How many strips to go?

[Shreav]

Okay, so the OotS has reached ten years of age and the Giant tells us he thinks it will run for a further four years ((presumably very) approximately).

Four tenths of 932 (the current number of strips) is roughly 373. That's a lot of extra stuff to come!

For comparison, 373 strips ago (i.e. strip #559) Elan was just starting to hang out with a certain ninja ...

[HZ514]

These things tend ta run long.

[Vinsfeld]

Let's hope it gets to 1500 strips and like 5/6 more years.

[dtilque]

The current book, which is what I thought the thread might be about before opening, I think will be wrapped up in one more strip, at most three.

I'll agree with Vinsfeld that 1500 total strips is somewhere in the ballpark.

[NerdyKris]

Four tenths of 932 (the current number of strips) is roughly 373. That's a lot of extra stuff to come!

No. That's not an accurate count. For starters, there are several multi month gaps in that time period. Not to mention a few one comic a month periods.


He's stated that there are two books after this one. But that's not an accurate count either. Just look how long this book is running. I wouldn't try to put a number on the strips, simply because any sequence can start to run long if it makes a better story in the end.

[David Argall]

373 would have seemed a reasonable figure until this latest book started bloating. And the last books in series like this do tend to expand. So a figure of 500 is now in play. A total of 1500 is still looking a little long, but...

[oppyu]

These things tend ta run long.

In #732, Durkon said the current plotline would go long and last around thirty strips. The Order didn't leave the Empire of Blood until #818, and they're still dealing with the arc villain Tarquin as of #932.

Dude was't kidding.

[Mike Havran]

In #732, Durkon said the current plotline would go long and last around thirty strips. The Order didn't leave the Empire of Blood until #818, and they're still dealing with the arc villain Tarquin as of #932.

Dude was't kidding.

The funny thing is that Durkon himself was only in 30 of those strips between his entrance and him leaving EoB. So his papers were okay

I actually wonder how many threads asking about how many strips are left are yet to come.

[MikelaC1]

As many as are needed to tell the story.

[2.5 cats]

The current book, which is what I thought the thread might be about before opening, I think will be wrapped up in one more strip, at most three.

We'll see. If they get away, probably. If Tarquin grabs the flying carpet (with or without killing Julio) and then we get a running battle until Durkon can get his spells back...then we deal with Haley's father...I could see it going at least 20 more, maybe twice that.

[ChristianSt]

The current book, which is what I thought the thread might be about before opening, I think will be wrapped up in one more strip, at most three.

I'll agree with Vinsfeld that 1500 total strips is somewhere in the ballpark.

It is reasonably to think that the book will end soon, since the Calender reveals the book title.
Have we gotten any book title before the last strip went online?
With that in mind I would except up to five strips, but certainly no more.
Also I would think the book has to end somewhere, but I would have said the same thing 50 strips back or so, so that is not a strong argument.

As I would estimate around 500 strips to go myself (it is a nice number), 1500 seems not that far off (and is a nice number, too) and would be a somewhat safer bet than 500 because we had no compilation book that had a shorter amounts of strips than the book before it.
With that in mind the minimum strips of the last three books would be 260 each (since we are already at 259, and need at least 1 strip to finish), making the last strip 1453. Or a few more, since the books 1, 2,3 and 4 did have 121, 180, 183 and 188 strips respectively, making three minimum added strips (and a minimum final strip of #1462).

[drazen]

The current book, which is what I thought the thread might be about before opening, I think will be wrapped up in one more strip, at most three

Seems like there's a lot more to wrap up: Amun-Zora, Ian and Geoff, the escape, and a bit of prologue/foreshadowing for the next book.

I'm guessing 10-20 pages worth of material, but possibly fewer strips. It's been a longer break than we've seen in a while, so we might be seeing a double/triple strip up next (or it's just the holiday time and Rich was working on holiday things and I'm reading way too much into it).

I'm all for Chaotic Neutrals, so I'm going nuts with anticipation to see how Julio gets out of this one! :)

[NerdyKris]

Seems like there's a lot more to wrap up: Amun-Zora, Ian and Geoff, the escape, and a bit of prologue/foreshadowing for the next book.

I'm guessing 10-20 pages worth of material, but possibly fewer strips. It's been a longer break than we've seen in a while, so we might be seeing a double/triple strip up next (or it's just the holiday time and Rich was working on holiday things and I'm reading way too much into it).

I'm all for Chaotic Neutrals, so I'm going nuts with anticipation to see how Julio gets out of this one! :)

While I don't think it's 10-20 more, I agree that one more is far too little, even at double length. There has to be a denouement. Simply hopping on the airship and fleeing with (or without) Julio while leaving Tarquin shaking his fist is far to abrupt for a book ending, even with a double strip. It's almost a given that we're going to see (if they do escape on the airship) a comic or two dealing with what to do with Haley's father and how to handle Durkon's vampirism.

I'd peg it at 5-10 max. Two more strips of escape, plus a few wrapping up where everyone is and what's to come.

[coineineagh]

Julio flies them to the next gate, Roy defeats Xykon as in the hallucination, 1 page for celebration, 1 where-are-they-now page, and a big black THE END. That's a minimum of 5 strips left to go, folks!

[sam79]

My guess would be that the current arc wraps up before/during the holiday season, allowing the author to take a well-earned break.

A best-case release date of end of Feburary for book five, given that there are still bonus strips and commentaries to do (as well as, like, printing it and stuff), would imply there is very little left of the actual main story to put in place (get on the airship, high-tail it out of there). I think we'll be done in the next two updates, which may well be more than two actual pages of content.

[NerdyKris]

And just so people don't miss the statement in the holiday thread:

Book 5 is not so close on the horizon that I can safely recommend waiting on the calendar. We don't currently have the money to print it—that's half the reason I did the calendar—and as has been noted by others on this board, it's going to be really, REALLY big. So even if we raise the money to print it with these sales, I haven't started the work of getting it ready, which includes a dozen or so bonus strips and all the commentaries. There's no way such a book would even be offered for sale before the end of February, best case, and worst case is that I need to put out some other product after these ones to raise the printing costs, pushing the book back until next summer.

The wait for War and XPs was over a year. I hope that doesn't happen this time.

[The Succubus]

Well, if you're looking for a way to count the days until the book comes out, I believe there is such a device on Ookadook for $14.95 plus shipping.

[Benthesquid]

Five hundred seventy-three and one half.

[FlawedParadigm]

I am all for another Kickstarter to fund the next book, personally.

[NerdyKris]

I am all for another Kickstarter to fund the next book, personally.

Given that he hasn't even finished the rewards from the last Kickstarter, I think that would be a ways off.

[sam79]

Given that he hasn't even finished the rewards from the last Kickstarter, I think that would be a ways off.

This. I think the printing of book 5 will be funded at least in part from pre-orders, rather than from Kickstarter.

[factotum]

This. I think the printing of book 5 will be funded at least in part from pre-orders, rather than from Kickstarter.

You missed the discussion in the calendar thread where the Giant says he's not doing pre-orders for the book, then?

[ChristianSt]

You missed the discussion in the calendar thread where the Giant says he's not doing pre-orders for the book, then?

There are not going to be any pre-orders for Book 5. I'm not taking anyone's money for a book of that doesn't exist, may not exist for a months, is of unknown size, and has unknown costs (since paper prices fluctuate). It's not going to happen. People tried to twist my arm into throwing pre-orders for Book 5 into the Kickstarter, and I refused—and that was the best decision I made regarding the Kickstarter, since here we are two years later and I haven't even finished the online strips for it.

For me that reads at it is implying "no pre-orders NOW". The reason The Giant gives for no pre-orders is that he doesn't know how Book 5 is going to be (time, size, price, etc...) and without these numbers it just doesn't make really sense to put it on pre-order (at least you need a price. Without a price it isn't really possible to let people buy something, even in advance.). If that information is available, I think there are good chances that there will be a pre-order (because in that case there aren't really that many complications, you just pay earlier for your book)

[SowZ]

At least twelve.

[sam79]

You missed the discussion in the calendar thread where the Giant says he's not doing pre-orders for the book, then?

No, not at all.

For me that reads at it is implying "no pre-orders NOW". The reason The Giant gives for no pre-orders is that he doesn't know how Book 5 is going to be (time, size, price, etc...) and without these numbers it just doesn't make really sense to put it on pre-order (at least you need a price. Without a price it isn't really possible to let people buy something, even in advance.). If that information is available, I think there are good chances that there will be a pre-order (because in that case there aren't really that many complications, you just pay earlier for your book)

What he said.

I too expect there to be pre-orders available once the book is totally written and finished, to help turn it into paper form. That could be weeks, months or maybe over a year away. Just not now.

[martianmister]

666............

[Ghost Nappa]

I'm going to predict that the Order of the Stick will be wrapping up production in mid-2021. I'm going to say that's after Books 5, 6, and 7, and that Book 7 will in fact be the size of a phone book. I think Rich is going to be hurt and/or sick in a significant manner by that time, and I think at the rate we're going, we should get near 1800-2400 strips before we're done. In terms of narrative we're half-done, but I think that the remainder of the narrative is going to take a LOT more pages to tell, and this arc is going towards being 300+ strips just by itself.