The Annotated Order of the Stick - A Companion Guide

[TheWombatOfDoom]

So far so good....

Strip 91: Proof That I am Deeply Disturbed

• Panel 1: As a classic halfling, Belkar goes barefoot. Note that halflings are the same race as Tolkien's hobbits, but the D&D game calls them "halflings" for legal reasons.
• Panel 2: Vaarsuvius hints at the ability of D&D elves to sense the presence of secret doors. If doesn't seem to work here, though. In a classic dungeon exploration cliché, players will typically suspect the presence of some secret door every time they hit a dead end - and more often than not, there would be one.
• Panel 11: The Explosive Runes spell triggers an explosion whenever the runes are read.

These annotations are actually for strip 92, not 91. Ultimately I'm not sure we need to include that halflings are the same race as hobbits, but different for legal reasons. That's getting a bit too meta I'd say. I'm also unsure if the inclusion of barefootedness is best placed here, since he appears as barefoot before this moment. I'm considering creating a break down of each character as a section to include things that aren't exactly referenced but are depicted with each of the characters. I'd like some discussion on it first, however.

Included panel 2 entry.

As for Panel 11, adding the spell compendium as a reference at the top of the annotation, and I will be linking spell descriptions to the compendium. That should help us from repeating ourselves here when it comes to spells too much. Does that work?

Strip 94: The Path to Victory

• In typical D&D scenarios, every room the PCs may visit is given a name by the scenario's author. Sometimes a grandiloquent name could be given to a room even though it isn't particularly important. This strip spoofs this tendency by giving every place a ridiculous, descriptive name.

Included, but shortened and reworded slightly.

Strip 97: Evil Plans

• A lich is a powerful spellcaster that turned him or herself into an undead monstrosity through a death magic ritual.

Included, citing the panel.

Strip 98: Mmmmm...Tasty

• In panel 1, the corridor's ridiculous name refers to the fact that didn't see the party for three strips, (see strip #94) refers to that.
• Panel 6: The Trap Sense rogue class ability gives Haley an edge over her companions, when it comes to evading traps.
• Panel 7: Belkar spoofs one the most famous lines of US political debate history, "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
• Panel 8: In D&D, the Craft skills covers every possible item crafting activities, described as Craft(Carpentry), Craft(Weapons), etc. Even though alchemy is an important factor of its own in the game, it is listed just as one Craft subcategory.

Included, and didn't even realize the panel 7 reference!

Strip 102: Lowbrow is the Best Brow

• Panel 1: The cleric's Turn Undead ability can only be used a few times per day.
• Panel 2: The Great Cleave feat gives Roy another chance to attack, every time he kills a creature.

Strip 104: Dramatic Pre-Battle Speech

• Panel 9: In older editions of D&D, non-human PC races are grouped under the generic term "demihumans". More modern editions deal with humans as just another race among the others, so the term isn't used much anymore.

Strip 106: A Sure Bet

• Panel 9: Of course, Reverse Psychology isn't a real skill. Here, Redcloak is just expressing amazement at how easily Xykon fooled Roy in this strip.

Strip 107: Defense is for Losers

• Panel 3: In D&D, wizards have great power, but cannot wear armor, and have the least hit points of any class (one 4-sided die per level as a basis). This is why it is wise to have somebody play the role of bodyguard in the case of a large melee.
• Panel 13: D&D has many weird or illogical rules. One of the most famous is that elves are specifically immune to the ghoul's paralyzing touch power, while ghasts are creatures identical to ghouls in virtually every respect, save that elves aren't immune to the ghast's touch. So, V would not be able to distinguish between the two types of enemies, other than by being hit.

Strip 112: Shatter

• Panel 12: Xykon doesn't utter the name of the spell here, but the sound effect reveals that he uses the Shatter spell to destroy Roy's sword.

Strip 113: Memories, Like the Edges of My Sword

• Panel 1: Haley and Elan are under the effects of Xykon's Symbol of Pain spell, cast in strip 110, while Vaarsuvius is paralyzed from the ghast's touch in strip 107.
• Panel 2: Redcloak counters Durkon's Turn Undead power by using the evil cleric's opposite power, Bolster Undead. Stab Undead isn't a special power Belkar has, its just making fun of the other two shouting their abilities out loud.
• In Panel 7: We see Roy’s brother Eric’s first appearance, hiding behind their mother’s chair.

Included!

Strip 109: Tensions Rise

• Panel 3: Attacks of Opportunity are some of the more complex rules of D&D, and many players have complained about them. Here, Elan is avoiding such attacks by using the Tumble skill to get through the crowd of goblins without giving them a chance to strike him. He's surprised it worked as well as it did, so he guesses the goblins failed to understand the rules, letting him get away with it.

Corrected to Panel 2, instead of 3, and simplified.

Strip 115: Dust in the Wind

• Panel 3: Lou Ferrigno is an American actor and bodybuilder, famous for his role as the Incredible Hulk.
• Panel 13: In D&D, characters gain Experience Points (XP) by killing enemies. The rule doesn't explicitly specify that enemies who surrender don't count, so Belkar indulges in his lust for murder just for the fun of it, and hopes for XP gain in the process.

I'm not sure if we need to include the XP definition because it's referenced in the glossary, so I'll leave the entry up for discussion. The Lou Ferrigno entry, however, is included.

Strip 116: Finding Stuff

• Panel 9: Indeed, the D&D rules include tables that describe what kind of treasure should be found, in proportion to the difficulty level of the encounter.
• Panel 12: D&D rules classify magic objects in three classes, minor, major, and the most powerful of all, magic artifacts.

Left out panel 9 since it's essentially confirming dialogue. Included panel 12.

Strip 117: Delayed Gratification

• In panel 6, Redcloak reveals that his holy symbol is Xykon's phylactery for the first time. When a spellcaster uses a powerful magic ritual to becomes a lich (such as Xykon), he/she will hide his/her soul in a magic item called a phylactery. Later, we will see Xykon slowly recovering his body thanks to the phylactery's power.
• Panel 8: Xykon is making a baseball analogy, which will be obvious to North American readers, but maybe not to others.

Included panel 6, spelled out the baseball reference in panel 8.

Strip 119: Hollywood, Eat Your Heart Out

• Panel 11: Vin Diesel is an actor in major action movies.

Included, but also defined the phrase "eat your heart out".

Strip 120: The End of the Beginning

• Panel 2: This strip has one of the recurring appearances of the Flumphs (see strip 55), D&D monsters that are famous for being fairly useless and weak - as evidenced here. There will be more situations in later strips to show that a flumph's main use is as a cushion in case of a fall.
• Panel 8: Xykon's soul survived in his phylactery, which Redcloak carries as a sacred clerical symbol.
• Panel 12: The mysterious character with the blue cloak is Miko, who will be revealed in strip 200.

I don't think we need to define the Phylactery every time it is mentioned. Maybe it's worth putting in the glossary? All other included.

Strip 121: The Return of Mail Call

• Panel 3, Elan mentions the d12 (12-sided die) is underused in D&D. classic 6 types of dice required to play D&D: the d4, d6, d8, d10, d12 and d20.
• Panel 4: The barbarian is the only class that uses a d12 to generate his hit points (1d12 per level). He's also the most likely to use the greataxe, the only commonly found weapon that deals 1d12 base damage.
• Panel 5: Per D&D rules, the barbarian is the only class that is illiterate at the time of character creation. Belkar seizes this opportunity to insult them with impunity.
• Panel 11: The left pirate is uncorking the bottle with a hook hand.
• Panel 12: Ninjas are great at hiding, and Belkar doesn't have the best Spot skill bonus.

Condensed some of these and reworded. Ultimately its the same character count in the end.

#117 Whatchootalkin' 'bout, Redcloak?
A catchphrase from the TV show Diffr'ent Strokes. Frequently said by Arnold (Gary Coleman)

#119 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0119.html
Panel 1 - "Game over, man. Game over." Its a quote from Aliens.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsx2vdn7gpY

Included. With some less or more links.

Strip 122: Adventurers Are Coming! Adventurers Are Coming!

• This strip spoofs the typically high prices of common goods when adventurers must buy them; many players have argued that a realistically described world should have much lower prices for everyday goods to make any sense. In addition, the tendency of adventurers to take the NPC for granted is being mocked : Here, it is the NPCs taking advantage for a change.
• Panel 10: The girl selling apples has changed into skimpier clothes in preparation for the arrival of the Order of the Stick.

I took out some of the strip description and left the basic description in there. Trying to keep it simple.

Strip 123: Double Your Entendre, Double Your Fun

• This strip is the source of many opinions as to Vaarsuvius' gender. A closer look at the text shows that the wizard doesn't actually reveal anything in that regard.

I'm not sure this one really needs to be hear, but I'll leave it up for discussion.

Strip 124: Ding!

• XPs are typically awarded the characters at the completion of a major adventure milestone. When enough XPs have been gained, the character goes up a level, much to the delight of the character's player as the character becomes more powerful. XPs are also awarded for defeating monsters. But, to stop players from abusing the system, a monster that poses no danger to the character (such as the rat here) doesn't provide any XP at all.

Shortened and added definition of XP to the Glossary. Also added the reference to Strip 12 (up a level, down a level).

Strip 125: Free Experience

• D&D rules allow for awarding XPs not just for story goals and killing enemies, but for good roleplay. Having failed to gain a new level through defeating monsters, Belkar hypocritically exploits the rules with fake sorrow. It works (a real DM would never allow that - hopefully).

Removed the ending, as it was more opinion than annotation, but a good addition to the annotation overall.

Strip 126: Multiclass Struggles

• Panel 1: Multiclassing is a way for character to have varied careers by mixing levels in more than one class.
• Panel 5: Elan is referring straight to the D&D rule book. In order to skip over tedious explanations of how exactly a character learns the basics of a new class, the Dungeon Master Guide recommends that any such learning can be assumed to occur outside of game sessions ("off-panel", in comic terms). Elan exploits this to claim a level in wizards without having actually studied anything.

Strip 129: Rock Solid Investment

• In these panels, Haley spoofs a typical sequence of D&D gameplay: The division of the loot. Often this may cause bickering between players to get equal shares, sin. It isn't unusual that Rogues like Haley are the only ones with ranks in the Appraise skill, and therefore the only ones able to assess the value of each object. Unscrupulous characters can exploit this to swindle their companions. This is why the rogue's assessment isn't always trusted, a fact that Haley cleverly uses to trick the others here.

Strip 130: Itempalooza

• Panel 2: An Amulet of Natural Armor magically thickens the skin, giving a bonus to Armor Class.
• Panel 4: A Ring of Wizardry will allow V to memorize more spells.
• Panel 5: A Bag of Holding can store a huge amount of stuff, without actually increasing in weight.
• Panel 7: Boots of Elvenkind help their wearer reduce the noise they make when they move.

Strip 131: Money Makes the World Go Round

• This strip points to a part of the plot that will be uncovered much later. The name "Tyrinaria" will appear next in strip 758.

Strip 132: Kindred Spirits

• Panel 4: Among the barbarian's class features, the most important is Rage, which boosts Strength and Constitution temporarily. The barbarian also moves faster than most characters.
• Panel 5: The barbarian rolls 1d12 per level for hit points, the highest die of any class.

Strip 134: Craft (Plotline)

• Panel 7: Each character class gets a certain number of skill points per level, plus bonus points for high Intelligence. Clerics get a low base number to begin with, and nearly always prioritize other ability scores than Intelligence, typically leaving them with some of the lowest skill point counts in the game.
• Panel 12: A side quest, in D&D as well any tabletop or video roleplaying games, is a smaller portion of the adventure scenario, with little or no connection to the main plot.

Strip 135: Potionomics

• The real-world concept of economy of scale doesn't apply to magic in D&D. Making a potion always costs the same amount, no matter how many you make. Eve and Larry fail to grasp that basic fact, and are indeed headed to bankruptcy.

Strip 139: How to Keep the Party Together

• Panel 11: This is another spoof on the D&D rules, showing a completely unrealistic result when Roy cons the most shrewd character in the group with a childish lie. Roy is untrained in the Bluff skill, which means he didn't put any ranks in this skill. Fortunately for him, a roll of 20 on the skill check allows him to get away with it.

Strip 143: Do-Over

• The strip spoofs a typical conversation between a D&D Dungeon Master and players. The DM, playing the monsters, declares a surprise round after rolling failed Spot checks for the characters. The players, voiced here by Haley and Roy, claim that the horses should get rolls, too. The DM, voiced by the monsters, reluctantly lets that pass, while complaining about this discussion slowing the game down. The whole thing turns out to be for nothing as the horses fail their checks too.
• Panel 11: Non-American readers might not recognize the call-out to the hugely popular Oprah Winfrey Show.

Strip 145: Mr(s). Wizard Explains It All

• Vaarsuvius is exposing a classic case of "meta-gaming", where the character acts in a seemingly illogical way, only because the player knows the dynamics of the game. A random encounter is a fight with monsters without any relation to the plot. Most DMs plan for few of them, so that the game doesn't fall into a string of pointless battles. Exploiting this, V uses spells without any thought of economy.
• Panel 11: "Knowing is half the battle" is the final line in episodes of the 1980s G.I. Joe animated TV series.

Included.

Strip 140: My Little Pony

• In Panel 1 and 2, the conversation pertains to the fact that the official D&D rules allow characters to ride mounts without any ranks in the Ride skill. But, for the sake of realism, some DMs will rule that at least 1 rank is required for basic riding
• Panel 9: Each class has "class skills", meaning those characters are suited to perform well in those skills. Other skills are called "cross-class skills" for this class: They're usable, but with stiff limitations.

Not sure what warrants the panel 1 entry? Oh, this is for 141! Modifying...though I believe you're referencing panel 2.

----

Edit: Here's Gwyn's last few.

Strip 144: Pop Goes the Weasel

• As a class, the fighter knows how to do battle, but virtually nothing else. It's hard for a weaponless fighter to do anything useful. Leaving town without any weapon at all is a big mistake.

Included, and added reference to Indiana jones and the last crusade in the last panel - "Ye have chosen...poorly."

Strip 146: Role Reversal

• Panel 2: A typical D&D party will stop to rest, no matter the actual time of the day, whenever their resources are running low, especially spells, which can be renewed after a night of sleep. This brings the full party's power to every important fight, but causes a weird cycle of activity, sometimes known as the "5-minute adventuring day" because spells can get exhausted very quickly in a fight.
• Panel 7: The gag here is that Belkar, usually the most irresponsible and carefree party member, is totally correct in this instance.

Added the Panel 2 entry, but I'm not sure we need to include the panel 7 entry. Seems self explanatory in the dialogue, imo.

[Hardcore]

#199 It was av dark and stormy night

Lots on that in this wiki post
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_w...d_stormy_night

[Gwynfrid]

All right, sorry for the mistakes in strip numbers and panel numbers. Too much copy-pasting in editing this long post. I'm fine with rewording and simplification, but I might come back later to nitpick on a few minor things.

Ultimately I'm not sure we need to include that halflings are the same race as hobbits, but different for legal reasons. That's getting a bit too meta I'd say.

Really? This is a question that pops up rather often, no longer so much in this forum, who has very knowledgeable people, but everyone getting introduced to D&D eventually asks it.

I'm also unsure if the inclusion of barefootedness is best placed here, since he appears as barefoot before this moment. I'm considering creating a break down of each character as a section to include things that aren't exactly referenced but are depicted with each of the characters. I'd like some discussion on it first, however.

Indeed, a better place would be in the first strip where that appears. It just happened to strike me as I was looking at this strip.

Here's a generic proposal on the inclusion of matters that appear repeatedly:
- Have an entry in the glossary. This should include spells, feats, magic items like the phyclatery, racial characteristics, definition of game terms like XP, etc.
- In every strip where something that's in the glossary appears, add a pointer link to the glossary entry.

I'm not sure this one really needs to be hear, but I'll leave it up for discussion.

(This answer was about V's gender in strip 123). Given how often the subject shows up, I think this is one of the most useful annotations actually... I'd even add a link to the Index of the Giant's quotes at this point.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

All right, sorry for the mistakes in strip numbers and panel numbers. Too much copy-pasting in editing this long post. I'm fine with rewording and simplification, but I might come back later to nitpick on a few minor things.

Really? This is a question that pops up rather often, no longer so much in this forum, who has very knowledgeable people, but everyone getting introduced to D&D eventually asks it.

Indeed, a better place would be in the first strip where that appears. It just happened to strike me as I was looking at this strip.

Here's a generic proposal on the inclusion of matters that appear repeatedly:
- Have an entry in the glossary. This should include spells, feats, magic items like the phyclatery, racial characteristics, definition of game terms like XP, etc.
- In every strip where something that's in the glossary appears, add a pointer link to the glossary entry.

(This answer was about V's gender in strip 123). Given how often the subject shows up, I think this is one of the most useful annotations actually... I'd even add a link to the Index of the Giant's quotes at this point.

Nitpick away!

For the Halfling thing, maybe we can include this as part of the overall thing like you're suggesting for things like the Phylactery and so on. I already have a few things in there, and have been referencing the glossary, as well as the reoccurring gag section, so take a look and see if what you see is satisfactory. I'm definitely going to need help on this glossary though.

The subject does appear a lot...alright I'll go back and add it!

Comic 828 - Name of comic is an Allusion to the Sherlock Holmes novel "A study in scarlet".

Added!

#127 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0127.html
- Elan's staff is topped with a magic 8 ball
- V's breakfast is the vegetarian option.

Added.

#144 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0144.html
"Hi-ho Silver" a quote from The Lone Ranger
"ye have chosen ... poorly" A quote from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Actually got the ye haven chose poorly reference in before I got to this, heh. However completely overlooked the Hi-ho silver! quote. Added.

#152 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0152.html
Panel 3 is a reference to the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC where 300 Spartans defended against a much larger invasion force of Persians. The historian Herodotus writes that when Dienekes, a Spartan soldier, was informed that Persian arrows would be so numerous as "to block out the sun", he retorted, unconcerned: "So much the better...then we shall fight our battle in the shade."

The film 300 includes a version of the event. This strip pre-dates the film, therefore is not a reference to the film.

See also notes for strip#425.


#425 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0425.html
"But I don't want to fight in the shade"
Another reference to the Battle of Thermopylae. See notes for strip#152 for details.

Added both, and referenced the second back to the first. The second came after the movie, so I kept the thing I had there about it, but added the details you put for the first reference. Thanks for these!

[TheWombatOfDoom]

A bunch of new annotations from 147 to 200.

Added with minor corrections. Didn't have to change much to these ones! They really beefed out the 101 - 200 strips!

[Ron Miel]

Strip 150: A Comic as Lovely as a Tree

The title is a reference to the poem Trees by Joyce KIlmer. The poem starts with the lines:
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.


strip 156. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0156.html

What spell is Elan using in panel 3? I understand it's Animate Rope, but I'm not sure.

Also, is it worth pointing out that he's using the boots of Elvenkind from #130? remember that I didn't get that first time I read the strip.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Strip 150: A Comic as Lovely as a Tree

The title is a reference to the poem Trees by Joyce KIlmer. The poem starts with the lines:
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

Added. I anticipate there will be a lot of needed references for all of these titles...

[littlebum2002]

Strip 150: A Comic as Lovely as a Tree

The title is a reference to the poem Trees by Joyce KIlmer. The poem starts with the lines:
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

This same poem is also referenced in #348, panel 1

Also in that strip: YokYok is a parody of Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride

[Ron Miel]

strip #184 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0184.html
Panel 1 V's comment is a near-quote from Babe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjQtzV9IZ0Q




Strip 198: The Great Kazoo
Strip title references the character The Great Gazoo from The Flintstones

[Ron Miel]

#239 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0239.html

Final panel is a parody of Charlie's Angels. The title card shows three women in silhouette in similar poses to the comic.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Alright, caught up on my annotation work in my work space. Next is the titles stuff...

strip 156. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0156.html

What spell is Elan using in panel 3? I understand it's Animate Rope, but I'm not sure.

Also, is it worth pointing out that he's using the boots of Elvenkind from #130? remember that I didn't get that first time I read the strip.

Yes it is Animate Rope. I even have that use listed in the magic thread. (It's actually pretty handy that I run a lot of these projects, it means that knowledge is already swimming around in my noggin...

I agree, that's a great point that I didn't notice either. Adding!

This same poem is also referenced in #348, panel 1

Also in that strip: YokYok is a parody of Inigo Montoya from the Princess Bride

Added. Nice catches.

strip #184 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0184.html
Panel 1 V's comment is a near-quote from Babe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjQtzV9IZ0Q



Strip 198: The Great Kazoo
Strip title references the character The Great Gazoo from The Flintstones

#239 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0239.html

Final panel is a parody of Charlie's Angels. The title card shows three women in silhouette in similar poses to the comic.

Added both all three!

[Ron Miel]

Strip #242 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0242.html

"I blame Cerebus"

Cerebus the Aardvark is an acclaimed comic book series created by Dave Sim, It is noted as starting out as a light, episodic, and comedic, and then assumes dramatic elements and a more coherent continuity and a detailed plot arc. This process is sometimes known as Cerebus Syndrome.


strip # 243 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0243.html

Sophie's choice a novel and later film about a woman who is forced to make a choice: she can save one and only one of her two children from the Nazi holocaust.


244 What? It's a Legitimate Magic Item

The title refers to the "Rod of Lordly Might" mentioned in the last panel.


#247 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0247.html
Elan thinks Haley's cryptograms are a foreign language. Nale will have the same reaction in strip#384

#384 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0384.html
Nale thinks Haley's cryptograms are a foreign language. Elan had the same reaction in strip#247


#250 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0250.html

The King of Somewhere can be seen in panel 1, bottom right corner. His identity confirmed by Miko in #246 panel 9.


#252 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0252.html

Nale and Sabine have different opinions about V's gender. Nale calls her an Elf-Chick, while Sabine calls him an Elf-dude.




#257 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0257.html

panel 1-3 among the blah's are the words: like, clothes, boys, wands, bitch, seriously.



#260 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0260.html

"I be a healer not a footstool" A parody of a line frequently said by various medical personnel in Star Trek: "I'm a doctor, not a ______"

[Ron Miel]

#261 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0262.html

Haley's improvised lock picks are pieces of straw from her mattress.



#286 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0286.html
final panel "I think I may owe the tables of the world an apology "

This refers back to #285, panel 5 where V compares Belkar's mental acuity to a table.

[Gwynfrid]

#260 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0260.html

"I be a healer not a footstool" A parody of a line frequently said by various medical personnel in Star Trek: "I'm a doctor, not a ______"

In #458, Thog will express the exact opposite sentiment.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Added one for 1087, providing information on the fact that the Giant changed the title of the strip from one that matches a title earlier in the comic to something different. I also asked the Giant to comment on the multiple same titles to see if any of them ARE direct references, or if they're all due to bad memory like he implied in one of the comments on the tweet.

Strip #242 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0242.html

"I blame Cerebus"

Cerebus the Aardvark is an acclaimed comic book series created by Dave Sim, It is noted as starting out as a light, episodic, and comedic, and then assumes dramatic elements and a more coherent continuity and a detailed plot arc. This process is sometimes known as Cerebus Syndrome.

Added. Didn't know that one.

strip # 243 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0243.html

Sophie's choice a novel and later film about a woman who is forced to make a choice: she can save one and only one of her two children from the Nazi holocaust.

That's what Sophie's Choice is about??!!?? Added...

244 What? It's a Legitimate Magic Item

The title refers to the "Rod of Lordly Might" mentioned in the last panel.


#247 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0247.html
Elan thinks Haley's cryptograms are a foreign language. Nale will have the same reaction in strip#384

#384 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0384.html
Nale thinks Haley's cryptograms are a foreign language. Elan had the same reaction in strip#247


#250 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0250.html

The King of Somewhere can be seen in panel 1, bottom right corner. His identity confirmed by Miko in #246 panel 9.


#252 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0252.html

Nale and Sabine have different opinions about V's gender. Nale calls her an Elf-Chick, while Sabine calls him an Elf-dude.


#260 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0260.html

"I be a healer not a footstool" A parody of a line frequently said by various medical personnel in Star Trek: "I'm a doctor, not a ______"

Added. Though the king is in the bottom left corner.

#261 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0262.html

Haley's improvised lock picks are pieces of straw from her mattress.



#286 http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0286.html
final panel "I think I may owe the tables of the world an apology "

This refers back to #285, panel 5 where V compares Belkar's mental acuity to a table.

Added.

In #458, Thog will express the exact opposite sentiment.

Added. Nice one!

[Ron Miel]

Strip 242: Chekov's Law Realized [list][*]In Panel 9, V's dialogue, "I blame Cerebus," references Cerebus the Aardvark, an acclaimed comic book series by Dave Sim. It is noted as starting out as a light, episodic, and comedic, and then assumes dramatic elements and a more coherent continuity and a detailed plot arc. This process is sometimes known as "Cerebus Syndrome".

I just noticed the mangled grammar in this. My fault.

It started out as light, episodic, and comedic, and then assumed dramatic elements, a more coherent continuity and a detailed plot arc.

There. Much better.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

I just noticed the mangled grammar in this. My fault.

It started out as light, episodic, and comedic, and then assumed dramatic elements, a more coherent continuity and a detailed plot arc.

There. Much better.

Corrected, with my own touch. But you're right, the sentence is improved. Thank you for you efforts to make this thread better!

[unbeliever536]

I'm aware that you don't want to include fan speculation, but how do you feel about (rareish, perhaps) things that are relevant to fan discussion/theory? If these are worth including, I would like to suggest

Strip 1082: And Your Souls for Free

• Panel 5: This is the first time since the Crayons of Time that a character has mentioned the previous world created by the gods.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

I'm aware that you don't want to include fan speculation, but how do you feel about (rareish, perhaps) things that are relevant to fan discussion/theory? If these are worth including, I would like to suggest

Strip 1082: And Your Souls for Free

• Panel 5: This is the first time since the Crayons of Time that a character has mentioned the previous world created by the gods.

I'd probably be fine with it on a case by case basis. Like I wouldn't mind including this one, but that's not a theory that you've posted, is it? Its more of a trivia fact?

[martianmister]

That's not really a speculation though.

[ti'esar]

It's not speculation itself, but I'm assuming it's being brought up because it dispels tinfoil hattery about World 1.0 never having existed at all.

[Ron Miel]

I don't really see the point of including it, it doesn't really tell us anything about the story.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

I don't really see the point of including it, it doesn't really tell us anything about the story.

True, but the entry could go something like "this dialogue refers to the events detailed in The Crayons of Time strip".

[martianmister]

It's not speculation itself, but I'm assuming it's being brought up because it dispels tinfoil hattery about World 1.0 never having existed at all.

That's a good point.

[unbeliever536]

It's not speculation itself, but I'm assuming it's being brought up because it dispels tinfoil hattery about World 1.0 never having existed at all.

Not specifically, but it's something people are going to look for if they're trying to learn about World 1.0.

[Musaran]

Sorry I can't post links due to having less than 10 posts.

Some general remarks :

1. Please put mentions of future events or something becoming recurrent in spoiler tag, or only in said future strips.
   I know annotations have inherently spoilers, but I still want to understand a strip without being needlessly told that "X WILL DIE BY Y IN Z STRIPS".
   
2. There are a lot of title puns or references to explain.
   I don't have the courage, or culture, or english skill to tackle this.
   
3. These annotations might be better suited on a wiki.
   One would be more willing to contribute if it did not depend on waiting, someone's approval, and forum formating.

Questions I have :
Strip 572, panel 3 : "Work blue" ?
Strip 572, what is the title about ?
Strip 621, what is "SEC" ?


Things noted during my marathon-reading :

Strip 208: A Battle of Wits

• Belkar : I'm going to knock you so far down into negative hit points, you're going to come back around to positives

  This is a reference to video games, where limited storage and internal representation make it possible when a number underflows.

It might be a reference to a particular D&D video game, I don't know.

Strip 385: A Sympathetic Ear

• In panel 6, Drunk Sabine calls V "sister", in contradiction to her calling V "dude" in Strip 252, panel 6.

Strip 418: It's a Type of Boat

• In the last panel, Belkar's line is a parody of Obi-Wan Kenobi sensing the destruction of Alderaan in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope

Strip 507: Fantasy Troll-Playing Game

• The last panel, where scrags re-board the ship, is an exact copy of pre-last panel in strip 505, where they first board the ship.

Strip 510: Killer View

• Page 1, panel 8 is a parody of the "Intel Inside" ad.

Strip 511: Guerillas in Their Midst

• In page 2, panel 4 : Harrison Ford is the actor playing Indiana Jones, famously using a whip.

Strip 513: Security Deposit

• In panel 2, the Security Advisory System is a spoof of USA's Homeland Security Advisory System for terrorism.

Strip 515: A Momentary Experience

• The touch of a wight drains level, negating Belkar's level gain.

Strip 519: Nightmare on Blue Street

• In last panel, Wes craven is a film director pioneering slasher films, where the trope Haley mentions is common.
• The title is a spoof of film A Nightmare on Elm Street by said director.

Strip 546: O-Chul's Razor

• The title refers to Occam's razor : That the simplest explanation is the most likely, as mentioned in the strip.

Strip 549: Grueling Ordeal

• In the last panel, O-Chul is likely referencing Miko in the Sapphire guard.

Strip 550: +1 BFF

• In panel 9, The game O-Chul mentions is likely Go considering the description and his Japanese background, later confirmed in Strip 651.

Strip 555 (fix):

In panel 11, we see that Orc tongues are blue.

Panel 12, but just say "last panel".

Strip 675 (fix):
The bridge thing was actually referenced earlier.

[Ron Miel]

[SIZE=1]

Questions I have :
Strip 572, panel 3 : "Work blue" ?
Strip 572, what is the title about ?
Strip 621, what is "SEC" ?

Working blue is a term used by comedians. It means using rude jokes for adult audiences, with references to sex, toilets and various body parts.

SEC = Securities and Exchange Commission

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Sorry I can't post links due to having less than 10 posts.

Some general remarks :

1. Please put mentions of future events or something becoming recurrent in spoiler tag, or only in said future strips.
   I know annotations have inherently spoilers, but I still want to understand a strip without being needlessly told that "X WILL DIE BY Y IN Z STRIPS".
   
2. There are a lot of title puns or references to explain.
   I don't have the courage, or culture, or english skill to tackle this.
   
3. These annotations might be better suited on a wiki.
   One would be more willing to contribute if it did not depend on waiting, someone's approval, and forum formating.

That's a good point on bullet one...I'll comb through and see what can be done. Maybe I can keep the annotation but be vague about what its about. Are there any that you'd like to point out so I don't miss them?

Title puns I'm slowly working through. I don't have as much time as I used to to create my own so I'm more reliant on entries from others at this point.

Yes they might be better suited on a wiki, but I don't have access to that kind of ability where I spend most of my time (work), and I try and make things as open as they can. A wiki would also be better because we wouldn't have to worry about a character limit per post, so formatting could be different. I have a number of projects that would benefit from it. Unfortunately, even in a wiki, there's generally an approval system in place so that information is accurate, spelled correctly, and worded well. I generally if I get contributions try and simplify them as best I can, but keep the spirit of the material. Again character count. The whole thing is reliant on the fact that I can only contribute to these projects on the forums, so that's where I do them, unfortunately. In any case I hope to make this as accessible as possible, so please - any other suggestions are welcome!

Thank you for your contributions, I will get to them soon. I'll strike them when they are done.

Spoiler: Strip Additions = completed

Show

[QUOTE=Musaran;22429176]Things noted during my marathon-reading :

Strip 208: A Battle of Wits

• This is a reference to video games, where limited storage and internal representation make it possible when a number underflows.

Belkar : I'm going to knock you so far down into negative hit points, you're going to come back around to positives

Strip 385: A Sympathetic Ear [list][*]In panel 6, Drunk Sabine calls V "sister", in contradiction to her calling V "dude" in Strip 252, panel 6.[/list]

Strip 418: It's a Type of Boat

• In the last panel, Belkar's line is a parody of Obi-Wan Kenobi sensing the destruction of Alderaan in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope

Strip 507: Fantasy Troll-Playing Game

• The last panel, where scrags re-board the ship, is an exact copy of pre-last panel in strip 505, where they first board the ship.

Strip 510: Killer View

• Page 1, panel 8 is a parody of the "Intel Inside" ad.

Strip 511: Guerillas in Their Midst

• In page 2, panel 4 : Harrison Ford is the actor playing Indiana Jones, famously using a whip.

Strip 513: Security Deposit

• In panel 2, the image of the Security Advisory System is a spoof of USA's Homeland Security Advisory System for terrorism.

Strip 515: A Momentary Experience

• In the final six panels, the touch of the wight drains experience, negating Belkar's level gain.

Strip 519: Nightmare on Blue Street

• In last panel, Wes craven is a film director pioneering slasher films, where the trope Haley mentions is common.
• The title is a spoof of film A Nightmare on Elm Street by said director.

Strip 546: O-Chul's Razor

• The title refers to Occam's razor : That the simplest explanation is the most likely, as mentioned in the strip.

Strip 549: Grueling Ordeal

• In the last panel, O-Chul is likely referencing Miko in the Sapphire guard.

Strip 550: +1 BFF

• In panel 9, The game O-Chul mentions is likely Go considering the description and his Japanese background, later confirmed in Strip 651.

[unbeliever536]

While you're making changes, there's a minor error in the note on 722: evasion is a special ability, not a feat. I'm not sure if you referred to it elsewhere as a feat.

Also,

Strip 1030: Naming Names

• Most (all?) of the names proposed by the Order for the vampire are names that were used by various forum members between the beginning of book 6 and that strip.

[Ron Miel]

Here's a first batch of Title annotations from 1-200

Spoiler

Show

Strip 3 See Spot Spot

The title is a reference to the **** and Jane books, a series of reading primers for young children. They feature a dog named Spot. They are full of simple sentences such as See Spot run.

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Strip 6: The Cleric is 'In'

The title is a reference to the Peanuts comic strip. Lucy plays at being a Doctor, and displays the sign "The Doctor is [IN] '"

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Strip 9: I Am Curious Elan

The title is a reference to the films I Am Curious (Yellow) and I Am Curious (Blue)


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Strip 28: Just Like on Three's Company

The Title refers to the sitcom Three's company. Much of the humour in this show derived from comical misunderstandings similar to those in the strip.

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Strip 36: Building a Better PC Trap

The title refers to the old saying "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door."

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Strip 40: The Gods Must be Busy

The title is a reference to the film The Gods Must Be Crazy


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Strip 59: The Shot Heard Round the Dungeon

The title is a reference to "the shot heard round the world" This phrase has been applied to several historical events, but is most often used to refer to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand which precipitated the First World War.

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120 The End of the Beginning

The title is taken from a speech by Winston Churchill. "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

The same speech also contains the phrase "blood, tears. toil, and sweat" which shall be referenced in a later book.

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Strip 131: Money Makes the World Go Round

The title comes from a song in the show Cabaret.

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Strip 144: Pop Goes the Weasel

The title comes from an an English nursery rhyme of obscure origin and meaning.

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Strip 145: Mr(s). Wizard Explains It All

Mr Wizard (the late Don Herbert) was the presenter of a series of educational TV shows that introduced children to science. The use of Mr(s) in the title obscures V's gender. It also provides an early hint that V is married

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164 Here He Comes, To Save the Day!

The title references the Mighty Mouse theme song.

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Strip 171: The Prisoner Dilemma

The title references Prisoner's dilemma, a famous logical puzzle and paradox.

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Strip 181: Cursing the Darkness

The title references a popular saying "It is better to light a little candle than to curse the darkness"

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Strip 183: Spit and/or swallow

The title references .... something that is against the rules of the forum to discuss. And it isn't politics.

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strip 192 Everything Sits Better on a Ritz

The title references a TV advert for Ritz Crackers.

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