Inner Peace (Through Superior Firepower) – Episode 063

[Hidden Sanity]

Ah, I stand corrected. Clearly you must be Charlie.

[bladestorm]

There was a Parson theory with time travel.

Or a split persona. Parson could have set up Charlie as an NPC that he was going to control as the GM (the NPC that s just there for additional firepower to add to the party and little else), but once he got sucked into his own world, the identity of Charlie manifested as its own entity. Kinda the clone that doesn't realize he's a clone, and when he does find this out, he tries to kill the original.

[Salem]

I read that as being like my app that connects to Outlook Calendar to informs me that I have a meeting in 15 minutes, but doesn't tell me what the meeting is or where I need to be. A secondary mechanism would be needed track what event was supposed to happen at that time.

He was already thinking writing something there - why not include a several character reminder? I guess it wasn't a convenient writing surface? Maybe proper writing can only be done with pens on paper?

I always read it as "What would marking the position of the sun in erf accomplish?" Basically what would the point of hours be. Time is relative in each hex. What does time symbolize since it moves slowly/rapidly depending on what? Unit movement? It might be a good predictor of how much you've moved this turn but boom turn ends and the clock jumps to the end. Though according to Sizemore "thinking he had more time" in the magic kingdom time may actually have a role, maybe turns are limited and it would be like an hour glass, I dunno.

And as far as Jetstone and using hat magic, I think it has to do with the nature of orders and knowledge. Say I'm king I touch my temples and order my generals to retreat because I see my units dying. What they see is a vastly superior enemy routing and a moment to strike, I force them to make a duty check possibly damaging my side. I send the same message by hat magic and they send back "we're winning we need to press the attack."

[Kreistor]

I bet a three thinkamancer link, could link trilinks! A three-three-think-link could be made. This in turn could link two other arbitrary three-three-links. This link of three three-three-links would contain 27 casters. 8 of which could be non-thinkamancers. Think of the power! UNLIMITED POWER!!!!

Heh, nmuch as I know this is humour, I have been thinking about it.

The purpose of the Thinkamancer is to organize and streamline the thoughts of the other two casters. Since the Thinkamancer is not able to be referred to by name without potentially tearing the link apart, the Thinkamancer must also have organized her mind in the same pattern. What if this were done by a Thinkamancer to a Thinkamancer that is performing a link?

Basically, it's a management task. The managment of a purely management task is the management task itself. COnsequently, the Second Thinkamancer cannot add anything to the link that is not already there.

No, not funny in response to a funny post, but a little mental gymnastic puzzle to brighten everyone's day.

[drachefly]

I read that as being like my app that connects to Outlook Calendar to informs me that I have a meeting in 15 minutes, but doesn't tell me what the meeting is or where I need to be. A secondary mechanism would be needed track what event was supposed to happen at that time.

He was already thinking writing something there - why not include a several character reminder? I guess it wasn't a convenient writing surface? Maybe proper writing can only be done with pens on paper?

I always read it as "What would marking the position of the sun in erf accomplish?" Basically what would the point of hours be. Time is relative in each hex.

Not for the first time, he considered marking out each one as a sundial to indicate his meeting times and appointments. But he would probably just forget which piece was for which event.

I do not see a way of reading this as that.

[Salem]

Not for the first time, he considered marking out each one as a sundial to indicate his meeting times and appointments. But he would probably just forget which piece was for which event.

I do not see a way of reading this as that.

... Neither do I. I think I forgot the context of there being multiples. Maybe if he wrote in the ground it would disapear at dawn and noone knows the idea of marking things with stone tablets other than wanda because signamancers are actually a myth?

Heh, nmuch as I know this is humour, I have been thinking about it.

The purpose of the Thinkamancer is to organize and streamline the thoughts of the other two casters. Since the Thinkamancer is not able to be referred to by name without potentially tearing the link apart, the Thinkamancer must also have organized her mind in the same pattern. What if this were done by a Thinkamancer to a Thinkamancer that is performing a link?

Basically, it's a management task. The managment of a purely management task is the management task itself. COnsequently, the Second Thinkamancer cannot add anything to the link that is not already there.

No, not funny in response to a funny post, but a little mental gymnastic puzzle to brighten everyone's day.

I always thought a good use for them would be to just make regular tri mancer links with less risk. Much like multiple thinkamancers were able to pull apart the GK team with less risk. Basically able to do the same job but with a mind for each person in the link to guide them and hold them together rather than one thinkamancer doing everything.

[effataigus]

I'm wondering to what degree there might be a parallel between linked thinkamancers and computers.

If so, the superthinkamancer might be just as disappointing as the supercomputer... where the result is only greater than the sum of its parts from the perspective of the person that has to tell all of the parts what to do.

Of course the commonly stated idea of "what if each thinkamancer could safely link two other minds" would be a bit cooler, IMO. That would mean the 1 thinkamancer could safely link 2 other casters, 3 could link 4 other casters, 7 could link 8 other casters, etc.

[The Pink Warlord]

Jillian's performance and cool under fire was pretty impressive. To keep her feet and searching for victory even though she is blinded is very cool.

[arkerpay]

Jillian's performance and cool under fire was pretty impressive. To keep her feet and searching for victory even though she is blinded is very cool.

Wait. You were actually commenting on the storytelling and not trying to deconstruct the underlying game mechanics? I will look for your comments in the future!

[drachefly]

Jillian's performance and cool under fire was pretty impressive. To keep her feet and searching for victory even though she is blinded is very cool.

Wait. You were actually commenting on the storytelling and not trying to deconstruct the underlying game mechanics? I will look for your comments in the future!

There were 5 story comments before the first mechanics comment, but yes, they did kind of take over soon after.

[multilis]

I'm wondering to what degree there might be a parallel between linked thinkamancers and computers.

If so, the superthinkamancer might be just as disappointing as the supercomputer... where the result is only greater than the sum of its parts from the perspective of the person that has to tell all of the parts what to do.

Of course the commonly stated idea of "what if each thinkamancer could safely link two other minds" would be a bit cooler, IMO. That would mean the 1 thinkamancer could safely link 2 other casters, 3 could link 4 other casters, 7 could link 8 other casters, etc.

If it works like networking, best you can hope for is:
A-T-B - one thinkomancer links 2 other mages.
A-T-T-B - each thinkomancer links a mage with a thinkomancer

In other words, even given unlimited numbers of 2 port network hubs you can still only link 2 computers to a network. In Erfworld, each person links hands and only has two hands.

So far 3 caster linkup is supposedly much more dangerous than 2, and so far 4 is complete failure.

...

The easier way to beat the limit may be by linking casters that are each able to do more than one discipline well. Eg: Wanda->Charlie->Isaac linkup may give insight into more than 3 different magic types. (Or replace Isaac or Charlie with Parson or someone else)

[bladestorm]

I'm wondering to what degree there might be a parallel between linked thinkamancers and computers.

If so, the superthinkamancer might be just as disappointing as the supercomputer... where the result is only greater than the sum of its parts from the perspective of the person that has to tell all of the parts what to do.

Of course the commonly stated idea of "what if each thinkamancer could safely link two other minds" would be a bit cooler, IMO. That would mean the 1 thinkamancer could safely link 2 other casters, 3 could link 4 other casters, 7 could link 8 other casters, etc.

If it works like networking, best you can hope for is:
A-T-B - one thinkomancer links 2 other mages.
A-T-T-B - each thinkomancer links a mage with a thinkomancer

In other words, even given unlimited numbers of 2 port network hubs you can still only link 2 computers to a network. In Erfworld, each person links hands and only has two hands.

So far 3 caster linkup is supposedly much more dangerous than 2, and so far 4 is complete failure.

...

The easier way to beat the limit may be by linking casters that are each able to do more than one discipline well. Eg: Wanda->Charlie->Isaac linkup may give insight into more than 3 different magic types. (Or replace Isaac or Charlie with Parson or someone else)

That fits my model for the Arkendish not being an actual Arkentool, but instead being linked thinkamancers and a lot of propaganda. Daisychain about 12 thinkamancers so that they form a closed circuit of thinkamancy enhancing thinkamancy. Unmatched thinkamancy, but the amalgam of all of those minds causes the images projected by the Dish to constantly shift. If he could add onto the chain, that would make powerful thinkamancers a high risk outside of the MK. If they get captured, they become part of the networked 'Dish.

T-T-T-T-T-T-C-T-T-T-T-T-T-T

What about if you reconfigured the linkage?

T-D-T-C-T-F
So that you had a thinkamancer linked to a dirtamancer, linked to another thinkamancer, linked to a croakamancer, linked to a third thinkamancer, linked to a foolamancer, linked to the first thinkamancer.

[Radagast]

I haven't seen it mentioned, and I have no idea if it's intentional or not, but this little fight scene is also very reminiscent of a chapter from George RR Martin...

Book 5 of the Song of Ice and Fire spoiler for those who haven't read it yet (that'll be Game of Thrones Season 7 or 8 for you TV watchers)

Spoiler: show

in A Dance with Dragons, Arya Stark has to learn to do everything blind (including fight), but she gains the ability to "see" through a cat's eyes and brings the cat along with her, with nobody the wiser...

[mortissimus]

Blind fighting + vision through anothers eyes is in Dune too. And probably a bunch of other works through the ages.

[drachefly]

T-D-T-C-T-F

Too many managers without a clear mechanism for delegating authority. I have a feeling that this would fall apart very quickly.

[SteveMB]

Also, message hats allow flexibility in sending messages that aren't covered by natural thinkamancy (e.g. Jillian's scouting expedition at the beginning of Book 1 -- the hat substitutes for a scout unit's intel-reporting ability).

Right, I don't remember if all hats are two wayo r not, but I think some were, and a two way hat allows for the scouts/field units to exchange up to the minute information with the CoC before orders are given; I still think that the pretentious factor weighed in heavily though. We've seen enough of the JS royals to know that the entire side is a bit obsessed with pomp and pagentry

When Ansom gave Jillian the hat, she asked if it was "dual use" and he answered it was "abjuration only" (i.e. this hat is send-only, but the question implies that some work both ways).

[tgriff02]

When Ansom gave Jillian the hat, she asked if it was "dual use" and he answered it was "abjuration only" (i.e. this hat is send-only, but the question implies that some work both ways).

Thank you. I was vaguely remembering that there should be a reference to this in comic, but could not even begin to remember where.