Two Year Anniversary
Hail and well met, Guildies. We apologize for the story interruption in both a shameless bid to buy ourselves extra buffer for the upcoming con season and as an excuse to have some likewise shameless fanservice. I hope we were correct in guessing that you wouldn’t mind. Today marks the two-year anniversary of Guilded Age (technically it was yesterday, but webcomics are more about days of the week than calendar days). Nearly twelve chapters, two artists, and countless sharks jumped later, we’re still here delivering the best damn sci-fantasy comics we can muster.
FOUR MORE YEARS!
To celebrate, we’re making last year’s activity a yearly tradition: Q & A! Ask us any question you want right down there in the illustrious comments section, and we’ll answer all the ones that won’t ruin future plot points or incriminate us (T’s parole officer has just been looking for an excuse, really). If your question is for of us three specifically, just address us directly.
And if you don’t have any particular questions, try your hand at your own Adventurers Illustrated article headlines! I know we had a heap of fun doing this last year, and there’s a free sticker & postcard pack in the mail for whomever submits the best one(s).
I feel like we never thank you guys enough for reading the comic. Guilded Age is such a big fucking deal to us, and to know that you guys stick around to read no matter how hard we try to break your brains demonstrates volumes of love that hits us where we live.
But… if you’re looking for a way to go above and beyond to support Guilded Age, why not subscribe to Guilded Age Plus? Now featuring two exclusive bonus stories, five full chapters of annotations and art breakdowns and more concept art than you can shake a mace at with six-times-a-week updates, all for only $3 a month or $33.88 a year! Whatta steal! Also, consider the fact that the more people that sign up for GAPlus, the more bonus comics we can afford to produce. How’s that for incentive?
Thank you all again so much for being our fans, and keep your eyes peeled for next Monday… we have a real big surprise for you guys. One that is also, unfortunately, not a regular update, but when you see that shit you probably won’t care. Trust us, it’s gonna be dope.
Here’s a Q for you to A: Where do you want us to ask our Qs?
In the comments, of course!
I probably should’ve said that, though. Edited.
Sure is Top Gun in here.
?
guess it wasn’t that funny
I actually have a question. What are your influences for the comic? Like games, books, movies/tv shows, etc.?
Well the big one is World of Warcraft. The very first idea for this project that we had was to more or less do a WoW-parody comic, as it seemed fashionable and profitable at the time. But when we considered the option to invent our own universe that might one day be its own game, we couldn’t turn it down.
My personal writing influences include like Grant Morrison and Joss Whedon. It’s hard to hammer down other specifics, more of a “total sum of experiences” type deal.
For the dungeons, we like to do very loose homages to classic WoW experiences (such as the Deadmines, The Scarlet Monastery, and Karazhan to name a few). For combat sequences, my heaviest influence are combat-oriented video games, the kind with sickhouse combos and sweet finishers.
Overall, I guess we follow the meter of “do the things we like to see but our in own way,” like most people do I suppose!
Grant and Joss are two things Phil and I have in common, though I try to keep seeking out new influences all the time. Alan Moore, Scott McCloud and Peter David are other big ones.
Sometimes, and I think Phil would agree with this, we get ANTI-influences. One of the things that marks Guilded Age is a determination to differ from a lot of standard fantasy tropes, particularly in the depiction of races.
^ IAWTC
There was a lot of backlash when it was revealed to all be an MMORPG. Did the course of the story change at all in response to this reaction?
That’s a tough one. It’d be a lie to say that creators’ stories aren’t influenced by their audience, because they most assuredly are. Storytelling is a two-way street. The only real thing the backlash changed for us was the standards we have to hold our scripts up to. A lot of folks left after the change, so we knew we had to prove to the faithful that the change would be worth it.
So, no, the story did not change in response to the backlash. The paradigm shift in the plot was planned from the beginning, as is the ending we are leading up to. We now have a mostly-concrete plot outline for the rest of the saga. Things can still change, but never because a reader might have correctly predicted the direction. We prefer to let those folk feel rewarded for their sharp thinkery.
Some details about the presentation of the plot have changed in response. The scene that ran last week was the product of much discussion between Phil and me, and it might have gone differently if we thought H.R. and Carol were our most popular characters. But we have a long-term goal, to which the MMORPG connection is crucial, and that’s been true since before we scripted the first page.
I really like HR and Carol. They’re obviously not the main driving force of what makes GA enjoyable but I find them both quite compelling in their own way and enjoy the contrast created by “sepia world”. Wouldn’t even mind seeing them get more directly involved in the story.
Out of interest, did the readership suffer at this point?
A little! But not nearly enough to indicate doom.
I have a question: Why are Bandit and Syrnj not on the cover of this mag? T-T
For our first anniversary, we had cheesecake.
This year we wanted beefcake.
What kind of cake are we going to have next year? Who knows!
I hope it’s a cellular peptide cake.
With mint frosting
Beef cake is FINE with me.
*goes back to drooling over Byron*
Frigg counts as beefcake? I’m ok with this…
We were too afraid of a beating to tell her otherwise.
I love that frigg is included in this category. lol
I hope it won’t be fruitcake. Don’t get me wrong, I like Byron… but not in that way.
Well that makes one of us.
48 hours and no Portal references? We’re slacking off here.
Hush FlyingFish Lisa ;p
Is it me, or is Byron looking like he belongs as an extra on Point Break?
For the writers: Who is the easiest character to write? That is, whose character’s characterization is swiftest to crystalize?
And vice versa, are there any characters who are difficult to “get right,” whose ‘voices’ are harder to nail down?
For the artist: Which scene is the one you’re happiest with–is there a particular page (or panel, even) in which you feel you worked to your topmost potential?
Easiest: Toss up between Frigg and Best. Best channels my egomania, Frigg channels my deviance. They’re also both fairly self-absorbed, and that’s something I know a thing or two about.
None of them are particularly hard to nail down in terms of voice, but the greatest challenge to me personally is Gravedust. He’s very much the opposite of me, but as long as you can focus on what a character wants, the rest comes easy.
Oh, there are so many scenes now, it’s hard to isolate just one or a few (I don’t think I have just one), but as much as I enjoy doing the Arkerra scenes, I like doing the sepia world scenes for they allow me to “do my own thing” as it were. Phil specifically requested that the “real” world have a very different, realistic style to distinquish it from the “game ” world. It was the perfect opportunity to flex my artistic muscles.
All in all, I’d say Syr’Nj comes most naturally to me, followed by Byron. Both are essentially idealists in a very non-ideal world, but Syr’Nj gets the edge because she cares about the big issues. She’s complex yet comfortable for me as a Method actor. She’s someone I’d like to be more like.
Toughest is Bandit. No question. She’s a mix of integrity and duplicity that makes her a challenge to co-write, because I can’t always reason my way toward what she’s most likely to do. I’ve written certain characters from the gut before, but that can’t really be done in this partnership. But the results are a good education!
from the shear amount of love i hear from the fans (well at least the interest this web comic generates), have you had any calls from animation companies, fan groups, or Hollywood in general about making your comic into more than what it is now? like youtube episodes, pod casts, TV shows or a movie? if not, are you trying to sell GA for one? or do you even want to do that yet?
Heh. While this doesn’t pertain to next Monday’s announcement, I’m afraid we’ll have to plead the fifth on details for now. But we definitely have some plans for an animated Guilded Age… and sooner than you might think!
Nothing from a company with enough money to option anything official, though, so CALL US NOW, JEFFREY KATZENBERG.
Will we be seeing more of the crab in the lower left corner? He seems like he has an interesting story. :)
I’ll field the answer to this question with another reminder that THE CALL FOR GUEST STRIPS IS OPEN.
Lone Crab vs. Birdserker! Make it so.
Will we ever get more information on the characters “RL” backstories?
Yes!
Do you check out GA’s tropes page and or wiki and make corrections or slid in subtle hints as to what’s to come in the comic?
I check up on the tropes page every now and again to see what’s been added, but I never edit it. TV Tropes pages are just something that’s better left to its own devices, IMO.
As for wikipedia, I don’t remember even having to edit it for comic accuracy, but we’ve definitely edited it for notability standards as best we can.
I’m almost always hands-off with TV Tropes and Wikipedia. The conflict of interest would just be too great. I’m very happy they pay attention to us, though!
what is orange+orange?
Orange.
not 8?
Called it!
The square root of orange is kiwi.
orange X orange = bananna parfait
Beige.
What do you think of the pun-strings that pop up in nearly every comic discussion?
I love them to pieces. I grew up in a family that valued puns as a precious commodity, and the practice of professional punnery was passed down by my jewish grandfather. I’m pretty sure that lineage means puns and corny jokes are in my fucking genetic code.
Adenine, guanine, thymine, cytosine, Ifyouknowwhatimean.
All part of the (in)famous PNA
I adore them. Comics like these ARE supposed to be FUN, and I’m glad to see this discussion space distinguish itself most clearly with fun and frivolous little exercises.
What webcomics do you read, if any?
I ask because guilded age is pretty unique in terms of concept, you don’t see many medieval-styled storylines around in webcomics.
I’m up, I’m up!
I read a million billion comics, both web and print, every fucking day of my life. So usually I like to answer this question by listing the comics that have been impressing me a lot lately. Here’s a few:
Boxer Hockey
Cat and Girl
ErfWorld
The System
Dr. McNinja
Bad Machinery
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Yellow Peril
Gun Show
Hark, A Vagrant!
Octopus Pie
Monster Pulse
Bug
Something Positive
I see three of my comics there. Bug is funny as hell!
Bug manages to be consistently funny and consistently Safe For Work. That earns mad respect in my book, I’m afraid I can’t resist my beloved profanity.
you should check out no need for bushido. just FYI, the art SUCKS at first. but skip to the most recent and you will want to stick around.
Oh yeah, NNFB rules. Also on my list of Comics I Have To Get Around Reading All Of.
thank you!
that’s like 6 new ones for my CIHTGAR list ^^
might I add,
for pretties;
* the secret knots (unfortunately almost never updates ._.)
* rice boy
and for funnies;
* wondermark
* oglaf (definitly not work-safe but damn he’s good ^^)
(there’s so many more but I must retreat to my lurker status before they revoke my licence o.o)
(but before I go)
I LUV UR COMIC! thank you <3 *runs*
Thanks so much, LK!
I should probably let you know though that Oglaf isn’t drawn by a fella, but a lady by the name of Trudy Cooper of the immortal Platinum Grit.
Actually, Oglaf is written by a woman. Odd, huh?
Written and drawn. And no, there’s nothing odd about women enjoying porn.
There’s no way I can do a list like this without leaving someone out, but here’s a list of comics that have made a particularly good impression on me lately:
A Girl and Her Fed
Basic Instructions
Bobwhite (completed)
Bohemian Drive Log (completed)
Bucko
Bug
DAR: A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary (completed)
Deep Fried: Weapon Brown
Dr. McNinja
Dresden Codak
Dumbing of Age
Girl Genius
Girls With Slingshots
Johnny Wander
Narbonic Plus (annotated reruns)
Octopus Pie
Order of the Stick
OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS
Out at Home
Out There
Prometheus (completed)
Sam and Fuzzy
Schlock Mercenary
Shortpacked!
Sinfest
Skin Horse
Sluggy Freelance
Something Positive
Spacetrawler
Starslip Crisis
Templar, Arizona
The End
The Non-Adventures of Wonderella
The Oatmeal – Comics, Quizzes, & Stories
Virus Comix / Subnormality
Xkcd
How on earth (Arrakea? Somethingplace?) did the five protagonists get into the glass jars?
Is the player behind Syr’Nj a human or also an elf? Likewise for Gravedust?
The new characters, are they NPCs or are they also played by people in glass jars?
Where can I read more when I don’t understand the story?
1) Definitely Earth. In Chapter 9, we show that they were five “lucky” winners in a beta-testing contest.
2) All of the players are humans.
3) Not telling.
4) We’re working on a solution for that problem. Leaning towards a wiki. We’re also open to other suggestions!
Just to check: For your response to #3, did you actually mean to say “Not telling, [yet],” or do you plan on finishing the comic while leaving us in the dark about it forcing us to question our own sanity and understanding of what exactly this world is?
A little from column A, a little from column B.
I guess that’s a better answer than just saying “yes” (which is the type of answer I’ve come to expect from Phil)
Heh. I just like messing with you guys!
Yes, that question will be answered definitively. Eventually.
In addition, you can always sign up for Plus, where we talk about a lot of plot points in annotations.
Hmm, I notice you have claimed alot of videogame references as influences for the comic, but I’ve gotten a strong whiff of D&D experience from the writers at a point or two.
Is this just me “hallucinating” strange odors that seem to odorously embody a conceptual experience, or do y’all have some D&D under your belt, driving at your noggins from dark corners?
Well, D&D has influenced pretty much every modern RPG, in a way similar to how LotR influenced High Fantasy, or like countless myths and fairietales are butchered in manga/anime.
What I mean is, it’s not surprising when you get reminded of D&D. Some things influenced Phil directly, while others went through other works before influencing him.
You’re definitely both right. Fantasy Gaming et al shares a lot of the common ground, so it’s easy to claim all of it as a single resource. But I think I can go a little deeper than my previous answer…
D&D, WoW… at the core of it, what really inspired me from all of my fantasy gaming experiences was Roleplaying, specifically. The games got me interested, but the RP kept me around. Especially in the case of WoW, where me and my best bro RP’d on the Sentinels server for a number of years as parts of the Manifest Destiny and Blackwater Explorers guilds.
WoW, for all its strengths and faults, was an excellent vehicle for recreational online roleplaying: All the function of a chatroom/forum with the added benefit of visual representation in the form of emotes, environment, and even a fairly solid PVP system (well, once upon a time it was solid).
At the end of the day, it’s the level of investment and commitment I put into roleplaying several characters in a larger story with a couple dozen other people that I’m bringing to the table for a lot of what you guys are picking up. It made me want to do comics about our own stories and exploits, a desire that eventually became Guilded Age. Not much of that has carried over, honestly, but the feeling did and that’s what I’d say is important.
… You were in Manifest Destiny and BWE on Sentinels?! I’ve been a fan of this comic from the start and never knew that! This is Shrike, founder of Malakim.
Holy shit! I don’t you and I interacted much, but do you remember a Gnome Warlock that went by the name of Fnipper?
That was me.
Yeah, I don’t think we ever interacted much, either, but I definitely saw you around.
Only one of my former Guildmates (previously mentioned bro) reads this comic that I am aware of. If any of the rest of you are out there reading, say hi!
For my part, I played only a little D&D but a lot of similar tabletop games when I was in college.
Congratulations! GA just keeps getting better and better, and I’m excited to see what the future brings!
Thanks, WoS. We hope to live up to your excitement!
(Nod nod)
How many playable races/classes/etc are there in this game anyhow?
Heh. For now, that’s not exactly concrete, but let’s say “about a dozen of each.”
So, does that mean the Savage Races are playable? (Sort of an equivalent to the Horde, I guess?)
Can’t say. For now.
I talked to T, and he’s cool with confirming: Yes, the Savage Races are playable.
is there a class system? or is it skill-based and you can mix-and-match?
Yes, there is a class system, in a manner similar to most MMOs. Multi-classing is not a part of it, though. We have enough classes in mind that it’s feels uneccessary. But we all know that Arkerra follows some whack-ass Acranometric rules, so who knows what the future will bring?
Very nice though Bandit would’ve been hilarious in a volleyball situation. :P Can’t believe it’s been two years.
Anywho, one for John and T. (each) if that’s ok.
John: I assume that any good artist strives to be as versatile as possible but I also imagine that each has a favorite, most practiced style that he or she is most comfortable with and perhaps loathes to deviate from. So how difficult was the transition from the “Robotech stuff” to “GA stuff”? What does it take to make such a sudden turn in terms of art style?
T: From what little I’ve seen there seems to be quite a bit of diversity in your work (spy story, teen dramedy, fantasy/parody/whatever…). Now I could be wrong but it is my impression that writers typically stick to, more or less, a single genre that interests them (Agatha Christie to her crime novels, Dan Simmons to Sci-Fi, Rush Limbaugh to political manifestos…) so would you say that your ability (and more importantly willingness) to engage in different things is a kind of “gift” or is it actually fairly common and I just don’t know about it? Is it maybe the nature of comics (as opposed to novels and 9000 page sagas) that makes it easier for one to “diversify”?
Suprisingly not that difficult. It’s just a matter of loosening up, and trying not to be so obcessed with details (that’s a hard one for me).
Actually, it wasn’t that sudden. I stopped doing Robotech stuff at the end of 1996, then had a brief return for the Prelude to the Shadow Chronicles in 2005(but that was mostly co-writing{drew a few pages toward the end}), and then got picked for Guilded Age at the end of 2010. I had a lot of time between those dates to do other things that needed different styles. It really only takes a little discipline, a little research, and a lot of practice.
It does seem like a lot of people stick to one genre, but I’m not sure how much of that is tied to ability and how much is tied to marketing savvy. I know some authors decide to stick to what they’re known for whether they have ideas in other fields or not. I’ve often felt like my self-promotion would be easier if I were writing JUST fantasy or JUST science fiction or JUST teen stuff, but that’s just not the career I aspire to have.
That said, it is a little easier to jump into something entirely new on a test basis in comics and on the Web, where you can produce an installment and distribute it very easily relative to the publication of a novel.
Thank you both for the answers. I get curious about the “creative process”.
Is today’s alt-text based on 8-bit theater’s sword-chucks?
Will we ever learn of the no doubt terrible secrets of the other heads of the houses?
I think it’s simply a joke about those jokes about triple-wielding, which is obviously more awesome than dual-wielding, because it contains 50% more blades. The next logical step is quadruple-wielding.
On the nosey.
“The first thing you’re going to want to do, is strengthen your penis (or vag). Given that both hands and your mouth are already taken by weapons, and you need your feet for walking, the only thing left is to strap one to your junk. This requires extensive exercise however, and you’re going to want to be able to lift double the weight of your weapon for extended periods of time before you even begin training with the weapon.”
i’m pretty sure its a One Piece reference
That’s what I’m talking about. Kids see something, like a scimitar, and say “that’s definitely a reference to Anime XY where they also used this kind of sword!”
er, what I was talking about in another reply above :P
To be fair, Zero’s not a kid. He’s a robot.
hey let’s face it that there’s only one triple blade user that I, at least, am familiar with.
How many else are there?
Wolverine wields 6 blades at once.
And sometimes he holds a katana while he does it.
I never really understood all the fuss about quadruple-wielding.
All you need to do is get dual-wielding and then just dual-wield the dual-wielding.
You just blew my damn mind.
and THAT, is an 8-bit Theatre reference unless I miss my guess
Not intentionally, but sure. What the Hell.
Yeah, 8-bit Theatre was where I first encountered the concept of quadruple-wielding.
Of course, in Guilded Age you can just dual-wield a pair of those training machines.
And…and each training machine could have ANOTHER training machine where the sword-arms are! AH! AH HA! AAH HA HA HAAAaa…
It’s like a fractal of utter destruction.
o_O
I just realized I completely glossed over your second question! My bad!
Yes, we will learn more about the Heads of Houses. Everyone in Arkerra has their role to play… so to speak.
I have a question for y’all: Do you like cake? Well, you’d bloody well better, ’cause you’re getting some.
http://oi52.tinypic.com/2dviv6a.jpg http://oi51.tinypic.com/260y5fp.jpg
Happy birthday, GA! No birthday is complete without cake.
That is one manly cake!
Seriously, my mind is blown. Thank you for this so much! This is the coolest thing we’ve ever gotten from a fan to date!
YOU HEAR THAT, EVERYONE ELSE? TIME TO STEP UP YOUR GAME.
It’s not often that an artist sees his design break out of the confines of his work (much less his own thoughts for that matter) and become something more, but seeing something I designed and drew come to three-dimensional life in the form of a cake is, well… that’s sweet.
That is really something. Thank you, Angry-Buddha.
I see what you did there.
Gold Star.
I didn’t know you three were allowed Gold Stars… This completely ruins my chances.
This is the best guest strip I’ve ever eaten.
A slight question for you Phil, Is GA in it’s independent universe or does it share a universe with another comic so it’s easier to set up cross overs later? one follow up, are you even interested in doing cross overs with other web comics?
Good question! We currently observe that GA is its own independent canon and have made no particular moves to change that. It could very well share the Sketchies universe, though, but there’s not a whole lot of common ground in that Venn diagram anyway. And before you ask, no: none of The Five are also any of the Sketchies. When we’ve gone over Sepia Segments, I’ve often joked that this kind of shit could only fly in the Fans universe.
The Sepia Segments, as we’ve demonstrated, are intended to be rooted in Reality As You And I Know It. No, there’s no ConceptiCon yet, but there is a real Hijinks Ensue! podcast, same as there’s no real Hurricane Software but there is a real G4TV. One could consider any other comic’s fictional universe that shares the same principles as fair game, but we’re not really pushing for that anyhow.
H.R. has admitted to the possibility of other universes, though, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility to cross over in that context. And not even H.R. knows where Payet Best is right now, so theoretically he could be anywhere. I think we’re fairly open to non-canon crossovers, though! Non-canon adventures are a thing of beauty, and something I wish we got to do a lot more of!
An Oglaf crossover seems to be the crowd favourite. I’ve seen it mentioned in the comments several times.
But they probably just want to see Byron bone Best.
I’ll be in my bunk…
yeah, wats up with all the dickage in oglaf?
off topic i know….
Isn’t that kind of the POINT?
That is totally the point of Oglaf.
Nothin’ quite like a hate fuck.
Though this was for Phil, let me chime in a little. I love crossovers, in general… but I don’t love yoking two strips’ continuities together over the long haul unless those strips’ creators are the same people or working in tight collaboration. So we’re treating Guilded Age as an independent universe for now.
One of my other strips (Fans) did two crossovers with another strip (College Roomies From Hell) that had a prophecied apocalypse. Then my strip skipped forward four years or so, and some readers were like, “What about that apocalypse?” My answer: it didn’t come to pass in our universe, but maybe the other strip’s timeline branched off from ours after the crossover. If the other strip had mentioned some apocalypse-like event in the PAST that didn’t gibe with our strip’s history, then… oy.
I think Phil and I would be interested in the possibility of crossovers here and there from a creative standpoint (they’re not the marketing aids they used to be), but we’re running GA with more discipline than any of my other comics have seen, so we’d have to mesh that sort of thing carefully with our plans.
What fan reaction surprised you guys the most, or caught you off-guard? (I’m going to assume the uproar over the “It’s an MMORPG” thing was at least somewhat expected.)
Yeah, the uproar was absolutely expected. We were pleasantly surprised to find that less people abandoned ship than we anticipated.
This is a tough one. I’m having trouble remembering any reaction that was so surprising. But if I had to choose one, I think it would be how quickly everyone fell in love with Best’s ultimately doomed Bawkbagawk. I didn’t figure a throwaway homage would be resonate so strongly, but then I’m not the Final Fantasy fan I used to be, nor am I much of an animal lover in general.
What I learned from the experience is that you guys really seem to like the crazy fantasy animals, so we’ll try to put more in where we can!
For the record, ‘Bawkbagawk’ gets me every time. Every. Fucking. Time.
Great. More Birdserker, then!
It’s likewise hard for me to remember. The overall positive response to John was a nice surprise, not because John isn’t great, but because fans are sometimes reluctant to accept a big shift in art styles.
It is a strange thing to try and describe… but the moment either of the Waltrips get involved in something, it is like everything has automatically gone the same route as Who Framed Roger Rabbit or Space Jam: no matter how serious the plot might get, everyone still wears goofy cartoon expressions.
It is always a little unnerving.
You guys have already been doing this crap for two years? Huh. Time sure flies. Sure is too bad you had to pick today of all days to start your comic. Freddie Mercury’s birthday is just a much more legitimate reason to celebrate.
Now I just want to see a Freddie Mercury/Payet Best team-up spectacular.
We got any drawfriends hanging out today?
It’s a shame that Best’s skills in Bardic song would wilt due to the insurmountable cosmic powers that is Freddie Mercury’s godly pipes. :3 Don’t matter HOW good ya think you are, Mr. Mercury’s got the touch.
…
YOU GOT THE TOUCH! YOU GOT THE POWAH! Man I miss the 80’s…
I don’t know… we haven’t yet seen Best at his peak performance level! Hopefully he’ll soon return from whatever plane of existence he is currently annoying the crap out of.
Would still be a hell of a fight between them: Best continually trying to upstage Freddie and Freddie would have none of that.
Sorry I’m so late on this…
_____________________________
PAYET BEST vs FREDDIE MERCURY
FIGHT!
FREDDIE MERCURY uses TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN
PAYET BEST counters with MOTHER EATEN BY OGRES
PAYET BEST uses STABLE BOY STREET CRED
FREDDIE MERCURY counters with SECRET PARSI HERITAGE
FREDDIE MERCURY uses GOOD OLD FASHIONED LOVER BOY
PAYET BEST counters with NEW SCHOOL DOUCHEBAG
PAYET BEST uses METROSEXUALITY
FREDDIE MERCURY counters with HOMOSEXUALITY
FREDDIE MERCURY uses I’M IN LOVE WITH MY CAR
PAYET BEST counters with I ATE MY BAWKBAGOK
PAYET BEST uses CALMED A BERSERKER
FREDDIE MERCURY counters with SOUNDTRACKED A HIGHLANDER
FREDDIE MERCURY uses MOUSTACHE OF AUTHORITY
K.O.!
FREDDIE MERCURY
WINS!!
I was shown this comic about 3 days ago and have now caught up. I suppose its all a bit of a blur for me at the moment, but I figured you guys were probably hardcore DnD players, no doubt including a little DM’ing in there. As a fan of multiple fantasy comics, I always like to spread the love between creators of similar ones. So here goes, have you heard of or do you follow Goblins? Much more closely based to DnD and with a little darker/heavier a storyline than this one, but excellent all the same. Equally did any webcomics inspire you, and do you care to link them? :)
Goblins is definitely on my list of “Huge Comic Archives I Want To Get Around To Reading Some Day.”
Other fantasy comics that inspired us include the obvious ones: Order of the Stick and ErfWorld. As I’ve said before, my influences are coming much more from my time spent roleplaying and fantasy gaming in general.
Also, thanks for becoming a new reader! I have a question for you, actually:
Did you find it difficult to accept The Big Reveal while reading through the comic as an archive?
em. yeah… cant say as i didn’t see it coming tho. (i know u werent askin me, but i figured i could answer). i actually gave up on you for a few days and then said to myself. Frak it! i’ll enjoy the game stuff and try not to let the reality ruin my day (like it usually does)
Hard to accept, not so much. I suppose as I moved through it fairly quickly I didn’t have enough time to strongly attach to the initial story. It did feel odd at first, but I’m a fan of the .hack anime which whether you know or not shares quite similar idea behind it to this. Personally I felt the characters still needed a lot more development before I could be totally attached, so the switch was ok. I can see if the content was delivered to me at a slower pace I might have had time to get fully attached to the characters before it happened, which would have led to more of an uproar. In short, I think new readers who travel through the back content quickly will not find such a problem with the adjustment. It would have been easier with more of an explanation of the “technomagic” or whatever its being called here, again speed reading means I didn’t take the exact word in. I feel I know exceedingly little about how the world is even sustained at the moment which makes accepting the fact it is fictional more difficult. As far as I can see another massive influence could be the matrix, where all 5 of the players in a sense represent the anomaly. The matrix is a great example of the “big reveal” coming before you are too attached to the characters as they are. I feel like I’m giving tips now? Ironic as I can’t write a story to save my life. I DM fairly well though :D
You should get through that goblins backlog by the way, it starts light and comedic but Thunt really has a way of weaving a dark and meaningful story behind it. Its the comic update I crave the most every week, I find myself checking for updates every day even though I know they are twice a week. What is the update schedule for this comic coincidently? I couldn’t seem to find it anywhere.
Thanks for the perspective, Alpha. Meta-reality stories seem to be something you either really like or really don’t. Like cilantro. I’m OK with this.
We update M-W-F!
Order of the Stick and Erfworld for me too. Goblins less so, but it does have a way with an action sequence. And the expansive, ambitious (if all too infrequent) installments of Dresden Codak.
What Goblins does well is creative dungeon design.
Not sure if it is for better or worse, since I’ve had to abandon my idea of dungeons being just a bunch of barred cells a long time ago… but Goblins really goes out of its way to set up creative puzzles… and then solve them. =p
Happy 2nd birthday, Guilded Age! Since it’s Q&A day and all, I’d like to know if there are any full-body reference pics floating around that I could use to design a Syr’nj costume. It’s not often I come across a female character who’s a) awesomely written, and b) tall enough for me to dress as, so I’ve already decided that the next costume I make will be of her :P
Thanks for writing/drawing an awesome comic! I’ve been a fan since day one :)
Unfortunately, we don’t have something like that readily available. But it is on our to-do list!
I’ll e-mail you something you might be able to work with, though.
I’d just like to mention that if you had model sheets of your characters available, you’d likely get more and better fanart, especially of the 3D variety.
Maybe put it in Plus…?
There’s some of that in Plus, but we’ve got some better model art on the docket.
Another question: What’s the date for submissions for quest week and for adventurers’ illustrated?
Adventurer’s Illustrated jokes can just be stuck here in the comments. The deadline for guest strips is 9/9/11.
Does Guilded Age have an “end date”, or at least a final storyline that already has a place in the script? Or will it continue as long as you can keep it going?
There will be 36 chapters total in the main saga. Essentially four more years.
End of March 2016 and it is still going.
The original plan was 24 chapters, but Phil and I have an agreement not to blow it up any more.
That chapter structure is a little unusual for me, but I think it’s given Guilded Age a crisper, more consistent storytelling style and pace.
i should have asked this sooner. Mr. Phill and crew, how are you all holding up? i have seen many a good comic and other works fall apart when the creators suffer burn out or when they can’t make their work and pay the rent at the same time. if you are getting stressed out, please let us know so we can help, OK?
It’s appreciated, Taxil! That’s why we’re running Guest Week 2012!
You could also ship them copious amounts of alcohol, drugs, and hookers. That always picks me right up.
IAWTC.
I Always Want The Crack?
Gold Star.
Thanks for asking, Taxil. I’ve been doing GA for about nine months now and have completed five chapters so far, and it feels like twice that. So, any guest art you guys can come up with would go a long way in easing the schedule. I’d love to see some of the talent of our readers.
I love how Raeg (can’t remember if they said his name yet) just holds his fist up. “No, I don’t have to move. The ball comes to my fist.”
As an aspiring Fantasy writer, I have a question. I thought about asking this question in a long, drawn-out form that would be very detailed and leave nothing out. Then I realized I could ask it in a more humorous, brief form, that is, “Fucking writing, how does it work?”
Also, what would be your advice for someone who is desperately trying to find their place in the world? Both questions apply to whoever is up to answer them, but, I have to say, I’m looking forward to the “Phil-osophy” most of all.
(That was a lie; I’m awaiting everyone’s answers equally. I just wanted to make a pun. :P)
Whoadang.
If you’re just starting to cut your teeth on writing, focus on keeping your dramatic/comedic beats strong. Timing and sequence is everything. Allow yourself to gaze warmly at the infinite paths and branches a story can take, but follow the route that feels like home. Shape your words, speak with your words, and paint with your words. Writing is the thing where you have to convey grandiose concepts and fantastical scene, using nothing but measly fucking words.
Like the days in your life, your words are finite. Make each one genuine and sincere. Use the ones that come from your heart and they will all matter.
I hope that answers both questions.
It did both that AND it reminded me of the intro to a Soap Opera my mother used to watch. Thanks. XD
And yeah, the last few times I’ve tried to start ‘er off, I end up not liking what I end up with, or making countless revisions. Pretty much all I’ve done so far is refine the basic outline of the story out in my head. Settings and names are some of the hardest obstacles to me so far.
You have to do bad work before you do good work. There is no substitute for just sitting down and writing, writing, writing.
You have a thousand bad pages to get through before the good come to the surface. It doesn’t matter if its bad or unsatisfactory now, because if you keep working and keep seeking to improve, you will. Get cracking.
So what led up to the Flooding Prison Incident?
Do you use any arcanometry in the Random Avatar Generator?
Holy shit, I’m on a different computer on a different network and I still got the same avatar.
1) One hell of a bungled job.
2) … Yes.
Here’re some prospective article headlines for you…
Get Buffed! Party exercises to obviate that Bard
Dealing With Thieves (Pt 1): Steal it First!
Are You Engraving Your Weaponry? Why style points count
Does Your Mount Count? Our experts detail the new regulations
Tips to a Better Berserker: How to tell your “AUGHLERAAARGH”s from your “RAAARGHBLAUGHLE”s.
Frigg’s softer side – White Queen tells all!
While you guys have a end game, are there any plans for official spin-offs or sequals? Magazine headline: What are you wearing? whats hot or not for leather wearers.
Official spin offs are something we’ll consider more heavily depending on the level of popularity GA has by the time it’s done. A sequel to this specific saga is not something I think either of us really want to do. What we want to do is tell a complete story that, by the end, will have exercised its potential in epic scale to the fullest.
If I got to do any spinoff I wanted, I would love to do Payet Best’s Adventures Through Time and Space. Like Doctor Who, but instead of a benevolent force of good will and purest humanity… it’s Payet Best. A globe/time/space/plane/reality-trotting bard is one of the best concepts I could hope for.
The two bonus stories we have in GAPlus and the bonus stories yet to come are supplemental things that are either extra backstory or adventures that can stand apart from the rest of the canon.
T and I have a neat idea for what could be our next collaborative project after Guilded Age. I’d suspect that we would either launch it before GA is concluded, in a bid to keep our audience’s attention… or that we’ll be so sick of each other we’ll need to take a 1-3 year break.
We’re just trying to focus on the here and now, for now!
Sounds a bit like what happens when Captain Jack Harkness wasn’t nailed down to any one planet.
I would like to ask another question, unless yall are like genies who only grant one question. if you could be any race/class combination in Arkerra what would you be?
Probably a wood elf.
…or a landshark.
Anyone can ask as many questions as they like until the next update! Come one, come all!
Predictably, I would be a bard of some sort. Gnomish, most likely.
Game stepping up.
Rogue’s Prerogative! 10 Great Tips On When To Ignore Conscience For Cash
I’m The Scat Elf, And Other Great Hits! Shit Elves And Why We Love Them
Frigging Zealots: A Hot New Religious Trend! How To Be Frigged Today
The Axe Maniac And The Gnomish Garden Trimmer: A True Story Of Love, Murder And Mayhem
Census Confirms! Five Out Of Six Red-Headed Step-Children Become Berserkers
Have you had anyone cosplay as your characters yet? Cause that’d be awesome… and one of these days I -am- going to make that WoodElf outfit, I swear it!
Not yet, but I have been heavily considering buying myself a sepia-toned suit and purple tie…
Magazine articles:
Doing Science To It: An Exclusive Interview With The Woman Who Blew Up a Mountain
The World’s Fastest Vegetable Chopper and 99 Other Non-combat Applications of a Mechanical Fighter
Air Pirates: Cool New Villains of CoolEST New Villains?
Chucking Nuns: A Complete Guide to Defending Against Ruler-based Weapons
Magic Arrows and You: Getting the Most Milage out of Vengeful Spirits on Your Weapons
Fried mushrooms are amazing, would you agree?
Yes. Yes. God damn it, yes.
Thanks for making me wish I had some right now. Sheesh.
With bacon!
Berserker Rights Activists to Ruling Houses: Studies show you can’t transmit The Madness through casual touch, kissing, or sharing ale tankards.
Mr. Phill and crew. If things go all right and GA retains or has a growing popularity, will your reconsider giving GA a “final end” to the comic? or would you be open to hand the story writing/artwork to some other crew?
That is such an unbelievably heavy question that I can’t even conceive of us having a real answer until at least the final year of GA. But we’re pretty committed to telling a complete, finite saga so I doubt it.
On the writing side: Has there ever been a script that you had a particular difficulty writing it?
On the art side: Has there ever been a script where you got it and spent a moment just staring at it as you wondered how you’d pull this off?
On the general side: Have the fans ever “gotten to you?” Where, due to the fans, you felt the need to step back for a moment and focus on something else for a couple of hours? (Other than this post, naturally.) Everybody seems really even-tempered, but I realize that there are times where, as humans, we occasionally experience an irrational reaction to nothing. (Please, no punching in the face!)
1) It seems that every subsequent script we do takes longer than the last. This is the problem when you commit to continuously raising the bar over and over again. But the rewards that come with that are likewise palpable.
3) I know I unleashed the power and fury of the Sarcasm Cannon into a reader once, not terribly long ago. A moment of weakness I felt terrible about a mere few hours later. Although I can also say since I let myself get it out of my system that one time it’s been easier to keep my sometimes flimsy temper under check. The uproar that came with The Big Reveal was heartbreaking for sure, but life goes on.
I’m not above short, terse, snarky comments when I feel like they’re warranted, though!
Bleh. You should unleash the Sarcasm Cannon more often. It was hilarious, and Catbus totally deserved it.
2) short answer- no, not really. long answer- after reading the script, there are always a few moments of staring at the big, blank paper and wondering what and where things should go, composition, layout, etc…
but they pass quickly. They have to. There’s always another page to be done.
This is why John is the man.
I would also just like to say congrats on two years of awesome! ive been reading webcomics for about a year and a half, and you guys are without a doubt the most frequently and consistently hilarious and emotionaly poignant. now keep it up or i’ll send my team of orc assassins. they bring a whole new meaning to “zug zug”.
Thanks tons, fella. Your words are as life-affirming to us as you avatar is related to your comment (the only orc one we have).
Hehe. Poor college student here, unfortunately.
But do you guys accept microdonations via flattr? I’d like to give you a nickel whenever Best bests himself.
Hm! Flattr is something to consider!
And with that, Q&A is over! Thanks for participating everyone, it was a fuckin’ hoot!
Winners for AI contest picked later. Keep your collective feet on the ground!