Rules of the Game

[kansas_dave]

Rules of the game - as updated and organized by Runolfr

Combat

• Nobody fights at night. (29)
• When over water, mountains, or heavy woods, flying units can only be attacked by other fliers. EXCEPTION: Forest-capable units may still attack fliers stationed in forests. (42)
• Units can be stacked. Stacked units get a stack bonus that maxes out at 8. (44)
• Stacks without a leader must attack if they contact non-allied units. (44)
• Stacks with a warlord can have directed fights, and choose not to initiate combat. (44)
• On their turn, flying stacks with a commander may selectively engage non-fliers in an enemy stack. Enemy archery units may still counter-attack. (52)

Leadership

• Disobeying an Overlord's order actually seems to be impossible, unless you believe that obeying will result in the Overlord's destruction. (5, 32-33)
• Refusing a superior's order can end your existence. (19) --This actually seems to be a condition specific to Parson, because of the spell used to summon him.
• An Overlord can disband units at will. (19)
• A Chief Warlord's leadership bonus applies to all units that belong to his capital. (44)

Magic

• Thinkamancers can send real-time instructions to uncroaked warlords. (52)

Movement

• When a turn is ended, any remaining move of that army's units is lost. (51)

Production

• At dawn, rations pop, and units are cleaned & healed. (37, 39)
• Units require an upkeep cost every round; this includes warlords. (42)
• Units are produced by cities, fully formed; different cities produce different units. Overlords set production. (48)
• The bigger the unit, the longer it takes to produce. (48)
• Large cities can build Warlords over many turns. Warlords can also be promoted from infantry units for a large cost in schmuckers. (48)

Turns

• Stanley's turn starts at dawn; Ansom's starts later (possibly after Stanley ends his turn). (52, see also 7 and 33)
• Wounded units heal completely prior to starting their next turn. (52)

Units

• Basic stats for units are move, hits, combat, and defense. They also have a title and class, and they may have special abilities. Casters and commanders/warlords (units with Leadership) can see can the stats for any unit in line of sight. (44)
• Known specials include flight, fire, regeneration, and poison. (44)

[jindra34]

No more as of yet...

[SteveMB]

Refusing a superior's order can end your existence, but is permissible if you are convinced it will lead to your superior's destruction (5, 19)

It's not clear that these two cases go together. Parson is compelled by the summoning spell to obey Stanley, and Stanley can disband him at will. It's unclear what exactly causes Wanda to obey Stanley (admittedly, sometimes this "obedience" is rather nominal, given that she has a way of manipulating him into giving orders that reflect her decisions). Currently, I lean toward the theory that obedience to superiors is a standard feature of a newly-popped person's mentality, like Language and other basic knowledge (and perhaps obedience to "game rules" like "units don't move at night").

[Tolkien_Freak]

Don't forget to put in the -Mancer tables and anything else like that (I don't remember).

[Fuzzy_Juan]

warlords provide a bonus to all units within a certian area, or uder their command (not sure which).

Units require an upkeep cost every round, this includes warlords.

Warlords can be built at cities, or promoted from lesser ranks, but it costs alot of money to do so.

units have a move, attack, and defense stat as well as a title, 'job' and special abilities that all can see.

[Firestar27]

A unit can be promoted to warlord by spending a lot of shmuckers.

The more powerful the unit, the longer it takes to make.

[JazzManJim]

Refusing a superior's order can end your existence, but is permissable if you are convinced it will lead to your superior's destruction (5, 19)

I wouldn't assume this is a rule.

I think it's more accurate to say that a superior can limit a subordinate unit's level of communication or even forcibly elicit certain types of communication.

[Runolfr]

Refusing a superior's order can end your existence, but is permissable if you are convinced it will lead to your superior's destruction (5, 19)

Disobeying an Overlord's order actually seems to be impossible, unless you believe that obeying will result in the Overlord's destruction.

An Overlord can disband (destroy) any unit he controls at will.

Uncroaked apparently still have a Leadership bonus (Stanley has his croaked warlords uncroaked for a reason), but they can no longer think independently.

When a turn is ended, any remaining move of that army's units is lost.

[Runolfr]

units have a move, attack, and defense stat as well as a title, 'job' and special abilities that all can see.

Actually, only casters and warlords (units with Leadership) can see stats.

[kansas_dave]

Disobeying an Overlord's order actually seems to be impossible, unless you believe that obeying will result in the Overlord's destruction. (5, 32-33)

Refusing a superior's order can end your existence (19)

Nobody fights at night (29)

Dawn effects: rations pop, units are cleaned & healed (37, 39)

Fliers can only be attacked by other fliers when over water, mountains, or heavy woods (42)

Units require an upkeep cost every round, this includes warlords. (42)

Groups of units get a stack bonus that maxes out at 8 (44)

Stacks without a leader are forced to autoattack when in contact with unallied units (44)

Chief Warlord's leadership bonus applies to all units in his capital (44)

Stacks with a warlord can have directed fights, and choose not to initiate combat (44)

units have a move, attack, and defense stat as well as a title, 'job' and special abilities that only casters and warlords (units with Leadership) can see can see. (44)

Units are produced by cities, fully formed, different units per city, with production set by overlords (48)

Warlords can be built at cities, or promoted from lesser ranks, but it costs a lot of money to do so. (48)

The bigger the unit, the longer it takes to make. (48)

When a turn is ended, any remaining move of that army's units is lost. (51)

*whew* I think that's everything, with references.

[Runolfr]

The same, but with links and some word-smithing.

Disobeying an Overlord's order actually seems to be impossible, unless you believe that obeying will result in the Overlord's destruction. (5, 32-33)

Refusing a superior's order can end your existence. (19)

An Overlord can disband units at will. (19)

Nobody fights at night. (29)

At dawn, rations pop, and units are cleaned & healed. (37, 39)

When over water, mountains, or heavy woods, flying units can only be attacked by other fliers. (42)

Units require an upkeep cost every round; this includes warlords. (42)

Units can be stacked. Stacked units get a stack bonus that maxes out at 8. (44)

Stacks without a leader must attack if they contact non-allied units. (44)

Stacks with a warlord can have directed fights, and choose not to initiate combat. (44)

A Chief Warlord's leadership bonus applies to all units that belong to his capital. (44)

Basic stats for units are move, attack, and defense. They also have a title, 'job' and special abilities. Casters and warlords (units with Leadership) can see can the stats for any unit in line of sight. (44)

Units are produced by cities, fully formed; different cities produce different units. Overlords set production. (48)

Cities can build Warlords over a long time. Warlords can also be promoted from lesser ranks for a large cost in schmuckers. (48)

The bigger the unit, the longer it takes to produce. (48)

When a turn is ended, any remaining move of that army's units is lost. (51)

[Runolfr]

Dave, you may want to edit your first post to contain a "master" rules list that will always be on Page 1.

[Runolfr]

Organizing rules...

Leadership

• Disobeying an Overlord's order actually seems to be impossible, unless you believe that obeying will result in the Overlord's destruction. (5, 32-33)
• Refusing a superior's order can end your existence. (19) --This actually seems to be a condition specific to Parson, because of the spell used to summon him.
• An Overlord can disband units at will. (19)
• A Chief Warlord's leadership bonus applies to all units that belong to his capital. (44)

Combat

• Nobody fights at night. (29)
• When over water, mountains, or heavy woods, flying units can only be attacked by other fliers. (42)
• Units can be stacked. Stacked units get a stack bonus that maxes out at 8. (44)
• Stacks without a leader must attack if they contact non-allied units. (44)
• Stacks with a warlord can have directed fights, and choose not to initiate combat. (44)

Production

• At dawn, rations pop, and units are cleaned & healed. (37, 39)
• Units require an upkeep cost every round; this includes warlords. (42)
• Units are produced by cities, fully formed; different cities produce different units. Overlords set production. (48)
• The bigger the unit, the longer it takes to produce. (48)
• Large cities can build Warlords over many turns. Warlords can also be promoted from infantry units for a large cost in schmuckers. (48)

Units

• Basic stats for units are move, hits, combat, and defense. They also have a title and class, and they may have special abilities. Casters and commanders/warlords (units with Leadership) can see can the stats for any unit in line of sight. (44)
• Known specials include flight, fire, regeneration, and poison.

Movement

• When a turn is ended, any remaining move of that army's units is lost. (51)

[JazzManJim]

Disobeying an Overlord's order actually seems to be impossible, unless you believe that obeying will result in the Overlord's destruction. (5, 32-33)

This still seems to be an assumption.

Strip 5 does not make clear whether this is a blanket rule or one that is conditional between Stanley and Wanda. He may well have granted her an exception, in the way that Ansom granted Vinny an exception to ask a "hard question".

[TiamatRoar]

Ansom granting Vinny an exception to ask a "hard question" was likely personal talk between friends ("You know I've got your back no matter what" indicates that this was more a personal emotional thing than anything to do with actual military orders or policy). I'm not even sure Ansom has direct command over Vinny (IE, Vinny is possibly an ALLY, not an underling. Vinnie can call Ansom "Boss" either because Ansom leads the coalition or simply out of respect, or a combination of both, but himself is possibly not a Jetstone tribe member so much as a member of a tribe allied to Jetstone)

Wanda's conditional with Stanley seems to be more of a professional/policy thing.

[kansas_dave]

This still seems to be an assumption.

Strip 5 does not make clear whether this is a blanket rule or one that is conditional between Stanley and Wanda. He may well have granted her an exception, in the way that Ansom granted Vinny an exception to ask a "hard question".

Agreed. That's why it's worded "seems to be." It's a judgement call. I'll take it out if it's disproven or there's stronger evidence against it.

D

[Vreejack]

I doubt that "nobody fights at night" is written into the game mechanics so literally. It is probably a side effect. For example, if no one moves at night then it is impossible for two units to fight unless they are right next to each other when the turn ends, and ending the turn would seem an odd thing to do when fighting was going on. What would happen if you tried to end your turn in the middle of combat?

What would happen if, in the middle of the night, one of Ansom's allies switched sides? Would the game mechanics prevent them from attacking the tents next to theirs? I think that is unlikely. What if two enemy squads are adjacent but their officers opt not to fight. Can't they change their minds? Actual combat does not appear to consume move (though it may consume something else). These are tortured examples but that only emphasizes the point that "no combat at night" appears to be a good general rule but might not actually be written anywhere.

[Runolfr]

Updated and alphabetized.

Combat

• Nobody fights at night. (29)
• When over water, mountains, or heavy woods, flying units can only be attacked by other fliers. EXCEPTION: Forest-capable units may still attack fliers stationed in forests. (42)
• Units can be stacked. Stacked units get a stack bonus that maxes out at 8. (44)
• Stacks without a leader must attack if they contact non-allied units. (44)
• Stacks with a warlord can have directed fights, and choose not to initiate combat. (44)
• On their turn, flying stacks with a commander may selectively engage non-fliers in an enemy stack. Enemy archery units may still counter-attack. (52)

Leadership

• Disobeying an Overlord's order actually seems to be impossible, unless you believe that obeying will result in the Overlord's destruction. (5, 32-33)
• Refusing a superior's order can end your existence. (19) --This actually seems to be a condition specific to Parson, because of the spell used to summon him.
• An Overlord can disband units at will. (19)
• A Chief Warlord's leadership bonus applies to all units that belong to his capital. (44)

Magic

• Thinkamancers can send real-time instructions to uncroaked warlords. (52)

Movement

• When a turn is ended, any remaining move of that army's units is lost. (51)

Production

• At dawn, rations pop, and units are cleaned & healed. (37, 39)
• Units require an upkeep cost every round; this includes warlords. (42)
• Units are produced by cities, fully formed; different cities produce different units. Overlords set production. (48)
• The bigger the unit, the longer it takes to produce. (48)
• Large cities can build Warlords over many turns. Warlords can also be promoted from infantry units for a large cost in schmuckers. (48)

Turns

• Stanley's turn starts at dawn; Ansom's starts later (possibly after Stanley ends his turn). (52, see also 7 and 33)
• Wounded units heal completely prior to starting their next turn. (52)

Units

• Basic stats for units are move, hits, combat, and defense. They also have a title and class, and they may have special abilities. Casters and commanders/warlords (units with Leadership) can see can the stats for any unit in line of sight. (44)
• Known specials include flight, fire, regeneration, and poison. (44)

[TiamatRoar]

The language of Erfworld is "Language" (mentioned by Stanley twice during various Parson summoning strips. "He needs to speak Language." "What is this?!? He can't even speak Language!"). Does that count as a rule? Or is that more of a culture thing?

[Runolfr]

The language of Erfworld is "Language" (mentioned by Stanley twice during various Parson summoning strips. "He needs to speak Language." "What is this?!? He can't even speak Language!"). Does that count as a rule? Or is that more of a culture thing?

I wouldn't call it a rule. I don't know of any reason you couldn't speak in a different language in Erfworld.

Of course, there seems to be a rule about foul language.

[Scientivore]

I wouldn't call it a rule. I don't know of any reason you couldn't speak in a different language in Erfworld.

Of course, there seems to be a rule about foul language.

It's more of a trait than a rule. The associated rule would be something like, "Only units that speak Language can communicate with each other." I imagine that warlords without the Language trait wouldn't be worth much. Even if they still had a Leadership bonus, they'd be making all of their own decisions. They wouldn't able to take anything more complex than a move order from the Overlord and Chief Warlord and they wouldn't be able to send detailed reports back like Jillian sent to Ansom.

[SteveMB]

It's more of a trait than a rule.

And probably a universal trait for anybody popped in Erfworld. Really, the fact that Stanley realized the possibility of somebody from elsewhere being unable to communicate or live indicates that he's smarter than one would assume from his immature personality.

[TiamatRoar]

And probably a universal trait for anybody popped in Erfworld. Really, the fact that Stanley realized the possibility of somebody from elsewhere being unable to communicate or live indicates that he's smarter than one would assume from his immature personality.

Yea, you really have to wonder how Stanley got the idea that his perfect summoned Warlord might possibly not speak Language if that's the only language spoken in Erfworld. That's some INSANE outside-the-box thinking to come up with that.

If I were in a world where there was no such thing as anyone speaking a different language, it'd be really hard for me to fathom the possibility (at least, on a whim, like Stanley did)

Of course, it is possible that thinking outside of the box is one of Stanley's major strengths. Afterall, the guy himself apparently came to power due to something outside of the box, as well.

Come to think about it, he chastised Wanda for not thinking outside of the box when Wanda first brought up the summoning spell, too (when he decided to make Wanda cast it instead of paying for the support plan)

[SteveMB]

Come to think about it, he chastised Wanda for not thinking outside of the box when Wanda first brought up the summoning spell, too (when he decided to make Wanda cast it instead of paying for the support plan)

Ironically, the spell itself was Wanda thinking outside the box -- until she raised the possibility, Stanley apparently had no idea other than the usual one of promoting the next handsome-and-dashing guy as a replacement Warlord.

In retrospect, Stanley's questions and his refusal to empty the treasury seem more reasonable than the "pointy-haired boss" vibe I got on my initial reading. He has to pay upkeep to maintain his "small army" (presumably even uncroaked infantry costs something to represent maintenance on their gear). The income flow from controlling Gobwin Knob may or may not be sufficient (though even if it is, he'd still be booped if "income" happens after "upkeep"; we don't know either way).

[TiamatRoar]

That's true. Maybe Stanley only thinks outside the box when it's something he cares about (hiring warlords and even the war itself seemed to be something he just brushed off). Another example of Stanley's outside the box thinking was arming his army with sockpuppets (from the cast page). Although... I do find it hard to imagine any actual positive effect from that idea. Guess they can't all be winners!

Here's a new rule to keep things on topic: Captives have their turn set to be the same as their captor's turn. Jillian healed to full when it was the Plaid's turn starting at Dawn while Parson says in his latest klog that Ansom's units heal at the end of Ansom's turn later on. Ergo, we can assume that while Jillian was a prisoner, she counted as a Plaid tribe unit for the time being (at least when it came to time zones. Perhaps a Plaid tribe "possession" is a more accurate word than Plaid tribe "unit").

[kansas_dave]

Updated and alphabetized.

Beaten to the punch again! Thanks for the help. Knowing the rules Parson has to work with makes the comic even more enjoyable.

D

[Runolfr]

"Forest-capable" is apparently a unit trait, like Fire, Flight, and Regeneration.

[Runolfr]

enemy archery units may attack you if you are on their space

Apparently fliers can move through spaces occupied by non-allied troops without engaging in combat or being stopped. Enemy archers in the space, however, do get to initiate combat against the flyers.

[Ultimatum479]

We don't yet know that no one fights at night. You should change it to say "Unit movement is set to 0 at night."

[Vreejack]

Yea, you really have to wonder how Stanley got the idea that his perfect summoned Warlord might possibly not speak Language if that's the only language spoken in Erfworld. That's some INSANE outside-the-box thinking to come up with that.

If I were in a world where there was no such thing as anyone speaking a different language, it'd be really hard for me to fathom the possibility (at least, on a whim, like Stanley did)

Of course, it is possible that thinking outside of the box is one of Stanley's major strengths. Afterall, the guy himself apparently came to power due to something outside of the box, as well.

Come to think about it, he chastised Wanda for not thinking outside of the box when Wanda first brought up the summoning spell, too (when he decided to make Wanda cast it instead of paying for the support plan)

I had considered the idea that it was a throwaway line and that Rob balder erred when he had Stanley mention "language," but it's so specific. It's an issue I brush up against with my own writing because I am a stickler for details, while most authors ignore language in a fantasy setting. As an illustration: puns are untranslatable, so if your characters are not speaking English then you really ought not give them English puns to speak without a really good reason. Then again I'm from the school of thought that says you should never have your characters do anything without a good reason. Rob seems to be following that dictum too. And the only good reason is "advancing the plot." I think that should be a rule, actually. Rule 0) Nothing happens in Erfworld unless it advances the plot.

Anyway, now that I have wandered far afield, I think it is no goof that Stanley mentioned breathing air and speaking language. And if Stanley is not the most wide-open thinker in Erfworld then we will eventually meet someone who does not breathe air or speak language. It's a fantasy setting, after all, and Stanley has no doubt encountered a few things in his quest for the arkentools.