Book 2 - Text Updates 001

[asparagus]

I predict that when the fallout of the battle of expository bridge reaches the situation room, Stanley will have some immediate need for Sizemore. On discovering that the "turd guy" is in the Magic Kingdom and remembering his name, Sizemore will be explicitly banned from leaving GK. Thus the steam roller starts to fall apart.

[Ytaker]

With the decrypted's loyalty, it is possible on earth. Some people would never say no if their president called them to war. It's just, almost everyone is like that in erfworld.

[Welf von Ehrwald]

e would not live forever, whatever happened.

So, units have a limited life span? That settles that.

And poor Sizemore. He just wants to be a good guy and be friends with everyone. But faith popped him in the centre of the storm.

[Lady Nerevar]

limited by croaking, i would say. its everyone vs. GK now, and Sizemore rightfully fears that he will be croaked.

[Justyn]

e would not live forever, whatever happened.

So, units have a limited life span? That settles that.

And poor Sizemore. He just wants to be a good guy and be friends with everyone. But faith popped him in the centre of the storm.

That and the whole thing of "nobody lives forever". As in, "everyone is eventually going to die in some manner".

[BoredToThinkName]

001... i hope not all of 3 digits will be used....like in 124 for example
Ok i guess better than nothing, and fine if there is a lot to be said

[Lawd]

Hi everybody! (long time lurker, first time poster)

Nice text update, it made me reread some of the old 'Sizemore in the magic kingdom'-pages in book 1. Only now panel 3 & 4 of page 11 (http://www.erfworld.com/book-1-archive/?px=%2F011.jpg) made sense to me: I have always read panel 3 as Sizemore being a boophole (wich suprised me) and panel 4 as Janis 'taking ten. No... twenty.' to divine the future (take 10 in the D&D fashion).
Thanks to this update, it's clear to me that Sizemore is really generous in those panels: he's offering Janis more Rands. (Probably already known, but hey!)

Also, this update explains the recognition of the caster in red garbs in page 140 of book 1: rock star status (http://www.erfworld.com/book-1-archive/?px=%2F140.jpg)

Have you noticed the pun in: "he couldn't help becoming a filthy rich rock star here"?

And a Dirtamancer with sandals? That... could become nasty when creating a certain type of golem.

[Darkside007]

Sizemore finally has pants!

[Rogthnor01]

I think that the main difference between Decrypted and normal units is that Decrypted have no free will. This is because if I remember correctly loyalty is an invisible, theoretical stat that can be raised or lowered. Its a lot like saying someone has a X out of ten on how loyal they are to something. They don't have to follow orders they just feel they should.

[Rogthnor01]

To clarify: loyalty isn't an actual stat, erfworlders just assume it is because everything else is (attack, defense, health, etc.)
This means that erfworlders have about as much freewill as anyone can have when someone else has the ability to kill them with a thought.

Decrypted have no free will.

[robak]

Lots of info on the magic kingdom here. I wonder why it's called a "kingdom". Is there a "king" of the barbarian casters? Do they prefer royalty to non-royalty? Is it just a name? Do they represent a side? If they are, they could easily overthrow a lot of other sides with that giant amount of casters. GK had 4 casters and that was a lot, Jetstone has 4 presumably and seems to be on the rich side. But the MK seems to have dozens or hundreds of them.
And I don't think Stanley will prohibit Sizemore from going there, he seems to be a not too bad person when it comes to tolerating the hobbies of his minions.

[Dr Pepper]

Specifically, my assumption is that "bring croakamancy into the life axis" is approximately similar to "use physics to calculate a chemistry problem".

Sure. You can use binding energies and orbital structures to predict how atoms will interact, but it's a lot more tiring than using valence. There are probably magical operations that can be performed by more than one mancy, but with differing spell point costs.

[kefkakrazy]

Far be it from me to complain about the renewal of text updates-indeed, I'm ecstatic, and it's a great way to offset the fact that your original publishing schedule was (and I quite understand) a bit too much to handle.

I really hope you have someone good working on the site redesign, though; fixing things so that text updates (either Book 2 related or the Summer Updates) are easily reachable (that is, reachable without having to click "older posts" fifty times on the frontpage) should be at or near Priority One, especially if you're going to go on with them. I don't have much problem, since I read most of the Summer Updates, but I can see how someone new to the comic would panic if they didn't know how to find updates that most decidedly offered a *huge* chunk of exposition for the character personalities and the world itself.

As it stands now, a newbie stands a good chance of having to jump straight from Book One to Book Two and becoming lost. I've also noticed that something is borked with the archives themselves; the last few comics don't seem to be visible.

I know the site redesign is on the way, and I'm sorry I don't have much to say about the update itself; but it's the Reactions board, and that's the reaction I got.

[Chit Rule Railroad]

I think this Life + croakamancy thing is evidence that the 'pliers might not be a croakamancy tool. Their uncroaked-dusting effect might be evidence that Life is naturally opposed to croakamancy, but Wanda's so powerful that she can combine them anyway. I also wonder if Wanda was not popped as a croakamancer and if the 'pliers relate to her original -mancy.

[Zerohour]

Specifically, my assumption is that "bring croakamancy into the life axis" is approximately similar to "use physics to calculate a chemistry problem".

Sure. You can use binding energies and orbital structures to predict how atoms will interact, but it's a lot more tiring than using valence. There are probably magical operations that can be performed by more than one mancy, but with differing spell point costs.

I think a better comparison would be using chemistry to do physics, since physics can do all chemistry. but chemistry can't cover all of physics.

[BLANDCorporatio]

Specifically, my assumption is that "bring croakamancy into the life axis" is approximately similar to "use physics to calculate a chemistry problem".

Sure. You can use binding energies and orbital structures to predict how atoms will interact, but it's a lot more tiring than using valence. There are probably magical operations that can be performed by more than one mancy, but with differing spell point costs.

Exactly. My assumption is that it's not that big, universe-shattering of a deal, when one discipline of knowledge has aspects of an other.

To clarify: loyalty isn't an actual stat, erfworlders just assume it is because everything else is (attack, defense, health, etc.)
This means that erfworlders have about as much freewill as anyone can have when someone else has the ability to kill them with a thought.

Decrypted have no free will.

I think at one point Stanley ordered Parson to laugh at his jokes, and Parson felt compelled internally to do so. And at some other time I think the Tool ordered Parson to smack himself- and he did. Not because of a conscious calculation of "if I don't do it, this guy will end my existence with a thought". He just did.

Whether the decrypted have free will is highly doubtful, but it is not that clear that regular Erfworlders have any either.

Also, the decrypted are not your average undead horde. For one, they appear capable to experience joy- see the archons giggling in their quarters. They have at least some initiative and creative thinking- see Ansom, lately. {{ADDED: ante-decryption relationships are also preserved to some extent, again looking at Ansom and his brothers. Some change in perspective does happen by decryption, abrupt and in a short time but still. Ansom's the same, as several posters have commented, just switched the entity of his stick-in-the-mud devotion.}}

As such, the clear differences between decrypted and living Erfworlders that we know of are upkeep, dusting, and a religious devotion to their maker (for now anyway) which allows them to at least be consistent in emotion and behaviour. These are not the kinds of differences I would base a "decryption is evil" case on.

[raphfrk]

So the theory about Magic kingdom casters being refugees from fallen sides turned barbarian is true. Interesting.
That means they have to work at *something, or they wouldn't last without paying they're upkeep, right?

If there is no city site, why don't casters disband when their side falls? Maybe the portal park is officially a minor city.

Thus we do not know if they need to pay upkeep. I am guessing that they do not.

They are commanders, so they would have a purse. Their upkeep would come from that.

There is probably a rand <-> schmuckers conversion system, so moneymancers are probably still rich However, using rands would mean that if moneymancers flood the market with schmuckers, then it does't devalue rands.

he would not live forever, whatever happened.

So, units have a limited life span? That settles that.

Well, they could still have an indefinite lifespan. As they say "die or live forever", there are only 2 options.

Given the violent nature of Erf, units would know that they wouldn't exist forever. If Parson brings world peace, then maybe units would be able to live for as long as they want.

Even then, a unit would only last until they decide to die.

[Welf von Ehrwald]

[

he would not live forever, whatever happened.

So, units have a limited life span? That settles that.

Well, they could still have an indefinite lifespan. As they say "die or live forever", there are only 2 options.

Given the violent nature of Erf, units would know that they wouldn't exist forever. If Parson brings world peace, then maybe units would be able to live for as long as they want.

Even then, a unit would only last until they decide to die.

Sizemore currently lives in GK, the hardest defensive point in the world. he is protected by knigths, dwagons, archons, high-level warlords, led by the perfect warlord. And there is Stanley, owner of the probably most powerful melee weapon in existence. Taking GK is very difficult. And before that, an enemy has to defeat the army of decrypted, led by one of the smartest strategist in erfworld and an attuned caster. An army about to defeat one of the strongest enemies of his side. And even if GK falls, he can flee to the Magic kingdom, where he can use is rare and valuable skills to make a living. So it is likely that he never again see combat or can survive it. But he says "whatever happened", dismissing any possible future where he would live forever.

[SkarmoryThePG]

But he says "whatever happened", dismissing any possible future where he would live forever.

...sounds like Sizemore all right.

[Raza]

I think I might like alternating text/comic updates every 2.5 day better than comic updates every 3.5 day. I like both formats, and using both allows the virtues of each to shine where they're suited to the story - and a raw increase in erfworld updates is always good.


Sounds like the 'can you build outside of cities' matter is resolved. You can build anywhere with manual labour, but poofing up a city by throwing shmuckers at it only works in city hexes.

Sounds like something else Parson could use to his advantage, sitting in a city on a mountaintop approached by a narrow, winding pass.

And a Dirtamancer with sandals? That... could become nasty when creating a certain type of golem.

He's a dirtamancer. He'd just point his finger and whatever's on his foot picks itself up clean and wanders off somewhere.