charlie's origin?

[donkyhotay]

Personally I don't think this theory is correct but I was thinking that charlie might also come from earth. Maggie mentions that charlie is 'bizarre' and parson may be a match for charlies strangeness. This could be because they are strange in the same way due to a common origin. Likewise when charlie declines parsons offer he mentions wanting to do business with him personally some time in the future. This indicates charlie is interested in parson for reasons other then the fact parson is currently he chief warlord of gobwin knob.

[Laurentio]

There are so many different reasons for the very same acts, that is overly pointless to debate it at the moment.

Laurentio

[Corwin Weber]

There are so many different reasons for the very same acts, that is overly pointless to debate it at the moment.

Laurentio

It's never pointless! :)

Several options exist.

1) Charlie is actually from our world and somehow managed to get caught up in Erf.

2) Charlie is from Erf, but due to his mastery of thinkamancy knows a great deal about Earth.

3) Charlie is from Erf, has no concept of Earth, and all of the cultural references are just the kind of freaky coincidence that seems to be common in Erf.

Now we come to my own speculation.... which I haven't seen on the board before:

4) Charlie is Parson.

Through some kind of time travel magic, Parson travels back in Erf time and attunes himself to the Arkendish. He takes on the name 'Charlie' and continues in Erf.

** edited to add because I forgot :) **

5) Charlie is Parson, redux.

Charlie and Parson are the same person from different dimensions. Parson is this universal 'overperson' in Earth, Charlie is the aspect of this 'overperson' that exists in Erf.

[Emo Samurai]

It's never pointless! :)
4) Charlie is Parson.

[Alynn]

I've believed Charlie to be from our world since Parson contacted him. Nothing more than an inkling but...

Oh you'll come through this just fine, believe me. (bolded for emphasis)

Just that line right there. It struck me not as reassuring talk, but more of a "I know what I'm talking about" sort of way.

Sure his letters are Erfish, but that could be

A) he's been on Erf so long his lettering changed
B) The creators didn't want to tip us off that easily
C) The dish (of which Charlie is communicating through) uses Erf letters.

Most likely I'm wrong, but like any theory, as plausable as any other in this situation.

[Corwin Weber]

I've believed Charlie to be from our world since Parson contacted him. Nothing more than an inkling but...

Oh you'll come through this just fine, believe me. (bolded for emphasis)

Just that line right there. It struck me not as reassuring talk, but more of a "I know what I'm talking about" sort of way.

Sure his letters are Erfish, but that could be

A) he's been on Erf so long his lettering changed
B) The creators didn't want to tip us off that easily
C) The dish (of which Charlie is communicating through) uses Erf letters.

Most likely I'm wrong, but like any theory, as plausable as any other in this situation.

I dunno. It did strike me that way to an extent, but it also sounds a bit like a sales pitch....

Could go either way really.

[Caledonian]

Perhaps Charlie knows that Parson is (or is supposed to be) a Perfect Warlord, and is hoping Gobwin Knob falls so that he can recruit him.

That might explain what Charlie meant by "you'll come through this just fine": Parson will, not necessarily anyone else in his faction.

[Corwin Weber]

Perhaps Charlie knows that Parson is (or is supposed to be) a Perfect Warlord, and is hoping Gobwin Knob falls so that he can recruit him.

That might explain what Charlie meant by "you'll come through this just fine": Parson will, not necessarily anyone else in his faction.

But then that comes down to the question of 'will Parson disband if GK falls?'

We still don't know the answer to this....

[reignofevil]

But warlords and casters CAN be captured.

[Corwin Weber]

But warlords and casters CAN be captured.

True, they can be. But what if GK falls before that?

I think we're veering off into questions we just don't have the answers to, and won't until the comic goes there.

[Tyrmatt]

I've believed Charlie to be from our world since Parson contacted him. Nothing more than an inkling but...

Oh you'll come through this just fine, believe me. (bolded for emphasis)

Just that line right there. It struck me not as reassuring talk, but more of a "I know what I'm talking about" sort of way.

Sure his letters are Erfish, but that could be

A) he's been on Erf so long his lettering changed
B) The creators didn't want to tip us off that easily
C) The dish (of which Charlie is communicating through) uses Erf letters.

Most likely I'm wrong, but like any theory, as plausable as any other in this situation.

Or possibly it's a minor Thinkamancy suggestion, giving Parson a subtle boost to flagging confidence. Or it's a major Thinkamancy boost that will subconsciously motivate Parson to find new ways to defeat the foes.

[Caledonian]

If their faction is defeated in combat, I expect all units have to join another faction before their turn, or they are disbanded.

If they automatically disbanded, how did Wanda survive, and why wasn't Jillian (very) surprised to see her again?

[Corwin Weber]

If their faction is defeated in combat, I expect all units have to join another faction before their turn, or they are disbanded.

If they automatically disbanded, how did Wanda survive, and why wasn't Jillian (very) surprised to see her again?

Point. Hadn't considered that. There probably would have to be a lag time until the next turn.

....although that flies in the face of most strategy games I've played. (Usually as soon as you fall, you're done. There is no next turn.) Fits the story tho.

[Caledonian]

Well, there wouldn't be a "next turn" for them - the instant their turn came up, I expect they'd be disbanded.

If they had joined another side before then, though, they might be able to survive the coming of the turn of their former faction. If you were defeated by forces acting in the turn immediately before your own, you'd probably only be able to surrender yourselves to them.

Or perhaps you'd disband at the end of whatever turn your faction was defeated in, so if whoever beat you didn't accept your surrender you'd cease to exist.

I don't think this question can be answered by postulating first principles. It's an empirical question - our guessing can only take us so far.

What we DO know is that independent warlords can survive the destruction of their factions given the necessary requirements, and that individual units can sometimes do the same. The continued existence of Jillian and Wanda, respectively, tell us that. What we can't know is precisely what conditions are required.

[SteveMB]

What we DO know is that independent warlords can survive the destruction of their factions given the necessary requirements, and that individual units can sometimes do the same. The continued existence of Jillian and Wanda, respectively, tell us that. What we can't know is precisely what conditions are required.

Banhammer ordered an heir popped because of a Predictamancer's warning that his kingdom would fall. That implies that having an heir mitigates the consequences of such a contingency.

Combined with Parson's "When the city fell. Shouldn't you have disbanded?" comment (presumably based on what he'd learned from the histories of Erfworld campaigns), followed by Sizemore's explanation about King Saline making Stanley his Heir Designate, I infer:

1. Units of a side normally disband when their capital falls; however,

2. This is avoided if the ruler has a surviving heir*.

*or, presumably, if the ruler himself survives -- confirmed by the fact that Stanley had the option to "take the Arkenhammer and get out" in order to survive the expected fall of Gobwin Knob.

[Corwin Weber]

I suspect that's the key here. The capitol is irrelevant. The ruler is what's important.

This makes it fit with games too, now that I think of it..... it can continue as long as there is a player active on that side, and the ruler is the 'player,' so to speak.

[Caledonian]

There's still Wanda to explain.

[Corwin Weber]

Wanda joined Stanley before the next turn.

Jillian was the heir, and therefore a 'player' in that sense... which would suggest that Faq never actually fell per se. It's abandoned, but the side itself still exists. This gave Wanda the time to join up. If she hadn't, I suspect she'd have ended up as a barbarian unit instead of disbanding. (Of course if she was in Faq at the time.... Stanley likely would have killed her instead.)

[Caledonian]

(Of course if she was in Faq at the time.... Stanley likely would have killed her instead.)

Where else could she have been? She wasn't with Jillian.

[archon_huskie]

I do not think we have been given enough in the comic strips to really guess at Charlie's origins.

[Drakron]

Wanda joined Stanley before the next turn.

Jillian was the heir, and therefore a 'player' in that sense... which would suggest that Faq never actually fell per se. It's abandoned, but the side itself still exists. This gave Wanda the time to join up. If she hadn't, I suspect she'd have ended up as a barbarian unit instead of disbanding. (Of course if she was in Faq at the time.... Stanley likely would have killed her instead.)

Actually ...

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf0092.html

One turn she was part of the FAQ faction and the next one she was a Barbarian, FAQ as a faction ceased to exist when Stanley destroyed it.

I think that explains what happens to Warlords when their side ceases to exit, they and the units under their command became barbarians.

Barbarian units seem to still require upkeep but since they lack a proper "side" they have to rely on taking mercenary jobs to not be disbanded.

[Drakron]

-double post-

[quindraco]

Seems to me that she was a barbarian since she had no capitol - FAQ certainly wasn't hers.

This does raise questions about her ability to spawn units - if that requires a capital, her mercenary band won't last long.

[multilis]

This does raise questions about her ability to spawn units - if that requires a capital, her mercenary band won't last long.

If she can't spawn units, she can try to get others to join her. Eg Wanda - "turn". There may be good sources for units who are willing to join your Mercenary side.

[Zone]

If she can't spawn units, she can try to get others to join her. Eg Wanda - "turn". There may be good sources for units who are willing to join your Mercenary side.

Or one can buy units from other factions, as long as other factions are willing to sell? As well as rations. (I take it Jillian does not have cities nor villages to produce food.)

[Corwin Weber]

I think we're onto something here.

Faq fell. Jillian became a barbarian unit because she no longer had a capitol. Had she not been an heir, she and her troops would have disbanded. Since she was an heir, and therefore a 'player' so to speak, she continued.

She gets to keep playing the game, so to speak, but she no longer has a side per se.