Penny Arcade

[Jokasti]

I didn't see a thread for this and was surprised, as it is one of the original and still producing webcomics on the Tubes. So, PA discussion.

[Trazoi]

Penny Arcade doesn't have a plot, so there's barely much more to discuss once everyone has said "I love it", "I hate it" or "I'm indifferent to it".

Penny Arcade is my favourite two-gamers-on-a-couch webcomic, but that's mostly because every other webcomic of that format is a pale imitation. I think the art is top notch, but the jokes often miss their mark. It's not that the writing is bad (the jokes tend to be phrased well), it's that they often feel like in-jokes for a particular breed of gamer. If you don't play the same games as the authors, it doesn't have enough punch to the funny bone. It's not quite as universally approachable as say Order of the Stick is to non-D&D players.

[Gez]

There was a thread when they were doing that Lookouts/Automata/I-don't-remember-what-the-third-one-was poll thing. But usually there's just nothing to talk about.

[Flickerdart]

There was a thread when they were doing that Lookouts/Automata/I-don't-remember-what-the-third-one-was poll thing. But usually there's just nothing to talk about.
Jim Darkmagic (of the New Hampshire Darkmagics), wasn't it?

[The Tygre]

Big fan here. :smallredface: I'm one of those rabid fan-boys you hear horror-stories about, and find myself archive binging whenever I need a pick-me-up. I've gotta' agree on the jokes, though. They're hit and miss, and a lot them I just don't get the first time round. The weird thing is, after they've aged a month or two and the game in any given strip is old news, I think they're funnier. :smallconfused: It's like, "Oh Fallout 3! Those were the days!" It's to be expected that strips sound like in-jokes, because, well, they are. The writers have both said that most of their material just comes from random crap they talk about during the week.

[Tavar]

I find it's more for the editorials than anything else.

[Eloi]

I like the comic as well as PATV, the episode on D&D was awesome. The music is nice too.

[Rollory]

I used to like the editorials until I noticed they had a tendency to engage in overblown praise for stuff that really isn't that good. It happens often enough that I just don't trust their judgement - "oh wow this is such a spectacular sandwich of rich fruity baconish gameplay" or whatever nonsensical metaphor he's using today, and I just can't believe it, because it has happened often enough that I've tried their recommendations and there just wasn't much backing it up.

The comic itself is funny in a sort of mindless way, I guess. I used to like it but just get bored with it now. There are a few classic strips worth sticking up on a cubicle wall, but most aren't.

[Morty]

Some strips are really funny in an absurd way, most are at least chuckle-worthy. Some really don't do it for me, often because I don't get references - when they make jokes about console games, for instance. Still, I find PA enjoyable on the whole.

[Jerthanis]

I used to like the editorials until I noticed they had a tendency to engage in overblown praise for stuff that really isn't that good. It happens often enough that I just don't trust their judgement - "oh wow this is such a spectacular sandwich of rich fruity baconish gameplay" or whatever nonsensical metaphor he's using today, and I just can't believe it, because it has happened often enough that I've tried their recommendations and there just wasn't much backing it up.

Yeah, I can't for the life of me think of a game that they wrote about that wasn't written with glowing praise.

And then there was this (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/10/31/) comic, where their joke was about how they don't have enough time to play all the videogames that are coming out at that moment.

They stopped being culturally relevant to me because their problems are utterly alien to me. If they're popular, I suspect it's more because people wish for their lifestyle than because their humor genuinely makes them laugh. I still check the website, and enjoy the occasional comic... it's one of the best webcomics on the internet, to damn it with faint praise.

[ninjalemur]

Rather hit or miss for me. I prefer PvP, even though there's not much gaming in it anymore.

[H. Zee]

The humour at Penny Arcade tends to follow a very simple formula - someone has an overly-extreme reaction (often violence) in response to a trivial matter.

See today's comic for what I'm talking about.

They do this formula very well, but it still gets old and tired.

I much prefer their D&D podcasts; those showcase how witty and funny the Penny Arcade guys really are, which I'd say doesn't come across in their comic.

[The Pale King]

Apparently someone who makes the Words With Friends app was reading Friday's comic (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/6/18/), because I downloaded the updated version of the app, and saw this:
http://img.mobypicture.com/279bdd028dd79923f75733b989c1dcb4_full.jpg

[Maximum Zersk]

To be fair, churl is a word.

But the meaning is from PA, so I'll give it to you. :smalltongue:

[The Rose Dragon]

I'm sure the people on PA forums have already noticed this, but the latest comic does not, in fact, have Krahulik and Holkins' names at the bottom.

Considering the comic's contents, it is interesting to note.

[chiasaur11]

I'm sure the people on PA forums have already noticed this, but the latest comic does not, in fact, have Krahulik and Holkins' names at the bottom.

Considering the comic's contents, it is interesting to note.

All I know about it is that Death is a mediocre teacher. Some people get right back up and continue to irritate that Tallahassee fellow even after death, for example, and that's an obvious mistake.

Also, his granddaughter seems to be much more scholastically inclined.

[TheEmerged]

The humour at Penny Arcade tends to follow a very simple formula - someone has an overly-extreme reaction (often violence) in response to a trivial matter.

See today's comic for what I'm talking about.

They do this formula very well, but it still gets old and tired.

You know, another strip I am fond of (Dry Bones) from time to time puts up an older comic from its run and makes a point about how its as true today as it was 30-40 years ago.

HZ's point is so true that the date it was posted doesn't usually matter :smallbiggrin:

[FoE]

Intriguing. But the layout of the speech bubbles made it very hard to read.

[Rutskarn]

Detective Rutskarn's analysis, for posterity:

Look at where the gun is. From the pattern of blood spatters, it's obvious the John died on the bed. No blood anywhere else. Now, the gun is facing towards him--backwards from how he'd have to have been holding it--a good ways away from his hand, especially if he's right-handed.

Now look at the automaton's hand.

She definitely killed herself. Except, there were two shots fired--both over there. Her arm is missing, so one of those shots hand to be through her arm. The other one went through her head.

My guess is, either a.) there was something in her arm she wanted destroyed, or b.) her arm started attacking the John on itself. Either way, she committed suicide afterwards. So how did the shell casings get over there? Possibly they rolled out of the gun? I don't see how that would happen. Perhaps they were moved to make it look like a murder? That's also possible.

Get an analysis on her arm, and fingerprint the gun.

[Jibar]

Detective Rutskarn's analysis, for posterity:

Look at where the gun is. From the pattern of blood spatters, it's obvious the John died on the bed. No blood anywhere else. Now, the gun is facing towards him--backwards from how he'd have to have been holding it--a good ways away from his hand, especially if he's right-handed.

Now look at the automaton's hand.

She definitely killed herself. Except, there were two shots fired--both over there. Her arm is missing, so one of those shots hand to be through her arm. The other one went through her head.

My guess is, either a.) there was something in her arm she wanted destroyed, or b.) her arm started attacking the John on itself. Either way, she committed suicide afterwards. So how did the shell casings get over there? Possibly they rolled out of the gun? I don't see how that would happen. Perhaps they were moved to make it look like a murder? That's also possible.

Get an analysis on her arm, and fingerprint the gun.


If this is a continuation of the previous mystery, automatons going nuts and attacking people, then I'm prepared to bet good money that she's no hooker. They're a couple in love, he's possibly a business man or something helping her out which explains the money, and she lost the arm when he defended himself after her wires were fried. Then in grief she took the gun to herself.
Calling it now. I wait to be proven wrong.

[BRC]

Detective Rutskarn's analysis, for posterity:

Look at where the gun is. From the pattern of blood spatters, it's obvious the John died on the bed. No blood anywhere else. Now, the gun is facing towards him--backwards from how he'd have to have been holding it--a good ways away from his hand, especially if he's right-handed.

Now look at the automaton's hand.

She definitely killed herself. Except, there were two shots fired--both over there. Her arm is missing, so one of those shots hand to be through her arm. The other one went through her head.

My guess is, either a.) there was something in her arm she wanted destroyed, or b.) her arm started attacking the John on itself. Either way, she committed suicide afterwards. So how did the shell casings get over there? Possibly they rolled out of the gun? I don't see how that would happen. Perhaps they were moved to make it look like a murder? That's also possible.

Get an analysis on her arm, and fingerprint the gun.

The flower on the ground (it's dead and partly crushed) lends support to your theory.

[faceroll]

I loved that blood and oil arc. I would buy it, if they sold it. Carl is written exceptionally well. I think Tycho puts a lot of himself in the character.

[H. Zee]

I loved that blood and oil arc. I would buy it, if they sold it. Carl is written exceptionally well. I think Tycho puts a lot of himself in the character.

That was clever of him, as he didn't actually write this arc.

[Asthix]

I was turned on to OOTS by a 5 year old link in PA's news posts that still worked!
I was mining their old posts, getting a feel for how the online thing has crept to dominance in gaming, which I feel is represented in their years of archive. (back to 2001 I think)

I've quickly devoured OOTS and just found the forums (I wondered if there was one, but must have blocked the tab from my mind for some strange reason until I'd read up to date) and am now the official fan! (1st post:thog:)

I like PA too, to me they're just a webcomic about videogames.
Pvp was never my thing, never saw one that made me want to come back for more, but PA... call it the 'often violence' reaction if you want or their seemingly endless feud with pvp that draws me, but I'm always checking MWF for that new comic.

There's other ways they're awesome though. The Child's Play charity they started gives video games to kids stuck in the hospital. How cool is that? They also fund medical research about video game therapies for certain injuries / disorders, all together ensuring the growth of gamer culture.

Oh and their D&D vids are mostly great and free, I believe.

[Katana_Geldar]

Their D&D podcast with PvP, Wil Weaton and Chris Perkins as Dm is fantastic and a great way to learn 4E. Too bad the Dark Sun campaign Tycho is running isn't as good, though.

[FoE]

People got offended at the ****wolves reference? Really? Do they not see how deliberately over-the-top that was, which is part of the joke?

[The Extinguisher]

No no, they were offended by the idea of dickwolves raping slaves. As if they were expecting dickwolves would be doing anything else.

I have no idea how anyone could have thought they were promoting rape with that comic though. People are weird. :smallsigh:

[BRC]

No no, they were offended by the idea of dickwolves raping slaves. As if they were expecting dickwolves would be doing anything else.

I have no idea how anyone could have thought they were promoting rape with that comic though. People are weird. :smallsigh:
They wern't even making fun of rape. The joke in the comic was that the "Hero" only cared about saving the bare minimum number of slaves, despite the horror of their condition.

[Asthix]

I know! Plus. How did the word 'dickwolf' transform into 'a mythological creature whose every limb was an erect phallus' after the fallout?

Seriously tho', I feel that we here deeply entrenched in roleplaying country can appreciate the NPC struggling for attention and emotional investment in the face of PC hack'n'slash that PA attempted to make the focus of that comic.
The Rush Limbaugh's of the world only saw the word 'rape'.

[Trazoi]

To present the other side of the argument, while I wasn't offended by that reference I did think it ruined the strip. By going for a mix of absurdity and shock it made the second panel completely overshadow the last, which is why people mentally link that comic to those wolves instead of a hero who only cared about his quest requirements.

So yeah - not offended per se, just a dud comic. Although I also was never a big fan of the whole shock joke element of Penny Arcade to begin with, as I tend to rate shock jokes as the lowest form of humour (yes, below puns).

[The Glyphstone]

I was more irritated by Gabe's 'rebuttal' in the blog portion. People think it's funny until something offends them, then it's not funny anymore? Duh. But apparently that means that anyone who doesn't find all of their material hilarious regardless of content to be unworthy of voicing opinions.

The 'wolves comic itself I found amusing, along with the followup comic. This side of the writers' personality, not so much, possibly because it smells of the same sort of self-importance that poisons CAD so badly.

[t_catt11]

I can understand that take, Glyphstone, but I don't think that was what was intended, at all. I could absolutely be wrong, but my impression is that neither Mike nor Jerry take themselves very seriously. I felt like the rebuttal strip was done with tongue firmly in cheek, as the entire situation of doing an apology strip over a silly joke was just absurd.

But again, I could be wrong.

[The Glyphstone]

I can understand that take, Glyphstone, but I don't think that was what was intended, at all. I could absolutely be wrong, but my impression is that neither Mike nor Jerry take themselves very seriously. I felt like the rebuttal strip was done with tongue firmly in cheek, as the entire situation of doing an apology strip over a silly joke was just absurd.

But again, I could be wrong.

Odds are you're right - my anti-elitism spinal reflex does misfire occasionally. But like I said, the apology comic was absurd and hilarious in classic PA fashion...it was the blog postings that accompanied it that I didn't like.

[Katana_Geldar]

Tycho's a lucky, lucky bastard. He has part of Partick Rothfis' second book.

[Asthix]

The new strip about the lego pictionary game elicited a laugh from me. (because I'm not an artist, mostly)

[Kranden]

OOTS and Penny arcade are my favorite webcomics!

[Asthix]

At the risk of posting too much in this thread, their comic about D&D Essentials posted Monday is among their best ever about teh roleplaying.