Erfworld 42 (Page 39)

[the_tick_rules]

i think that was coincidence. Well Parson, being their only hope for survival, they gonna give him the suite and nice stuff. I'm sure the accomodations for the grunts is not nearly as nice.

[innovan]

i think that was coincidence. Well Parson, being their only hope for survival, they gonna give him the suite and nice stuff. I'm sure the accomodations for the grunts is not nearly as nice.

Seeing how they're mostly reanimated zombies and all, do they care?

Tool is only paying to feed less than 200 living men. (p5) He should quit his complaining.

Meanwhile Harry Potter, er, Parson Ghotti finds out that there's a whole legion of elves working in the basement in the kitchen making the food that appears everyday by magic. And that they're really good with knives and flensing marbits. And so the first assault both is anticlimatic and manages to solve Tool's food supply problems for the rest of the war, just in time for Easter.

But first PG has to uncover the secret map mode in his ibook that's activated by "I solemly swear I am up to no good." (*Ouch* if that one gets written in.)

We've already seen cheat codes used to activate artifacts like "Hoffa/Livingstone" on p10. When is Parson going to stumble onto a few that are unique and unknown so far?

[JetTheOne]

Stanley called for Wanda on his book already in the last comic or so... so wouldn't Wanda be on her way already.... seems pointless to over-lap a very basic idea.

[Mr Wizard]

We've already seen cheat codes used to activate artifacts like "Hoffa/Livingstone" on p10. When is Parson going to stumble onto a few that are unique and unknown so far?

Again I say,

"Oppenheimer"

[factotum]

Stanley called for Wanda on his book already in the last comic or so... so wouldn't Wanda be on her way already.... seems pointless to over-lap a very basic idea.

I think you're missing the point that this strip takes place at the same time as the earlier one, so when Stanley is calling Wanda here, it's when she gets the call back on the previous page. You can tell because both strips have the "popping" of the dawn food taking place, which presumably all happens at the same time.

[TheAnimal]

Think of it as Civ - air units cannot be attacked by land or sea units while in the air (obviously) but can be attacked if caught in airbases or cities.

Except for *dun dun dunnn* the first Civ.
"Damn phalanx downed my bomber again! "

Yep, thats what I've been saying! It seems like HOMM parallels it better than most other games.

Except for the upkeep thingy. I don't recall HOMM units requiring upkeep.
I'm thinking Warlords. It had (crappy) Doombats, too.
Or maybe Master of Magic?

[Harr]

Awesome facial expressions. The pacing in the last couple of strips and the interacting between them has been good as well. Also finally we get to the real meat of 'game' strategy.

If Wanda's going to be teaching Erf-Physics to Parson that can only be good. Every *gamer* knows that the win is not in trying to pull off some little imitation of real-world war, but in studying the game's rules, finding the those little nooks and crannies where they just don't quite balance out perfectly, and exploiting them for all they're worth.

Ie, Parson should bethinking about stuff like the perfect number of peons to get the most optimized gold-mining line, flying units and how they can be taken down, how to tap Ansom's territories for resources, what level 3 units are just a little bit cheaper to make than the others, which race has the most resistances for the least XP penalty, what resistances undead have and how they might be exploited/overcome, what hit/miss % a level 2 spell has vs a level 3 spell and which one is worth the gold it needs it be cast, setting up a unit-relay line (spacing each unit out just to the edge of each one's move limit so that artifacts and healing items can be transported from one side of the map to the other in a single turn), etc.

You know. Stuff real gamers think about. None of this 'Stalingrad' sillyness.

In fact, the whole topic of resources being such a critical foundation of every TBS game, and the comic having gone into so little depth about it so far, I propose the next klog page be about that: Erfworld's resources, and how they are mined and used. It's the first thing Parson should be demanding to know.

[KillerCardinal]

Except for *dun dun dunnn* the first Civ.
"Damn phalanx downed my bomber again! "



Except for the upkeep thingy. I don't recall HOMM units requiring upkeep.
I'm thinking Warlords. It had (crappy) Doombats, too.
Or maybe Master of Magic?

Point taken. Although, HOMM and Civ are the only TBS's that I really play so I was ignoring that particular inconsistency since the others were lining up so well.

[fehler]

This "rations pop at dawn" thing is different from the early strip at Ansom's camp, where they had their food in the evening after the turn ended. "Here's fine, now's good."

[SteveMB]

This "rations pop at dawn" thing is different from the early strip at Ansom's camp, where they had their food in the evening after the turn ended. "Here's fine, now's good."

We know that the popped rations aren't the only food that exists (e.g. the pigeon pie Bogroll made for Lord Hamster).

Presumably, upkeep includes various things such as spending money (I doubt that Sizemore's attempt to learn Hippiemancy was sponsored by Stanley, so he presumably had direct control over that satchel of cash.)

[Metraxis]

I think this page actually provides a major turning point. PG is a gamer, and his handicap is that he doesn't know the rules yet, which will no doubt cause him to make early mistakes and then be underestimated critically later. This much is, I think, obvious.

However, he now knows that "there are four known Arkentools". In the mind of any serious gamer, when this sentence or a variant appears in any game manual, it automagically extends itself to include "and the fifth, unknown Arkentool will be vital to your victory in the final scenario, so get searching, buddy." or some variant. A few seconds of thought and some basic education from Wanda, and he should be off on a relic hunt post haste.

[Pepz]

Arkenscrewdriver, Arkendrill, Arkenchisel, Arkenawl, Arkenwrench, Arkenfile, Arkenvice... okay, I'm out of tools... anyone else want to play?

I guess the arkenstanley is out of the question? Nobody will deny he's a true tool :D

liked the first panel :)

[Comassion]

We've already seen cheat codes used to activate artifacts like "Hoffa/Livingstone" on p10. When is Parson going to stumble onto a few that are unique and unknown so far?

I didn't get those before, but now I get it!

Hoffa = "Lost"
Livingstone = "Found"

Thanks!

[TheEmerged]

RE: Stupid Meal, Take 2. I may be reading too much into this, but it's always possible for things to mean more than they mean :)

If ignorance is bliss, so stupid can be another world for happy...

[cosine]

Four known Arkentools, hmmm? Wonder what the other two are....

A screwdriver and a wrench. These are the four classic tools;

Hammer
Pliers
Screwdriver
Wrench

[Burning Phoenix]

I guess the arkenstanley is out of the question? Nobody will deny he's a true tool :D

liked the first panel :)

Stanley is a brand of tools, not a particular tool.

What I find curious is that the Arkenhammer appears to be a croquet mallet, while the Arkenpliers look like needlenose pliers. Hmmm....

[chionophile]

We've already seen cheat codes used to activate artifacts like "Hoffa/Livingstone" on p10. When is Parson going to stumble onto a few that are unique and unknown so far?

Technically, those are just spell trigger words. Wanda uses another one ("Scruby") when she summons Parson. Unless Parson is going to invent new spells, I doubt he's going to come up with new trigger words.

[factotum]

What I find curious is that the Arkenhammer appears to be a croquet mallet, while the Arkenpliers look like needlenose pliers. Hmmm....

I thought the Arkenhammer looked more like one of those toy hammers you give to children--the ones that squeak when you hit something with them. A croquet mallet would have a much longer handle than that, for a start, since it's designed to be used to hit things at ground level while you're standing up!

[benthehater]

I like the sound of "Arkenspanner".

[Demented]

You know. Stuff real gamers think about. None of this 'Stalingrad' sillyness.

Parson take note!

The 'game-like scenario' part of this whole maggog (?) just doesn't seem to be sinking through his thick skull.

[Erk]

Well, we have far more familiarity with the setting than Parson does. We've been reading it and studying it since December, from an omniscient perspective. Parson has been there for part of a day and one night, and has only been inside the Tower of Efdup. It's hard to say exactly how much he really understands about this world at this stage... just because he has compared aspects of it to his game, that being his most available frame of reference, doesn't mean he has seen enough of the world to assume it does run like a game.

He has four or so turns to get his act together, understand this world, and a plan formed and in action. Bit of a tall order... go Parson!

[TheAnimal]

However, he now knows that "there are four known Arkentools". In the mind of any serious gamer, when this sentence or a variant appears in any game manual, it automagically extends itself to include "and the fifth, unknown Arkentool will be vital to your victory in the final scenario, so get searching, buddy." or some variant.

Or the classic "gather the whole set for even more spectacular magic effects" offer.

[Bounty]

A screwdriver and a wrench. These are the four classic tools;

Hammer
Pliers
Screwdriver
Wrench

Given the childlike nature of the world, and the toy-like quality of the tools, I just can't get the image of a Fisher Price work bench out of my mind. And they normally have 5 tools on those, Hammer, Pliers, Screwdriver, Wrench and Saw.

[Scientivore]

In that case, mashing up several theories...

Spoiler

Show

The other two known Arkentools will be revealed as the Arkenscrewdriver and the Arkenwrench. Parson will guess (from the pun and the toyset) that there must be an Arkensaw. The power of the fifth artifact will turn out to be the key to their survival, so a small band of intrepid adventurers will set out on a desperate quest to find it, obtain it and return with it -- in just four turns. They'll cover an amazing distance riding dwagonback and discover a new mutual respect by saving each other's lives in combat. Then, Wanda will Findamancy them all home to Gobwin Knob just in the nick of time.

[Retief]

Was that list in any particular order? If so, we may see everyone's favorite, the Arkensaw, at the end, when it saves the day, as we've first seen the Arkenhammer, then the Arkenpliers. Next we will see the Arkenscrewdriver, then the Arkenwrench, then finally the Arkensaw.
Edit: Scientivore beat me and expanded my hypothesis

[Strengfellow]

I just love Stans face after he drops his (fork frame 11), it's like the possibility of defeat has just hoved into view for the first time and he doesnt like that one little bit.

Classic.

[SteveMB]

I just love Stans face after he drops his (fork frame 11), it's like the possibility of defeat has just hoved into view for the first time and he doesnt like that one little bit.

Classic.

Well, his face when he first saw the "crazy giant potato man" was also memorable. At least this time he's a bit more restrained (for the moment; he may be saving the real fireworks for when Wanda arrives).

[Strengfellow]

Yes Wanda may well get an earfull of Boop regarding "her" warlord.

Must admit that it is a testament to Jamies art that Stan is so expresive, im just waiting for manical glee.