Book 2 – Text Updates 035

[BCCroaker]

I think you are on to something there. The only way I can of the city being destroyed is for the dwagons to raize it as in Plan A. Perhaps Parson has seen some relationship between time as experienced by individuals (duration) and turn time (number of actions). Or, more simply, perhaps he can do something to make Jetstone use up their turn without attacking the flying stacks and the bestockinged Wanda.

Yes yes, all nice and all, but the big question is: what is going to happen now? What is Parsons plan in the end? Do we get any forshadowing to what this could be?

Yes. First - as already mentioned here - we get to know what it is not. The falling crap idea. Thank god. Or lets say it is not going to be the integral part of the plan. So what is? I think the big secret hint in this text update is indeed the very last words about the musical lilt.

For this to understand let me refresh your memory about the start of Book 2. There we had our main characters wearing costumes and makeup heavily resembling a musical called Rocky Horror Picture Show. Now seeing Jack in the illustration like this, about to start a song I got the heavy impression that now is the time where this turns into a musical. Into the above mentioned.

I admit I dont know this musical. So I went through their lyrics looking for appearances of "while the other..." or "turns the table". Nothing. Maybe the answer to Jacks riddle isnt the obvious one? Maybe.. just maybe... Lord Hamster is again good for some surprising "turn of events". Because the one song that is very well known about this musical is one called "Time Warp". ("Leeets doooo tiiiime waarp noooow...")

Could this be possible? What do you think? After Jillian manipulated a specific turn ending it in the process - could the other be trying to manipulate time as a whole now? Warping it so that Goblin Knob is able to act again? Putting them all back (or forth) to the start of their turn? (but only in time of course so that the locations of units wouldnt be altered)

P.S.: still love Wandas hair. Here stockings are quite pleasing, too.

[the_tick_rules]

Hmmm, looks my old post isn't here anymore. I guess I said something bad. Well Jack doesn't seem the type to impress easily, this has got to be good.

[Ytaker]

http://www.erfworld.com/wiki/index.php/ ... rmission_6

"One in about 5400, it says. So, what, I'd be acting like a defending archery unit then? Even though I don't have archery as a special? Any of us could throw a brick and hit an enemy down there, even though we aren't archers?"

Sizemore shrugged. "If we had bricks."

I assumed he would be ripping the city apart, and using it as bricks- that Sizemore's words were foreshadowing. Or smashing the buildings in with dragons.

" It was unlikely to exist in this form for more than a few more minutes. Such elegant design deserved a final chance to be appreciated by a practiced eye, before an elegant design of a different kind laid it low."

That strongly suggests they're gonna be smashing up the city. If they were just gonna, say, attack Slateley from behind and croak him, the city would go neutral and go into stasis, and wouldn't be smashed up. If he was delaying, with time tricks, then they would lose many troops. Presumably, however, all the tactics to protect the casters (baffles, shielding stacks, etc) will still be in operation. Any goal is aided by Wanda and Jack still being alive.

[Zak3056]

We also found out that, win or lose, Jack is expecting the city to be destroyed. I don't see how that fits into any of the speculations about Parson's plans.

No, Jack is expecting to win. Remember, GK has a policy of razing cities that do not produce unit types that they consider useful. Gumps and Cloth Golems are hardly units GK will field, so Sizemore will raze the city, and rebuild it in GK's image.

[Rolan7]

Excellent update, possibly the best. "So much win", one might say.

It's very heartening to see Jack baiting Wanda like that. It means he's not afraid of her, of being decrypted. I bet that he has noticed something she hasn't. What that might be, I have no idea

The punchline was superb, too.

[name lips]

http://www.erfworld.com/wiki/index.php/First_Intermission_6

"One in about 5400, it says. So, what, I'd be acting like a defending archery unit then? Even though I don't have archery as a special? Any of us could throw a brick and hit an enemy down there, even though we aren't archers?"

Sizemore shrugged. "If we had bricks."

I assumed he would be ripping the city apart, and using it as bricks- that Sizemore's words were foreshadowing. Or smashing the buildings in with dragons.

I just think they're going to use the free off-turn "resupply" action to throw food, thus the "food fight" hint.

I think falling objects cause X damage, regardless of what kind of object they are, or how far they've fallen. So you could drop a loaf of bread and kill an archer.

How fast can you resupply, and how many bits of food can you throw at once? I don't know. Maybe they can literally turn their food bags upside down and rain continuous streams of food, so long as they have enough schmuckers to purchase it.

This would also fulfill the "city not existing in this form for much longer" hint. Soon it will be buried in food, with the opposing forces destroyed by falling food damage, and ALSO crushed to a pulp under thousands of tons of food. While Wanda's flying army circles above it, untouched.

edit: also, "and the other.... has turned the tables," in addition to being a clever turn of phrase, could be hinting at the upcoming food fight, since when you turn a table over all the food falls off. But that's a bit of a stretch.

[name lips]

Hmm...

I could have sworn when I first read that page that I was amused at the illustration because Jack's hand was empty. He was making the correct sweeping gesture, but without the scroll mentioned in the text. I specifically remember noticing that, and thinking "well the illustration can't always exactly match the text. It's ok for the occasional minor error to squeak through."

And now the hand is gesturing while holding a scroll.

It's probably just a minor example of Retconjuration.... but I was wondering if anybody else noticed it. Or maybe I'm just going crazy.

[Althernai]

Or, more simply, perhaps he can do something to make Jetstone use up their turn without attacking the flying stacks and the bestockinged Wanda.

That wouldn't help them win. They can escape, of course, but the damage from losing their turn is already done. The odds of taking Spacerock were predicated on the fact that a substantial fraction of its forces (several warlords including the Chief one, all of the casters except Cubbins as well as a lot of archers and infantry) were stuck at the Expository Bridge. Now that all of them have returned home and Gobwin Knob has lost Ansom and most of its ground units, the situation is rather different.

I think the plan is the same as it was before: it's going to be "raining men". Jack figured out that they can exploit decryption to extend the battle, but not that they can exploit the mechanics of falling to circumvent zone transition rules.

[Crisis21]

Jack's riddles are concentrated Awesome. That is all.

[Avens]

Yes, I loved this one too. In fact, I always like hearing from Jack's perspective...
But this line is the one that set me thinking: "She did not like something she was seeing, but Jack couldn't imagine what."
And then I went back a page: "But I'm sorry, that is an atrocious look on you."
I'm thinking, that Tramennis is trying to turn Ossomer.

[name lips]

Yes, I loved this one too. In fact, I always like hearing from Jack's perspective...
But this line is the one that set me thinking: "She did not like something she was seeing, but Jack couldn't imagine what."
And then I went back a page: "But I'm sorry, that is an atrocious look on you."
I'm thinking, that Tramennis is trying to turn Ossomer.

Well, that remark could have been the opening banter for such an attempt. Trem knows Charlie thinks turning decrypted might be possible. But Jillian couldn't do it... even with a Turnamancer.

I think he's sizing up Ossimer, trying to get information out of him. We saw how Trem was clever enough to get lots of incidental intel from Charlie. I'm sure he's learning tons from Ossimer, even with Ossimer doing nothing but trying to stall.

[cheeseaholic]

I thought what she was seeing that she didn't like was that she needed Parson to save her once again. She has learned from Parson, and she thought that she had learned enough. But so far it looks like she will always need his help.

[quindraco]

ZOMG typo.

"But I suppose can say it was inexactly lovely."

Should be:

"But I suppose I can say it was inexactly lovely."

[BCCroaker]

"It was unlikely to exist in this form for more than a few more minutes." That would be quick work by Sizemore.

We also found out that, win or lose, Jack is expecting the city to be destroyed. I don't see how that fits into any of the speculations about Parson's plans.

No, Jack is expecting to win. Remember, GK has a policy of razing cities that do not produce unit types that they consider useful. Gumps and Cloth Golems are hardly units GK will field, so Sizemore will raze the city, and rebuild it in GK's image.

[Pointyleaf]

Hmm...

I could have sworn when I first read that page that I was amused at the illustration because Jack's hand was empty. He was making the correct sweeping gesture, but without the scroll mentioned in the text. I specifically remember noticing that, and thinking "well the illustration can't always exactly match the text. It's ok for the occasional minor error to squeak through."

And now the hand is gesturing while holding a scroll.

It's probably just a minor example of Retconjuration.... but I was wondering if anybody else noticed it. Or maybe I'm just going crazy.

No, I noticed that, too. And I remember not being able to see Jack's right arm, which looked a little weird, so I'm thinking retcon.

[Ytaker]

Or, more simply, perhaps he can do something to make Jetstone use up their turn without attacking the flying stacks and the bestockinged Wanda.

That wouldn't help them win. They can escape, of course, but the damage from losing their turn is already done. The odds of taking Spacerock were predicated on the fact that a substantial fraction of its forces (several warlords including the Chief one, all of the casters except Cubbins as well as a lot of archers and infantry) were stuck at the Expository Bridge. Now that all of them have returned home and Gobwin Knob has lost Ansom and most of its ground units, the situation is rather different.

I think the plan is the same as it was before: it's going to be "raining men". Jack figured out that they can exploit decryption to extend the battle, but not that they can exploit the mechanics of falling to circumvent zone transition rules.

Yeah.

http://www.erfworld.com/wiki/index.php/LIAB_33b

"...you fall...You croak in one turn if not given healomancy."

They both have healomancy scrolls. I guess they're gonna be crossing the border by falling, off turn. And, if Jack croaks, Wanda is gonna be reviving him. And some yellow dwagons may be pooping acidic crap.

[ftl]

With two of them having healomancy scrolls, they can take turns falling - first one, then the other - avoiding the chance where they're both incapacitated at once.

I feel slow for having just realized that.

[Kender Wizard]

Huh. That was one thing I always wondered about. Can a flying mount choose to protect its rider if it is ordered to sparrow into a wall or the ground? If so, that makes this a lot more simple. I'd imagine that it would at least give better odds that the rider gets an outcome other than 'instant croak'. But there is the possibility that none of that can be done, and the casters have the possiblity of croaking during this stunt regardless. That may be why, for all of the plans awsomeness, Jack still feels like this might be potentiall be his last few minutes alive. Also, I think I'd be much happier if Parson ends up going with Sizemore AND his squad of golems. After all, even if Parson breezes through the Jetstone defenses, he has no hands free to capture those casters.

[kaelis64]

OMG! It just dawned on me how Parson is going to win this.

Correct me if I'm wrong but,
1)What zone do you have to take in a city to actually take control of the city?

2)What part of the city is currently unoccupied by military units since they are all out parading or planing to shot fish in a barrel?

3)What part of the city is Parson, a warlord, going to magically show up in?

Oh that's right the garrison.

Parson will single-handedly take the whole city allowing the entire might of the dwagons to cross the zones of the city (since it now belongs to them) and come swooping in for the decapitating strike!

The dropping thing has just been a red herring.

I could be entirely wrong about this though, and there could still be guards in the garrison that Parson will have to take care of quickly and quietly, also Parson's entry into the garrison may not be enough to be considered taken, and finally he may not come out in the garrison, ie in the tower or some other place.

Who knows.

[DukeGod]

I'm taking a guess at a part Parsons's plan here,based on the suggestion of the Yellow Dwagons shooting their "acidic crap"
What if instead of that,the Pink ones would shoot their Gum to stop some arrows?