Book 2 – Text Updates 035

[balder]

New One is up.

[DevilDan]

One of my favorite text updates, even if Jack isn't my favorite character! It's good to see someone take a few pokes at Wanda.

[gaiaswill]

I know. Wanda is too serious. She needs some needling and our good foolamancer provides.

Why so serious?

[ftl]

Auuughh!!!

The suspense is killing me. We've had half a dozen updates of people talking about how epic Parson's plan is. I wanna seeeeeeeeeeeee it!!!!

Of course, I'm also scared that Charlie's gonna PLOT it out of existence through thinkamancy thinking.

Also, Jack is amazing, as always. I hope he survives.

[Dr Pepper]

...And the other will turn the tables. Ha!

[Dr Pepper]

And once again, Rob tweaks the collective nose of the forum. So sacrifice/fall/decrypt is not Parson's great plan, it's merely the best that a lesser intellect like Jack's could come up with.

Well then, let the speculation begin afresh.

[ftl]

And once again, Rob tweaks the collective nose of the forum. So sacrifice/fall/decrypt is not Parson's great plan, it's merely the best that a lesser intellect like Jack's could come up with.

Well then, let the speculation begin afresh.

Well, this doesn't at all rule out "fall/decrypt/fight on the ground". Jack's plan was purely defensive - baffles, veils, meat shields with decryption to stay in the air and stay alive. Most of our speculation about Parson had already moved beyond that.

[Nows7]

This update was all about questions and answers, bookended by a pair of riddles. We found why Jack didn't turn, A reason why Wanda didn't thats not the one she gave. We heard Jack rephrase the question from "How do we survive" in the light of Parson's answer. Jack even gave acknowlegement to Wanda's question regarding uncroaked casters. Most every line of dialog is a question.

The riddles were clever, but I would answer the luckamancer / naughtymancer diffrently "One rules the broken (croakamancy); the other breaks the rules. (luckamancy defying odds)"

[fjolnir]

Well concidering that Naughtymancy has 2 schools that literally break rules (croakamancy brings back the dead, which bypasses croaking rules and turning rules as well. Retconjuration LITERALLY reshifts reality to suit the user, though only the titans practice it) while luckamancers literally can shift bad breaks to good and good breaks to bad...

[ftl]

This update was all about questions and answers, bookended by a pair of riddles. We found why Jack didn't turn, A reason why Wanda didn't thats not the one she gave. We heard Jack rephrase the question from "How do we survive" in the light of Parson's answer. Jack even gave acknowlegement to Wanda's question regarding uncroaked casters. Most every line of dialog is a question.

Good point.

Surprisingly much actual content for a text update, actually. We learned a lot. I think the most important was why Jack didn't turn...

[DevilDan]

And once again, Rob tweaks the collective nose of the forum. So sacrifice/fall/decrypt is not Parson's great plan, it's merely the best that a lesser intellect like Jack's could come up with.

Well then, let the speculation begin afresh.

Rob has plotmancy on his side and complete knowledge of the rules, but I always doubted our collective brainstorming could come too close to guessing to Parson's plan.

[Knight13]

Ahaha, I love the way Jack's twisty mind works. He's pretty much the only character that doesn't take Erfworld seriously. The question is whether that's because he sees the futility of Erfworld's current state or because he's not entirely sane.

[ftl]

Rob has plotmancy on his side and complete knowledge of the rules, but I always doubted our collective brainstorming could come too close to guessing to Parson's plan.

Well, we'll see. We've had some pretty wide-ranging speculation. I'd guess that whatever Parson's plan ends up being, it will be something that has been seriously brought up and suggested here, though not necessarily one of the front-runners.

(Besides, I don't get why people are suddenly talking about our speculation being disproven after *this* update. Jack is referring to the plan he himself suggested in text updates back then, and saying that's not it; that's no surprise, given that he had a purely defensive plan, and we've known for quite some time now (IRL time, not game time) that Parson had something far more spectacular planned than just surviving volleys.)

[Trost]

Jack's great. I hope he survives...

And I'm anxiously awaiting Parson's move.

[ftl]

The question is whether that's because he sees the futility of Erfworld's current state or because he's not entirely sane.

Or both. Seriously, living in a world while believing in its futility would be pretty much a mark of insanity.

I'd vote for both. We know he's not entirely sane - he's said so himself, actually, a few text updates back. We also know (from the same text update) that as an eyemancer (specifically, a foolamancer) he makes sure to pay very careful attention to the details of how the world looks. So he sees much more of how it works than most others.

[Nows7]

Well concidering that Naughtymancy has 2 schools that literally break rules (croakamancy brings back the dead, which bypasses croaking rules and turning rules as well. Retconjuration LITERALLY reshifts reality to suit the user, though only the titans practice it) while luckamancers literally can shift bad breaks to good and good breaks to bad...

I'm not saying Rob's answer was wrong, just poining out that it could even be read diffrently, and still work in structure.

[jestyr7]

Ender's game option: Enter the portal, go to the king at the tower under guise of joining the parley, or otherwise fight if necessary. Kill or throw (or grapple and jump to the single dragon, depending on mechanics) the king from the tower. Decrypt or otherwise ensure defeat to take over or place the side in stasis. Not only do you defeat the other side, but immediately gain their entire strength without incurring losses to their (now your) strength. Shades of Ansom/Bogroll, and a true 'checkmate' condition.

Doesn't quite sound like what the actual plan is, as Parson was happy about the troops being moved away from the tower (perhaps that was the 'in range of archers/casters' - meaning they moved the casters to the garrison, thus less risky/easier to assault the king?).

But however it works out, it sets Parson up remotely from Stanley in a relatively safe area (post transition), getting him out from under his thumb for a while providing suitable excuses (can't fit on a dragon, won't be allowed to re-enter TMK) for the inability to return quickly/safely, freeing him up for plot purposes if needed (also, jetpack + heavy?). If Parson is the only one truly in-hex there's also opportunity for breaking from Stanley and making another side, say, Hamtopia or Wandaville with a full fighting force, instantly, if necessary for plot purposes.

Speculation is fun. This entire setup has been done masterfully so far, regardless of pace - it's like watching the multiple endings of Clue and waiting to see which is the real one.

[Ansan Gotti]

Not understanding why people think the fall/croak/decrypt plan is less likely now. Quite the contrary, the healing scrolls in Wanda and Jack's hands make the fall/croak/decrypt plan nearly a certainty, in my mind: if either Jack or Wanda are incapacitated as a result of the fall, the other uses a healing scroll on him or her.

[multilis]

"the side in stasis"

The side won't be in stasis as long as it is under attack. As well, Tram and friends also have advantage that they can cross zones freely, while Parson's side can't.

Charlie can allow Tram to become Heir, Charlie moves before Parson.

But two sides potentially move before even Charlie, Haggar and the magic kingdom. Sammy is obvious decryption material, especially if Ansom can be "turned."

And Wanda is angry which gives room for her to do something stupid.

[Spot]

I'm reminded of why I like Jack =)