allows it to be engulfed by lava. He is required to stand and fight to the best of his ability, but he is not required to die or lose resources to no purpose if he can save them. He couldnt order the casters away while he still had a play left to make, hence the formation of the trimancer, but once its flee or lava? Then he can, and would order it through the portal.

[Talic]

No, this is not intended as a suicide run by Parson. The players in his game were intended to WIN if they came up with an outrageous enough cheat, not merely take the enemy with them. I dont believe Erf will diverge from that, so the only way Parson dies is if an enemy attack gets through to him before the trimancer wipes them out (which is still possible, after all), or if the cheat isnt outrageous enough. I'm sure the trimancer can keep their area safe from the lava easily enough. Sizemore can seal the tunnels leading to them, no problem, if they arent already.

The trimancer will survive for sure, again unless someone stabs it. Theyre standing at the portal room. Parson will order the trimancer through the portal to save it before he allows it to be engulfed by lava. He is required to stand and fight to the best of his ability, but he is not required to die or lose resources to no purpose if he can save them. He couldnt order the casters away while he still had a play left to make, hence the formation of the trimancer, but once its flee or lava? Then he can, and would order it through the portal.

Well, as he said, he wins if he renders the enemy unable to take the garrison.

Filling it with lava and retreating through the portal would accomplish that.

On a side note, I think Maggie is providing increased comprehension to the others. She's enabling them to think better.

[ajs]

The profile from the tunnels under the volcano looks very familiar, but I can't remember from where. It might be from a sample adventure in the first edition AD&D books, or the basic D&D book with the blue cover that came out in 1980 or so, or maybe somewhere else. All of my RPG stuff is packed away, but somebody must know.

Where is that dungeon from?

[StClair]

Both the blue-cover Basic D&D (with the red dragon) and the red-cover Basic (with the green dragon) had similar cross sections of sample dungeons.

Also, just wanted to say I loved this page. It's simply beautiful art, and I've saved it to my HD.

[ajs]

Both the blue-cover Basic D&D (with the red dragon) and the red-cover Basic (with the green dragon) had similar cross sections of sample dungeons.

Thanks- it was driving me to distraction. Unpacking and repacking 40 boxes of books to find that page was starting to seem like a good idea.