OOTS #738 - The Discussion Thread

[The Giant]

New comic is up.

[Ganurath]

Well done. I assume the other one is Intimidate.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Ha, I forgot Belkar was a cook. Nice to see that coming up again!

[Blue Ghost]

I assumed it was "killing people."

So has Belkar cooked human hearts before? :smallconfused:

[hamishspence]

Mmm, Belkar's gourmet cooking skills get another mention.

[Illieas]

I assumed it was "killing people."

So has Belkar cooked human hearts before? :smallconfused:

dude makes salsa out of kobolds and their head a chip comtainer. I pretty sure he killed a bunch of humans and ate them as well

[Iago]

Love the scientific risque humor. Also props to the dialogue between Roy and Gannji ... Belkar is predictable, but the attempts by each of the intelligent halves of that pair to outsnark each other is awesome.

Also forgot to mention, YAY for Planet of the Apes nod!

[Salty]

That was pretty good. Nice to see Belkar's chef skills come back.

But shouldn't it be "...look whose Get Out of Jail Free card..."

I could have sworn that there was a typo thread at one point...

[Teutonic Knight]

And clamps on Enor's wings. The Giant covered everything.

[Eldrys]

Cannibalism is so much fun!

I wonder what an appendix tastes like. Its not like it serves any purpose

[SPoD]

Cannibalism is so much fun!


Eating humans isn't cannibalism if you're not a human.

[Fable Wright]

Remember, Belkar is not a human. It is not cannibalism. It was covered when he was hung by Samantha, remember?

And also: Awesome comic.:smallbiggrin:

Edit: Ninja'd.

[Mawhrin Skel]

Is Enor the new Thog?

[hamishspence]

If you go by BoVD, any time an intelligent (Int 3+) being eats another intelligent being, it's cannibalism in D&D terms.

[Toper]

Hee hee. Hearty flavor! I like Belkar here. Good strip.

Plus I didn't think till now that it was Roy's Belt of Giant Strength (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0687.html) that let him smack down Enor (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0730.html) before.

[Surfing HalfOrc]

Hmmm... Without magic daggers, and any/all of Belkar's magic itmes, can Enor take our bloodthirsty ranger in a stand-up fight?

Inquiring Minds Want to Know!

[Yuki Akuma]

dude makes salsa out of kobolds and their head a chip comtainer. I pretty sure he killed a bunch of humans and ate them as well

He also specifically said he'd never eat it and did it entirely to squick Roy.

[Fargazer]

Bring out the hearty flavor? Man, that brings pun to a whole new level.

[Carduus]

So someone who's angry about being sentenced to death says some mean things about a good guy. It's obviously time to start the Gannji's alignment argument again. So...commence!

[Wolfram]

So is long pig going to be the secret ingredient in Kitchen Stadium?

[MarkusWolfe]

There's a good chance that this will be the death of Belkar. If so, Enor will definitely turn on Gannji after Roy has a little talk with him. Then Enor replaces Belkar....hm. Am I right, Roy?

[RMS Oceanic]

Gee, I wonder who one of our intrepid heroes protagonists will be facing by their third match...

And a risque reference to herpetological anatomy. :smallbiggrin:

[Skaven]

Nah, Gannji to replace Belkar 2010!

Gannji is both funny, witty and a great tracker.

[Jokasti]

Garlic does improve the flavor of most things.
Is it just me, or do Gannji's feet look screwed up in the second to last panel?

[TerrickTerran]

Awesome line for Belkar at the end. And yes, garlic really does add a lot of flavor to food.

[Faramir]

all the more reason for his jealousy way back in the first strip...

[Bongos]

Enter Enor and Gannji, stage right. I like those guys more and more with every appearance.

[zimmerwald1915]

:xykon:"You'll eat his heart and you'll like it. It has vitamins and minerals."
:mitd:*sigh* "OK."

:nale:"You'll eat his heart and you'll like it. It has vitamins and minerals."
:thog:*sigh* "OK."

The possibilities are endless!

[maxon]

No pants .... this entire time. Disgusting.

[Kish]

I would, if I were a hopeless optimist, say now that we can put to rest "Gannji had a reasonable and intelligent reaction to Roy totally threatening him."

[Agi Hammerthief]

Injustice Is Blind, sweet :smallbiggrin:

[ClockShock]

:xykon:"You'll eat his heart and you'll like it. It has vitamins and minerals."
:mitd:*sigh* "OK."

:nale:"You'll eat his heart and you'll like it. It has vitamins and minerals."
:thog:*sigh* "OK."

The possibilities are endless!

Nope. You pretty much covered them.

[Zea mays]

Sweet.
I was instantly reminded of strip 177 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0177.html). I was half expecting Belkar to reference it.

[rewinn]

What with Haley's eyes, Durkon's liver, Ganji's hemi-you-know-what and Roy's heart, the Empire of Blood story arc has a distinct anatomy theme.:smallbiggrin:

[CoffeeIncluded]

For a moment I thought Roy might catch the quick comment about Haley, Elan, and V.

[Nilan8888]

I would, if I were a hopeless optimist, say now that we can put to rest "Gannji had a reasonable and intelligent reaction to Roy totally threatening him."

Since what Gannji is doing in this comic might be bluffing and talking hot air, I'm nto ready to say he's evil quite yet...

But he definately is a jerk. And no, his reaction to Roy's question was neither reasonable nor intelligent.



Originally Posted by zimmerwald1915
"You'll eat his heart and you'll like it. It has vitamins and minerals."
*sigh* "OK."

"You'll eat his heart and you'll like it. It has vitamins and minerals."
*sigh* "OK."

The possibilities are endless!

Actually I'm not certain the second possibility quite fits. Nale, yes -- but Thog, maybe not.

[Ted The Bug]

Noticed that we haven't had any two-page comics since forever.
But I'm loving this arc, both character and plot driven! With the exception of the Sandsedge scenes, book 5 has been incredible so far.

[Blaznak]

Injustice is Blind. Great quote.
I may actually use that in my daily work :)

[Elfin]

Glad to see Belkar didn't put those ranks in Profession to waste.

[Skaven]

Enter Enor and Gannji, stage right. I like those guys more and more with every appearance.

This.

I simply LOVE these guys.

[FoE]

I don't find human hearts to be all that chewy. :smallconfused:

[TheEmerged]

Heh. In our last 4e session, the party rogue pulled a similar line. "Hey, I have two skillsets -- stealing things, and killing things. Which one sounds Lawful to you?"

[Kewangji]

Typo in panel 2: who's should be whose.

Oh wait, that was already– Dammit.

Love the hemipenes line, and that the 'correct' plural is there. :D

[Alaska Fan]

Nah, Stephen Crane established that the heart is bitter:

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said, "Is it good, friend?"
"It is bitter--bitter," he answered;
"But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart.

[Tobimaro]

Gotta love Belkar offering cooking advice. At exactly the worst possible time. At least he trying to be useful. :smallcool:

[dgnslyr]

Garlic sauteed hearts actually sounds pretty good. The muscle of the heart doesn't look too different from any other given muscles, so it should taste fine, maybe a bit tough from being so strong. I dissected a heart in summer school just two days ago, so I know first hand what a cut open heart looks like.

[Morph Bark]

Garlic does improve the flavor of most things.
Is it just me, or do Gannji's feet look screwed up in the second to last panel?

You're not the only one. Guess the feet got misplaced and the middle too got lost. :smalleek:

Nice to see them in there again, and Belkar talking about his skills. Makes me wonder why we haven't seen him do cooking and killing at the same time. Sexy Shoeless God of Gourmet, anyone?

[Dr.Epic]

Meh. I liked the "injustice is blind" joke.

[Demonicbunny]

Nope. You pretty much covered them.

I wouldn't say so...

There are the island orcs as well as the goblin high-priest and his teenage goblin son.

[Theblackmage]

You're not the only one. Guess the feet got misplaced and the middle too got lost. :smalleek:
Looks more like his feet are drawn with the leg line bending at the ankle for the middle toe and a second line bending at the ankle also that makes up the side toes, but in this case the outside toe lines for both feet were move back a bit. If you look closely, it appears that on his left foot (the one closer to Belkar) the top "toe" is overlapping with the middle "toe," and on his right foot his ankle (defined by where the leg line bends) is on the center of his foot (defined by where the outside toe line is).

[CrimsonAngel]

Who else actualy looked up hemipenes? :smalleek:

[Acero]

This is gonna be fun.
Not the biggest fan of garlic though

[mjames]

Yay, one more gladitorial step towards actual fighting! As far as the two page comics, I expect either the party or fight scene(s) will be.

[Scarlet Knight]

Is Enor the new Thog?

*sigh* No, it's just not the same..." :smallsigh:

[EternalMelon]

Belkar' is going to be mad when he realizes they get to battle shoe-less :smallbiggrin:
That is, if he could spot them.
EDIT: Grammar.

[Omergideon]

Here we go.

I quite enjoyed this strip, as is usual for the OoTS. Liked, but not loved. there was some good interplay between the characters, and a few very funny lines but nothing spectacular by the standards of OoTS.

The Good:
1) Thus far the characterisation of the bounty hunters has been pretty well managed. Admittedly they do follow some of the standard tropes for that sort of pairing (one smart, the other nicer but dumb, the big guy is the dumb one etc) but this is not a weakness. It allows familiarity which can be subverted later. They certainly approached their work in a very businesslike manner which sets them apart from other groups. The prejudice Gannji has against humans especially is definately seen but not overdone as well, plus his pettiness. there is a hint of subtlety about it. Enor may be blander, but it's early days yet so I expect something to come up.
2) The interactions between Roy and Gannji were excellent. Roy was on top sarcastic form with backhanded insults flowing freely. The two work out as suprisingly good foils for each others humour, Gannji as more in your face and Roy more cerebral. I especially liked him being the bigger man, whilst still insulting the Lizard. A good moment.
3) Belkar. I definately believe that the "improved" version of Belkar has been given a new lease of life in the comedy department and this strip shows him used well. Only 3 comments are made but they are perfectly timed for maximum effect. The punchline resulting at the end was well placed too.
4) I am always a fan of small moments and callbacks. As such the reference to Belkar's cooking skills is welcome. As is the sight of the 2 practising in the background with wooden versions of their normal weapons. Finally the detail in the art on Enor especially is pretty smooth. There is a difference in colour between the wings seen that is logical and good to see.

The Bad:
1) Never much to say here, except the art in this comic. It is only to be expected but the backgrounds here are quite bland. That coupled with the messed up foot in the second to last panel makes it less appealing to look at than many other strips. There just isn't too much to draw the eye.

Aside from these aspects, as I said, a good but not great strip. It has nice moments and some funny lines but nothing special. Compared to most comics this is pure gold, but the OoTS is not most webcomics and I see it as being held to a higher standard. 3.5 stars overall.

Finally in closing, I really am liking the current switches between the main storyline between strips. It means things can be kept moving at both ends easily and progress the story in what feels like a comic version of real time. not a huge comment but something I am enjoying.

[The Anarresti]

I assume from that jump that Belkar makes in the first panel he still has his ring of jump secreted somewhere on his person...

[ref]

OK, someone's going to kill Belkar... pretty much about time, but anyway, I wonder how the Festival is going on.

[Jokasti]

What does this mean for the Oracle?

[Acero]

I assume from that jump that Belkar makes in the first panel he still has his ring of jump secreted somewhere on his person...

OR. he put points in jump.

[badgerigar]

Roy's eyes seem to be the wrong way around in this comic.

Love Belkar's unexpected cooking skills though

[whitelaughter]

it's always scary when Belkar's responses are reasonable!

Cannibalism is so much fun!

I wonder what an appendix tastes like. Its not like it serves any purpose
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appendix_%28anatomy%29#Possible_secondary_function s

[MonkeyBusiness]

"Hearty flavor".:smallyuk::smalltongue:

I love these twisted situations Our Heroes get themselves into. Never predictable.

I'm also glad that Roy and Ganji are going to have to work together ... even if they do not exactly "cooperate". :smallbiggrin: This is going to be fun.

I'm also loving the Durkon & Malack interaction (that flask scene was terrific).

-Monkey

[Secris]

I wouldn't say so...

There are the island orcs as well as the goblin high-priest and his teenage goblin son.

And don't forget Tsukiko and her ghouls.

[the_tick_rules]

Lizard is one malcontent dude.

[Darthteej]

I think that we can now definitively say that Ganjii is chaotic.

[RndmNumGen]

I see the non-human gladiators aren't wearing sandals...

[Nimrod's Son]

I see the non-human gladiators aren't wearing sandals...
Huh? The only gladiator who IS wearing sandals is Belkar, and he's not human.

[kerberos]

I think that we can now definitively say that Ganjii is chaotic.

Ehh, why? I don't think the strip says anything about Ganjii's position on the lawful-chaotic scale, and previous evidence indicates lawful.

[Killer Angel]

I think that we can now definitively say that Ganjii is chaotic.

...and the evidence is?

[FlawedParadigm]

I thusly predict "hemipenes" will be the most Googled word today.

[ShippoWildheart]

Who else actualy looked up hemipenes? :smalleek:

Yo.

I am amused that was in the strip at all, even more so at "genital sheath". Curse you Ganji and your stealth innuendos to the scientifically uninformed.

[Darthteej]

I don't know, that was just the impression that I got, and I mistyped. I don't think a lawful person would so completely reject a reasonable offer of cooperation, especially in such a predicament.

[squidbreath]

Who else actualy looked up hemipenes? :smalleek:

Ooh! me :smallsmile:

[Killer Angel]

I don't know, that was just the impression that I got, and I mistyped. I don't think a lawful person would so completely reject a reasonable offer of cooperation, especially in such a predicament.

IMO, a lawful person that doesn't trust someone, keeping exactly a lawful behaviour, decline openly a offer of alliance. A Chaotic one, would have accepted, planning a betrayal.

[factotum]

IMO, a lawful person that doesn't trust someone, keeping exactly a lawful behaviour, decline openly a offer of alliance. A Chaotic one, would have accepted, planning a betrayal.

But only if the Chaotic person could see some benefit for themselves in this alliance. If they didn't, they'd refuse it too.

[kerberos]

But only if the Chaotic person could see some benefit for themselves in this alliance. If they didn't, they'd refuse it too.

True, the behaviour isn't quite inconsistent with chaotic, but it doesn't indicate it either. It does indicate evil because they're seeking disproportionate revenge for quasi-imagined slights. So that sort of indicated Lawful Evil, Lawful because of earlier evidence and evil because of this an starting the fight in the first place.

[Almanro_De_Nerossa]

Great comic as always!

Maybe Belkar was referring to his feat "Craft Disturbing Mental Image" (strip 249 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0249.html)) when he said that Roy gets mad when he uses the other one! :smallsmile:

Almanro

PS: As already said by others, please note that in the panel at the bottom centre the feet of the lizard guy are misplaced!

[delguidance]

Good one Giant!

At first I thought handle animal was another of Belkar skill sets, but then I realized that his affinity with Mr. Scruffy really falls under his killing skills. Since Mr. Scruffy is a living weapon of death.

[oddtail]

Who else actualy looked up hemipenes? :smalleek:

Nah.

...sad/scary part is, I didn't actually have to.

[Conuly]

Nah.

...sad/scary part is, I didn't actually have to.

Well, it was pretty obvious from the context.

[sihnfahl]

Remember, kids, when it's fairly obvious that the deck will be stacked against you, the first thing you should do is alienate any potential allies.

[Faramir]

Gotta love Belkar offering cooking advice. At exactly the worst possible time. At least he trying to be useful. :smallcool:

He's a helper.

[Kaytara]

"I have exactly two skillsets, and you get mad when I use the other one!"

Hilarious. XD Thank you.

But, yes, it SHOULD actually be "whose" instead of "who's" in that second panel.

[FlawedParadigm]

NOW I remember why I liked this strip so much. It reminds me of #75 and my favourite exchange ever (the part that leads to "That...is actually a very valid point. You're right. My bad.") Damn, that would have been a fantastic call back line for Roy to do if only there'd been space for it in that panel...

[Ultimate Dragon]

isn't his other skillset craft disturbing image?

curse you italian ninjas!

[Marnath]

:smallconfused: Where would a gladiator get his hands/claws on garlic anyway? Kind of a useless discussion :smallsmile:

[sihnfahl]

Where would a gladiator get his hands/claws on garlic anyway?
Why, he'd trade for them, of course.

(Serious note: you'd be surprised what folks manage to smuggle into jails...)

[abbott.e]

Garlic does improve the flavor of most things.
Is it just me, or do Gannji's feet look screwed up in the second to last panel?

Looks more like his feet are drawn with the leg line bending at the ankle for the middle toe and a second line bending at the ankle also that makes up the side toes, but in this case the outside toe lines for both feet were move back a bit. If you look closely, it appears that on his left foot (the one closer to Belkar) the top "toe" is overlapping with the middle "toe," and on his right foot his ankle (defined by where the leg line bends) is on the center of his foot (defined by where the outside toe line is).


I don't think that Gannji's foot is badly drawn, I think it, and the bend of his right knee, the downward turn of his mouth and the way he's leaning away from Belkar, are all indications of serious squicking. Don't forget, Belkar did take as a feat craft disturbing mental images. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0249.html)



PS. I originally wrote this 10 hours ago, but I couldn't post it as the site went down for maintenance, so I'm posting it now, as I'm back home, but it may no longer be as relevant as when I wrote it.:smalltongue:



Edited to acknowledge multiple ninjation of the craft disturbing mental images feat.

[Phishfood]

nah, looks like an alignment error to me. Both his feet are out. Suppose it could be deliberate, but Burlew* does occasionally make mistakes, probably mostly thanks to the pressure us fans put on him to pump comics out on a thrice daily schedule.

*something thats always bothered me on these forums - technically anyone you don't know you should refer to as surname only or firstname and surname rather than firstname only, yet everyone here uses firstname. Yes, grammar nazi I know.

[Marnath]

nah, looks like an alignment error to me. Both his feet are out. Suppose it could be deliberate, but Burlew* does occasionally make mistakes, probably mostly thanks to the pressure us fans put on him to pump comics out on a thrice daily schedule.

*something thats always bothered me on these forums - technically anyone you don't know you should refer to as surname only or firstname and surname rather than firstname only, yet everyone here uses firstname. Yes, grammar nazi I know.

You're missing a MR. there, right before his name..

[AMJ]

*something thats always bothered me on these forums - technically anyone you don't know you should refer to as surname only or firstname and surname rather than firstname only, yet everyone here uses firstname. Yes, grammar nazi I know.

That depends a whole lot on cultural background. In Denmark it is only to be more precise that the family name is used alongside the firstname. But most of the time people just use the firstname. Since the Giant, Mr. Rich Burlew gets to decide what *should* happen in his own playground (he makes the rules), I feel quite certain he is ok with just being referred to as Rich.

I guess that since humans and pigs anatomically are not very different from eachother I can chip in on the taste of hearts. A pig's heart tastes a lot like liver and it id not tender at all. Around here traditionally it is cooked with a lot of cream and genorous amounts of parsley... It is not really nice to eat IMO but sure as hell beats eating stommachs from cow, goat or sheep (the only ones I've tried, I don't want more).

BTW. Belkars jump in the first panel really amuses me. Jumping high with a mini wooden dagger against Roy with a wooden sword - and both of them keeping a straight face, that is one of my ideas of fun.

[Gavinfoxx]

Actually, he's wrong -- pretty much all hearts are really tough and chewy, and they are generally supposed to be eaten raw, since cooking it makes it WAYYYY too chewy, because it is a single muscle with no fat to it. Anyway, if you've ever eaten pig heart, that will give you an idea of what a human heart would taste like, since pigs have such similar diets and anatomy to humans. That's true for the rest of the pig, too; human doesn't taste like chicken, it tastes like pork. And no, I'm not a cannibal, I just know biology. Anyway, seasoning a raw heart in garlic sauce would work fine, you just probably shouldn't cook it!

[suszterpatt]

So, how come Gannji got to keep his mask?

[cc_kizz]

So, how come Gannji got to keep his mask?

It would ruin his look if he had it removed. Or maybe there's a medical excuse…

[Ted The Bug]

nah, looks like an alignment error to me. Both his feet are out. Suppose it could be deliberate, but Burlew* does occasionally make mistakes, probably mostly thanks to the pressure us fans put on him to pump comics out on a thrice daily schedule.

*something thats always bothered me on these forums - technically anyone you don't know you should refer to as surname only or firstname and surname rather than firstname only, yet everyone here uses firstname. Yes, grammar nazi I know.

Sentences begin with uppercase letters, as does "Nazi", and "that's" has an apostrophe. :smalltongue:
I'm sorry, it's a pointless observation, but form one grammar Nazi to another I had to say it.

[Querzis]

Sentences begin with uppercase letters, as does "Nazi", and "that's" has an apostrophe. :smalltongue:
I'm sorry, it's a pointless observation, but form one grammar Nazi to another I had to say it.

Might wanna edit that then. And yeah, that sentence is probably not grammatically correct but I'm not a grammar Nazi so dont expect me to care or think its supposed to matter.

Anyway, Gannji and Enor are freaking awesome. Thats pretty much all I have to say about this strip.

[Gamiress]

That depends a whole lot on cultural background. In Denmark it is only to be more precise that the family name is used alongside the firstname. But most of the time people just use the firstname. Since the Giant, Mr. Rich Burlew gets to decide what *should* happen in his own playground (he makes the rules), I feel quite certain he is ok with just being referred to as Rich.

Indeed. Here in Canada it's actually pretty rude to address someone by their surname. People introduce each other by first name only most of the time, only appending the surname to the first name if the person is really important.

The only person everyone here calls by his last name is the Prime Minister. We hate those jerks.

Although as a reptile breeder, Gannji's hemipenes crack made me LAWL. I was laughing so hard all my geckos ran for cover.

[veti]

*something thats always bothered me on these forums - technically anyone you don't know you should refer to as surname only or firstname and surname rather than firstname only, yet everyone here uses firstname. Yes, grammar nazi I know.

Not so much grammar as etiquette, and etiquette that's about 40 years out of date at that. In formal writing that rule may still hold, but what gets written here can scarcely be described as "formal".

[Nimrod's Son]

*something thats always bothered me on these forums - technically anyone you don't know you should refer to as surname only or firstname and surname rather than firstname only, yet everyone here uses firstname.
Yeah, we're all close friends of his. I thought that's what this forum was for. What the hell are you doing here if you don't know Rich socially? :smalltongue:

[RockSteady]

Nah, Gannji to replace Belkar 2010!

Gannji is both funny, witty and a great tracker.

No Way, Belkar cant be replaced. Not by anyone. He may die, but there is no replacing that beautiful little bastard. Belkar is a sexy shoeless god of war. Even if he does die, chances are the dudes that made the deal with V will make him a deal aswell. or Durkon will simply revive him. Belkar will not be replaced

[factotum]

Actually, he's wrong -- pretty much all hearts are really tough and chewy

Having once eaten a stew with heart in it, I agree there. If simmering the thing in gravy for four hours isn't enough to tenderise it, I don't think anything will!

[Adeptus]

A reminder that Belkar isn't one-dimentional. :belkar:

[Garwain]

If anything, I'd recomment pigeon heart. It has a nice deep flavour of poultry with an umami taste.

And it makes you stronger. Instantly. My grandmother wouldn't lie to me!

[Scarlet Knight]

:smallconfused: Where would a gladiator get his hands/claws on garlic anyway? Kind of a useless discussion :smallsmile:

Would the the Roman historians out there correct me if I'm wrong, but after the chattel were culled, gladiators were treated pretty well for slaves. They were money makers & would get a feast, with wine, song, & women before matches. Like atheletes today, women, even well born ones, did not consider it to be inapproriate to bed gladiators like groupies.

[hamishspence]

Not all gladiators were slaves- some were free men who'd volunteered.

And yes- i think that description is about right- it does accord with what I've seen in history programmes on Rome, and read in history books.

[LuPuWei]

... Like atheletes today...

Except of course, the risk of mutilation or death was much much higher. And they didn't have the medicine to deal with injuries, either.

[Lostboy]

But shouldn't it be "...look whose Get Out of Jail Free card..."

You are correct. It should be "whose," not "who's."

[Acero]

If you have proficiencies with a martial weapon, I'm assuming you can use a sodden version of it. Does vice-versa work? Can you use a wooden version of a martial weapon as a simple?

[Darcy]

If you have proficiencies with a martial weapon, I'm assuming you can use a sodden version of it. Does vice-versa work? Can you use a wooden version of a martial weapon as a simple?

I assume that a wooden sword would be treated as a club in combat. It's no longer a slashing or piercing weapon because it has no point or edge.

[Wiffleboy]

Who else actualy looked up hemipenes? :smalleek:

Goblins sort of made a refrence to this a couple strips ago http://goblins.keenspot.com/d/20100531.html

[Marnath]

Would the the Roman historians out there correct me if I'm wrong, but after the chattel were culled, gladiators were treated pretty well for slaves. They were money makers & would get a feast, with wine, song, & women before matches. Like atheletes today, women, even well born ones, did not consider it to be inapproriate to bed gladiators like groupies.

:miko: "What is this Japan you speak of? I have never heard of it before."

They're not in rome, it's the empire of blood :smallwink:

[Barstro]

I assume that a wooden sword would be treated as a club in combat. It's no longer a slashing or piercing weapon because it has no point or edge.

I disagree. A wooden "rapier" would still use a thrusting motion, as opposed to a swinging motion, so skill with a rapier would be beneficial. Wooden weapons can have an edge or point, they just won't be that way for very long.

[Doug Lampert]

Except of course, the risk of mutilation or death was much much higher. And they didn't have the medicine to deal with injuries, either.

Much higher, but not as much higher as many people think. We have records for successful gladiators from things like tomb inscriptions and bits of surviving graphiti.

So for instance we have a tomb with:
...fought 34 times, won 21 times, fought to a draw 9 times, defeated 4 times...

21-4-9 is an extremely good record, but then this is someone who got a tomb that lasted 2000 or so years!

So since this guy doesn't seem to have actually died in the arena we know he survived 13 fights he didn't win. (Of course we're not likely to hear about the guy who went 0-1-0 and died in the arena, or even the guy who went 2-1-0 or something.)

Appearently there's evidence that contracts between the gladiatorial school and the sponsor of a game could include penalty clauses for deaths. It really wasn't supposed to be a death sentence by the late Republic, and Augustus banned games being advertised as being to the death.

Of course the EoB uses ordinary convicts rather than specially trained slaves or volunteers, and it was suggested that they wouldn't last long, so their rules may well be different.

[Witty Username]

Am I the only one who thought about Belkar's line,

Two skill sets,
Profession (gourmet cook)
Tracking (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0213.html) well, survival but still a skill

[Kish]

Am I the only one who thought about Belkar's line,

No, you aren't.

I'm mystified that so many people think Belkar's main skill set is anything other than "killing," actually.

[Demonicbunny]

No, you aren't.

I'm mystified that so many people think Belkar's main skill set is anything other than "killing," actually.

Because he's damn good at Craft: Disturbing Imagery

[Marnath]

No, you aren't.

I'm mystified that so many people think Belkar's main skill set is anything other than "killing," actually.

Espescially since Roy never gets mad when belkar tracks, he gets mad because belkar either wont do it at all or he messes up so bad roy wonders why he bothered.. like the cart of chinchillas. :smallsmile:
Killing is most definately his other skillset.

[Nilan8888]

Not all gladiators were slaves- some were free men who'd volunteered.

And yes- i think that description is about right- it does accord with what I've seen in history programmes on Rome, and read in history books.

The Gladiator 411 is different, IIRC, depending on what era of Rome you're talking about. They were taken from funeral games which were, originally, non-lethal I think and borrowed from Etruscia. Someone important would die and thier freinds and relatives would honor thier death through these sort of games.

(I'm going by hazy memory here but I don't think these original games were lethal: this was before slaves were used for it and it wouldn't have made sense for games honoring the dead to lead to MORE deaths of the friends and relatives of the deceased).

Somewhere around the mid-Republic period an innovative Roman or two began using slaves as fighting to the death in order to honor thier honored dead.

Somewhere around the late Republic, holding the games stopped being about the honored dead and was purely an exercise in self-promotion as ambitious Romans kept trying to top each other to be the best. And eventially when the Emperors came along they made great use of it.

[MarkusWolfe]

Who else actualy looked up hemipenes? :smalleek:

I don't even want to know what those are.

[Marnath]

I don't even want to know what those are.
I don't either, but i think i can make a pretty decent guess :smallwink:

[Conuly]

They're something lizards have.

[Memoria]

They're something lizards have.

Snakes too, really.

It's not a big deal, about half of all humans have something similar. :smallbiggrin: As another reptile keeper in this thread I got a good laugh out of that line, plus it's always good to see someone did their research.

[hamishspence]

Sharks also have something similar.

[LuPuWei]

Sharks also have something similar.

Until they meet O-Chul...

[magic9mushroom]

"Look who's get out of jail free card"

- "who's" is wrong, should be "whose"

-m9m

[JoseB]

"Look who's get out of jail free card"

- "who's" is wrong, should be "whose"

-m9m

Already mentioned in post #8 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9025118&postcount=8) of this very same thread.

Google (or the forum search tool) is your friend...

[magic9mushroom]

Already mentioned in post #8 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9025118&postcount=8) of this very same thread.

Google (or the forum search tool) is your friend...

It wasn't fixed, so it obviously needed pointing out again.

[TheMac04]

It wasn't fixed, so it obviously needed pointing out again.
I don't think the Giant fixes typos...

[Marnath]

This (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162734) Is the thread for the most recent strip. We don't really need to keep beating the dead horse do we? Typo's aren't the end of the world.

[TheMac04]

This (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162734) Is the thread for the most recent strip. We don't really need to keep beating the dead horse do we? Typo's aren't the end of the world.
But you just....ah screw it.

[Pandabear]

Anyone else look up the word 'hemipenes' on wiki and notice it's in the category of 'reptile stubs'? :smallbiggrin:

[Nimrod's Son]

It wasn't fixed, so it obviously needed pointing out again.
There are approximately 100 typos so far in the online comic. They only get fixed in the books, if they're noticed in time.