Erfworld 31

[Cyclone231]

Obviously you don't read Goblins.

This is not a filler comic. This is a comic to be completed with the next update. Only then will it truly make sense.

I'm sorry, but any comic that spends three quarters of it's page portraying "dwagons are summoned!" is filler.

That's just the way it is. Also:

Then comes the actual scripting. Rob takes his outline and starts filling in the blanks. The scripts are very detailed giving me dialog, page break downs, panel shots, action description, everything a comic artist needs. Every once in a while, Rob will ask if we can expand and add another page or two to give me some room to draw cool things and to give him some room to script. The Dwagon air battle is a perfect example of this.

[DomaDoma]

Love

The metal-melting kind behind that locked door in Order of the Phoenix?

[Reptilius]

Hahaha! The look on Stanley's face in panel 3 was hilarious.

[happyturtle]

So, this is what they call a... "filler comic"? Because it doesn't really seem to get any particular information across.

I thought seeing the Arkenhammer in action was pretty cool information. What it didn't do was advance the action or bring us closer to the battle.

[Cyclone231]

I thought seeing the Arkenhammer in action was pretty cool information. What it didn't do was advance the action or bring us closer to the battle.

Or give us additional information (we already knew what the Arkenhammer did). Or give us any characterization (omigod Stanley is mean? rly?).

[the_tick_rules]

wow, hamster sure screwed up.

[Wyborn]

Stanley's expression in the third panel is so funny I can't stop looking at it. Seriously, you don't get better than those huge soulless black eyes and the little puckered mouth. Hilarious.

[Eldritch_Ent]

Ahh,y eah- the politics distracted me from commenting on that expression. It's absolutely fantastic. XD The big eyes especially. It just screams "Whoever crosses my path next will be awarded the title of "Arkennail"

[Mr Teufel]

Maybe it's just the abundance of extralength OOTS strips but the erfworlds strips never seem to get as much story out in one comic. It's a little frusterating because I'm actually starting to get into it now.

Well, Erfworld art is more likely to be energy-intensive than OotS art - may The Giant forgive me.

Never discuss alignment in-game. Never.

QFT. Nobody likes being called the Bad Guy, Parson! Even if they know it's true (more likely in fiction) it can easily be seen as insulting, or challenging their authority. "When you say I'm a bad guy, does that mean you think I'm a bad leader?"

Does employing Gobwins, Dwagons, and Spidews count? Just look at them, they're clearly evil, and they tore that poor cloth golem apart!

In war critters on both sides die. The bear killed the spidew, too, and I'm sure if they'd had the option Ansom's soldiers would strike first - see Jillian's "scouting expedition".

[Icewalker]

I don't know why almost everyone is automatically assuming that Stanley actually is evil and he just believes wrongly that he is on the side of good. Maybe Stanley is good, he hasn't given us any real reasons to assume otherwise (except the Wanda torturing part). So undead are automatically connected with evil in Dnd and most other sources, but why should that be true here? I think that Stanley actually is (relatively) good.

[Tolkien_Freak]

Ooooohhhh....
Actiony!

So, obviously Stanley doesn't think he's evil, but is a guy who enjoys having people tortured really good?

Also, if you read the 'ring of roaring' in Panel 6 continuously, you get:
RRRROOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRROOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRROOOOOOOAAA AAAA...
which actually makes a good amount of sense.

And a good amount of people seem to be saying 'dragons' instead of 'dwagons'

[KillerCardinal]

I don't know why almost everyone is automatically assuming that Stanley actually is evil and he just believes wrongly that he is on the side of good. Maybe Stanley is good, he hasn't given us any real reasons to assume otherwise (except the Wanda torturing part). So undead are automatically connected with evil in Dnd and most other sources, but why should that be true here? I think that Stanley actually is (relatively) good.

For myself, I'm betting that Stanley is actually on the side of good. However, if he isn't, I expect us to be able to figure it out from his speech in the next comic.

[NecroPaladin]

My respect for Stanley has increased tenfold. Lawful Evil (Or even LG/LN with evil leanings) is by far my favorite alignment, because you can justify your actions.

[TRat]

Aesthetically, Lord Stanley comes off as evil--dragons and zombies and spiders and so on. But regarding the battle for Gobwin Knoll, he is the defender being invaded and in that sense can be considered good, or at least not the aggressor. We don't know how this war started do we? And while the other side uses Peeps and fuzzy bears, it also uses axes and arrows! That's not so darn cute.

[fractal]

Aesthetically, Lord Stanley comes off as evil--dragons and zombies and spiders and so on. But regarding the battle for Gobwin Knoll, he is the defender being invaded and in that sense can be considered good, or at least not the aggressor. We don't know how this war started do we? And while the other side uses Peeps and fuzzy bears, it also uses axes and arrows! That's not so darn cute.

Well, my impression was always that Stanley started the war by trying to acquire the other Arkentools, which their current owners were unlikely to want to give up. Wanda certainly implies as much, when she states that Stanley's other 10 cities were lost as a result of his quest.

[KillerCardinal]

Well, my impression was always that Stanley started the war by trying to acquire the other Arkentools, which their current owners were unlikely to want to give up. Wanda certainly implies as much, when she states that Stanley's other 10 cities were lost as a result of his quest.

Well, that could also be because the others didn't want him to get the Arkentools(whether or not they were the owners) and attacked him. Or it could be that while he was distracted by his quest all those mean guys attacked him(Stanley, distractable, NEVER).

My other question that I need to know before I think he is good or evil is what EXACTLY would all the arkentools do when in his possesion, and what does he plan. So far I remain unconvinced of either side, but lean towards him being good. Partially because Parson would seem to prefer it if he was the bad guy, and at this point, I expect him to be disappointed.

[Deuseldorf]

What makes you think we're the "bad guys?"

The fact that you're so defensive.

[Stormthorn]

The fact that you're so defensive.

Or he could be being sarcastic.

[Scientivore]

I'm sorry, but any comic that spends three quarters of it's page portraying "dwagons are summoned!" is filler.

I thought that it was a play on the obligatory, dazzling transformation/power display in all those Saturday morning merch-commercial-as-cartoons. Of course, those scenes are filler, so I'm not disagreeing that strongly. I think that, as much as they're poking fun at the trope, they're also making use of it to have fun drawing some very pretty pictures.

...Okay, I changed my mind: I am disagreeing that strongly. If we got a photocopy of those scenes every weekend then that would be filler; but just once, those pretty, pretty pictures are content (to me).

[TinSoldier]

Sometimes you need to tame a dwagon. Sometimes you just need to bust a nut.

I think Stanley just did both.

[Himeo]

Well, it's pretty obvious. For one, the bad guys are always outnumbered by the good guys. Secondly, the bad guys always have some trick, like croakamancy or an arkentool, which allows them to turn the good guys strength into a weakness. And lastly, the bad guys always win; which we will. Am I mistaken, tool?

<3.

[Icewalker]

I dunno about his being evil because of his hunt for the Arkentools. My impression of it is that he was searching for more tools, not trying to kill others to take them (yet). Although considering the zeal with which he goes about things, I can see him reaching the point of trying to force them from others, such as the Arkenpliers.

[Mutiemoe]

Wow! Stanley is booping metal!

[Cyclone231]

Anyways, this is where a little bit of the old "creative backpedal" is important. What Parson should do is say it's because of the uncroaked, and when Stanley tells him that uncroaked are not evil, say "oh, well, in my world it's unquestionably evil because it requires a pact with the devil/summons negative energy/consumes the person's soul/is ugly."

[Maurog]

I think all undead of Earth should rise against that stigma.

[Jorkens]

Well, it's pretty obvious. For one, the bad guys are always outnumbered by the good guys. Secondly, the bad guys always have some trick, like croakamancy or an arkentool, which allows them to turn the good guys strength into a weakness. And lastly, the bad guys always win; which we will. Am I mistaken, tool?

Erm, yes? Isn't the absolute classic heroic story based on the good guys coming through and winning by the skin of their teeth despite facing overwhelming odds? If a story started out with the bad guys outnumbered twenty to one and lead by an incompetent, the story would just be "the good guys walk in and kill everyone and win. The end."

As regards who started the war - we are in something closely resembling a wargame. People in wargames fight wars. It's what they do. Who started it isn't really an issue. If noone starts a war, the whole thing gets boring very quickly. So to me, it doesn't really matter whether Stanley started the war so he could take the Arkentools or whether Ansom took advantage of him being distracted by a quest to sucker punch him - I don't think D&D type alignments are in force here.

Obviously this is subject to change depending on the next comic or two...

[blackout]

Ahh,y eah- the politics distracted me from commenting on that expression. It's absolutely fantastic. XD The big eyes especially. It just screams "Whoever crosses my path next will be awarded the title of "Arkennail"

Hehehe. The Arkennail. That's a good'un.

[Estelindis]

What does the pink dragon breathe?

Heart

Best. Post. Ever.

On a more serious note, good strip - it does seem that a lot of the preconceptions that have been coming up on the boards are being challenged in the comic (although not necessarily as a result of their coming up on the boards, it must be added). Still, until it's proven otherwise, I'm on Ansom and Jillian's side.

[factotum]

Well, for the evil side there is also the use of torture and the fact that they have no problem in forcing an intelligne being in fight for them against his will, also they have henchmen and lackeys, not self respecting Good Guy would have them.

We know Wanda is prone to torture, but that's the only example of that we've seen. As for forcing an intelligent being to fight for him against his will--where's that happening? If you're talking about the dwagons, it's entirely possible (in fact, probable given the events in this comic) that they serve the wielder of the Arkenhammer willingly--those dwagons which pop up here certainly look as if they're just itching to tear Parson apart.

Henchmen and lackeys are just names for lower-ranking people, and I have no problem whatsoever with seeing a good team having them.

As for reasons why Stanley etc. MIGHT be the good guys--well, as already pointed out, it's usually the good guys who are the heavily outnumbered ones!

[Secchi]

Good, Bad, I'm the guy with the hammer...

This would be an appropriate line for Stanley.