OOTS Strips by Final Post Count (update 3-9-2012)

[B. Dandelion]

This thread is for keeping track of which comics generated the most discussion in their official threads here on the board. Sometimes this is not strictly accurate, as many comics spawn huge related threads with many posts that aren't in the official discussion, but I can't do too much about that. In any case very popular, and especially controversial, comics seem to generate a lot of discussion in their own official thread regardless of how many side threads may exist.

Please keep all discussion of post count totals out of the threads being counted! Horse-race posts (e.g. "OMG the newest strip is cranking it into the top 25 in just 30 hours!") can go here instead. I haven't tried to enforce this in any way thus far, and it'd be way cool if I never had to, because the only ways I can think of to try and do such a thing would be really tedious and annoying and probably turn me off of trying to keep up with things at all. So please keep it cool.

Thread count includes all strips from #253, excluding threads that have been lost (meaning I can't access their post count). There are also a few strips whose threads were, due to board downtime, created after newer strips had already gone online. Although I do have the post count for those, it is so low they effectively do not have representation. Strips thus afflicted are:

#263 - The Great Escape
#340 - You Should Have Seen What He Did With the Corsage
#363 - I Fought the Law
#364 - Consider Their Lineage
#365 - Caught in the Act
#574 - A Seller's Market
#575 - I Think They're in One of the Rulebooks, Right?
#576 - Construction Workers

Two threads were affected due to off-topic or real-world politics/religion discussion and personal flaming:

#669 - Logical Conclusions was "rebooted" meaning a large quantity of posts were purged and are inaccessible to me. This affects both the total tally and the 24-hour count.

#889 - Get Real was simply locked before the next strip went online, so its final tally in the "total post count" may have been higher, however the 24-hour count is accurate.

TOP 25 STRIPS, posts total
(#253-#887)

Spoiler

#25
658 - A Bird in Hand (682 posts)
(To help dispose of the phylactery, Blackwing reappears some 300 strips after his last appearance)

#24
695 - Paranoia Will Destroy Ya (689 posts)
(The OOTS learn the coordinates for Girard's Gate lead to a trap Girard meant to kill "Soon", as he was sure the paladin would break his word)

#23: TIE:
843 - Lack of Foresight (698 posts)
(Vaarsuvius' anguish over Familicide's unintended consequences leads him/her right into a booby trap)

443 - The First Step is a Doozy (698 posts)
(Roy falls to his death)

#21
407 - Fading (705 posts)
(The 12 gods strip Miko of her powers)

#20
887 - Happy Ending (707 posts)
(Caught within Girard's illusion, the Order trace down a spiral-shaped fantasy of all their dreams coming true)

#19
284 - Shattered Expectations (738 posts)
(At the culmination of the OOTS' Trial, Miko and Belkar's fight breaks through)

#18
876 - Ensnared (763 posts)
(Malack grapples Durkon, dismisses his Death Ward via a "backdoor" he'd installed in the spell, and bites him.)

#17
880 - Getting the Message (764 posts)
(When Belkar returns with news of Durkon's death, Roy initially doesn't believe him.)

#16
707 - That's Probably Why There Are, Like, 17 Types (809 posts)
(The only good goblins are dead goblins)

#15
270 - Dueling Egos (828 posts)
(Miko vs. Belkar)

#14
464 - Not for Everyone (844 posts)
(Miko's final hour with Soon)

#13
879 - Running on Empty (848 posts)
(Malack has Vampire!Durkon feed on Belkar without killing him, and the two depart as the woozy halfling heads back to deliver the news to Roy.)

#12
830 - Tidying Up (854 posts)
(Redcloak kills Tsukiko)

#11
878 - Little Brother (861 posts)
(Malack raises Durkon as a vampire in the hopes of recreating a sibling.)

#10
639 - If They Pull a Knife... (875 posts)
(Familicide)

# 9
408 - Fallsville, Population: 1 (876 posts)
(the immediate aftermath of Miko's Fall)

# 8
842 - All in the Family (904 posts)
(The mural on the wall reveals Girard Draketooth's grandfather was a black dragon.)

# 7
595 - Trial of the Century (958 posts)
(V disintegrates Kubota)

# 6
877 - The Bright Side (1040 posts)
(Malack drains Durkon to death, but he dies with a smile on his face believing that at least he'll be returning home.

# 5
406 - A Moment of Truth (1048 posts)
(Miko kills Shojo)

#4
886 - Victory Comes from Within (1128 posts)
(The Order is victorious over Team Evil! ...in their dreams. Literally, thanks to Girard's illusion runes.)

# 3
448 - Just Crazy Enough to Work (1160 posts)
(Xykon slaughters the Sapphire Guard)

# 2
870 - Death in the Family (1424 posts)
(Malack vamps out and bites Belkar)

# 1
841 - Lunchtime (1447 posts)
(The Order, looking for the defenders of Girard's Gate, instead find a mess hall full of corpses and bugs.)

TOP 25 STRIPS, posts in 24 hours
(#253-#888)

Spoiler

#25
285 - A Moment of Truth (472 posts)
(The Order forestall Miko from killing Belkar, thus earning her eternal enmity)

#24
496 - Responsible (479 posts)
(Roy is reunited with the younger brother he tragically lost.)

#23
879 - Running on Empty (496 posts)
(Having been fed on by newly-risen vampire Durkon, a woozy Belkar tries rushing to tell Roy the news and falls on his face.)

#22
843 - Lack of Foresight (499 posts)
(Vaarsuvius' grief leads him/her right into a booby trap.)

#21
661 - The Path of Least Expectation (511 posts)
(The MitD warps O-Chul and Vaarsuvius to safety, enraging Xykon)

#20
873 - Spell Check (517 posts)
(Durkon v Malack, round 1! After several spell exchanges Durkon takes an early lead by closing in with a Heal.)

#19
887 - Happy Ending (526 posts)
(Still under an enchantment in the pyramid, the Order see all their fondest dreams come true in a spiral-shaped delusion.)

#18
875 - Calm, Orderly, and Efficient (534 posts)
(Malack reveals his plans for an empire of Nergal where 1000 are executed a day. Durkon follows the sound of his voice to find his hiding spot)

#17
407 - Fading (542 posts)
(Miko is stripped of her Paladin powers by the 12 Gods.)

#16
443 - The First Step is a Doozy (550 posts)
(On the infinite canvas, Roy falls to his death.)

#15
872 - Concession Stand (561 posts)
(Malack tries to find a compromise that would stop the need for conflict between him and Durkon, but the dwarf stands his grounds on making concessions with the forces of evil.)

#14
464 - Not for Everyone (603 posts)
(Redemption is a rare and special thing, and so Miko dies without achieving it.)

#13
830 - Tidying Up (606 posts)
(Redcloak kills Tsukiko.)

#12
870 - Death in the Family (608 posts)
(In a dramatic reveal, Malack's vampirism is exposed as he bites Belkar.)

#11
842 - All in the Family (649 posts)
(The mural on the wall reveals a Draketooth ancestor was a black dragon... meaning Vaarsuvius was their killer.)

#10
886 - Victory Comes From Within (655 posts)
(Team Evil arrives! The Order attacks! Belkar is slain! Vaarsuvius to the rescue! Roy is victorious! The lich is dead! Or would be, if it weren't all in Roy's head!)

# 9
707 - That's Probably Why There Are, Like, 17 Types (658 posts)
(The Peregrine commander coldly executes a prisoner because "the only good goblins are dead goblins".)

# 8
408 - Fallsville, Population: 1 (699 posts)
(Roy vs. Miko in the immediate aftermath of her Fall.)

# 7
876 - Ensnared (709 posts)
(Malack grapples Durkon with his tail, dismisses his Death Ward via the back door he'd installed in the spell, and then bites him.)

# 6
595 - Trial of the Century (714 posts)
(Vaarsuvius dispassionately executes Kubota.)

# 5
406 - A Moment of Truth (769 posts)
(Leaping to conclusions, Miko executes Shojo.)

# 4
878 - Little Brother (816 posts)
(Malack raises Durkon as a vampire to make a new "sibling".)

# 3
448 - Just Crazy Enough to Work (873 posts)
(Xykon executes the Sapphire Guard.)

# 2
841 - Lunchtime (886 posts)
(The Order, looking for the Draketooth guardians, find a mess hall full of their corpses.)

# 1
877 - The Bright Side (1020 posts)
(Malack kills Durkon, who goes out with a smile as he believes death will finally take him home.)

TOP 25 BY BOOK

TOP 25 OF WAR AND XPS (#301-#484)

Spoiler

#25
459 - Negative Feelings (349 posts)
(Redcloak joins Xykon in the battle against the Ghost-Martyrs.)

#24
337 - Brief and to the Point (350 posts)
(Nale Sends to Roy about his kidnapped sister.)

#23
477 - Shock and Awwwwww (355 posts)
(The Monster in the Dark stomps the ground to prevent Haley and Belkar from fleeing with O-Chul and Roy's corpse, creating a earthquake.)

#22
428 - It Takes a Thief (356 posts)
(Which of the three apparent Xykons on the battlefield is the real one? Haley spells out for the painfully Lawful the real trick to the shell game.)

#21
446 - Hell of a Job (365 posts)
(Tsukiko joins team Evil: A Growth Industry!)

#20
388 - The Final Frontier (367 posts)
(Having escaped prison, Elan and Thog look for suitable disguises, including Locke Cole and Mog.)

#19
445 - A Song for the Departed (371 posts)
(Elan's battlefield eulogy to Roy.)

#18
423 - Periodic Bombardment (393 posts)
(Redcloak's opening salvo: catapults launching Titanium Elementals.)

#17
419 - A Special Pre-Approved Offer (396 posts)
(To the chagrin of blackguard and yuri enthusiasts alike, Miko turns down Sabine's offer of friendly contact.)

#16
327 - The Test of the Mind (410 posts)
(Haley fights her way past it.)

#15
310 - Advanced Dates & Dinners (413 posts)
(Roy and Celia's date is off to a promising start.)

#14: TIE:
452 - Breaking and Entering (436 posts)
(At the breach, Vaarsuvius is out of spells, morale is broken beyond repair, and the entire hobgoblin army is charging forward.)

393 - Truth (436 posts)
(Haley's anguished declaration of love cures her aphasia.)

#12
400 - Your Ship Has Come In (466 posts)
(Haley and Elan consummate their new relationship.)

#11
462 - Good Idea, Bad Idea (518 posts)
(Miko blows the Gate.)

#10
386 - Not How She Pictured It, Certainly (532 posts)
(Nale: You know, the first two, I probably should have seen coming. The leprechaun costume? Not so much.)

# 9
449 - Land of the Rising... (539 posts - part two)
(The most epic Oh Crap moment to come out of Xykon in the comic.)
post count total is both threads added together

# 8
316 - The Moment of Truth (645 posts)
(The countdown on New Years.)

# 7
409 - Intercession (661 posts)
(Hinjo attempts to reason with newly-fallen Miko.)

# 6
443 - The First Step is a Doozy (698 posts)
(Roy falls to his death.)

# 5
407 - Fading (705 posts)
(Miko is dramatically stripped of her paladin powers.)

# 4
464 - Not for Everyone (844 posts)
(Miko dies without being redeemed.)

# 3
408 - Fallsville, Population: 1 (876 posts)
(Miko vs. Roy in the immediate aftermath of her Fall.)

# 2
406 - A Moment of Truth (1048 posts)
(Miko kills Shojo.)

# 1
448 - Just Crazy Enough to Work (1160 posts)
(Xykon slaughters the Sapphire Guard.)

TOP 25 OF DON'T SPLIT THE PARTY (#485-#672)

Spoiler

#25
633 - Where Do You See Yourself in Five Million Years? (378 posts)
(The IFCC explain the Soul Splice procedure.)

#24
628 - Every Parent's Worst Nightmare (386 posts)
(The Momma Black Dragon explains that she is after revenge.)

#23
660 - Lucky Breaks (399 posts)
(Xykon's phylactery narrowly misses falling into the rift, but goes into the absurdly spacious sewer.)

#22
612 - Technically, the "Fish" Version is a Subset of This One (401 posts)
(Belkar helpfully provides the cleric of Loki a chance to properly thank his old friend.)

#21
648 - A Dish Best Served wth +1d6 Cold Damage (405 posts)
(Haley ambushes and kills Crystal.)

#20
627 - Power Outage (414 posts)
(Using Anti-magic field, the Momma Black Dragon quickly takes the upper hand against Vaarsuvius.)

#19
635 - I See a Red Robe and I Want to Paint it Black (452 posts)
(The Ascension of Dark Vaarsuvius!)

#18
572 - The Resistance of Memory (458 posts)
(The Oracle tells Roy of Belkar's impending death, then banishes him... in the process causing him to bypass the memory charm.)

#17
672 - A Familiar Conclusion (460 posts)
(In the final strip of Don't Split the Party, Blackwing reveals what he saw in the Rift.)

#16
663 - Or Mention That He's Getting Too Old for This (494 posts)
(O-Chul and Vaarusvius drop in on Hinjo, literally.)

#15
610 - You're It (505 posts)
(Passcode: Evolve or die!)

#14
597 - Threat Assessment (511 posts)
(Unfortunately, Elan's too dumb for Vaarsuvius to effectively threaten.)

#13
659 - Flight of the Phylactery (521 posts)
(Blackwing sets off to drop the phylactery in the rift, Xykon in hot pursuit.)

#12
596 - Convenience Story (527 posts)
(Elan demonstrates an understanding of sarcasm.)

#11
657 - Second Chance (536 posts)
(Xykon explains Power to Vaarsuvius, who forgoes an opportunity to escape in favor of reviving O-Chul.)

#10: TIE:
611 - None Left Standing (560 posts)
(Belkar, newly freed of the Mark of Justice, takes out an entire room full of thieves.)

653 - Fun While it Lasted (560 posts)
(Vaarsuvius loses control of the final two Soul Splices.)

# 8
496 - Responsible (576 posts)
(Roy is reunited with the younger brother tragically lost to one of his father's experiments.)

# 7
652 - No Respect for the Wicked (595 posts)
(Vaarsuvius' attack against Xykon hits a few snags.)

# 6
629 - One Chance (617 posts)
(The momma black dragon teleports away after explaining how she will torture, kill, and Soul Bind Vaarsuvius' family.)

# 5
661 - The Path of Least Expectation (626 posts)
(The Monster in the Dark teleports his friend O-Chul (and Vaarsuvius) to safety away from Xykon.)

# 4
655 - With a Critical Eye (648 posts)
(O-Chul one-shots Redcloak with a Smite Evil to the eye, nabbing the phylactery in the process.)

# 3
658 - A Bird in Hand (682 posts)
(Blackwing's return.)

# 2
639 - If They Pull a Knife... (875 posts)
(All over the planet, Familicide wipes out black dragons by the score.)

# 1
595 - Trial of the Century (958 posts)
(Vaarsuvius dispassionately executes Kubota.)

TOP TEN STRIPS BY YEAR

TOP TEN OF 2006 (#262-#395)

Spoiler

#10
293 - This is Getting to Be a Habit... (386 posts)
(Having learned Xykon is still al-- er, a threat, Roy will take Shojo's offer. But not for Eugene's sake.)

# 9
327 - The Test of the Mind (410 posts)
(Haley solves an old riddle with a little application of violence.)

# 8
310 - Advanced Dates & Dinners (413 posts)
(Roy and Celia meet for their date.)

# 7
279 - No Soup for You (425 posts)
(During his fight with Miko, Belkar falls into a large bowl of soup.)

# 6
393 - Truth (436 posts)
(Haley: I THOUGHT HE WAS YOU! I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU AND I THOUGHT I WAS KISSING YOU!)

# 5
386 - Not How She Pictured It, Certainly (532 posts)
(Nale-as-Elan's date with Haley officially goes off the rails.)

# 4
316 - The Moment of Truth (645 posts)
(Multiple people are kissed on the countdown to New Year's Eve.)

# 3
285 - A Moment of Truth (662 posts)
(The Order forestall Miko from killing Belkar, earning her enmity forever.)

# 2
284 - Shattered Expectations (738 posts)
(The Order being declared Not Guilty wasn't dramatic enough to satisfy Elan. Fortunately Miko and Belkar are around to rectify that problem.)

# 1
270 - Dueling Egos (828 posts)
(Belkar: It's as true today as when I started adventuring: "When in doubt, set something on fire.")

TOP TEN OF 2007 (#396-#517)

Spoiler

#10
462 - Good Idea, Bad Idea (518 posts)
(Just as Redcloak and Xykon are defeated, Miko destroys Azure City's Gate.)

# 9
449 - Land of the Rising... (539 posts) (thread part two)
(Soon: Only the honor of a paladin is unbreakable--even by death itself.)
(Post count is both threads added together.)

# 8
496 - Responsible (576 posts)
(Eric: hi roy! wanna play blocks with me?)

# 7
409 - Intercession (661 posts)
(Hinjo attempts to reason with newly-Fallen Miko.)

# 6
443 - The First Step is a Doozy (698 posts)
(Roy free-falls on the infinite canvas.)

# 5
407 - Fading (705 posts)
(Shojo's final words: It appears... not everyone... agrees with your... analysis.)

# 4
464 - Not for Everyone (844 posts)
(Miko dies.)

# 3
408 - Fallsville, Population: 1 (876 posts)
(Miko's fall in the immediate aftermath.)

# 2
406 - A Moment of Truth (1048 posts)
(Miko fatally wounds Shojo.)

# 1
448 - Just Crazy Enough to Work (1160 posts)
(Xykon slaughters the Sapphire Guard.)

TOP TEN OF 2008 (#518-#618)

Spoiler

#10: TIE
593 - Another Choice (362 posts)
(Therkla dies in Elan's arms.)

536 - A Brief Tribute (362 posts)
(Roy pays his respects to Gary Gygax.)

# 8
599 - Separate Ways (371 posts)
(Vaarsuvius departs from his/her remaining allies and the Azurite Fleet.)

# 7
612 - Technically, the "Fish" Version is a Subset of This One (401 posts)
(The middle-aged cleric of Loki reunites with his old friend "Brainy" Pete.)

# 6
572 - The Resistance of Memory (458 posts)
(The Oracle informs Roy of Belkar's impending death, then banishes him.)

# 5
610 - You're It (505 posts)
(The party's darkest hour in Greysky.)

# 4
597 - Threat Assessment (511 posts)
(Vaarsuvius attempts to threaten Elan into silence over Kubota's death.)

# 3
596 - Convenience Story (527 posts)
(Vaarsuvius explains his/her motives for killing Kubota.)

# 2
611 - None Left Standing (560 posts)
(The triumphant return of the SEXY SHOELESS GOD OF WAR.)

# 1
595 - Trial of the Century (958 posts)
(Vaarsuvius: Disintegrate. Gust of Wind. Now can we PLEASE resume saving the world?)

TOP TEN OF 2009 (#619-#696)

Spoiler

#10
659 - Flight of the Phylactery (521 posts)
(Guess what spell I cast before giving this to the bird.)

# 9
657 - Second Chance (536 posts)
(Xykon explains Power to an invisible Vaarsuvius, who reconsiders his/her escape plan in favor of reviving O-Chul.)

# 8
653 - Fun While it Lasted (560 posts)
(With one final blow from Xykon, Vaarsuvius loses control of the remaining soul splices.)

# 7
652 - No Respect for the Wicked (595 posts)
(Vaarsuvius' battle against Xykon isn't going as well as s/he might have liked.)

# 6
629 - One Chance (617 posts)
(The momma black dragon explains what she will do to Vaarsuvius' family.)

# 5
661 - The Path of Least Expectation (626 posts)
(MitD: You're my friend, you HAVE to be OK! It can't end like this! It's not fair! You need to leave. You need to--ESCAPE.)

# 4
655 - With a Critical Eye (648 posts)
(Redcloak: My eye! You human bastard, my eye!)

# 3
658 - A Bird in Hand (682 posts)
(The return of Blackwing!)

# 2
695 - Paranoia Will Destroy Ya (689 posts)
(Girard: It should have been you who died in that rift, you cowardly son of a bitch.)

# 1
639 - If They Pull a Knife... (875 posts)
(Familicide.)

TOP TEN OF 2010 (#697-#766)

Spoiler

#10
762 - Just Trying to Help (325 posts)
(Tarquin: Wait, who do you consider a "somebody"?)

# 9
TIE:
757 - Something Blue (375 posts)
(Tarquin imprisons soon-to-be tenth wife Amun-Zora.)

708 - An Animated Discussion (375 posts)
("Wrong-Eye" objects to Tsukiko's using of hobgoblin bodies to make undead.)

# 7
702 - One for the History Books (412 posts)
(The Rise of Gobbotopia.)

# 6
712 - Neutralize Elf (429 posts)
(Vaarsuvius, Haley and Elan are ambushed by bounty hunters.)

# 5
759 - Yes, Apparently (506 posts)
(It did take 200-feet-tall flaming letters made out of escaped slaves to make Elan realize his dad was bad news.)

# 4
758 - Spins of the Father (511 posts)
(Tarquin's master plan.)

# 3
723 - Generally Relative (525 posts)
(Tarquin reveals his identity.)

# 2
763 - Plotting Something (540 posts)
(Tarquin's confident he and Elan will make a terrific story together, but whatever happens, Tarquin wins.)

# 1
707 - That's Probably Why There Are, Like, 17 Types (809 posts)
(Elves are speciest jerkwads "awesome".)

TOP TEN OF 2011 (#767-#823)

Spoiler

#10
800 - Right Tool for the Job (412 posts)
(A Dominated Yukyuk proves invaluable in Vaarsuvius' battle against Zz'dtri.)

# 9
822 - Line Quality (416 posts)
(The Linear Guild gains a general, albino lizard priest, and flying kobold.)

# 8
789 - Also, His Popularity Has Waned (425 posts)
(Zz'dtri's surprise return!)

# 7
808 - Five Rows Down, Three Columns Over (441 posts)
(Roy: THAT'S how I use my Intelligence score in combat, DUMBASS!!)

# 6
784 - Unexpected (446 posts)
(Enor and Gannji are saved by a T-Rex let loose by Ian and Belkar.)

# 5
790 - Unfamiliar (449 posts)
(Zz'dtri has a new familiar too.)

# 4
794 - We Recommend Tsukiko (451 posts)
(Elan escapes from Sabine by making out with her.)

# 3
788 - A Vexation or Irritation (476 posts)
(Roy isn't as happy to see Thog as Thog is to see him.)

# 2
783 - Cold Blooded (510 posts)
(Enor vs. Gannji in the arena.)

# 1
796 - Smash (543 posts)
(Thog gives Roy a no-holds barred beatdown in the arena.)

TOP TEN OF 2012 (#824-#864)

Spoiler

#10
845 - The Last Laugh (512 posts)
(Via Speak With Dead, Roy questions one of the Draketooth corpses as to the location of Girard's rift.)

# 9
826 - Minimal Resistance (530 posts)
(Redcloak curbstomps the Resistance, reveals he's gotten to level 17, and his spy retrieves the phylactery.)

# 8
859 - Smoked (539 posts)
(The Linear Guild flail around in the smoke after step one of the Order's ambush. Step two begins when Durkon comes out of hiding...)

# 7
850 - not-thog (554 posts)
(Tarquin leaps down to attack the Order, disguising himself as Thog and clearly enjoying the challenge.)

# 6
857 - The Pit of Despair (619 posts)
(Wracked with guilt over the unintended consequences of Familicide, Vaarsuvius is in the pits both literally and metaphorically, while Blackwing tries to talk some sense into him/her.)

# 5
860 - Wasn't Going to Listen to Orders Anyway (636 posts)
(The Linear Guild is in total disarray after Holy Word. The spell deafened Belkar too, but that actually works to the Order's advantage.)

# 4
843 - Lack of Foresight (698 posts)
(Vaarsuvius spells out exactly how extensive the ramifications of Familicide were, and while feeling bad about not thinking that out well falls headlong into a trap.)

# 3
830 - Tidying Up (854 posts)
(Redcloak reveals the real motive of the Plan and his decades-long deception of Xykon, while cold-bloodedly murdering Tsukiko.)

# 2
842 - All in the Family (904 posts)
(Vaarsuvius finds the Draketooth family mural, which clearly illustrates that they were descended from a black dragon and thus all likely taken out by Vaarsuvius' casting of Familicide.)

# 1
841 - Lunchtime (1447 posts)
(The Order finds the Draketooth clan, or rather a room full of Draketooth corpses who've clearly been dead for weeks.)

Much gratitude is owed to the Discussion Thread Index, making the official discussion threads easy to find and count. Thanks, Lira and hamishspence!

I've had people ask me for the XML data in the past, so they can try their own tricks with it, which is cool with me. It keeps track of titles, # of pages in the strip, the date the strip's online thread was posted, and a few others, with links to every online strip and relevant discussion thread. Latest download here.

[The Black Cat]

Very interesting idea!

[Geomancer]

That's some impressive work B. Dandelion.

I can't help but wonder though, can the growth in forum membership and participation be factored in to account for the more extensive discussions of some of the latest strips?

[ti'esar]

I'm interested to notice that quite a few posts in the 448 thread are bewailing the unceremonious slaughter of the Sapphire Guard and citing it as more evidence that "Rich hates paladins". Quite a bit jarring for those of us following the threads for the demise of the Resistance. Maybe SoD hadn't come out yet then?

[ella ventic]

Originally Posted by ti'esar

I'm interested to notice that quite a few posts in the 448 thread are bewailing the unceremonious slaughter of the Sapphire Guard and citing it as more evidence that "Rich hates paladins". Quite a bit jarring for those of us following the threads for the demise of the Resistance. Maybe SoD hadn't come out yet then?

SoD? Try #449 hadn't come out yet. 'Cause it only took one strip to turn the paladins into ultra-heroic game-changing lich-kicking goblin-trouncing badasses.

[B. Dandelion]

Originally Posted by Geomancer

That's some impressive work B. Dandelion.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Geomancer

I can't help but wonder though, can the growth in forum membership and participation be factored in to account for the more extensive discussions of some of the latest strips?

Do you mean, is the data probably going to skew somewhat towards more recent strips?

Or is there some process I can apply to the data to account for it?

To the first, I would say yes, although actually less than I would have thought. The third, fourth, and fifth books seem to be able to compete pretty fairly, and even the second book manages to crack the top ten.

As to the second, I'm not sure. I could easily give breakdowns by book, but I don't think I have any data that I could use to "adjust for inflation", as it were.

[ti'esar]

Originally Posted by ella ventic

SoD? Try #449 hadn't come out yet. 'Cause it only took one strip to turn the paladins into ultra-heroic game-changing lich-kicking goblin-trouncing badasses.

What I meant is that SoD is probably the reason why the status of paladins/Azurites in general fell among the forum-goers. Like I said, nowadays I don't think that Rich "hating paladins" is what people would whine about.

(And in point of fact, one of the first posts in the 449 thread said something along the lnes of "betcha Xykon kills them all again next strip").

[factotum]

Originally Posted by ti'esar

What I meant is that SoD is probably the reason why the status of paladins/Azurites in general fell among the forum-goers.

Think it's more likely that Miko started this idea that Rich hates paladins, because nobody seemed to get that Miko was the specific example of how NOT to play a paladin in Rich's eyes--e.g. Detect Evil on everything and smite if it glows! We'd already seen plenty of better examples of paladins by the time #448 rolled around, but the "Rich hates paladins" idea was thoroughly ingrained into the forum consciousness at that point.

[ti'esar]

Originally Posted by factotum

Think it's more likely that Miko started this idea that Rich hates paladins, because nobody seemed to get that Miko was the specific example of how NOT to play a paladin in Rich's eyes--e.g. Detect Evil on everything and smite if it glows! We'd already seen plenty of better examples of paladins by the time #448 rolled around, but the "Rich hates paladins" idea was thoroughly ingrained into the forum consciousness at that point.

I agree - my point as far as the "Rich hates paladins" thing goes is that it's just very jarring to read people complaining about this alleged bias when nowadays, speaking from a very broad stereotypical standpoint, it's the forum-dwellers who hate paladins. It's hardly a universal attitude, but (for instance) I remember following the 827 discussion, and despite the general tone of "Thanh! Nooooo!", there were a few people legitimately cheering Redcloak on. And in most other threads, it's more then a few. Either attitude is sort of a fringe view, but I just think it's very odd to see the reversal, and I figure that SoD is the most likely reason this changed. Everyone's a sucker for a tragic villain's backstory...

[Mr. Snuggles]

Great data! You should post it in .XLS so we other people can make pie charts and such out of it.

[Dr._Demento]

Originally Posted by ti'esar

I agree - my point as far as the "Rich hates paladins" thing goes is that it's just very jarring to read people complaining about this alleged bias when nowadays, speaking from a very broad stereotypical standpoint, it's the forum-dwellers who hate paladins. It's hardly a universal attitude, but (for instance) I remember following the 827 discussion, and despite the general tone of "Thanh! Nooooo!", there were a few people legitimately cheering Redcloak on. And in most other threads, it's more then a few. Either attitude is sort of a fringe view, but I just think it's very odd to see the reversal, and I figure that SoD is the most likely reason this changed. Everyone's a sucker for a tragic villain's backstory...

Don't underestimate the controversy of the Elven Strike Team. I think they more than anything else turned opinions about the Resistance.

[fergo]

Cool . It's interesting to look at some of the old threads from long before I started watching the forum (or even started reading the comic).

[B. Dandelion]

Well, you can access the xml data if you want... here.

It lists all the strips, the dates for the ones I know, and the post count for the ones after #253. Also it keeps track of the number of pages per strip and the book they're included in (or will be included in, I assume).

[Quild]

Originally Posted by Geomancer

That's some impressive work B. Dandelion.

I can't help but wonder though, can the growth in forum membership and participation be factored in to account for the more extensive discussions of some of the latest strips?

This should be taken into account for sure.

Another thing that should be accounted may be that there are for sure more answers to a topic when we have three weeks between two strips, rather than three days.

So the length of time between two strips could be taken into account.

[The Pilgrim]

The whole list from 253-853, lowest to highest:

Spoiler

0577 You Can Take the Rogue Out of the City... (15 posts)
0574 A Seller's Market (15 posts)
0575 I Think They're in One of the Rulebooks, Right? (21 posts)
0566 One for the FAQ (74 posts)
0258 I Think That Violates the Geneva Convention (93 posts)
0262 All You Need is Love and Improvised Thieves' Tools (96 posts)
0557 The Puppet Mistress (98 posts)
0534 Medium Creatures (98 posts)
0537 What Do You Think Comes in a Disguise Kit, Anyway? (100 posts)
0564 It's What's For Dinner (102 posts)
0260 The Prison Blues (102 posts)
0523 Orders That Won't Stick (103 posts)
0342 Dangling the Bait (103 posts)
0259 Son of Mail Call (103 posts)
0562 Heroic Fantasy (104 posts)
0278 A New Strategy (105 posts)
0264 I Cannae Tell a Lie (110 posts)
0378 He Didn't Even Have to Say Please (113 posts)
0558 Sort of Like a Reverse Psion (115 posts)
0403 Leadership Is About the Tough Decisions (118 posts)
0343 Served with a Side Order of Whoop-Ass (118 posts)
0341 Setting Up the Board (118 posts)
0544 A Lot at Stake (119 posts)
0519 Nightmare on Blue Street (119 posts)
0624 This Happens to Telemarketers All the Time (120 posts)
0404 A Paladin's Duty (121 posts)
0305 The Epistle of Durkon (121 posts)
0552 And Yet the Turtle Got Away on His Own (122 posts)
0535 The Cat Stays in the Picture (122 posts)
0773 Never Mind, She'd Need a Better Bow to Use It (123 posts)
0395 Two Steps Forward, One Step Back (123 posts)
0366 Porting Out (123 posts)
0356 Knight Takes Pawn (123 posts)
0559 An Introduction to Comparative Theology (124 posts)
0292 Non-startling Revelations (124 posts)
0579 What They Need is a Writ of Habeas Corpus (129 posts)
0512 They've Had Time to Train, Too (131 posts)
0738 Pooling Resources (133 posts)
0680 That's Why It's Called a Running Gag (133 posts)
0644 An Unsung Legend (133 posts)
0493 Led Zeppelin Lied to Us All (133 posts)
0346 Swoop, There It Is (133 posts)
0254 Half the Elf, Double the Fun (133 posts)
0507 Fantasy Troll-Playing Game (134 posts)
0528 The Ghost Screamer (135 posts)
0255 Meep meep! (135 posts)
0563 Air Mail (137 posts)
0339 C.P.P.D. Blues (137 posts)
0522 We're Doomed If She Finds the Map Key (139 posts)
0362 Grand Theft Identity (141 posts)
0769 Because Really, That Would Be Less Improbable (142 posts)
0561 Pop Idolatry (142 posts)
0546 O-Chul's Razor (142 posts)
0351 Pop Quiz, Hotshot (142 posts)
0349 Every Couple Has Their Quirks (142 posts)
0256 Six Degrees of Evil Separation (142 posts)
0548 His Most Despicable Act Yet (143 posts)
0336 Bedtime for Elan (143 posts)
0330 Paid in Full (144 posts)
0625 Bargain Hunter (145 posts)
0556 Nuthin' But Net (145 posts)
0338 Tactical Priorities (145 posts)
0277 The Crayons of Time: Breaking Up is Hard to Do (145 posts)
0686 Also, At Lower Altitude (146 posts)
0516 Turning Azurite, I Think I'm Turning Azurite, I Really Think So (147 posts)
0691 All Available Resources (149 posts)
0333 The Bright Side (149 posts)
0303 Phrenology Today (149 posts)
0384 Words Get in the Way (150 posts)
0304 A Leper Can't Change His Spots (150 posts)
0739 A New Friend (151 posts)
0308 Sword Envy (151 posts)
0257 POW! (151 posts)
0533 Open to Multiple Interpretations (152 posts)
0733 Collect Call (153 posts)
0532 The Exposition Fairy (153 posts)
0531 Wake Up Call to Action (154 posts)
0745 It Does Beat Scissors (155 posts)
0487 Their Concierge Service is Heavenly (155 posts)
0268 The Lawyers Strike Back (155 posts)
0565 The Test of the Memory (156 posts)
0545 Someone Should be Wearing Safety Goggles (156 posts)
0473 On the Waterfront (156 posts)
0314 Goth Advice (156 posts)
0578 A Slick Getaway (157 posts)
0576 Construction Workers (157 posts)
0553 Diplomacy is a Beach (157 posts)
0586 No Encounter is an Island Unto Itself (158 posts)
0368 All Along the Watchtower (158 posts)
0299 A Calling Missed (158 posts)
0269 A Familiar Face (158 posts)
0590 Role Reversal (159 posts)
0776 A Sombering Oration (160 posts)
0681 All in the Family (160 posts)
0354 Copper Piece Arcade (160 posts)
0770 Hard Time (161 posts)
0554 You're No Help at All (161 posts)
0486 Next on "As the Plane Turns"... (162 posts)
0347 On the Map (163 posts)
0291 Not to Mention Little League (163 posts)
0817 General Assistance (164 posts)
0751 Tree is Within 10-ft. Radius of Apple (164 posts)
0350 At Least You Get Course Credit (164 posts)
0592 Stuck in the Middle (165 posts)
0357 Pen Beats Sword (165 posts)
0379 Perform IS on the Aristocrat's Skill List (166 posts)
0710 Does He Get XP for Their Buzz? (167 posts)
0746 Ask Your Grandparents (168 posts)
0740 The Great(ish) Escape (168 posts)
0549 Grueling Ordeal (168 posts)
0283 Rock the Vote (168 posts)
0734 Maybe He Can Get Credit for Time Served (169 posts)
0601 She Obviously Doesn't Have the Endurance Feet (169 posts)
0589 Entrance Qualifications (169 posts)
0514 Elan Would Be So Proud (169 posts)
0505 ...Or We Will All Stick Separately (169 posts)
0369 Fight! (169 posts)
0585 Immaterial Components (170 posts)
0551 Slow and Steady, My Ass! (171 posts)
0515 A Momentary Experience (171 posts)
0466 I Think I Left it in the Bag... (171 posts)
0377 Travel Delays (171 posts)
0495 (Eu)gene Therapy (172 posts)
0332 The Ephemerality of Memory (172 posts)
0272 The Big Secret (172 posts)
0683 Whatever You Do, Don't Oscillate (173 posts)
0580 Hey, I Need to Sell Them Somehow (174 posts)
0527 Pep Talk (174 posts)
0483 Broken Stick (174 posts)
0538 Fiend or Foe? (175 posts)
0526 He's Just Pine-ing for the Fjords (175 posts)
0482 Leaving Azure City (176 posts)
0391 Eye of the Tiger, Baby (176 posts)
0711 The Rouge's Guild (177 posts)
0521 Remorse (177 posts)
0394 Hell Hath Exactly As Much Fury (177 posts)
0524 Pretender to the Throne (178 posts)
0818 Also, the Desert is Dry (179 posts)
0609 It Takes TWO Thieves, Actually (179 posts)
0471 A Triumphant Return (179 posts)
0370 Kills 'Em Every Time (179 posts)
0326 Getting Ahead in Business (179 posts)
0620 Probably About an "8" (180 posts)
0433 Resource Management (180 posts)
0359 Roll Over (180 posts)
0543 Shhh! Principal's Coming! (181 posts)
0525 Look More Closelier (181 posts)
0513 Security Deposit (181 posts)
0324 Consult Your Doctor Before Reading This Comic (181 posts)
0367 Innocent Man (182 posts)
0280 The Boot (183 posts)
0779 They Follow His Lead (184 posts)
0570 Clean Slate (184 posts)
0302 New Beginnings (184 posts)
0560 Meanwhile, His Teammate Was in Rhodes (185 posts)
0253 Larry Gardener and the Angry Half-Orc (185 posts)
0375 Undeliverable (186 posts)
0307 Take the Problem By the Hand (186 posts)
0682 Plus, He Probably Spits, Too (187 posts)
0491 Those Singing Lessons Cost Money, You Know (187 posts)
0334 If You Want Something Done Right (188 posts)
0805 Dropping In (189 posts)
0778 Nitpick Your Battles (189 posts)
0775 Welcome to the Arena (189 posts)
0728 The Price of Yummies (189 posts)
0345 He Invented the Magic System (189 posts)
0261 I Smell a Solo Adventure (189 posts)
0781 Companions (190 posts)
0581 A Sight for Sore Eyes (190 posts)
0539 Well There is That "Saint" Prestige Class (190 posts)
0416 It's Battlicious! (190 posts)
0402 Speaking From the Heart (190 posts)
0328 The Test of the Heart (190 posts)
0717 No Incarceration Without Compensation (191 posts)
0676 There's More Than One Way to Fail a Listen Check (191 posts)
0567 The Simplest Explanation (191 posts)
0492 Things to Do in Heaven When You're Dead (191 posts)
0437 Battle Momentum (191 posts)
0742 Monkey Do (192 posts)
0741 Scheduling Conflict (192 posts)
0693 Tragically, His Arms Would Be Too Short for the Lute (192 posts)
0412 Catching Up (192 posts)
0582 Moonlight Rendezvous (193 posts)
0687 Actually, That's Probably You (194 posts)
0777 Under the Arena (195 posts)
0809 Except Maybe the Undead (196 posts)
0511 Guerillas in Their Midst (196 posts)
0426 Three of a Kind (196 posts)
0329 The All-Seeing Oracle (196 posts)
0786 One Step Worse Than "Diminutively" (197 posts)
0767 And Yes, There is a Santa Claus (197 posts)
0617 Power Meeting (197 posts)
0469 Crossbones (198 posts)
0731 Long Tail of the Law (199 posts)
0820 Son Catcher (200 posts)
0814 The Answer Is Blowing in the Wind (200 posts)
0813 Pardon Me (200 posts)
0737 Comparative Mythology (200 posts)
0706 He's Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today (200 posts)
0591 Antipathy for the Devil (200 posts)
0434 Heavy is the Head (200 posts)
0467 Learn to Play it Right (201 posts)
0436 Non-Military Intelligence (201 posts)
0432 Let Slip the Dogs of War (201 posts)
0689 Live Bait (202 posts)
0646 …And It Feels So Good (202 posts)
0732 The Papers Chase (203 posts)
0645 It's Where the Cool Kids Swim (203 posts)
0541 He's a Gamblin'...Thing (203 posts)
0517 Probably Best to Choose at Random (203 posts)
0771 Also, "Chib" Would Have Been Acceptable (204 posts)
0488 This is Your Life (204 posts)
0815 Close Call (206 posts)
0697 Stuck in the Sand Trap (206 posts)
0478 On Usefulness (206 posts)
0312 Where the Buffalo Wings Roam (206 posts)
0768 +2 Embraces (207 posts)
0344 A Walk in the Park (208 posts)
0649 It's a Shame She Didn't Grab That Script While She Was There (210 posts)
0455 Incoming! (210 posts)
0380 While the Fiend's Away... (210 posts)
0460 Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign (211 posts)
0604 Bailout Plan (212 posts)
0699 Escape Clause (213 posts)
0529 The Summons (213 posts)
0480 Change of Address Needed (213 posts)
0520 The Power of Immediate Gratification (214 posts)
0335 A Grand Experiment (214 posts)
0474 The Body Snatcher (216 posts)
0323 Don't Make Me Turn This Quest Around (216 posts)
0306 Power Word: Annoy (216 posts)
0550 +1 BFF (217 posts)
0502 And I-I-I-I Will Always Love You (217 posts)
0431 My Three Xykons (217 posts)
0373 Caged (217 posts)
0282 Closing Arguments (217 posts)
0276 The Crayons of Time: The Order of the Scribble (217 posts)
0508 Sure Beats Flatware (218 posts)
0801 Bound to Happen (219 posts)
0749 Savings and Trust (219 posts)
0509 It Has Flowers, Hearts, and a DC (30 Lock (219 posts)
0458 Exit Strategy (219 posts)
0360 Hail to the Chief (219 posts)
0274 The Crayons of Time: The Snarl (219 posts)
0540 Melts in Your Mouth, Not on Your Alignment (220 posts)
0430 Rematch (220 posts)
0399 Death Actually IS Too Good For Them (220 posts)
0420 The Trial of Belkar Bitterleaf (Abridged) (221 posts)
0361 Framing the Picture (221 posts)
0390 In a Class All His Own (222 posts)
0772 Haley's Commitment (223 posts)
0348 Someone Was Looking For You (223 posts)
0721 Pain Threshold (224 posts)
0692 Searchin' (224 posts)
0632 My Three Fiends (224 posts)
0614 A Cut Above (224 posts)
0479 Jaws of Life (224 posts)
0389 As Good an Explanation as is Forthcoming (224 posts)
0819 Parental Insight (225 posts)
0573 Slumber Party (225 posts)
0425 War Makes Boys of Us All (225 posts)
0392 Death From Above (225 posts)
0647 Be Prepared (226 posts)
0288 First Word... (226 posts)
0273 The Crayons of Time: Doodles on the Sketch Pad of Eternity (226 posts)
0736 Do You Like Comics About Gladiators? (227 posts)
0555 Half-Dragons Are Even Worse (227 posts)
0481 Cutting the Cord (227 posts)
0470 With Three Arrows Left in the Quiver (227 posts)
0396 The Door Knocks on YOU (227 posts)
0752 Picking Locks (228 posts)
0325 The Test of the Body (228 posts)
0675 It Costs an Armor Leg (229 posts)
0298 The Future is Forged in the Fires of Today (229 posts)
0753 Slash Attack (230 posts)
0453 Heck of a Fight (230 posts)
0413 Not to Scale (230 posts)
0401 Breakfast of Champions (230 posts)
0355 Sore Loser (230 posts)
0713 Oh, Right. That. (231 posts)
0518 At Least It Wasn't the Fourth Wall Again (231 posts)
0696 Still a Long Way to Go (232 posts)
0569 Justice Can Be a Messy Business (232 posts)
0547 Endurance Feat (232 posts)
0475 Crashing the Party (232 posts)
0454 The Longshot (232 posts)
0415 Idiot Box (232 posts)
0810 The Kind That Makes Friends Easily (233 posts)
0750 Making Up for Lost Time (233 posts)
0716 She Didn't Miss (233 posts)
0289 Senility Now! (233 posts)
0735 Of Clerks and Clerics (234 posts)
0638 A Dragon's Victory (234 posts)
0583 Love's Sweet Sting (234 posts)
0385 A Sympathetic Ear (234 posts)
0300 Pick Your Doom (234 posts)
0747 Make It Three, Just to Be Safe (235 posts)
0510 Killer View (235 posts)
0782 Not Yet Met His Match (236 posts)
0774 Telling Lies (236 posts)
0715 Wanted (236 posts)
0440 Flew the Coop (236 posts)
0821 Raiders of the Lost Plot Arc (238 posts)
0766 Breaking In is Hard to Do (238 posts)
0456 Saved Game (238 posts)
0311 Internal Dialogue (238 posts)
0427 They're Just Another Brick in the Wall (239 posts)
0381 Improved Feint (240 posts)
0685 On Friendship (241 posts)
0530 Regarding the Speed With Which One Removes Band-Aids (242 posts)
0441 Getting Ahead and Staying Ahead (242 posts)
0729 No Real Shocker (243 posts)
0684 V Was Only Waiting for This Moment to Arise (243 posts)
0637 It Only Shows Reality Programming (243 posts)
0353 If a Druid Falls in the City, Does He Make a Noise? (244 posts)
0720 Breakfast of Champions (245 posts)
0641 For Every Action (245 posts)
0608 Mean Girls (245 posts)
0829 Ritual Behavior (246 posts)
0730 Brunchroom Brawl (246 posts)
0722 Block and Tackle (246 posts)
0494 DMILF (246 posts)
0669 Logical Conclusions (247 posts)
0668 Moving the Pieces (247 posts)
0266 Guessing Game (247 posts)
0615 It's a Real Life-Saver (248 posts)
0319 Healthier Living Through Repression (248 posts)
0265 A Tale of Two Paladins (248 posts)
0679 Oh, Right, That Other Problem… (249 posts)
0501 No Cure for the Wedding Bell Blues (249 posts)
0718 Spring Break Never Dies (250 posts)
0744 A Tale of Two Suppers (251 posts)
0295 Belkar Leashed (251 posts)
0754 Maybe She Ate a Zeppelin (253 posts)
0727 And It Will Never Work Again (253 posts)
0719 Seat of Power (253 posts)
0803 Saved by the Belt (254 posts)
0619 Wow, That's a Spicy Meatball! (254 posts)
0571 Return Engagement (254 posts)
0476 I Don't Suppose You Have Any Nutmeg? (254 posts)
0823 Yes, It Is (255 posts)
0812 And Yet, the Canned Meat Merchant Still Gets Through (255 posts)
0785 The Cost of Freedom (255 posts)
0764 Small Talk (255 posts)
0726 Mammals Can't Seem to Get Enough of Those Things (255 posts)
0605 Return of the King (256 posts)
0421 Oratory of the Stick (256 posts)
0331 For the Future (257 posts)
0756 He Sure Dodged an Arrow There (258 posts)
0504 That's a Surprisingly Common Reaction (258 posts)
0290 Shojo's Big Secret (258 posts)
0607 Gherkin Her Chain (260 posts)
0824 Losers Weepers (261 posts)
0267 The Cat Behind the Throne (261 posts)
0438 The Paladin is Your Pal (262 posts)
0287 Paladins Make Good Tour Guides (263 posts)
0804 Where Her Loyalties Lie (264 posts)
0309 My Dinner with Elan (264 posts)
0414 Noble is Goodble (265 posts)
0673 Too Slow (266 posts)
0626 Good to the Last Drip (266 posts)
0584 Improbable Causes (266 posts)
0376 All Too Easy (266 posts)
0372 Pot v. Kettle (266 posts)
0725 The Significantly-More-Secret Origin of Tarquin and Nale (267 posts)
0542 In Azure City, Shark Jumps You! (267 posts)
0497 The Grand Fighter (267 posts)
0748 Top of the List (269 posts)
0714 This Whole Time, He'd Thought of It as the Snack That Got Away (269 posts)
0701 Curtains for You (269 posts)
0397 Leggo My Ego! (269 posts)
0724 It IS Fairly Spicy, However (271 posts)
0602 Clerical Temp (271 posts)
0444 He's Dead, Jim (271 posts)
0297 Sword Speak (271 posts)
0765 The Love of Money (273 posts)
0674 The Elf Who Cried Raven (273 posts)
0506 Flanking Crush (273 posts)
0651 Two Eyes in the Dark (274 posts)
0587 What to Expect When You're Expecting Assassins (274 posts)
0503 Surreptitious Admirer (274 posts)
0755 Brought to You By Mace-y's (277 posts)
0703 Meet the New Boss (278 posts)
0424 A Wizard's Work (279 posts)
0499 No Time to Lose (280 posts)
0743 Dinner Conversion (281 posts)
0322 Maybe the Quailtiger? (281 posts)
0677 This Never Happens to Jiminy Cricket (282 posts)
0630 Shoot the Messenger (282 posts)
0468 Splitting Up is Hard to Do (282 posts)
0411 The Power Behind the Throne (282 posts)
0700 They Would Likely Both Disagree with That Sentiment (283 posts)
0816 General Knowledge (284 posts)
0640 Madness (284 posts)
0797 Bird Brained (285 posts)
0709 No Scry Zone (285 posts)
0698 Stopping for Direction (285 posts)
0642 Choice (285 posts)
0600 Headed Down (285 posts)
0405 The Secrets (285 posts)
0374 Black and Blue (285 posts)
0568 A Sign That You Have a Problem (287 posts)
0371 The Road to Heck (287 posts)
0315 On Sylph's Wings (288 posts)
0383 What's Really Scary is That He Knows the Words (289 posts)
0313 Words Fail (289 posts)
0828 A Study in Veridian (290 posts)
0793 Critical Thinking (291 posts)
0450 Wands Are for Suckers (292 posts)
0594 Rock the Boat (294 posts)
0429 Stay on Target... (294 posts)
0472 I'll Hold Them Off (295 posts)
0382 Risk vs. Reward (295 posts)
0275 The Crayons of Time: World 2.0 (295 posts)
0485 Hey! You! Get Off of My Cloud! (296 posts)
0317 The Best Part of Waking Up (297 posts)
0606 The Philosophy of Chaos (298 posts)
0490 Final Review (299 posts)
0447 Guarding the Sapphire (299 posts)
0705 Those Don't Take Over Until the Graveyard Shift (300 posts)
0618 Flank Cut (300 posts)
0286 A Minor Glitch (300 posts)
0398 We All Just Want to be Held Sometimes (301 posts)
0321 Q & A (301 posts)
0806 Holy Enunciation (302 posts)
0760 Realizations & Rationalizations (302 posts)
0465 No One Likes a Tattletale (302 posts)
0802 Took a Level in Sauceror (303 posts)
0704 Dead Men Give No Speeches (304 posts)
0603 Familiarity Breeds Piercing Damage (304 posts)
0636 Shattered, Shattered (305 posts)
0588 His Name Probably Helps, Too (305 posts)
0417 The Most Important Place to Be (307 posts)
0631 Who Doesn't Get Ten of These a Week? (308 posts)
0666 But Seriously, She Won't (311 posts)
0457 Anti-Human Resources (311 posts)
0761 Advanced (S)wordplay (312 posts)
0598 To Say a Few Words (312 posts)
0451 Change of Direction (313 posts)
0318 The Move Action of Shame (314 posts)
0271 The Prosecution's Case (314 posts)
0484 At the End of the Day (316 posts)
0463 Shattered (317 posts)
0296 Boons (317 posts)
0616 An Opponent or Rival Whom a Person Cannot Overcome (320 posts)
0352 The Turnaround (320 posts)
0643 A Wizard Did It (321 posts)
0621 At Least There Weren't Any Cryptograms (322 posts)
0650 A Lot Can Happen in Ten Minutes (323 posts)
0799 In the Bag (324 posts)
0387 The Cliffport Redemption (324 posts)
0762 Just Trying to Help (325 posts)
0320 Bing Crosby's Got Nothing On Us (325 posts)
0410 The New Lord in Town (327 posts)
0301 A Brief Intermission (327 posts)
0418 It's a Type of Boat (329 posts)
0435 Amoral Dilemma (330 posts)
0791 Don't Get MAD (331 posts)
0665 In the Flesh (331 posts)
0667 Mending Wounds (332 posts)
0807 Wild Empathy (333 posts)
0439 Seeing Orange (333 posts)
0787 No Time for Losers (334 posts)
0500 A Reason to Keep Trying (334 posts)
0690 Riders on the Worm (336 posts)
0662 The Price Is Right (338 posts)
0623 Running Away (338 posts)
0442 We Can Do This the Easy Way... (338 posts)
0780 The Duel Everyone's Been Waiting For (341 posts)
0613 I Need a Hero (342 posts)
0654 Cages (Steel and Otherwise) (343 posts)
0461 I've Got a Bad Feeling About This... (343 posts)
0792 Animal Instincts (344 posts)
0656 It Probably Squeaks, Too (345 posts)
0422 March to War (345 posts)
0688 The Comics Must Flow (347 posts)
0489 Keepin' the Little Man Down (347 posts)
0664 Down to Earth (349 posts)
0459 Negative Feelings (349 posts)
0337 Brief and to the Point (350 posts)
0827 Crushed (351 posts)
0294 Contracts, Shmontracts (352 posts)
0622 Don't Hate the Player Character... (354 posts)
0498 Gone Fishin' (355 posts)
0477 Shock and Awwwwww (355 posts)
0428 It Takes a Thief (356 posts)
0670 The War Council (357 posts)
0634 The Wrong Reasons (359 posts)
0593 Another Choice (362 posts)
0536 A Brief Tribute (362 posts)
0446 Hell of a Job (365 posts)
0388 The Final Frontier (367 posts)
0599 Separate Ways (371 posts)
0445 A Song for the Departed (371 posts)
0811 A Touch of Death (373 posts)
0757 Something Blue (375 posts)
0708 An Animated Discussion (375 posts)
0281 Get the Lead Out (375 posts)
0798 Change of Plans (377 posts)
0671 Also, She Needs Her Clothes Back Now (378 posts)
0633 Where Do You See Yourself in Five Million Years? (378 posts)
0831 Two of a Kind Beats King High (383 posts)
0628 Every Parent's Worst Nightmare (386 posts)
0293 This is Getting to Be a Habit... (386 posts)
0678 The First Step in the Process (388 posts)
0423 Periodic Bombardment (393 posts)
0419 A Special Pre-Approved Offer (396 posts)
0660 Lucky Breaks (399 posts)
0612 Technically, the "Fish" Version is a Subset of This One (401 posts)
0648 A Dish Best Served wth +1d6 Cold Damage (405 posts)
0795 Back to the Action (408 posts)
0327 The Test of the Mind (410 posts)
0800 Right Tool for the Job (412 posts)
0702 One for the History Books (412 posts)
0310 Advanced Dates & Dinners (413 posts)
0627 Power Outage (414 posts)
0822 Line Quality (416 posts)
0789 Also, His Popularity Has Waned (425 posts)
0279 No Soup for You (425 posts)
0712 Neutralize Elf (429 posts)
0452 Breaking and Entering (436 posts)
0393 Truth (436 posts)
0832 Loose Ends (439 posts)
0808 Five Rows Down, Three Columns Over (441 posts)
0825 Good Thing He's Already Partial to Red (445 posts)
0784 Unexpected (446 posts)
0790 Unfamiliar (449 posts)
0794 We Recommend Tsukiko (451 posts)
0635 I See a Red Robe and I Want to Paint it Black (452 posts)
0572 The Resistance of Memory (458 posts)
0672 A Familiar Conclusion (460 posts)
0694 Poor Coordination (466 posts)
0400 Your Ship Has Come In (466 posts)
0788 A Vexation or Irritation (476 posts)
0663 Or Mention That He's Getting Too Old for This (494 posts)
0610 You're It (505 posts)
0759 Yes, Apparently (506 posts)
0783 Cold Blooded (510 posts)
0758 Spins of the Father (511 posts)
0597 Threat Assessment (511 posts)
0462 Good Idea, Bad Idea (518 posts)
0659 Flight of the Phylactery (521 posts)
0723 Generally Relative (525 posts)
0596 Convenience Story (527 posts)
0826 Minimal Resistance (530 posts)
0386 Not How She Pictured It, Certainly (532 posts)
0657 Second Chance (536 posts)
0449 Land of the Rising... (539 posts)
0763 Plotting Something (540 posts)
0796 Smash (543 posts)
0653 Fun While it Lasted (560 posts)
0611 None Left Standing (560 posts)
0496 Responsible (576 posts)
0652 No Respect for the Wicked (595 posts)
0629 One Chance (617 posts)
0661 The Path of Least Expectation (626 posts)
0316 The Moment of Truth (645 posts)
0655 With a Critical Eye (648 posts)
0409 Intercession (661 posts)
0285 A Moment of Truth (662 posts)
0658 A Bird in Hand (682 posts)
0695 Paranoia Will Destroy Ya (689 posts)
0443 The First Step is a Doozy (698 posts)
0407 Fading (705 posts)
0284 Shattered Expectations (738 posts)
0707 That's Probably Why There Are, Like, 17 Types (809 posts)
0270 Dueling Egos (828 posts)
0464 Not for Everyone (844 posts)
0830 Tidying Up (851 posts)
0639 If They Pull a Knife... (875 posts)
0408 Fallsville, Population: 1 (876 posts)
0595 Trial of the Century (958 posts)
0406 A Moment of Truth (1048 posts)
0448 Just Crazy Enough to Work (1160 posts)

[/quote]

Mmmhhh... the strip numbering looks like a cluster of hexadecimal code. If we translate it, it will give us a cryptogram whose traslation provides a hidden message from Rich. Probably the answer to the identity of MitD. Or maybe it's the code for an OOTS computer game.

[Mr. Snuggles]

Thanks for the spreadsheet data! Now we can do cool things like show the top 10 threads for the past twelve months:

Posts // Date // Info

1. 851 // 23-Jan-12 // Tidying Up (death of Tsukiko)
2. 543 // 15-Jul-11 // Smash (STOP TALKING)
3. 530 // 10-Jan-12 // Minimal Resistance (Implosion)
4. 510 // 23-Mar-11 // Cold Blooded (Crossbowmen fire on Enor & Gannji)
5. 476 // 18-Apr-11 // A Vexation or Irritation (Thog says, "fudge the police!")
6. 451 // 8-Jun-11 // We Recommend Tsukiko (Elan kisses Sabine)
7. 449 // 5-May-11 // Unfamiliar (Qarr reappears)
8. 446 // 28-Mar-11 // Unexpected (Allosaurus ex machina)
9. 445 // 6-Jan-12 // Good Thing He's Already Partial to Red (Redcloak redecorates)
10. 441 // 4-Oct-11 // Five Rows Down, Three Columns Over (Roy drops a roof on Thog)

Tsukiko had 300 more posts than the second place topic, an increase of 36%.



The twelve month average was 305 posts per comic, and the lowest number of posts was 123, Never Mind, She'd Need a Better Bow to Use It (Roy & Haley making contingency plans)

[The Pilgrim]

The whole list from 253-853, lowest to highest:

Spoiler

0577 You Can Take the Rogue Out of the City... (15 posts)
0574 A Seller's Market (15 posts)
0575 I Think They're in One of the Rulebooks, Right? (21 posts)
0566 One for the FAQ (74 posts)
0258 I Think That Violates the Geneva Convention (93 posts)
0262 All You Need is Love and Improvised Thieves' Tools (96 posts)
0557 The Puppet Mistress (98 posts)
0534 Medium Creatures (98 posts)
0537 What Do You Think Comes in a Disguise Kit, Anyway? (100 posts)
0564 It's What's For Dinner (102 posts)
0260 The Prison Blues (102 posts)
0523 Orders That Won't Stick (103 posts)
0342 Dangling the Bait (103 posts)
0259 Son of Mail Call (103 posts)
0562 Heroic Fantasy (104 posts)
0278 A New Strategy (105 posts)
0264 I Cannae Tell a Lie (110 posts)
0378 He Didn't Even Have to Say Please (113 posts)
0558 Sort of Like a Reverse Psion (115 posts)
0403 Leadership Is About the Tough Decisions (118 posts)
0343 Served with a Side Order of Whoop-Ass (118 posts)
0341 Setting Up the Board (118 posts)
0544 A Lot at Stake (119 posts)
0519 Nightmare on Blue Street (119 posts)
0624 This Happens to Telemarketers All the Time (120 posts)
0404 A Paladin's Duty (121 posts)
0305 The Epistle of Durkon (121 posts)
0552 And Yet the Turtle Got Away on His Own (122 posts)
0535 The Cat Stays in the Picture (122 posts)
0773 Never Mind, She'd Need a Better Bow to Use It (123 posts)
0395 Two Steps Forward, One Step Back (123 posts)
0366 Porting Out (123 posts)
0356 Knight Takes Pawn (123 posts)
0559 An Introduction to Comparative Theology (124 posts)
0292 Non-startling Revelations (124 posts)
0579 What They Need is a Writ of Habeas Corpus (129 posts)
0512 They've Had Time to Train, Too (131 posts)
0738 Pooling Resources (133 posts)
0680 That's Why It's Called a Running Gag (133 posts)
0644 An Unsung Legend (133 posts)
0493 Led Zeppelin Lied to Us All (133 posts)
0346 Swoop, There It Is (133 posts)
0254 Half the Elf, Double the Fun (133 posts)
0507 Fantasy Troll-Playing Game (134 posts)
0528 The Ghost Screamer (135 posts)
0255 Meep meep! (135 posts)
0563 Air Mail (137 posts)
0339 C.P.P.D. Blues (137 posts)
0522 We're Doomed If She Finds the Map Key (139 posts)
0362 Grand Theft Identity (141 posts)
0769 Because Really, That Would Be Less Improbable (142 posts)
0561 Pop Idolatry (142 posts)
0546 O-Chul's Razor (142 posts)
0351 Pop Quiz, Hotshot (142 posts)
0349 Every Couple Has Their Quirks (142 posts)
0256 Six Degrees of Evil Separation (142 posts)
0548 His Most Despicable Act Yet (143 posts)
0336 Bedtime for Elan (143 posts)
0330 Paid in Full (144 posts)
0625 Bargain Hunter (145 posts)
0556 Nuthin' But Net (145 posts)
0338 Tactical Priorities (145 posts)
0277 The Crayons of Time: Breaking Up is Hard to Do (145 posts)
0686 Also, At Lower Altitude (146 posts)
0516 Turning Azurite, I Think I'm Turning Azurite, I Really Think So (147 posts)
0691 All Available Resources (149 posts)
0333 The Bright Side (149 posts)
0303 Phrenology Today (149 posts)
0384 Words Get in the Way (150 posts)
0304 A Leper Can't Change His Spots (150 posts)
0739 A New Friend (151 posts)
0308 Sword Envy (151 posts)
0257 POW! (151 posts)
0533 Open to Multiple Interpretations (152 posts)
0733 Collect Call (153 posts)
0532 The Exposition Fairy (153 posts)
0531 Wake Up Call to Action (154 posts)
0745 It Does Beat Scissors (155 posts)
0487 Their Concierge Service is Heavenly (155 posts)
0268 The Lawyers Strike Back (155 posts)
0565 The Test of the Memory (156 posts)
0545 Someone Should be Wearing Safety Goggles (156 posts)
0473 On the Waterfront (156 posts)
0314 Goth Advice (156 posts)
0578 A Slick Getaway (157 posts)
0576 Construction Workers (157 posts)
0553 Diplomacy is a Beach (157 posts)
0586 No Encounter is an Island Unto Itself (158 posts)
0368 All Along the Watchtower (158 posts)
0299 A Calling Missed (158 posts)
0269 A Familiar Face (158 posts)
0590 Role Reversal (159 posts)
0776 A Sombering Oration (160 posts)
0681 All in the Family (160 posts)
0354 Copper Piece Arcade (160 posts)
0770 Hard Time (161 posts)
0554 You're No Help at All (161 posts)
0486 Next on "As the Plane Turns"... (162 posts)
0347 On the Map (163 posts)
0291 Not to Mention Little League (163 posts)
0817 General Assistance (164 posts)
0751 Tree is Within 10-ft. Radius of Apple (164 posts)
0350 At Least You Get Course Credit (164 posts)
0592 Stuck in the Middle (165 posts)
0357 Pen Beats Sword (165 posts)
0379 Perform IS on the Aristocrat's Skill List (166 posts)
0710 Does He Get XP for Their Buzz? (167 posts)
0746 Ask Your Grandparents (168 posts)
0740 The Great(ish) Escape (168 posts)
0549 Grueling Ordeal (168 posts)
0283 Rock the Vote (168 posts)
0734 Maybe He Can Get Credit for Time Served (169 posts)
0601 She Obviously Doesn't Have the Endurance Feet (169 posts)
0589 Entrance Qualifications (169 posts)
0514 Elan Would Be So Proud (169 posts)
0505 ...Or We Will All Stick Separately (169 posts)
0369 Fight! (169 posts)
0585 Immaterial Components (170 posts)
0551 Slow and Steady, My Ass! (171 posts)
0515 A Momentary Experience (171 posts)
0466 I Think I Left it in the Bag... (171 posts)
0377 Travel Delays (171 posts)
0495 (Eu)gene Therapy (172 posts)
0332 The Ephemerality of Memory (172 posts)
0272 The Big Secret (172 posts)
0683 Whatever You Do, Don't Oscillate (173 posts)
0580 Hey, I Need to Sell Them Somehow (174 posts)
0527 Pep Talk (174 posts)
0483 Broken Stick (174 posts)
0538 Fiend or Foe? (175 posts)
0526 He's Just Pine-ing for the Fjords (175 posts)
0482 Leaving Azure City (176 posts)
0391 Eye of the Tiger, Baby (176 posts)
0711 The Rouge's Guild (177 posts)
0521 Remorse (177 posts)
0394 Hell Hath Exactly As Much Fury (177 posts)
0524 Pretender to the Throne (178 posts)
0818 Also, the Desert is Dry (179 posts)
0609 It Takes TWO Thieves, Actually (179 posts)
0471 A Triumphant Return (179 posts)
0370 Kills 'Em Every Time (179 posts)
0326 Getting Ahead in Business (179 posts)
0620 Probably About an "8" (180 posts)
0433 Resource Management (180 posts)
0359 Roll Over (180 posts)
0543 Shhh! Principal's Coming! (181 posts)
0525 Look More Closelier (181 posts)
0513 Security Deposit (181 posts)
0324 Consult Your Doctor Before Reading This Comic (181 posts)
0367 Innocent Man (182 posts)
0280 The Boot (183 posts)
0779 They Follow His Lead (184 posts)
0570 Clean Slate (184 posts)
0302 New Beginnings (184 posts)
0560 Meanwhile, His Teammate Was in Rhodes (185 posts)
0253 Larry Gardener and the Angry Half-Orc (185 posts)
0375 Undeliverable (186 posts)
0307 Take the Problem By the Hand (186 posts)
0682 Plus, He Probably Spits, Too (187 posts)
0491 Those Singing Lessons Cost Money, You Know (187 posts)
0334 If You Want Something Done Right (188 posts)
0805 Dropping In (189 posts)
0778 Nitpick Your Battles (189 posts)
0775 Welcome to the Arena (189 posts)
0728 The Price of Yummies (189 posts)
0345 He Invented the Magic System (189 posts)
0261 I Smell a Solo Adventure (189 posts)
0781 Companions (190 posts)
0581 A Sight for Sore Eyes (190 posts)
0539 Well There is That "Saint" Prestige Class (190 posts)
0416 It's Battlicious! (190 posts)
0402 Speaking From the Heart (190 posts)
0328 The Test of the Heart (190 posts)
0717 No Incarceration Without Compensation (191 posts)
0676 There's More Than One Way to Fail a Listen Check (191 posts)
0567 The Simplest Explanation (191 posts)
0492 Things to Do in Heaven When You're Dead (191 posts)
0437 Battle Momentum (191 posts)
0742 Monkey Do (192 posts)
0741 Scheduling Conflict (192 posts)
0693 Tragically, His Arms Would Be Too Short for the Lute (192 posts)
0412 Catching Up (192 posts)
0582 Moonlight Rendezvous (193 posts)
0687 Actually, That's Probably You (194 posts)
0777 Under the Arena (195 posts)
0809 Except Maybe the Undead (196 posts)
0511 Guerillas in Their Midst (196 posts)
0426 Three of a Kind (196 posts)
0329 The All-Seeing Oracle (196 posts)
0786 One Step Worse Than "Diminutively" (197 posts)
0767 And Yes, There is a Santa Claus (197 posts)
0617 Power Meeting (197 posts)
0469 Crossbones (198 posts)
0731 Long Tail of the Law (199 posts)
0820 Son Catcher (200 posts)
0814 The Answer Is Blowing in the Wind (200 posts)
0813 Pardon Me (200 posts)
0737 Comparative Mythology (200 posts)
0706 He's Not Even Supposed to Be Here Today (200 posts)
0591 Antipathy for the Devil (200 posts)
0434 Heavy is the Head (200 posts)
0467 Learn to Play it Right (201 posts)
0436 Non-Military Intelligence (201 posts)
0432 Let Slip the Dogs of War (201 posts)
0689 Live Bait (202 posts)
0646 …And It Feels So Good (202 posts)
0732 The Papers Chase (203 posts)
0645 It's Where the Cool Kids Swim (203 posts)
0541 He's a Gamblin'...Thing (203 posts)
0517 Probably Best to Choose at Random (203 posts)
0771 Also, "Chib" Would Have Been Acceptable (204 posts)
0488 This is Your Life (204 posts)
0815 Close Call (206 posts)
0697 Stuck in the Sand Trap (206 posts)
0478 On Usefulness (206 posts)
0312 Where the Buffalo Wings Roam (206 posts)
0768 +2 Embraces (207 posts)
0344 A Walk in the Park (208 posts)
0649 It's a Shame She Didn't Grab That Script While She Was There (210 posts)
0455 Incoming! (210 posts)
0380 While the Fiend's Away... (210 posts)
0460 Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign (211 posts)
0604 Bailout Plan (212 posts)
0699 Escape Clause (213 posts)
0529 The Summons (213 posts)
0480 Change of Address Needed (213 posts)
0520 The Power of Immediate Gratification (214 posts)
0335 A Grand Experiment (214 posts)
0474 The Body Snatcher (216 posts)
0323 Don't Make Me Turn This Quest Around (216 posts)
0306 Power Word: Annoy (216 posts)
0550 +1 BFF (217 posts)
0502 And I-I-I-I Will Always Love You (217 posts)
0431 My Three Xykons (217 posts)
0373 Caged (217 posts)
0282 Closing Arguments (217 posts)
0276 The Crayons of Time: The Order of the Scribble (217 posts)
0508 Sure Beats Flatware (218 posts)
0801 Bound to Happen (219 posts)
0749 Savings and Trust (219 posts)
0509 It Has Flowers, Hearts, and a DC (30 Lock (219 posts)
0458 Exit Strategy (219 posts)
0360 Hail to the Chief (219 posts)
0274 The Crayons of Time: The Snarl (219 posts)
0540 Melts in Your Mouth, Not on Your Alignment (220 posts)
0430 Rematch (220 posts)
0399 Death Actually IS Too Good For Them (220 posts)
0420 The Trial of Belkar Bitterleaf (Abridged) (221 posts)
0361 Framing the Picture (221 posts)
0390 In a Class All His Own (222 posts)
0772 Haley's Commitment (223 posts)
0348 Someone Was Looking For You (223 posts)
0721 Pain Threshold (224 posts)
0692 Searchin' (224 posts)
0632 My Three Fiends (224 posts)
0614 A Cut Above (224 posts)
0479 Jaws of Life (224 posts)
0389 As Good an Explanation as is Forthcoming (224 posts)
0819 Parental Insight (225 posts)
0573 Slumber Party (225 posts)
0425 War Makes Boys of Us All (225 posts)
0392 Death From Above (225 posts)
0647 Be Prepared (226 posts)
0288 First Word... (226 posts)
0273 The Crayons of Time: Doodles on the Sketch Pad of Eternity (226 posts)
0736 Do You Like Comics About Gladiators? (227 posts)
0555 Half-Dragons Are Even Worse (227 posts)
0481 Cutting the Cord (227 posts)
0470 With Three Arrows Left in the Quiver (227 posts)
0396 The Door Knocks on YOU (227 posts)
0752 Picking Locks (228 posts)
0325 The Test of the Body (228 posts)
0675 It Costs an Armor Leg (229 posts)
0298 The Future is Forged in the Fires of Today (229 posts)
0753 Slash Attack (230 posts)
0453 Heck of a Fight (230 posts)
0413 Not to Scale (230 posts)
0401 Breakfast of Champions (230 posts)
0355 Sore Loser (230 posts)
0713 Oh, Right. That. (231 posts)
0518 At Least It Wasn't the Fourth Wall Again (231 posts)
0696 Still a Long Way to Go (232 posts)
0569 Justice Can Be a Messy Business (232 posts)
0547 Endurance Feat (232 posts)
0475 Crashing the Party (232 posts)
0454 The Longshot (232 posts)
0415 Idiot Box (232 posts)
0810 The Kind That Makes Friends Easily (233 posts)
0750 Making Up for Lost Time (233 posts)
0716 She Didn't Miss (233 posts)
0289 Senility Now! (233 posts)
0735 Of Clerks and Clerics (234 posts)
0638 A Dragon's Victory (234 posts)
0583 Love's Sweet Sting (234 posts)
0385 A Sympathetic Ear (234 posts)
0300 Pick Your Doom (234 posts)
0747 Make It Three, Just to Be Safe (235 posts)
0510 Killer View (235 posts)
0782 Not Yet Met His Match (236 posts)
0774 Telling Lies (236 posts)
0715 Wanted (236 posts)
0440 Flew the Coop (236 posts)
0821 Raiders of the Lost Plot Arc (238 posts)
0766 Breaking In is Hard to Do (238 posts)
0456 Saved Game (238 posts)
0311 Internal Dialogue (238 posts)
0427 They're Just Another Brick in the Wall (239 posts)
0381 Improved Feint (240 posts)
0685 On Friendship (241 posts)
0530 Regarding the Speed With Which One Removes Band-Aids (242 posts)
0441 Getting Ahead and Staying Ahead (242 posts)
0729 No Real Shocker (243 posts)
0684 V Was Only Waiting for This Moment to Arise (243 posts)
0637 It Only Shows Reality Programming (243 posts)
0353 If a Druid Falls in the City, Does He Make a Noise? (244 posts)
0720 Breakfast of Champions (245 posts)
0641 For Every Action (245 posts)
0608 Mean Girls (245 posts)
0829 Ritual Behavior (246 posts)
0730 Brunchroom Brawl (246 posts)
0722 Block and Tackle (246 posts)
0494 DMILF (246 posts)
0669 Logical Conclusions (247 posts)
0668 Moving the Pieces (247 posts)
0266 Guessing Game (247 posts)
0615 It's a Real Life-Saver (248 posts)
0319 Healthier Living Through Repression (248 posts)
0265 A Tale of Two Paladins (248 posts)
0679 Oh, Right, That Other Problem… (249 posts)
0501 No Cure for the Wedding Bell Blues (249 posts)
0718 Spring Break Never Dies (250 posts)
0744 A Tale of Two Suppers (251 posts)
0295 Belkar Leashed (251 posts)
0754 Maybe She Ate a Zeppelin (253 posts)
0727 And It Will Never Work Again (253 posts)
0719 Seat of Power (253 posts)
0803 Saved by the Belt (254 posts)
0619 Wow, That's a Spicy Meatball! (254 posts)
0571 Return Engagement (254 posts)
0476 I Don't Suppose You Have Any Nutmeg? (254 posts)
0823 Yes, It Is (255 posts)
0812 And Yet, the Canned Meat Merchant Still Gets Through (255 posts)
0785 The Cost of Freedom (255 posts)
0764 Small Talk (255 posts)
0726 Mammals Can't Seem to Get Enough of Those Things (255 posts)
0605 Return of the King (256 posts)
0421 Oratory of the Stick (256 posts)
0331 For the Future (257 posts)
0756 He Sure Dodged an Arrow There (258 posts)
0504 That's a Surprisingly Common Reaction (258 posts)
0290 Shojo's Big Secret (258 posts)
0607 Gherkin Her Chain (260 posts)
0824 Losers Weepers (261 posts)
0267 The Cat Behind the Throne (261 posts)
0438 The Paladin is Your Pal (262 posts)
0287 Paladins Make Good Tour Guides (263 posts)
0804 Where Her Loyalties Lie (264 posts)
0309 My Dinner with Elan (264 posts)
0414 Noble is Goodble (265 posts)
0673 Too Slow (266 posts)
0626 Good to the Last Drip (266 posts)
0584 Improbable Causes (266 posts)
0376 All Too Easy (266 posts)
0372 Pot v. Kettle (266 posts)
0725 The Significantly-More-Secret Origin of Tarquin and Nale (267 posts)
0542 In Azure City, Shark Jumps You! (267 posts)
0497 The Grand Fighter (267 posts)
0748 Top of the List (269 posts)
0714 This Whole Time, He'd Thought of It as the Snack That Got Away (269 posts)
0701 Curtains for You (269 posts)
0397 Leggo My Ego! (269 posts)
0724 It IS Fairly Spicy, However (271 posts)
0602 Clerical Temp (271 posts)
0444 He's Dead, Jim (271 posts)
0297 Sword Speak (271 posts)
0765 The Love of Money (273 posts)
0674 The Elf Who Cried Raven (273 posts)
0506 Flanking Crush (273 posts)
0651 Two Eyes in the Dark (274 posts)
0587 What to Expect When You're Expecting Assassins (274 posts)
0503 Surreptitious Admirer (274 posts)
0755 Brought to You By Mace-y's (277 posts)
0703 Meet the New Boss (278 posts)
0424 A Wizard's Work (279 posts)
0499 No Time to Lose (280 posts)
0743 Dinner Conversion (281 posts)
0322 Maybe the Quailtiger? (281 posts)
0677 This Never Happens to Jiminy Cricket (282 posts)
0630 Shoot the Messenger (282 posts)
0468 Splitting Up is Hard to Do (282 posts)
0411 The Power Behind the Throne (282 posts)
0700 They Would Likely Both Disagree with That Sentiment (283 posts)
0816 General Knowledge (284 posts)
0640 Madness (284 posts)
0797 Bird Brained (285 posts)
0709 No Scry Zone (285 posts)
0698 Stopping for Direction (285 posts)
0642 Choice (285 posts)
0600 Headed Down (285 posts)
0405 The Secrets (285 posts)
0374 Black and Blue (285 posts)
0568 A Sign That You Have a Problem (287 posts)
0371 The Road to Heck (287 posts)
0315 On Sylph's Wings (288 posts)
0383 What's Really Scary is That He Knows the Words (289 posts)
0313 Words Fail (289 posts)
0828 A Study in Veridian (290 posts)
0793 Critical Thinking (291 posts)
0450 Wands Are for Suckers (292 posts)
0594 Rock the Boat (294 posts)
0429 Stay on Target... (294 posts)
0472 I'll Hold Them Off (295 posts)
0382 Risk vs. Reward (295 posts)
0275 The Crayons of Time: World 2.0 (295 posts)
0485 Hey! You! Get Off of My Cloud! (296 posts)
0317 The Best Part of Waking Up (297 posts)
0606 The Philosophy of Chaos (298 posts)
0490 Final Review (299 posts)
0447 Guarding the Sapphire (299 posts)
0705 Those Don't Take Over Until the Graveyard Shift (300 posts)
0618 Flank Cut (300 posts)
0286 A Minor Glitch (300 posts)
0398 We All Just Want to be Held Sometimes (301 posts)
0321 Q & A (301 posts)
0806 Holy Enunciation (302 posts)
0760 Realizations & Rationalizations (302 posts)
0465 No One Likes a Tattletale (302 posts)
0802 Took a Level in Sauceror (303 posts)
0704 Dead Men Give No Speeches (304 posts)
0603 Familiarity Breeds Piercing Damage (304 posts)
0636 Shattered, Shattered (305 posts)
0588 His Name Probably Helps, Too (305 posts)
0417 The Most Important Place to Be (307 posts)
0631 Who Doesn't Get Ten of These a Week? (308 posts)
0666 But Seriously, She Won't (311 posts)
0457 Anti-Human Resources (311 posts)
0761 Advanced (S)wordplay (312 posts)
0598 To Say a Few Words (312 posts)
0451 Change of Direction (313 posts)
0318 The Move Action of Shame (314 posts)
0271 The Prosecution's Case (314 posts)
0484 At the End of the Day (316 posts)
0463 Shattered (317 posts)
0296 Boons (317 posts)
0616 An Opponent or Rival Whom a Person Cannot Overcome (320 posts)
0352 The Turnaround (320 posts)
0643 A Wizard Did It (321 posts)
0621 At Least There Weren't Any Cryptograms (322 posts)
0650 A Lot Can Happen in Ten Minutes (323 posts)
0799 In the Bag (324 posts)
0387 The Cliffport Redemption (324 posts)
0762 Just Trying to Help (325 posts)
0320 Bing Crosby's Got Nothing On Us (325 posts)
0410 The New Lord in Town (327 posts)
0301 A Brief Intermission (327 posts)
0418 It's a Type of Boat (329 posts)
0435 Amoral Dilemma (330 posts)
0791 Don't Get MAD (331 posts)
0665 In the Flesh (331 posts)
0667 Mending Wounds (332 posts)
0807 Wild Empathy (333 posts)
0439 Seeing Orange (333 posts)
0787 No Time for Losers (334 posts)
0500 A Reason to Keep Trying (334 posts)
0690 Riders on the Worm (336 posts)
0662 The Price Is Right (338 posts)
0623 Running Away (338 posts)
0442 We Can Do This the Easy Way... (338 posts)
0780 The Duel Everyone's Been Waiting For (341 posts)
0613 I Need a Hero (342 posts)
0654 Cages (Steel and Otherwise) (343 posts)
0461 I've Got a Bad Feeling About This... (343 posts)
0792 Animal Instincts (344 posts)
0656 It Probably Squeaks, Too (345 posts)
0422 March to War (345 posts)
0688 The Comics Must Flow (347 posts)
0489 Keepin' the Little Man Down (347 posts)
0664 Down to Earth (349 posts)
0459 Negative Feelings (349 posts)
0337 Brief and to the Point (350 posts)
0827 Crushed (351 posts)
0294 Contracts, Shmontracts (352 posts)
0622 Don't Hate the Player Character... (354 posts)
0498 Gone Fishin' (355 posts)
0477 Shock and Awwwwww (355 posts)
0428 It Takes a Thief (356 posts)
0670 The War Council (357 posts)
0634 The Wrong Reasons (359 posts)
0593 Another Choice (362 posts)
0536 A Brief Tribute (362 posts)
0446 Hell of a Job (365 posts)
0388 The Final Frontier (367 posts)
0599 Separate Ways (371 posts)
0445 A Song for the Departed (371 posts)
0811 A Touch of Death (373 posts)
0757 Something Blue (375 posts)
0708 An Animated Discussion (375 posts)
0281 Get the Lead Out (375 posts)
0798 Change of Plans (377 posts)
0671 Also, She Needs Her Clothes Back Now (378 posts)
0633 Where Do You See Yourself in Five Million Years? (378 posts)
0831 Two of a Kind Beats King High (383 posts)
0628 Every Parent's Worst Nightmare (386 posts)
0293 This is Getting to Be a Habit... (386 posts)
0678 The First Step in the Process (388 posts)
0423 Periodic Bombardment (393 posts)
0419 A Special Pre-Approved Offer (396 posts)
0660 Lucky Breaks (399 posts)
0612 Technically, the "Fish" Version is a Subset of This One (401 posts)
0648 A Dish Best Served wth +1d6 Cold Damage (405 posts)
0795 Back to the Action (408 posts)
0327 The Test of the Mind (410 posts)
0800 Right Tool for the Job (412 posts)
0702 One for the History Books (412 posts)
0310 Advanced Dates & Dinners (413 posts)
0627 Power Outage (414 posts)
0822 Line Quality (416 posts)
0789 Also, His Popularity Has Waned (425 posts)
0279 No Soup for You (425 posts)
0712 Neutralize Elf (429 posts)
0452 Breaking and Entering (436 posts)
0393 Truth (436 posts)
0832 Loose Ends (439 posts)
0808 Five Rows Down, Three Columns Over (441 posts)
0825 Good Thing He's Already Partial to Red (445 posts)
0784 Unexpected (446 posts)
0790 Unfamiliar (449 posts)
0794 We Recommend Tsukiko (451 posts)
0635 I See a Red Robe and I Want to Paint it Black (452 posts)
0572 The Resistance of Memory (458 posts)
0672 A Familiar Conclusion (460 posts)
0694 Poor Coordination (466 posts)
0400 Your Ship Has Come In (466 posts)
0788 A Vexation or Irritation (476 posts)
0663 Or Mention That He's Getting Too Old for This (494 posts)
0610 You're It (505 posts)
0759 Yes, Apparently (506 posts)
0783 Cold Blooded (510 posts)
0758 Spins of the Father (511 posts)
0597 Threat Assessment (511 posts)
0462 Good Idea, Bad Idea (518 posts)
0659 Flight of the Phylactery (521 posts)
0723 Generally Relative (525 posts)
0596 Convenience Story (527 posts)
0826 Minimal Resistance (530 posts)
0386 Not How She Pictured It, Certainly (532 posts)
0657 Second Chance (536 posts)
0449 Land of the Rising... (539 posts)
0763 Plotting Something (540 posts)
0796 Smash (543 posts)
0653 Fun While it Lasted (560 posts)
0611 None Left Standing (560 posts)
0496 Responsible (576 posts)
0652 No Respect for the Wicked (595 posts)
0629 One Chance (617 posts)
0661 The Path of Least Expectation (626 posts)
0316 The Moment of Truth (645 posts)
0655 With a Critical Eye (648 posts)
0409 Intercession (661 posts)
0285 A Moment of Truth (662 posts)
0658 A Bird in Hand (682 posts)
0695 Paranoia Will Destroy Ya (689 posts)
0443 The First Step is a Doozy (698 posts)
0407 Fading (705 posts)
0284 Shattered Expectations (738 posts)
0707 That's Probably Why There Are, Like, 17 Types (809 posts)
0270 Dueling Egos (828 posts)
0464 Not for Everyone (844 posts)
0830 Tidying Up (851 posts)
0639 If They Pull a Knife... (875 posts)
0408 Fallsville, Population: 1 (876 posts)
0595 Trial of the Century (958 posts)
0406 A Moment of Truth (1048 posts)
0448 Just Crazy Enough to Work (1160 posts)

Mmmhhh... the strip numbering looks like clusters of hexadecimal code. If we translate it, it will give us a cryptogram whose traslation may provide a hidden message from Rich. Probably the answer to the identity of MitD. Or maybe it's the code for an OOTS computer game.

[dps]

Something else to keep in mind is that in many instances, posters started threads to discuss issues that should have been brought up in the official thread for a particular strip. This happened more with some strips than others, but I certainly wouldn't expect anybody to actually do a count of such threads by strip (especially as some of them would be judgment calls, anyway).

[dps]

Something else to keep in mind is that in many instances, posters started threads to discuss issues that should have been brought up in the official thread for a particular strip. This happened more with some strips than others, but I certainly wouldn't expect anybody to actually do a count of such threads by strip (especially as some of them would be judgment calls, anyway).

[Morgan Wick]

Originally Posted by Quild

Another thing that should be accounted may be that there are for sure more answers to a topic when we have three weeks between two strips, rather than three days.

So the length of time between two strips could be taken into account.

Seconded..

[Chronos]

Another thing that should be accounted may be that there are for sure more answers to a topic when we have three weeks between two strips, rather than three days.

Yeah, I was expecting the strip just before the long hiatus to have been on the list, for that reason. Or was it closed before the next one was up?

[ti'esar]

841's thread has just catapulted itself onto here.

[LudiDrizzt]

It's broken the top 20 in like 12 hours.

[Porthos]

Originally Posted by LudiDrizzt

It's broken the top 20 in like 12 hours.

And a couple of thread merges later, it's about to crack the Top 10.

[Kaurne]

Does anyone know if there is still data on the exact day each strip was posted? Because there may well be a correlation between the amount of time when a strip is the latest (and thus its official discussion page is near the top of the thread list) and the number of posts it gets.

And considering that #841 is the last strip of our strip-a-day week, and Rich has a lot of Kickstarter stuff to organise, and so might not post again for a while, it may well be that #841 is the most commented on strip ever.

It certainly deserves it. At the culmination of a great week for Order of the Stick as a whole, and as the last part of a fantastic reward, we get a strip that is perfectly plotted, brilliantly drawn, and simply chilling to read. And it's not a cliffhanger involving what the characters will do or say, or a cliffhanger with a huge revelation - it's a cliffhanger where we are given a mystery and are desperately theorising and debating over its meaning.

There are so many great theories in the thread, and so many arguments in support of each of them, I'm not sure I want to keep reading the thread. I just want the next strip, so I can see what happens.

If Rich decides to switch to the PoV of Team Evil, or the Linear Guild, or some other characters, for the next strip, then I might tear my hair out in frustration - although I won't be angry at Rich.

Despite the theorising, I prefer to think of this strip as quite possibly Rich's best so far. Sure, it doesn't have the raw awesome factor like some other strips do, but its brilliantly plotted, written, paced, drawn and styled. That final image at the end is horrifying, but magnificently so. Well done Giant. At the end of a hectic week for you, you produced something amazing. I certainly think you deserve a break right now :) .

[B. Dandelion]

(more recent XML data is here)

Originally Posted by Kaurne

Does anyone know if there is still data on the exact day each strip was posted?

Yes. For any that have a thread.

Originally Posted by Kaurne

Because there may well be a correlation between the amount of time when a strip is the latest (and thus its official discussion page is near the top of the thread list) and the number of posts it gets.

There is, although it might be somewhat less than you expect. Of the top ten, for example, the longest time up was 7 days, while the others were all under five days. Of the top 25, one strip was up for 12 days, but again most were much less.

The strips most affected by time seem to be the 1-day strips -- it makes more difference to the comments to have a shortage of time than an excess.

Originally Posted by Kaurne

And considering that #841 is the last strip of our strip-a-day week, and Rich has a lot of Kickstarter stuff to organise, and so might not post again for a while, it may well be that #841 is the most commented on strip ever.

Most commented-on strip ever -- 1160 posts -- was up for three days. The strip that was up for the longest amount of time, 794, for a full 32 days, only garnered 451 posts. Runner up for 23 days, 672, had 460 posts.

Originally Posted by Kaurne

It certainly deserves it. At the culmination of a great week for Order of the Stick as a whole, and as the last part of a fantastic reward, we get a strip that is perfectly plotted, brilliantly drawn, and simply chilling to read. And it's not a cliffhanger involving what the characters will do or say, or a cliffhanger with a huge revelation - it's a cliffhanger where we are given a mystery and are desperately theorising and debating over its meaning.

There are so many great theories in the thread, and so many arguments in support of each of them, I'm not sure I want to keep reading the thread. I just want the next strip, so I can see what happens.

If Rich decides to switch to the PoV of Team Evil, or the Linear Guild, or some other characters, for the next strip, then I might tear my hair out in frustration - although I won't be angry at Rich.

Despite the theorising, I prefer to think of this strip as quite possibly Rich's best so far. Sure, it doesn't have the raw awesome factor like some other strips do, but its brilliantly plotted, written, paced, drawn and styled. That final image at the end is horrifying, but magnificently so. Well done Giant. At the end of a hectic week for you, you produced something amazing. I certainly think you deserve a break right now :) .

Well I can't really touch any of that! Nicely said.

[jmucchiello]

I'd be curious about this stat: number of posts divided number of days between comics. Some post counts climb due to people getting impatient between comics.

[Kaurne]

#841 is up to #4 on the list now, and still growing strong. I'm pretty sure it's going to be the most commented on ever. I mean, it only came out yesterday, so there's still a lot of mileage left in the discussion.

[Tev]

Originally Posted by Kaurne

#841 is up to #4 on the list now, and still growing strong. I'm pretty sure it's going to be the most commented on ever. I mean, it only came out yesterday, so there's still a lot of mileage left in the discussion.

#841 is now 3rd and still rising.
Considering current Rich's workload, new comic won't be out very soon.
So 841 sure is climbing to the top.

[Flame of Anor]

Very cool index! A point of organization, though: if you have a tie in lists like this, it's customary to skip the next number so it lines up at the end.

Example:


1st place: Roy
2nd place: Horace
3rd place: Julia and Eugene (tie)
5th place: Sara


Sara is in 5th, not 4th, because there are four people ahead of her.