125 The Battle for Gobwin Knob, Page 113

[pdwalker]

All these puns are, of course, revolting.

[Psychosomatic]

Ohmg, I love it.

[dr pepper]

Ah, so that's Jack's real face. And now he will be all COMPOS mentis.

[TheMutant]

Had to end my long lurking streak to weigh in with a few random thoughts.

I think that, if anything, Jack's restoration is more bad than good for Stanley at this point. He's a captured unit, which means his Loyalty sucked to begin with, and the Titans only know that the link breaking and mental backlash can't have improved things on that front, at best. I could easily see Jack turning the fight against Stanley, tweaking things just to save Jillian's life, or even abandoning him altogether- dramatic jump off the dwagon's neck to join Jillian, maybe? A Foolamancer of that magnitude would pose a knotty further challenge for Parson down the line. /tinfoil

However, I dunno how likely that is, since with a master Foolamancer against him, along with the remainder of the Transylvito forces, I'd think the Tool's survival chances would be slim- and I think, or at least hope, that Stanley survives for a good while yet.

Something that confuses me, though- why is Jillian so shocked to see Jack? Ansom believed Gobwin Knob had a Foolamancer, and Jillian knows that Stanley captured at least one caster when he took over FAQ- why not more? Seems that Jack being the Tool's Fool wouldn't be the most unlikely conclusion.

[Lamech]

I don't think so. You can see him in the back of the bottom-left panel, still in the air. It looks like he's paralyzed by electricity, though, or something along those lines. Whether he's been taken out for an instant or the rest of the fight, who knows, but he doesn't look dead.

His bats, on the other hand... it's hard to tell, but they look charred and falling from the sky.

Yeah his bats are gone, out and dead. He may be dead too, since flying things float after death, and that may go double for units that just fly with out wings or some such. He may very well be dead or dieing. And that was a freaking AoE, how in the world would anyone take a direct hit? How can any stack fight that AoE? Jillian can't win this.

Also he's the chief warlord it was confirmed this comic. If they lose the chief warlord bonus plus the bonus for him being in the hex... those bats will be pretty worthless, not even basic infantry.

[Aquillion]

Yeah his bats are gone, out and dead. He may be dead too, since flying things float after death, and that may go double for units that just fly with out wings or some such. He may very well be dead or dieing. And that was a freaking AoE, how in the world would anyone take a direct hit? How can any stack fight that AoE? Jillian can't win this.

Also he's the chief warlord it was confirmed this comic. If they lose the chief warlord bonus plus the bonus for him being in the hex... those bats will be pretty worthless, not even basic infantry.

Uh, AoE means "area of effect". It'd slaughter the bats, sure, but most AoE effects do less damage than single-target attacks, spread out over an area... so a single strong unit (like a warlord, say) would likely survive.

Additionally, Stanley isn't sticking around to fight them, so whether the bats are weakened or not isn't so important. He's trying to break through, which is why he's rushing Jillian (who was placed to block his escape.)

[fractal]

Uh, AoE means "area of effect". It'd slaughter the bats, sure, but most AoE effects do less damage than single-target attacks, spread out over an area... so a single strong unit (like a warlord, say) would likely survive.

Additionally, Stanley isn't sticking around to fight them, so whether the bats are weakened or not isn't so important. He's trying to break through, which is why he's rushing Jillian (who was placed to block his escape.)

Yeah, I think Stanley is probably making a mistake not finishing Caesar off. The Transylvito units heal first, so taking out the chief warlord (since he's wounded him already) would really improve his odds in a future engagement. Stanley is losing dwagons (perhaps a lot) so if Caesar isn't weaker too then sooner or later Stanley will be hunted down.

[the_tick_rules]

Lots of math in that strip.

[dr pepper]

What I want to know is; how many love affairs does this woman have?! I mean seriously!

Awesome page, love the Hammer!

Strange how the electrical references ran out before someone could mentionb how Jillian is AC/DC.

[Occasional Sage]

Strange how the electrical references ran out before someone could mentionb how Jillian is AC/DC.

Arg! Just when I thought the thread was safe, with everybody grounded and ready for a discussion. Do we need to bring in a copper to start charging people who commit punning offenses?

Edit for a serious note:

Honestly, I think that that's a trope TVtropes is missing -- the 'set' of super-powered magical items that the plot revolves around. It's a very common trope (think of the lesser rings or the Palantiri from Lord of the Rings, say), but all they have is subtropes of it like GottaCatchThemAll or CosmicKeystone.

What's wrong with, as the authors do, calling the Arkentools MacGuffins?

[Fafnir13]

Maybe it's just me, but does it make any sense that the Knight fighting evil Mario traded his axe for a switchblade? Even aside from the basic "what would you rather bring to a fight?" question, he just switched into his opponent's dance style, fighting him in West Side Story fashion.

Axes can be rather slow. Once EM got up in the knights face, it was time to bring out the knife.

[R13]

What's wrong with, as the authors do, calling the Arkentools MacGuffins?

Just a minor distinction, a MacGuffin is a plot device, but it doesn't actually do anything useful.


I'm sure it's come up before, but, does Stanley's plan make any sense now that his enemies know where he's going? Faq may be a bit more defensible than Gobwin Knob, but how can he possibly generate a new army in time to defend it?

I think his only hope will be that the coalition could fall apart, and Transylvito (for some unknown reason) won't be able to spare the units to take him out right away.

[Moonshadow]

Hmmm, having read it again, I just realised that it looks like Stanley is swinging for Borgata's nuts.


He'll be singing soprano after that hit

[fractal]

I'm sure it's come up before, but, does Stanley's plan make any sense now that his enemies know where he's going? Faq may be a bit more defensible than Gobwin Knob, but how can he possibly generate a new army in time to defend it?

I think his only hope will be that the coalition could fall apart, and Transylvito (for some unknown reason) won't be able to spare the units to take him out right away.

Well if they can only attack you by air, and you have lots of dwagons, maybe you're not too afraid? Especially if you get a fortification bonus for being in a city.

So what's that long black thing sticking out of the front of the dwagon in panel 6? Is that the armored horn seen earlier? It didn't look that long...

[Prowl]

"Compos" as a sound effect is REALLY stretching it, way too un-subtle. Liked the rest of it, though.

[Prowl]

Done
it's a generator

Van de Graff Generator is also the name of a progressive rock band from the '70s, which is probably what the author was thinking of given the context.

[Aquillion]

Van de Graff Generator is also the name of a progressive rock band from the '70s, which is probably what the author was thinking of given the context.

The appearance of the attack does look very much like a Van de graff generator's effect, so it's likely they were thinking of both.

Also, a van de graff generator releases low-power arcs (that can still sting a bit), so this is likely a comparatively weak, stunning attack on every nearby unit, enough to kill all the bats and stun the warlord long enough for him to get away... again, a very good choice made in an instant. Stanley does seem to have earned his position as a warlord honestly.

[Bilgore]

All these puns are, of course, revolting.

Thankfully the moderators have a high permittivity.

Strange how the electrical references ran out before someone could mentionb how Jillian is AC/DC.

Ouch! That one Hertz!

[MattR]

If there was any lingering craziness in Jack's mind i think seeing Jillian has cleared it right up.

Transylvito style .... hmm.... scout units that gain bonuses that big... and are presumably cheap to pop. I fail to see how anyone could ever beat a transylvito army in that instance. It explains why they have so many warlords to spare though.

Thinking about the dwagon donut.... why did they need to use bats as a decoy at all? Vinny and Ansom were in the same stack, so Vinny's warlord bonus would have applied making them at the very least standard units and Ansom was in the stack so theyd have got a chief warlord bonus. Even if the bonus wouldnt have worked the same as it does with Caesar (i.e. turning them into heavies) it makes that particular instance a little less dire.

Stanley is really showing where his talents lie. He should never have been made heir, he doesnt have the head for it... but in the field! pwns!

Has it ever been answered whether Vinny and gang are classed as living or undead? if undead that lightning might have only stunned Caesar.... or vamp warlords may have a 1 shot 'rise from the dead' deal. I'm still not convinced this is the last we've seen of him.

I think it's interesting that Jillian seems surprised to see Jack there. She knew the tool had a foolamancer, but with Jack never running combat missions with her i guess she thought he was just left back at GK. Ansom however was expecting it.

To Lamech

The flying units Wanda uncroaked were lying in the courtyard. Can you link to where dead flying units have continued to fly? its possible both instances have happened. but i cant remember it and i havent got time to go digging right now.

[VariaVespasa]

Arg! Just when I thought the thread was safe, with everybody grounded and ready for a discussion. Do we need to bring in a copper to start charging people who commit punning offenses?

Dude, why so series? The language in Erfworld does not always parallel the real world. He was just trying to lightning up the mood a bit, in this otherwise grim electron year.

[whmice]

van de graff lol
reminds me of physics lab
my high school teacher told us that the accidentally got zapped with that, wasn't very nice.

[Capt'n Ironbrow]

Boop the pun-police

No pun, no fun!

or at least in Erfworld... it's the very nature of the place...

Faq princess baby
On a gwiffon she sat
Swingin her broad sword
At the Tool oh so bad
Faq princess baby
on a gwiffon she sat

Ceasar Borgota, a flash to his fly
as his doombats started to die
The tool got all speed that he need
And knocked Borgota straight off his feet

Faq princess baby
On a gwiffon she sat
Swingin her broad sword
At the Tool oh so bad
Faq princess baby
on a gwiffon she sat

Jack & Jill between the hills
Where knights and vamps do battle
The axe couldn't hack against a switchblade attack
And the tool had no way of turning back

Faq princess baby
On a gwiffon she sat
Swingin her broad sword
At the Tool oh so bad
Faq princess baby
on a gwiffon she sat

[Murderous Hobo]

Maybe it's just me, but does it make any sense that the Knight fighting evil Mario traded his axe for a switchblade? Even aside from the basic "what would you rather bring to a fight?" question, he just switched into his opponent's dance style, fighting him in West Side Story fashion.

It's from the video clip of Micheal Jacksons "Beat it", the song mixes rock and pop-music.

[docstrange]

Van de Graaf? What a shocking turn of events.

Always amusing to see how Erfworld is grounded in things from current culture.

I suppose that Stanley's tactical options were to Charge, or maybe to Bolt?

Is there any way that Caesar could have the capacitance to survive such battery?

Now that Jack has recognized Jillian, do you think he'll offer Stanley some resistance? Or will he keep discharging his duty to Stanley so he can return ohm?

I can only see this thread polarizing the forum even more.

It's hard to see how the stakes could be amp'ed up any further.

Ohm my God! Watt are you talking about? It will take longer than a minute to decide this fight. To be fair, a day.

[VariaVespasa]

Ohm my God! Watt are you talking about? It will take longer than a minute to decide this fight. To be fair, a day.

Dont make me cage you...

[VariaVespasa]

Yeah his bats are gone, out and dead. He may be dead too, since flying things float after death, and that may go double for units that just fly with out wings or some such. He may very well be dead or dieing.

Er, nothing in that linked strip is dead, so how, exactly, is that evidence that flying things float after death? Wanda uncwoaking the dead flying things that the air defenses killed that are most certainly NOT floating anymore rather disproves your idea, I would say. So I'd say Ceasar is not dead, just wounded (probably badly) and likely suffering some electrical stun from what appears to be residual lightning still crackling off him. From the body language of both him and Stanley before the blast, his body clearing being blasted backwards by the impact, and the extra lightning arcs to his flying body I'd say Caesar was indeed struck directly by the Arkenhammer which is what triggered the aoe, rather than merely being struck by the aoe alone. His bats were struck by the aoe, but none appear to have been blasted backwards like Caesar, so I think direct impact with the arkenhammer is certain. Jillian was only struck by the aoe of the air defenses back in GK, rather than directly by a weapon, which is why she did not get blasted back/up.

If I was Stanley I'd likely wanna finish Caesar off too, but we dont know enough about the combat mechanics to know if its practical without damaging his overall survival chances, or even possible at this moment due to rules restrictions. Declaring "breakthrough" may have committed him to certain movements that he cant break out of now till that action is fully resolved.

I dont think Jillian has any issues about not being able to attack Stanley without harming Jack. Her attacks seem precise, and single target only. She didnt either miss Leroy, or hit him and his dwagon in one strike, so I dont think its a problem for her. Jack may be back, but we dont know if he'll have time to form a coherent plan of action before Stanley and Jillian meet, let alone form enough intent to betray/desert Stanley.

My personal guess is that Jillian, being unsure of being able to kill Stanley before he gets past her, AND almost certainly wanting Jack back, will elect to kill Stanleys dwagon rather than try for Stanley, and then rescue the now-falling Jack, while Stanley flies off using the Arkenhammer and is picked up by another dwagon and escapes.

Stanley lives to be a pest/instigator in later issues, although he must now change his plans about FAQ, since the enemy know about it and he's lost his foolamancer. Parson gets the time he needs for phase 2 as Stanley burns the rest of the turn using his remain move to flee. Both Jack and Jill get to live, Jillian because she's a main character we want to see more of, and Jack because we want to know more about him and actually meet him, finally. also. Ansom, his part played out, does not get to live, at least if phase 2 works out. Vinnie is unknown. Is he with Jillian, in which case the outlook isnt good unless he's the one she uses to catch Jack, or was he part of the general Transylvito attack, in which case his chances are better. Stanley may call GK looking for info/suggestions/status in desperation as part of figuring out what to do after losing his foolamancer, giving Parson a chance to inform him of possible success and maybe luring him back to GK. Or he may break his link with GK, thus giving Parson his freedom, in order to do wierd turn-order munchkinism of his own to aid his escape. Or he may so need his foolamancer that he turn back to the battle to recover him after Jillian splatters his mount. Or I could be on really serious drugs. :)

[Miklus]

Boop the pun-police

No pun, no fun!

or at least in Erfworld... it's the very nature of the place...

Faq princess baby
On a gwiffon she sat
Swingin her broad sword
At the Tool oh so bad
Faq princess baby
on a gwiffon she sat

Ceasar Borgota, a flash to his fly
as his doombats started to die
The tool got all speed that he need
And knocked Borgota straight off his feet

Faq princess baby
On a gwiffon she sat
Swingin her broad sword
At the Tool oh so bad
Faq princess baby
on a gwiffon she sat

Jack & Jill between the hills
Where knights and vamps do battle
The axe couldn't hack against a switchblade attack
And the tool had no way of turning back

Faq princess baby
On a gwiffon she sat
Swingin her broad sword
At the Tool oh so bad
Faq princess baby
on a gwiffon she sat

Awesome

[fendrin]

Something that confuses me, though- why is Jillian so shocked to see Jack? Ansom believed Gobwin Knob had a Foolamancer, and Jillian knows that Stanley captured at least one caster when he took over FAQ- why not more? Seems that Jack being the Tool's Fool wouldn't be the most unlikely conclusion.

Yet more evidence that Jillian simply is not the sharpest tool in the Arkenshed.
I'd say that (in D&D terms) Int was her dump stat. Exactly opposite of what Banhammer wanted.


On a separate note, Van de Graaff generators are the stereotypical high-school science class device that looks like a ball on a post. In olden times (like when I was in HS) the teacher would have someone touch it to see how the static electricity it generated would make their hair stand on end. Apparently something like one in 2-3 million kids with a certain kind of heart problem could be killed like that, though, so it's not widely done anymore. One bad apple...

Larger Van de Graaff generators, such as the one at the Boston Museum of Science are used to do lightning demonstrations. Deadly voltages in play. Much fun, bright flashes, loud bangs, and crying babies (why oh why do people bring their babies into a lightning demonstration... do they think they will calmly sleep through it?).

So yeah, Van de Graaff is an awesome attack phrase.

Some history info about it here

[Wrecan]

Note that in Erfworld 125, Jillian says there are 11 warlords on her side. Only 8 are pictured here, plus Jillian and Vinny. So who is the eleventh warlord?

[Abbott]

Couldn't Stanley just, you know, go to Transylvito and surprise attack the Don himself? After the fight is done. I can really imagine Ansom trying to contact Don King and then Stanley shows up instead and gleefully declares that "The Don is inconvenienced, can I help you instead?"