Book 2 – Page 5

[Sokrotes]

Ooh i found a small error. In Panel 5 of this page parson is walking and his arms are swinging, the only time u see the lower part of his left arm on this page. His Bracer is not there!! Im sure this was a simple error on the cartoonist, he had it on page 2 so its not like he isnt wearing it. Just thought id point out, yay the first mistake i have personally found!

[joosy]

for a second, I thought it was "The Leader" from the Hulk appearing before Parson.

My heart skipped a beat and I thought.. omg.. its Charlie in his true form!!

but alas.. it was merely Wanda continuing to pose for her upcoming "Every Day is Halloween" calendar.

I also notice how Wanda is using her Archons for thinkagrams while Maggie has Stanley distracted. Perhaps Maggie is providing his daily ego boost as well as creating a distraction from the actual strategery going on.. or maybe they are just taking advantage of a much welcomed reprieve from asininery.

[Raza]

I can't imagine even a small tactical strike letting her come away with a decryptable unit without making some heavy sacrifices.

"Flying stacks led by warlords can selectively engage non flyers" - remember that good stuff?

They can grab whoever they want and all they'll take is return-fire from their specific target and what Ossomer's got for archery.

My hope's on a caster.

[dstorrs]

Seems like Wanda is viewing her Decryption power as a hammer and forcing every problem to be a nail. That is the sort of predictable behavior that an enemy could take advantage of.

Also, what's up with the Bride of Frankenstein hair, garter-belt, and no-pants-whatsoever? Oh Wanda, I weep for you.

[BoredToThinkName]

I cant believe i am the first to mention it (am I?)
But if i was in jetstones place, i would send some units who wouldnt know the truth, to be decrypted. When Wanda asks them, they will lead her to a trap without knowing themselfs.

Also, i joined to tell i dont like Wandas new hairstyle. I want old Wanda back

[SteveMB]

Ah, I get it, it's something like a reverse sticky. Rob's post keeps being pushed down.

That's one way to always get in the last word.

I think there's something wrong with the timestamps on his posts.

[SteveMB]

her effectiveness is directly proportionate to her sexiness

she will fail catastrophically

i notice that Ossamer and Trammennis aren't running

Hmmm... it occurs to me that croaking and decrypting an enemy leader is something the Coalition knows the enemy can do, and is therefore something they may have anticipated and planned for....

[Lamech]

If they've summoned a perfect warlord a great bluff would be telling Ossomer and his bro that the Magic Kingdom summoned a nuke. Could use nice poetic launguage, quote scripture "I have become death the destroyer of worlds." (Thats it right?) Ect. Ect. That would put an end to Parson's attack strategy.

Anyway the archons are really good. As is Stanley, as is most everything except Wanda... sorry about being a glass one tenth empty kind of person. But yeah, the new artist is defenitly doing a good job.

[cib]

But if i was in jetstones place, i would send some units who wouldnt know the truth, to be decrypted. When Wanda asks them, they will lead her to a trap without knowing themselfs.

That doesn't sound like something a Royal faction would do, atleast I wouldn't expect something like that from Ansom or Ossomer.. But we don't know anything about Slately yet, do we?

Anyway, seems I have interpreted the last comic correctly, and also seems Parson did, too. Though, now that Parson is on "my side", everyone else seems to be, too, questioning that Jetstone didn't expect a trap of some sort.

More Predictamancy: I suppose something will happen that Stanley and Wanda don't expect, but I don't think it will be another army of hidden units(I mean, c'mon, that'd be boring and predictable). I guess it's going to be something completely unexpected, something that Ansom won't be able to deal with. That would give an interesting conflict, because Parson would have to take action, but I guess he won't. More likely, Ansom and Wanda will experience some more failures, until the tide turns and GK appears to be losing. Then Parson will come up with some uber-plan(vulcano-style) and make the best out of the mistakes others made. Of course, now I'm getting too much into speculation(and ignoring possible if not likely Deus-Ex machinas), but it would be fitting, wouldn't it?

[Steve-D]

I am also coming to believe that this set-up looks like a trap.
1. Why defend right outside the capital, when the capital would provide enormous defense bonuses, not to mention some special abilities (Chief Warlord Bonus to everyone)? And even the natural choke point that is the bridge is not worth it because you can create choke points through masterful usage of walls, buildings or tunnels. Leave a section of the wall with weaker defenses to ensure that the enemy will break down the wall at that particular point and prepare some defenses in advance.

...

4. Unaroyal. Thanks to the Unaroyal's sacrifice Jetstone should know exactly how to fight decrypted: keep your forces together and fight all or nothing battles. Yet, here they are splitting their forces, leaving their capital vulnerable just asking for Ansom to divide and conquer.

I think the information shared from Unaroyal is exactly why they are doing this. They know Wanda's forces have had great success capturing cities. They also know she can decrypt fallen units to bolster her ranks.

If your going to make an all-or-nothing stand against a foe like Wanda, you want everything concentrated in one overwhelming spot. Doing that in a normal hex means they have to fight you, stack by stack. Doing that in a City hex means you have to split your forces between the different zones, and loosing control of a zone would leave Wanda to decrypt all your fallen units. It also allows Wanda to surround the hex and overwhelm weak spots.

So this makes sense from the Jetstone side, based on the information they've been given. But it would also make sense for them to have some sort of backup plan.

[cib]

If your going to make an all-or-nothing stand against a foe like Wanda, you want everything concentrated in one overwhelming spot. Doing that in a normal hex means they have to fight you, stack by stack. Doing that in a City hex means you have to split your forces between the different zones, and loosing control of a zone would leave Wanda to decrypt all your fallen units. It also allows Wanda to surround the hex and overwhelm weak spots.

Hm, yes, this might have been their first thought behind it. The problem is that by just putting all units on one spot and fighting, you are in for a pretty "even" fight, and they can't afford even fights against GK which is economically stronger. Economically stronger and taking advantage of anything that spreads out your troops.. I really think Parson is on the wrong side right now, the opposition needs a mind like him.

Wonder about Charlie..

[HandofShadows]

I hope Wanda changes her look. I don't like the current one.

As for Wanda getting more info by going after one of the Princes I think she is going to. But NOT in the way we might think. So far we have seen the Arckenpliers do only one thing, decrypt. I would think that it has other abilities. The Arkenhammer can tame dwagons, shoot lighting, allow it's wielder to fly, Rock Out and turn walnuts into pigions and visversa(20%) chance).

[cib]

So far we have seen the Arckenpliers do only one thing, decrypt. I would think that it has other abilities. The Arkenhammer can tame dwagons, shoot lighting, allow it's wielder to fly, Rock Out and turn walnuts into pigions and visversa(20%) chance).

Which raises the question how the Arkenpliers can be so powerful(raise an unlimited amount of units) compared to the Arkendishes and the Arkenhammer. Is there some sort of drawback associated with decrypting? Do the other Arkentools have some awesome abilities that we don't know about yet?

[MarbitChow]

Which raises the question how the Arkenpliers can be so powerful(raise an unlimited amount of units) compared to the Arkendishes and the Arkenhammer. Is there some sort of drawback associated with decrypting? Do the other Arkentools have some awesome abilities that we don't know about yet?

This has been debated quite a bit. The drawback of the Arkenpliers is that, if you don't already have a strong force (or some other way to create croaked units), you can't do anything with it.
The 'Hammer can tame dwagons, so you can go from nothing to something fairly easily with a little bit of luck or a few turns to start popping one.
The 'Pliers are useless in a situation where you've got no major offensive ability already.

The main reason the 'Pliers seem overpowered is because of the plot point / lucky coincidence where a truly massive battle takes place in a single hex, and just happens to destroy almost every unit on both sides.
Think of the 'Pliers as being like a nuclear reaction: it takes a huge effort to get it started, but once it is started, it's really hard to stop.

[Updog]

She actually has a few options:

1. Who knows how much the Archons know about Charlie that Wanda now knows, and Charlie is the master of intelligence gathering... Maybe she'll trick him, or I find even more likely, one of his Archon subordinates that don't know about the conversion that happened to his other Archons... Charlie's secretive nature just might work against him.

There is a movie joke about 3-way telephone calls where girl-1 calls girl-2 while girl-3 is on the line without girl-2's knowledge. Usually it's a device used by girl-1 to destroy a friendship between girl-2 and girl-3. (Characters in the movie usually truncate the term to just "3-way" for comedy's sake so characters and viewers initially misinterpret the meaning. Ahh Hollywood!). And Wanda just ended a 2-way thinkagram that was truncated as 2-way, so I'm thinking Wanda is may try gathering some free intelligence by either tricking Charlie or an Archon Charlie controls into divulging some information "free of charge". I mean, she has a foolamancer right there! Just veil one of the Archons into one of the Archons Charlie still controls, and have a 3-way thinkagram with Wanda on the line listening in as a veiled Archon tricks some Archons into thinking Charlie just gave them a scouting assignment, or simply trick Charlie into thinking he's talking to one of his favourites.
.

I think 2 way always just referred to the fact that there is a send-receive-respond chain of communication as opposed to send-receive only

http://www.erfworld.com/book-1-archive/?px=%2F009.jpg Here, Jillian asks if it is dual use, it's not (abjuration only). Supposedly thinkagrams work like this also

[badninja]

Nice, I like how Parson is not taking any chances here. I feel that he is right and something is going to surprise them, maby Charlie or Jillian? This has some good set up for the future battle as Parson is going to figure out his enemy before he fully engages them. I think that this is still fully Ansom's plan and Parson only approved it, not came up with it. Now how will this battle proceed, a GK steamroll or an actual multi-turn battle?

[Updog]

She actually has a few options:

1. Who knows how much the Archons know about Charlie that Wanda now knows, and Charlie is the master of intelligence gathering... Maybe she'll trick him, or I find even more likely, one of his Archon subordinates that don't know about the conversion that happened to his other Archons... Charlie's secretive nature just might work against him.

There is a movie joke about 3-way telephone calls where girl-1 calls girl-2 while girl-3 is on the line without girl-2's knowledge. Usually it's a device used by girl-1 to destroy a friendship between girl-2 and girl-3. (Characters in the movie usually truncate the term to just "3-way" for comedy's sake so characters and viewers initially misinterpret the meaning. Ahh Hollywood!). And Wanda just ended a 2-way thinkagram that was truncated as 2-way, so I'm thinking Wanda is may try gathering some free intelligence by either tricking Charlie or an Archon Charlie controls into divulging some information "free of charge". I mean, she has a foolamancer right there! Just veil one of the Archons into one of the Archons Charlie still controls, and have a 3-way thinkagram with Wanda on the line listening in as a veiled Archon tricks some Archons into thinking Charlie just gave them a scouting assignment, or simply trick Charlie into thinking he's talking to one of his favourites.
.

I think 2 way always just referred to the fact that there is a send-receive-respond chain of communication as opposed to send-receive only

http://www.erfworld.com/book-1-archive/?px=%2F009.jpg Here, Jillian asks if it is dual use, it's not (abjuration only). Supposedly thinkagrams work like this also

EDIT: Also I'm not personally thinking it but for those who were, I think you think Maggie is a TILF

[Jack-El]

Long-time lurker finally registering, and in the spirit of the forums I'll make my first post a bit of speculation.

I wonder if Rob made Wanda choose this tactic because...

Spoiler: show

He wanted to reveal that the Tremmenis and Ossomer on the bridge were illusions done by either a Foolamancer or an Archon's special. Wanda would close upon one of the brothers (probably Tremmenis) whose illusion would fake distress until the kidnapper would pass right through him and he says "psych" (or something to that effect). Maybe Admiral (J)ackbar could get a zoom in with him saying "It's a trap!" right before the reveal

I'm also wondering what those tents are for... perhaps we'll see what a Carnymancer can do

[Welf von Ehrwald]

So, There are two thinkagramms running at the same time. i guess an archon is filming what Stanley sees. Are the archons or Maggie conducting the thinkagramms? I think tend to the latter; I think the archons are just a transmitter, that allows Maggie to make the thinkagramms less juice-costly. I wonder if an archon would get an bonus, if a thinkamancer or foolamancer would lead them.

I think GK is about to run into a trap. The idea to send the mancers to the bridge was clever, but it exposed Spacerock to air raids, and they knew that GK had some archons and dwagons. I think there are troops from Jetstone's allies in the capital; maybe some of their casters, too. With the portal to the MK an allied caster could escape even if Spacerock falls; so there is limited risk. And if they have some good spell defences like Ceasar faced them in chokula, they actually might have a chance. Especially, when there are also some thousand archers and high level chief warlords from an their allies.

[zippomage]

Seems like Wanda is viewing her Decryption power as a hammer and forcing every problem to be a nail. That is the sort of predictable behavior that an enemy could take advantage of.

The thing is, it's not her behavior that's being predictable. This is her first major battle we've seen her in since the end of Book 1. So far, every suggested tactical option I've seen for this forum has included "She should decrypt..." Sounds more like the forum is thinking predictably. Wanda is not a one-trick pony. Remember she had a massive cache of magical scrolls from other disciplines. She has dabbled in many other magics. She can also lead units she has raised using Danceomancy. Who knows if she can do this with decrypted units.

The only time she has spammed her Decryption power is after they returned to Gobwin Knob and were beginning to recover from the volcanic blast. And that was because they had no units. It has been how many rounds since Gobwin Knobs new facilities popped? Who knows what she's got up her sleeve!