Erfworld 55, Page 49

[Scientivore]

I just loved this page. I loved the B&W security camera look of the bat's-eye (ear?) view. I loved seeing Bat*21's last glimpse of sky from inside the dwagon's mouth. I loved the expression on Vinnie's face in the third panel. I loved learning that there can be explicitly separate stacks within hexes. I loved learning that the "battle bears" are as important to Parson as the towers; I wasn't really sure if their boulders (from the spidew skirmish) were a siege attack or just ranged, now I'm thinking siege. I loved Leeroy Jenkin's expression in the third-to-last panel. I loved the cola branding meta-joke.

The only thing that isn't clear to me is in the third panel: is Vinnie lying down on a pink pillow or sitting up in front of a pink banner (there's something like that in the fourth panel)? Also, the grass in the fourth panel is sufficiently stylized that at first I thought they were on some kind of seashore.

[the_tick_rules]

there was a movie called car 54 where are you, that what ya thinkin of.

[Erk]

The only thing that isn't clear to me is in the third panel: is Vinnie lying down on a pink pillow or sitting up in front of a pink banner (there's something like that in the fourth panel)? Also, the grass in the fourth panel is sufficiently stylized that at first I thought they were on some kind of seashore.

It looks like vinnie is inside his coffin, his head on soft mauve silks, when he wakes up from the "signal" from his bat and pops up out of the coffin in the 4th panel, to me.

Alternately it could be a semi-abstract background to indicate he's not really considering his surroundings just there, but focused internally.

[Fuzzy_Juan]

Actually, the 'color' in the background when he looks surprised is the same as the flag that is just behind him the next time you see him. He also is squatting perched on the top of his closed coffin so he might have just been standing on it and not inside of it.

It is just as likely that he was inside a red velvet coffin as it is that that was just the background flag and he has a telepathic link with his bats...either way, they have intel that is a bit different than just hats but is nowhere near as sophisticated as Stanley's 'maproom'.

[teratorn]

Parson simply could not resist. I was kind of antecipating this but it's still funny. LJ really looks creepy.

Only one day of waiting to see some teddy bear carnage!

[SirEdward]

I don't mean to bring anyone down or anything, but didn't Leroy get his entire team killed or somesuch? Might not be the most auspicious battlecry one might want to use when enacting a complex, elaborate plan....

Consider the inversion however. Leeroy and crew in WoW were slaughtered by dragon-like creatures flying all over the place. Perhaps it is an incantation that spells doom to land based combatants.

[Flakey]

I don't mean to bring anyone down or anything, but didn't Leroy get his entire team killed or somesuch? Might not be the most auspicious battlecry one might want to use when enacting a complex, elaborate plan....

One of the subtle ironies of this is that Leroy is now uncroaked, and has no freewill. Therefore, he can not just suddenly charge in and ruin the plan that has been worked out.

[Vince3]

There is a more obscure (and a little bit older) reference for the "Leeeroy" call from Parson

The main character in (Berry Gordon's) The Last Dragon (1985) is called Leroy (or Bruce Leroy...)

In the prelude to the final battle, the protagonist Sho'Nuff constantly is calling out to Leroy to meet him up a few levels above while the goons are raining down on him.....

[Mutiemoe]

This particular page is a thing of beauty.

I love the look on Vinnie's face when the bat gets it -- how strong is that link, anyway?

That was propably one of the funniest facial expressions in tho whole comic this far.

[Irbis]

Uhh... What does the 'Big' said by Winnie mean? I didn't get that.

EDIT: by the way, are those other leaders reference to something, like Link in some previous comic was?

[Idless]

I still don't get his tactic :(

But the leroy was funneh!!

funny how its always written "leeeeeeeroy jenkins"

I am quite sure its "Leerooooooooy Jenkins"

huh...


...Idless

[Dwagon]

hh... What does the 'Big' said by Winnie mean? I didn't get that.

Irbis, in the first panel Vinnie says "Trouble, Boss". Big is just to characterize the kind of trouble ;)

[innovan]

The second frame of bat-cam is confusing because the camera angle flips 180 degrees between the two shots. Seeing a shot of dragon tonsils would have conveyed the idea without the confusing 180 flip.

There is little question today that the "Leroy Jenkins" video was staged for the cameras.

There's all sorts of people who shout it out to bait newbs into thinking they have an easy target. It's beyond the backlash and the counter-backlash into being no longer a sign of hubris, but just a great punchline. And a way of goading lower level people into unwise actions.

Parson is used to generating flavor text on the fly and taunting players mid-action --I love that he's willing to go that little extra to give a warlord something to shout and give the action personality (as opposed to just rolling dice and reporting results like a beginner would do). And if he's lucky, Ansome is going to think Leroy Jenkins is the new warlord. Allowing a whole mistaken identity plot and resolve if the author chooses.

[SteveMB]

The second frame of bat-cam is confusing because the camera angle flips 180 degrees between the two shots. Seeing a shot of dragon tonsils would have conveyed the idea without the confusing 180 flip.

I didn't find it confusing; the first shot is the doombat's over-the-shoulder glance at the dwagons (as seen in the last panel of the preceding page) and the second shot is the doombat being overtaken as it tries to fly away.

Parson is used to generating flavor text on the fly and taunting players mid-action. And if he's lucky, Ansom is going to think Leroy Jenkins is the new warlord. Allowing a whole mistaken identity plot and resolve if the author chooses.

I'm not sure why that would matter, though it would be amusing if Team Ansom refers to Stanley's new military genius as "Leeroy Jenkins".

[Caledonian]

Unusual that dwagons have soft, gummy maws. They traditionally are extremely toothy.

[Mysticaloctopus]

Unusual that dwagons have soft, gummy maws. They traditionally are extremely toothy.

It's a Dwagon, though! Not a Dragon, a Dwagon. Say it out loud. It sounds a bit pathetic. Things in Erfworld are all a bit cute and pathetic when it comes to it. Dangerous, yes, but not as scary.

[ErikZ]

Unusual that dwagons have soft, gummy maws. They traditionally are extremely toothy.

I just figured they were more like turtles.

[CobaltSky]

I still don't get his tactic :(
But the leroy was funneh!!
funny how its always written "leeeeeeeroy jenkins"
I am quite sure its "Leerooooooooy Jenkins"
huh...

...Idless

In the video he elongates both syllables so its should be "Leeeeeroooooooooy Jenkins"

[Gez]

The second frame of bat-cam is confusing because the camera angle flips 180 degrees between the two shots. Seeing a shot of dragon tonsils would have conveyed the idea without the confusing 180 flip.

Bats are quite nimble creatures, able to make sharp turns very fast (they prey on flying insects and live in holes or grottos, after all); and the 180° flip is quite logical given instinctually, the poor doomed bat would try to flee the dwagon's gullet rather than dive in it.

[Emmerson Grant]

Nicely done.
I'm digging the story more and more. Once you get used to it's pace, it is easy to enjoy it.

I love the tiny little details too. Keep them coming.

[Calemyr]

A few thoughts on this:

* The "Leeroy Jenkins" battle cry is actually quite appropriate: in both settings it serves as a warning that the land based invaders are about to be wiped out by dwaconic retribution... or is that draconic wetwibution...

* The "bat's ear view", as one clever poster called it, is hardly a surprise for Parson. Well, maybe the mechanics of it would be, but he knew that Ansom relied on scouts for intel gathering. Based on Jillian's comments earlier, however, it's not unreasonable to assume that Vinnie's scrying range with his bats is limited.

* Bat-21 is quite probably a godsend for Parson, assuming he is able to pull off his real time unit restructuring trick. Ansom currently at best knows about 5 dwagons attacking his troops and might assume that they're a sacrifice play to slow Ansom down. It won't be until the warlords attack another target with a FRESH batch of dwagons that something remarkable is happening.

* It will be interesting to see if the dwagons can manage to vanish back into the forests when Parson's turn is up. The major risk Parson is taking here (besides investing 3/4 of his leadership) is the chance that his Toolship's best weapons will be lying weakened and exhausted in Ansom's path before they get the chance to heal. On the other hand, if he can place the Team B dwagons between the oncoming force or move the team A dwagons beyond the movement range of the siege weaponry, it could serve as an ambush and may force Ansom to splintering his convoy in order engage the dwagons (at the moment, everyone in Ansom's force is moving at the slowest speed in it in order to support and defend the siege weapons).

*Stanley probably would be a little miffed if Parson drove Ansom away before he even got to Gobwin Knob, but he would also likely be impressed that Parson, in such a short time, managed to turn the tables enough to rout an assault that just days before had been considered unstoppable. Regardless, that won't happen - Ansom's forces will be diminished, but will still make it to city, and only time will tell whether Stanley will claim Ansom's Arkenpliers.

There. I think that was about all I had to say on the matter...

[TiamatRoar]

The second frame of bat-cam is confusing because the camera angle flips 180 degrees between the two shots. Seeing a shot of dragon tonsils would have conveyed the idea without the confusing 180 flip.

It's probably to represent the bat's actions. Notice that in the previous page, the bat is flying AWAY from the dragons. Ergo, we know that the camera situation pans out like this:

First Shot: Bat 21 sees dragon. Bat 21 says "HOLY BOOP!"

Second Shot: Bat 21 frantically tries to fly away (and thus would be facing outside from within the dragon's mouth as the dragon overtakes it)

[Varmus]

LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOY Jenkins! God did I laughed at it . I'm still smiling... This just sounds hilarious! And, if someone do not know the video, here it is: The YouTube Leeeroy Jenkins video.

Overall good comic. Things just keep goin' better an' better :D

[SteveMB]

Unusual that dwagons have soft, gummy maws. They traditionally are extremely toothy.

When Parson first heard Stanley refer to a "dwagon"*, he asked "Are we talking about the big, scaly, flying lizards with lots of teeth and a bad attitude?" and Stanley agreed with that description. Of course, Stanley cares more about results than about details -- if a dwagon bites you, your're in a world of hurt whether it technically has "teeth" or not.

*Stanley had used the word earlier in Parson's presence, but he evidently didn't notice (perhaps because Stanley was talking to Wanda).

[teratorn]

He'll retreat into the trees when dwagons are all injured or used all their move, but they'll stay there only until his next turn starts (then dwagons heal and they go back home, causing some extra damage). In the turn in between Ansom's flyers will be back but likely won't be able to engage them for they'll use most of their move to get back into the column. Parson just needs to compute the optimal resting position.

The question is: did Parson send all his units there? Won't GK be vulnerable? Having no lookamancers Ansom probably won't gamble into trying something similar on his move, and Jillian is too crushed to take initiative.

[SteveMB]

The question is: did Parson send all his units there? Won't GK be vulnerable? Having no lookamancers Ansom probably won't gamble into trying something similar on his move, and Jillian is too crushed to take initiative.

According to Parson's plan, the fast (19 Group A) dwagons will hit Ansom's column from a forward base, while the slower (27 Group B) dwagons hunker down and defend the forward base. Ansom would thus see only the former; if he gets an accurate count (or even if the reports are clear that certain known dwagon colors haven't been seen), there will be a significant force of dwagons unaccounted for. Unless he discovers the "party platter" configuration (as Scientivore described it), which is unlikely given his limited intel, he'll have no way of knowing how far Gobwin Knob's air defenses have been stripped.

Most likely, he'll order the air units to return to the column ASAP on his turn (which is presumably what they were going to do anyway).

[teratorn]

Unless he discovers the "party platter" configuration (as Scientivore described it), which is unlikely given his limited intel, he'll have no way of knowing how far Gobwin Knob's air defenses have been stripped.

He'll get damage reports from units attacked and maybe info from forest gumps (there may some of them in those trees). Who nows, maybe we'll be able to see Charlie's Archons in action.

[Jonzac]

What do you mean "you guys miss"? there have been at least 5 references to it already.

That would be me not waiting for all the pages to load before posting in great haste.

[Hilary Moon Murphy]

Before this comic, I had never heard of Leeroy Jenkins.

I spent way too long looking at different variations of Leeroy videos after reading through this discussion. Curse you all for doing this to me! The call is now stuck in my head.

I was trying to figure out what it was about Leeroy Jenkins was so appealing to people, and this is what I came up with:

1) The embracing of loserhood -- who wants to see winners all the time?

2) The call of "Leeroy Jenkins"... It's so gung ho and ludicrous.

3) The proof that plans are only as good as the people following them.

4) The concrete ending of "Least I have chicken." These weren't real people that died. The players are still okay, if pissed as hell.

5) The secret desire all of us have to eschew the plans and just charge in, screaming our names to the world.

***

Like others, I still don't much see the connection between the call of "Leeroy!" and Parson's great plan. But I can see why Parson would want to indulge in his own private in joke. He's working for the Tool. He's going to need all the humor breaks he can get.

Hmm

PS I loved the bat cam.

[Tussy the Druid]

Heh i just realized that second picture was the inside of the dragon's mouth

JEEENNNKINS!