Summer Updates - 045

[balder]

New One is up.

[CnSvnc]

I like "the awful gaping hole in his existence where internet pr0n had once lived".

And Parson seems to be holding against temptation fairly well.

[joosy]

sweet! a new update!

I enjoyed the information about natural allies. They need those Gobwin troops to help mine the volcano (again), it seems. Also, Stanley is rebuilding up his 'live' troops up again. Stanley's distrustful attitude toward the decrypted units appears to be growing as well.

Interesting questions that Parson is pitting at the bracer... I"m assuming "What are the odds that Charlescomm is behind the missing gobwins?" was the most revealing one. I also find it interesting that he is withholding that information from Fearless Leader. HIs reasoning makes sense given his knowledge of Charlie's methodology. I think it was Don King who advised not to strike at an unknown foe from a place of strength. That is a very good bit of wisdom where Charlie is concerned.

Parson's attitude toward the Archons is finally revealed. So the whole reason he didn't talk to them at length beforehand was that he's shy and suddenly very very moral How utterly alien and charming! (thanks, Maggie) That's adorable. Well.. now that he now has to start making plans against Charlie he is overcoming his geek handicap (-6 against XX chromosomes) to get some hard info.

Thanks for the update - looking forward to find out what the Archons reveal about Charlie!

[hanglekuk]

Any tips for when summer is gonna end?
I really dig these updates, but already starved for visuals.
Wonder, though, how much the erfworld will change.

And on the update - please, let it one of the rare infrequent updates. We are spoiled by frequency and proud by that!

Charlie is paying marbits to hunt gobwins?

[Gez]

Any tips for when summer is gonna end?

Scroll down a bit to read the boring news. You'll see this:

Announcement 3: "Erfworld 2: Love is a Battlefield" will launch Wednesday, October 28 and will follow a regular Wednesday/Saturday schedule after that. We will do 25 pages an "issue," and a period of text updates like the Summer Updates between issues. We will do everything we need to do to keep to that schedule.

Yeah, it's announcement 3, meaning there are two others before. And there's even a fourth after. But the award for enduring all that is a pretty picture of New Gobwin Knob! And you also learn stuff!

[Malanthyus]

I really hope they cram in one more summer update, just to show us his conversation with the archons.

[hajo]

Looks like on Erf, free will is reserved for barbarians and leaders of a side.
The casters in the MK likely count as barbarians as well.

So, what exactly happens when such a free 'person' changes its status,
such as getting hired, or becoming leader/overlord ?

[Justyn]

I really hope they cram in one more summer update, just to show us his conversation with the archons.

Rob said in the IRC that this was originally supposed to be the first half of a larger update, but he got some writer's block (I can relate ), and decided to break it in half in order to actually get something up.

[asparagus]

I would suggest to Parson that his opening line should be "Let's form a rock band callled Lord Hamster and the Archons". They have a nice theatre for their concerts. Or would that undermine Stanley's ego even more?

[MuthSera]

Parson is a better man than I.

[joosy]

Hmm.. Vurp the Hobgobwin knight was the last of his side, it seems. (He was the lone remaining knight that returned with Stanley from the battle of the mountain hex).

I'm seeing a spin-off series.. Vurp the last of his kind. A lone knight travelling the world in search of <insert favorite tangible or intangible macguffin here>. A loner with a heart of gold and skin to match. Just him and him alone against an entire world. The entire fate of his species and culture burdening his broad shoulders and deep soul. With weariness and rugged battle scars across his face and mind. Vurp - the lone Hobgobwin knight!

oh wait.. they used him to clone/create more hobgobwins including more knights.

Never mind.

Hopefully they can outsmart Charlescomm and locate some of their natural allies. We need more of those cute little lizardy green Gobwins. I want to see them using pumpkin bombs to help mine the volcano.

[Amplify]

Honestly, I'd pretty much have similar reactions to Parson to all of this. I've no idea of course what would happen exactly, as I'm about as far removed from single attractive women as it is humanly possible to be, though I'd imagine it'd go something like it has been doing for Parson.

[Welf von Ehrwald]

I wonder if parson outsmarted himself. Charley knows that parson is smart, and he knows that Parson knows about the Bracer's ability to deliver predictions. Charley probably already made it part of his scheme to let parson know about his activities.
I think Charley bought these tribes for Faq and gave them to Jillian. Faq is strong with air units, but weak with ground units. They can't even send infantry out of their cities, because Faq is only accessible by air. And tunnels. The only tunnel units GK has in it's capital are decrypted units and Sizemore's golems. And they can only produce more of the latter, at least as long if Wanda is not in the town. And if the attackers have a caster with some croakamancer-scrolls with them, they can even keep Wanda from decrypting the dead units.

Here again my little pet theory: they will wait till Ansom and Wanda stand before the capital of Jetstone and then Transylvito & Faq will attack GK itself. With Parson's bracers, Charley can determine how many troops they will need to take Gobwin Knob without the Chef warlord in the hex. Stanley will then be forced to appoint some warlord in the city to get the bonus for his defence, significantly weakening the forces in reach of the Jetstone troops. To avoid an dwagon relay, they will lay a trap between the GK and Jetstone, probably led by Jillian and her chief warlord.

[BoopingCynic]

Let's talk about another issue which is how and why is charlie getting rid of or hiding the gobwins that should naturally pop in the mountains

[HandofShadows]

Ah, confirmation of what I was expecting. Parson is finally losing weight!

[warriortribble]

I get the sense that a combination of Signamancy and diet is what's making Parson thinner not the stairs. Exercise does give you muscles, but if one still ate way too many calories that muscle mass combines with the fat, and makes you even bigger. Sumo wrestlers would be a popular example of this.

[joosy]

Let's talk about another issue which is how and why is charlie getting rid of or hiding the gobwins that should naturally pop in the mountains

Most likely by either veiling them (assuming that he has that capability), by getting them to come help FAQ (which as someone pointed out earlier is an excellent complement to its air units. They can also help with mining and tunnel defenses if any attacks come that way), and by hiring or influencing marbits to take out gobwins since they appear to be natural enemies.

Why? To help Faq and to slow down Gobwin Knob. Or maybe its all part of some diabolical scheme for his nefarious business. First, you take all of the gobwins. Next. ?????? Third. PROFIT!!!

[Justyn]

Quick thought before I get to bed: why won't Marbits or Elves ally with those who use Gobwins, Hobgobwins, Witches, or Daemons? Are they just popped with a natural animosity towards them? If Parson were to literally ask some Marbits why they won't ally with someone who has Gobwins, would they question why they won't?

And is this saying that they won't... or that they can't?

Edit:
Something else occurs to me: if there are daemons, is there some kind of angelic natural ally? Maybe... Archons?

[Megaduck]

Gobwin Knob lacks tunnel units and probably Mountain units as well.

And their capital is sitting right in the middle of the mountains.

I don't think Ansom is the only commander that is thinking about a Capital strike. FAQ is right next door to Gobwin Knob and if all the Marbits are Charlies and FAQ provides the air attack They could stage in FAQ and attack GK faster then the Army of the Damned could respond.

Also, Parson is using air units for scouting. They probably can't see into tunnels. So without tunnel units there is nothing watching the area around GK from below.


If this is all timed right Ansom could be attacking his brothers at Jetstone (Whom he loved) while Jillian is attacking Wanda at GK (Whom she loved).


Ahem, Go Parson with the free will! I like him more and more, brilliant and moral.

[Welf von Ehrwald]

Let's talk about another issue which is how and why is charlie getting rid of or hiding the gobwins that should naturally pop in the mountains

Unlike dwagons Gobwin tribes seem to pop more rarely, or mainly in hexes with already existing tribes. At least that's what I follow from Stanley's nagging. He seems to think that all gobwin tribes were killed by the volcano. Charley maybe got some findamancer scrolls and found out where the tribes were (or Jillian suddenly got a Findamancer from the magic kingdom...), and paid them to go somewhere else. With his schmuckers and thikamancy that should be easy.