Erfworld 153 - tBfGK - 140

[factotum]

My question is how did all those casters manage to get around the portal so quickly? I mean, it wasn't that long between the trimancer going through and Parson following.

Given the way Erfworld mechanics work, I reckon there are likely to be a lot of units within the same hex as the portal, and they wouldn't have to spend any move to reach it. Either that, or the portal is in the Magic Kingdom equivalent of a city, in which case the same applies.

[hidufel]

I'm reading this latest and thinking to myself... there is no way that nerve pinch should work... parson is wearing armor! if you look at panel 4 there is no way that hand had enough contact with nerve clusters to work... he was 90 percent on armor, rather then shirt. remember bogroll had armor made to look just like parsons shirt.

As for parson... he himself doesn't thinking the world considers him a unit... last paragraph here http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0044.html has him wondering that. If hes not a unit, then he probably can go through the portal and not be disbanded because the world doesn't consider him anything that CAN be disbanded.

As for being a hippiemancer... parson couldn't see his own stats, i don't think the hippiemancer could either. so i am agreeing with folks who think shes just covering up for him... if she cant see his stats, she may be intrigued enough to get to the bottom of that mystery... so claiming him as a hippiemancer can give plausible deniability.

[SteveD]

My question is how did all those casters manage to get around the portal so quickly? I mean, it wasn't that long between the trimancer going through and Parson following.

The hippie glade is supposed to be close to the portal garden.

[Goshen]

Gag! Nimoy must have been really broke to do that one.

Each major member of the original Star Trek cast made an album, nearly all of them trancendently awful. It was the 60's! All the musical creativity of the time produced a lot of dross along with the diamonds. This song by William Shatner will have you laughing or barfing or both:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0hTtsqiFCc

Shatner has gone on to build an industry making fun of himself, and his current stuff really is funny.

[shamelessmerc]

So as far as I can see the currency debate goes

Rand = RANDcorp/Galt's Gulch - the currency of free-market loving geniuses

Rand = Rand-om unit of magic, the negotiable building block of a magic based economy (I actualy really like this one, it makes a lot of sense if you know a bit about economics)

with a lonely vote for Rand al' Thor (not being masocistic enough to read Robert Jordan, I can't comment) and for the obvious but unlikley South African Rand.

Have I missed any?

[fendrin]

Hmm... It's clear that Parson expected to be disbanded, but thought that would be better than croaking.

Did he expect to be disbanded by the Portal, or by Stanley because the city fell?

I know there has been a lot of speculation based the portal being caster only, but other than the possibly misleading statements on this page, do we have any evidence of that?

My question is how did all those casters manage to get around the portal so quickly? I mean, it wasn't that long between the trimancer going through and Parson following.

Portal Park seems like a busy place (see panel 5).

The hippie glade is supposed to be close to the portal garden.

Looking at the aerial view of MK, it looks like Portal Park is in the center of the island, making each of the other zones equidistant from it.

I'm reading this latest and thinking to myself... there is no way that nerve pinch should work... parson is wearing armor! if you look at panel 4 there is no way that hand had enough contact with nerve clusters to work... he was 90 percent on armor, rather then shirt. remember bogroll had armor made to look just like parsons shirt.

Ah, but but remember, it's a Vulcan nerve pinch, which is applied to the neck. Parson's armor doesn't cover his neck, and there is definite hand-to-neck contact in panel 4. Interesting information on that page of possible real-world explanations of the pinch, though for the most part they are non-instantaneous... perhaps that explains the delayed effect on Parson?

As for parson... he himself doesn't thinking the world considers him a unit... last paragraph here http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0044.html has him wondering that. If hes not a unit, then he probably can go through the portal and not be disbanded because the world doesn't consider him anything that CAN be disbanded.

Interesting... perhaps a side effect of the spell is that ONLY the spell can disband him... or maybe he can't be disbanded at all and Stanley and Wanda are wrong on that account (Stanley is one to leap to conclusions, Wanda would see it as a useful way to control Parson even if she knew it were false).

As for being a hippiemancer... parson couldn't see his own stats, i don't think the hippiemancer could either. so i am agreeing with folks who think shes just covering up for him... if she cant see his stats, she may be intrigued enough to get to the bottom of that mystery... so claiming him as a hippiemancer can give plausible deniability.

The general lack of reaction (other than from Stanley) to Parson's lack of stats reinforces for me the notion that commanders can only see stats for units of their own side and the table display of Jillian's stats was an effect of the eyemancer trio (maybe lookamancers or thinkamancers have a way to get that info, or maybe the link allowed them to do something otherwise possible, akin to waking the volcano)

[Lamech]

The general lack of reaction (other than from Stanley) to Parson's lack of stats reinforces for me the notion that commanders can only see stats for units of their own side and the table display of Jillian's stats was an effect of the eyemancer trio (maybe lookamancers or thinkamancers have a way to get that info, or maybe the link allowed them to do something otherwise possible, akin to waking the volcano)

We've only seen part of the conversation, and there are many things to exclaim on. Like Parson being a hippymancer, or a warlord being in the magic kingdom. And if commanders can't see enemy stats how would Jillian know leadership was lost?

I still don't think we have conclusive evidence.

[HandofShadows]

An interesting page. I expected to see Stanley before we got back to Parson. I think that Parson is responding to someone asking/demanding why he was not disbanded by the portal (As a note, I AM waiting for a cake to show up sometime in here ). Parson had been on the other side of the portal for a bit as he went into the portal without his sword being drawn. I figure that he would have only drawn it after the casters started pulling wands/staffs on him. Parson is clealry trying to talk his way out of it before getting hit by the never pinch.
As to why Janis might "claim" Parson, it can go a number of ways. Janis could be lying to keep things peaceful, she also might be thinking that Parson is a bit "hippy" as well. If a normal Erf warlord (or nearly any unit that was not a caster)came though the portal and had a bunch of wands pointed at him I strongly suspect they would attack no matter what the odds. But here we have Parson trying to talk his way of a fight. Very un-Erf like.

[fendrin]

Each major member of the original Star Trek cast made an album, nearly all of them trancendently awful. It was the 60's! All the musical creativity of the time produced a lot of dross along with the diamonds. This song by William Shatner will have you laughing or barfing or both:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0hTtsqiFCc

If you're gonna post a video of Shatner 'singing', why not go for the real deal? These are from the 70's.

Sinatra's "It Was a Very Good Year"
Elton John's "Rocketman"

We've only seen part of the conversation, and there are many things to exclaim on. Like Parson being a hippymancer, or a warlord being in the magic kingdom. And if commanders can't see enemy stats how would Jillian know leadership was lost?

I still don't think we have conclusive evidence.

Jillian could have observed that the dwagons were suddenly much less effective when they lost Stanley's massive bonuses (leadership,artifact, and probably the dance fighting bonus too)
I agree though that there is no conclusive evidence.

[the_tick_rules]

What magical combo is hippiemancery again? So they're froze up during the portal? They were lucid enough to go through it. Talking about money and charging? Maybe the guy is Charlie.

[Faramir]

Who in magic kingdom made the spell that brought Parson? If he is really is a hippiemancer, then perhaps the spell for "ultimate warlord" was for sneaky opposite purpose. If he isn't then perhaps hippymancer sees way to use him.

Ah, someone beat me to it. Yes it only just occurred to me with this strip that the Magic Kingdom devised the spell that brought Parson here and might just have slipped something extra into it.

[Welf]

Ah, someone beat me to it. Yes it only just occurred to me with this strip that the Magic Kingdom devised the spell that brought Parson here and might just have slipped something extra into it.

Unlikely. What profit could they have? These guys are contract worker and have a reputation to lose. And they probably wouldn't be too happy if a hippiemancer shows off and screws around their work.
Even if this was some complex cabal by the magic kingdom itself, it was some really overcomplicated stuff. And badly executed. If they wanted the spell to work, they wouldn't have made an distinction between the spell itself and and the casting and only offered a packet. And lowered the price massively.

[The Minx]

In most turn based wargames, each side's turn lasts a turn which takes as long as it takes for the player to finish. The overall length of the gameturn is not affected -- it still lasts as many player turns as there are players.

The moving player always finishes his turn, since not to do so simply causes the game to be suspended. In Erfworld this would be a compulsion on a side's leader to end turn.

It's also possible a turn is ended automatically once all a side's units have performed an action.

Thus it is possible that the flow of time during a turn can vary considerably, and that specific time limits are not involved.

Yes, that's true; though there are turn based games with a time limit for turns, from ancients such as Chess to classics such as Age of Wonders, etc, etc. And it makes sense that there should be a limit for reasons already mentioned (namely, what if someone refuses to end turn for whatever reason? He can also prevent one or more of his units from taking an action and halt things that way).

As for minutes being a variable time span, how could that be, since you don't know in advance when your ruler will end turn?

[T-O-E]

Hope the next update answers some questions.

[sbarrie]

I'm going to cast a vote against the probability of seeing Professor X. The real bottom line is what fits Erfworld's style, and Xavier takes himself a little too seriously to be Erfed. His defining characteristic is that he's reasonable, respected, and in charge of himself. The only way we'd see him is as a diplomat.

Wait, I thought Charlie was Professor X. I've been looking at this whole comic all wrong!

And Prof. X's defining characteristic is that he's a jerk.

[VariaVespasa]

As to who Bunny is, I immediately thought of Bunny from Robert Aspirin's Myth Adventures series. She is the moll of a powerful gangland figure, and also acts as a part of his brain trust. Admittedly, it is a bit of a stretch, but it was the gangland connection that got me.

Of course, I am likely wrong.

David

I'm inclined to second your opinion. She acted as Skeeves secretary, which is the most common role thinkamancers tend to fulfill in Erf, she was the daughter of a mob boss, acted as Skeeves Moll for official purposes (even if not really in practice), and there was a vampire connection in the books near the end there, although its been long enough I forget if the vampire(s) were a one-off, or if one or more became recurring characters.

[Vreejack]

And if commanders can't see enemy stats how would Jillian know leadership was lost?

In table-top games you can tell pretty quickly when the bonuses have changed by the frequency of success and failure changing. This is actually more obvious in computer games where there can be a lot of dice rolls (maybe hundreds per minute) to compare, but it is not unusual to notice the shift in combat before you have discovered the reason.

When fighting a fixed number of opponents MMORPG power players can usually spot the expiration of a buff by the speed at which their health or other stats declines.

[Kreistor]

It is certainly within the ralm of possibility that Janis lied about Parson being a Hippiemancer. It would be like a hippie to calm a situation by lying in a way no one else present could disprove.

However, I think the humour factor of Parson dealing with being a Hippiemancer far outweighs the lack of any casting in him at all. It really is a cruel joke to make Parson, a great Warlord, a master of the most peaceful magic of all.

Of course, Sun Tzu would be perfectly satisfied with this. For him, the best war is one in which not a single soldier on either side dies. Parson being able to end battles peacefully, wtihout resorting to ruthlessness, would get two thumbs up from the top man of warfare.

[milele]

oh it's harry alright, Harry Blackstone, though I dunno if it's senior or junior and he's the hocus-pocus 'mancer for sure

Too bad it's not Harry Dresden, now that I think of it

[Kreistor]

Okay, let's organize this. Using 140.2, and counting clockwise from Parson:

• Sizemore

• Maggie

• Wanda

• White robe, Red cape

• Wicked Witch (Wizard of Oz, East or West)

• Firiona Vie (Everquest box cover) wrong colours but that may be to deflect copyright claims
  Orko from He-man (also similar to Black Mage of Final Fantasy). Wizard class in EQ. Shockmancy would be nearest equivalent in Erfworld.

• Guy in Blazer, probably Thinkamancer, given later attempts at contacting others and knowledge of number of Thinkamancers available. (I think I should know who this is. There was a debunked psychic from the 70's or 80's that I think looked like this guy, and the blazer is consistent with that time frame. Name won't come to me, and Wiki isn't helping.)

• Black suited magician (potentially Harry Blackthorn Sr. or Jr., both costumed similarly), probably Stagemancer, potentially Carnymancy with no Hat around

• Brown robed caster

• Blue-grey robed, white bearded caster, Gandalf-esque. Could be any class. Gandalf was not well defined.

Behind Portal:

• Janis, Hippiemancer

• Nimoy/Vulcan, dressed for "In Search Of" show, which may indicate Findamancy, Predictamancy, Mathamancy, or Weirdomancy (given "In Search Of"'s subject matter), but neck-pinch will come from Vulcan heritage, not spellcasting. If you disagree with the Pinch from Race, then it may indicate Deletionism (deleting Parson's consciousness)

[MReav]

So as far as I can see the currency debate goes

Rand = RANDcorp/Galt's Gulch - the currency of free-market loving geniuses

Rand = Rand-om unit of magic, the negotiable building block of a magic based economy (I actualy really like this one, it makes a lot of sense if you know a bit about economics)

with a lonely vote for Rand al' Thor (not being masocistic enough to read Robert Jordan, I can't comment) and for the obvious but unlikley South African Rand.

Have I missed any?

Ayn Rand maybe?

[Oracle_Hunter]

Okay, let's organize this. Using 140.2, and counting clockwise from Parson:

Spoiler

Show

• Sizemore
  Maggie
  Wanda
  White robe, Red cape
  Wicked Witch (Wizard of Oz, East or West)
  Firiona Vie (Everquest box cover) wrong colours but that may be to deflect copyright claims
  Orko from He-man (also similar to Black Mage of Final Fantasy). Wizard class in EQ. Shockmancy would be nearest equivalent in Erfworld.
  Guy in Blazer, probably Thinkamancer, given later attempts at contacting others and knowledge of number of Thinkamancers available. (I think I should know who this is. There was a debunked psychic from the 70's or 80's that I think looked like this guy, and the blazer is consistent with that time frame. Name won't come to me, and Wiki isn't helping.)
  Black suited magician (potentially Harry Blackthorn Sr. or Jr., both costumed similarly), probably Stagemancer, potentially Carnymancy with no Hat around
  Brown robed caster
  Blue-grey robed, white bearded caster, Gandalf-esque. Could be any class. Gandalf was not well defined.

Behind Portal:

• Janis, Hippiemancer
  Nimoy/Vulcan, dressed for "In Search Of" show, which may indicate Findamancy, Predictamancy, Mathamancy, or Weirdomancy (given "In Search Of"'s subject matter), but neck-pinch will come from Vulcan heritage, not spellcasting. If you disagree with the Pinch from Race, then it may indicate Deletionism (deleting Parson's consciousness)

I think we're pretty sure on most of these, actually:
From Left to Right
- Albus Dumbledore
- Hermione Granger
- Harry Potter
- Carl Sagan
- Orko
- Jeannie
- Wicked Witch of the West
- Doctor Strange

All of the reference pictures (follow links) match pretty perfectly. The only one who isn't right is "Harry Potter" - the sleeve to too tight to be a wizarding robe and the wand is a "stage magic" wand.

Harry Blackstone Jr. seems like the best guess, judging from these pictures. Senior had poofier hair and although Jr. had brown hair, the style fits.

EDIT:
The nerve pinch worked because it was magic. Parson didn't expect it to work because Spock tried to do it through his armor - but since it was magic, that didn't matter.

[gerrymander]

So as far as I can see the currency debate goes

Rand = RANDcorp/Galt's Gulch - the currency of free-market loving geniuses

Rand = Rand-om unit of magic, the negotiable building block of a magic based economy (I actualy really like this one, it makes a lot of sense if you know a bit about economics)

with a lonely vote for Rand al' Thor (not being masocistic enough to read Robert Jordan, I can't comment) and for the obvious but unlikley South African Rand.

Have I missed any?

I've got one: James Randi is the real-world stage magician who has an outstanding cash offer of a million dollars to anyone who can prove paranormal activity. Naming units of tradable magic power in Erf after him takes the same kind of comidic sense we've seen elsewhere in the series.

[Gez]

Ayn Rand maybe?

Covered by "Galt's Gulch".

[SomeUnregPunk]

Parson isn't a unit since no one can see his stats...
he can't cast magic...http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0142.html

so what is he? Maybe he's a Tool.

[edit]
sorry, i just reread some of the comic...he is a unit.. he gives a bonus of 2 to all units he leads. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0044.html

well he is something different. He can't cast magic but he can use magic tools, like his calculator and his arm bracer and that sword/hilt, and those 3d glasses.
But he couldn't cast Luckamancy for Bogroll.

[Athelian]

The third mage in the circle, the one that is being referred to as Harry Potter? Try Hoffa/Blackthorn. Or, another Stage magician -

He is wearing a french cuff shirt.

That is a suit, not a robe.

Stagemancy.

[Suicide Junkie]

I've got one: James Randi is the real-world stage magician who has an outstanding cash offer of a million dollars to anyone who can prove paranormal activity. Naming units of tradable magic power in Erf after him takes the same kind of comidic sense we've seen elsewhere in the series.

If there are only one million rands in the whole world and they can only be traded, not created or destroyed, that would make 50 rands quite an attractive offer.
Only 8 rands for magic training, too.

[ishnar]

It is certainly within the ralm of possibility that Janis lied about Parson being a Hippiemancer. It would be like a hippie to calm a situation by lying in a way no one else present could disprove.

However, I think the humour factor of Parson dealing with being a Hippiemancer far outweighs the lack of any casting in him at all. It really is a cruel joke to make Parson, a great Warlord, a master of the most peaceful magic of all.

Of course, Sun Tzu would be perfectly satisfied with this. For him, the best war is one in which not a single soldier on either side dies. Parson being able to end battles peacefully, wtihout resorting to ruthlessness, would get two thumbs up from the top man of warfare.

Well, Parson did say that it is best to achieve one's objectives without even fighting if possible.

And I appreciate the humor of making Parson a beginner hippiemancer too. Not cruel though. Generals that didn't inherit their position tend dislike war very much, they just take their responsibility to their charges lives more seriously. One of the biggest reasons millitary leaders who hate war stay on and lead is because they firmly believe that if they abandoned the post, more of their charges would die than if they remained. Now people that inherit their generalship, like Alexander, well, that's a whole different thing alltogether.

[Oracle_Hunter]

The third mage in the circle, the one that is being referred to as Harry Potter? Try Hoffa/Blackthorn. Or, another Stage magician -

He is wearing a french cuff shirt.

That is a suit, not a robe.

Stagemancy.

Could be Jimmy Hoffa - the hair is right.

I gotta say, #3 just has me stumped

[Kreistor]

Albus Dumbledore
Hermione Granger
Harry Potter

One would be from HP, but not all three. I don't see the author referencing one source three times. Gandalf is far more likely for the first, and Blackthorn for the third. I'm okay with Hermione for the middle, but there's little enough distinguishing about that character, so she might be someone else. A lot of TV witches are blonde, so most are out for her.

[quote]Carl Sagan[/URL]

Sagan was a scientist, and everyone else are characters.

Okay, I remembered the Psychic -- Uri Geller. But I can't find any images of Geller wearing that get up, so he's out.

By clothing, Sagan does fit best, but I do repeat: he's the odd man out. Everyone else is fictional. Let's not close book on this one. There may be someone fictional out there that fits that we haven't thought of yet.

Jeannie

Jeannie wore balloon pantaloons, not a dress. The single ponytail from the top of the head is exactly like Firiona, and only the colour of the dress is wrong. The Erfworld version also seems to have pointed ears, which is consistent with FV (an elf) but not Jeannie.

Doctor Strange

Dang, I should have gotten this... that is blue for a shirt, inside the thin white line, isn't it? I didn't notice that first time around. That high collar on the cloak should have clued me in right off.

The nerve pinch worked because it was magic. Parson didn't expect it to work because Spock tried to do it through his armor - but since it was magic, that didn't matter.

I'm not saying it wasn't magic. We know that there are Natural Magics, like Archon flight and Contract. One would hope blood drinking and flight were natural magics for Transylvito vamps, for instance. The Vulcan nerve pinch is a racial ability for vulcans so it would be most consistent if it were a natural ability for the Vulcan/Nimoy.