Book 2

[ishnar]

I'm not going to make accusations of Bad writing or anything. But I just wanted to say that I hope that book 2 Parson is also the main character. For some reason it's always always personally annoyed by authors that write one book about one character, who I grow to like enough that I want to see how his life goes, then they switch to someone else.

The worst example of this for me was Game of Thrones. Something about the guy in the prologue appealed enough to me that I started to care for him. Then he died, so I throw the book away in disgust.

Anyway, I'm just saying that I hope Book two won't do the switch on me. I don't mind a new protagonist being introduced, I just mind if the protagonist I'm interested in becomes part of the background for the next story.

[Mando Knight]

Don't worry. It'll feature Parson. His full name is an anagram of "protagonist," after all.

Book 2 will probably feature Parson, Wanda, and Stanley dealing with restoring their side's economic infrastructure while balancing that with reconquering Stanley's old cities, possibly also either recovering Faq later or being forced to fight Faq when it gets revived by its princess.

[Xefas]

By searching on google - site:www.giantitp.com "the second book will focus on Charlie" - I found a link to a page with a quote from the creator saying:

"The second book will focus on Charlie, who he is, how he got to where he is, why Stanley doesn't like him, how he got the Archons, and what his fine print ..."

But when I actually click the link and go to the page, I can't find the actual post with those words in it.

[raphfrk]

But when I actually click the link and go to the page, I can't find the actual post with those words in it.

It is behind a spoiler tag here.

[Fjolnir]

it's not by either of the creators of the comic, the line is pure speculation, though Rob did say in a different post there is going to be some "narrative distance" between the first and second books.

[Xefas]

it's not by either of the creators of the comic, the line is pure speculation, though Rob did say in a different post there is going to be some "narrative distance" between the first and second books.

Oh! I apologize. I guess I just assumed it was from pclips since that thread has a lot of posts from him.

I didn't mean to spread disinformation.

[T-O-E]

That's actually a really good idea.

[Brewdude]

Ishnar: grrm loyalists might call that reaction exactly why they like him: nobody is safe, even your favorite characters, so when they get into danger, you really fear for them. It's not a good series to read for your first few in fantasy. He's more for when you get sick of reading the same thing over and over.

On topic, though, there's no reason why Parson shouldn't be a major player in Book 2.

[raphfrk]

there is going to be some "narrative distance" between the first and second books.

Maybe the distance will be related to time. Assuming that people don't age on Erf, then in principle Parson could be around hundreds of years into the future.

Actually, is there any info on the current turn number?

[ishnar]

Maybe the distance will be related to time. Assuming that people don't age on Erf, then in principle Parson could be around hundreds of years into the future.

Actually, is there any info on the current turn number?

Well, Ansom said 5 turns for the siege to reach Effdup. maybe 3 for the seige.

So it takes 8-10 turns to pop a blue dragon.

[ishnar]

Ishnar: grrm loyalists might call that reaction exactly why they like him: nobody is safe, even your favorite characters, so when they get into danger, you really fear for them. It's not a good series to read for your first few in fantasy. He's more for when you get sick of reading the same thing over and over.

On topic, though, there's no reason why Parson shouldn't be a major player in Book 2.

I don't mind an author that won't spare the hatchet, actually that's sorta a plus. It just felt like the prologue was too soon. Especially when I wasn't able to bond with the characters in chapter one or two, I didn't bother with chapter 3. It seems a bad idea to kill off a character before the reader has bonded with another.

[Mutant_for_Hire]

The Tool's next set of plans are logical:

1. Rebuild GK and his armies
2. Kill Charlie and claim the Arkendish
3. Find and claim the last of the Arkentools
4. Conquer the world

The first step is a given. The main clash I forsee between Stanley and Parson is going to be how big an army to build up first. Stanley might want to rush forward before the forces are rebuilt to Parson's satisfaction. Hopefully his last victory and his increasing knowledge of how to game Stanley will help him there.

And now that Stanley has two Arkentools, his next goal is also obvious. Ansom and the Arkenpliers were first, now it's Charlie and the Arkendish. And given how Charlie booped Parson repeatedly in the last war, I imagine that Parson is looking forward to being able to boop Charlie over.

Charlie knows it as well. Charlie just had a serious ego check by Parson. If he was smart he got his money in advance, but otherwise he just lost a pile of Archons and hopefully the money was enough to compensate. If it was on a turn by turn basis, he probably lost more than he put in. Charlie knows what is going to happen next. This warlord won an impossible battle and now is going to be commanding a much stronger force is going to be aimed straight at him.

The smart thing for Charlie to do is to make an alliance with the holder of the other free Arkentool, as they are on Stanley's list as well. And maybe to invest in a copy of the spell that was used to get Parson as well. My own feeling is that Parson's gaming group is going to get pulled in by Charlie's side.

But there's going to be a chunk of time gone between Book 1 and Book 2. The rebuilding of GK and the armies is going to take some time. Charlie has time to start putting together a new side, but it's not going to be easy. No doubt Lord Hamster is going to persuade the Tool to start recruiting former members of the RCC to agree to join Stanley's side as an alternative to being crushed by the unstoppable warlord.

[dshupp]

Seems like Parson is already staking out his own moral ground, and is not necessarily on the same page as Wanda and/or Stanley. For book 2 I'm expecting a journey of discovery about the structure of the world wrapped up in exploratory campaigns where Stanley, Wanda, and Parson each start going their own directions, and at the end Parson decides what he wants to do with his new life

[Yodimus]

It seems a bad idea to kill off a character before the reader has bonded with another.

Heh, it's dangerous, but not bad per se. In fiction, no ideas are bad, just poorly executed. ;D


And Mutant: why wouldn't the smart thing for Charlie to do be ally with Ansom? In the way of pitting tools of the titans against each other, 2vs2 < 3vs1, and Charlie is ever the pragmatist, no? And remember: Charlie doesn't have a "side", he's a mercenary. His only cause is his coffer.

[Kasavin]

Heh, it's dangerous, but not bad per se. In fiction, no ideas are bad, just poorly executed. ;D


And Mutant: why wouldn't the smart thing for Charlie to do be ally with Ansom? In the way of pitting tools of the titans against each other, 2vs2 < 3vs1, and Charlie is ever the pragmatist, no? And remember: Charlie doesn't have a "side", he's a mercenary. His only cause is his coffer.

Charlie is also an overlord in his own right. Remember, he had a nearly sure chance much earlier to wipeout Gobwin Know and take Parson's Mathamancy artifact, but passed when told the side had a 60% chance of surviving, thus giving them a chance to take the Arkenpliers, thus providing Charlie a way to get the Pliers. He certainly didn't stay his hand to merely "watch the show." I suspect Charlie would be unwilling to merely ally himself when what he really wants it to control the other Arkentools and become a power in his own right. Indeed, much of his dealings can be interpreted as improving his own power at the expense of those around him. He's just much more diplomatic about going it alone than Stanley is.

Anyways, here are my predictions.

Book 2: I predict Stanley, Wanda, Parson, et. al. will still be on the same side. However, a new coalition will have formed to defeat them bringing even greater numbers to bear. Furthermore, Charlie will contribute heavily to this coalition, realizing if it fails he's next on Stanley's quest for power. Furthermore, the fourth Arkentool will be revealed, and I predict it will have predictomancy powers. It of course will side with the coalition, along with Jillian and Vinnie. This should proof to be a worthy foil to Parson's brilliance along side two Arkentools. The combination of predictomancy, thinkomancy, and numbers means any attempt at standard warfare fails for Parson and he has to once again find a way to break the rules to win, which unites all four Arkentools on his side. Which sets up...

Book 3: The Arkentool side now sets out to enslave/destroy the world. Stanley might continue destroying cities with no interest in rebuilding them. Thus, Parson switches sides out of guilt because he's watching his now homeworld be destroyed. Of course, the side he joins is a badly depleted force which he has to somehow maneuver to victory.

[Brewdude]

no no no no....the other sides start summoning Parson's Players, using the same scroll, phrasing it as "we want a warlord who has beaten Parson in combat before".

[Kasavin]

no no no no....the other sides start summoning Parson's Players, using the same scroll, phrasing it as "we want a warlord who has beaten Parson in combat before".

Well, that's hardly contrary to my suggestion, sure, why not throw another couple of Earth born warlords onto the pile.

My problem with thats two fold though. First, they wouldn't help the otherside win. There's a reason Parson got summoned and not them. He's the "perfect warlord," obsessed with war, likes creating "unwinable" scenarios just to see if he can beat them, etc. The other four just don't stack up. On the otherhand, they'd still suffer all his same deficiencies, high upkeep, cluelessness about Erfworld mechanics, etc. So, they wouldn't do anything to help the opposition win and may actually hurt their efforts.

Second, its disappointing from a narrative standpoint. The series is best by introducing us to this strange world (often through Parson's eyes), and Parson coming to grips with the strange world around him and being the only one who gets the jokes is part of what makes him an interesting character. Take away his uniqueness and it takes away part of what makes him such a good protagonist. To put another way, would you be more entertained reading a comic about Parson catching up with his Earth gaming friends or Parson doing battle with Hairy Potters?

[teratorn]

To put another way, would you be more entertained reading a comic about Parson catching up with his Earth gaming friends or Parson doing battle with Hairy Potters?

Pottery making guys? Even assuming they're really really hairy, how tough can they be?

[Moechi_Vill]

By searching on google - site:www.giantitp.com "the second book will focus on Charlie" - I found a link to a page with a quote from the creator saying:

"The second book will focus on Charlie, who he is, how he got to where he is, why Stanley doesn't like him, how he got the Archons, and what his fine print ..."

But when I actually click the link and go to the page, I can't find the actual post with those words in it.

I thought it'd be more about the Parson and Transylvito's desperate attempts to hold out. I don't think the story and to a lesser degree war is ready to expand outside the West yet, so I guess Charlie will do. It'll probably, to a lesser degree than now, feature our beloved actors on both sides and sideways. We've gotten plenty of those on other sides in this book.

[Moechi_Vill]

no no no no....the other sides start summoning Parson's Players, using the same scroll, phrasing it as "we want a warlord who has beaten Parson in combat before".

That would be a leap of faith since he's supposed to be the perfect warlord, but perhaps they think laterally; it sounds plausible.

Well, that's hardly contrary to my suggestion, sure, why not throw another couple of Earth born warlords onto the pile.

My problem with thats two fold though. First, they wouldn't help the otherside win. There's a reason Parson got summoned and not them. He's the "perfect warlord," obsessed with war, likes creating "unwinable" scenarios just to see if he can beat them, etc. The other four just don't stack up. On the otherhand, they'd still suffer all his same deficiencies, high upkeep, cluelessness about Erfworld mechanics, etc. So, they wouldn't do anything to help the opposition win and may actually hurt their efforts.

Second, its disappointing from a narrative standpoint. The series is best by introducing us to this strange world (often through Parson's eyes), and Parson coming to grips with the strange world around him and being the only one who gets the jokes is part of what makes him an interesting character. Take away his uniqueness and it takes away part of what makes him such a good protagonist. To put another way, would you be more entertained reading a comic about Parson catching up with his Earth gaming friends or Parson doing battle with Hairy Potters?

Sorry to disappoint you, but we have strong 'Word of God' hints that his friends will be involved... as good as de facto Word of God statement quality.
I hope Parson doesn't switch, but I can see it happening, I doubt it though. He doesn't mind being the one setting up an impossible solution, otherwise he wouldn't have dreamt up Gobwin Knob as a GM for his players.

[Xondoure]

I have a feeling we will see more of parson. He is far to loved to be ignored, and the plot is heading in an interesting direction so they don't need to make a change.
Edit: just a reminder but there are 4 known arkentools.

[ishnar]

Sorry to disappoint you, but we have strong 'Word of God' hints that his friends will be involved... as good as de facto Word of God statement quality.
I hope Parson doesn't switch, but I can see it happening, I doubt it though. He doesn't mind being the one setting up an impossible solution, otherwise he wouldn't have dreamt up Gobwin Knob as a GM for his players.

links or it didn't happen.

[Eco-Mono]

@ishnar and Moechi_Vill:

Spoiler

Show

Pretty sure this is the relevant post, although since it's under a spoiler tag marked as being a "real spoiler, from the authors", I don't have the guts to check myself.

By the way, for lack of a more delicate way to put it... if this is the post you meant, you should probably be using spoiler tags too.

[ishnar]

@ishnar and Moechi_Vill:

Spoiler

Show

Pretty sure this is the relevant post, although since it's under a spoiler tag marked as being a "real spoiler, from the authors", I don't have the guts to check myself.

By the way, for lack of a more delicate way to put it... if this is the post you meant, you should probably be using spoiler tags too.

Spoiler

Show

Ahh, thanks for the link.

Before people start getting too obsessive over it. I'll just point out that it's not unusual for an author to change their mind about spoilers if they are far enough in the future. David Weber said somewhere that in the original series plot Honor was supposed to die in Book 11 and gave out spoilers to that effect. Then changed his mind a bit later.