Erfworld 77, page 71

[CNagy]

Ansom "to the rescue" during Jillian's engagement is a major break in the TBS backdrop of the story. Whatever the explanation the authors concoct for it, it has messed with one of the basic ground rules of the whole setting. I dislike it very much.

Not necessarily, there are examples of TBS which allow for this sort of thing, though from a perspective it can be considered a form of hybrid TBS with RTS elements. Additionally, while we know that gameplay is divided into turns (Ansom's, Tool's) we now also know that battle itself is real-time (or, we have a huge indication of that.)

Personally, though, I think this entire setup really means that the spell designed to bring Parson screwed up (i.e. he isn't the Perfect Warlord, just a pretty good one). This did not happen to Parson because of a rule that he was not aware of. He had all the movements, all the stats, and all the terrain. He could have positioned his forces with impunity, knowing the various moves of the opposition, even if it meant that he didn't get as much of the siege the first time through. Settling for, say, 30% of the siege on the first run and then having enough move left to place those Dwagons out of the range of any counterattack is far more appropriate of a tactician, and he still could have ran the party platter if he wished. He could have increased the damage (more siege destroyed) via the planned surgical strikes en route to Gobwin Knob, and theoretically came out of this entire plan with half or more of the enemy siege in flames, and theoretically no losses except whatever was incurred from the platter.

Instead, he took out something to the tune of 41% of the siege, lost a number of dragons, a couple of warlords, and it looks like he's going to lose more before this is over.

[Halfpunch]

I dont see the point anymore really.. ansom is going to keep beating parson on every turn, everything is going his way, literally the only thing that can save gobwin knob is a dues ex.

I just can't agree with anyone claiming impending DEM. I read stories told by others because I'm intrigued and acknowledge that the author is a better storyteller than I am. Just because you can't see a path to what you consider a reasonable resolution does not mean that there is a DEM hanging in the balance.

Even if DEM was the only way for Team Tool to win, who's to say they're going to? Are you forgetting completely about Stanley's goal to unite the Arkentools? The unknown power of the Arkenpliers? The implications that the Arkentools were used/left by the Titans (worldbuilders of Erf) and are now key in Parson's (our real protagonist, a worldbuilder who happened to be working on a campaign with a very GK-like city) survival?

There is nothing written that one side has to win or lose in order for the story of Erfworld to continue. Some examples:

• Lake dwagons are routed completely, Tool recovers Arkenpliers and gains ability to control another powerful unit
• Tool recovers Arkenpliers and loses GK. Parson attunes to pliers and hammer (added irony since Ansom was 'bringing them to Stanley' who then brought them to Parson)
• Tool recovers Arkenpliers, gains immense individual power. GK is lost but Stanley alone is godlike and threatens creation. Parson joins Coalition.
• Tool, GK and all save Parson are routed in upcoming battle. Parson is set adrift in a strange world, possibly begins own quest for Arkentools.

Above and beyond that, there is still the chance for this small battle to turn in Parson's/Tool's favor (Vinny Ansom and Jillian croaked is a huge loss)

If we actually see a DEM get written and published then I could understand the distress, but until then I will personally be giving Rob and Jaime the credit of being better storytellers than I.

[xKiv]

Personally, though, I think this entire setup really means that the spell designed to bring Parson screwed up (i.e. he isn't the Perfect Warlord, just a pretty good one). This did not happen to Parson because of a rule that he was not aware of. He had all the movements, all the stats, and all the terrain.
...

And ~3 days of think-tanking on this forum between strips, and plenty of non-stressed rest, and no constant interruptions and and and ...
Right.

[Folk]

Great story, keep it up, don't listen to these strategy nerds, looking at game mechanics seems to make you lose your imagination.

[SteveMB]

Personally, though, I think this entire setup really means that the spell designed to bring Parson screwed up (i.e. he isn't the Perfect Warlord, just a pretty good one).

Parson himself knows that. He also knows that this is the situation he's stuck with, and has made the best of it.

This did not happen to Parson because of a rule that he was not aware of. He had all the movements, all the stats, and all the terrain. He could have positioned his forces with impunity, knowing the various moves of the opposition, even if it meant that he didn't get as much of the siege the first time through. Settling for, say, 30% of the siege on the first run and then having enough move left to place those Dwagons out of the range of any counterattack is far more appropriate of a tactician, and he still could have ran the party platter if he wished. He could have increased the damage (more siege destroyed) via the planned surgical strikes en route to Gobwin Knob, and theoretically came out of this entire plan with half or more of the enemy siege in flames, and theoretically no losses except whatever was incurred from the platter.

Instead, he took out something to the tune of 41% of the siege, lost a number of dragons, a couple of warlords, and it looks like he's going to lose more before this is over.

Yep. He took a gamble, knowing that he had to do enough damage to render the enemy siege train ineffective before Ansom got his air cover back in place. Perhaps if he'd had the Mathemancy armband when he was working out the details of his plan, he might have figured that he could do sufficient damage this turn and still save enough move to send the wounded dwagons completely out of reach.

[Krellen]

Great story, keep it up, don't listen to these strategy nerds, looking at game mechanics seems to make you lose your imagination.

My discontent has nothing to do with strategy or game mechanics, and everything to do with story flow.

What has been set up now, basically, is a change of cast in midstream. This started out plainly as the story of Stanley and Parson, and has instead become the story of Jillian and Ansom. That's just bad story-telling.

[Cadfan]

Speculation Number 1

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Wanda's spell really did work. Jillian can't actively go against Wanda's interests, but she's free to rationalize why not in whatever way she can. Likewise, if she realizes that something really isn't against Wanda's interests, she can do it even if Wanda doesn't realize the same thing. Wanda thought that Jillian couldn't attack the dragons because Jillian realized how important the dragons are to Wanda's cause. Jillian has figured out some reason that the dragons aren't so vital, so she can freely attack them. Parson has not yet figured this out, but he will.

Speculation Number 2

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Anson, Vinny, etc, are all stranded in a hex far from home, probably without enough move to retreat. But they're surrounded by griffons with move left. You can ride on a griffon. They will ride the griffons home to safety.

[SteveMB]

Great story, keep it up, don't listen to these strategy nerds, looking at game mechanics seems to make you lose your imagination.

Well, given the number of different arguments advanced by the "strategy nerds", I'm not seeing any shortage of imagination.

I get the impression that some people are annoyed at the latest developments because Parson's side seems doomed, despite his efforts and tactical cleverness. I think they're also a bit offended that Ansom didn't pay much of a price for walking into a trap because of his own overconfidence (having apparently gotten a bit mentally lazy after being up against Stanley for so long).

Personally, I'm betting that our Lord Hamster still has a few interesting tricks up his sleeve.

Speculation Number 2

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Anson, Vinny, etc, are all stranded in a hex far from home, probably without enough move to retreat. But they're surrounded by griffons with move left. You can ride on a griffon. They will ride the griffons home to safety.

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If the gwiffons are still there at the end of the day -- it looks like one of them has become a toasted marshmallow dwagon treat, and there are still as many as a dozen dwagons in the fight....

[grumbleboom]

I dont see the point anymore really.. ansom is going to keep beating parson on every turn, everything is going his way, literally the only thing that can save gobwin knob is a dues ex.

I rarely if ever talk on these boards, but this got me. I would assume Galdon that you are also the type of person that would abandon a multiplayer RTS game after your first wave was destroyed.

A game at any stage is very rarely unwinnable. In almost any situation you can find or use a strategy that is unexpected to give you a momentary upper hand. If you come up with enough of these sequentially you CAN win. Sometimes that strategy backfires like what's happening now for GK. So the following step would be to plan the next unexpected attack. For example, where are the tunnels they keep talking about, and could they take out the forest units in one turn from there?

The only time a loss is guaranteed is when one side gives up. I'm hoping that the comic doesn't move in that direction, because only then will if think of it as a disappointment.

[Friv]

My discontent has nothing to do with strategy or game mechanics, and everything to do with story flow.

What has been set up now, basically, is a change of cast in midstream. This started out plainly as the story of Stanley and Parson, and has instead become the story of Jillian and Ansom. That's just bad story-telling.

Huh?

Ansom's first appearance as a major character was Page 7; before Parson had even appeared. He's been a major character since the story began, and nothing has changed.

Unless you feel that only one side should get character dvelopment? Personally, I far prefer both sides to be interesting people, which is what's going on here. Unless you can claim that the events in this square won't affect Parson's story, there's no reason to assume that the "cast has changed".


As far as the unbroken string of victories, each side has won a victory now. Parson flattened Ansom's siege forces, and Ansom looks to be about to take out half the dragons. Maybe. Personally, I still have money on Jillian not making it through this fight, in order to make Ansom more tragic.

More interestingly, I just checked back on a weird thought, and

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the battle for Gobwyn Knob is an 80 to 90 page story. So it's entirely possible that Ansom will win this fight, stranding Parson in Erfworld...

[galdon]

I just can't agree with anyone claiming impending DEM. I read stories told by others because I'm intrigued and acknowledge that the author is a better storyteller than I am. Just because you can't see a path to what you consider a reasonable resolution does not mean that there is a DEM hanging in the balance.

Even if DEM was the only way for Team Tool to win, who's to say they're going to? Are you forgetting completely about Stanley's goal to unite the Arkentools? The unknown power of the Arkenpliers? The implications that the Arkentools were used/left by the Titans (worldbuilders of Erf) and are now key in Parson's (our real protagonist, a worldbuilder who happened to be working on a campaign with a very GK-like city) survival?

There is nothing written that one side has to win or lose in order for the story of Erfworld to continue. Some examples:

• Lake dwagons are routed completely, Tool recovers Arkenpliers and gains ability to control another powerful unit
• Tool recovers Arkenpliers and loses GK. Parson attunes to pliers and hammer (added irony since Ansom was 'bringing them to Stanley' who then brought them to Parson)
• Tool recovers Arkenpliers, gains immense individual power. GK is lost but Stanley alone is godlike and threatens creation. Parson joins Coalition.
• Tool, GK and all save Parson are routed in upcoming battle. Parson is set adrift in a strange world, possibly begins own quest for Arkentools.

Above and beyond that, there is still the chance for this small battle to turn in Parson's/Tool's favor (Vinny Ansom and Jillian croaked is a huge loss)

If we actually see a DEM get written and published then I could understand the distress, but until then I will personally be giving Rob and Jaime the credit of being better storytellers than I.

so what you are saying is you are in denial. strategically speaking, the only way for them not to lose would be for a dues ex because quite simply the only good thing going for them right now is we know that parson is going to get a new toy tomorow morning for breakfast.

we cannot lose the castle vinny! (yes i know vinny is on ansom's side i was just changing one word of a preexisting phrase)

no really, if they lose gobwin knob, and go on the run, what happens next? a few soldiers no matter how powerful simply cannot beat anyone, even if they do have arkentools. if they lose the battle in the most heavily defended possision in the world. THEY. LOSE. GAME. OVER.

[Cadfan]

Its worth mentioning that Tool is, you know, the bad guy. Parson works for him because he was summoned by him, not because he chose to do so. If the Tool loses, so what? Maybe that means Parsons goes home.

Still, this comic's schtick has been putting characters in positions where they're absolutely screwed, then having them get out of them with smart thinking. I wouldn't automatically count Parson and Ansom out right away. Maybe Parson will come up with another plan once he has more information, like better information on the magic system, or on the specific defenses of Gobwin Knob.

I'd still like to see him lose, simply because him winning means a genocidal nutcase also wins. But there's probably room for some more back and forth.

[Bongos]

Ahh, finally came out of lurking....

Maybe I have missed it but about the turns and game mechanics..

If GK's turn starts at dawn and Jetstones ends at dusk....and wounds heal at dawn, when can GK attack wounded Jetstone? in the way that Jetstone is attacking wounded GK at the moment?

Things look bleak for GK at the moment, they always did really but Parson will have all night to think of another plan and just a few things.

1. He can now veil his troops. Will that have a bearing next turn?

2. He still has 1 warlord in reserve (Ensign Toast). Every good warlord keeps a reserve don't they? There could be something out there we don't know about? Spidew troops? Crap Golems. Maybe some more dragons? Other air units? I mean when it was his turn last he was able to move all his units right,
who moves only one unit type per turn? Surely there was some other manuvering going on?

3. Anyways at the end of this turn Parson has all night to come up with a new plan, and now he can use that nifty little armband of his...

"If the plan does not plan for problems outside of the plan, then it isn't a plan at all" Prince Ansom

Surely Parson knows this, and has something up his sleeve?

[JazzManJim]

3) Parson merges his stacks and gives orders not noticing Ansom coming from the other side. He only notices something when it's too late.

You're kidding right?

Based on everything we've seen from Parson, does anyone think it even remotely likely that he managed to completely miss the most important enemy unit on the board, the one ringed 'round with his own dwagon units, the one he is fully expecting to make a break for it, the one depicted by a big freaking gold star, the one carrying an Arkentool, streaking toward his wounded dragon stack?

If that's true and Parson just blanked on where the enemy's leader was, then calling him "not the Perfect Warlord" is a huge understatement. He's not even a worthy opponent at Tic Tac Toe.

I'm irritated because, as I said, we seem to have found Yet Another Rule Discovery. I feel cheated because I don't have enough time to assimilate the rules we do have before we're thrown yet another change out of left field.

Not only that, but Parson isn't getting these rules changes either. Stanley, Wanda, and Sizemore all know, because Parson has told them, that he doesn't know the rules of the game. Apparently, not a single one of them have seen fit to school him in the rules he really needs to know. Oh sure, he knows how units pop and how to see unit stats when he's looking directly at one. But he doesn't know the rules he needs to know to do his job. He only now found out that he could hide units in a hex. He apparently has just found out that "turn based" doesn't quite mean "turn based". He didn't find these things out from the people who actually know them already but by random happenstance.

At this point, I'm watching Ray Charles box a young Mike Tyson.

[Krellen]

Ansom's first appearance as a major character was Page 7; before Parson had even appeared. He's been a major character since the story began, and nothing has changed.

Parson is "introduced" on page 6, when the idea of the "perfect warlord" is first mentioned. Though we don't know who the perfect warlord is going to be, we know about him before we know about Ansom.

Before page 50, Ansom's side (not just Ansom himself) had a grand total of 10 strips devoted to it - 20% of the story. 50 pages is pretty deep into the story, so it's safe to assume the side having 80% of the comic devoted to it is the "main" side.

Since page 50, he's had 16 strips - that's roughly 80% of the comic thus far from that point. Page 50 is a definite division between being a story about Stanley's side to being a story about Ansom's side. And doing that halfway through your story is bad story telling. It would be as if Tolkien decided to show the Lord of the Rings from the point of view of Sauron and his orcs after the battle of Helm's Deep.

This is just sloppy. For some reason we're suddenly supposed to care about Ansom, when for the first half of the story Ansom was nothing but an adversary. If you want to present both sides as full-fleshed, you need to start sooner.

[BRC]

you need to remember that luck was all that did not cause parsons plan to succeed flawlessly. the coalition got lucky that jillian stumbled across the dwagons.

[Ozar]

A possibility that I haven't seen anyone else suggest that I can foresee

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following the last panel where Jillian and Ansom are almost close enough to kiss...

A bloodied dagger to the midsection during a kiss and snatching the pliers away from Ansom. His guard will be totally down.

I came here to post this. :(

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Jillian suddenly stabbing Ansom is about the only way out I see at this point. That or a Gundam.

I'd still like to see him lose, simply because him winning means a genocidal nutcase also wins.

Does it really mean that?

Assuming this story ever shifts into Parson's reconquest of Stanley's lost cities.. there's plenty of time before Stanley's ascension for Parson to figure out how to break free of Stanley's control and perhaps destroy him and save Erfworld etc.

[ag30476]

I came here to post this. :(

Jillian suddenly stabbing Ansom is about the only way out I see at this point. That or a Gundam.

Well that's 1 or 2 main ways I see for things to turn around.

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The other being Stanley goes into battel himself with the Arkenhammer.

But you should have used a spoiler to say what you said. There may be some posters that don't want to read speculation like that.

[sihnfahl]

If GK's turn starts at dawn and Jetstones ends at dusk....and wounds heal at dawn, when can GK attack wounded Jetstone? in the way that Jetstone is attacking wounded GK at the moment?

GK's wounds heal at dawn; Ansom's wounds heal at noon (when it's his turn).
GK moves at dawn. Ansom moves at noon (after GK finishes their move).

1. He can now veil his troops. Will that have a bearing next turn?

He cannot veil his troops. He needs a foolamancer in the same stack as the units he wants to veil. That means breaking up the trimancer setup for his situation board.

2. He still has 1 warlord in reserve (Ensign Toast). Every good warlord keeps a reserve don't they? There could be something out there we don't know about? Spidew troops? Crap Golems. Maybe some more dragons? Other air units?

He has 3 warlords in reserve, actually. Ensign Toast, Archduke Ferdinand and himself.
Spidew troops wouldn't be much good. Ansom's over a lake hex, the column's so strong that assaulting it directly would be a waste of spidews, and Parson pulled every dwagon that could reach in the window into play.

Anyways at the end of this turn Parson has all night to come up with a new plan, and now he can use that nifty little armband of his... Surely Parson knows this, and has something up his sleeve?

The only ones that we, the reader, have been privy to are in his Klogs. (Oh, and did you notice Parson's reaction when Stanley told Parson that Jillian was one hex away from the dwagons? 'I think, uh, you're officially betting our lives on it, Wanda.' He's not too optimistic...)

Force them into the tunnels (by taking out all the siege). Probably a dead strat.

Capture/kill Ansom. Viable, if Ansom doesn't skitter back to Tarfu. Then it's back to bad chances to Parson.

Hole up in GK and just whittle away at Ansom's forces as they assault the walls.

Run!

[JazzManJim]

I rarely if ever talk on these boards, but this got me. I would assume Galdon that you are also the type of person that would abandon a multiplayer RTS game after your first wave was destroyed.

A game at any stage is very rarely unwinnable. In almost any situation you can find or use a strategy that is unexpected to give you a momentary upper hand. If you come up with enough of these sequentially you CAN win. Sometimes that strategy backfires like what's happening now for GK. So the following step would be to plan the next unexpected attack. For example, where are the tunnels they keep talking about, and could they take out the forest units in one turn from there?

The only time a loss is guaranteed is when one side gives up. I'm hoping that the comic doesn't move in that direction, because only then will if think of it as a disappointment.

Well, step into Parson's shoes for a hypothetical minute here.

Let's say that Parson finds out that his Gobwin units can tunnel underground as quickly as a dwagon can fly. Let's also say that Parson can see, on the Big Board, that the forest units are exposed on one flank and that he has more than enough Gobwins to take out those forest units and incur, at most, 10 percent losses.

So you/Parson take the information you have to Stanley or Wanda or Sizemore and they nod their heads sagely. Yuo go on and execute it ebcause it's your plan and your the Warlord. Your Gobwins go forth and tunnel and pop up amidst the forest units and begin wreaking havoc.

Suddenly, a Giant Forest unit you didn't know anything about suddenly just appears in the middle of the battle and begins zapping Gowbins with lightning bolts from its many branch Deathblossom-style. Aghast you call for a retreat, having incurred 35 percent losses and only completing a small percent of your original objective. Wanda, standing next to you says, "Hmph, a Deathbwossom. I heard Ansom had one of those. I didn't expect to see it there, though".

How, exactly, would you feel at that point? If it's anything but "royally ticked", I'd be very surprised.

[Bongos]

[QUOTE=Cadfan;3186556]Its worth mentioning that Tool is, you know, the bad guy.

Well that's just propaganda, isn't it?

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0032.html

[Surfing HalfOrc]

Ahh, finally came out of lurking....

Maybe I have missed it but about the turns and game mechanics..

If GK's turn starts at dawn and Jetstones ends at dusk....and wounds heal at dawn, when can GK attack wounded Jetstone? in the way that Jetstone is attacking wounded GK at the moment?

Things look bleak for GK at the moment, they always did really but Parson will have all night to think of another plan and just a few things.

1. He can now veil his troops. Will that have a bearing next turn?

2. He still has 1 warlord in reserve (Ensign Toast). Every good warlord keeps a reserve don't they? There could be something out there we don't know about? Spidew troops? Crap Golems. Maybe some more dragons? Other air units?

3. Anyways at the end of this turn Parson has all night to come up with a new plan, and now he can use that nifty little armband of his...

"If the plan does not plan for problems outside of the plan, then it isn't a plan at all" Prince Ansom

Surely Parson knows this, and has something up his sleeve?

A few misperceptions...

Your side heals at the beginning of your turn, not in the morning. Jillian healed in the morning because it was the beginning of her turn.

There are TWO uncroaked warlords at Gobwin Knob: Archduke Ferdnand and Ensign Toast. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0027.html

Lady Phat Singh may or may not be able to retreat from the battlefield. As many have argued before, it is "unfair" for Ansom to have jumped into the battle like that, so it may be equally "unfair" for Lady Phat Singh to beat a hasty retreat with what few A-dwagons she still has in her column... What's good for the goose and all that...

He can't veil his troops at the moment. He doesn't have a Lookamancer in the stack. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0070.html

What he can do with the Armband of Doom is hard to say...

If it were me (and not Parson at the whims of Rob and Jamie ) I'd have Lady Phat Singh run as fast as her little undead legs would carry her. Then have her and one of the other two Warlords return to cause hate and discontent to the siege engines with the remaining A and B-dwagons, before looking for a better hidey-hole. Once the siege engines are taken out of the equasion, Parson can send raiding parties out to draw Ansom's units into the tunnels, where the Gobwins will chew them up.

But that's me, and I suck at TBS games. So feel free to ignore my theories...

[JazzManJim]

Double Post. Never Mind.

[Ozar]

But you should have used a spoiler to say what you said. There may be some posters that don't want to read speculation like that.

But.. the thing I quoted wasn't spoilered. Why jump down my neck?

But fine, I'll change it. I can respect not wanting something to be spoiled, even if it is just speculation.

[SteveMB]

Before page 50, Ansom's side (not just Ansom himself) had a grand total of 10 strips devoted to it - 20% of the story. 50 pages is pretty deep into the story, so it's safe to assume the side having 80% of the comic devoted to it is the "main" side.

Since page 50, he's had 16 strips - that's roughly 80% of the comic thus far from that point. Page 50 is a definite division between being a story about Stanley's side to being a story about Ansom's side.

Actually, it seems to me that the focus is very much on Stanley's side even so. The two main threads running through the recent pages showing Ansom's side are "the effect of Parson's gambit on Ansom" and "the effect of Wanda's brainwashing on Jillian".

[Bongos]

[QUOTE=Surfing HalfOrc;3186658]A few misperceptions...

Your side heals at the beginning of your turn, not in the morning. Jillian healed in the morning because it was the beginning of her turn.

I thought for sure GK turn was in the morning? Anyways does'nt matter, beginning of turn works for me, it's balanced.

There are TWO uncroaked warlords at Gobwin Knob: Archduke Ferdnand and Ensign Toast. http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0027.html

Your right I forgot about him! The Archduke and The Ensign. Sounds like a winning combination.

He can't veil his troops at the moment. He doesn't have a Lookamancer in the stack.

Maybe he'll get it there next turn? Probably not though, it would sever the link....but then again why tell us that rule unless it was going to be used eventually? Just to explain Ansom's charge? Sure, maybe..

If say for example he could continue the hit and run tactic with the lookamancer veiling the dwagons at the end of the turn? Probably too late for that now.

Can Wanda uncroak Dwagons? You know like Xykon?

[Girl Wonder]

This is just sloppy. For some reason we're suddenly supposed to care about Ansom, when for the first half of the story Ansom was nothing but an adversary. If you want to present both sides as full-fleshed, you need to start sooner.

I -do- care about Ansom. I especially like that he's not some sort of stereotyped pretty-boy know-nothing, a straw man set up to take an immediate pratfall at the hands of 'the perfect warlord.' He seems to confound a lot of people by -not- being what they expected and somehow seemed to hope for. Lots of characters in this comic do that.

Jillian? How dare she choose a brave, handsome, conscientious man over the dark, dominatrix-allure of Wanda? Now there might not be a Jillian/Wanda make-out scene!

Vinnie? What the heck is a vampire doing advising someone like Ansom, and being a thoughtful, insightful, down-to-earth guy with working-class sensibilities instead of wrapping himself in Goth mystique, torment and detatchment?

Stanley? How can such a shallow little martinet with such obvious limitations be attuned to a powerful Artifact of Creation? Why isn't the Arkenhammer Wanda's?

Parson?
Don't tell me our primary point-of-view character is an obese, unattractive loser with no ambition and filled with cynicism and sarcasm! From Cinderella to Luke Skywalker to Quasimodo, we want our protagonists to start out with their difficult lives because they're victims of circumstance, not their own lack of motivation and generally apathetic approach to life!

And Wanda?
I'm hoping her character growth takes her in similarly unexpected directions, and away from the dragon-lady stereotype. If it doesn't, I'm looking for her to be the ultimate antagonist of this story and Parson's most-deadly foe.

The point is, a lot of characters in this story are not who we initially expect them to be. Ansom was initially painted in a way to be unsympathetic to a lot of the audience (rich, confident, handsome, powerful, noble) but has proven to have a lot of unexpected, mostly good qualities. Wanda was initially painted in a way to be sympathetic to a lot of the audience (intelligent, put-upon, long-suffering, dealing with an insufferable boss) but has proven to have a lot of bad qualities. Characters in this comic often (not always, but often) are more than what they first seem to be, and end up choosing courses of action that people used to more formulaic storytelling might not expect. Furthermore, I expect most of them are going to grow and develop with time, much as Jillian has.

The assertion that 'halfway through we're supposed to care about Ansom??' rests on the assumption that we are, indeed, halfway through, which I don't think is true. We're halfway through the first chapter of a much larger story, 'The Battle for Gobwin Knob' is only 'Part One' of Erfworld. In that context, I think a few dozen strips to establish one faction, then a few dozen to establish the other is not at all 'sloppy', and it's clearly going to take a lot more than 100 strips to tell the full stories behind a lot of these characters.

I don't know a lot about sports, but the complaint seems to me kind of like watching the first inning of a baseball game, and then when the first team gets out, standing up in the bleachers and saying 'Hey! We just spent three whole outs caring about those guys at bat, and now, halfway through the game the other side gets to hit? They're supposed to be the adversaries! Who wrote these rules? That's sloppy!

Admittedly, the update schedule draws everything out much more than we would like, and we may not see the end of Erfworld (if ever) until we are all much, much older, but if you look at what we've seen so far as the first half of Chapter One, I think it makes a lot more sense.

[teratorn]

You're kidding right?

I'm working with "old rules", with very fast motion and requiring stacks to merge before they can attack jointly.

Ansom could enter from the backside while Parson was giving his orders and Ansom could order the merging while he was entering (just seconds before engagement). This may be standard practice when invading one hex if your first stack managed to win engagement.

Parson distracted by his plan to attack Jillian takes a few seconds to notice the changes in Jillian's stats but it's too late to block Ansom. Note that he sees Ansom before the tool. It's Parson first battle. He'll react faster in the next one. I prefer this instead of having a more complex game with reinforcements and such.

[Halfpunch]

so what you are saying is you are in denial. strategically speaking, the only way for them not to lose would be for a dues ex because quite simply the only good thing going for them right now is we know that parson is going to get a new toy tomorow morning for breakfast.

we cannot lose the castle vinny! (yes i know vinny is on ansom's side i was just changing one word of a preexisting phrase)

no really, if they lose gobwin knob, and go on the run, what happens next? a few soldiers no matter how powerful simply cannot beat anyone, even if they do have arkentools. if they lose the battle in the most heavily defended possision in the world. THEY. LOSE. GAME. OVER.

Denial would indicate that I have a preset outcome/end to the story already in mind. The truth is I don't have that preconcieved notion on how the story will or should end. The battle for GK is just the first volume in the Erfworld Saga, so there's no guarantee that GK has to win from a story perspective. Parson is the protagonist, not Stanley, Wanda, or anyone else in GK.

As for the Arkentools we've only seen what one of them (of the four known) can do when properly attuned: Command dwagons, argueably the most powerful air units in Erf. I see plenty of potential for a multi-Arkentool wielding individual to be a threat.

As far as stratedgy goes GK has more than Stupid Meal toys in their favor. Better intelligence, Croakamancy, superior battle intel/control, narrow approach, fortified walls and murderous tunnels all come to mind.

[berrew]

Can't say I enjoyed this one, and it bodes ill for the future.

Ansom "to the rescue" during Jillian's engagement is a major break in the TBS backdrop of the story. Whatever the explanation the authors concoct for it, it has messed with one of the basic ground rules of the whole setting. I dislike it very much.

I disagree. I see nothing wrong with a TBS that allows the attacker to add in supporting stacks (perhaps only those with a leader?) to a fight between each combat "round", as long as they have move left. That part is what makes it a TBS, not a RTS - the instant "move" of the supporting troops, BTW. The fact that a lot of folk are uncomfortable with the missing RTS element is blindingly obvious. Folks, a unit can move X hexes in a turn - all in an instant at the end of the turn, or slowly, one at a time. Jillian doesn't move 32 hexes/day (or whatever) because it takes her a "shorter time" to move hex-to-hex then a ground unit, she can move that far because that's how far a Gwiffon moves.

Supporting stacks are no more odd than being able to choose to retreat, or advance to an empty hex after each combat "round", with a leaderized stack. The fact that we saw it in a dramatic fashion, with Ansom saving a worried Jillian, has no real bearing on the actual mechanics, which would assume that at the beginning of round 3, the Ansom unit gains initiative, and engages the Manpower unit using selective targeting before the Manpower unit can attack the Jillian unit.