Three Year Anniversary
HAWM, Guildies. We’ve hit three years running now on this laborest of days. Frankly, we have some great things coming down the pipe, many of which involving a Kickstarter that’ll launch this month, one which we want to hear your opinion on.
We also want to thank you guys for reading throughout. The number of you I get to meet at cons has been steadily rising, most of you reporting that you’ve been reading since the beginning. That just means a whole helluva lot to T and I. We put a lot of work into bringing you the best damned comic experience we can, and it makes us swell with pride to know you guys enjoy it. We’ve got some years left on this story and big plans for the future. Here’s hopin’ we’ll have something real special on all our hands when it’s all said and done.
We have a contest to help us celebrate today for you guys. The prize is a free copy of Fortress, by Friend of Guilded Age Ray Merkler of Hindrances to Progress. Fortress is a game of strategy and tactics designed to be played just a standard deck of cards. Players protect their Kings with an impenetrable garrison of soldiers as they pit their armies against each other to be the first to wipe out their opponent’s fortress. Simple rules belie tons of strategic depth in this easy-to-learn, tough-to-master game for two players.
How do you win your copy? Give us your best headline for Adventurer’s Illustrated in the comments section. The best entrant as judged by Team GA will win the prize!
And as is customary around these parts, it’s a Q&A day in the comments section. Ask us anything!
Thanks again for reading. We’ll return to Chapter 18 this Wednesday!
Some major friggtion going on in that tent there. Rachel better hold on tight.
Can’t believe it’s another question day, seems like the last one was only a few months ago. I’m gettin’ too old too fast.
Contest entry: “Hax on the Beach”.
Oh wait, is that game iPhone/Pad only? I thought it was a tangible, cardboard-like thing. If it’s not consider my entry withdrawn but feel free to declare me honorary winner. :P
It is iOS only, yes.
Yeah, I saw the words “deck” and “cards” and kinda immediately jumped to conclusions. My bad.
Rachel better hold on?… such a perverse thought. Rachel is a holy woman, and obviously would prefer a Divine Setting.
(i.e. Missionary Position)
First question: Will we see more of the guild headquarters? Any hidden elements?
Also, I’ve really enjoyed ya’lls work over the years. Following from the beginning, more or less. Still enjoying it. Keep up the good work.
Whoops, forgot my entry.
“Sun-day Raiding”
First Answer: Yes, we’ll see more. The Hall itself is fairly mundane, but I think the gang are going to… make it homier as they live there.
Thanks for reading!
“Guildy Pleasures”
Oh, an I bet he made that sand castle with just one hatful of sand!
Oh man, my new avatar is the Best!!!
“Chainmail is out, Scalemail new hot bikini type.”
What’s the title of Gravedust’s second book.
scalemail: especially if left in the sun.
books: ‘Little Women’ and ‘1001 crossword puzzles’
Rachel is so embarrassed; she’s not in the habit of (purposely) showing skin.
Syr’s tats…BEAUTIFUL
And sexy rogue rebel Bandit is wearing a strapless top, natch.
Sooo… my entry is:
“Tattoos, Taboos, and Hoo-Hoos”
Subheaders:
“Berzerker pleads temporary insanity in mass murder trial”
“FUUUUUUUUU – IT’S NOT TOURETTE’S, DAMMIT!” by F. Akerfeldt
“Wood elf princess admits to IV drug abuse – and distribution”
“Mauled: why we need a leash law” by B. Keynes
“Gravy heartbreaking confession! ‘I tape up because of…PSORIASIS”
“Payet Best – He’s Hot, He’s Sexy and He’s Dead (?)”
Don’t you mean Ivy drug abuse?
Say Penk and Payet form a garage band.
What other characters fill out the roster, and what instruments do they play?
Contest entry:
“Fall Foliage: Check out the latest fashions from B’ial Vezk”
Byron plays axe, obviously.
But Payet already fulfills that pun.
Hunh! With Best on Lead Guitar and Vox and Penk on drums… I know imagine them as a two-piece raw band because Payet Best is almost as egomaniacal as Jack White.
almost
Question: Are trans-racial relationships (Human/Elf/Dwarf/Gnome) more or less unacceptable than Human/Elf relationships? Are there any Human/Gnome or Dwarf/Gnome offspring running around?
There are no known offspring between Humans, Dwarves, and Gnomes. Romances would surely well exist. I’d say they’d be perceived just as wiggy as Human/Elf relationships, or any race mixing in general. But it, of course, depends on who you ask.
For example: Culturally, it would be perceived as exotic to sleep with an elf if you’re a human, where the elves would find that abhorrent.
Every group has their own opinions on mixing.
Blast it, forgot to put my question in the last post.
The “Rhino” in rhinoceros refers to the nose location of it’s horn. Wouldn’t a more appropriate term for a rhinosaur be an odontosaur, given that its’ “horns” are really its’ mandibular fangs? (odonto = tooth). NOT A CRITICISM! Just something to satisfy my CDO (That’s OCD… I feel compelled to spell it in alphabetical order).
Things are not always named by scholars, or even logically. It all depends on the level of education and frame of mind of the namer. Hence, two examples, “Hippopotamus” (lit. “River Horse”) and “Grand Tetons” (lit. “Big Titties”). So, Rhinosaur, cool. Guy saw one and said, “Hey, those look inds like a cross between Rhinos and dinos! We’ll call it…Dinoceros!”
Note: for ‘inds’ read ‘kinda’. Don’t know what the hell happened there.
Shit. Dinoceros is a good one.
But yeah, Jarry’s got the right of it. Same reasoning behind naming Land Sharks “Land Sharks” and Sea Sharks “Sharks.” Which one would be the original template? Logic may dictate that we’d have met Land Sharks before Sea Sharks, and yet: Here we are.
Nice mu-mu you’ve got there, Rachel.
My entry: “Sun Worship: Get your religion out of the Dark Ages.”
“Gravedust Deserthammer: The Gritty Details”
“Beards, Bards, Badass: How Gravedust went from lead singer of the muscial family group the Deserthammer Five to lone mystic.”
“Klepto-Mania: A petite pickpocket poses.”
“Guilded Screen: Michael Bay to produce Guilded Age movie.”
Casablanca by Michael Bay: http://simulacrumb.blogspot.com.br/2008/05/casablanca-vs-street-fighter.html
That’s not nearly as horrible as my unformed imaginings.
My Question: What kind of swimsuit does Rachael sport?
Headline: Following Scipio (A one-on-one interview about Scipio’s childhood, passions, and his walk-in humidor!)
Whatever it is, it’ll be an attempt to outdo whatever Frigg’s wearing.
We have no idea, she didn’t come out of the tent for the entire shoot.
“Frigg, I don’t have any clothing made for swimming. May i borrow something of yours?
“UUUUHH… Sure, here ya go. I couldn’t decide on which one to bring, so I was like “fuck it.” That teeny-weeny-itsy-bitsy yellow polka-dot bikini should fit you.”
“Ok, thanks… um, where is the rest of it?”
“LOL”
I tried a search for “open heart bikini”, but the results were very NSFW.
IT was a….
ITSYBITSY TEENY WEENY YELLOW POLKADOT FRIGGINI!
And consider that my entry, too. I has i-devices, so I can use the game, or install it for my b/f who loves those.
Friggini sounds like an italian food.
“yea, can we get the spicy sausage calzone, an order of alfredo chicken with an extra side of fettuccine, a cheesey friggini, and the party pack of cannolis for delivery please.”
LANDSHARKS STOLE MY BABY
Oh, I don’t own any iOS devices, so I don’t want to win :)
I’m in the Android/Linux ecosystem myself; I just do it for the lulz.
I bought my mobile phone in 1995, and it still works, I don’t see why I should change it :)
BABIES STOLE MY LANDSHARK
MY STOLE IS MADE OF BABY LANDSHARKS
It says two year anniversary on the poster, but three everywhere else.
Also: Best Adventures
For a little throw back.
Whoopsidoodle! Fixed.
“Psychology of Gods and Demons” as Headline.
where the original 5-6 main characters conceived as they are, or what could they have been?
Contest entry: Frigg’s hair care tips: how to smite those chaotic evil hairs”.
I’m not sure I follow your question completely but… both? We conceive characters, usually, in terms of arcs: Who they are and who they’ll become. Sometimes you go in with an unclear arc, but you’d be surprised how fast a character can pick their destiny out for you.
sorry about that. what I mean is, was the original adventuring party going to be a dwarf mystic, elf artificer, human berserker, ect., or where there other ideas for the group that were scrapped.
Since this was always supposed to be a very gamey story, we started off by coming up with a big list of classes that players could be in Kingdoms of Arkerra. And then we just tried to form the most interesting party based on what was available, sticking to the classic “Tank + Heals + 3DPS” strategy.
Syr’Nj was originally going to be a druid healer, actually. But that wasn’t anything nearly as interesting as the Field Medic, so we gave her that class. Everyone else was who they were going to be from the word go, really.
“E-merl: What’s really under the hat? Today’s tell all.”
I have no witty title but I do love to see them on vacay :)
We’ve met (at least nominally) all of the other races so far, are we going to see the Winter Elves anytime soon,or is that going to be further in the future, if at all?
Yes, further in the future. Shit, probably late 2014 at this rate.
Hey, if you’ve got plans to keep this going at least 2 years, woo hoo!
At least three. Lookin’ at four.
Melee Weapons: Sharp or Blunt which is best for you?
They merged sharp and blunt damage back in like 2009. :p
Submission:
“But it’s my favorite! (Coping with weapons downgrades)”
“Unite!: Fun in the Sun issue”
Question: has the beige wizard guy ever considered just letting them finish the game?
I’ve never heard of an MMO that had a point in which the game stops for good.
It will be interesting to see what will become of LOTRO should it progress to the end of Sauron and the dawn of the Fourth Age.
Currently I think they are about 40% through the source material, Rohan is released, but Helm’s Deep has not happened.
Theoretically, the source material goes on in the Appendices up to the death of King Aragorn. ( yes, I know he takes another name becoming king, but can’t recall it)
WoW stopped for good when I cancelled my subscription :)
Hah.
A Tale in The Desert stops and resets whenever the denizens of the word manage to accomplish all of that world’s goals. It was/is a “cooperative MMORPG” that I was totally obsessed with until I decided I missed killing things.
I don’t have any questions or witty stuff. But looking at the art I was all “wonder where Byron is and what he’s not wearing.” It’s one of those weeks for me, I suppose.
Grats on three years! It’s been one helluva ride :D
PS: My son proclaimed he has noodle-fu yesterday. I’m not even sure how he knew about that conversation…
Perhaps he is a birth genius in The Way of the Noodled Arm.
Thanks for coming along on said ride.
Just how “woody” are the wood elves? I remember Syr mentioning how they could use their toes to suck up water (which was kinda gross). So how plant-like are their bodies and physiology? For example, do they really take in moisture from theenvironment? Does their hair feel like grass or wheat? Stuff like that.
Also, how much elf would a wood elf wood if a wood elf could wood elf?
They’re probably not as woody as they perceive themselves to be. Their feet have a permeable skin that allows them to absorb nutrients from water or soil as a plant does. They don’t photosynthesize, but they get more out of sunlight than you and I would. And I imagine their hair to feel coarse in general, but not necessarily leafy.
A wood elf woods elves as much as he could, if a wood elf could wood elf.
Wood elf with wood elf wood would woo wood elf, but would wood elf woo wood elf with wood elf wood?
A few questions, feel free to ignore spoilers:
1) Is the virtual reality component of the plot something that was planned from the start of was it a late addition? I ask specifically because it came right on the heels of the artist change IIRC
2) Is Byron still able to go berserk if he wants? Or is it all or nothing proposition? Is the ‘cure’ permanent or does he need to keep taking doses?
3) Byron’s rage comes from a curse of sorts, although the specifics have not been disclosed. Do ‘natural’ barbarians exist in this setting? I remember it coming up once before in the coastal showdown… or was Byron in fact already a berserker and the curse is just one of loss of control?
4) If humans and elves can interbreed, how likely is it that someone has elf (or human) blood and does not know it? I imagine the cases of elves not knowing are less…
I am going riff on question 4 for a second….
What if elves and humans are mechanically compatable but not able to conceive.
That her father is now dead and there may not be a clear heir, assuming they are a patriarch, the “plot would thicken” if Sr’Nj is now pressured to produce an heir…
Something she could not do mated to a human.
It is unclear if this world treats races like biological species: if two “races” can mate viably, then they are the same species, different varieties.
Or is it like Tolkien, where “half-elven” is fated/magical in scope.
Well it has been established that the human/elf combination is biologically viable. E-Merl is a notable example thereof, and our best elven friend Payet also got some human girls notably pregnant.
It could be however, that the crossbreed offspring themselves are not fertile, much like donkeys. (Though making that comparison to their face is not recommended). I doubt it, but it possible.
In general, it should be remembered that fantasy tends to use the word ‘race’ VERY loosely.
Even if it was a viable dynasty, however, the elves may not be very keen on a ‘half-breed’ taking the reigns.
Mule, not donkey.
Horse+donkey=mule
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Post the 36,000th Comment!
1) This is a frequently asked question that we get. Maybe we should make one of those pages that house them. Something to ponder.
Yes, the VR aspects were planned from the start. The timing of Erica’s departure and the plot shift were 100% coincidental. She was on board with the same plan we were when we all three started.
2) So far, Byron has been rendered completely incapable of berserking under the influence of Syr’Nj’s tonic.
3) True Berserkers are rare, and typify the classic interpretation of them: Nomadic warriors of fortune that tap into a primal rage-like energy. Sometimes people will call themselves berserkers just to sound impressive. Spoilers abounds on the rest of Byron’s nature.
4) E-Merl and Best typify the half elf: Looking mostly like a human but with some elvish accents on their facial features, or vice versa. It is not documented, and therefore extremely unlikely, that one would carry mixed DNA and not display it, but it would be possible in a few generations of continued breeding. Half-Elves being common in Arkerra is a relatively new thing, only taking root in the last generation (the one that would have spanwed E-Merl and Best).
Question: any link between Dr Taylor Leighton and Syr’Nj?
None intended, but we’ll take it.
im not a writer, but i have frequently heard “write what you know” suggesting an author should draw on their own experiences. so whenever i read stuff written by folks i know, i try to identify which friend inspired which character.
so thats where that came from, if youre wondering.
Heh, I was not wondering.
Rachel: Ok, i’m leaning forward and gripping the bench, now how do we play “White Queen”?
Frigg: Hang on tight and try not to scream.
Sand in My Battlethong: The Hazards of Adventuring on the Beach
No Time for Vacation? Just Call it a Sidequest
New Sun Exposure Tables for Every Major Species
Great Summer Looks for Any Height
Security First: in Good Weather or Bad, Always Keep Your Guard up!
Has anyone got a handy link to the previous anniversary thingie? I can’t remember what it was.
http://guildedage.net/webcomic/extra-comics/one-year-anniversary/
http://guildedage.net/webcomic/extra-comics/two-year-anniversary/
Gravedust is going to be pissed when he wakes up.
My entry.
“Cogs and Conundrums: An inside look at the Gnomish war machine!”
forgot my questions, they’re about magic in this game/universe/thing.
are there actual spells in the sense that you say a few words and do a jig and you start floating or shooting fire out of your hands? i don’t think we’ve seen anything except from cultists in that fashion. E-merl is the closest, but he utilizes magic items. can anyone use magic items, or do they have to be ‘trained” in magic like E-merl? and could E-merl cast spells if they do exist in that fashion?
In my worldview, Arkerra, and most common RPG systems, there are two major types of spellcasting: Arcane and Divine.
Arcane spellcasting is based on metamathematical/metascientific/metanormal manipulation of the world around us by way of formula/recipe/ritual. That’s why E-Merl’s items work based on gestures and interactive cues, and HR speaks in tongues.
Divine spellcasting is based on your personal connection to the energies you worship. And as such, “it’s not the song, it’s the singer.” So the procedure for activating that variety of magick is open to interpretation, based especially on what school you belong to (Druidism, Holy Devotion, Mystic, Cultist, etc). As long as the right feeling is there, it doesn’t matter what you say.
By contrast, feeling is completely meaningless in Arcane spellcasting, as long as what you say/do is exactly correct. Cultism requires a little of both, and that’s probably a big part of why it’s seen as abomination from either camp. That and all the sacrifices of the innocent.
E-Merl, in particular, only has a few spells committed to memory, most of which are more useful in street performing than combat. And as such, he relies on his magick items for fighting.
Anyway, the difference between the two schools is largely the same as the difference between math and philosophy.
In some descriptions that would make sorcerers and bards closer to Divine then?
But the hottest spots to visit will be even hotter once they’re on fire.
WHY NO SCIPIO SWIMSUIT WUUUUUV?
–Dave, silent Indian-commercial tear