Order of the Stick #1023: Last Call
>>45377813
The pacing in this arc is horrible.
>>45377851
The pacing in your arc is horrible.
>>45377813
What was the fucking point of this strip? I always thought that "words-words" anons are just exaggerating, but this strip says nothing in more than a hundred words.
>>45377904
Okay but the climatic fight started 23 strips ago and now we're back to thumb twiddling.
Is rich going to literally copy mystery incorporated?
>>45377954
I think he does it intentionally to make Thog edits easier
Wrapped up version
I feel like you could do a thog edit of this entire fucking arc.
Just take only the four or five actually inportant panels in the arc, stitch them together, and pull out all the useless words.
>>45377904
QQ moar.
>>45378475
i think the challenge ought to be to keep as much of the plot intact as possible while cutting out as many words as one can
>>45379403
>yeah sorry.
That's definitely an improvement.
>>45379403
Someone need to tell this guy to cut down on like 90% of his "dialogue" and get to the frigging point in less than 4 tiles.
>>45379403
>last speech bubble
THANK YOU. this guy gets it
>>45379403
>Yeah, sorry.
That's a lot funnier.
So has this guy ever explained his proposed campaign setting?
Surely any NDA has expired by now.
>>45379403
You could cut it down a bit more while still making full sense. You do lose some nuance, though.
I added a little thing, so it's not quite a classic Thog.
About damn fucking time the show started.
>>45379637
I asked him personally about it a few years ago when people where considering a fundraiser to buy the rights to the submission from WotC. He basically stated that the NDA was very strict but that some elements of his submission ended up seeing print elsewhere.
>>45380334
He invented swift actions, that's the big one
>>45380334
Did he explain which actions? Did he say when the NDA ends?
>>45380391
Scratch that, I already hate everything about his proposal.
>>45380555
>Thog doing someone you care about
>I friendly character
>>45380555
>I friendly character
Fantastic/10
>>45380555
made me chuckle, trips
>>45380555
Good one.
>>45380555
Bravo.
>>45380555
>Thog confirms belief
Perfect
>>45380555
>i'm pretty though
>?
>>45380606
That edit made me love that gnome
Will we ever see Thog again?
Will Rich Burlew ever stop hating the best character he's ever written?
>>45380974
Thog's dead, bro.
>>45381059
>chaotic evil
He ain't staying dead. When Belkar passes, he's going to hold the door open just long enough for certain popular characters to sneak out of the Abyss.
>>45381077
Yeah I'm pretty sure that isn't a thing that happens.
>>45381111
Welcome to chaos brah
Rules don't apply nigga
I think this as short as you can make it without losing any of the "plot"
>>45381059
>>45381111
Sabine might find him in Hell and then make use of him in her revenge against Tarquin.
Seriously, this strip doesn't need to exist
>>45379802
The best, around?
>>45381254
You can only remove 3 panels.
>Can I talk to you privatly?
>Silly speech bubbles x2
>>I don't know.. i doubt
>>45381165
You can remove the last speech bubble.
>>45377813
>The gods, taken as a group, do not have our best interests as their highest priority
Wow, do you think that because a solid half-plus of them are Neutral or Evil, or because the stake is literally everything that exists?
I know Roy's basically supposed to be Fantasy Picard or something, but goddamn if he doesn't run his mouth on things that are COMPLETELY OBVIOUS.
In fact, shouldn't he be happy if one of the gods breaks the rules, so the vote goes null and has to be retaken, and the godsmoot rules have to be rewritten or something?
>>45380974
nah
>Evil Vampire admits that he's going to go tamper with the vote
>"Quick, send me after the Vampire to prevent the votes being tampered with"
>"But that would tamper with the votes"
srsly
ric burloo
y u do dis
when xylophone?
>>45381588
This, so fucking much.
It's not clever, it's stupid, and it never should have been allowed. This 'conflict' only exists to generate last-minute tension and resolve the vampire plot, which could have been done much faster much better.
Who wants to bet the king claims that since the council had to be vamped for them to produce a 'yes', he votes 'no'?
>>45379130
>>45381673
If not a smidgen of common sense from the Dwarf King God
Then my guess is that Durkon won't be saved by Xykon or Redcloak
Nor will he be saved by Roy & Friends
Instead Durkon will, upon returning home, come to his own rescue by manipulating Durkula into doing something against his own best interests.
Probably after learning what really happened to his Dad/Mom/People.
Also, the vote might actually still go through and the world might be entirely destroyed; only for the main cast to be stuck beyond the Gate, and then find out the Scribble doesn't need to be destroyed.
Otherwise Durkula's prophecy might instead come true in a different way, and Durkula will just start murdering Dwarves whole-sale.
This reminds of old Chick Tracts versus new Chick Tracts.
>>45381903
>>45380555
>what if: Thog joined the Order of the Stick
Roy is more suited for an antagonist or supporting cast anyway, a fighter who overthinks everything because daddy issues? Boring and preachy.
>>45381825
>>45381588
It's honestly the shittiest fucking arc I have seen in the entire duration of this comic.
It's fucking baffling how terribly this is written. I would rather be back on Namek right now than this shit.
>>45382125
That is how most of us felt about the Garlic Jr. Saga
>>45381588
Congratulations. You're reacting to this idiotic response exactly the way Burlew wanted you to.
>>45382225
>A webcomic creator writes his comic to be terrible and plodding because he wants you to hate it
>>45382093
You lost me
>>45382273
>A webcomic writer lays on heavy and long the stupid to get readers to be as frustrated with the situation as the protagonist at its center
>some people are too dumb to get this and think he's just bad by accident
Ok.
>>45382225
>Rich Burlew wants you to think he's an incompetent writer
>Rich Burlew wants you to know he doesn't know how to convey information without directly telling the reader.
>Rich Burlew wants you to know that he doesn't know how to make a compelling character arc
>>45377851
>in this arc
>>45382331
>A webcomic writer shits up his webcomic so that people know how shitty it is
>People don't realize that it's on purpose
>YOU STUPID FOOLS
>>45382331
>Instead of writing a situation that is actually compelling and not completely stupid, he wrote a situation that is completely stupid so his protagonist could call it completely stupid, because we as readers would agree and identify with the feelings of the protagonist, as we rightly view it as completely stupid
>This is good writing, and not just a bad writer being bad
Not sure if b8ing for (You)s or Rich found /tg/
>>45382418
Beauty in it's purest form of writing.
>>45382331
So what you're saying is he is literally doing the writer's equivalent of pic related.
>>45382418
I believe this as polished as this could possibly get.
Without removing panels anyway
>>45382418
10/10 edit
>>45382456
Pretty much.
I never said it was good, by the way, just that it was, indeed, intentional.
>>45378005
>climatic
It's the end of act 1 of this book, dude. It's the start of this plot, not the end of it.
Anyway, Rich pointed out that complaints about the pacing are mostly complaints about the update schedule, and that he writes for the trade, which I respect him for.
>>45382736
10/10
>>45382225
I WAS ONLY PRETENDING TO BE RETARDED IS NOT A VALID STYLE OF PROSE
IT DOESNT WORK HERE AND IT DOESNT WORK IN FICTION
REEEEEEEEE
>>45383096
God damn /tg/ frogsI agree
Making my serious edit despite a lot of other posters already having it covered.
>>45383236
Do it again.
This time try and be creative, we've already seen people cut the script down without losing the information or the joke.
No need for 30 brevity edits. So do something different.
>>45377813
>hours in paint later
>>45383236
Still more verbose and less punchy than better edits ITT.
Does Rich ever see any of these? I think it would do him good.
>>45382736
>your mother was stacked something dangerous
Funny and true.
>>45378475
Thog done right.
>>45385296
NO-PUNCHLINE
hype
We need to start The Thog Tournament to determine which one of these plentiful Thogs is worthy to post his shitty edits at /tg/.
>>45385296
>i've seen firm butt highest priority
>>45385419
But thog no thog!
>>45381588
Not everyone in the room heard Durkon say that. Durkon is doing that on his own, without any help from an official delegate in the room. Half the people in the room support the result he's trying to rig in his technically legal, though shady, manner. You are reaching for a reason to be upset. Just bitch about the pacing or release schedule more.
>>45388592
>T-they didn't *hear* the evil vampire proclaiming how he's going to rig the vote even though everyone's there and there's not a single shred of dialogue to support that justification
Go to bed Rich.
So now we crash the ship, and kill everyone?
I think I'm the only one who likes this new arc.
>>45383386
That image is triggering me something fierce.
>>45385296
Starts out fairly leddit, but wins me over in the end.
>w a i f u
>>45390212
I'm starting to think "five words a minute" anon is back, and he's introduced the rest of his support group to the comic/threads, too.
>>45389936
The masketa orc.
>>45385419
I'll post a contender.
>>45390687
It is the only way the Order of the Stick will get enough XP to kill Snarlthulhu.
>>45390639
Well there's not much else to talk about on this page its just. "I'm going after the Vampire, you lemme know if the world isn't about to end" over way too many panels.
god damn it black fighter man, you fuck that elven cleric.
>>45390749
That's true, they could use another level before they go after Xykon. They're all what, level 15-16 now? V getting 9th level spells would help even the playing field a bit.
>>45390782
He has a hot sylph law school student back home. Uh, at her home. Waiting for him to be done with all this so he can summon her again and they can fuck happily ever after.
>>45390806
So threesome?
>>45391027
Fairly sure the elf chosen whatsit is in a strictly monogamous relationship with her tiger.
>>45382418
Lovely
>>45385296
>I'm also pretty
>waifu
neat
>>45381567
SUBTLE
>>45391109
Ah, I figured her whole air head personality came from her noggin smacking into the headboard on a daily basis. The tiger angle I did not suspect.
>>45391109
She might have to learn to share with Blackwing, and by extension V.
>>45391210
Evan's spiked tentacles of forced intrusion for everyone!
>>45391210
And then Belkar joins in.
>>45391316
All those threads on gitp guessing Belkar's demise, at least one poster must have suggested this and will be smug as fuck when it happens.
>>45391319
what_the_fuck_am_I_casting.jpg
>nobody does Vaarsuvius edits anymore
>>45392765
Aren't those the ones where you add even more words?
>>45392404
Now THAT is some prime minimalist material.
>>45381165
>>45380106
>>45379802
>Sure
Guys, c'mon, you can do more with that Sending bit. I know the point of Thog edits are to be lazy and illiterate, but come on.
>>45393400
I thought they were about D jokes
>>45381588
Got you one better
So, we know from Durkon's vamping that when a Cleric gets vamped, they switch to a deity appropriate to their pantheon, hence Durkula's spirit beign a servant of Hel rather than Nergal (the deity of the vamprie that spawned him)
So how is it that the followers of an elemental cult outside of any pantheon became servants of Hel one and all?
>>45384537
I wanna fuck Roy's dead mom.
>>45395060
Appropriate god of your pantheon gets first dibs, the siring vamp's God gets second if the new vamps have no God to claim them.
Theoretically if neither has a God who wants them, they're first come first serve.
>>45378475
> Didn't cut one word out of Roy's second speech balloon in panel 3
Nobody cares who Thogs first, only who Thogs best.
>>45379802
Best normal trim edit 10/10 A+++ would ebay again
>>45380555
Yes, this pleases me.
It's blowing my mind how infrequently OOTS updates compared to Erfworld, considering the generally more complicated art and fairly large amount of text (sometimes only text).
>>45395474
Combination of Burlew being lazy, infirm and so depressed about his failed career that he can't bare to end the one creative thing he has left to him.
>>45381923
>>45381903
What was that about? The original wasn't testing well with target audiences?
>>45395849
Pretty much, gotta keep up with those crazy kids
>>45395474
Erfworld also has three people. Writer, linework guy, colorist.
Also apparently Rich is chronically unwell or something, though I don't think he's ever specified what it is he has, just that he has something.
>>45397190
Crohn's Disease
>>45379403
>>45379481
>>45379568
>>45377813
Oh man, I haven't read this since Roy was dead.
Looks like I missed a lot.
>>45400825
Less than you expect.
My first attempt.
>>45401256
Oops, forgot pic.
>>45401271
Shorter version.
Even shorter version.
At this point I'm stretching it.
>Addressing a crowd for help instead of pointing out an individual
All that INT and never heard of the Bystander Effect, Roy? Come on.
>>45401347
I like the
>stop me - pop me
part.
>>45401347
I like your ideas, but I prefer the dialogue to retain some flow. Here's a hybrid of yours with my earlier edit.
>>45382736
10/10
>>45401271
Hail
>>45382599
So what does it mean if I'm just bored and stopped reading anything but cliffnote thog edits?
