OotS 448

[Elephant]

Plus, the fact that I came up with a better script for this episode in, like, 2 minutes shows that it's not terribly hard to be done.

Put yer money where yer mouth is. Post the script and let the readers judge for themselves!

 

[Ed_Laprade]

Bah! My problem with the strip is that the front rank was doing fine against Xykon, then they just stopped and never resumed their attacks on him. One horrified look behind them to realize what was going on, then resume trying to destroy him is what they should have done, but didn't. This pretty much defines Lawful Stupid to me.

 

[Klaus]

Put yer money where yer mouth is. Post the script and let the readers judge for themselves!

You DID read my post with the description of this hypothewtical strip, right?

EDIT: I'll re-post it:

Xykon throws the ball.

Scarface goes "huh?"

Xykon explains about the Symbol of Insanity.

Scarface goes "We've prepared our entire lives for this moment! Don't you think we'd be prepared?", showing that most of the paladins made their saves, and those that didn't are being subdued through Hold Person, Calm Emotions and whatnot.

Xykon: ">sigh< Guess Paladins really ARE no fun at all..."

Panel of Xykon shapechanged into a Red Dragon (complete with wee crown on his head), burning and clawing and biting every paladin in the room).

Panel of Xykon back in lich form: "I take that back. Paladins ARE fun after all!"



Shows Xykon is silly, shows the Sapphire Guard are (were) competent, shows Xykon is still a badass spellcaster, shows that Xykon is a silly badass spellcaster.

 

[DreadArchon]

Put yer money where yer mouth is. Post the script and let the readers judge for themselves!

He did, several posts earlier. (It was lame and laced with anti-this-strip rhetoric. Go figure.)

Plus, the fact that I came up with a better script for this episode in, like, 2 minutes shows that it's not terribly hard to be done.

Which implies that this comic was well-thought, creative, and the result of particular talent.

Feh. I still think this strip was awesome, and I'm having trouble seeing why everyone else doesn't. That people would be offended by an epic spellcaster defeating a few dozen single-digit-level mooks just isn't getting through for me, no matter how well they were expecting it. (It's not like that Chain Lightning was going to do anyone any good, either!)

The paralyzing touch was the only part that bothered me. Even ignoring the risk there, "paralyzed" does not mean "in stasis." The guard, if actually paralyzed, would have lost his muscular control and gone limp immediately. (Which is why people appear dead when lich-touched.)

 

[Immak Antunel]

My question:

In a pseudo-medieval high fantasy world, where does one obtain a "super bouncy ball"? Or does one just make it with Craft (alchemy)? Inquiring minds want to know!

BTW, I dug this strip.

 

[Klaus]

He did, several posts earlier. (It was lame and laced with anti-this-strip rhetoric. Go figure.)

I criticized the strip in other posts, but re-read the script above and tell me where's the anti-this-strip rhetoric.

Can't find it? Go figure!

I said this before in this thread, and I'll say it again: I don't have a problem with Xykon mopping the floor with the Sapphire Guard. He's the main villain of the strip, and they aren't the main heroes. But have you ever heard the saying "a hero is only as good as his villains"? Well, it works both ways. If you show the Sapphire Guard to be competent, experienced and prepared, and Xykon STILL mops the floor with them, he looks all the more awesome.

Bottom line, I didn't like *this* strip (and please note, I love OotS and I think Rich is very very talented), I gave the reasons why and I offered my solutions to the *storytelling* problem. Feel free to agree or disagree.

 

[Celebrim]

I will throw in another vote that this is a "meh" strip at best.

Sometimes Rich's idea of entertaining and/or humorous is just too morbid for me. This strip is asking the reader to cheer for Xykon, based on some premise that watching good people killing each other is fun, and is doing it in a rather silly and intended-to-be-humorous manner.

Watching Xykon get the stuffing beaten out of him would be a lot funnier.

This isn't even a terribly good way to make the villian seem all that evil or dangerous, because, well, that aspect of Xykon is irredeemable. There have been enough jokes at Xykon's expense through the comic that I will never take him seriously as a villain, and I will always think him being competent is out of character. He is a great villain when his plans are going awry, but when he is being successful he is just wierd and cliche at the same time.

FTW.

I can only add to that, what I said before. That if the intention of this script is to increase the stature of Xykon as a villain, then it fails by virtue of not giving the audience any reason to root for, care for, or be impressed by that which Xykon overcomes.

'Oh yeah, these are just mooks', does not make Xykon's victory impressive. It makes it lame.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Sorry Klaus, but I don't think your 'script' for the encounter is any good. It doesn't have the drama or the humour as far as I'm concerned.

I think this episode works really well as humour, as drama and as D&D; some people don't, but I disagree with their interpretation of the rules and/or the situation setup.

One thing that Rich obviously wins on though - people CARE about the strip - enough to argue strenuously about what should/shouldn't happen in it. A pretty good thing to manage when it is basically stick figures!

Cheers

 

[Grog]

The fundamental difference is that for the touch-triggered symbol, it takes no action on the part of the paladins to activate it. With the look-triggered symbol, the paladins must actively look at it to trigger. The reason that they look is immaterial.

The only way I could possibly see a look-triggered symbol as being used offensively is if the target were sat down in front of it, and his eyelids were taped back.

Then you have a very strange definition of the word "offensively." By your definition, a medusa's gaze isn't an offensive weapon.

 

[RedFox]

FTW.

I can only add to that, what I said before. That if the intention of this script is to increase the stature of Xykon as a villain, then it fails by virtue of not giving the audience any reason to root for, care for, or be impressed by that which Xykon overcomes.

'Oh yeah, these are just mooks', does not make Xykon's victory impressive. It makes it lame.

Thing is, his impressiveness here isn't by measure of his power, but by his flair for the dramatic. He's just having some fun. The strip isn't supposed to make you go, "Whoa, Xykon is one badass liche!"

He could've wiped out that group of paladins much easier. Nobody's debating that fact. The problem people seem to have with it is that the way he did it isn't "by the rules" enough, or is somehow "cheap."

Hey, clue: It's a cheap joke.

Dunno what else to tell you, save move on. Getting a bunch of paladins to gleefully slaughter each other with a super-bouncy ball is funny.

I've also read the argument that the sapphire guard is supposed to be impressive or something. Another clue: Rich doesn't make his NPCs impressive. Didn't you learn by now that named NPCs get kacked as a matter of course in OotS? Didn't that guy on the wall falling over dead a couple strips back give you any idea how effective these guys were? They were lucky to have knocked Xykon over with their initial offensive. That's impressive enough for NPCs in this world.