Unless she’s angling for him to go insane and non-functional, it doesn’t make sense, and if she is, then why was she so surprised when she opened the door? Also, she’s been a fairly strong Agent Scully until now, and sort of chickanery would require her to believe that the game has agency.
Doesn’t fit the other stuff happening: they were treated with hostility and suspicion upon arriving in Wood Elf territory; it was the kobold (?) luchador who went in to steal the bough. The “rigging” HR mentioned was done by the use of Arcanometry (?- or whatever he calls the magic he uses).
Rather than think that Carol is working against him somehow, I really do think that the world of Arkerra is “real” in its own way and resisting HR’s attempts to manipulate it.
Correction:
The “rigging” HR mentioned was done by the use of Arcanometry (?- or whatever he calls the magic he uses), *making it unlikely for Carol to be able to interfere with it*.
Oh, sure, maybe Carol is also secretly a mage, but there’s no evidence to back that up. I do believe that we’re getting what we’re seeing here.
The world being real in its own way also fits with shadowy hints from Phil that Arkerra is not ‘just a game’.
Also, minor quibble: the drop-luchador from the trees was a Gnoll – specifically, Auraugu, Champion of the Fuzzy Peoples. Kobolds are of the scaley peoples.
Remember how Best “died”? He saw something in the basin. Something that made him say the equivalent of “Hell, no”. Since he’s still plugged in, could he be the force HR is failing to account for, messing up the plans, because he doesn’t like where the game is going? He could totally be playing the part of a semi-conscious virus behind the scenes, if not exactly a demi-god.
H.R. Dude. If you’re going to go the megalomaniac route, you could at least do with a better diet than take-out. Maybe fix yourself up some of that health-food sludge that Zachary Zzyzzyva of Webmasters eats.
Oh, it’s yummy, no question. But taste is for mere mortals like us, not for “gods” like H.R. here. He needs…whatever the fuck it is that Zach in that other webcomic is eating. :D
I think H.R. is trying to bring them out of the game by killing them *in-game*. I don’t think he wants to actually kill them, whether for moral or pragmatic reasons (publicly announced test of a new interface system that yielded 5 volunteers- for those volunteers to truly “disappear” from the world would mean a criminal investigation).
I really want to know who Best’s alt is. All five are still embedded, so is Best still out there somewhere? Did he re-spawn as one of the new characters? Inquiring minds want to know!
I really don’t like the idea that his player is just hanging out in the game lobby of limbo because the rest of his party is too inconsiderate to die.
HR is a terrible DM. Rocks fall, everyone dies. It’s just that easy. Why doesn’t he just use something undetectable and unsurvivable- such as a meteor suddenly striking the party from space- rather than all the needlessly complex political plots with so much room for error?
The meteor need not be apocalyptically sized! It just needs to be large enough to ensure that the group cannot escape alive from the immediate vicinity. Alternate methods may be the ground opening up beneath them, a sudden flood, a lightning bolt from the heavens. It may be that the universe won’t allow it, but I’m surprised that wasn’t his first choice.
It’s possible that arcanometrics simply don’t permit for something so graceless. A solution has to be crafted within the confines of what the world and setting might plausibly allow.
Especially since Arkerra is increasingly, apparently, a real universe that can and does resist his alterations.
Just because you make something, doesn’t mean it’s going to live up to any of your expectations. Mostly it’s just going to flip you off, steal money from your wallet, and run off with the drummer from that really scummy garage band.
H.R. should have invested in more research and beta-tested gameplay (like Valve Software). Then he’d have the player behavioral statistics to know how to foil them.
…like putting an impassable knee-high barrier where they shouldn’t go.
Normally I pay very little attention to the William H. Macy metaplot, but I just want to say “Ha ha. Monkey’s Paw. Be careful what you wish for, H.R.!”
So… this has confirmed that Bandit isn’t anyone’s alt but is definitely a non-tube player somewhere.
AND it also referenced the fact as pointed out by Phil, that Aurugu wasn’t originally going to be the one who stole the bough. He just got the job due to popularity and the lack of requirement to make even more characters.
*greeted not greated?
Seems a pretty strong blow against the theories that Bandit is Carol or H.R. or Best’s alt.
I’m still not ruling out Carol working behind H.R.’s back.
If anything Carol’s an even stronger candidate after this. A non-embedded player yet one who knew exactly where to be to screw up HR’s plan.
But why would Carol want to screw it up?
Unless she’s angling for him to go insane and non-functional, it doesn’t make sense, and if she is, then why was she so surprised when she opened the door? Also, she’s been a fairly strong Agent Scully until now, and sort of chickanery would require her to believe that the game has agency.
Who knows, there’s so much we don’t know yet. Maybe Carol knows something even HR doesn’t.
Never. Carol is HR’s alt.
Doesn’t fit the other stuff happening: they were treated with hostility and suspicion upon arriving in Wood Elf territory; it was the kobold (?) luchador who went in to steal the bough. The “rigging” HR mentioned was done by the use of Arcanometry (?- or whatever he calls the magic he uses).
Rather than think that Carol is working against him somehow, I really do think that the world of Arkerra is “real” in its own way and resisting HR’s attempts to manipulate it.
Correction:
The “rigging” HR mentioned was done by the use of Arcanometry (?- or whatever he calls the magic he uses), *making it unlikely for Carol to be able to interfere with it*.
Oh, sure, maybe Carol is also secretly a mage, but there’s no evidence to back that up. I do believe that we’re getting what we’re seeing here.
The world being real in its own way also fits with shadowy hints from Phil that Arkerra is not ‘just a game’.
Also, minor quibble: the drop-luchador from the trees was a Gnoll – specifically, Auraugu, Champion of the Fuzzy Peoples. Kobolds are of the scaley peoples.
Kobolds were originally dog-looking things. So they could still be Fuzzy Peoples.
Although I did totally forget that they used the scaly kobolds already instead of Cutebolds.
Maybe in D&D.
Where I come from Kobolds were just another subtype of Goblin.
Hey at least we know Bandit isn’t Best. ^-^
It will be VERY interesting to see who she is. Or who her player is.
On the slightly not as happy note, I see Best is no longer “blacked out” in his tube, so presumably he’ll show his douchebag face again sometime.
(And probably just in time to epic-win and save the party’s collective asses.)
Wait a second!
Remember how Best “died”? He saw something in the basin. Something that made him say the equivalent of “Hell, no”. Since he’s still plugged in, could he be the force HR is failing to account for, messing up the plans, because he doesn’t like where the game is going? He could totally be playing the part of a semi-conscious virus behind the scenes, if not exactly a demi-god.
The purple tie is driving me nuts. There are very few things of color in sepia world. Like the fluids in the tanks.
What does the tie mean? Does HR play some NPCs who favor color purple?
So, is HR’s tie just a red herring?
(Or a purple one?)
I am from the future, and I know who Bandit is! It’s…aaaawk…gggrrugh…uhngh… *dies*
H.R. Dude. If you’re going to go the megalomaniac route, you could at least do with a better diet than take-out. Maybe fix yourself up some of that health-food sludge that Zachary Zzyzzyva of Webmasters eats.
eff you, thai is amazing.
Oh, it’s yummy, no question. But taste is for mere mortals like us, not for “gods” like H.R. here. He needs…whatever the fuck it is that Zach in that other webcomic is eating. :D
Well, Thai is pretty much like a power shake, especially the curry as it’s an primordial ooze of flavors from far and wide.
someone doesnt like it when the PCs go off the rails
Do we know why he can’t just manually unplug them?
Ever seen The Matrix?
The Mate-rix? Sounds like an online dating site.
Didn’t it produce exactly the desired result in The Matrix? Flop, dead. No need to muss around with agents anymore.
I think H.R. is trying to bring them out of the game by killing them *in-game*. I don’t think he wants to actually kill them, whether for moral or pragmatic reasons (publicly announced test of a new interface system that yielded 5 volunteers- for those volunteers to truly “disappear” from the world would mean a criminal investigation).
Because he’s afraid that would kill them or leave them in a vegetative state.
Or possibly leave them, Neo-like, trapped in the system.
Basically, he doesn’t know what would happen, and it could go badly.
This’ll all take a funny turn if there is a sudden power-failure… Heh. Whoops… Servers went down for a moment.
And the fourth panel brings the comic to another, weirder level of Meta.
…Can’t…unsee…
Oh. OH. You were talking about what they were SAYING…
Nah, same level of meta, just with greater intricacy.
“It’s not a game, it’s a universe.” Sounds like something a kid at an MMO detox clinic might say.
Because H.R. is in no way addicted to this?
Maybe “obsessed” would be a better word but, regardless, I just wanted to draw a real life analogy, not make any specific claim about HR.
Does anyone else get the feelig that the inevitable conclusion of this plotline is HR and/or Carol entering the game themselves?
Yes.
I really want to know who Best’s alt is. All five are still embedded, so is Best still out there somewhere? Did he re-spawn as one of the new characters? Inquiring minds want to know!
I really don’t like the idea that his player is just hanging out in the game lobby of limbo because the rest of his party is too inconsiderate to die.
It was stated some time back that Best is “somewhere else”. Definitely active, but *not* in Arkerra.
At least that’s what H.R. thinks, but as we’ve seen, H.R. does not know everything.
Some theories say that Best is now playing “Escape From Cyberia.”
My money is on Auragu. My money is also on that not being his only alt.
I got a serious implication that he was the troll dummer kid. Was that shot down when I was only paying moderate attention?
I thought so too. I mean, it’s not confirmed, but…*shrug*
I heard you liked games, so I’m gaming your game.
Okay, H.R.- for someone insisting that it’s not just a game but a universe, why can’t you accept that it *does* have its own agency?
Actually HR is implying it does, Carol is the one saying it isn’t possible
HR should really know better than to go messing with a monkey’s paw like he is in the first panel.
Hee hee hee…thanks for the nod to us fans/the last Q&A in panels 3-4.
I know it’s kinda wrong, but HR’s dialogue in te last two panels of last page and the first panel of this page is killing me.
HR needs a vacation. Bahamas, with Carol wearing a bikini?
You’d have to wait for the next anniversary swimsuit edition.
.
.
.
…
go on.
“Maybe you’d have an easier time concentrating if you didn’t spend all night staring at Gravedust’s IRL dong.”
HR is a terrible DM. Rocks fall, everyone dies. It’s just that easy. Why doesn’t he just use something undetectable and unsurvivable- such as a meteor suddenly striking the party from space- rather than all the needlessly complex political plots with so much room for error?
Because that would involve alerting/killing the entire realm and all non-embedded players.
At the very least, you’d need to craft the entire Apocalypse expansion around hiding it.
assuming that doesn’t get derailed as well
The meteor need not be apocalyptically sized! It just needs to be large enough to ensure that the group cannot escape alive from the immediate vicinity. Alternate methods may be the ground opening up beneath them, a sudden flood, a lightning bolt from the heavens. It may be that the universe won’t allow it, but I’m surprised that wasn’t his first choice.
Perhaps he’s too much of an artist?
It’s possible that arcanometrics simply don’t permit for something so graceless. A solution has to be crafted within the confines of what the world and setting might plausibly allow.
Especially since Arkerra is increasingly, apparently, a real universe that can and does resist his alterations.
Oh.
My.
Cog.
PLAYER AGENCY. That is all.
Obviously H.R. Pufnstuf has never had kids.
Just because you make something, doesn’t mean it’s going to live up to any of your expectations. Mostly it’s just going to flip you off, steal money from your wallet, and run off with the drummer from that really scummy garage band.
Uranium Star, by the way. =p
H.R. should have invested in more research and beta-tested gameplay (like Valve Software). Then he’d have the player behavioral statistics to know how to foil them.
…like putting an impassable knee-high barrier where they shouldn’t go.
*GASP* HR opened his mouth! I never thought I would see the day.
Normally I pay very little attention to the William H. Macy metaplot, but I just want to say “Ha ha. Monkey’s Paw. Be careful what you wish for, H.R.!”
quit messing with everything ascended deity best
screwing up all hr’s plans to help you
So… this has confirmed that Bandit isn’t anyone’s alt but is definitely a non-tube player somewhere.
AND it also referenced the fact as pointed out by Phil, that Aurugu wasn’t originally going to be the one who stole the bough. He just got the job due to popularity and the lack of requirement to make even more characters.
Interesting.
O’course all this really means is that Phil, T and John are the gods of the game, and HR is just another piece on the board.
METTTTAAAAAAA!
My saying is this “You cannot come up with things, without in existing in another world, time, or dimensions.”