Summer Updates - 032

[balder]

New one is up. Appropriately loony art from Eugene Conniff. This will be the last of the picnic updates.

[Kaed]

Clearly, dwagons have a capacity limit and do not like being driven into the ground by fat men on their back.

SCIENCE!

[Sintar07]

Hehe... that update made me laugh a lot.

[Engy]

Going to take a shot in the dark here, I'm guessing the filming archon is sending the feed straight to Stanley. Since we know Stanley is rather fond of his dwagons, and his ego is still in need of a boost, are we going to see Stanley go off at Parson for this?

[GenuityX]

"The dwagon roared angrily, and took off into the sky, leaving a steaming pile of acidic battlecrap on the pavement."

This is seriously one of the funniest lines written in the history of funny English. Epic fantasy writing has just gotten smeared by something acidic. Thank You Rob! I needed that laugh, and excellent art as well. I think this has vaulted Erfworld into the greatest web comics in the history and future of web comicing.

Now please, excuse me. I must go change my pants.

[moose o death]

that was an excellent update. i know that slow motion, this-is-going-to-hurt sensation, all to well, actually having it in slow motion would be doubly unsettling giving you so much more time to fully comprehend how much it will hurt.

it's time like that parson should be glad erfworld will just let him "sleep it off"

also i like the very brief mention that ansom and wanda are off to conquer warchalking.

[BarGamer]

After the dwagon peeled himself off the pavement, Banana split, and rejoined his usual bunch. Parson learned that the next time he wants a fruit fly, he should try honey. After the Archon got the 411 on the 4011, she'll probably post it on YouTewb.

Loved the art of Banana's face. Never has a Banana-induced fall been so epic.

PS: 4011 is the produce code for bananas at my store. I'm not sure if that extends outside my state, or even outside the US, but I couldn't resist.

[moose o death]

clearly loyalty is a powerful imperitive too. if my subboss told me to take a running leap off a battlement while he sits on my back. the words no and the earth equivalents of boop, boop and booping would be thrown in for clarity.

[Spot]

So... I guess that it is pretty-well settled then that Parson is (a) a garrison unit, (b) totally lacking in cross-hex-boundary move, and (c) not going on any trips anytime soon.

[Aquillion]

So... I guess that it is pretty-well settled then that Parson is (a) a garrison unit, (b) totally lacking in cross-hex-boundary move, and (c) not going on any trips anytime soon.

He can technically still move between hexes via the magic city... maybe. We don't really know if it's possible to leave there to anyplace other than the city you entered from. Also, they'd probably kill him. But it's worth keeping in mind.

[moose o death]

or like i said earlier they can buy teleport item from the MK, then wherevr the units get to they can place it to allow parson to enter that hex. start of next turn he jumps back to GK and pops back through when his little transport unit makes it to their next target hex.

otherwise parson is is going to be involved in every battle for gobwin knob he isn't croaked in.

[Welf von Ehrwald]

Well, Parson wanted to invent something. Now he invented Erworld's funniest home videos.

If Stanley see's this, he will sleep better at night. A warlord, that managed to win an unwinable battle and earned the loyalty of many of his man is dangerous thing. A warlord that can't mount a dwagon, not so much.

And I like the guest art, it's really fitting.

[SteveMB]

"...alcohol was apparently involved in the incident...."

[moose o death]

i feel sorry for banana. i still can't get past the poor dwagon having to throw itself off the wall because it's drunk warlord suggested it.

it's a shame the picnic is over, i want to see if parson tells sizemore to make a dwagon from the acidic battlecrap.

[Unclever title]

Awesome, I like how the first book explained what Parson can do as a perfect warlord and the summer updates have revealed some of what Parson can't do as a unit.

I sincerely hope Parson never loses his "push the limits of Erf-Physics" attitude.

And the dwagon's name now being Banana, that's too hilarious. I somehow forsee an eventual friendship between Parson and Banana, but not after the comical "I hate you so much!" moments, mostly considering how Stanley doesn't seem the type to name his dwagons.

And I'm mostly assuming that from how he's had trouble remembering names of a lot of the lesser units so far.

[DevilDan]

So the short bus analogy wasn't so far off...

I think one of the best lines was the one about asking someone to hold his beer. Poor dwagon. "Acidic Battlecrap" sounds like some sort of fantasy death metal parody band. I can keyboard... who wants to play the red-dwagon-shaped keytar? (Come to think of it, we've never seen instruments used in dance fighting.)

Seems as if we're learning a little more about the abilities of archons; maybe they just instinctively record anything of interest. Or maybe they did so because somehow Stanley or Ansom left orders to be notified if the dwagons were disturbed.

If magic items can be resized, presumably within some limits, then maybe Parson can get his own rolled-up magic carpet. Or he can get is own one made. (A smart guy like parson could figure out how to make blimps, particularly with access to some magical way to heat the air... I wonder if such a device could reach greater heights in Erf than those allowed to most units...)

I wonder if Stanley is planning on ordering up a lookamancer anytime soon in order to set up the trimancer link again... or maybe he'll be a little more careful of how he endangers his troops, or at least his valuable "newly-named" casters.

[zz_tophat]

Patient: "Ok doctor how fat am I?"

Doctor: "imagine if you will another world and in this world there are great flying dragons, in this world they are the greatest of flying beasts and unmatched in raw physical power."

Patient: "ahhh ok"

Doctor: "now picture yourself mounting one to fly off to a distant tower, only "the greatest of beasts" with all if power cannot lift you, it flounders about in the air before landing hard, your very weight squeezing from it an acidic bile.

Patient: "...so the bile, is that part of the way dragons are or was it from..."

Doctor: (interrupting) "...it was from how fat you are"

Patient: "...so that's pretty fat then"

Doctor: "I'd say so."

[Hatu]

Interesting development. Poor dwagon.

I notice we're missing the "Turns since tBfGK" counter. Is that no longer needed, or was it an unintentional omission?

-H

[zz_tophat]

Interesting development. Poor dwagon.

I notice we're missing the "Turns since tBfGK" counter. Is that no longer needed, or was it an unintentional omission?

-H

Better question: why are they still called "summer" updates? (This posted while I literally watch the leaves change color).

[LordDarksea]

There's a part of me that's wondering if the Archon's filming isn't part of a residual order left behind from Charlie. Could it be possible that decrypting wouldn't override that compulsion, unless Wanda, Stanley, Ansom or Parson actively tells them not to transmit these things?

I can't really see it happening, because of how decrypting totally re-wrote Ansom's perspective. It seems that the Archon's would be similarly re-written, but if its implanted into their minds that transmitting such information is a) what they do and b) not a betrayal of their side then i guess it could be possible.

Taking into account that they are the specialist units of the Arkendish (is that canon? or am I just assuming/inferring it?), it may be that feeding back everything of importance to the Arkendish is integral to their nature regardless of who their loyalty is to, and if somebody just happens to be attuned to the Arkendish the nthey get that info.

Wild speculation, probably well off base, but it just seems to me a possibility.

Also, having Parson effectively tied into Gobwin Knob for (at least the beginning of) book two seems pretty cool to me. Looks like he will be re-claiming his position as chief warlord and directing the battles form before, a spider at the heart of the web. kinda cool i reckon (does anyone recall who the fictional detective is that is paralysed and unravels murder mysteries from his wheel chair without actually seeing the scenes and perpetrators, 'out sherlock holmesing sherlock holmes', as it were - same as that but committing murders / warfare and conquest from afar)

Anyway, I am now much more convinced than ever that breaking the can't cross hex-boundaries will provide a suitable dramatic moment when Parson forces his way through. possibly for romantic reasons. In book one he claimed control of his mind, in book two he can gain control of his body. Or at least, enough to override Erf physics (which i include the mental compulsions in as well as the physical restrictions) with Earth physics.

Thom

Oh, and another excellent piece of artwork!