Book 2 – Text Updates 034

[Raza]

Considering that Maggie and Sizemore found the concept of even a hypothetical attack on Stanley unfathomable, I don't think you could make the bid when your still on the same side.

'Mnot sure about that. When Parson posed the question to Maggie, there was no heir to Gobwin Knob. Consequently, both relevant natural thinkamancies (loyalty & duty) would weight against attacking the site's overlord. Assuming that the sum of known natural thinkamancies results in a compulsion, her answer would be correct for that situation.

But if there is a heir, and the unit in question has more faith in that heir than in the current overlord, duty and loyalty would be in opposition. Additionally, once conflict between the heir and the overlord becomes a given, individual loyalty to the heir would start weighting in... a likely turning point in a coup, and something that may have started to happen on a small scale in Don King's disagreement with Ceasar earlier. The sum of natural thinkamancies at this point may still be a compulsion, but the outcome could be anything.

Compare Maggie's own suggestion on Stanley. Clearly she is able to take hostile action to her overlord, provided she believes it to be in the side's greater good. The same might apply for Ceasar, or any Transylvito unit with greater loyalty to Ceasar than to Don King for that matter.

No, it needs more cowbell!

No, it requires additional pylons!

No, it requires additional cylons.

This stopped being funny seven posts ago.

[kagato23]

No, it needs more cowbell!

No, it requires additional pylons!

No, it requires additional cylons.

Upon reconsideration, it needs more dakka!

This stopped being funny seven posts ago.

Shush you.

You do make a good point about the lack of a heir in that moment, I can't generalize it, Parson's question was pretty specific to the situation. Though I wouldn't call Maggie's suggstion on Stanley hostile. They were coersive, but since they were in her belief in his best interest, and did no actual harm to him (with the possible exception of indigestion).

Though if hostile actions could be instigated in such ways, that does paint an amusing picture. I'm now imagining Caesar with a joint in one hand and a blunt instrument in the other (behind his back) asking Don if he "wants a hit."

[Trotsky]

No, it needs more cowbell!

No, it requires additional pylons!

No, it requires additional cylons.

This stopped being funny seven posts ago.

No, it stopped being funny nine posts ago.

[Diacritic]

Huh. Everyone seems to take it as read that this is somehow an incitement to riot. What I got out of it was that despite his own misgivings, Benjamin didn't want to see a revolt, and was using his Rhyme-o-mancy to quell qualms and get people back on track--hence, "cancels the antsy". He doesn't have the juice to do much else, but this is how he can help.

Maybe not, but I don't think the interpretation is as clear-cut against Don as people are taking it.

[Althernai]

I don't think this is a public performance -- what he is saying amounts to lèse-majesté and while it might not be a crime in Transylvito, Caesar didn't dare to tell even his lover something much smaller in scope. He is reciting the poem to himself to calm himself down.

[Lamech]

No, it needs more cowbell!

No, it requires additional pylons!

No, it requires additional cylons.

This stopped being funny seven posts ago.

No, it stopped being funny nine posts ago.

No it needs more recursion!

I don't think that things are looking good for our hero. Err... Don King. Ceaser probably has one or two casters to bring with him when he snaps or rebels. And Translovito isn't in a place to lose its best Warlord or a caster or two. Although even if Don has his way he wants to throw away Ceaser into a random low level city. Translovito really needs new management.

[Raza]

You do make a good point about the lack of a heir in that moment, I can't generalize it, Parson's question was pretty specific to the situation. Though I wouldn't call Maggie's suggstion on Stanley hostile. They were coersive, but since they were in her belief in his best interest, and did no actual harm to him (with the possible exception of indigestion).

Thanks. Coercion is hostile in my book, but that may be anarchist morality speaking. I agree that it is not a given that erfworld's game mechanics treat it as such.

Though if hostile actions could be instigated in such ways, that does paint an amusing picture. I'm now imagining Caesar with a joint in one hand and a blunt instrument in the other (behind his back) asking Don if he "wants a hit."

lol

Yeah, Maggie did ask for permission first. I wonder whether that's the outcome of an arbitrarily un-overwhelming natural thinkamancy check or whether some substitute would always be needed.

[HandofShadows]

Poetry. We don't see enough of it these days. Me like.

[Oberon]

Don King beggared his own kingdom in favor of FAQ. Throwing away power for an incommensurately small reward. Now he's invested so much into FAQ he needs to keep FAQ looking like a winner, what an amateur.

I have often wondered about the logic of this. At first it appeared that TV was able to profit by using FAQ as a proxy. A means of denying involvement with the hope of remaining on neutral grounds with forces arrayed against the RCC or RCC II. But, damn... Spending on this level to boost the production of a kingdom you are fostering, in the hopes of keeping a generally known anti-Royal Side overlooking you? Really? That cannot really be Don's plan. And his Warlords know it. And his CWL knows it. And apparently his casters know it.

Probably the best text update so far. God that was awesome!

Probably the worst text update so far. God that sucked.

Probably the most polarizing text update so far. God, that was...

Wait, no, not even close to the most polarizing...

Probably the most.... naaaawwwww.

We waited so long for this ?

Wow this comic is getting so tiresome.... No words for this...

Don't let the door hit you on the way out?

That's just as rude. Respect the opinion, even if you do not agree with it. Debate that opinion, using the weapons of reason and example. Shut down that opinion, based upon your own biases? Well then, you've lost already.

We have canon on disbanding, it's in the wiki:

A unit may be disbanded when:

1. the Ruler chooses to disband the unit.Erf-b1-p072 This is instantaneous and permanent. It may be applied to any unit controlled by the ruler, wherever that unit is located.

We have rather someone's post in the wiki which claims to be the canon on disbanding. There is little reference given to support the wikki reasoning, so I would highly suggest that readers look to more credible sources.

[paint]

No, it needs more cowbell!

No, it requires additional pylons!

No, it requires additional cylons.

This stopped being funny seven posts ago.

No, it stopped being funny nine posts ago.

was it ever really funny?

[JustDoug]

A different view.

"As Benjamin watched and listened, Don King addressed his court in the finest rhyme-o-mancy; acknowledging all their fears and worries and explaining that he was aware of all of them, gently mocking his seeming madness and indifference, showing them all that he knew what was worrying them, and then finally explaining with subtlety that they had nothing to fear concerning them. He had reasons behind his actions and decisions, though unspoken. He was the Kingdom and was working toward both its and his best interest. He was well aware of the risks that he was taking and that the stakes he was wagering were high, but it was a gamble taken for sound reason."

"The only worrying aspect of Don King's actions was that he'd come direct from his bedroom, fresh from sleep. There lay the worrying thing, if Signamancy had anything to say about this."

"Benjamin fretted that the King had just gone from bed to Verse."

[Nows7]

A different view.

"As Benjamin watched and listened, Don King addressed his court in the finest rhyme-o-mancy; acknowledging all their fears and worries and explaining that he was aware of all of them, gently mocking his seeming madness and indifference, showing them all that he knew what was worrying them, and then finally explaining with subtlety that they had nothing to fear concerning them. He had reasons behind his actions and decisions, though unspoken. He was the Kingdom and was working toward both its and his best interest. He was well aware of the risks that he was taking and that the stakes he was wagering were high, but it was a gamble taken for sound reason."

"The only worrying aspect of Don King's actions was that he'd come direct from his bedroom, fresh from sleep. There lay the worrying thing, if Signamancy had anything to say about this."

"Benjamin fretted that the King had just gone from bed to Verse."

I am at a loss... for a response.

[BLANDCorporatio]

Well, since apparently Don King did not yet have breakfast, the wurst is yet to come.

"Benjamin fretted that the King had just gone from bed to Verse."

Well played. Tip of the hat.

[Smoker]

Well, since apparently Don King did not yet have breakfast, the wurst is yet to come.

"Benjamin fretted that the King had just gone from bed to Verse."

Well played. Tip of the hat.

Oh I say! Well done indeed!

This forum would benefit greatly from a "like" function.

[Whispri]

This update was worth it just for the 'What ho? That ho' line.

Looks like Don dug his own grave. Caesar is more respected than him, and I bet the only reason the coup still didn't happen it's because, like Donhimself points out, the warlord isn't very good in politic subtelties, so he has managed to keep him under control.

I'm not inclined to give Don any credit. It seems far more likely that it's a simple matter of time constraints that have kept him on his throne, it's only been a two and a half months since Wanda summoned Parson after all.

[Smoker]

Ah poor Don.

I have to give him some kudos - his Royalist beliefs are strong. He's not just prancing around saying how awesome it is to be Royal, he's actually making sacrifices to further his cause. He's pumping his treasury into another side, not for their units, but to put another Royal side on the map. He's going to retire his awesome-crazy-cool CWL, not because he doesn't like him, but because he wants HIS side to go on being Royal.

From a military perspective, its a rubbish plan, but you gotta admit - any unit in Erfworld that can think beyond the 'conquest' mentality deserves a liiiittle recognition.

[the_tick_rules]

We're all assuming this poem was actually a spell and had an effect. How do we know it just wasn't just a poem? Could be it's considered natural rhyme-o-mancy and just words on a scroll.

[name lips]

FYI, the poem sounds a lot better, out loud, read quickly with a mobster-ish accent.

[John Campbell]

Wait, Bennie's a Transylvitan vampire? That makes at least three webcomics that have Undead Benjamin Franklin in them...

[ftl]

Wait, Bennie's a Transylvitan vampire? That makes at least three webcomics that have Undead Benjamin Franklin in them...

Well, he's Transylvitian. It's unclear whether he's a vampire or not. He's been shown to have a different skin tone and eyes than the rest of the Transylvito vampires. So he might not be undead.