Is this world the first one with high level characters?

[woweedd]

^

The implication seems to be that it's rare but has happened. Only a small fraction of worlds have lasted long enough to raise gods, a fraction of that has lasted long enough to raise gods and also have enough time to gather resources, and presumably only a small fraction of those gods have been able to actually do it.

For all we know it was originally the Ten Gods or something.

Fermi Paradox, but for Gods. Also, I like to theorize that Rabbit is an ascended God, chosen to replace the forgotten god Cat among the Twelve, after an extremely successful propaganda campaign by Rat sapped his worshipers to such an extent that he starved to death. This actually fits with real-world mythology: Cat is included in Rabbit's place in the Vietnamese Zodiac, and the explanation for why he isn't in the Chinese is a myth saying that, when all the animals of Earth were competing to become the Zodiac, Rat successfully tricked Cat into a close loss, thus starting the eternal war between their descendents. Makes sense: In the OOTS verse, I also like to believe that the threads of reality that formed Cat worlds ago, were later re-forged into Mr. Scruffy. True ruler of Azure City indeed.

[Squire Doodad]

Makes sense: In the OOTS verse, I also like to believe that the threads of reality that formed Cat two worlds ago, were later re-forged into Mr. Scruffy. True ruler of Azure City indeed.

This is now canon.

[Particle_Man]

It is implied that different iterations have different non human races, so sometimes we only get Asiatic dwarves
What happens to race specific gods who survive the transition and then get stuck with a new version of their race?

Well, Thor changed his hair colour due to changes in the beliefs of mortals. Presumably gods are quite mutable, depending on their followers. So an Asiatic Dwarf God from world X will become a Parody Stick Figure Dwarf god in the current world, and perhaps be less Asian and more Glaswegian.

[Squire Doodad]

Well, Thor changed his hair colour due to changes in the beliefs of mortals. Presumably gods are quite mutable, depending on their followers. So an Asiatic Dwarf God from world X will become a Parody Stick Figure Dwarf god in the current world, and perhaps be less Asian and more Glaswegian.

That sounds about right. And when the situation is one that cannot be reconciled between the god and the people's view of them (such as denying their existence) that leads to things like what happened to Odin. How a god looks is presumably the thing that changes the most easily.

[Snails]

^

The implication seems to be that it's rare but has happened. Only a small fraction of worlds have lasted long enough to raise gods, a fraction of that has lasted long enough to raise gods and also have enough time to gather resources, and presumably only a small fraction of those gods have been able to actually do it.

For all we know it was originally the Ten Gods or something.

I would frame that a little more conservatively.

New gods that are robust enough to survive until a new world can be made to populate with worshippers is surely very very rare. We can make a wild guess that there have been ballpark ~1,000,000 worlds and we seem to have only roughly ~100 gods (or less) that are the beefy ones.

It could be that dozens of new gods appear every world, especially demi/lesser gods like Dvalin. It would be a good guess that these basically never survive.

[Riftwolf]

Could be this is the first world where a monster NPC God was born who decided to tell his followers the secret. (I'm guessing Fenrir etc weren't really telling their followers anything beyond 'Maim! Eat! Rend! Repeat!)

[CriticalFailure]

I would frame that a little more conservatively.

New gods that are robust enough to survive until a new world can be made to populate with worshippers is surely very very rare. We can make a wild guess that there have been ballpark ~1,000,000 worlds and we seem to have only roughly ~100 gods (or less) that are the beefy ones.

It could be that dozens of new gods appear every world, especially demi/lesser gods like Dvalin. It would be a good guess that these basically never survive.

How does that contradict what I said?

[Grey_Wolf_c]

We can make a wild guess that there have been ballpark ~1,000,000 worlds

That seems to be a ballpark at least three order of magnitude under the actual estimated number in the comic alone, and that's not considering issues with eclipsing. The true number is likely more than 3 orders of magnitude above that.

It could be that dozens of new gods appear every world, especially demi/lesser gods like Dvalin. It would be a good guess that these basically never survive.

Or more likely, that non-OG gods have trouble surviving the successive worlds. The elven and dwarven gods will do well as long as there are dwarves and elves, but the moment the pantheons switch to, say, movie snack world, they're going to be forgotten and fade, just as the pizza god wouldn't have much belief in the current OotS.

Grey Wolf

[Snails]

How does that contradict what I said?

I posit it likely that a new world spawns several new gods. They just do not survive to be seen in the next.

Perhaps that is what you meant, too.

[CriticalFailure]

I would guess that how many, if any, gods arise depends on both the length of time the world survives, and the world's theme. For example, I doubt a world that lasted 4 years had time to raise gods, and I would guess that a gritty cyberpunk world might be less likely to raise as many gods during its existence compared to a world based on a D&D system.

[Fyraltari]

We can make a wild guess that there have been ballpark ~1,000,000 worlds

Spoiler: 1139

Show

The grey background isn't mist, it gravestones too far off to see properly. there has been much much more than a million worlds before that one.

[woweedd]

I would guess that how many, if any, gods arise depends on both the length of time the world survives, and the world's theme. For example, I doubt a world that lasted 4 years had time to raise gods, and I would guess that a gritty cyberpunk world might be less likely to raise as many gods during its existence compared to a world based on a D&D system.

What, people can't be worshipped as gods in a modern world?

[CriticalFailure]

It's not that they can't. Just that such worlds probably result in fewer gods.

[Psyren]

At best it's the first world to use D&D 3.5, and I'm not even positive about that given how the edition change happened in medias res like that. Seemed to be a planned threshold kind of deal.

[woweedd]

At best it's the first world to use D&D 3.5, and I'm not even positive about that given how the edition change happened in medias res like that. Seemed to be a planned threshold kind of deal.

That change also seems to have been retroactive, judging by SOD.

[brian 333]

Pizza appeared to have enough levels to one-shot Milk Dude, and Soda's epic revenge quest probably required earning a lot of EXP.

[KorvinStarmast]

Or more likely, that non-OG gods have trouble surviving the successive worlds. The elven and dwarven gods will do well as long as there are dwarves and elves, but the moment the pantheons switch to, say, movie snack world, they're going to be forgotten and fade, just as the pizza god wouldn't have much belief in the current OotS.

Grey Wolf

Wait, is OoTS world lacking in pizza?

We know it has waffles and tacos and orange juice, per the brunch after the death of Crystal.
We know it has kimchee, per O'Chul's musings on the way to the last gate in the frozen north ...
We know about pickles and various sandwiches and sardines, from Belkar in the thieves guild and his meals therein ...
We know there is coffee, that Xykon can't drink now.

Is there any evidence of pizza in OoTS world?

[D.One]

Wait, is OoTS world lacking in pizza?

We know it has waffles and tacos and orange juice, per the brunch after the death of Crystal.
We know it has kimchee, per O'Chul's musings on the way to the last gate in the frozen north ...
We know about pickles and various sandwiches and sardines, from Belkar in the thieves guild and his meals therein ...
We know there is coffee, that Xykon can't drink now.

Is there any evidence of pizza in OoTS world?

It seems to me pizza exists within OotSWorld (last panel).

[Fish]

The evidence seems clear.

The MiTD is a box of Mintos (“the curiously strong mint”).

[Squire Doodad]

Could be this is the first world where a monster NPC God was born who decided to tell his followers the secret. (I'm guessing Fenrir etc weren't really telling their followers anything beyond 'Maim! Eat! Rend! Repeat!)

Unlikely. All of the gods are quite sentient and intelligent, Fenrir seems to be in a bit of a fervor at the moment instead of being an entity of basal instincts.

[Heksefatter]

Since Thor said that previously mortals have reached godhood in other worlds too, it is likely that they have been high-level or something equivalent from the other worlds.

And now I shudder at the thought of a previous world using Warhammer Fantasy rules or something.

[Emmit Svenson]

A world based on Stick figure DnD parody is probably predated by several worlds based on actual DnD, so no.

Hmmm. What if the gods played D&D, and said, "For our next world, we should do something like this!"

Maybe they picked it up in our world, which would have been one of the older, scribbled-over worlds. "A world of humans with no magic? Sounds kind of basic, doesn't it?"

[woweedd]

Hmmm. What if the gods played D&D, and said, "For our next world, we should do something like this!"

Maybe they picked it up in our world, which would have been one of the older, scribbled-over worlds. "A world of humans with no magic? Sounds kind of basic, doesn't it?"

That would imply we're dead...

[Pixel_Kitsune]

In regards to the original question, there have definitely been earlier D&D editions.

When Thor is explaining Odin's mental issues he's specifically referencing the Second Edition ruleset and details. Specifically saying the Dwarves were barbarians who thought magic was dumb nonsense for fools and simpletons.

Second Edition D&D (And 1st before it) Dwarves couldn't be mages, had some level of natural magic resistance and tends to look down on wizards. Also, 2nd Ed is where the BattleRager comes from and trust me, the 3.5 Prestige Class and the 5e Barbarian Focus don't really come close to the level of brainless smash smash that thing was.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

In regards to the original question, there have definitely been earlier D&D editions.

When Thor is explaining Odin's mental issues he's specifically referencing the Second Edition ruleset and details. Specifically saying the Dwarves were barbarians who thought magic was dumb nonsense for fools and simpletons.

Second Edition D&D (And 1st before it) Dwarves couldn't be mages, had some level of natural magic resistance and tends to look down on wizards. Also, 2nd Ed is where the BattleRager comes from and trust me, the 3.5 Prestige Class and the 5e Barbarian Focus don't really come close to the level of brainless smash smash that thing was.

That's a massive stretch. And it directly contradicts actual canon, where Haley's dad was a first edition thief back in the day, implying that OotS world has gone through at least three editions in this world alone (1st, 3.0, 3.5).

There is no indication that the worshipers that messed up Odin in the previous world were dwarves, nor that they were running any D&D rules at all.

Grey Wolf

[Pixel_Kitsune]

There is no indication that the worshipers that messed up Odin in the previous world were dwarves, nor that they were running any D&D rules at all.
Grey Wolf

Which comic does Haley's dad say that?

As for the rest, there's plenty of indication, if you know a setting other than early edition D&D where Dwarves are Berserking anti-mage drunkards I'd love to hear about it. (Not meant mean or anything, I legitimately cannot come up with anything in all the fiction and myth I've read where the Norse gods had followers like this. Even if you go with Earth Vikings, the ragey stuff is a silly stereotype and they had a lot of mysticism that they respected or feared.)

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Which comic does Haley's dad say that?

Link

As for the rest, there's plenty of indication, if you know a setting other than early edition D&D where Dwarves are Berserking anti-mage drunkards I'd love to hear about it.

Again, you are assuming your own conclusion. There is no indication that the believers that messed up Odin were dwarves. And there is no need for previous worlds to fit any existing settings, anymore than there needs to be an existing setting where laser-snails are a thing.

Canon is that in the previous world, the worshipers of the Northen gods (which might have been, for all we know, intelligent lawnmowers) disliked magic, and thus the god of Magic for the northern pantheon was given a crippling mental condition.

Grey Wolf

[Pixel_Kitsune]

You seem to heavily underestimate Rich's effort and research. The joke is a meaningless throw away the way you take it, where as it's a clever in joke nod to those who played 2nd edition by my interpretation.

You're welcome to disagree, this is hardly something worth fighting over, but again, he rarely makes pointless jokes that have no purpose or reference and again I can think of no other fiction or real life where the Norse gods are worshipped by people as Thor describes.

As for the link, I'm torn on that, it's issue 8. Well before most of the world, setting and plot were developed. It's possible that it's still cannon and also possible that's something that the series has long outgrown, I mean we have a Belkar who gets flustered by double talk and feels bad for accusing someone of theft. Not saying it's impossible for Belkar to fall for that type of thing, but g guilty and apologetic?. Would be curious for Mr. Burlew's comment if I have get the chance to ask.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

You seem to heavily underestimate Rich's effort and research. The joke is a meaningless throw away the way you take it, where as it's a clever in joke nod to those who played 2nd edition by my interpretation.

Alternatively, you are seeing a connection where there is none. If Rich had wanted to make a joke about 2nd ed dwarves, you'd think he'd mention dwarves or 2nd ed. He did neither, instead at best referencing any number of barbarian-like cultures, the most obvious of which would be Conan.

You're welcome to disagree, this is hardly something worth fighting over, but again, he rarely makes pointless jokes that have no purpose or reference and again I can think of no other fiction or real life where the Norse gods are worshipped by people as Thor describes.

Again: laser-snail. Not every previous world is a reference to an existing setting, and your continued assertion it must is baffling at best.

Grey Wolf

[D.One]

You seem to heavily underestimate Rich's effort and research. The joke is a meaningless throw away the way you take it, where as it's a clever in joke nod to those who played 2nd edition by my interpretation.

You're welcome to disagree, this is hardly something worth fighting over, but again, he rarely makes pointless jokes that have no purpose or reference and again I can think of no other fiction or real life where the Norse gods are worshipped by people as Thor describes.

As for the link, I'm torn on that, it's issue 8. Well before most of the world, setting and plot were developed. It's possible that it's still cannon and also possible that's something that the series has long outgrown, I mean we have a Belkar who gets flustered by double talk and feels bad for accusing someone of theft. Not saying it's impossible for Belkar to fall for that type of thing, but g guilty and apologetic?. Would be curious for Mr. Burlew's comment if I have get the chance to ask.

AFAIK, the "barbarians that decided magic was dumb nonsense" stuff is a nod to 2nd edition Barbarians that distrusted and hated magic, but it could also be a reference to lots of settings that have similar relationships beetween noble barbarians (or not so noble barbarians) and magic. Conan stories have some of this tone, for example.