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I'm a little surprised that Roy dosn't understand wars happen in their world because of plot. With all the 4th-wall breaking and narrative trope invoking, it should be obvious.
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I'm a little surprised that Roy dosn't understand wars happen in their world because of plot. With all the 4th-wall breaking and narrative trope invoking, it should be obvious.
Wow, I don't mind filler that much, but I can't shake the feeling the last few panels are a thinly veiled author tract.
Yes, because we aren't native to the "stick" plane where Roy and company live.
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I thought Roy's logical, but hopelessly wrong, conclusion, was amusing.
Who says it's hopelessly wrong?
The issue's framed as a comparative, and we don't have enough data on the OotS world's history to determine whether it has more, less, or roughly equivalent levels of warfare than the real world.
I thought Roy's logical, but hopelessly wrong, conclusion, was amusing.
His conclusion isn't wrong, just not applicable to the real world since most people believe in some form of afterlife. Whether those beliefs are true is immaterial, as long as they actually belief it is real and act accordingly.
Last edited by nightwyrm; 16th July 2009 at 08:05 PM..
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His conclusion isn't wrong, just not applicable to the real world since most people believe in some form of afterlife. Whether those beliefs are true is immaterial, as long as they actually belief it is real and act accordingly.
It's not so much the belief being real, as that in their world, the afterlife and gods, etc, are much more tangible and not left up to faith.
Then again, it may be a bit of paraphrasing of John Lennon's Imagine, more than just being an ironic look at our world from there perspective.
The issue's framed as a comparative, and we don't have enough data on the OotS world's history to determine whether it has more, less, or roughly equivalent levels of warfare than the real world.
Based on the idea that most DnD worlds have Adventurer as a job, certainly the amount of acceptable violence on a personal level is higher.
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I was a little disappointed by it. It broke too many 4th wall conventions, was too aware of the metagame aspects of a gameworld and it was also a wall of text.
I love OotS. That wasn't a great strip.
It seemed like some kind of delay.... Maybe this is where he takes a break for a couple of weeks?
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I was a little disappointed by it. It broke too many 4th wall conventions, was too aware of the metagame aspects of a gameworld and it was also a wall of text.
I love OotS. That wasn't a great strip.
It seemed like some kind of delay.... Maybe this is where he takes a break for a couple of weeks?
It's been kind of intense for a lot of strips, ever since the battle for Azure City. The narrative needed a breather of a strip or two.
not just that but it was a way to show celia (who has otherwise been traveling with the splintered group for a while) leaving and to show that roy got some elemental nookie.
sure, it wasn't full of one-liners that will get repeated on tshirts and forum sigs, but it had a purpose to fill of its own.
just my take on it anyway.
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not just that but it was a way to show celia (who has otherwise been traveling with the splintered group for a while) leaving and to show that roy got some elemental nookie.
OK. If all it's intention was to be a "Roy gets some" and "Celia speaks her mind, goes home.", then.. OK. I can accept that.
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Books currently in play: Dungeon & Dragon Magazine (*Scales of War AP*), WOTC 4e Core and Supplemental books
Current Campaign: Scales of War - Lost Mines of Karak -- Kodirgo, Minotaur Barbarian 6; Vondal, Dwarf Cleric 6; Karithul, Gnome Bard 6; Marshaun, Elf Druid 6
I think it's also to show Roy's growth as a character.
Here's a man that has died for his cause, come back, and knows when he dies exactly, with absolutely no doubt, what his afterlife is and he has nothing to fear in death, but he has to live to protect the world.
I'd say having that kind of truly absolute certainty about your afterlife, and utter weight on the success of your mortal endeavors would really shape someones thoughts. This strip at least acknowledges that Roy has given it some thought (and yes, Roy was quite possibly making a little Air-Genasi Greenhilt heir with Celia)
Wow, I don't mind filler that much, but I can't shake the feeling the last few panels are a thinly veiled author tract.
A bit, yeah. The whole "Wars and violence basically happen because people who get involved are very sure that they are right (and also that their afterlife is bonus!)" traces a little Richard Dawkins territory.
But I think it's OK. It's kind of what fantasy fiction is supposed to do, when it's good: explore big issues about our own world through the delightful filter of strange critters.
It did seem kind of a long way to go. The OotS-verse has established Celia as a peace-loving character, but outsiders and elementals fight all the time. The planes are arguably racist in a weirdly justified sort of way ("Ah! Your wings are bat wings and my wings are bird's wings! We must kung-fu fight!"), and demons and other Chaotic outsiders, assuming something reminiscent of the Great Wheel, are all about fighting and destroying things (as are the devils, in their own way, and the lawful outsiders). The big Heaven vs. Hell thing is all about mindless violence, and, actually, illustrates the message of the strip pretty well in and of itself: who is more convinced that they are right than angels and demons and devils?
It's a little weak, but it's permissible to me. A thoughtful, quiet, introspective, intimate moment between Roy and Celia where they discuss their relevant subplots is as necessary as the Durkon/V dialogue. Now we have the Belkar/Elan pairing to get to.
I think I'd also like to point out that if a player put this much effort into roleplaying how their character has changed after dying and being resurrected, I'd be very happy as a DM.
Roy has undergone a huge development in his life - I think we'll see an even-better character once he gets going in combat again.
I'm looking forward to it.
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Seeing that part of the purpose of fiction is to express the author's thoughts through entertainment, I liked this strip. It's not only a bit of insight into Roy's growth, but it's a bit of insight into Rich himself.
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