The map.

[The Old Hack]

So, I did a little bit of thinking and checking, and saw some funny things. Here we see Parson with the map of the wargame he was about to play with his friends. And here you see a scene from Erfworld itself, and if you align it in your mind and then compare it to Parson's map, they start to look awfully alike. The path up the caldera, hills in the area to the left when looking at the path...

I've tried to spot other things on Parson's map, like the lake the wounded dwagons sought refuge over, but couldn't find them. Maybe we should ask for a blowup of this particular frame?

In any event, it makes me wonder even more about Parson's worries that he is inhabiting some huge wish-fulfillment fantasy in a coma resulting from a stroke or the like. He did work on this for five months, after all. Still... if this is all the work of his own mind... it makes me wonder about what caused all these particular elements to emerge. Not that I am convinced it is, I am merely wondering...

[Shhalahr Windrider]

Yeah, that's kinda one of the big points of the comic. The whole thing is an identical scenario to the game he was going to run. Evidently, the game has different rules, and the "cutsey" aspect wasn't present, but in almost all other aspects, Erfworld is Parson's game.

In any event, it makes me wonder even more about Parson's worries that he is inhabiting some huge wish-fulfillment fantasy in a coma resulting from a stroke or the like.

See, I get Parson's confusion over this issue. 'Specially the bit about King Saline, IV. But both we, the audience, and his on-panel friends saw Parson "Plotted" out of his world before arriving on Erfworld. That kind of shot generally messes with, "It's just a dream" theories. Now, if Parson were "Plotted" without some handy in-panel witnesses, that would be another matter...

[The Old Hack]

Yeah, that's kinda one of the big points of the comic. The whole thing is an identical scenario to the game he was going to run. Evidently, the game has different rules, and the "cutsey" aspect wasn't present, but in almost all other aspects, Erfworld is Parson's game.


See, I get Parson's confusion over this issue. 'Specially the bit about King Saline, IV. But both we, the audience, and his on-panel friends saw Parson "Plotted" out of his world before arriving on Erfworld. That kind of shot generally messes with, "It's just a dream" theories. Now, if Parson were "Plotted" without some handy in-panel witnesses, that would be another matter...

These two things together make me wonder still more. Has Erfworld been influencing Parson for months before this happened, subconsciously inspiring the idea for his scenario in him? Or did Parson somehow create Erfworld through the sheer intensity of his passion for wargaming? Or, given an infinite existence with infinite possibility, was Parson's creation of a game sheer coincidence and did the spell home on him because he was the closest match?

That brings us back to the opening page again, where the entire thing started because the Titans left behind one more gem. We never see if it happened by accident or if they did so deliberately. Just how much did or do the Titans influence Erfworld? Are they playing a game or following a plan? Sheesh, no wonder Parson is caught up in existentialist wonderings, the story has me doing it, too!