Results 181 to 210 of 451
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2012-08-31, 04:49 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2009
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- San Francisco
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Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
Interesting comic. I'm going to avoid the current discussion about suspension of disbelief, and just note that I found the drow innuendo fairly amusing and good as a joke.
I really liked some of the effects in this comic. the image of the spinning axe, the way that Nale clearly looks like a sack of potatoes draped over a shoulder, even in stick art, and Roy's various sword poses have all been really good. By the way, I wonder if the whumwhumwhum sound effect implies that the axe is magically thrumming in some way, or if it's just supposed to be a spinning sound?
I'm not sure how much healing Tarquin has access to at the moment. Malack isn't with them. While I suspect Tarquin has plenty of healing potions or effects for himself, I'm not so sure that he'll share them with Nale, as opposed to allowing events to continue and waking Nale up later.
I also imagine that Malack alone meeting the order would not end up in a fight. He would chat with Durkon, explain that he doesn't care about what the rest of the Linear Guild is doing and has no desire to fight the Order, and probably part ways amicably.
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2012-08-31, 04:52 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2007
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Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
I'm starting to think that what I said is being interpreted in whatever way fits the argument currently being made.
The point I made was twofold. The first is that Tarquin didn't pull sign language out of nwohere, it simply wasn't usable until the smoke cleared. The second point I made was that Tarquin was actually able to stick it out and see what happened until the smoke cleared and he no longer had concealment. As evidenced by how he stuck it out and waited to see what happened until the smoke cleared.
The smoke clearing didn't coincide conveniently with Tarquin's retreat. The smoke clearing was the reason Tarquin retreated in the first place. Trying to state that the plot is defending Tarquin by having smoke clear when he wants to escape is a misinterpretation of what was seen in my opinion, both as a reader and as someone who's imagined the scenario playing out from Tarquin's perspective.
Examine the scenario Tarquin is dealing with when the smoke is blocking Haley's shots and the enemy has no clear targest to charge. Then consider it once concealment clears and Tarquin, plus an injured, deafened Drow Wizard remain the only ones standing. The smoke clearing was bad. It was time to leave.
Not only that, but I'd like to get a good look at my enemy before I retreat, to better take stock of what just happened and what comparative damages were.
Tarquin used sign language at that time because it was now an option, and it was an option because he was going to wait for smoke to clear before he retreated anyways. Had the smoke not cleared, I doubt he would have Teleported out, because the need would not have been as drastic as it was, and he also wouldn't have used Sign, because he couldn't.
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2012-08-31, 04:55 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2007
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2012-08-31, 05:03 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2010
To those who say that the Order didn't gain anything
To those who say that the Order didn't gain anything:
Tarquin lost his axe before he teleported out. What if his name is written on it ("To Tarquin with love from [name of wife]"). Then they will know who is behind the mask.
Does Tarquin have any weakness? What could be a potential weakness is that he cares a lot about Elan. That could be the beginning of a new plan.
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2012-08-31, 05:10 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2012
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Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
Alright now i'm starting to get worried... Where is Elan?! We haven't seen him since 855!!!
Thanks to Mrgone for the amazing avatar!
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2012-08-31, 05:11 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2007
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
Assistant Treasurer of the Haley fan club
Crewman of the Bandana fan club
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2012-08-31, 05:11 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2008
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Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
It is beautifully drawn, but how many revolutions does Tarquin's axe make in the air? The four 'whumm's would seem to indicate four full revolutions, but it only appears to be about 1 1/3?
Nice 'KTHUNK!', though.Last edited by stsasser; 2012-08-31 at 05:13 PM.
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2012-08-31, 05:54 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2010
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
HOORAY!!
What a satisfying comic.. seems like it's been a while since the OOTS have had the upper hand in an encounter.
Yes, I realize the fecal matter will surely soon hit the rotating cooling device, but it's still a nice bit of catharsis after all the suspense.
Thanks, Rich.
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2012-08-31, 06:28 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
- Location
- Singapore
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
And once again we see why wizards are considered so ridiculously overpowered in 3e D&D! All it takes is one spell to completely negate an entire ambush.
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2012-08-31, 06:38 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Apr 2008
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2012-08-31, 06:39 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2011
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- Germany
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Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
Blah, blah, blah..
I blame myself for being so very annoyed by random people on the internet being so angry about Tarquin finding oh-so-"convenient"-"deus ex machinistic" ways to resolve this situation.. And their subtle sarcasm is so smart, too.
It'd be very disappointing, if it wasn't for the (vast?) majority of this community - which is pretty neutral and objective.
Love,
RayPlaying Magic? Interested in trading? Try Pucatrade!
Trading cards for pucapoints, which you can use to have people send you cards. Just shoot me a message if you got questions.
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2012-08-31, 06:40 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jan 2011
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
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2012-08-31, 07:36 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2009
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
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2012-08-31, 08:12 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2012
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
Where is Xykon when you need him to crash a big pile of ceiling rubble on an unsuspecting elf's head?
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2012-08-31, 08:25 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2007
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
I'm getting a bit tired of Gary Sue over there...
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2012-08-31, 08:33 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2009
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
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2012-08-31, 08:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2011
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
No, and that's not what I'm saying.
What breaks my suspension of disbelief is the sheer coincidental luck of many different things happening (or being revealed) all the right time, perfectly fitting for that exact situation... not the single individual things.
Try reading the meaning behind the words, rather than the words alone.
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2012-08-31, 08:45 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2009
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- Valencia, Spain
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2012-08-31, 08:47 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2009
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- Valencia, Spain
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2012-08-31, 08:49 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2012
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
I've got to respect your persistence. But it is more than adequately explained by the comic itself. The key line is "You're too young to remember, but [Drow sign language] was quite the fad in its day." Drow sign language is a real D&D thing, not something Rich made up. It really was a fad back in the day (I confess to being old enough to remember), much like drow themselves.
Tarquin could have used any number of other ways to signal "let's get out of here." Tarquin chose drow sign language because it was showy and made him look cool. Rich chose drow sign language because it was funny.Last edited by Smolder; 2012-08-31 at 09:07 PM.
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2012-08-31, 09:05 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2010
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- Toledo, Ohio
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Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
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2012-08-31, 09:06 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2012
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- Taxachusetts
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2012-08-31, 09:18 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2010
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- Lake Wobegon
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Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
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2012-08-31, 09:31 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2011
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
I'm just posting to mention that I don't find Tarquin's knowledge of drow sign language in any way a strain on my suspension of disbelief. In fact, quite the opposite: Tarquin has had decades to plan and prepare for significant battles. It's not merely completely reasonable for him to have a vast array of weapons, powers, tools and tricks at his disposal - it'd be downright preposterous for him to not.
To put it another way - consider what your D&D character would do in their spare time if they were in Tarquin's position - a lot of political scheming and noncombat encounters, months or years going by without a major battle, but the constant assurance of more fighting down the road. (Plus, the resources of an entire empire at your disposal.) If you're at all like me, you'd spend your extra time building dozens of contingency plans, crafting/buying really good, multipurpose magic items, and generally making sure you're prepared for whatever the world will throw at you next.Last edited by Chess Tyrant; 2012-08-31 at 09:34 PM.
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2012-08-31, 09:36 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2007
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
I just gotta say that I do enjoy the cartoons more when they reference DnD.
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2012-08-31, 09:56 PM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2011
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2012-08-31, 09:58 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2011
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
So, after having just said that it's not the individual things themselves that feel wrong, but the overall coincidence of all of them right then when they were most needed, and yet again you pick and explain one of those to me?
Even after having already said this,
Which pretty clearly states how anything can be explained some way or the other, but that doesn't automatically make it believable and plausible?
Tl;dr What do I care if it's "adequately explained by the comic itself"?
You could give me Xykon blasted to bits by the Enterprise and spend one month's worth of strips to explain how Kirk got there... but that doesn't mean I would buy it.Last edited by Mantine; 2012-08-31 at 10:05 PM.
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2012-08-31, 10:30 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2012
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
Again, having a sound explanation for something, by definition, makes it plausible. If it was orc sign language, a pure contrivance of plot convenience, I would be agreeing with you. But it is not. It is a concrete reference to something that exists both in the OOTSverse and RL.
Which is why I said believable is subjective. You can choose to believe something regardless of the amount of evidence for or against it.
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2012-08-31, 10:32 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jan 2012
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2012-08-31, 10:35 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2012
Re: OOTS #862 - The Discussion Thread
No, I think a month's worth of clear and coherent strips would get anyone to buy that the enterprise really did just blow up Xykon. Whether or not it may be "believable" isn't the issue... the real issue is how satisfying the story is.
But speaking of the latest "ass pull" by Tarquin, I have already mentioned how I believe closer ties to the drow were hinted when he said he was sending them gift baskets due to him knowing about Drizz't impersonating an elf ambassador.Last edited by WindStruck; 2012-08-31 at 10:37 PM.